Sports-Themed Weddings – Part 2
We wrote a blog a few weeks ago featuring some awesome sports-related wedding ideas. This week, we take a look at basketball, hockey, tennis, and running.
Basketball
Check out this awesome centerpiece for a basketball-themed wedding. It’s illuminated from below! It won’t interfere with your guests’ space at the table either!
Image courtesy of Sports Themed Weddings
If you want a more subtle approach to your sports theme, how about this basketball inspired ring bearer pillow? You can custom order a lot of great items from this Etsy shop!
Image courtesy of jbconaway Etsy
Hockey
These gold puck escort cards are a perfect way to add hockey action into your wedding. And what a cool souvenir for your guests!
Photo by Ned Jackson Photography via Style Me Pretty
How about this prop for the back of your Mr. and Mrs. chairs? Use a men’s skate for the groom and a women’s skate for the bride.
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Anne Designs
Tennis
Favors are a great way to incorporate your theme and give your guests a gift to take home. These tennis-inspired favors included favor packets of Sugarpova gumballs and a deck of racket-adorned playing cards.
Photo Courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings
And how adorable is this cake topper? Such a personalized way to show your love of the game. Find Genefy on Facebook.
Image courtesy of Pinterest
Running
We love this shoe box card holder. A simple way to add a running element to the big day!
Photo found here.
And here is a really cool cake with a running theme. A sweet way to show your love of the sport!
Image found here.
Well, we hope you enjoyed our sports-themed blog part 2. If you want to see a certain theme or idea explored, let us know! Thank you for reading!
Willow Writer Jenna found her dress and bridesmaid dresses!
When I got engaged in September of last year, one of my first thoughts about my wedding was finding my wedding dress. I had been watching TV shows like David Tutera’s My Fair Wedding and Say Yes to the Dress and I knew how excited brides would get when they found the one dress that made them feel like a bride. I couldn’t wait to go out with my mom and my bridesmaids and try on hundreds of dresses to find the one.
Not long after I had got engaged, my mom, Jodie, Ashley, and I had gone out shopping to a few craft stores to get ideas for the wedding. While we were out, we decided to stop at a bridal store to get ideas for bridesmaid dresses. I had no intention of looking for my dress that day, but as soon as we walked in, we saw a beautiful princess dress hanging in the middle of the store.
“Jenna, it is so beautiful. You have to try it on,” Jodie exclaimed.
So I agreed and we got a changing room for me so I could try the dress on. For as beautiful as the dress was, I hated it on me. I did not feel like a princess or a bride. I was disappointed and Jodie and Ashley picked out a few more for me to try. Everything I tried on that day I hated. I did not like how I looked and even though I probably only tried on five to ten that day I felt discouraged.
One evening a few weeks later, my mom and I went to Alfred Angelo’s just to have fun trying on dresses. I did not go with any intentions of finding a dress. This night was purely a girl’s night out with my mom. The girls at Alfred Angelo’s in Monroeville were very nice and really helpful. They gave me a catalog to look through and I marked the dresses I wanted to try. I knew I was looking for a ball gown type dress because I wanted to look like a princess on my wedding day. Alfred Angelo’s had this line of dresses called the Disney Collection and I was determined to try all of them on.
Danielle, the girl who was helping me in the dressing room, was super nice. Based on my choices she was able to select other options that she thought I would like. My mom and I were having a fun time and I liked the dresses at Alfred Angelo’s a lot better than the other bridal store. I felt pretty in the dresses, but I hadn’t got any special feelings with the first few dresses I tried on. I didn’t think I would cry when I found my dress, but I was expecting to feel something. I tried my way through the Disney Collection and I really liked the Snow White dress, but I still wasn’t sure. I found a dress in the catalog that I liked, but it was not in the Disney Collection so I decided to go out of the box and try it on. Danielle helped me get into it and I came out to look in the full-length mirror. The dress was amazingly beautiful and I loved it on me. The dress was strapless and it had embroidered lace with metallic accents and crystal beading. The train was longer and is considered a semi-cathedral train and the lace and beading covered the whole train. I spun around in front of the mirror and my mom looked like she was going to cry. I did not feel overly emotional about it, but I knew I really liked it. My mom picked out some veils just to see what the dress would look like with one. I stress the fact that I really liked it, but I still wasn’t sure. I had also liked the Snow White dress. I continued to try on dresses until Alfred Angelo’s was about to close, still unsure of the dresses I had tried on.
