Not only do I love the color red but there is something captivating about balloons.  Their weightless selves float by without a care in the world—held to this world by a single string.  Their colors immediately draw your eye to them along with a variety of shapes and sizes filling the area.  Photographers are just as entranced by these balloons as I am. Recently a lot of creative engagement and wedding pictures have been enhanced with the addition of balloons.

Whether it is just one single balloon…

Or a whole heap of them…I hope you are swept off of your feet daily with all of the beauty that surrounds us!

Sources: aesthetics of joy, Blog Goggles, Green Wedding Shoes

This week I got thinking of all of the things around me that were red that I LOVE!  I won’t bore you with all of them (there are a lot!) but I will share a few of my favorites!

So relaxing and delicious!  Red wine is on the top of my list of red things I love.

This picture of Red Velvet Cake makes my mouth water.  My sister-in-love(law) makes this cake every year and I look forward to cream cheese icing each time!

Who doesn’t love the classic beauty of red roses.  Receiving a dozen roses will turn anyones day around and remind them they are being thought of and loved!!

One of my guilty pleasures I must admit to!  I LOVE pedicures…and my usual default color is red!  Although I don’t get them nearly as much as I would want to, when I do it makes my day that much more wonderful!

Full of red sassiness, Betty Boop is the cartoon seduction in red.  She is full of attitude and represents carefree days and confident women everywhere!

Go Red for Women is an amazing campaign ran by American Heart Association encouraging women everywhere to take steps to improving the health of your heart!

I saved the best for last!  My heart skips a beat every time I see this well known red symbol!  What can you not find at Target?! Sometimes when I need to get inspiration or just clear my head I will wander around the aisles!  Love it!!

Make it a great Valentine’s Day this year!!!

What red things can you not live without?!

Sources: Food Network, Wine Community, Xperience Days, Star Store, Go Red For Women

When planning a romantic meal,  stay away from anything heavy or that takes your whole day to prepare.  Keep the menu simple; stick to food that you can either eat with your fingers or have fun with.  Focus less on the food and more on the atmosphere.  Perhaps you want to set up a picnic in your living room or dust off the fondue set you’ve never used!

Aphrodisiac Foods:

• Chocolate (Of course!)
• Raspberries
• Grapes
• Bananas
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Garlic
• Honey
• Oysters
• Arugula
• Asparagus
• Ginger

Try incorporating one or two of these ingredients into your meal this Saturday!!

This V-Day, my husband and I will begin by making our own pizzas. We have to make two individual ones since we like completely different flavors!  His will consist of a variety of meats and mine will consist of fresh mozzarella, spinach and tomatoes! We love doing this together because it allows us to be in the kitchen together but focused on our own meal so we aren’t running into each other (Did I mention we have a very small kitchen?!)

While the pizzas are in the oven, we will throw together a quick salad for an appetizer and begin on our chocolate fondue dessert… My mouth is already watering!  We’ll cut up strawberries, pineapple, and angel food cake, and display it with marshmallows (my favorite!) and bananas.  This meal is extremely simple and will take us minimal amount of time to prepare, allowing us maximum time to spend together!

February 14th is a day created to celebrate those we love, not necessarily for the man or woman you love! If you are unable to be with your sweetie or you don’t have anyone special, I highly encourage you to grab a group of your friends and hit the town!  I have heard rave reviews about He’s Just Not That Into You & Confessions of a Shopaholic!

Josh and I are choosing to stay in this year and cook together. This might sound awfully boring to you!  Find a restaurant in your area, dress up, and go out!  Go to a movie that you have been wanting to see or find a local comedy club to visit!

Don’t over plan the evening; just enjoy yourself and love every moment spent with those special to you!

Sources: TrekEarth

Valentine’s Day, the day when we celebrate those around us who we love, falls on a Saturday this year.  Not only does this mean you should start thinking about making your dinner reservations early, but thousands of couples have been planning their wedding around this upcoming day of love!  I read recently that 500,000 people get engaged every year on Valentine’s Day.  I can only imagine how many couples are taking advantage of this weekend’s holiday and inviting friends and family to join them in celebrating their new marriage.

If you are planning a wedding for February 14th and want to stick to the classic Valentine’s Day theme, I have some ideas that will hopefully inspire you!  I have always believed red roses are the J. Crew of flowers; you can not go wrong with them.  They are classically beautiful and work perfectly for a Valentine’s Day wedding!

Begin with Invitations that will show off your color scheme and scream love with a picture of you and your hubby.

Abby Jean Press

Next, pick out bridesmaids dresses and a stunning cake design like these found at The Knot that will leave your guests breathless!

Strut down the aisle in chic shoes that are sure to leave an impression…

Celebrate with perfectly decorated centerpieces and a table set that shows off your Valentine’s Day theme!

Photobucket & The Knot

Finally, Tie up your theme with some conversation hearts made into cookies to give as favors.  Have sayings like: “Will you Marry Me”, “Be Mine”, “02.14.09″ or “Kiss Me” written on the cookies.

Pacific Weddings

This Saturday, many couples will be married and will have decor like the pictures above, red roses and bridesmaid dresses.  If you love the idea of getting married on Valentine’s Day, but hate the color red, don’t feel any obligation to this theme!  This is your special day and should reflect you and your fiance’s style, not what the most expected color scheme is!  There are many ways to highlight and celebrate being in love on Valentine’s Day without the color red or lots of heart decorations.

Did you have a Valentine’s Day wedding? Send me pictures with the colors and decorations you decided to use!