Ian & Ariel A Mid-Summer’s Dream

Ian & Ariel were some of the unfortunate whose wedding got caught up in the 2020 covid shutdown.  They had planned for over a year when they found out that their family couldn’t attend in 2020 and so they were forced to move it to 2021.  So many things can change in two years that it was almost like they planned two weddings.

“In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

~The Beatles

Ariel always dreamed of a big party with lots of friends and family. Lots of dancing! Friends and family were so valued by this couple that they focused the entire event on ensuring that everyone would be over the moon with the food and that the stars would not outshine their reception!

From Ariel: 

As I began to look for wedding venues, I actually found Dream Field Farms on Airbnb. The venue looked beautiful and the options to have an indoor or outdoor ceremony with a large enough reception space to accommodate our families was a big plus! We were looking for anywhere in the state of Alabama and Dream Field Farms turned out to be more than perfect.

I had eight bridesmaids and three flower girls. These were all of my best girlfriends. I've known one since middle school and others from college and working in Huntsville. My twin sister was my maid of honor. My family friends' kids were the flower girls along with my best friend's daughter.

 I chose my twin sister as my maid of honor. She's always been there for me since the beginning and I wouldn't have wanted anyone else by my side!

As I walked down the aisle, I was thinking how I couldn't believe this was happening already, It was a whirlwind of a day. Weather didn't hold up for us and I made it just in time to the barn for the ceremony before I had to walk down the aisle.

 As I looked for Ian, he was holding back tears for joy. He didn’t want to ugly cry for the pictures.

The wedding ceremony was a bit of a blur to be honest. It was great to get to see everyone there while I walked down the aisle and to finally see my husband with tears in his eyes waiting for me.

The most amazing thing about my reception was getting to spend time with everyone! Seeing family and friends from around the country, enjoying great food, music and dancing.

I loved all of the reception decor. The table settings were beautiful. The centerpieces and floral were magnificent. The drapery in the barn with the fairy lights, moon and star accents were perfectly on theme.

Everyone told us it was an amazing day! Everyone loved the food, music, decor and overall merriment. The rain did not stop anyone from having a good time.

My absolute favorite part of the day was the bouquet and garter toss. We had such a good time dancing and drinking after the formalities were over.

I was asked if I could do this day again would I…..NO! Ha ha! I wouldn’t want to spoil the memories I have of my wedding day and night by trying to recreate it. It will be a memory cherished forever. A one of a kind experience I hope everyone gets the chance to have.

 We asked Ariel, what was your overall experience with Dream Field Farms?
It was wonderful working with Cathy and Ban.  Cathy made everything go so smoothly for us and was always willing to have a call or meeting to discuss wedding details. Ban and all the staff set up everything beautifully and took care of the rehearsal dinner and reception dinner without flaw. The food was better than we could have hoped for.

Meet Cathy & Take A Tour: https://www.dreamfieldfarms.com/tour

Alabama Sorority Mixers They Will Cherish Forever

Here in Alabama, the idea of Greek life on a college campus is one that brings up memories for many university students across the nation. For freshmen, recruitment is an often lengthy process but at the same time rushing to join sororities can be both social and fun which you're likely to remember forever.

Determining what to do for the social events this year can be a challenge. If you want your event to succeed, it's important that everyone feels included and engaged in some way or another.

For Bama’ ladies who have already gone through the recruitment process, organizing the events for their house's socials requires quite a lot of planning on part of each lady. 

It is hard enough coming up with an original idea but finding ways involving members from other houses requires much more effort which makes them feel stressed out at times . But they should always remember their ultimate goal-that every member has fun enjoying themselves throughout these activities no matter how stressful things get sometimes.

We all know that socials are about getting to know your classmates or colleagues. You can make it even more interesting by incorporating a theme into the activities you do, food you serve, clothes you wear and decorations up. As long as everyone is having fun then I think we've done our job! If you want some inspiration for your plan check out Pinterest because they have lots of great themes like 'Besties' where every pair has matching outfits with each other's initials on them - super cute idea if I must say so myself :)

Use these fun theme ideas to ROCK your next sorority get together:

Western Theme Party-To Harness Your Inner Cow-Girl

• A western theme is classic, but can be given your own special twist. Have guests show up in flannels, boots and denim for a cowboy & cowgirl experience! 

• This easy to incorporate into activities like games or snacks with cactus-shaped cookies that look just like the real thing.

• This wild-west theme can include a poker table, sexy fringe and generous portions of good barbecue!

