TOP 5 | BARS

Happy Wednesday! We hope you had a magical Valentine's Day full of love, chocolates and gorgeous blooms! To keep the love going, we are going to share with you our five favorite bars that we're currently swooning over, and no it's not all "adult beverage" bars like you might be thinking of.... although it did make the cut! 

1. Pie! Pie bars are becoming seemingly more and more popular because it gives the guests a variety and can be less expensive than a wedding cake! We love the way tables look with multiple aspects and flavors! In our opinion, pie is much easier to serve as well! All in all.... pie is a win win!

photo | Jillian Zamora

2. Candy! In supplement of a cake, a candy bar is a fun way to allow the guests to make their own goodie bags to take home full of candy that they love! Once again, variety is a huge factor in a candy bar. M&M's make a great choice if you're particular about the candy following the color scheme of your wedding! There are so many different candies that no candy bar will be the same as the last one you might've seen!

photo | Shane and Lauren Photography

3. Donut! Yum yum yum! A good donut will always satisfy the soul. They can be gourmet or just the traditional glazed and chocolate sprinkle because they're all delicious! What's great about a donut bar is that you do not have to worry about having someone take their time out of the celebration to cut the cake (but hey don't worry, we offer cake cutting!) and get all messy! Donuts are grab-and-go treat so the party can keep on rolling!

photo | Angela Sostarich

4. Smores! Okay... what is much better than smores? A warm ooey-gooey marshmallows with melted chocolate surrounded by a sweet graham cracker is certainly a crowd pleaser, especially for the youngins on the guest list! 

photo | Catch My Party

5. And last, but certainly not least... Alcohol! Isn't there a saying "Alcohol... because no great story ever started with someone eating a salad"? Well that's why alcohol made the cut of our top five favorite bars. Heavily photographed (and monitored, of course!) shenanigans are destined to create some great reception memories! 

photo | Beckley & Co. 

Hope we have your mouth watering and tummies growling! Our top five are great ideas but most definitely not the only "bar" ideas that we love! Feel free to share or comment with your favorite ideas! We'd love to hear from you! :) 

GALENTINE'S DAY | THE COTERIE

Happy Galentine's Day you delicious stack of waffles! We're channeling our inner Leslie Knope and celebrating the best day of the year! We invited a few Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and our favorite friendors to The Coterie for a day of ladies celebrating ladies.

______________________________

We want to wish all the lovely couples + fabulous singles a Happy Valentine's Day! 

xo, Megan + Caitlin

VENUE | THE COTERIE
PHOTOGRAPHY | CHELSEA KAYE
FLORALS | CELEBRATE DALLAS
HAIR | STYLING BY MACEY
MAKEUP | ERIKA CURRY
DRESSES | LOVELY BRIDE
MODELS | SARAH, MIA, + CASSIE

INSPIRATION | GREENERY (PANTONE'S COLOR OF THE YEAR)

Let's just say Pantone's announcement of the 2017 color of the year wasn't a revelation to us. We have allllllllways loved greenery. It gives a lush, organic quality to floral arrangements and it totally makes your budget go further!!

We love when our brides are open to using greenery in creative ways because it's a beautiful way to add special little touches throughout your wedding day without breaking the bank!

Let's dive into some of our favorite ways to use greenery to make your wedding the garden fantasy of your dreams!

Photos | A Sea of Love

Garden Maids. A mix of textural greenery makes a gorgeous bridesmaid bouquet, especially if you are trying to unify a mix of dress styles and colors.

Photos | A Sea of Love

Trailing Vines. Delicate greenery makes a gorgeous backdrop for special areas of your wedding like behind the cake or even as a backdrop for your vows!

Photo | A Sea of Love

Branching Out. These tall centerpieces of all greenery are an incredible way to draw the eye up in your reception space and keep the organic garden style you love. Tall centerpieces tend to go traditional with what we like to call "hydrangea balls". If you love the organic, sculptural style more, this is an amazing option!

Photo | Kate Pease Photography

Down the Aisle. We love the trend of blocking off the aisle to politely and beautifully keep well-meaning guests from hopping out in the aisle to take cell phone pictures. With the popularity of unplugged weddings growing every second, this is the perfect way to remind guests to enjoy the ceremony and not play photographer.

Photo | Kate Pease Photography

Delicate Touches. Light greenery tucked around candles, cake stands, family photo displays, and even the buffet line is an amazingly inexpensive way to really dress up for utilitarian areas of your wedding!

