Wednesday, July 18, 2012

What If Wednesday's….What If I Could Get Married All Over Again?

That got your attention now, didn't it?
Well guess what? I would! To the same wonderful man that I've been married to for 29 years this August! But….I might do things differently now…I might register for completely different china and silver…I might wear purple instead of white! ( not really…but play along with me!) All of this got started in my brain after I helped give a shower for a very special friend's daughter this past weekend. I love giving parties like this because it's pretty much the only time I see a lot of my old friends! So I started thinking...
What if we could have wedding showers all over again when we reached a certain age just because all of our old stuff was worn out!? How fun would that be! What if we let this Wednesday's 'What If' post be a little more lighthearted and focus on parties and Party Planners!
I've often said that should be a new tradition we start! Just when we are tired of all of the things we chose when we first started out we could start all over if we wanted to! 
This past weekend I helped give a Champagne Shower for a dear friend's daughter…it was a lot of fun!





It was a simple but elegant Champagne and Hors D'oeuvres shower and was very enjoyable! Especially because I got to catch up with old friends! Especially these two since they both used to work for me at Mulberry Heights!

I was truly enamored with all of the beautiful floral arrangements! 


Just look at that incredible copper planter! We will actually be getting in a lot of this line very soon and I can hardly contain myself! The entire line is incredible!
The mother of the bride sure did look radiant in her beautiful aqua colored top! 
And I certainly loved all of the beautiful gifts the bride to be received! I had never even seen this Juliska pattern! My daughter registered for another Juliska pattern and I fell in love with that just a mere 3 years ago! And now I'm loving this as well!



Here it is paired with my daughter's pattern Berry and Thread by Juliska! 
Our hostess gift was this incredible 'Peter's Pottery' bowl above that the main centerpiece was arranged in as well as the candlesticks below. I can't believe I'm actually seeing a piece of this pottery that I don't already have…I started collecting this pottery about 15 years ago…it is our every day dinner ware and it has so many wonderful "extras" that go along with it! We also paired it with Annieglass and it all worked quite well together!

Can you tell how glad I am to be seeing this girl? We've been friends since I was pregnant with Holly who is now 25 and she also practically ran my shop for about 10 years!


Julie's table looked so beautiful with everything on it! Her house is breathtaking to begin with!

The food was pretty exceptional! I have been dreaming of it ever since I first smelled it Saturday afternoon!


Luckily, my sad looking Brie in puff pastry turned out ok…in the beginning I was quite worried as all of the cheese began oozing out while it was baking! No matter! The pear preserves covered it up nicely!
I loved our elegant but understated monogramed napkins!
Our cake from our local Olexa's bakery which is right around the corner from my shop was exceptionally beautiful and delicious as usual! You just can't beat her cakes! ( and I'm coveting that Annieglass cake stand!)

The kitchen was set up beautifully for the wine and the champagne!


For some reason that I'm not really sure of all of this made me remember the time that Jim and I were attending the Nashville Antiques and Garden Show when Bunny Williams spoke along with Colin Cowie!
He was so entertaining and so well spoken and gave the most wonderful party tips!

I wish entertaining was as effortless as he makes it appear! He is a gracious host and wonderful speaker if you ever get the chance to hear him!
Just look at these ghost chairs on the beach!
And these incredible "mini" wedding cakes!

 This would have to be my "Bride's Cake!" However…I will say that my daughter's cake was so incredibly beautiful, I think it tops even this….
I've never seen anything else like it!
 And I sure do love this for a reception….

 but I still think Holly's was my favorite!

















I never wanted this night to end…it was super special!

And there are no "What If's" about it…I would do it all over again if I could…and I WOULD choose different china and different silver…I might even choose that pretty Juliska pattern!


And, if I could get married all over again…to Jim again of course... I think I might just hire Colin to be the "Event Planner"! What if I could? It would be a dream, no doubt! His work is incredible!



11 comments:

  1. Beautiful post Carolyn. I love the Juliska too!
    The table looked fabulous! I see those gorgeous figs!
    Happy Wednesday.
    Teresa
    xoxo

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  2. What a wonderful post. I have been married as long as the hills have been here. I will have to think about what I would do if we got married again. Everything looks amazing and love the color of the flowers on the food table. Its always fun to see old friends...enjoy!

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  3. Also, Carolyn, I am going to blame you if I spend money at annieglass. I love every single piece and every time I see a piece I start thinking of reasons to buy, lol.

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  4. What a fun post, Carolyn! I just love those little strawberry tuxedos! That beach wedding was so beautiful and unique. Lots of eye candy here today. Your daughter had a beautiful wedding. :)

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  5. I would pick different China and silver too!! So funny. But WHAT a beautiful post! I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing a part of your personal life!
    Stacy

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  6. Carolyn,

    This is such a wonderful post with so much to comment on. We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary while in Europe - very romantic :)

    When I got married, my Mom did most of the planning. Today it seems most women do a lot of their own planning and things are more casual between bride/groom. Perhaps this is in-part due to waiting a little later to marry? I had a lovely wedding (for the time period) but I seriously lust of these photos and it makes me think ... maybe we should re-new our vows? :)

    Enjoy the rest of the week!

    leslie

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    1. ..after these photos.. oops! Long work day!

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  7. You ladies certainly did a great job planning the event. Your friend's home is gorgeous, (as are all of you), and the food looked amazing! Love Colin Cowie. How fortunate you feel the way you do that you would marry the hubs again in a heartbeat. Planning a wedding these days would be fun with all of the endless inspiration at our fingertips with sites like Style Me Pretty. xo

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  8. What an AMAZING post!!!!!! I don't know where to start....well the shower, super elegant, gorgeous, beautiful and all the food looks heavenly good. I love the dining room too and having a super beautiful dining room certainly helps! Then your daughters wedding...WOW just GORGEOUS!! So elegant, love all the elegant old world touches. And you my friend look STUNNING! (as does your daughter) Love your style and you know how to live!! Colin Cowie is also a real talent....always been a fan. Thanks for sharing all this gorgeousness, bookmarking this to come back to!

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  9. Hi, Carolyn -
    Beautiful wedding!! Thank you for sharing Holly and Brad's wedding photos. I'm sure you helped them with many of the details. You all looked stunning. And what a perfect champagne shower: friends, food, flowers.... Very elegant invitation, too.
    Cheers,
    Loi

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  10. WOW! You and your husband gave your daughter (whose name I love, as it is mine too!) and incredible wedding! Beautiful, every detail carefully planned and considered.

    I am celebrating my 20th anniversary this year. And, as the mom to three beautiful girls aged 9-14, I occasionally think about what their weddings might be like, and what I would do differently with my own...

    I believe that ultimately it is about the marriage, not the wedding - although a wedding is an amazing opportunity to bring together friends and family, which happens so rarely when family is spread around the country!

    I would do a beautiful, intimate, and elegant dinner with close friends and family. I am not so much a band/dancing/party person as I am an intimate gathering person.

    Loved this post - it got me thinking!

    - Holly (aka Things That Inspire)

    PS - Holly was an unusual choice of name given your daughter's age - what was your inspiration?

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