Wedding Final Look

Looking back on the day of the wedding, there is almost nothing I would change. I was more stressed out (wanting everything to be perfect) than I would like to admit, but once the ceremony started I felt more relaxed. The video projector that was supposed to run a loop of pre-selected pictures did not work as intended... but I need to let that go. Honestly, we heard from SEVERAL of the coordinators that we worked with at the hotel and zoo that our party was one of the easiest and most fun they had worked with. I'm sure they say that to everyone, but I'm not going to lie - I liked hearing it!

Be forewarned, this is a long post!

We were able to get ready and take pictures at the zoo before the ceremony, which worked out really well for us. People around the zoo were very accommodating of the bridal party and one little girl said I looked like a princess - so, I'm free to adopt her at any time!

The animal masks worked out spectacularly and were great bridal party gifts!

The ceremony was gorgeous in the zoo's formal gardens. Luckily the rain from the night before had cooled down the temperature and dried before the ceremony started.

Toledo zoo wedding ceremony formal gardens

While the guests went to cocktail hour, we took advantage of the zoos conservatory for family pictures.

If you hadn't noticed yet, the flowers we made for the wedding turned out WONDERFULLY.

The cocktail hour took place on the African Lodge's patio and included animal guests.

All of the work we put into making decor, planning, and hiring out certain elements of the decorating process was 100% worth it. I could not have been happier with how everything looked and came together.

The photo-booth and props were a huge success!

I really can't rave enough about McShane Photography, the Toledo Zoo, and the Radisson Hotel. They were all wonderful to work with and helped me make everything I planned come to life!

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Wedding Felt Animal Masks

Sarah redesigned the animal masks for me and I could not be more pleased with the results (we are referring to them as the chibi versions)! They are much more appropriately proportioned for smaller faces and printing ease. She even remade all of the patterns for me! Head over here to see how I made my very first felt animal mask. This is going to be a long post, as I am going to share all of them here. However, I am not going to go into the details. This is really more of a way for me to show off Sarah's amazing designs and my hard work! Bat: Bear: Fox: Giraffe: Golden Retriever: Hippo: Liger: Owl: Panther: Red Panda: Sloth: Snake: Tiger: Wolf: If you're interested in buying these masks or the digital templates (with instructions) to create your own, check out my Esty shop: MarstenCo !

New House Colors

Our new home is not open concept. It has many distinct rooms, which I'm currently loving and enjoying picking out paint colors for. I love a house with character and color, but I don't think it should overwhelm. When deciding my colors, I chose some basic neutral grays, bieges, whites, and blacks that could be used as connecting colors throughout the house. I also made sure any connecting rooms had colors that complemented each other. Next, I determined a focal design element (painting, furniture, flooring, etc.) that helped defined the room's aesthetic and took into consideration the era the house was built in. Lastly, I used Sherwin Williams to make personalized color schemes for each room to keep me inspired and focused. Below are the colors I've chosen for each room - don't judge until you see how phenomenally each room turned out (click the links to see)! Living Room : Dining Room : Kitchen: Library: Master Bedroom : Nursery : Guest Room: Upstairs Bathroom:

How to Make Awesome Felt Masks

I forgot to post anything about this. Way back in September, I created some felt masks for Mark and me to wear at the Big Zoo Party. I am very interested in making animal masks for all of the people in our bridal party as well. I think that would make some fun zoo photos. I started by deciding what animal masks I wanted to create and then looked up pictures and masks of said animals. This time I went with Red Fox and Red Panda. The next step was figuring out what supplies I needed. For these masks, I found a very nice mask form and used glue to layer the felt over it. I decided on the design I wanted to reproduce and printed it up to be the size I needed for our masks. Then I cut out the felt to match the shapes I needed. It was pretty simple. I then placed the design on the mask and moved felt pieces around until it looked the way I wanted it to. The hardest part was gluing it all onto the mask without making a huge mess or ruining the felt. I added some finishing touc

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