The Bird & The Bee

Sarah & Brent’s Classic & Creative Wedding

admin — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:50:29 +0000

Working with Sarah and Brent was a blast! They were creative and fun to be around and since we were apart of everything from the paperie design to the day-of wedding coordination, we were able to make sure their theme stayed consistent throughout each part of their wedding day.

The look & feel of the entire wedding was based off of drawings that Sarah would make chronicling their adventures as a couple. When she first approached us, she wanted to find a way to incorporate her modern, creative style with Brent’s more classic, traditional aesthetic. We decided to hand-illustrate florals and with the couple illustrations to give them a more traditional feel. We also dressed them up in their wedding attire for the occasion! The design for the adorable cake topper, the cake and even the florals for the bridal party and the centerpieces were all inspired by the invitation set design below. You can check out our gallery to see the full suite of paper products from Sarah & Brent’s wedding.

It was clear from the start that family is extremely important to Brent and Sarah, we quickly got to know Sarah’s family during the planning process and it was inspiring to see how close and supportive they all were. Keep scrolling to see more beautiful details from their day, captured by the talented Brian Powell.

The outdoor wedding ceremony at the Wells House on Indiana University’s campus was beautiful! The harpist was a great touch and even though there were threats of terrible storms, the weather was perfect!

The reception took place in the Tudor Room at the Indiana Memorial Union. The room was elegant yet cozy and the food was served family style.

The reception was a blast, complete with a Motown band! Sarah and Brent, and their amazing families danced the entire night. They even got us on the dance floor for a little while, but we won’t be posting any pictures of that . Sarah, Brent, their wedding party and their families were a pleasure to work with- we wish them all the best in their future!

Wedding Vendors

Wedding Planning: The Bird & The Bee
Wedding Invitations & Stationery: The Bird & The Bee
Wedding Photography: Brian Powell Photography
Floral: Artful Blooms
Cake Topper: The Air Castle
Cake: Blu Boy Chocolate
Ceremony Venue: Indiana University Rose Wells House
Reception Venue: The Tudor Room at the Indiana Memorial Union

Abby & Chance’s Lafayette Wedding

admin — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:38:40 +0000

Abby and Chance were married in one of the coolest venues in West Lafayette. The Lahr Atrium is attached to Indiana’s oldest Bar, The Knickerbocker Saloon and includes vaulted ceilings with a greenhouse roof. Not only was the venue gorgeous, but Abby and Chance created many DIY pieces that were lovely- including burlap table runners and flower boxes for their centerpieces. They had an amazing sweets tables that incorporated some of their favorite desserts in town complete with churros, pan dulce, and mexican donuts (yum!). Abby and Chance were a joy to work with and we couldn’t have been happier to be apart of this out of town wedding.

Wedding Vendors

Wedding Planning: The Bird & The Bee

Wedding Photography: Scott Clark Photo

Ceremony/Reception Venue: The Lahr Atrium

Cass & Craig’s Sweet, Southern Wedding

admin — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:27:28 +0000

Cass and Craig are the epitome of “southern” and are as sweet as the day is long. They currently reside in Texas with most of their guest list arriving from the Lone Star state. Their outdoor ceremony happened to take place on one of the midwest’s hottest days- with temperatures as high as 104 degrees plus humidity. The guests were hardly phased as most of them came from Texas. The groomsmen were true southern gentlemen and offered to hold doors for us and help as we carted things in and out during set-up. The wedding included many DIY pieces, a sweets table and an evening send-off with sparklers. Navy blue and yellow details as well as chevron patterns were incorporated in the decorations and print items. The day was beautifully captured (on film!) by a wonderful photographer from Texas, Krystle Akin. It was a genuine pleasure to meet Cass & Craig and all of their family and friends, we wish them the best!

Wedding Vendors

Wedding Planning: The Bird & The Bee

Programs, Ceremony sign and Sweet’s Table Sign: The Bird & The Bee

Wedding Photography: Krystle Akin Photography

Ceremony/Reception Venue: Deer Park Manor

Floral: Artful Blooms

Kim & Dan’s DIY Indiana Wedding

admin — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:06:06 +0000

Kim and Dan are people that you meet and immediately want to be friends with. When I met them for the first time, I knew that their wedding was going to be creative, enjoyable and that they were going to be easy to work with. Kim’s vision for the wedding was a chic, vintage theme with most of her decor being DIY. She handmade her centerpieces, table runners, wedding favors, table numbers, a guest book made up of hearts, ring bearer box and more, incorporating a red and grey color scheme and floral fabrics throughout. The wedding party was extremely wonderful to work with and their wedding day exemplified the fun and happiness this couple shares with one another.