As I was leaving Danielle said, “You’ll know you found your dress when it’s the one you can’t stop thinking about.”
When I went home I thought about the Snow White dress and the other dress that I had really liked. I couldn’t decide if I liked one more than the other so I called Jodie and Ashley and asked them to come to Alfred Angelo’s to see both dresses. I wanted to see what their opinions were. That night when I fell asleep I dreamt of my wedding and in the dream I was wearing one of the dresses.
So on Saturday, Jodie and Ashley went with me to Alfred Angelo’s. I tried on the Snow White dress first and they both agreed that it was pretty and that they liked it. Looking at the dress on again, I did like it, but I felt like a little girl that was about to get married. Then I put on the other dress. When I came out of the dressing room I had a huge smile on my face. This was the dress I had dreamed about. Looking at this dress again I felt like a woman not a child. I felt like a bride who was about to get married.
Both Ashley and Jodie were smiling and my mom was crying again.
“You’re glowing in that dress,” Jodie commented.
“I don’t think she could smile any bigger,” Ashley said.
“I really love this dress,” I admitted.
I twirled in front of the mirror again feeling beautiful and like a bride. “I think this is my dress.”
“Are you sure?” my mom asked. “This is only the second place we looked.”
I nodded. This was the dress I had not stopped thinking about.
Since I got my dress from Alfred Angelo’s, my bridesmaids would get a discount on their dresses if we found them there. I ended up finding two styles of bridesmaids’ dresses that I really liked and I felt they would go with the formal theme of my wedding. Plus both styles complimented my wedding dress. I told my bridesmaids that they could pick either of the dress since they were very similar in style. I just didn’t want three girls in the one style and only one girl in the other style unless Jodie, my matron of honor, was the only one in a different dress.
No matter what dress they picked, I knew we could get it in the cherry red to match my wedding colors. The first dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a diamond broach on the waistline. It was made of satin and had pockets on the sides of the dress. The second dress was a satin A-line gown with a white ribbon that was tied around the waist. When all my bridesmaids tried on both dresses I was surprised that they all liked the same dress.
For my wedding all my bridesmaids chose the first dress, number 7166 in Alfred Angelo’s catalog. I was glad that everyone had actually had the same opinion on the dresses. I knew shoes were going to be another matter. Some of my bridesmaids loved wearing stiletto heels and I knew that others would be more comfortable in flats or low heel shoes. To keep everyone happy and comfortable, I told my girls that they could pick whatever shoes they wanted as long as they were silver sandals.
I am very fortunate that I have been able to find my dress and that my bridesmaids have been able to agree on a dress. With the bridal fashions taken care of we can concentrate on other aspects of the wedding.
Baby and Bridal Showers at The Willow Room!
It’s been so cold outside lately, we can’t stop thinking about Spring and warm days ahead! It really will be here before we know it, and we always hold lots of showers, both baby and bridal, at this time of year.
Are you a maid of honor in charge of planning the shower? Are you grandma or best friend, helping mama-to-be plan her shower? If so, we can help! We know it can be a daunting task, but we have created a shower package along with extras that suit any style, budget, and amount of guests!
Our package includes punch; a fruit skewer tree served with chocolate sauce; a custom sheet cake (choice of white, yellow, chocolate, marble, or white almond); iced tea and coffee service; and a wing back chair with skirted gift tables for the honored guest, plus three hours of venue time and choice of linens.
Fruit Skewer Tree
For the punch display, you can choose from Strawberry, Orange or Sparkling Lemonade OR upgrade to a Champagne Mimosa or Tropical Punch.
We have a choice of Plated or Buffet menus. If you choose a Buffet, you must have a minimum of 35 guests.
We offer many entrée options! Everything from wraps and salads, to classic breakfast foods, to pastas and soups.
And if you want to add anything extra, we can customize your package. For example, you can add a beer, wine, and soda package or a cash or host bar.
And we have some tantalizing hors d’oeuvres you can add, as well! From Spinach Dip in Pumpernickel Bowls to Pecan Brown Sugar Crusted Baked Brie to Chocolate-Rum Fondue with Fresh Fruit, and everything in between!
You can even add special touches like a gourmet coffee station or a chocolate fountain with dippers. The options are endless!
Our sales manager, Melody, is excited to meet you and work with you on all of these details. Give her a call today at 724-379-5666 to check date availability and pricing or request information online here.
Meet our new Willow Writer Danielle and her groom-to-be, David!
