It's Real Simple: Orange and Purple

Page from March 2011 issue of Real Simple magazine...

View more orange fashion from Real Simple by visiting http://www.realsimple.com/orange

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Wedding Wednesday - Clemson engagement photos - Catherine & Mark

We love engagement photo shoots in Clemson - the campus is perfect for capturing some amazing shots, and no photographer can do it better than Jacob Dean Photography -- we LOVE their work.

Meet Catherine and Mark...

The couple are both Clemson grads...Mark graduated in 2008 with a degree in Microbiology, and Catherine graduated in 2010 with a degree in Applied Economics and Statistics.

Catherine and Mark met at Clemson bar Overtime during a fraternity/sorority Halloween Mixer. Mark called three days later to ask Catherine out for dinner. He claimed that it was "his birthday" and that his Mom always sent him money for a nice dinner. Catherine was skeptical, but it turned out it actually was his birthday. Nonetheless, it was a good line. ;)

The Proposal - told from Mark's perspecitve:

So we had talked about marriage many times. Whenever we did we always talked about waiting until Catherine moved closer to me, and we could spend more time together after two years of long distance. Well, after the first week of being together again, I knew I wouldn’t be able to wait too long before asking Catherine to marry me.

Well I knew I wanted to propose to Catherine somewhere special, somewhere we’d always remember, and always be around. Without much debate, Surf (my parents vacation house in Florida) rose to the top of the list. I bought the ring and took Catherine to Surf during Labor Day break. To make things even more special, we had a bunch of my family down for the long weekend. So my plan was to take Catherine on the dock after dinner for some time for just the two of us.

So in order to get some alone time on the dock I had to tell my family what was going on. I let everyone know the plan, except Aunt Sally. Honestly I couldn’t trust her not to be teeming with excitement throughout dinner. Luckily for me, Catherine helped Mom cook dinner which gave me a perfect opportunity to put a bottle of champagne in a cooler on the dock.

After dinner Catherine and I “snuck off” to the dock for a little time to ourselves and to watch the sunset. We had a few minutes to talk about what a great day it was and how much we enjoyed being with family. Catherine and I had a typical conversation that goes something like this:

Mark: “I love you”
Catherine: “I love you more”
M: “I’ll love you forever”
C: “Prove it”

To which I responded this time, “I’m tired of you saying that”. I stood up, pulled the ring out of my pocket and got on one knee. She was more than slightly surprised, but without any hesitation she said yes.

Clemson plays an important role in the couple's lives...they told us they will always be lifelong Clemson fans because Clemson is their home away from home. They started dating during Catherine's sophomore year. Mark graduated that year and went on to medical school. During Catherine's final two years at Clemson they made the long distance relationship work. In retrospect, the couple treasures those two years. Mark had a excuse to put the books away for a weekend to come visit Catherine, and Catherine didn't have to be around as he studied all day. The couple has since moved closer to each other, but they take every opportunity they get to go back to Clemson.

Catherine and Mark are getting married July 9, 2010. The rehearsal dinner is going to be all about Clemson. Tiger Lilies will be on each of the tables to celebrate the Clemson mascot. They also have a "secret grooms cake" that will really be something special to commemorate Clemson -- and the couple has promised us they will email us a photo so we can share it on the blog! They also can guarantee that the famous "Tiger Rag" will be played multiple times during the reception and rehearsal dinner.

How amazing are these photos of Catherine and Mark? And how sweet is their story? Special thanks to the happy couple for sharing their story with us. We can't wait to hear about their wedding and see photos.

And a very big thank you to our awesome sponsors Jacob Dean Photography for sending us these photos to share with you today. Jacob Dean is an amazing photographer in the upstate. You MUST visit their portfolio on their website and see more of their photos...beautiful. We can't wait to share more of their Clemson engagement shoots and weddings with you for future Wedding Wednesdays posts.

Do you have a Clemson-themed wedding, engagement shoot, Clemson wedding ideas, etc. you would like to share on our blog? Please email us --> clemsongirlblog@gmail.com

And speaking of weddings - now that it's wedding season, we're sure your calendar is filling up with family and friends' weddings...looking for a gift idea? Who needs another blender? or another table setting? Why not gift a Clemson Girl t-shirt!! :) Cute for the bride and helps support a worthy cause.

Happy Wednesday!

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Another item on our orange wish list...

Anthropologie.com - $178
How gorgeous is this cotton lace, orange dress from Anthropologie? Can someone lend me $178 please? ;)

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Marley Lilly Wristlet Clutch Giveaway Winner

TGIF!!! Finally Friday! Whoo hoo!

And we're excited to announce the winner of the Marley Lilly monogrammed wristlet clutch giveaway.....

