Monday, January 30, 2012

~Rustic Etsy Wedding Invitations~

I am so in love with these soft, pretty rustic wedding invites.
The best thing, they are from Etsy.
(I know we all love Etsy!)
I am all about supporting handmade and small businesses.

Check out these lovelies:

Rustic Elegance - unique handcrafted wedding invitation with eyelet detail by Paper Talk Press on Etsy.






Aren't these all just gorgeous?!
I have a few new favorite Etsy shops :-)


P.S. 2 more weddings for 2012!!! Can't wait to share all of the fun details.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

~Margaritas and Your Wedding~

Now who doesn't love a good margarita?!

Could make a fab signature drink . . .
a nice cool beverage for a summer wedding.

Easy margaritas: 
lime sorbet and tequila.  So simple and yummy, and a great way to keep it cold!

The Signature Drink: The Blackberry Margarita

Ingredients

  • For the blackberry puree:
  • 6 oz blackberries
  • 1/4 cup water
  • For the cocktails:
  • 3-4 oz blackberry puree
  • 9 oz lime juice
  • 9 oz water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 oz orange liqueur
  • 3 oz blackberry liqueur
  • 6 oz tequila

Instructions


  1. Heat berries and 1/4 water over medium heat.
  2. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to break down the berries.
  3. Pour into a strainer set over a bowl and press the pulp and juices through the stainer, into the bowl.
  4. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup water and heat until sugar is dissolved and the water is clear.
  5. Add puree, simple syrup, lime juice, liqueurs, and tequila in a small pitcher or carafe.
  6. (If you have trouble finding blackberry liqueur, omit it or replace it with a couple extra tablespoons of blackberry puree).
  7. Stir well and serve over ice.

Notes

Yields: 4 servings

(Source: Bakers Royale)
Margarita Popsicles
  • No recipe, just an easy entertaining idea that requires some Dixie cups, popsicles sticks and Mike’s Hard Lemonade Strawberry Margarita. As a side note, the traditional margarita made with Tequila needs a much colder temperature to freeze than the tradtional home unit allows, so that’s why something like these Mike’s Hard Lemonade is better suited for making these popsicles.
  • To assemble: Pour and freeze the Strawberry Margarita for two hours then insert the popsicle sticks in the middle. Freeze for another two hours or until the Strawberry Margarita Popsicles solidify. Garnish with a lime and serve.
  • Small note, do not rim with salt until serving time as the salt will melt the pops. Alternatively, you can rim the Strawberry Margarita Pops with chunky crystal sugar for an aesethetic effect without worrying about the melting factor. 
  • To keep popsicles chilled as long as possible, place the serving tray in the freezer and then top  the tray with a layer of crushed iced. 
  • The popsicles  sticks are from one of my favorite baking shops Sweet Lulu. Great prices, awesome customer service and super fast shipping!


(Source: Brown Eyed Baker)

Margarita Cupcakes
Margarita Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Bake Time: 25 minutes
For the Cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1½ limes
2 tablespoons tequila
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
To Brush the Cupcakes:
1 to 2 tablespoons tequila
For the Tequila-Lime Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¾ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila
Pinch of coarse salt
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don’t worry, it will all come back together, power on!)
6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.
7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.
9. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge.
*Note #1: If you would prefer to not use liquor in these cupcakes, you can absolutely omit it from both the cupcakes and the frosting with no problem. If you do omit it, I would add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to the frosting.
*Note #2: I used a Wilton 1M tip to frost the cupcakes.
(Recipe adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride)
Yummmmm Right?!
Pssst I had SUCH a fun day visiting 5 venues around Seattle with my clients Liz and Kaushik today! 3 new signed weddings this week, and 3 more new client meetings tomorrow, this is going to be an AMAZING year for SBTN!!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

~White Winter Wedding~

I am styling a winter wedding for November 2012 . . . and so excited!

A few ideas:

Thinking white flowers, branches and crystals . . .

