Game Night Pajama Party

Sometimes, hosting a get together can take a lot of work...but a game night pajama party is the exception.  Instead of serving dinner, provide easy store bought snacks for your guests like trail mix, nuts, and pretzels.  Have these arranged in matching serving bowls within easy reach so you can munch all night. 

For dessert, lay out an array of gourmet treats like praline cookies, chocolate covered almonds, and truffles.  Again, these should be in the same place you are playing games.  For my party, I lined treats along the TV stand.

The party doesn't stop there - have champagne and drinks on hand in addition to a variety of games.  We played Mexican Train Dominoes, but I also had Scattergories, UNO, and Apples To Apples within arm's reach.

To make it a really laid back night, ask your guests to wear their pajamas.  It is such a fun and cozy way to spend an evening.  I highly recommend it.

Candelabra Wedding Centerpieces

Make your wedding centerpieces as unique as your wedding.  Vera Wang suggests to "mix up the reception with a whimsical seating plan of different shaped tables and to add some intrigue with an unexpected proportion."  The easiest way to accomplish this is by using unique centerpieces.  By having several centerpiece designs, you will add varying heights and focal points to your reception.

For my wedding, my mom and I selected four different candelabra designs from Opulent Treasures.  We placed one to three candelabras on each table and anchored each with symmetrical floral arrangements.  I love the way these crystal centerpieces sparkled.  The tea lights set off a very romantic glow to set the atmosphere for the entire evening. 

You can either rent or purchase your centerpieces.  Because I had my eye set on specific candelabras, we purchased my centerpieces, then resold them after the big day.  We fell in love with them, so we kept a few to decorate for other events.

Other unique options instead of candelabras could be lanterns, bird cages, wine boxes, antique candlesticks, crystal vases, or even decorative cake stands.

When selecting your centerpieces, try to work with the decor of your reception venue.  I drew inspiration from the ceilings lined with crystal chandeliers when picking out the candelabras.  My damask theme, from the menus to the table numbers, was also inspired by the pearl damask wallpaper in the ballroom.  Lastly, the vintage design of my cake coordinated with the traditional decor of the country club where we celebrated.

If you purchase your own centerpieces, be sure to give it a test run.  For example, at my mom's house, we laid out white linens and vases to ensure we liked the scale of each design.  Once you've decided on the final layout, make an appointment with your wedding venue to bring your decorations and test it out.  Be sure to take a lot of photos and adjust any proportions if necessary.

What did you use for your wedding?  Are there unique centerpieces you are considering?

Where to Look for Wedding Inspiration

Hello 2013 and hello the year of my wedding!!  Over the holiday, I spent countless hours online looking for wedding inspiration.  I wanted to solidify my vision for the wedding, so I can more easily make decisions in the new year.  Hopefully this list will help you find the inspiration you need for your big day!

Inspiration

I was just going to the wedding tab on Pinterest and following my friends that are getting married for inspiration.  I wanted to find more unique ideas, and this inspired me to follow new pinners.

My wedding date is fast approaching which means I need a vision.  227 days until the big day--crazy!

Sources of Wedding Inspiration

I follow all of these blogs both on and off of Pinterest.  Pinterest makes it really easy to focus on certain boards.  For example, I took some time tonight looking at all of the invitation boards by each of these blogs.  

Here is the list:

The Wedding Chicks

Ruffled Blog

Style Me Pretty

Exclusively Weddings

Martha Stewart Weddings

The Knot

Southern Weddings Magazine

Twigs & Honey

 Southern Bride Magazine

Junebug Weddings

The Perfect Palette

Green Wedding Shoes

Chic Vintage Brides

100 Layer Cake

Project Wedding

Using Pinterest's Secret Boards

Pinterest's Secret Boards make it easy to surprise your guests.  They have not enabled Secret Boards on the iPad yet, so I pin everything to my public wedding boards, then pin the items that I am going to follow through with onto my secret boards.  Gives me a chance to go pin crazy then narrow in on the ideas that I truly love.  

Do you follow any other blogs for wedding inspiration?  How do you keep your ideas organized?