David and I have known each other for the past 8 or 9 years through mutual friends. He actually went to high school with my “little” brother. Unfortunately through the years we were both married and those relationships obviously did not work out and David’s ended with a perfect little girl named Julia.
October 2012, I went to a local Halloween party very single and ready to find a date. There David was, dressed up like the joker! (I was a cute but sexy Raggedy Anne). Long story short, we ended up talking all night, danced, and kissed!
However, I realized I got his white make-up all over my face and I told him if you wash your face off, I will kiss you again! Off to the bathroom David went and when he came back I was gone!
The next morning he got my number through mutual friends and text me, asking me out on a date. The rest has been truly our own fairy tale.
Five months later I got pregnant (a big surprise) and we got a house. I fell in love with his daughter and we have grown together so well. After the birth of our daughter Alexa in December, David and I became closer than ever. We have the same expectations on parenting and our futures. This June, he went shopping with my mother at Henne jeweler and got me the ring of my dreams!!
The proposal: One Sunday afternoon,while cleaning out our garage, David asked if I could hand him tape out of his top drawer in his huge tool box. I grabbed the tape, went into the house to give it to him and could not find him. He was right behind me down on one knee holding the box.
But, I missed the box. I missed him on one knee. He opened the door with the ring in his hand and said, “Reallyy?!?!?” I burst into tears when I caught up to speed what was happening. He told me I was his best friend and he could not have picked a better mother for his child or stepmother to Julia and he wanted to spend his life with me. While we were both crying and hugging I whispered in his ear, “Can you get down on your knee again????” Lol!!! He did get on one knee and the ring fit!!
February Recipe from Chef: Stuffed Cabbage!
There isn’t anything better than a pan of stuffed cabbage on a cold winter day! This recipe is one my mother and grandmother made often. The recipe that follows will make approximately 14 to 16 stuffed cabbages, which can be portioned into smaller batches and frozen for future enjoyment. – Chef Haberle
Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
3 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups cooked rice
¼ tablespoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
5 (10 oz) cans of Campbell’s Tomato Soup
2/3 cup milk
3 (32 oz) jars of sauerkraut
2 medium to large heads of cabbage
Uncooked bacon strips
Procedure
- In a large bowl add ground beef, chopped garlic, cooked rice, oregano, salt and pepper. Knead ingredients thoroughly until combined well. Set aside.
- Drain liquid from sauerkraut and put in large mixing bowl.
- Add tomato soup and milk and mix well. Set aside.
- In a pot of boiling water, put whole heads of cabbage and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from water and cut off cooked outside leaves. Return cabbage to water and repeat process until you have 16 to 20 leaves.
- Cut the rib out of the cabbage leaves.
- Take approximately 4 oz of the meat mixture and place at the end of the cabbage leaf. Roll up the leaf tucking in the ends. Repeat process until all the meat mixture is gone.
- In a baking pan, place some of the sauerkraut mixture on the bottom of the pan.
- Lay the stuffed cabbages in the pan.
- Top cabbages with the rest of the sauerkraut mixture.
- Lay the bacon strips on top.
- Cover with plastic wrap then foil and bake at 325 degrees for 4 hours.
Sports-Themed Weddings! Ideas and Pictures!
The Super Bowl this past weekend inspired us to look at sports-themed weddings on the blog this week. If you and your bride or groom are sports fans, this is a great theme with so many options. Whether your favorite sport is football, soccer, golf, baseball, or beyond – we found ideas to suit every style! Check them out below.
Football
Use your Save the Date to get the theme rolling with these cute tickets from Etsy!
From Paper Cake Designs on Etsy.
And how about this cake? A perfect pairing of elegance and sports!
Cake by Cake Studio
Soccer
Maybe a more subtle touch is your style, so how about this cute garter set from Etsy!
From Star Bridal on Etsy
Or do something really different for your guest book, and have guests sign soccer balls! Easy to display in your sports-themed room at home. A daily reminder of your awesome day!
Found on Pinterest
Golf
These place cards are an easy way to add a little bit of the green to your wedding.
Photo by SB Childs Photography
And bring the course right to the table with these golf club and sunflower centerpieces!
By Flower No 5
Baseball
Bring the ballpark to your wedding with these Cracker Jack favors!
From Sweet Lil You
And how about personalized jersey chair covers?!
We know we left out a lot of great sports, so we will do another blog soon covering basketball, hockey, tennis, and more. What specific sports-themes would you like to see?? Comment below.
Words of Willow 