From the Heart of a Planner

Bunnies, Baskets & Hope

0 · Apr 1, 2013 ·

As I was sitting in church Easter Sunday, thinking about the violent and gruesome details surrounding the death of our Savior, I could not help but wonder where did this cheery, pastel, Easter bunny, egg loving version of Easter come from? While I do agree that Easter is a cheerful occasion, as the darkness that overtook the earth on Friday was overcome by the light of Sunday morning, I’m just not sure that celebrating with bunnies and baskets is the correct approach to the holiday.

So naturally, I did what any curious American would do, I Googled it. Where did these Easter traditions come from? Here’s a snapshot of our Easter traditions, and if you’d like to read more, you can do so here.

Bunnies, Eggs & Baskets:

The bunny first arrived in the Americans in the early 1700s, brought over by German tradition. The German children that settled in Pennsylvania created nests for the bunny to lay his colored eggs in. As time wore on, the nest eventually transitioned to baskets and the eggs were accompanied by chocolate and other gifts.

Why a bunny? Rabbits are an ancient symbol of fertility and new life, which is appropriate for a spring holiday. Eggs are yet another symbol of this and are often associated with pagan springtime festivals. From a Christian perspective, this symbol of new life represents Christ rising from the dead or the stone rolled of the tomb. Decorating eggs dates back to the 13^th century when eggs were a forbidden food during the Lenten season. Since Easter marks the end of Lent, the eggs were decorated and then eaten on Easter Sunday.

The Hope:

But what Easter really brings is hope. Hope to all of mankind and is a reminder of a love so strong, it overcame the grave. It is a reminder to me, that I’m not in control, that God is and has a greater plan and vision for me and he loves me. I am not going to lie, I get discouraged and feel like there is no point in moving forward. But yesterday was a reminder that He keeps His promises. Use your talents for a greater good, because your story is not over yet.

May your day be filled with hope!

Discouraged by Pinterest

0 · Mar 18, 2013 ·

I consider myself a creative individual. I like coming up with original ideas. However, I am beginning to feel like there are no truly innovative ideas left. In this world of technology, where everyone shares everything via the internet (whether it be Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or whatever), so many ideas are swapped that life has become overwhelming. Our imaginations are forced to be stretched beyond limits; it can bring a person to tears.

There is nothing more frustrating to me than coming up with a really cool idea, doing a little research to make it happen, only to find out that sixteen other people already have done it, blogged about it, and now it’s all over Pinterest. It just doesn’t seem fair! That was MY idea and now it looks like I copied them. I get so discouraged by Pinterest!

Perhaps I’m a little overly sensitive on the issue, because I do not like to copy people. While I don’t think there’s anything wrong with seeking inspiration from others, I strive to be one of a kind.

Photo by Shannon Scott Photography {Smug Shots}

I got married way back in the day before Pinterest. Believe it or not, I survived. I found a ton of inspiration; I did Google searches and found some cool blogs, and did a lot of poking around The Knot. Even so, I had such a hard time trying to narrow down exactly what I wanted to do with my wedding. I chose simple projects, such as hanging these place cards on an old window screen, an idea that I did not find online, but I am sure someone else has done it, and they have probably even done it better.

But because there are so many more resources readily available today, my mind goes on overload. Everyone and their brother seem to be posting things about how to do weddings right and what’s wrong with the wedding industry and DIY projects. When doing a simple search for place card displays for a wedding, hundreds of ideas pop up. Fifty of those ideas would go perfect with your theme and you love them all. How do you narrow it down? You want your wedding to be creative, right?

My best advice is to be true to yourself. While there is nothing wrong with seeking inspiration from others, customize the details. Make things fit your style and reflect your special day. If you’re purchasing props, choose objects that are your style and will fit into your home later to add a little extra meaning. Do not spend hours upon hours researching one tiny detail of your wedding (such as place cards, table numbers or flower girl dresses). Pick a couple ideas that you like and go from there. Do not exhaust yourself with details that won’t matter ten years from now. There is no need for extra stress on your wedding day.

Sometimes I suggest ideas to people and they think it’s the most creative thing they have ever heard, and I look at them in pure astonishment as I have seen this idea done so many times I cannot keep track. Other times, I share something out of my own imagination and they’ve already thought of it. So I will leave you with this promise. I will do my best to share my ideas with you, and try to keep them original. But I might end up posting something that you’ve already read somewhere else. You may like my ideas or you may not, either way I am keeping true to myself and trying to inspire your day.

Oh, and you can see my ideas and what inspires me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Traditions: St. Patrick’s Day

0 · Mar 14, 2013 ·

I like to know the reasons behind things. Maybe it’s still my inner child always asking “why”? But even so, it’s important to know why we do things. Traditions are important. My family especially has a ton of them. So I am starting this traditions blog series where we can discover all sorts of holiday, weddings and other lovely customs and discover how they started.

