What You’ll Need:

• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 Can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Pound Lump Crabmeat
• 1 Pound Sliced Sausage of Your Choice
• 3-4 Pounds Fresh Shrimp (Small to Medium in Size)
• 1 Cup Each Diced Green Onion, Diced Onion, and Diced Celery
• 2 Quarts Seafood or Chicken Stock
• 1 Tablespoon Each Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper
• 3 Bay Leaves
• Separate: 6-7 Cups Cooked White Rice

How to Prepare:

You can prepare this gumbo up to 2 days and preparing at least the night before is preferable since the flavors are better able to mingle overnight. Begin by placing the vegetable oil in a large, thick pot over medium-high heat. Add the flour by sprinkling a little at a time and using a whisk to incorporate it. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, allow the flour and oil mixture to cook for approximately 10-15 minutes. The mixture should turn a golden brown and smell something like popcorn when it’s finished.

Next, dump in the can of diced tomatoes, liquid included, and mix quickly with your wooden spoon. Allow this to cook for approximately 5 minutes before pouring in your 2 quarts of stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, blending your flour/oil/tomato mixture into the liquid very well. When the mixture starts to boil, lower the heat to medium/high and add your chopped onion and celery and your dry seasonings. Allow this to simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Next, bring the mixture back to a slight boil and add your seafood and sausage. Let this cook for about 5-7 minutes (or until shrimp is done).

Voila! It’s done, and sure to be the best gumbo you’ve ever tried. It is also sure to impress your wedding guests and makes a fantastic soup course or appetizer during any season. Are you planning a Cajun/Creole wedding menu? What are some traditional foods you will be adding? Let us know in the comments below!

The post A Creole-Style Wedding Menu: The Most Amazing Seafood Gumbo Recipe You’ll Ever Find appeared first on Inspired Bride.

1. The Birdcage

A sophisticated and edgy alternative to the more traditional veil that suits the vintage quirky brides! This half-covering veil is commonly seen incorporated with glammed up and great gatsby themed weddings.

2. The Juliet Cap

One of the more traditional styles of wedding veils, the Juliet Cap is often associated with oversized bouquets, wearing gorgeous silk bias cut wedding dresses.

3. The Mantilla

These wedding veils are absolutely gorgeous! The Mantilla veil with the lace design is often paired-up with bold and chic bridal weddings that incorporates an incredibly romantic traditional vibe.

4. Hair Comb and Veil

A classic alternative for the regal crown or tiara, the hair comb and veil is the modern take for the traditional bridal comb where the hair is braided into a bun in the back or in the side often pinned-up with a jeweled comb.

5. The Bubble Veil

One of the more classy veil styles, the bubble veil looks so whimsical with its fluffed up design. The form of the veil adds volume to the elegance of the bride and often used in bridal photoshoots for its glamorous look.

The post 5 Wedding Veil Styles For Every Bride appeared first on Inspired Bride.

Vendors

Photographer: JenAnn Photography
Invitation Designer: After a While Crocodile
Makeup Artist: Bella Chic by Crystal
Floral Designer: Coastal Bloom
Cake Designer: Creative Cakes and Candies
Dress Store: L.A. Bridal Boutique
Event Venue: Sterling Stables
Hair Stylist: Tenacious Glam

The post Simply Elegant at the Sterling Stables appeared first on Inspired Bride.

The Wedding Day Video

https://vimeo.com/201095685

Vendors

Photographer: Family Creative Imagery
Makeup Artist: All Dolled Up Studio
Design and Decor: Bespoke Decor
Cinema and Video: Family Creative Imagery Films
Floral Designer: Garden Party Flowers
Equipment Rentals: Lonsdale Events
Caterer: Savoury Chef
Event Planner: Smitten Events
Transportation: Star Limousine
Event Venue: The View on Lonsdale

The post Glamorous Star Wars Wedding appeared first on Inspired Bride.

The Reception Details

I’d best describe Justine and Jaime’s reception as a festival of colors! I especially love the idea of having mismatched colorful bottles as vases. They were filled with different types of flowers in different colors of course! The place looked liked a romantic barbecue party — casual yet charming. Indeed it was a celebration made according to their personalities.

