If I’ve learned one thing in the past year of wedding planning, it’s that there’s no “right” way to have a wedding.  I went to a friend’s wedding on Saturday that was so different than mine will be, yet still so beautiful.  One thing that I noticed: everyone matched!

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Her bridesmaids wore their hair the same way and had matching shoes, the groomsmen rented the exact same tuxes and ties… it was very traditional and beautiful.  But I’ve seen more and more weddings where the bridesmaids chooses their own dresses (sometimes even in random colors!) or the groomsmen wear the same color, but different suits.

Our wedding will fall somewhere in between the two.  My girls will be wearing the same dress with un-matching accessories and hairstyles and the guys are wearing completely different suits with matching accessories.

There are so many ways to do things, but I’d love to know what you like best!

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Married gals: tell me what your bridal party wore!  How much did it all match?  Unmarried ladies… have you thought much about it?  What would you do?  Share in the comments!

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About four years ago, my grandmother introduced me to Kiva by giving me a $50 credit for my birthday.  Kiva is a non-profit organization that allows people to give loans to entrepreneurs all over the world with the goal of helping people out of poverty.

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Lenders can scroll through hundreds of profiles and choose the borrower that speaks to them.  (The profiles have photos, bios, and goals set by the entrepreneur.)  Or you can loan so that borrowers can make necessary repairs or upgrades to their own homes.  Once the money has been lent, it is paid back over time by the borrower.  With that money back in your Kiva “account” you can re-loan it to someone else!

It’s seriously the gift that keeps on giving.  I have loved being a part of it!

If you want to try it out, click here and you get a free $25 to loan out and learn about the process first-hand!  Pretty cool, right?

Have you heard of Kiva?  Interested in checking it out?  How do you give back to your community and beyond?  I’d love to hear about it!

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On Friday, I visited my cousin at the spa where she works and I was drooling over the decor.  It has this cute, shabby-chic vibe with a flirty, girly edge and now I’m dying to have a space that I can decorate with the same theme.

Check out these cute pieces:

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Cute, right?!

Are you a fan of this look?  Which of these pieces do you like best?  Do you incorporate “shabby chic” into your home?

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