These clutches are too cute, especially with a script monogram in a complimenting thread.

Today's lucky winner will get to pick the color clutch and color monogram of her choice...we think orange and purple is the best choice.. but we may be a little biased. :)

The winner of the giveaway is...

Elizabeth C. from Durham, NC

Congrats Elizabeth!! Please email us (clemsongirlblog@gmail.com) to claim your prize!

Thanks to everyone who entered -- if you didn't win, you should still snag one for yourself. They are more than affordable at only $19.99.. seriously!

Big thanks to Marley Lilly for sponsoring this giveaway, and we hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

P.S. Don't forget to get your Clemson Girl t-shirt and support Dabo's All In Team Foundation!

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Marley Lilly Wristlet Clutch Giveaway

It's time for another Marley Lilly giveaway - and in case you don't already know, Marley Lilly is a lovely online shop where you can get all things monogrammed... seriously, all things! She has such a wide variety of personalized items.. it's your one stop shop for all gifts and fun things for yourself too.

And lucky for all of us, the owner of Marley Lilly is a Clemson grad - so almost all of her items come in some form of orange and purple! Perfect for us Clemson Girls!


Marley Lilly is continuously adding new items to the store -- it's hard to keep up! One of the newest items you can now purchase - monogrammed of course - is this adorable wristlet purse!

They come in nine different colors with the option to monogram in a variety of thread colors.


Marley Lilly would like to give a very lucky Clemson Girl reader an orange wristlet purse with a purple monogram of her choice! This would be absolutely perfect for Clemson gamedays! The winner has the option to change the color of the wristlet purse and/or monogram if she chooses.

Imagine your initials on this wristlet clutch!
How to Enter

1. Post a comment on this blog with your first name, last initial, and where you are from for one entry.
2. Share this post on Facebook, post another comment to the blog letting us know you shared on Facebook, and get another entry.
3. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter - copy @marleylilly and @clemsongirl - to get another entry.
4. Mention this giveaway in your Facebook status today (tag Marley Lilly or Clemson Girl's Facebook pages), then post another comment to the blog letting us know you updated your status to receive another entry.
5. Email two friends a link to this giveaway (copy clemsongirlblog@gmail.com) to get another entry.
   

Deadline for all entries is 2:00PM EST tomorrow, Friday, May 20th. We will compile all the entries, randomly draw a winner, and announce the winner's name on the blog tomorrow evening. Make sure you come back to the blog tomorrow to see if you've won... the winner has until NOON on Tuesday, May 24th to contact us or we will draw a new winner.

What an amazing giveaway! Good luck!!

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Clemson Girl T-Shirt Raising Money for Dabo's All In Foundation

Last month we announced an exciting t-shirt contest in partnership with one of our fabulous sponsors, Tickled Orange - we asked all of you to complete the following sentence: "You might be a Clemson Girl if..."

We wanted to find the top 10 best responses to put on a t-shirt that would be sold to raise money for Dabo's All In Team Foundation, which supports a number of fantastic causes.

Your response was overwhelming and the submissions were beyond expectations - some entries were so true of being a Clemson Girl...others were down right hilarious. The greatest challenge was trying to pick just 10.... but we did and the shirt is the perfect shirt for any Clemson Girl!

So, without further ado...here is the "You might be a Clemson Girl if..." t-shirt design:

Front center chest: "Clemson Girl"
Back: "You might be a Clemson Girl if..." with top 10.
Shirts are only $14.95!

Buy the shirt now!!
The official top 10 reasons and the names of the lovely ladies who submitted them:

10. The first words you learned to spell were C-L-E-M-S-O-N and T-I-G-E-RRR-S. (submitted by Melanie Pniewski)

9. You do three loads of laundry: lights, darks, and oranges. (submitted by Candy Herron)

8. The ringtone on your cellphone is Tiger Rag. (submitted by Happy Garner)

7. You wait for the football schedule to come out before you plan your wedding. (submitted by Alison Motroni)

6. You name your pets and kids after Clemson landmarks and legends. (combination of submissions by Amanda Lanford and Ashley Harvell)

5. You think orange and purple is a fashionable color combination. (submitted by Kathy Meredith)

4. You have ever sunbathed on Bowman Field or Lever Beach. (combination of submissions by Amanda K. Trujillo and Dana Lykins)

3. You think Clemson is THE university of South Carolina. (submitted by Kelli Brannen)

2. You get chills every time the Tigers run down the hill. (submitted by Christy Braswell)

1. You are ALL IN with Clemson and with Dabo! (by Tickled Orange and ClemsonGirl.com to support All In Team Foundation)

**Please Note: There were multiples of some of the submissions - we chose winners whose entries were sent in first.

You can now buy these shirts online on Tiger Town Graphics website and in the Tickled Orange store in Clemson.