Wedding Vendors

Wedding Planning: The Bird & The Bee

Ceremony/Reception Venue: Alumni Hall at the Indiana Memorial Union

Wedding Photography: Savor the Moment Photography

Floral: Artful Blooms

Guest Book, Table Numbers and Centerpieces: DIY by Kim Shrack (bride)

Summer Wedding Professionals Event in Bloomington, IN

admin — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:54:52 +0000

Every month, wedding professionals around Bloomington and surrounding cities gather to chat, network, share ideas and more. We’ve attended this event almost every month since our inception and have loved getting to know the talented group of wedding professionals in our city. We take the time to indulge in some appetizers, drink a little wine and enjoy each other’s company.

This month’s event was hosted by the ladies at the Bloomington Convention Center. The convention center recently underwent interior renovations and has become a wonderful setting for weddings and events. When we heard that the event was going to be held there, we asked if we could help with the design and overall style. They were gracious enough to let us be involved and so we began thinking of a simple, yet fun style that would be easy to create.

We worked with florist Meredith Echols of A Fresh Flower on the centerpieces and room florals which were very beautiful and matched our chic, vintage theme perfectly. We hand made favors for each attendee and also provided custom designed paperie for the food items, table numbers and favor tags.

A big thank you to Lauren Dexter, Charlene Sykes and Talisha Coppock of the Bloomington Convention Center as well as to Meredith Echols of A Fresh Flower, for working with us. We had a wonderful time and are excited for the next meeting.

Here are some photos from the event!

Kate & Kevin – A Royal Bloomington, IN Wedding

admin — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:49:03 +0000

This Bloomington, IN wedding is so exciting to us for many reasons. First off, this was our very first wedding and we had the opportunity to do all of the design, planning, wedding invitations, stationery, place cards and table names. Secondly, we had the privilege of crafting a royal event for Bloomington’s very own, Kate Middleton. Everything from the church, the bridesmaid dresses, the decorations and the invitations to the navy and gold color palette reflected a royal and elegant style. Their style and class was captured beautifully by the talented Eric Rudd, below is a selection of some of his photography
from the day.

and a couple of very non-professional (phone) photos from the setup:

And don’t forget the matching navy and gold invitation suite!

Wedding Vendors

Planning and Design: The Bird & The Bee

Ceremony Venue: First United Methodist Church

Reception Venue: The Tudor Room at the Indiana Memorial Union

Wedding Photography: Eric Rudd

Floral: Artful Blooms

How to get Noticed – Tips for getting featured on a wedding blog

admin — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:02:20 +0000

This past March, one of our weddings was featured on Middle of the Map Weddings, a midwestern wedding blog. We were so excited for two reasons- one, because it was our first wedding to be featured on a blog and two, because we enjoy reading the Middle of the Map Wedding blog throughout the year and seeing the lovely weddings they blog about.

After we were featured, we thought that like ourselves, many couples want to share their wedding day with the public. Not only do they want to share their day, they want to share their design ideas, color palettes, fashion choices, decor, DIY items and more. Now, more than ever, couples are creating their weddings to be a reflection of themselves, their food choices, their activities and even things like their love for animals.

We decided that we would find the best tips and tricks for getting your wedding on a blog and share them with our readers. Who better to ask about getting featured, than someone who writes for a wedding blog! So, if you are a bride or a couple that was recently married and are interested in submitting your wedding to a blog, read on to learn what Emily Walters from Middle of the Map Weddings looks for when reviewing submissions.

Emily Walter, Writer and Creator of Middle of the Map Weddings says,

Here are the top things I look for in a wedding when
I’m reviewing submissions:

Creative and personal touches:

There are tons of weddings out there, and lots of them are beautiful, but what sets an event apart from the rest are creative touches. Special favors, unique or hand made decor, signature food items, and meaningful or personal details incorporated into the day. When I’m looking for weddings for the blog these help create an event that is inspiring, and that offer new ideas that readers can translate to make their own day special.