Vendors

Photographer: Justine Ungaro
Accommodations: Basecamp Tahoe South
Caterer: Bella Tahoe
Caterer: Butter and Salt
Hair Stylist: L’Atelier Studio Hair
DJ: Lake Tahoe DJ
Ceremony Location: Round Hill Pines Beach
Event Designer: Tahoe Inspired
Equipment Rentals: The Entertainer
Floral Designer: Thrans Flowers

The post A Fun and Colorful Wedding in Lake Tahoe appeared first on Inspired Bride.

The Venue Setting

As the sun went down the cafe lights hanging above the party put the perfect glow on the space and basket of blankets and fire pit kept people nice and warm. They ended the evening around the fire pit sharing stories and making s’mores. Doesn’t that sound cozy and romantic?

The Mimosa Bar

The highlight of the party was the mimosa bar. Andrea and Daniel love making their own mimosas so, when planning the party, a fully stocked mimosa bar was a necessity. Andrea worked her magic to create the prettiest outdoor bar, with all sorts of fresh fruits and juices to make concoctions with, complete with gold-rimmed glasses and floral paper straws. The delicious buffet was provided and each dish was hand-made by Andrea’s parents. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, desserts were brought out: strawberry shortcake & brownie caramel trifles.

Remember These Tips!

Keep it simple, keep personal. An engagement party should be fun! It should celebrate you as a couple. Including elements that reflected both couples made it easy to make decisions and easier to get back on track when you find yourself drowning in Pinterest ideas.

— Andrea

About The Photographer

I am a fine art wedding photographer based in Portland, Oregon but available to travel worldwide. I am a hopeless romantic. I adore capturing wedding day details, and the connection between two people in love. I wear my heart on my sleeve… so there’s a good chance I will tear up at some point during your wedding. (I can’t help it, it’s just who I am!) I am also a perfectionist, so every photo that I give to a client I consider a representation of myself. I want it to be perfect–something I would be proud to display on my website. But most of all, I love getting to know my clients and helping the vision for their wedding come to life. If you (or someone you know) are getting married, I would love the chance to be a part of capturing your wedding day too.

— Shelley Bahar

Vendors

Photographer: Shelley Marie Photo
Cake Designer: Bales Thriftway
Event Designer: Cinta Events
Design and Decor: Danner & Soli
Equipment Rentals: Special Occasions Parties & Events

The post Best Friends, Engagement, and Mimosas! appeared first on Inspired Bride.

I certainly won’t say no if this invitation set gets dropped to my mailbox! Definitely Beauty and the Beast style –  this opulent blue, red and gold wedding suite with “Be Our Guest” heading are a hit from Blissful Prints.

Your Beauty and the Beast themed wedding won’t be complete without rich red roses. This single red rose placed inside the glass dome could sprinkle the magic further!

The Table Setting

The whole set looks very regal.  As you can see, you can never go wrong with deep colors. The vintage yet zestful elements made the shoot so vivid. For the florals, the team used a mix of romantic blooms including rich red garden roses, and peonies along with more organic blooms like hanging amaranths, cymbidium orchids and forest greens.

The candles, teapots (our favorite Mrs. Potts!) and vintage clocks work so well together and are giving a crafty nod to the film. If you are a bookworm like Belle, find inspiration from your love of books and include these items as stunning centerpieces.

From The Coordinator

I (Stephanie/ Pretty + Planned Events) have been anxiously awaiting the release of Disney’s newest release of Beauty & The Beast since the trailer teaser came out in the summer of 2016. Beauty & The Beast was my favorite Disney princess movie as a child because I love the classic details, enchantment and magic behind the love story. My favorite part of the movie was after the beast went to rescue Belle from the wolves, The Beast becomes injured and that’s when Belle starts to notice his feelings for her. She nurses him back to heath and that’s when their awkward friendship and feelings for each other begins to develop. The grand library as a gift to Belle – what book work girl wouldn’t fall for that?

