Fall Travels: Serenbe

This past week I traveled to Serenbe in Palmetto, Georgia (about an hour outside Atlanta) for a photo shoot. Despite the previous days of near flooding, we had beautiful weather, and Serenbe itself couldn't have been more gorgeous. The entire community is a really interesting mix of rustic and modern, like the scratched wooden chairs paired with the steel-topped table in the kitchen of the house we stayed at, or the rickety antique metal furniture placed in front of sleek black walls.

My favorite parts? Besides everything, I'd have to say the house keys attached to cow bells, the Stables, and the Blue-Eyed Daisy Bakeshop. And the front porches - ohhhh the front porches. If you're looking for peace and quiet, or a place to gather friends and family for a wedding, give Serenbe a ring.

Fall Wreaths

Inspired by photos like this:


{from Matthew Mead}

I've really been wanting to make or buy a fall wreath, preferably with bittersweet. The one below, from the Marston House, is my first pick. They're built on an 18-inch vine base but the branches can extend 30 inches. Alas, they cost $75 + $20-$25 for shipping&handling, which is a little too much for my budget this year. But aren't they beautiful?



I next searched Etsy, where I found the option below from seller twoinspireyou. It's their Hint of Fall Wreath, which is again built on an 18-inch form but can extend to 27 inches. It's also $75 but shipping is included. Unlike the Marston House wreath, it's made of faux berries and leaves.





So I have a few options. I could try to find bittersweet vine for sale at a local farmer's market. There are a few near me but I have no idea if the vendors would sell bittersweet - it is considered worse than a weed, after all. I could also go the faux route and purchase the supplies from a craft supply store. I'm afraid it would look too... faux, though.

What do you think?

Board No. 49: Wild Roses

{Click to enlarge!}

Who's ready for fall? I am! I am! The top left bouquet was really what inspired this board - the mauvy purple, the deep pink, leaf green, burnished gold. I think it's a fresh take on fall colors, don't you?

The Details
Top row, left to right: bouquet photo by Ngoc Minh Ngo; tossing buds photo by Max Wanger via 100 Layer Cake; chocolate cake by Cannelle et Vanille

Second row: pink shoes photo by Sarah K. Chen; wreath table decor by Alison Events; lavender field portrait by Jose Villa

Third row: portrait by Sarah K. Chen; lace luminarias by Beth Helmsetter (photo by Jose Villa); purple maids dress photo by Leigh Miller

Fourth row: deep roses photo by Sarah K. Chen; gray suits from Martha Stewart Weddings; peach gallette from Ann&Ming on Flickr

Monday, Monday + White

via {this is glamorous}

Good morning, my loves! I apologize for the recent spotty posting, but I hope you all had fantastic weekends and are as ready as I am for another week. I have so many things I want to post - recent travels, party planning, outfit inspiration - now I just have to find the time to share it.

Fall inspiration board coming up soon!

My new favorite...

...cupcake liners. Available at Paper Orchid and a variety of other online retailers. This is the filigree design; I also like the butterfly and mini heart versions. And look at the colors they come in!

Thanks, Wanda!

Inkwells

I love calligraphy (and have even dabbled in it myself), and I am loving Leigh Wells + her new venture, inkwells. I would really, really love to take an introductory calligraphy course but haven't been able to find one near me. Learning from a book just doesn't seem the same, even though most of the calligraphers I admire haven't had any formal training.

See more of Leigh's work at her site here.

Red carpet style

Did you watch the Emmys? Which red carpet looks did you love?











All images from Style.com

Monday, Monday + Hydrangeas

{via Rachel}

Good morning, friends! I hope you all had a great weekend! J and I's most exciting activity was a bit of hiking - we wanted to keep things low-key since I'll be traveling for work several days this week.

P.S. Aren't those hydrangeas beautiful? It would be so delightful to have an entire bank of blooms - you'd never have to worry about stripping your lawn of blossoms when you wanted to cut a bouquet.

DIY Saturday: Upholstered Headboard

Remember when I fell in love with this upholstered headboard? {If you don't, click here.} Well, I'm still in love, which is why I was instantly enamored with the recent DIY Grace posted on Design*Sponge.



She's posted the full DIY, and it seems easy enough. Too easy in fact - it's all I can do to stop myself from running to Home Depot to pick up some plywood and a staple gun tonight. Since I can't exactly hang a flush mount in an apartment, alas, this project will have to wait.

Flea Market Finds

On my recent trip to the Raleigh Flea Market I only bought two things and spent less than $5. I love the experience of flea markets and love that you can come away feeling like you've found a treasure without spending a ton of money. If you don't mind digging and haggling, it can be a very satisfying experience.

My finds this time around:


a rusty metal... thing ($1)


and an Aqua Ball mason jar ($4).

If you haven't noticed yet, I like to collect things. Here are some other finds I've scavenged over the years from flea markets or from relatives:


an ironstone wash basin and pitcher...


a folding luggage rack with brocade straps...


and a Jasperware pitcher and milk glass vase.