Detail shots:

The devil really is in the details. Sometimes I receive submissions that have tons of pictures of the bride and groom, wedding party, family, and lots of dance floor shots, but as a blog writer I have to consider the fact that my readers have no personal connection to the people involved in a wedding. As a couple some of your favorite shots will no doubt be of the people involved with your special day, but if there are no detail shots of the flowers, cake, reception, favors, the bride and grooms attire, and more, I won’t even consider the submission. Brides and other vendors visit blogs in search of inspiration. They want to get an over-all feel for what the day was like, and these detail shots really help bring together the whole picture.

List of vendors:

There are lots of people who work hard to make a wedding day amazing, and when I share a Real Wedding post I always try to give credit where credit is due. Bride’s use blogs as a means to find vendors for their own weddings, so as a couple or vendor submitting your wedding for publication be sure to include a list of the people you worked with. You can even add a few notes of appreciation for vendors whose services you were particularly happy with. It’s a great way to refer them to a large audience of people, and show appreciation for their hard work.

Sharing your story:

If you’re submitting your wedding, or having your photographer submit it for you, be ready to share the story of your day. On Middle of the Map I like to get a personal narrative from the bride or couple to give each post a more personal feel. Most blogs will want some details from your day, and will usually provide questions to help guide your narrative. The more detailed the better!

Choose a blog that matches your style:

The world of wedding blogging offers so many options, and there’s a place for almost every kind of wedding out there. Make sure to choose a blog whose aesthetic fits the style of your day. High budget wedding? You probably won’t have much success submitting to a blog about DIY and budget ideas. Was your event rustic and romantic? Best not to get try for a blog focused on alternative weddings. Submitting to sites that match the look and feel of your day will increase your chance of getting published, and will also help inspire brides with similar ideas in mind.

We’d like to thank Emily for her advice and expertise and to Middle of the Map Weddings for featuring us in their Real Weddings section. We’re thrilled to be able to share our weddings with you, the reader and can’t wait for a summer full of new wedding ideas!

A Digital Stroll Down Memory Lane

admin — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:25:39 +0000

Have you ever wanted to look back on photos of your wedding day or another special event and realized that you don’t have any pictures because you weren’t the one holding the camera?!

As the token ‘photographer’ in my group of friends, I am the one usually responsible for taking pictures of events and uploading them and tagging everyone and it can be exhausting. I’ve recently learned about this interesting App called Kaptur that connects with Facebook and your friends to create a collection of photos from an event. The events can be determined by a date or by choosing a photo taken at a specific event.

I decided to try it out for myself and see if it could find photos from our wedding which was in August of 2009. First, I typed in a date…

Then, I allowed Kaptur to connect with my Facebook account. It did some thinking and within seconds, it had collected photos taken of/at my wedding by various people, including my own albums and our professional photos.

So there they were, all sorts of memories of my wedding day from a variety of view points! There you have it, brides, you can get the most out of your day without having to miss a thing!

If you are interested in learning more about Kaptur, click here to visit the App page. It’s available for free!

And just for fun…Here are a few of my favorite memories from August 1st of 2009:

08.01.2009

Happy picture hunting!

Daniela

Dream Wedding Giveaway at Gold Casters

admin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:55:04 +0000

Calling all brides (and grooms)!

You won’t want to miss out on the upcoming Dream Wedding Giveaway at Gold Casters this Friday, April 13th and Saturday, April 14th.

You’ll have the opportunity to chat with multiple wedding vendors from the Bloomington area and also meet with various ring designer representatives who be on site to answer questions regarding engagement and wedding rings and bands. Brides, you’ll want to bring your groom too!

One lucky bride will win an entire wedding complete with contributions that include wedding photography, tux rental, a wedding cake, linens, limousine rental and more. The Bird and The Bee Wedding Planning and Design will be giving away a wedding invitation set designed especially for you (printing costs not included). We will also have samples of some of our custom invitations and wedding stationery.

Come by and visit us! We would love to meet you and chat with you about your wedding!

The event is open to the public on Friday, April 13th from 10am-8pm and Saturday from 10am-5pm. Gold Casters is located at 430 South Washington Street in Bloomington, IN. For more information about the event, visit http://www.goldcasters.com/upcoming-events-2/

We hope to see you there!

The Bird & The Bee

Spring Colors!

admin — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:19:40 +0000

Spring is here! Check out Pantone’s Spring 2012 colors for inspiration!

If you want to know more about their inspirations and the designers, visit their Color Report.

Also, check out Pantone’s collaboration with The Dessy Group to see how you can create your own unique wedding color themes. Pantone has even created an App called myPantone Wedding which will allow you to create your own style boards!