Over the past couple of months, I've been slowly creating a list of books I would like to read that are centred on learning more about my loving, grace-filled Lord and how to be a better disciple for Him. This list started out with only a few books and has turned into a list of 47! I've written in my second 101 list that I want to read 50 of them - I'm still looking for 3 more that speak to me. Here is my (almost finished) list:

The Allure of Hope by Jan Meyers

A Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

Better Than My Dreams by Paula Rinehart

Boundaries in Dating by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes

Drops like Stars by Rob Bell

Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

The Five Love Languages, Singles Edition by Gary D. Chapman

Forgotten God by Francis Chan

God in the Mirror by Miles McPherson

God is in the Small Stuff and it all Matters by Bruce Bickel & Stan Jantz

God is the Gospel by John Piper

God Loves Broken People by Sheila Walsh

The God Who Hears by W. Bingham Hunter

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

Help Thanks Wow by Anne Lamott

His Princess: Love Letters from your King by Sheri Rose Shepherd

How to Hear From God by Joyce Meyer

In the Arms of Angels by John Wester Anderson

Jesus > Religion by Jefferson Bethke

Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell

The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

Lady in Waiting by Debby Jones

Listening to Love by Jan Meyers

Love Does by Bob Goff & Donald Miller

The Love Languages of God by Gary D. Chapman

Love Wins by Rob Bell

Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller

Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman

One Thousand Gifts (with devo) by Ann Voskamp

The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian

Praying God's Word by Beth Moore

Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, M.D.

Radical by David Platt

Sex God by Rob Bell

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

The Shelter of God's Promises by Sheila Walsh

Stories Behind Women of Extraordinary Faith by Ace Collins

Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

Waking Up in Heaven by Alex Tresniowski

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst

What We Talk About When We Talk About God by Rob Bell

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

There is something so special about the bouquets that are chosen for the bride and her bridesmaids. They have the opportunity to add colour, warmth, and tradition to a ceremony. Below you will find my top five favourite spring and summer bouquets!

Pale Purples, Yellows, and Pinks

Light Brights in Beautiful Hues

Bright Blues, Pinks, Greens, and Yellows

Fresh Green, White, and Coral

What are some of your favourite bouquets for the warmer seasons? To find these and more, visit my Pinterest Board: The Bouquets.

Orange happens to be one of my favourite colours, but I was worried that it could look scary for a wedding.
Boy, was I wrong!

A mixture of orange flowers creates a beautiful, bright bouquet.

Calla lilies offer a pop of orange to the groomsmen's attire.

A polka dot tie paired with a dahlia boutonnière looks great on a beige suit.

Candy bars a sweet favour to offer guests; an orange one is all the more fun!

Having vases of different heights, filled with a range of orange florals looks gorgeous.

"Orange you glad" you can use this colour!?

To see even more orange inspiration, head over to my Pinterest board: Colour Wheel: Orange

Lozaro's designs feature elegant, dramatic silhouettes, unique beadwork, along with special and creative touches to each gown. Lazaro has gorgeous dresses that any bride would be lucky to wear on her big day!

Here are my favourite 5 Lazaro gowns:

Style LZ3306: Art Deco Trumpet

Style LZ3314: Satin V-Neck Trumpet

Style LZ3315: Blush Ballgown

Style LZ3251: Buttercup Ballgown

Style LZ3305: Beaded A-Line

Growth Group BBQ

What: Joining a Christian Group

Where: UC Davis

When: Spring Quarter 2013

From: 101 List #2

For a long time now, I've been wanting to get connected with a Christian group on campus. My faith is the most important thing in my life, but my health had been holding me back from joining. I was finally feeling better this quarter, so no longer had an excuse. Halfway through the quarter, I emailed a girl asking if I could join her Growth Group (like a Bible Study), and it went from there!

I emailed Evelyn on Monday (April 22) and the next day met someone else from College Life. Clara and I decided to study at Starbucks (which we never do) and had to sit outside (there were no tables inside), and there we overheard a conversation. After eavesdropping for a few minutes, I turned around and informed them that I was doing that, and asked if they were apart of College Life - they were! We talked for a little bit and he mentioned Spring Retreat which was the following weekend. That night, I received an email from the coordinator and then paid at my first growth group meeting.

