A Comprehensive List of My Wedding Theme Pinboards

I love planning weddings! I helped both of my two older sisters plan/prepare for their weddings before I had the chance to plan my own, (almost eleven years ago now). 

Since then, I've changed and learned so much about myself, so I think perhaps I feel like I want to help other brides really go for what they really like, instead of what they think is expected of them.

For the past few years, since I joined Pinterest, I've had the opportunity (twice) to help a young bride plan her wedding day. . . I really adore coming up with, and collecting great ideas and themes for parties and weddings. I sometimes think I should have pursued a career in event planning!

Still, I'm quite happy where I am, and am content to share my findings with others through the use of my pin boards.

The only real problem with this is, I now have so many boards (seventeen wedding boards alone!) that it becomes  tricky to direct people who might be interested in seeing what I've collected, to find them.
I realize that anyone who goes to my Pinterest profile could easily feel overwhelmed and lose interest in skimming through all my other boards before they ever find anything relevant. I know how it is to be busy and anxious about planning your wedding and not feel like you have the time to sort through a lot of non-relevant stuff. Thus, I have decided to create this post which will include a linked list of all of my wedding themed boards. This way a bride can skim through a comprehensive list and will only have to click on the boards that truly interest her.

So, here we go!

First off, we have my basic wedding board. "Ideas for the Ultimate Wedding"
This one is not themed; it is simply a collection of cool, creative, smart ideas that could apply to any wedding to make it that much better.

Then I have a board with inspirational Wedding Cake Ideas. These are unique and interesting cakes that I feel all have something a little bit special about each of them.

Next we come to a board dedicated to bouquets & flowers, (or alternatives to flowers,) mainly focusing on the bridal bouquet, but also touching on possible types of flowers, color schemes, and possible centerpieces.

Then, just because so many people are thinking outside of the box these days, I've dedicated an entire board to "Non-Traditional Wedding Ideas." Like my ultimate wedding board, these could apply to just about anyone, and are just some fun, creative ways to make your wedding your own.

If the more casual or non-traditional ideas don't really appeal, and you want everything as luxurious and fancy as possible then you might like my "Ultra-Romantic/Lacey Details" board.
This board features everything lacy, elegant, ruffly, frilly, fluffy, opulent and even downright gaudy. Satin, lace, pearls, bling and gold accents galore!

On the opposite end of the scale, we have the "Country/Rustic/Boho" board for all things, quaint, rustic, casual, comfy and relaxed.

If you feel like less is more, and just want things to be clean and simple, yet still with striking elegance, you might like my "Modern/Graphic/Asian"  inspired board. Paper lanterns, simple color schemes and graphic design elements all come together in this board to make a bold, yet classy statement.

If the sleek modern look isn't your thing because you'd rather be out doors exploring an enchanted forest or secret garden, then you just might like my "Whimsical Woodland/Nature Themed" board.
This board focuses on the beauties of nature, like birds, butterflies, and flowers (obviously) all accented with moss and natural wood accents.

Taking slight turn from this theme, we tame the wildness of nature by bringing in some unexpected elements and quirky details with our "Vintage Shabby Chic" board.
While still quite close to the beauty of nature, this fun theme brings in interesting everyday items, just as an antique typewriter, an old suitcase or even some vintage jewelry to dress things up with some old fashioned romance.

Speaking of old fashioned romance, if you love classic novels and tea parties I have also created a lovely board called "High Contrast/Literary/Cameo Theme". This board is inspired by cameos, painted teacups, silhouettes and books in general. Whether you adore all things Austen, or are into the slightly more quirky Alice in Wonderland vibe, this board offers lovely ideas for decor and refreshments, and well as color schemes inspired by the printed word. Literally. Crafty decor made from book pages, or black silhouettes and accents against soft, pastel hues create an elegant yet cozy environment.

Another theme inspired by paper is the Pinwheels Theme. This board also features other whimsical elements such as hot air balloons, bicycles, paper airplanes and kites. All colorful items that could create a fun-loving, breezy wedding environment for all invited.

