Autumn Inspiration Board

I was riding the train through Connecticut and Rhode Island this week, and it was incredibly beautiful looking out the window at the spectrum of colors in the changing leaves. The New England scenery, and a little friendly prompting from Daisy, inspired me to come up with this collage of wedding images.

Photo credits (left to right, top to bottom):

After Six Bridesmaid, style 6540 in butterscotch - http://www.dessy.com/

Barn image from mixmingleglow.com

Twenty-Three's Gallery of Wedding Cakes - http://www.savor23.com/

Labels Buy Design, Maple Breeze Invitation - http://www.labelsbuydesign.com/

From the Wedding Bouquet Gallery of Your Wedding Company - http://www.yourweddingcompany.com/

Easy and Elegant Thanksgiving Centerpieces from Good Housekeeping - http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/

Homemade Autumn Centerpieces from Brides.com - image found at http://www.superweddings.com/

Autumn church photograph credited to Aldo - posted on http://www.photoforum.ru/

Green Lake Jewelry - custom inspiration piece BND_O_21123 - http://www.greenlakejewelry.com/

Blaire by Maggie Sottero - http://www.maggiesottero.com/

Red and orange for the fall

When Andrea started planning her wedding (which may or may not have been before she was engaged, but who am I to talk?), she mentioned red and orange, for a fall wedding in Connecticut, to go with that famous New England foliage.

I wasn't convinced. I just couldn't see it together, the red and orange. It reminded me of road signs. But Andrea sent me this picture, from Martha Stewart's website, and I got it.


But maybe I'm just a sucker for a rose bouquet.

Another Poll

What should be the theme of our next inspiration board?

1.) Peter Pan (think a starry night with a dream-like landscape)
2.) San Francisco (because Paris has been done before)
3.) Old fashioned Christmas (horse drawn carriages, white snowy capes)
4.) Something else (if you choose this one, please make a comment including a suggestion!)

Announcement!

I may have another bridesmaid gig (not officially yet, though)! One of my best friends Andrea FINALLY got engaged to her boyfriend of almost FIVE years (they have been dating since our freshman year in college).
Andrea's talking about an October, 2010 wedding in Hartford, Connecticut. More details to follow.

Fall colors poll!

At long last, a new poll is finally up! The question is, what are the best colors for a fall wedding? I'll admit I've gotten stuck on the reds and oranges of the foliage, so I'm definitely up for suggestions in your comments. Here are the options I thought of:
--red and brown, like apples and cider
--gold and burgundy
--pumpkin orange, and pie to go with it
--the colors of my alma mater, because I'm still stuck on the idea of a tailgate wedding

University venues

In keeping with the idea of the "tailgate wedding" I have compiled a list of what I think are pretty, scholastic venues for a couple wishing to say their vows at a university with significance to them.

1.) The University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!)
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame is beautiful, century-old church located in the middle of campus. You may celebrate your wedding at the Basilica if you are a current Notre Dame student, an ND alumnus/alumnae, a current member of the faculty or administrator at the University, or a member of the Sacred Heart Parish.

2.) Michigan State University
With its roots as an agricultural college, MSU has several gardens available to host weddings.

3.) Harvard University
This big name school's Harvard Faculty Club provides a reception site.

4.) The University of Michigan
While I dislike the football team, the Matthaei Botanical Gardens sounds like a beautiful conservatory to get married and celebrate. Indoor and outdoor facilities are available.

5.) Georgetown University
I do love Washington, DC. This school allows for Roman Catholic weddings to be held in several campus chapels, available to those connected to the university.

6.) Santa Clara University
I have a thing for Old Mexican-style churches. While SCU is a Catholic university, non-Catholics can get married at their Mission Church as well.

7.) United States Air Force Academy
Talk about the ultimate military style wedding, right? There is not a lot of information on the website for the Cadet Chapel, but a Google search tells me that weddings there are absolutely beautiful. See this blog for an example with several helpful suggestions.

Obviously, this is by no means an exhaustive list. All schools host events, it is just a matter of asking around. Check out your alma maters website and do a search for "weddings," or call up the school yourself. Keep in mind that religious institutions (particularly Catholic ones) may have special rules about who can get married there and what kind of ceremony the couple can have.

Polls

Lily and I have added a new feature to our blog! From time to time, we'll put up a new poll, and it will show up to the right of the most recent entry. But since I would like to see comments on it, we'll post the poll as a blog entry as well. Here's our first one:

Where would you have your destination wedding?
--A castle in Ireland
--An old Spanish church in the Carribbean
--A scenic National Park, with a lake and mountains in the background
--At my alma mater, where my fiance and I met

Please comment with additional suggestions and ideas!