Yeah, we couldn't love greenery more! What do you think of this trend? Love it? Hate it? Share below!

CRYSTAL + BOBBY | HICKORY STREET ANNEX

Yay! It's #MARRIEDFACEMONDAY!

Today, we're sharing the dreamy and emotional wedding of Crystal + Bobby! These two tied the knot this past September at Hickory Street Annex in Deep Ellum with a Texas sized wedding party featuring blush and creamy tones.

This bash was full of so many incredible moments. From the greatest first look reaction ever, to the crazy rap song busted out by the bride on the dance floor. We loved every moment of working with this sweet couple and their families. 

Enjoy the romantic gallery and make sure to pop all the way to the bottom to check out the full vendor team featuring favorites like Whisk Until Sweet and Shay & Olive. 

COORDINATION | CELEBRATE DALLAS
PHOTOGRAPHY | SHAY & OLIVE
FLORALS | CELEBRATE DALLAS
DRESS | a & bé
VENUE | HICKORY STREET ANNEX
CATERING + BAR | CN CATERING
CAKE | WHISK UNTIL SWEET
DJ | LE FORCE ENTERTAINMENT

MOST LOVED | CHELSEA Q. WHITE

Happy Wednesday lovely people!! Today we're so excited to introduce you to Chelsea Q. White Photography, the newest member of the Celebrate Dallas' MOST LOVED vendor list!  Our friendor-ship developed from a shared connection on Instagram (isn't that how we all meet these days?) and after countless happy hour dates and dinners we finally collaborated for the first time last fall. Our autumnal bohemian photo shoot will be featured later this month on The Perfect Palette!

Chelsea's eye for design and composition is necessary for any couple who wants the perfectly captured wedding day. Her sweet smile and genuine personality are just a bonus! Read along to get to know her a little better! 

1. What are five words (or a 5 word sentence) that would describe you and/or your company the best?
Personal | Joyful | Genuine | Timeless | Real

2. How’d you get into photography? Was it always weddings?
I definitely share a similar beginning to a lot of photographers! I was always the one with a camera in my hand growing up. I learned photography on a film SLR camera in high school and developed my own film and prints in the darkroom. In my professional life, I started doing documentary and photojournalistic photography before I branched into weddings almost three years ago.

3. You shoot film + digital, right? How do they compare in your opinion?
Yes! And they don’t compare - ha! Film has a timeless, romantic quality that is so difficult to achieve with digital. There is a reason so many digital photographers try to emulate the look of film -- it’s just magical! Digital does have it’s place and it helps me in tricky lighting situations like dark churches and receptions. There are ways to get your digital to look like film and I’m always up for a challenge.

4. What’s your advice for the couple whose number one priority is having a fun wedding?
Hire vendors you trust and communicate with them A LOT before your wedding. If you take the time to insure everyone is on board with your vision and your priorities, you can rest easy on your wedding day and know your team is going to pull it off for you. But if they don’t know what’s important to you or don’t know what you want, you’re more likely to be stressed on your big day. Don’t feel like you’re asking too much or being naggy -- I’d rather over communicate with a bride than under communicate! Also, schedule way more time than you need in the pre-ceremony portion of your timeline.

5. How would you describe your wedding photography style or portfolio?
I’d say I fall into the fine art category of wedding photography. Fine art photography is often misunderstood but basically it means your photography and/or planner are going to be involved in styling details of your day, making sure everything looks cohesive, and that you are in beautiful environments where natural moments can unfold. It means we’re checking to make sure your hair is perfect and the photos of your grandmother’s broach are styled like a magazine. That’s not to say we don’t capture candid moments or let the day unfold organically but we do make sure all your images are clean, without clutter in the background, and timeless. I highly recommend fine art photographers for brides who love fashion, art, design, and culture. 

6. What's your favorite local [Dallas] hangout?
Oh gosh, there are so many! I love tacos and Topo Chico from Velvet Taco; a healthy pour of red wine and a charcuterie board at Times Ten Cellars. For craft beers and burgers, Liberty Burger is my jam. And you can’t beat the skyline view at HG Sply Co.

MORE INFO + INQUIRES
Chelsea Q. White Photography
Email | chelseaqwhite@gmail.com
Instagram | @chelseaqwhite
All photos by Chelsea Q. White Photography