Pink Poinsettia Inspiration for a Winter Wedding

Two posts back, we talked about an unexpected, dramatic take on winter florals. Well, I've still got holiday flowers on my mind! So I couldn't help thinking about the quintessential wintertime bloom (though, I understand they're actually leaves!), poinsettias!

The deep red variety that we all know and love may seem a bit overwhelming to use as wedding decor. But I know that poinsettias also come in a creamy white and a soft, dusty pink. So, I did a little searching and found this absolutely gorgeous wedding mood board on The Picky Pair, inspired by the lovely pink poinsettia.

The pairing with ivory and sparkly elements is just so sweet, sophisticated, and subtly holiday-like all at the same time. So all right, couples planning a December 2012 wedding, shall it be a pink poinsettia theme?!

In the meantime, here's wishing one and all a meaningful and memorable Christmas 2011!

Not Your Ordinary Wedding Cookies!

We all know and love the traditional iced sugar cookies made for weddings. Intricately decorated to mimic lace, ruffles, and ribbons, and embellished with edible pearls, glitter, and sparkly sprinkles, they are definitely a pretty sight!

But for truly artistic marvels that also happen to be wedding cookies, look what we found via Manolo for the Brides!

Created by the cookie designers at Better Batch Bakers, showstopping goodies like these can be customized to match any wedding theme or color scheme. Pretty spectacular, wouldn't you say?

Winter Florals Like You've Never Imagined!

Say "winter florals" and what do you envision? Probably pristine white blooms with sprigs of mistletoe, holly, berries, or pine nestled among them, and a sprinkling of frost over them all, right? That was my vision, too.

Well, was I in for a fabulous surprise! There is another rich, dramatic, and glamorous side to winter florals, as I discovered on Pocketful of Dreams, an amazing UK site just brimming with artful inspiration for today's bride. This particular post is entitled "The Night Garden {Winter Florals}." Need I say more?

 

Any brides up to this look for a dramatic winter wedding?

Winter Wedding Cakes: Which is Your Style?

Huge apologies for the looooong absence! Those of you who also juggle life and blogging understand how the former definitely has a way of crowding out the latter!

So here we are, well into the pre-holiday season and the last-minute preparations for you December brides! I immediately thought of all the fabulous wedding cakes that will be out this winter, and what you might have chosen. So I did a little search for non-Christmasy cake creations that still capture the magic of this time of year. Love what I found!

Snowy pine cones atop a dreamy pale blue creation

by Gateaux Inc. via Brides

A modern beauty trimmed in pearls and topped with a sculptured flower

Found via Weddingbells

A richly textured creation with a chic houndstooth pattern and fondant ornament

Found via Weddingbells

Which cake is your style? Sweet and romantic? Modern and edgy? Or classic and traditional?

Happy Holiday Wedding!

Non-spooky Halloween Wedding Ideas!

Happy Halloween everyone!

We may think a Halloween-themed wedding has to be all dark, sinister, and eerie. Not so! Just take a look at this warm and inviting take on this theme at a charming wedding I found on Green Wedding Shoes. Love it!

The nod to Halloween comes through pumpkin and gourd accents, and fabulous fall florals.

Then, see how cleverly the black-and-white striped runner and modern-design candle holders provide a chic contrast to all the rustic woodsiness...plus echo the darling black-and-white bow on the bride's dress (seen in the full post)!

For another "cheerful" approach to a Halloween-themed wedding, see this lovely feature on The Sweetest Occasion. Just BOOtiful!

Floral Creations for Fall!

Fall is here! In honor of this fabulous season, I thought I'd focus—not on leaves, gourds, or woodsy elements—but on gorgeous autumn flowers. Couples are often stumped about what look to go for with their floral accents for this time of year. But whether you go "outdoor rustic" or formal and elegant, an experienced florist can certainly capture the perfect ambiance with fresh blooms!

Just look at these inspiring creations found via Prepare to Wed. Both celebrate the rich colors of fall, but each with a distinct look and feel. Which one is your wedding style?

Ideas in Bloom

Perennial Studio

Watercolor Wedding Invites for Fall!

I've always loved the dreamy effect of watercolor paintings! So wedding invitations rendered in this way are sure to grab my attention. What more when watercolors meet crafty styling, as in these absolutely charming creations by Magpie Paper Works!

Isn't this look just perfect for upcoming fall weddings...especially intimate DIY ones?

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head Cake topper

Sometimes you just have to laugh at things. Just like this whimsical Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head Cake topper I saw:

from etsy.com

Fall wedding place card ideas

Didn't we just welcome spring?! And here we are, already in mid-summer. Before we know it, the weather will turn a bit chillier, and the inevitable rush to Halloween and the Christmas holidays will be upon us!

Weddings will be taking a seasonal turn, too, into that lovely time of fall. So before autumn couples check "place cards" off their to-do list, I thought I'd share some charming fall wedding place card ideas that celebrate the season!

maple leaf place cards   gold frames

cinnamon sticks   succulents in a cup of coffee beans

4th of July wedding inspiration: Fireworks & sparklers!