Vendors

Photographer: Melissa Sigler Photography
Invitation Designer: Blissful Prints
Dress Store: Fabulous Frocks Bridal of Kansas City
Floral Designer: KP Event Design
Ceremony Location: Mark Twain Ballroom
Event Planner: Pretty + Planned
Equipment Rentals: Ultrapom Event Rental

The post Tale As Old As Time appeared first on Inspired Bride.

Extra Special Details

The book of Song of Solomon may be the most romantic and poetic out of all the others.

The models in this stylized session are a real life married couple. They did not see each other on the day of the shoot until it was time for the session. They treated the session like it was a second wedding day!

The couple were also pastors and representing some scriptures from the book of Song of Solomon that were used in this story was significant for them.

“He has brought me to His banquet hall,
And his banner over me is love.” – Song of Solomon 2:4

“Arise my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. See! The winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The season of singing has come.”  – Song of Solomon 2:10-12

Tips from the Photographer

Know your vision and make sure that those who are helping you know it too. If you have a clear idea of what you want, it will be that much easier to go for it because everyone will be on the same page. It will all come together! Don’t stress!

Vendors

Photographer: Twinkling Eye Photography
Beauty: Chandler Price Hair
Bakery: Publix Bakery
Dress Store: Rent The Runway
Event Venue: The Peppersprout Barn
Floral Designer: Twigs, Leaves & Flowers

The post Song of Solomon: The Banquet appeared first on Inspired Bride.

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 “Getting Juaquin to take pretty pictures on a beach at sunset – or in a grassy field next to an old car – was going to be an uphill battle. ‘We’ve never even been to a field,’ he’d say. And he was right. Those moments wouldn’t feel like us. Instead, he came up with this idea to capture our authentic, every day life dressed up in our finest. And what came of it, we feel, was pretty true to who we are.”

— Nasim Meybodi, the bride

This might be random but it sure is cute and candid. Simple — just how I like it.

Another cute one!

They actually managed to make this grocery aisle romantic. Can you not? *swoon*

Oh you know, casually chilling but dressed to kill on a basketball court Oh lala~

 Vendors

Photographer: Casey Brodley

The post Happiness in the Simplest of Things appeared first on Inspired Bride.

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Let’s take it from Bonny Bailey, designer of the shoot:

I had a client that came into the wedding venue and really wanted to do something different. Maybe a theme of sorts. Since the venue has a dramatic vintage feel, I recommended making it her own home for the most drama. After further discussion she described a dress… a wedding dress that was not just white, but that had some character. I quickly thought of having a Katniss and her dramatic outfits. We ended up talking for hours about having a Hunger Games wedding and this is my vision come to life.

I refused to go too blatantly obvious on the design. Themes with an edge can still be pretty. And that was what I was hoping to achieve.

This is a love triangle of two men and one woman. One woman who has her own opinions and design and these men want to just fit in her world.

I love the use of flowers anywhere there would be arrows. It softens the design aesthetic. Any Katniss character would not feel confident without her message from Haymitch urging her to do what she was thinking anyway. I love the subtle touch of roses and snow to create Snow’s Garden and her empowerment within it. And of course, no cake can exist without the Mellark Bakery.

Tips for Planning a Hunger Games Wedding

Be yourself! Geeky weddings are all the rage right now. Expressing your geekdom can still be beautiful and meaningful. Not everyone may understand your references, but those around you whom know you will appreciate your personal tribute!

Don’t you now wish that we have a real-life Peeta? Comment below on other things you can do to plan a geeky wedding.

​Vendors

Theme, Design & Styling by Bonny Bailey Photographer: VMP Photography Venue: The Highland Manor Flowers: Dream Design Florist & Wedding Boutique Cake: Party Flavors Custom Cakes Rentals: Orlando Wedding & Party Rentals Lighting: Meister Productions Linen: Over the Top Rental Linens Dresses: Brides by Demetrios Menswear: Tuxedos to You Hair & Makeup: Kristy’s Artistry Design Team Styling Assistant: Amanda Lupo Caraker Models: Chelsey Panisch, Rodney Lofton & Mikenson Snow: FyerFly productions

The post May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor – A Hunger Games Wedding appeared first on Inspired Bride.