Donuts & Mug Shots

{From the desk of Jenna}

 

 

Vintage Police Graduation Party

 

If we are close, you know that my family is in a huge transition right now. I'm actually pretty excited to embrace this new season we are about to enter. (More on that later...)

 

Last month, Nicholas graduated from the Police Academy at Valencia. This was huge for not only him, but for our whole family! We are military, & we have encountered some HUGE transitions coming from Active Duty to the "real world." If you've been part of the Active world, you know exactly what I mean.

 

So for both of us to just stop all we were doing & go for our dreams, it was a huge step that needed a lot of faith in God & a lot of faith in ourselves.

 

We knew that we needed to celebrate this huge accomplishment! We invited Nick's close friends & family, and based the party on {Vintage Police}.

 

We had a lot going on that week, so we decided to make it simple yet cute. We decorated one main table, had a photo booth for "Mug Shots," and a table for a "Thumb Print Guestbook."

 

 

 

What's a "cop party" without donuts? Actually, what's any party without donuts? I am a donut freak, & I even got a police discount for these beauties! SCORE. I called ahead & explained our theme. Dunkin' & I worked together to create the blue with stars & white with drizzle tasty treats. I even convinced a few guests that I made them myself. SHHH.

 

 

 

 

The banners above the donuts was made from Instagram photos. I uploaded them to Walgreens & whole punched away. Turned out so cute.

 

 

The vintage photographs are actually Nick's grandfather. Can you see how strong the Dail gene is? Hence why my children look like him. That's okay, at least he's cute!

 

 

Next was the thumb print guestbook. Get it? Of course you do! I just printed a photo of Nick with his certificate the night before & placed it inside a huge matte. I plan on framing this one day when we have a home office.

 

 

Last but certainly not least, mug shots. There's a lot of inside jokes that went into this, so if you're wondering what the printables mean, don't ask. This was probably the only part, besides the Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Nick had to have, (but didn't eat) that he was excited to take part in.

 

 

{Enjoy}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

This picture is absolutely priceless of our best friends: Chris & Heather. So typical.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 









High Five for Friday!

It's that time of the week again! And before we dive into our top five highlights, we must say we had an absolute blast this week. We're almost sad to see it go. But no need to fret...we are ramping up for some exciting new things in the very near future as well as a season full of weddings & events!

Stay tuned as we plan to share some behind the scenes, wedding & special event details & inspiration, style guides and much more!

1. Last Friday, we had the opportunity to view one of Orlando's most historic venues in Thorton Park, The Veranda, for one of our 2015 couples. The century-old trees, colonial-era buildings & open-air courtyards offer the perfect setting for a vintage soiree & will certainly serve as a top contender for their Big Day. We look forward to sharing more details of the property in a later post.

2. We met with the extremely talented Victoria Angela on Saturday for a long overdue Catch-Up Sesh. We sipped on fresh juices from Extract Juice & Tapas Bar while we planned for some fun projects in 2014 & caught up on life. Victoria is one of the very few who knew we were planning to launch TBB months before we did & has shown her support every step of the way. She has become more than a colleague & we are honored to call her a friend.

Oh, & she let us help ourselves to boxes full of clothing, shoes & accessories she was giving away! We said please. And thank you!

3. Sunday, we took a little road trip to the West Coast {of the state} with one of our June couples to complete a formal walk through of their unique venue. As we approached their space, we were greeted by the Zebras, Elephants & Giraffes. Yep! They're getting married at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, FL & we're so excited to be a part of what will be a very special day.

4. We are just going to dub Tuesday THE BEST DAY EVER. Overall, it was just a great day. Plain & simple.

We kicked things off with a latte date & fun conversation at Barnie's Coffee Kitchen in Downtown Orlando with the ladies of Ashley Brooke Designs. Not only are they sweet & talented, they are driven & they are moving mountains! Oh, & they make great product, too! Check out their online shop for every girl's fancy needs {stationary, paper goods & some really fun mugs}. #weloveabd

 

 

Following our meeting, we headed back to the studio for a full hair & makeup session with the ladies of Brie & Brie. We planned to attend The Knot Market Mixer at the Hilton Orlando later that evening so they helped us get all glammed up. It sort of felt like our wedding days all over again & we enjoyed every second.

