Category Archives: Planning Tips

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Pretty Pretty Floral

I have been seeing a LOT of beautiful floral-inspired wedding stuff out there. So pretty, so feminine – you really can’t go wrong.

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A detail from a real Diva wedding – Stephanie changed her accessories from cream to orange in between the ceremony & reception, but the flower theme flowed through. Wonderful!

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Clockwise:

1. CottonBirdDesigns – Etsy.com I would love to see these on a cake or as table decorations.

2. Solar Lanterns (runs of AA batteries) from Allsop Home & Garden

3. The floral J Crew Bridesmaid dress. Honestly, I just want this for the summer since I can’t have the wedding dress (you know, already being married and all). It also comes in navy. Swoon.

4. A night shot of the solar lantern

5. Detail of the most amazing J. Crew wedding dress. Would it be weird if I just bought this to wear around the house? I love it so much.

6. More of the amazing dress.

7. Myra Kim – Etsy.com

Happy Floral!!! ~shannon

Rustic Cheese Tart {Recipe for Spring}

I attended a wedding professional meeting where this recipe was demonstrated. I was home alone a few weeks ago and decided to make it for myself as I LOVE cheese. Like ‘would give up sugar before I gave up cheese’  kind of love.

As I was cooking, I couldn’t help think what an easy and delicious Bridal Shower or Baby Shower dish this would be. So, of course I photographed my result so I could share it with you. Really, it was SO easy and I ate the whole thing, by myself, in three days. So….also very tasty. It’s got goat cheese in it, which I know not everyone loves, but it’s not super strong with all the other cheeses mixed in, so don’t be scared off. Also, the chef said you could substitute pretty much any other cheese you wanted.

Here’s the recipe and ENJOY! Let me know what you think!

~shannon

RUSTIC GOAT CHEESE TART

PASTRY: (diva note: I just used the frozen puff pastry you get at Whole Foods for this – if you’re feeling Martha though, you go ahead and make your own! I’ll be impressed!)

1 1/2 cups all purpose pastry flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp chopped thyme

9tbsp unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and placed in the freezer for one hour

1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

To make the pastry, place the flour, salt, pepper and thyme in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the mix until half of the butter is the size of peas and the other half is smaller. Slowly incorporate the ice water until a moist dough starts to form. ON a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-15 inch circle. Trim the edges. Place on a sheet of parchment paper on a large sheet pan in the refrigerator.

FILLING:

5 ounces fresh goat cheese

4 ounces ricotta cheese

3 ounces mozzarella, coarsely grated

1/4 creme fraiche or sour cream

3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2tsp fresh lemon juice (this really makes a big difference in my opinion)

Kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

To make the filling, mix together the goat cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, creme fraiche, Parmigiano and lemon juice. Mix well and season with salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread the cheese over the pastry, leaving a 2 1/2 inch border around the edge uncovered. Fold the edge of the pastry over the cheese, pleasting it to make it fit. There will be an open hole in the center.

Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes {diva note: I’d wait about 15}, then slide the galette off the pan and onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature {diva note: or cold straight out of the fridge the next morning} with salad.

Voila!

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The Newly Engaged You!

The three of us have been around weddings long enough to know that the holiday season also means engagement time!!! Congratulations to YOU!

If you are anything like I (Shannon) was, then you probably are excited about getting married and having a wedding, but you are not sure where to start your planning. Right after getting engaged people began asking me “What’s the wedding going to be like?” Ummmmm…..yeah. I hadn’t planned a wedding before so I didn’t really know where to start. I had a few thoughts about style and time of year (green tones and a spring wedding) and what I didn’t want (bad bridesmaids dresses) but that was about it.

Sound familiar? Well you are not alone, I promise! Here’s what I suggest.

  1. Remember always that there are no “Wedding Police”. This is your and your fiance’s wedding and there is no ‘right’ way to do things. Make this day about what you want, not what you think you should do. Also, don’t let the wedding magazine timelines freak you out - they are just a guideline, not the law.
  2. Hire yourself a qualified Wedding Coordinator if the budget allows. Do you work fulltime? Are you planning from out of state? Do you want someone to do the elevnty million phone calls for you? Do you want extra special details at your wedding that you wouldn’t have thought of yourself? Do you want the day to run smoothly? Of course you do. It’s really some of the best money you can spend.
  3. Set your date, book your venue and then book your photographer. We generally book up quickly. Us Divas book, on average, at least six months out, much sooner for popular weekends (fall and spring in Texas). Then you can start thinking about Engagement Portraits (a post on that is coming soon!)
  4. Lastly, have fun!! This is supposed to be a joyous process, not a death march. Remember your endgame – an awesome marriage – and you’ll be fine.

~ shannon, sherry & lisa