Being as it’s the week before St. Patrick’s Day, I thought this was the perfect place to start. I have never known much about March 17^th. As a kid in school, we ate green food and colored shamrocks (and got pinched if you didn’t wear green!) As an adult, we start partying at 6:00 a.m. and drink too much (and still pinch each other if you don’t wear green!) But why???

Saint Patrick was a man born in Roman Britain who died on March 17^th. What a reason to celebrate! He was actually a slave in Ireland for six years, and turned to religion for comfort. When he was 22, he escaped and was able to return home. He felt a calling to go back to Ireland and share his faith, for which he gained credit for bringing Christianity to the people there.

Saint Patrick used the shamrock to as a representation of the Holy Trinity. Each of the three leaves represented the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The clovers grow abundantly in Ireland, and if you found a four leaf one, that was rare and also considered lucky. They were sacred plants that symbolized the rebirth of spring.

The leprechaun. A sneaky little fellow who refuses to share his gold with you. Most likely, this little guy stemmed from the Celtic belief in fairies. Fairies were small creatures that could use their powers for good or evil. The leprechaun version was a cranky one who had little to do with St. Patty’s Day until Walt Disney came along and made Darby O’Gill and the Little People, in 1959. Today’s version on the leprechaun is pure American invention.

So why green??? Green is not traditionally the color used to honor St. Patrick. The color blue was actually first associated with the saint. The color seemingly has nothing to do with the beautiful shades of green on the Irish countryside or the color of the sacred clover. Wearing of the color green most likely dates back to the 18^th century, supporters of the Irish Independence wore the color green to support their cause.

And the reason behind why we pinch people who aren’t wearing green, well… I couldn’t come up with a direct answer. I’ve read myths about leprechauns pinching people who do not wear green or green making them invisible to leprechauns. Then there is also a rumor that it stemmed from school aged children in America taunting each other for not wearing the color, and pinching each other. I’m frankly a little confused on this issue, if you have any insight, please let me know!

I wish you all a safe holiday… don’t drink too much green beer! And stay tuned for some pretty green pictures to be featured soon!

If you’d like to read more click here, here or here.

Love this Contest

0 · Mar 1, 2013 ·

What’s in that box??? I’ll get to that, but first…

I need to say thank you! I am so stickin’ excited about the launch of my new website last week and my blog this week… I’m still over here doing a happy dance, and I can’t seem to wipe this silly grin off my face! I have received such positive feedback and so much support from my friends and family, as well as people I barely know… Thank you!

In celebration of this, before this month of love officially comes to an end, I am looking for an amazing love story. It could be a sappy tale of love at first sight, a fairytale romance or maybe your meet cute is a little more humorous. Either way, I want to hear about it!

And now the good part, the best story gets this box! Inside this box is an emergency kit for your wedding day. I promise it’s not as lame as it sounds, there’s some good stuff packed in here, necessities for any bride and some things you might want just because. I know wedding season is drawing near (which means your special days is almost here!), have you thought about what you should make sure you have handy on your wedding day? More details about the exact contents are coming soon, but in the meantime send your stories to hello@eventsbythedaysdesign.com. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Welcome

0 · Feb 27, 2013 ·

Why hello there, thanks for stopping by! Let me take a moment to introduce myself… I am Shelby, I married my best friend, we have a beautiful baby girl {Gretta} and an adorable cocker spaniel {Polly}. My family keeps me pretty busy, but they’re the most important things in my life.

Photo by Renault Productions

When I’m not spending time with my family (or sometimes even when I am), I’m designing, decorating and surrounding myself with all things pretty. I love any reason to celebrate, but as a hopeless romantic I have a major soft spot for weddings. You know the way you felt after he proposed, the way you wanted to jump up and down and tell everyone you know that you’re going to marry the man of your dreams?! I feel that way every time I speak to a new bride, I actually tingle with excitement with the thought of planning your wedding! I get to do my dream job, and help you plan the day you have fantasized about your whole life.

I have been designing pretty things and putting parties together for as long as I can remember. Since I was young, I was always dreaming up different wedding scenarios for myself, and came to the conclusion that I was going to have to get married about six or seven times (or at least have several vow renewals!) so that I could see all my visions come to life. However, there’s no need to be so selfish, so now I’d like to create your vision.

The last 10 years have been filled with endless parties and wedding celebrations in which I have both served and coordinated, at both private clubs and fine dining establishments. In addition, I have styled countless bridal party’s hair {in my other life I’m a licensed cosmetologist}, and spent champagne filled mornings with families and brides. I also had the amazing opportunity to intern with RSVP Events, and fell in love with the industry even more. Between it all, I have become everyone’s “go-to” girl for all things wedding. So in 2011, I gave my hobby a name and The Day’s Design was born.

And there you have it, knowledge of my history, my life and where The Day’s Design came from. You know all there is to know about me… or maybe you’re we’re just getting started! Thanks for peeking into my world, and stay tuned for many more heart to heart chats, as I’d love to meet you too.

From the Heart of a Planner

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