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

In honor of this special holiday, I thought I'd take some inspiration for a wedding from two of July 4th's trademarks: fireworks and sparklers. You've got to admit...these are fabulous ways to cap your Big Day with a bang!

Couple with fireworks (Christina Carroll Photography)

Heart-shaped sparklers    Sparklers in red basket

Couple with sparklers

A rustic red-white-and-blue wedding

How do you pull off a patriotic 4th of July wedding without going the cliché route? That is a challenge! But a little searching led me to this absolutely darling inspiration board by Kelly Oshiro Events.

Her approach? Bring in the ol' red-white-and-blue but give it a rustic, summer garden party spin. Her key elements? Blue and red berries, blue and red flowers, all set against crisp white fabric, distressed white woodwork, even yummy white pastries. Love it all!

 Red-blue berries inspiration board

That Perfect Gown for a Summer Wedding

Summer will be here real and I stumbled upon this lovely video on bridal gowns for summer. The look is one of classic chic! Imagine yourself on an exotic beach wearing that light chiffon gown with flowing ruffles.



For further reading, these articles are also quite useful:

How to Select a Perfect Bridal Gown For a Summer Wedding
How to choose the perfect wedding dress
How and Where to Find Your Vintage Summer Wedding Dress

Summer wedding colors: SEA FOAM GREEN!

Ever wondered about the origins of those fascinating bits of colored "stones" known as sea glass? Well, they start out as broken shards of old bottles and other glass items washed out to sea. These are then weathered by the elements into those beautifully decorative nuggets in colors ranging from clear to pale blue to sea green to amber to the very rare reds and oranges.

sea glass colors

The particular hue of sea glass that I'm in love with for a summer wedding is what is called "sea foam green" or sometimes "tea green." Whatever the name, it's a lovely, romantic, and fresh hue that you can use throughout your wedding—from the tablescape to favors to sweet treats and even sea glass jewelry for the bridal party!

table setting    pendants

mini wreath    cupcakes

Summer Wedding Colors: ORANGE!

Say it with flowers! That's what an orange wedding palette allows you to do this summer...and oh so gloriously, too!

Just see how the wedding scene comes alive with a blaze of orange centerpieces lining the entire length of the table. But even little splashes and dashes of orange here and there would be stunning (it's that vibrant!). These could be via a cake topper of fresh roses, a rustic gold-toned bouquet featuring calla lilies, or exotic orchids adorning your invites and favor set!

Wedding cake    Table setting

Bouquet    Invitation set

Summer wedding colors: TURQUOISE!

Summer is officially here! Which means all the vibrant colors of the season will be on show at wedding ceremonies and wedding socials. So, how can I not join this celebration of color? For the month of June, then, I'll be showcasing different summery hues you can bring into your wedding palette.

Let's begin with one color option that just glows in the full sunshine of a beach wedding: turquoise!

Turquoise & orange table setting    Engagement ring

Wedding cake    Bridesmaids dresses

Bridesmaids gifts: Vintage-style lockets

While the vintage look is still in for weddings, wouldn't it be great to surprise each of your bridesmaids with a charming old-fashioned locket? These could be given ahead of the wedding day for them to wear at the ceremony.

vintage button lockets / gold oval locket / rose locket

Then even after the big day, these lockets would be a sweet accent piece for any outfit they may wear...whether a girly dress, an office blazer, or jeans and a tee!

Beautiful bird cage centerpieces

Seems like spring has barely been around (in fact, it's only beginning in some places!)...and already ideas for summer weddings are popping up all over.

So before we bid adieu to this delightful season, I just had to get in a post on one of the quintessential springtime decorations: bird cages. How enchanting are these bird cage centerpieces holding flowers, candles, and of course birds. If you hurry, you just may be able to work lovelies like these into your wedding tablescape!

Bird cages all abloom

Candle in a bird cage

Handbag Corsages for Mom

First and foremost, Happy Mother's Day to all the dear moms out there!

And while we're on the subject of honoring these great ladies, I thought why not pull out ideas for truly stylish wedding accessories for the mothers of the bride and groom? Our focus today: handbag corsages! What a practical and pretty concept, combining the traditional floral corsage with Mom's wedding purse--as these oh-so-elegant pieces by Flower Design UK (Buttonhole & Corsage blog) show.

latte and ivory

pale blue on silver

white and green on black

coffee and cream

While the cherry blossoms are still in bloom!

I know cherry blossom season has been here for weeks. So this is a belated post! But when I stumbled upon this breathtaking photo, I just knew I had to pay homage to this glorious annual event--while the blossoms are still around. Or how about for next year?

How lucky is the springtime bride who can have this incredible backdrop!