I'll share more soon if you're interested.

Flea Market

The Raleigh Flea Market was one of the best I've ever been to. It was mostly outside (and so smelled delightfully fresh, not musty and stale like some indoor markets); huge but not so overwhemingly huge that it was paralyzing; and had a great mix of cheaper knick-knacks, fine antiques, impressive crafts, and delicious looking produce. My favorite stall was the crazy wagon of rusted old metal {top few photos}.

Check back soon to see what I came home with!

Catherine's Blue and Orange Palettes

Good morning, y'all! Catherine is one of the recently engaged ladies I've been working with over the last few months. She's planning a clean, warm, modern fall wedding with a blue and orange palette. Blue + orange can be a difficult combo to work with, because it can easily skew way too bright and garish. I wanted to try to pin down the exact combo she was picturing in her head before we moved forward with making a full-on inspiration board. Here are the options I sent her:

Palette No. 1


Palette No. 2


Palette No. 3


Palette No. 4


Palette No. 5


Palette No. 6


I'm eager to hear Catherine's thoughts, but in the meantime, which palette would you pick?

Tips for the newly engaged

{One Love Photo via Once Wed}

And now, some unsolicited advice for all of my newly engaged readers out there, not the least being my sister Kate.

1. Don't think about wedding planning for at least a week. Seriously. There will inevitably be a moment (or more than one moment) in the next few months when you'll wish you had never heard of that thing called a wedding, so take a week to just enjoy your new status.

2. Say no to the hand-extended-over-the-keyboard ring shot and yes to a better way, courtesy of Anne Ruthman. Instructions here.

3. Start spreading the news. Start with your parents, and then move out in concentric circles from there: siblings, other family members, friends.

4. Give some thought to an ideal wedding date. Take into account things like school and work schedules, the schedules of family and friend VIPs, and your preferred season. Keep in mind that many of the best vendors book more than a year in advance, but don't get discouraged if you ultimately settle on a shorter timetable.

5. Likewise, give some thought to must-haves and non-negotiables. Your list could include vendors, like a church, pastor, or photographer you absolutely have to have, or less tangible elements, like the desire for a laid-back or super-swanky reception. This will help with the budgeting process down the road.

6. And finally, my personal favorite: subscribe to wedding blogs (selectively). I have a whole slew of my favorites listed in the left sidebar, but before you subscribe to all 20, spend a few days picking out one or two that seem to resonate with you and the kind of wedding you think you want. They all have different personalities, you know. Then, once you've found a blog you really love, pay attention to the blogs they love and link to, and when you're ready to add another to your subscription list, you'll know where to go. For example, I'm suggesting Kate subscribe to Style Me Pretty, because it is the granddaddy (or mommy) of wedding blogs and will help her get acclimated to the ways of the wedding world quickly. I'm also suggesting Once Wed, because Emily does a great job of featuring the type of laid-back, relaxed, but still detail-filled weddings that I think Kate's leaning towards.

Feel free to add your own piece of unsolicited advice in the comments!

Sister Peach & Pearl: Engaged!

{One Love Photo via Once Wed}

BIG news in the Peach & Pearl family! Sister Kate and her boyfriend of seven years, Cormac, are engaged! Yippee!! This will be the first wedding in our immediate family, and everyone is understandably quite excited. Expect to hear much more about the planning as it unfolds, starting this afternoon with my tips for the newly engaged.

But in the meantime, please help me wish them a very hearty congratulations!

Board No. 48: Bluebell and Buttercream

{Click to enlarge!}

I know some of you are ready to pack away summer and be done with it now that Labor Day weekend has come and gone. But where I live, it is 90 degrees today. Ninety! That does not scream fall to me. So this week and next week I'll have lovely summer-inspired boards for you, and then on the 22nd (next Tuesday, the official beginning of fall), we'll celebrate the start of a new season with a bang, okay? Good.

This board's dreamy hues and soft, sunlit photography really make me think of the last long days of summer (interestingly, kind of like this board's dreamy hues make me think of the first weak shafts of sunlight in spring). Are you ready for fall or would you hang on to summer forever?

The Details
First row, left to right: portrait by Casey Hyer via Once Wed; centerpieces by A. Hana Design; sauternes sabayon from Martha Stewart Weddings

Second row: popsicles from Callahan Catering via Oh Happy Day; engagement portrait by Kristin Marie Photography via Style Me Pretty

Third row: portrait by One Love Photo via Once Wed; escort card display by Martha Stewart Weddings; portrait by Our Labor of Love

Fourth row: lemon tassies from Martha Stewart Living; lemonade from Rebecca Thuss; ring shot by OLOL

Monday, Monday + A Swing

via {This is Glamorous}

Good morning, my lovelies! It's the start of another week. How were your weekends? I went hunting for a dress for my cousin's wedding (in vain, sadly), browsed a massive flea market, and had a picnic in the park at a free symphony pops concert. It was delightful. Lots of good things coming up this week, including photos from the flea market (and details about what I bought!).