Every t-shirt purchase guarantees a donation to Dabo's All In Team Foundation!

Help spread the word!
Share this t-shirt on Facebook and encourage your friends to buy one too. The more we sell, the more money we can donate to Dabo's All In Team Foundation!

What are you waiting for? Support a great cause and get your very own, official Clemson Girl t-shirt! Let's show Dabo that Clemson female fans are ALL IN with support of Dabo's foundation and its great causes... Clemson Girls unite - let's make a difference together!

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Happy Graduation Day

Today Clemson Univ. is holding their commencement ceremonies where hundreds of Clemson students will join the Clemson alumni family...and on Friday the 13th no less!

Earlier today we asked you on Facebook and on Twitter what kind of advice you would give a Clemson graduate. Here are some of your responses... humorous and smart.

What advice would you give a Clemson graduate? Or, if you could go back and have a conversation with yourself on YOUR graduation day from Clemson, what would you say?

Post your responses in the comments.

I also love when students get creative and decorate their hats. Here are two great ones from this morning's ceremony, posted on Clemson University's Facebook page.

Congrats to all of today's Clemson Univ. graduates! Welcome to the Clemson alumni family -- don't forget to turn your class rings upside down!

Did you decorate your hat on your graduation day? Or did you wear something fun and Clemson themed? Email us your photos to share on the blog! clemsongirlblog@gmail.com


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Wedding Wednesday - A Clemson Love Story

A Clemson Girl blog reader emailed us last week and wanted to share her Clemson love story with us, including her engagement photos and the story from both her and her future husband's point of view -- which we loved!

Her email was so great, we didn't want to retell her story, but let her tell it herself...Meet Carolyn Quarles...

"It must be said that Clemson runs deep in my blood. My parents met at Clemson and married at Clemson United Methodist in '83... and both sides of my family has many Clemson graduates and fans and current students. Orange is our color. That being said, I have of course always dreamed of attending school here. For undergrad I was offered a scholarship to play soccer at Winthrop University, so of course I took that awesome opportunity and enjoyed every minute of my 4 years there. But then there was the idea of grad school... and now I am here at Clemson pursuing my PhD in Chemistry!

YAY! I made it finally, haha! And now for the point of this email:

I am getting married October 15th... and yes, my fiancee Casey and I waited until the ACC football schedule came out to assure we weren't going to have our ceremony during a home game.

When I created our wedding website I really wanted to have the two side of how we met, and so I asked Casey to write his version, and I wrote mine separate... here they are:"

CAROLYN'S ACCOUNT:

To set the scene, I am an avid Clemson football fan and nobody gets in my way when it comes to trading in tickets for the front row. For the 2008 Clemson vs South Carolina game I was DEFINITELY sitting on the front row, especially since I had tickets for my mom and dad for her birthday. So we camp out the Monday before the big game, wait in line until 7am, etc... and as the crowd is led down to the ticket window we see an undergrad already walking away. This means he didn't wait all night, broke in line, and got a front row ticket. Oh buddy, I was a little ticked. But come to find out he only got one so there were plenty left for us. Phew.

On November 29, 2008, a rainy & cold day to have a football game, my parents and I sat in the front row, and to my left there was a guy all by himself. I've never been very good at NOT talking to people, especially if I think they need someone to talk to or I've had some beers (or both). I'm decked out in my beanie and snow jacket, and not at ALL thinking I'm going to meet anyone. As the game goes on it goes from cheering together, to high-five-ing together, to actually talking to each other. Then at half time we sit and introduce ourselves and talk the entire time. I find out he graduated from Clemson the year before with an English degree and that he lives near Greenville and has friends in the area, so that's why he's at the game. I just keep thinking, what a nice, super cute guy! So the game continues, I bounce around to Zombie to both keep warm and cheer on my Tigers, and he laughs at me.

Clemson won (WooooHoooo!) and Casey asks what I am doing after the game. I say that my parents are here and we'll probably go find my cousins tailgate and hangout there. So I tell him if he's ever in the Clemson area again to give me a call and we could hang out (I wasn't looking to date anyone at the time, just friends). And he says sure, maybe we could do lunch some time. Okay, cool. So we exchange numbers, he says good bye to my parents and me, blah blah blah, and we go our separate ways.

Two days later he calls and we schedule our first dinner date... and I knew from right then that this would be great.

CASEY'S ACCOUNT:

It all started with a ticket. I had graduated from Clemson in the summer of 2008, and although it was nice to have the “school” part of school behind me for the time being, I sorely missed the free football tickets I had received during my four years attending. Thankfully Laura Jane, being the awesome sister but not-so-big-of-a-football fan that she was, willingly gave me her ticket to the big game at the end of the season. Thanks Sis, that got me into the game, but the plot continued to thicken.