 

 

Speaking of The Knot Market Mixer... we decided to bring our husbands along, a.k.a our "Silent Partners" and turned our outing into a double date night! In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have brought them along because we know exactly what they were thinking; "This is 'work'??" But it is. It's an opportunity to maintain strong relationships with other industry professionals you enjoy working with as well as establish new relationships with those you've been aspiring to work with. It is totally necessary & well-deserved. It's a night to celebrate your accomplishments & look forward to the many upcoming events in the year. A special Thank You to The Knot & An Affair to Remember for creating such a wonderful night had by all!

 

 

5. On Wednesday, we had our cake & ate it too! It's no secret. We had cake for breakfast & left with no regrets! Alejandra of Everything Cake made us feel right at home from the moment we walked in & served up an assortment of delicious cake samplings for us to enjoy. From Pina Colada to Chocolate Ganache, we were SOLD. {We may or may not have gone back for seconds.}

Well, there you have it. Our Top 5 {or so} of the week. Many thanks to Lauren for the idea!

All Fore Love

{From the Desk of: Shannon Elizabeth}

 



If you're friends with my husband on Facebook, then you probably know he & I went golfing together for the first time ever a few weeks back. And by "golfing together", I mean he played a round of golf while I sat back in the golf cart with a cold mimosa {inside a Gator Tervis, of course} in one hand & my handy-dandy tablet in the other. The sole reason the tablet made the trip was because I needed to complete some work by which I only used it to record inspiration for this post.

It was too beautiful of a day to be spent "working" & I finally got to see my man in all is glory! The days preceding our Sunday outing reminded me of my short trip to Seattle to visit Jenna & Nick a few years back; wet & grey. In other words, this afternoon was a real treat! Something not even Photoshop could perfect.

So, there we were, as husband & wife, for the first time together on the course paired up with three random men. {Yep, 3 total carts. Quite the site.} I sensed he was nervous because he knew I'd be watching & sure enough, all four of them apologized in advance for their lack of golf skills. I laughed a little & assured them I'm not the judging type {at least until they teed off}.

Next thing I know, we are speeding across the course {literally on the fairway of another hole} & though I did everything in my power to hold it in, I just couldn't help but ask out loud if this was "normal". When I looked around, I noticed we weren't the only ones off track & witnessed other carts zipping to the left & rolling to the right & all I could think was "this can't be good for the grass". Apparently you DON'T have to stay on the paved path with the cart. Who knew?

Anyways, as we continued to make our way, I felt inspired as I began to recognize the similarities between Golf & Love. Really when you think about it, it's the perfect comparison. You pile into the cart as if to say "we're on this journey together" & although the paved path is smooth, the course is no secret. There will be obstacles & rough patches along the way but the journey is well worth the challenge.

Oh! & when I asked Bobby & a few of our groomsmen why they thought golf was like love, they didn't miss a beat.

"It is better to have golfed & lost than to have never have golfed at all."
"If you hit a rough patch, beer makes it tolerable."
"Sometimes you love it, sometimes you want to scream & throw your putter over a fence."
"It's not about how long your drive is but how good your short game is."
"Even in your love life, everyone needs a mulligan once in a while."

High Five For Friday

It's Friday & we are linking up with The Lauren Elizabeth!

This week seemed to fly by faster than most; & doesn't it always work out that way when you're on vacation?

Let's start off with business first!

1. Friday, Jenna attended a tasting set at the gorgeous Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. This was our Bride & Groom's second tasting to finalize a few dishes & the new menu had Jenna in pure food coma. They placed 5 or 6 beef appetizers, 2 vegetarian dishes, 1 steak dinner & 3 desserts, and all was topped off with a chilled glass of sparkling champagne & great conversation. We are getting so excited for this upcoming wedding!

2. (Skipping around a few days...) Wednesday, we met with Jaimz, at Lee Forrest Design, LLC to preview one of our couple's centerpieces. We were blown away once again. Lee Forrest & his team are always right on point with what their clients are envisioning for their Big Day. We will save the details for after the wedding, but if you're still in search of a florist, Lee is your guy!

