Unique Wedding Shoes: Colorful Soles

For your wedding, there are so many times the bottom of your shoes are visible - kneeling at the alter, taking off the garter, and while you are dancing.  Why not make a statement with your sole?  I searched everywhere for my Cinderella slipper with a burst of color and found these beauties with a hot pink sole.  You'll have to look beyond the rack if you too have your heart set on a colorful sole.

 If you want a blush or pink sole to match your flowers, consider Paris Hilton Shoes.  They come in ivory, bright colors, and metalic tones with plenty of designs.  The good news is that they are around $100, so you'll have room in your budget to buy a fun pair of flats for your reception.

The French brand Pour La Victoire makes the most stunning bridal shoes.  Check out these showstopping heels with turquoise soles  ($205).  They even say "I DO" in rhinestones.  The sad news is that these beauties are completely sold out, so you have to be creative when ordering them.  Consider Ebay.

Sparkle as you walk down the aisle.  You'll certainly leave a lasting impression in these Cinderella slippers.  Christian Louboutins ($4,165) are a classy, stunning statement. 

Nina Shoes lets you design your own custom wedding shoes ($200).  You choose the style, color, sole, and any rhinestones.  There are so many sole colors: silver glitter, raspberry, canary yellow, apple green, and bridal blue.  This is a great way to have a unique, totally "you" shoe as you say tie the knot.

Artists on Etsy create custom shoes for your wedding.  You can get hand painted, pimped out pumps in a variety of price ranges ($129 to $699).  I love these one of a kind gold shoes with hand painted zebra stripes.

Whatever you decide, I know your shoes will be perfect.  Hopefully these ideas inspired you to think outside the traditional off-the rack options.

Winter Gathering with a Chili Buffet

For my husband's birthday, my mother-in law hosted a dinner party.  The evening's theme was a winter gathering with a buffet of 3 chili dishes and hearty sides.  

 Chili was served at a warming station full of three different varieties.  Each chili had a label in a white vase with festive winter flowers.

A spinach salad with bacon and hard boiled egg was served to start our meal.

Stacks of colorful plates, soup bowls, and small bowls were displayed by the chili station.  This was a fun way to serve ourselves.

Chili toppings like chives, cilantro, and sour cream were displayed in decorative Nora Fleming serving trays.  No detail was missed.

For dessert she served a gourmet vanilla cake with white chocolate shavings.

Fresh strawberries and heavy cream were served with roasted coffee after dinner.  Isn't this white serving tray with a heart so adorable?  It is part of the Nora Fleming serving collection, which features hand painted "minis" and white platters.

White Bean Chicken Chili with Celery

Spicy No Bean Chili with Turkey

White Bean Chili with Chicken and Corn

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Spinach Salad with Bacon and Egg

Sauteed Purple Cabbage

This party was a hit thanks to the delicious food, beautiful display, and great company.  The hostess truly thought of every little detail.  You should try hosting a winter gathering for your next dinner party.  But if you're next gathering is more formal, consider an elegant dinner party or a mason jar tablescape.

Thanks for stopping by our blog today!  If this post got you hungry for chili, check out Kaylin's vegetarian chili recipe here.

Creative Photo Booth Wedding Ideas

Photo booths are the "it" thing to have at weddings these days.  My guests had a blast in ours at the reception.  To keep your photo booth fresh and unique, coordinate your signs and props with your wedding theme. 

As wedding favors, we gave our guests frames for their photo strips.  You can order picture frames from Amazon for about $1 each.  I printed a thank you note inside of each frame in damask stationary that matched my damask wedding menus and table numbers.

A lot goes on at weddings, so be sure to have signs and an announcement to remind your guests that you have a photo booth.  I designed a simple sign in my wedding fonts so that all the stationary coordinated at my reception.  It was displayed in a clear frame for a modern, minimalistic look.

We ordered a set of handmade props from Etsy for $35 our photo booth.  Since my wedding was very traditional, I thought it would be fun to have mustaches and top hats as props. The Etsy props, combined with boas, big sun glasses, crazy hats, and old costumes, made for great photo strips.  I loved flipping through my album with Kevin the day after our wedding.

If you are having a rustic wedding, consider props like cowboy hats and vintage picture frames.  For a glamorous wedding, try sun glasses and boas.  For a beach wedding, have lays, grass skirts, and Hawaiian shirts.  The possibilities are endless.  Whatever you do, make sure your photo booth reflects your personalities and your personal style.