A Fashion Blogger Gets Married – Asking Your Bridesmaids

Fashion Blogger Gets Marred - Step 1

Hey Green Wedding Shoes readers! I’m Chelsea from Hazel + Scout a stylist and blogger living in Huntsville, Alabama. My incredible fiancé and I were engaged in October of last year and I am so very excited that GWS has chosen to help us document the entire process with a brand new series. Over the course of our wedding planning process, I’ll be popping in to share all of the fun details (from finding the dress all the way to our wedding day)! Before we dive into lace and bachelorette parties I thought I’d share a little insight into our lives…

GWS: How did you two meet?

Ainsworth (my fiancé) and I were “high school sweethearts”. We met in Germany (I was living there at the time) during my Junior year. I think that our story is so magical because we have grown up together. We’ve been fortunate to experience so many different seasons of life (from adolescence to adulthood) and our love has only grown with each new turn. We were together for six years, two continents and one amazing little girl before deciding that we were finally ready to journey down the aisle.

GWS: What are both of your day jobs?

Our jobs couldn’t be more opposite but I think that’s what makes our relationship work. Ainsworth is a computer engineer specializing in missile testing and I am an artist. I spend my days styling photoshoots, creating content for my lifestyle blog [some of her work is seen below] and working with my hands on creative projects. I think that the contrast is what keeps us both grounded. He’s able to bring me back down to earth when I get caught up in artistic pursuit and I’d like to think I make sure he’s always having fun.

Hazel & Scout

GWS: How would you describe your wedding style?

Our wedding style is a mix of bohemian and rustic. We’re a little unconventional in the way we’re approaching the day… we’re thinking of it as less of an “event” and more as an amazing party where we also happen to tie the knot. Keeping everything casual (but still styled) will help it feel very genuine to the relationship we’ve built.

GWS: Where are you pulling inspiration from for your wedding?

I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by inspiration all the time! A lot of what we will do will revolve around the amazing location that has fallen into our lives. My sweet friend owns a wonderful 1890s homestead in rural Tennessee [photo below from the homestead thanks to White Rabbit Studios]. The space has such amazing bones and such interesting details that I can’t wait to see everything come together! Other things that are inspiring our celebration are: the city of Nashville, bohemian details, lots of natural greenery, food trucks and dreamy gowns by Rue De Seine.

farm wedding

GWS: What’s your favorite activity to do together?

We love getting lost in new cities together! Some of my favorite memories were made wandering the streets of Tokyo, tucking into hole-in-the-wall restaurants and exploring in tandem. For all of that adventure though, we do love staying in our little home too. Ainsworth proposed to me on a quiet Sunday evening, still in yesterday’s pajamas, slow dancing to records with our daughter. It was a perfect indication of what a slow forever together will be like.

GWS: Wedding colors?

I’m always teased for it but I try to stay far away from color! I spend so much time creating colorful scenes for other people that I like to surround myself with peaceful neutrals. Our wedding will be very organic (think lots of white, dark wood and a heavy-handed use of greenery). We’ll keep things interesting by layering lots of texture and detail.

GWS: Chelsea, you are in the wedding industry. :) How do you feel that will affect your wedding?

I think it’s affecting our wedding in a big way! Having seen a lot of different styles and weddings, we’ve been able to weed out the things we don’t want and replace them with details that tell a story of us. It’s been pretty easy to dive into wedding planning but, because I style professionally, it puts a lot of pressure on our day to be perfect. My biggest job during this process will be checking in with myself to make sure that I’m not getting caught up in the “pretty”. I want to really value this journey for what it is, a celebration of making the sweetest man my husband!

GWS: What parts of the wedding planning are you most excited about?

Chelsea: Seeing all of the details finally come together.
Ainsworth: More than planning, I’m excited about watching all of our friends and family celebrating in one place!

Now that you know a little bit about us, I’d be honored for you to follow along on our planning journey! Naturally, that journey starts with assembling our wedding party. Choosing your bridesmaids is such a fun and important step in the planning process! I don’t think I’d be able to juggle all of the frenzy and special moments without my favorite friends by my side. One of my girls recently put it like this and she couldn’t be more right, “Bridesmaids are the people you’re inviting into your marriage. They are the people who hold you accountable, who you can be vulnerable with and who join you in the life you walk.”

DIY Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

I wanted to ask my six closet friends to stand with me in a special way. I created these fun gift boxes and wrote a little note telling each one how much they’ve meant to my fiancé and I during the course of our relationship and how much their participation would mean to us. There are no rules in this DIY and everything is super simple! If you’re on a budget, one thoughtful gift and a note from the heart is just as special!

What You’ll Need:

  • wooden crates
  • dark wood stain
  • paint brush or rag
  • crinkle cut filler
  • a cute card
  • air plants
  • gifts for your girls (I used small-batch beauty products, a candle and a pretty jewelry box)

Steps:

1. Prep your crates by removing any price tags and cleaning off the sticky residue.

2. Next, apply stain with either a brush or rag and allow to dry for 24 hours.

calligraphy cards

3. While you are waiting for your boxes to dry, work on the cards! I love calligraphy and had the talented Linen & Leaf customized these for my girls!

Will you be my bridesmaid?

4. To add height and texture, fill your crate with kraft filler and then add in your gifts!

Will you be my bridesmaid?

Will you be my bridesmaid supplies

I chose a selection of small-batch beauty products, a yummy candle and a pretty jewelry box that reminded me of the sweet women in my life. Feel free to tailor the gifts to your bridesmaids. Asking a fashionista to stand by you? Personalized jewelry would be perfect!

Be sure to add a little green. We went with air plants but succulents or a small arrangement would also work. I love how customizable these boxes are!

DIY Will you be my bridesmaid box

5. Finally, ask away! Your best friends will be happy to help no matter how you ask them. This is such an exciting time and it’s even better when you can share it with your besties!
hint: If you’re going to be mailing your boxes, don’t forget to account for weight.

I hope you all enjoyed the first post in this real life bride series! Next month, I’ll be sharing our engagement photos!!

photography: Sleepy Fox Photography // hair stylist: Amber Hudgins // makeup artist: Amber Hudgins // calligraphy: Linen & Leaf // styling: Hazel + Scout // paper: Linen & Leaf

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