Timeline:

1) emailed Evelyn about Growth Group on Monday, April 22

2) met Zach on Tuesday, April 23

3) went to Growth Group & paid for retreat on Wednesday, April 24

4) left for Spring Retreat (with complete strangers) on Friday, April 26 - Sunday April 28

Going on Spring Retreat, despite it being so far outside my comfort zone, was the best decision! My faith was encouraged, the speaker was incredible, and that weekend solidified my feeling that College Life was where God wanted me.

Growth Group became the highlight of my quarter. The women were great! My friends from high school are some of the most wonderful, Godly women that I have ever met, and this group reminded me so much of them! They made me feel so welcomed and loved, and taught me so much and brought me closer to the Lord in such a small amount of time! I am so unbelievably grateful to have spent the second half of spring quarter with them and cannot wait for next year!

It has been almost a year since I have written outside weddings on this blog! This past year of school has been beyond crazy and I just haven't had time. However, as of yesterday, summer vacation has arrived! This summer I will continually be updating this blog, getting back to sharing what I love.

Over this quarter, as I was reviewing my 101 Things list, it occurred to me how much has changed and how my goals have changed. Because of that, I have decided to start another 101 Things list. I will still work on my original one, but will now have even more things to do. Some of the goals crossover onto both lists because they are still very much goals of mine, but many are completely new! To check out this list, go here!

As I begin another chapter of my life, I welcome you to come along for the journey!

xo Ainsley

One of the hottest new colours for weddings is mint! This colour is sweet, fresh, and soft all rolled into one!

Getting married in a mint chapel is just too adorable for words.

A unique white design on a mint tablecloth gives any table an added pop.

The cream complements the mint lace of this bridesmaids dress perfectly.

With just added hints of mint, like the birdcage, this invitation is simply sweet.

To satisfy guests' sweet tooths, these coconut bars (tinted mint) is the perfect thing!

What else would you give as favours but mints, in mint, with the label, "mint to be!?"

Green lemonade is not only a yummy drink, but a perfect splash of colour.

Week Five: Clara

Our Relationship: I met Clara my freshman year of college and now we're living together for the second year!

Her Major: Bio-Psychology

Her School: University of California, Davis

Her Interests: cats, tv, eating, tumblr & YouTube

Clara's Questionnaire:

Colours: blues, greens, coral

Feeling: rustic, home-y, not too fancy, relaxed

Season: spring

Dress: not mermaid, no big ball gowns (minor is okay), simple with a little flair, nothing too beaded or ruffled

Location: outside ceremony and reception

Special Requests: would like some kind of photobooth

Clara's Dream Wedding:

The Colours: Shades of coral and aqua are the perfect combination for a spring wedding!

The Invitations: With its unique design and coral and aqua colour scheme, this invitation is the perfect choice!

The Bride's Attire: This bateau top and lace fabric bridal gown by Modeca incorporates just enough flair for Clara's low-key garden wedding.

The Bride's Beauty: Clara wishes to have her natural features enhanced without wearing too much makeup, so we chose a natural eye colour, voluminous eyelashes, and a perfect pink pout. Along with natural makeup, Clara will also have naturally coloured nails (she's not a huge fan of nail polish). Clara has beautifully thick hair, but when she's going to be dancing up a storm, she definitely wants her hair up, so we chose this unique braid-bun updo for her.

The Bridesmaids' Attire: This seafoam green dress by Social Bridesmaids is a perfect mix of colour and detail.

The Bridal Party Shoes: I love the idea of colourful shoes for a wedding, and Clara totally agrees! To offset the colour of the bridesmaids' dresses, we chose this beautiful coral pump by Thomasina. As a way for Clara to match her bridesmaids, she will be wearing Jessica Simpson pumps in the same colour as the bridesmaid dresses.

The Groom & Groomsmen Attire: In keeping with the lightness of Clara's colours, the men will wear a medium-grey suit with fun bowties to match the bridesmaids.

