I am so in love with this idea as an alternative to a guestbook at the wedding!  Everyone stamps their fingerprints as the leaves on the tree, then signs their name next to their prints!  I think it would make for a fun activity at a wedding, and the end result looks beautiful!  Plus, after the wedding, it would be something we could hang in our home, instead of a book that will just sit on a shelf. What do ya think?  [Images from Flower Child's blog]

So so so so so excited to get our Save the Dates in the mail this past weekend. They actually got here on Friday...but since I have a PO Box and our lovely Post Office window is only open during the day, I was forced to wait until Saturday morning to pick them up. Now on to finishing collecting everyone's addresses so that we can begin the assembly process to get this pretty puppies in the mail! Yay!

Another unique little insight...that some might call crazy, but I love the idea of using hay/straw bales as seating for the ceremony. It will tie in perfectly to the farm atmosphere and help to create the casual, rustic atmosphere that we are  going for. Now...to figure out how I want to cover them is the new question :)

So when we were searching for a venue, we couldn't find anywhere that would let us do some of the crazy ideas we have. So when I ran across the Breeding Farm, we couldn't pass it up! We are planning on having our ceremony on the front lawn of the historic farm house, which was purchased by the Henry Breeding Family in 1916. Henry Breeding's farming specialty, until he was nearly ninety, was the feeding of beef cattle for market, and his wife, Blanche,  raised chickens and sold eggs. Blanche also had a large garden every year, canned extensively, and raised beautiful flowers, especially dahlias and canna lilies. [Information from Bartholomew Country Historical Society].

Hello color! Pretty sure I love this....seriously, LOVE IT!

I am a nerd for any type of creative project with paper...which is why I LOVE to follow OhSoBeautifulPaper.com. Seriously, one of my favorite feeds on my computer. I was estatic when they featured a mason jar invitation set from The Blue Envelope....which happens to be a designer in Indiana :) I had been designing something very similar myself, but when I saw her diecut mason jars, I knew that I had to get in contact with her! So...here's a sneak peak of our proof from Amanda. What do ya think?

So Steve and I decided that since that since our wedding will be more casual than most, we would pass on suits and tuxes and pick out something a little more comfortable and casual for the guys to wear. We were scoping our our videographics [Eyenamics] blog and ran across a wedding with just the style we were looking for. Here's a little sneak peak at their bridal party, with a few inspiration photos for our guys...

Just a little inspiration for the ladies :) Yes...all of us girls will be wearing boots with our dresses

So upon searching for decoration ideas, I came across a post about shepherd hooks at the Dollar Tree. After lunch on Sunday, I took a little trip over there. Sure enough...42" shepherd hooks for $1/each. I seriously bought all 16 that they had :) They are a little on the thin side as far as the quality of the metal, but they will work perfectly for the one day that we will need them for. So then I paid a little visit to the Bloomington store at lunch one day...and bought them out too :) We had previously purchased some 4' sturdy ones and was wanting more, but couldn't justify the cost of spending $3-$5/per hook for a one day thing. I am super excited about these. Here are just a few little inspiration photos of what they could become :)

Sample swatches came in the mail yesterday and I am so so so excited! I love the idea of these convertible dresses because it will allow each of the girls to show off their own personality by choosing the style that they prefer. Plus, they are a little more casual and comfortable, which will fit perfectly into our farm wedding. We are going to go with more of a copper/burnt orange color, which will look great with the brown boots the girls will all be wearing :) Here'a some sample ideas of how the dress can be styled too! I love the fact that there are so many different ways to tie it that you never have to wear it the same way twice! I know that being part of a wedding party is an investment, so it was important to me to find something that the girls would [more likely] have the opportunity of wearing more than once...especially since half of my girls live out of the state and will have travel expenses on top of everything else to be a part of our day! I hope you girls love these as much as I do!!