As hard as one ticket to the Clemson vs. USC game was to come by, in a strange turn of events my old roommate James also came up with two tickets that I could have. This “strange turn of events” might be described differently by Carolyn, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. Anyway, whereas Laura Jane had given me her ticket she’d picked up, the two tickets that James offered me were general student tickets that he had miraculously traded in for a first row seat and another a little farther up. He told me he had simply walked up to the ticket counter and traded them in before going to his eight o’clock class, but that he and his girlfriend did not need them, because they already had seats.

Having never sat in the front row before, I jumped at the chance to not only sit in a seat (I had always sat on “The Hill”), and so close to the action. With the chill dampness of late November in the air, I quickly made my way through the stadium gate, ticket stub and lapsed ID in hand, and down the steps to section B, row A, seat 29. Although I wasn’t really worried about sitting by myself during the game, apparently someone beside me was. It wasn’t long after the game had begun that I noticed a very bouncy girl beside me cheering for all she was worth. I don’t think her feet stayed on the ground for more than a few seconds at a time. With such an energetic gal next to me, it was only a matter of time before we were conversing in between cheers. With friendly eyes peeking from inside a hood drawn tightly around her face, Carolyn asked why I was sitting by myself.

Although I’m pretty sure the conversation didn’t occur that day, as it turns out, James’ ticket trade earlier in the week had unknowingly enraged a small band of graduate students who had been camping out since before dawn to get front row tickets. James had unknowingly broken in front of them in line and had gotten one of those prized tickets and had given it to me. One of those graduate students was Carolyn and I have no doubt she was close to strangling James before she even knew I existed. What a different relationship we would have had then! I can’t really recall what all we talked about during the game besides well, football, but I will always remember those sparkling eyes under that Clemson beanie, the Tiger dumping rainwater on us from the floodlight above, and the infectious laughter coming from that bouncing girl in the big ski jacket.


-And oh yeah- I got her number. That is how we met.

Carolyn says their story makes her smile every time -- it made us smile too! Thanks so much to Carolyn and Casey for sharing their amazing Clemson love story and engagement photos. It just goes to show you that ANYTHING may happen at a Clemson game -- like meeting your soul mate. Such a cool story.

Do you have a Clemson love story, Clemson wedding, Clemson engagement photos or anything else Clemson wedding-themed you would like to share with the readers of this blog? Email us at clemsongirlblog@gmail.com!

Happy Wednesday!

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Clemson Gameday Look - Spring into Trousers

Get the Look:

• Capacious Trousers - Anthropologie, $88
  
• Women's Crochet-Trim Racerback Tanks - Old Navy, $19.94
  
• Strappy low wedge sandal - GoJane.com, $19.40
  
• Women's Faux Gem Earrings - Old Navy, $5.50
  
• Circle frame snap wrist watch - GoJane.com, $15.60
  
• Women's straw fedora - LandsEndCanvas.com, $39.50
  
• Brown Sunglasses - Forever21, $5.80
  
• Everyday hobo shoulder bag in purple - Forever21, $24.80
  

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Wedding Wednesdays are back!

Happy Wednesday and happy May! Today kicks off the official second year return of our May & June feature - Wedding Wednesdays.

Every Wednesday of this month and through June we will feature Clemson themed weddings, Clemson wedding traditions, Clemson engagement photos, Clemson wedding themed giveaways and so much more.

We would love to feature you (Clemson Girls) or your work (photographers) -- if you had a Clemson tradition at your wedding or if you would like to share your wedding photos or Clemson themed engagement photos, please email us at clemsongirlblog@gmail.com. We will feature them on the blog! If you're a photographer we will promote and link to your business in the post in return for sharing your work.

Here are some of our faves from last year's Wedding Wednesdays - essential wedding musts for a Clemson Girl bride...

Click on the photos to visit the full posts and to see more photos!

Engagement photos in Clemson...







Stunning bridal portraits on campus...


And at the ceremony...orange and purple bouquets...

A Clemson garter hidden under your dress...


Orange and purple bridesmaid dresses...

Clemson paw cuff links for the groomsmen...


And carrying the Clemson themes and traditions into your reception...impressing your guests with a giant tiger ice sculpture!


Adorable Clemson cake topper...


...and a Clemson themed groom's cake!


A group photo of all the Clemson alums at your wedding...


The Clemson book "There's Something in these Hills" as your reception guestbook...


Tiger paw cookies as reception favors for your guests...


Inviting the Clemson Tiger and Tiger Cub to your reception...




An amazing Clemson getaway car...


And finally...finishing the night with amazing wedding photos inside Death Valley...



Now that's what I call a Clemson Girl wedding! :)

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