3. "WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY!" I took a few days off to celebrate Nick's recent accomplishments & what better place than Disney? Since we are in transition as a family, we tried to take a few shortcuts to save while still having the time of our lives. I decided I'd give away some of our tricks to all the Moms & Dads out there planning a trip:

• Find someone who works at Disney & ask for their tickets! Employees are given guest tickets every season. We luckily have an Aunt who works there & was willing to part with her tickets. I do know some people sell these guest tickets at a cheaper rate as well. Ask around- it'll save you a TON! {Getting into MGM for free- CHECK!}
• Ask for a discount on your rooms. We are Army so we are able to get a Military Discount. Unfortunately, we waited until last minute to book our rooms, but luckily we are FL residents & still received 40% off the rooms. Never hesitate to ask for a lower rate! They want to book the rooms just as much as you want it. They will work with you.
• Pack your own food. The rooms have refrigerators. We hit up Publix on the way to the resort & grabbed snacks, milk for Cohban, Uncrustables, cheese, pepperonis, olives (my boys' go-to snack), & of course baby food for our princess.
• As far as drinks went, Disney Resorts make you buy their reusable Souvenir Cups. They are $8.99 for one day, $10.99 for two days, $14.99 for three days, or $17.99 for the whole stay. (Or somewhere in that range.) There is a censor on these cups, & only these cups will allow the drink machine to dispense the drink. We bought only one. We had already brought a water bottle of our own that we just refilled with water during our whole stay. (I can't stand the thought of buying water bottles at $2.50 a piece when we can fill our own for free.) Then we just shared the one cup. We all drink the same stuff so why not? And of course we brought Cohban a cup to fill up with his milk that we bought at Publix.
• Dinner: oh these prices were crazy, but that's Disney for you! For Cohban's birthday we asked for Disney Gift Cards instead of toys. We much rather take a vacation as a family than pile on more toys in our playroom. So we saved those up until we found the right time to get away. We used our gift cards for the food & hotel. The first night we ordered a pizza at the hotel & split it as a family. Saved us about $15-$20. The second night, I ordered a kid's meal. It was the perfect amount of food for me, & covered all the nutrition I needed! Saved about half the price of an adult meal. Cohban had left over pizza (kid loves his pizza) & a bag of raw veggies. Lunches consisted of Uncrustables & food we bought from Publix. We saved a ton this way.
• We packed our water bottles for the park. You can refill these for free at any restaurant. We don't drink soda anyways & we needed the water since we were outside in the 80 degree weather all day.

 

 

All in all there are many ways to save when going to Disney. You just need to find out what's the best plan for you & your family! It was great to get away before our busy upcoming months! :)

{From the Desk of: Jenna}

4. Within a week's time & no planning in advance, I had the pleasure of catching up with two of my former managers in person and one over the phone. The two just so happened to be on business {two different companies; two different industries} in Orlando & I was thrilled when they reached out to meet up. The third just called to catch up :)

As we caught up on recent happenings, career moves, internal changes on the teams I had previously been a part of and plans for the future, I realized how grateful I am for still having these mentors in my life. God places people in our lives at very specific times for very specific reasons & although I no longer report to them, I continue to look up to each of them. They are well beyond their years and nothing short of brilliant. These guys are going places & I am thankful for their continued guidance & support. Without them, I would not be where I am today & what I took away from this past week is never ever burn bridges. Strong relationships are the key to any success so be sure to build them with those who have drive & have clearly defined their goals & their plan to reach those goals.

 

{only got a pic with one out of two}

 

{From the Desk of: Shannon}

 

5. The Calderon Christmas continued! Yep, many of you probably didn't know {because I left my phone charger at home & didn't have a phone to document our mini-vacay} but Bobby & I headed to South Florida on Tuesday for the JT concert in Miami on Wednesday! That is true love, my friends. A man who willingly buys concert tickets to see JT for his wife knowing he will tag along must really love his woman. Many questioned his decision & even suggested he give the second ticket to Jenna but he stood true to his plan & made the trek to go see an AMAZING performance. JT is one talented man & had us both out of our seats dancing the night away. One of our best date nights yet!

 

 

 

 

 

{it's hard to tell in this pic but i couldn't hide my excitement when i saw the set design. the backdrop was strikingly similar to the honeycomb pattern on our business cards!}

 

 

 

{I didn't realize how much I missed my iPhone until it came time to take photos. Needless to say, not happy with the quality of these but the memories will last a lifetime}

 

{From the Desk of: Shannon}