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July 23, 2010 by Lindsay

Guest Post: Southern Fete

Hi everyone! As you know,we have welcomed 2 guests this week here @ A Design Story. Today, we have one more amazing post for you today from my new friend Valerie, from Southern Fete, She is all about weddings and invitations… her site is fantastic {so after you reads the post, you can visit her}! Thank you Valerie for joining us this week!

So without further ado.. let’s Meet Valerie & take a virtual “peek” inside her oh so adorable office….

Hello “A Design Story” readers!! I’m Valerie Metrejean, wedding planner and invitation designer behind Southern Fete. Today I wanted to share with y’all my office redesign.

I share a space with a wedding photographer and graphic designer so luckily when we saw THIS, we could all get the full vision for the possibilities.

As a wedding planner, my job is to create a space for a wedding that is the couples vision. Planning for my own office was a different sort of challenge: design something that shows MY personality and could give clients a hint into what they could expect from me.

I also wanted something cozy and a relaxing place for brides to come and, of course, ON A BUDGET!

Part of my job on a daily basis is keeping up and helping my brides stick to their budgets. I preach constantly that you can find nice things on a small budget so why should it be any different for my own space? Here are some tips when trying to design a space on a budget.

Step 1. Decide how much you have/are willing to spend. Be realistic with this. For me, I had NOTHING that could be used in the new space and knew I’d be making some big purchases. Saying you want to do something “for as little as possible” never works. You need a number to guide you. I arrived at $1,200. I wanted to make the space warm and welcoming for brides but also didn’t feel the need to have crystals dripping from the ceiling to express that.

Step 2. Get inspired. I searched several of my favorite online stores for inspiration even if it wasn’t in my price range i.e. Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel. Then came up with my colors. This was tough! I found these boxes from The Container Store and new I wanted to incorporate them.

My color palette went from pinks, golds and oranges, to blues and greens.

Step 3. Shop around! I gave myself plenty of time to shop for the big ticket items so I didn’t have to make any rash decisions. I saw the desk I wanted at World Market but it was more than I had budgeted for. I went into the store several times to look at it, get the measurements to see if it would work, and check for a sale. It finally did for about $30 less than my budget!!

Step 4. Stick to it! You make a budget for a reason so don’t veer from the GRAND TOTAL. For my brides we always start off with a pretty standard budget but some want to spend more for photography or flowers. So what do we do? Take if from another portion of the budget. Here is my breakdown.

Step 5. Leave room for the unexpected. I luckily got the ladder bookshelves for a steal and was able to spend more on window treatments. When I had originally come up with my budget, I had decided to just do curtains for the two windows but changed my mind thinking they wouldn’t look right. I went with bamboo roman shades which were pricier but end up still within my budget because of the shelves.

Step 6. Enjoy!

Here is Southern Fete!

1. This is our physical “Inspiration Board.” When I create an design concept for a bride, they are displayed here to serve as continuous inspiration. A sheet of cork board spiced up with an empty Micheal‘s frame.

2. I love this calendar from SusyJack*. This pic was taken from last year but now hangs the 2010 calendar. Below are invitation samples strung on fishing wire, anchored by two glass door knobs from Hobby Lobby.

6. Green folder box and white filigree file holder from The Container Store.

7. These cubbies from Target were a happy accident and fit my inventory of envelopes perfectly.

Office photos by Jason Cohen

Thank you, thank you Valerie! Your office is absolutely fantastic… we wished we worked there! Wedding planner gone interior decorator… love it! What do you guys think… swoon or what? Don’t forget to visit Southern Fete… for all things wedding, inspiration and invitations! Thank you again Valerie, we really appreciate you showing us your office!

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About Me

Hi, I am Lindsay Milner, the designer, fashionista, blogger & mommy behind A Design Story! I am a happy wife & momma that loves all things stylish! I love blogging, interior design, shopping, having fun on the beach, making our house a home, hanging out with family, drinking coffee & running around after our kiddos.

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