Similarly, another fun object to base a theme off of, is the simple key. My Keys Theme board features a lot of creative ways to integrate keys into your special day.

I have some more generally themed boards based on the season. Most of my other boards could easily work for Spring, so I do not have a board specific to that season yet, but I have the other three seasons covered.

• Summer Wedding

• An Autumn Wedding

• A Winter Wedding

Lastly, I have a board of ideas for Wedding Colors,

as well as a board that lists a few recommended wedding venders local to the Salt Lake area.

I sincerely hope that this collection of amazing wedding ideas can help many brides make their wedding day truly memorable, and may I congratulate every single one of you, and wish you joy!

Stir Fry (Cleaned up a bit)

Stir Fry has been a staple recipe pretty much since I first got married. Especially after I discovered the huge bag of Asian mix frozen veggies available at Costco.
Back then I used to purchase Lighthouse brand Asian dressings or marinades and use those as my main sauce to cook the meat in and then throw in the veggies right at the end. I even purchased Panda Express brand orange chicken sauce from Costco a couple of times, until I knew better.

Stir fry became even more frequent for us after Jake's little brother gave us one of the three rice cookers he got for his wedding. It was pretty awesome.

Sadly, it has since broken though, and I'm really missing it. Still these have continued to evolve at our house when it comes to food and what we eat and even stir fry has seen some changes.

First of all, I decided to try Quinoa at the start of this year and that has fast replaced rice in our diet. Not that rice is terrible, it just has so little nutritional value as compared to quinoa which is actually not a grain at all, since it's not a member of the grass family. The part we eat is the seed which has been found to be a complete protein. The hardest part is rinsing it because the seeds are so tiny they tend to fall through my mesh colander. I've tried a few different things but the best I can do so far is to fill a jar with the quinoa, cover with water and then pour off as much water from the top as I can without losing too much quinoa, then fill again and repeat till the bubbles are much reduced. Still, it's worth it.

(Update 2/21/13 I have since purchases a little coffee filter basket. It holds exactly the amount I need to rinse, even if I double it from half a cup to a full cup. It's been a huge time saver so now quinoa is probably the fastest meal I make.)

I don't even feel like I need to add meat any more because the quinoa is already full of protein. Though I still will add meat occasionally. Usually wild caught salmon, and rarely chicken or beef. But those two are very rarely eaten in our home now. I have not yet found a good source for the safer grass-fed versions of these meats. P.s. quinoa is really tasty.

Eeeenyways . . . . So that has changed. I no longer use a pre-made sauce for my stir fry but usually just throw things together that I have that seem like they would work for that type of Asian style flavor. Soy sauce is a no-brainer and luckily fermented soy such as soy sauce is actually the only safe way to eat soy. Any other soy is toxic. That's one thing I've learned in the past four months or so that has changed my thinking yet again in regards to what I will buy/eat. It's sad how many things contain processed soy. I mean, seriously. Especially sad considering how many "health" foods contain nasty processed soy that will mess up your hormones (it contains estrogen imitators) giving you all kinds of problems. Even edamame (which is not a raw food, FYI) is not safe to eat a lot of.

But I digress. I've had a lot of fun making stir fry since my diet has changed to more raw/organic/whole foods. It might not be quite as quick as my old way of making stirfry, but it doesn't usually take too much longer. I still use the frozen veggies but I usually use less and add a few fresh things, whatever I have on hand. Carrots, onions, broccoli, zucchini, cabbage and fresh pineapple is always a treat. I'd like to get some sesame seeds sometime and try adding roasted sesame since it is to die for!

As for the sauce, I use soy sauce and water, as well as simple seasonings like ginger, garlic, fresh ground black pepper and sea salt. (or curry if I feel like going in an Indian direction). I also like to add a little honey or maple syrup sometimes to off-set the saltiness of the soy sauce. I tend to also use peanut butter or tahini if I want a thicker sauce. Organic juice can be good. Adding a can of pineapple chunks, or even just the juice adds a more teriyaki feel. Greek yogurt, butter or coconut oil can also be used. If you have any fun Asian seasonings you use, I would love to hear about them!