The Flowers: This bright coral and pink bouquet was an immediate favourite for Clara! The groom and his groomsmen will wear matching boutonnieres.

The Ceremony: Clara wanted a casual, yet elegant, outdoor venue for her ceremony. When we came across this garden location (Lake Oak Meadows) in Temecula (Southern CA), it was meant to be!

The Ceremony Decor: Lining the aisle will be hanging mason jars with coordinating flowers to Clara's bridal bouquet. To add a light-hearted feel to the ceremony, we'll create a ribbon backdrop for the couple in the wedding colours.

The Reception: Lake Oak Meadows also has a great reception space with the exact feel that Clara wants - especially with the fire pits!

The Reception Decor: Minimalistic decor is the name of the game! With these adorable wooden boxes filled with beautiful garden florals, it's the perfect mix of garden and rustic elegance. Rather than table numbers, words will be written on the boxes to add some uniqueness to the tables.

The Escort Cards: The font used on these escort cards is perfect and the little hearts give them character!

The Cake: Clara wanted a simple cake with some wow accessories!

The Guestbook: Clara loves photobooths, so this guestbook will incorporate the photos taken by her guests.

The Favours: M&Ms in the wedding colours fill a mini mason jar that will be given to the guests.

Little Extras: Some extra little details to make Clara's day unique.

Photo: Clara is beyond in love with her cat, Kitten (also known as Bootle), so this is a must-have photo!

Next week, I'm going to do my bestie, Kiley's, wedding - and fun fact, she's actually getting married! :D

Sources:

Colours: Colour Lovers

Invitations: Truly Engaging

Bridal Gown: Modeca

Bridal Beauty: Jennifer Lawrence, Indulgy, Pretty_Design, Nailstah

Bridesmaids: Dessy

Shoes: Thomasina, Jessica Simpson

Groomsmen: GQ, Divine Domestication, Little Vys, CCA Design

Flowers: Style Me Pretty

Ceremony Venue: Lake Oak Meadows, Nick Corona, Hulse Photo

Ceremony Decor: Style Me Pretty, Your Wedding Keepsakes, Rebecca Shepherd, Style Me Pretty

Reception Venue: Lake Oak Meadows, Hulse Photo

Reception Decor: Wedding Bee, Inspired by This, Ruffled

Escort Cards: Emmaline Bride

Cake: see my Pinterest

Guestbook: The Knot

Favours: My M&M's

Photo: see my Pinterest

Photobooth: Stace Cadet Designs

Drinks: Breakfast with Audrey, Kitchen Treaty

There are so many ways to help your guests remember to "Save-the-Date" of your wedding. From classic stationary to engagement photos, it can be wonderful to keep with tradition; however, adding some creativity can truly play a part in showcasing the couple's personality. Here are my top five favourite ways to help guests save-the-date!

A Love Story Flowchart

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A Folded Heart Reminder

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Photobooth Fun

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Pop-up Couple

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A Timeline of Love

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Hello lovely wedding-lovers!

My younger sister, Bethany, has entered Loreal's Get Noticed contest and she needs your help!

To vote:

1. Follow this link: Get Noticed

2. Click the heart!

Bethany entered a little later than she wanted to, so needs votes quickly!

Plus, today is her 19th birthday and by voting, you'd really make her birthday wish come true!

Here is the photo you're looking for:

And I mean, come on, look at the beautiful job she did with the makeup! She should totally win! :D

The bride and groom aren't always the center of attention on the day of their wedding; sometimes the kids steal the show. To help the little ones feel included during the wedding festivities, be sure to take some flower girl- and ring barer-specific photos. Here are my top five favourite kid-shots!

1) Flower Girl in the Bride's Dress

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2) Ring Barer Dancing with the Bride

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3) Flower Girl Gazing at the Bride's Gown

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4) Ring Barer as the Leader of the Cool Guys

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5) Little Girls Hiding Under the Bridal Gown

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Sometimes the littlest ones make for the sweetest of photos!

Top Left: Grade 8; Top Right: Grade 10; Bottom Left: First year of college; Bottom Right: Going into our third year of college