 "snow"

Lots of pretty silver sparkles and candles . . . and a s'more bar!!!

Strings of lights everywhere

Bouquets of white with hints of blue and fun crystals and feathers

 "Snowball" cake pops

A GORGEOUS cake with some bling and a simply blue flower

Escort cards in "snow"

 White branches everywhere . . .

Ice Blue . . .

So many fun options for winter weddings, I can't wait!!!
Colors: ice blue, white and silver


P.S. welcome to my newest brides! Kaylee and Stephanie . . .
and many more meetings this next week, wooo hooo! Love my job:-)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

~Our Lin & Jirsa Shot is Going Viral!~

I love to watch the number of re-pins on Pinterest grow with this fabulous shot
taken by the oh so talented Pia from Lin & Jirsa Photography:
This was my bride Abiade's mustard yellow heel with their rings on it.
One of the more fun "ring photos" I have seen.

Thanks for all of the Pinterest love!
I am truly addicted to that site and am getting so much inspiration for my weddings and inspiration shoots.

IF you aren't on Pinterest you are missing out, just sayin!
IF you are share your Pinterest name below and I will check you out!
Always looking for inspiration:-)

P.S. all my Seattle-ites did you enjoy the snow?! 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

~Wedding Love: Lauren & Michael, Salt Lake City, Utah~

Holy gorgeousness!!!
Found this wedding and fell in love instantly with the colors, the decor, and just every single detail!
This is the kind of wedding I would LOVE to plan!

 "something blue"
 Solamente Celebrations (formerly of Scenemakers
"Lauren attached a special brooch to the antique lace and ribbon wrapped around her bouquet.
 It was a birthday present from her grandmother"

The groomsmen wore gray vests and pants from J.Crew 


 "A wall of satin ribbons made by the bride and groom was the perfect backdrop for the escort-card trays. Wedding coordinator Heather Balliet of Amorology filled each with vintage jewelry from Lauren's collection and placed them atop custom fabric-and-lace-covered boxes to add dimension to the table."

A stunning tent was set up at the American Fork Amphitheater


I especially LOVE this lounge set up with textured pillows.

Such a playful fun cheery wedding!

Psssst a big shout out to the 6 brides/couples I met with this weekend!!!
Excited to help with your big day:-)

Sunday, January 15, 2012

~Simply by Tamara Nicole Wedding Styling Package Winner . . .~

AND the winner is . . .


Tasha Wilkinson
wedding date: 11/11/12

Congrats Tasha!!!
You've won a Complete Wedding Styling Package (value $500)!!!
Let's meet and get to styling soon!

For the rest of my lovely brides:
Thanks for stopping by my booth and entering the giveaway everyone!

IF you didn't win and are interested in any wedding planning/coordinating/styling email me 
(weddings@simplytamaranicole.com)
and let's meet over coffee or a cocktail and talk weddings!
Dates for 2012 are booking up fast (6 meetings this weekend alone!)

***ALSO I am having a huge discount of 
10% off any package 
if you book by Valentine's Day***

Friday, January 13, 2012

~Peach and Gold Inspiration~

Peach and Gold.
Currently my fave combination!

What do you think?
(Images from my own mini inspiration shoot!)







 I made 3 of these! :-)
 DIY drink stirrers . . . add a little class to your signature drink with some fun bling drink stirrers!

 Jarred Cupcake . . . cupcakes in a jar . . . my new fave wedding dessert!
 Want to add some bling to your tablescape?! Just wrap some fun ribbon around your napkins!


 The "Mr." and "Mrs." seats for the newlyweds!

LOVE these colors, so feminine and fun!
Stay tuned in a few weeks for another inspiration shoot from moi!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!!!

Announcing the lucky bride who wins a full wedding styling package from The Seattle Wedding Show Sunday! 140 brides entered, one lucky chic will win!!!

Vendors:
Stationary: Impress Ink