• Hire a bucking-bull rental company and treat your guests to the thrill of the ride.

Did Someone Say Toga-Time?

A toga party is a fun college tradition that you don't want to miss out on.

• Togas are costumes made by wrapping sheets around one's body and wearing sandals, so it will be easy for your members and pledges to throw this once-in-a lifetime event if they can make their own outfits too!

• You could also have a DIY day when everyone makes the decor as well as the clothing.

Support Your Colors!

Instead of planning an event around complicated details, just go with the color scheme from your school or sorority house! By choosing party essentials in solid colors, it won't be difficult to put together a simple outfit yourself. It'll also make things much easier for other guests who want to follow along easily too.

• Invite other sororities to join your party, or sisters from another school.

• Keep it simple and elegant just like your Greek symbols.

• Entertainment might include monogrammed party favors/bags.

If you are planning a lively mixer here are some exciting theme ideas that the girl’s will absolutely love:

• “I’m glad I’m not…”: Dress as something you are not (cheerleader, pregnant, the Joker, a freshman, a fan from an opposing sports team, a nerd, etc.).

• 80’s prom: Big hair, big sleeves and cheesy music are all you need.

• Above Par: You’ll need golfing attire like argyle and tweed, and monogrammed golf tees.

• Anything but Clothes: Dress in anything but clothes (Twister board, a picnic blanket, caution tape, a cardboard box, inner-tube with flippers, etc.).

• Be my Date: Dress as a date on the calendar (Christmas, Cinco de Mayo, Mardi Gras, Saint Patrick’s Day, 4th of July, Halloween, etc.)

• Board Shorts & Bikinis: A luau-themed party will be complete with tropical drinks and fresh, bright flowers.

• Celebrity: Spin this a number of ways – come as your favorite celebrity, have a red carpet Oscar-esque party, or even create the scene for your own tabloid debacle.

• Come as You are: Last minute social notice, you go in literally what you are wearing when you find out about the event.

• Cops and Robbers: Have fun dressed as good guys and bad guys, just don’t have the real cops called!

Below are some of Dream Field Farm’s Personal Favorite Sorority Mixer Ideas

• Decades: Dress as a stylish person from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or ’90s.

• Dudes and Dolls: You and your date can dress like a well-known doll (Barbie and Ken, Woody and Jessie from Toy Story, action heroes, Cabbage Patch Kids, etc.).

• Famous Couples: Go as far back as the romantic Romeo and Juliet, or as recent as the train-wreck Tiger and Elin.

• Graffiti: Everyone wears white shirts, then have plenty of markers on hand to decorate one another. Ties in well with the 80’s theme!

• Kentucky Derby: Big, fancy hats, a crisp seersucker suit with a bright bow tie, and a supply of mint juleps will set the scene for this Southern-inspired party.

• Kindergarten: Recreate your look from the first day of kindergarten, serve finger foods, and try silly games like hopscotch or kickball.

• Letter S: Build your party around the letter S. Serve sandwiches and shiraz, play sixty’s music or bands that start with S, and dress like something that starts with the letter s, like a sailor, singer, softball player, snowman, Snoopy, shacker, etc.). This can apply to any letter.

• Masquerade: The ultimate in classic dress-up! Have everyone bring a mask, or have the supplies on hand to make them at the party.

• MTV: A true rock-star, music video-themed party where everyone’s favorite songs are played and they arrive dressed like MTV stars like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, etc.).

• Nautical and Nice: Take a page from the Hamptons and wear nautical attire. That’s boat shoes, plaid shorts and bright Polos for the guys, and bold navy and white stripes against soft khaki shorts for the girls. A crab boil is the perfect dinner to tie the theme together.

• Neon colors: A perfect excuse to buy glow sticks, black lights, and really tacky lipstick!

• Olympics: Each couple can represent a different country, play light-hearted games like Bocce, horseshoes, or even volleyball, and serve an array of international cuisine. The torch is a must!

Making your own event timeline and using a party planning checklist will ensure everything goes smoothly even if you don’t have any experience with throwing parties. At the end of the day all that matters is bringing people together to celebrate having fun then it doesn’t matter how much (or little) money or time was put into hosting this special occasion!

Final Notes: Alabama Sororities, get yourselves out there. Represent your symbols  well, get to know some people, and have fun. Don’t take yourself too seriously, college is about finding yourself, not about being perfect. Work hard and enjoy yourselves while you can!!