Source: Once Wed

Photography by Tec Petaja

 

Handmade wedding favors Mom would love

Handmade weddings have become quite the rage in recent years. So, mindful of Mother's Day just around the corner, I wanted to share some inspiration for DIY wedding favors that Mom would find absolutely charming.

Lucky for me, I chanced upon this photo that could spark ideas for three lovely favors you could make yourself: colored bottle candle holders, cloth-bound journals, and crocheted lace doilies in the most quaint designs!

Source: Whip Up

Butterfly decorations for a spring wedding

Happy Easter, everyone!

This well-loved holiday will be over before we know it, though. So I thought I'd search for other decorating ideas for a springtime wedding, and came up with butterflies! Light and airy, and quite easy to source or craft yourself, butterflies are fabulous used on overhead party decorations, as glass adornments, and even as trimmings on wedding favors!

butterfly-adorned paper lanterns

paper butterfly cutouts perched on party glassware

butterflies fluttering about fresh orchid wedding favors

Fabulous Easter Wedding Cakes!

At the wedding ceremony, the bride takes center stage and all eyes are on her (sorry, dear groom, but this is true!). But when it comes to the reception, it's the venue and table decorations that everyone ooohs and aaahs over--most especially the wedding cake.

Luckily, for today's couples, wedding cake decorators are now nothing short of true artists and magicians! And so a search for some Easter wedding cake inspiration yielded these oh-so-fabulous creations:

Easter bonnet cake from Ideas in Icing

Handpainted spring cake by Natasha Collins of Neviepiecakes

via Manolo for the Brides

Five-tiered multi-colored fondant cake / Yellow-striped cake with fresh daisies

Both from Seattle Flowers

Charming candle ideas for an Easter-time bridal shower

Candles are a must, in my opinion, to make an occasion look really special! But thinking about decorating a bridal shower within the Easter season, I had visions of little more than egg-shaped candles stuck on a holder--and that's that.

Luckily, a quick search proved me soooo wrong! Just see what charming ideas I found. Each one puts a slightly different spin on the whole Easter candle decor concept. The problem now will be choosing just one!

Top left: Pastel egg candles on a vintage cake stand

Top right: Tea light on a gerbera daisy

Bottom left: Spring candle grouping embellished with grass

Bottom right: Hurricane vase with candle and egg-shaped crystals

Decorative Trees for an Easter-time Bridal Shower

In place of the usual floral centerpieces, I was curious about what ideas are out there for focal points at an Easter-time bridal shower. And look what I found! Charming decorative trees that would be fabulous as entryway accents or dessert and favor table attractions.

I just love the sweet little details on each one...

Cherry blossom buds and delicate birds for a 

springtime look with an Oriental air.
Source

Pastel-painted eggs and the cutest paper birds

for a whimsical nod to the Easter holiday.
Source

How would you decorate a tree for your bridal shower?

Adorable Easter Nests

The countdown to Easter has begun! And no matter what they say about not "counting your chicks before they're hatched," I just couldn't resist counting these un-hatched eggs in nests as possible wedding decorations!

For an Easter-themed reception, nests like these would make the most adorable accent pieces. A woodsy wreath adorned with faux quince blossoms and a little nest would make a lovely welcome sign. A scrumptious chocolate cake cake topped with a nest of chocolate shavings and truffle eggs would be a showstopper on the desserts table. And sweet mini-nests like these and these would be delightful place card or menu holders--and of course, wedding favors!

Exotic and Pretty Paisley!

There's just something so exotic and "bohemian" about the paisley pattern! I've always been fascinated by how complex and dynamic it looks, and the rich colors it usually comes in. So I couldn't resist doing a bit of searching for how paisley is used in weddings. And boy, did I find a treasure trove!

These examples in lovely blue tones are just a fraction of the fabulous ideas for using paisley in your wedding. Hope they get you thinking!

Credits

Blue paisley wedding cake

Paisley reception card

Paisley print fabric

Don't forget the flower girls!

With all the attention on the dazzling bride and her lovely bridesmaids, we mustn't forget the little "belles of the ball" -- the darling flower girls! And since spring is just around the corner, and these sweethearts are flower girls after all, I dug up other cute ideas for bringing florals to their look (aside from bouquets or baskets).

Credits

Handmade floral headband

Crystal bead bracelet with engraved sterling silver flower accent

Satin ballet slippers in floral hues

Floral-print ballet flats

Great "Kids Table" Centerpieces

Weddings are family affairs after all. So, it makes perfect sense to make it fun for the kids who come along (and less stressful for the adults who bring them!) by planning a table or two just for them!

And setting the tone for the kids tables are the centerpieces. I came across 2 great approaches for these:

1) keep those little hands busy with...

An "Activity Center"-piece

via Weddingbee

2) offer a healthy alternative to cake and candy with...

An "All Fruit" Arrangement

via Wedding by Color

The effort will be worth it. Recently, a nephew of mine came away from a wedding reception that had a fun kids table, saying, "They forgot to sing Happy Birthday, but that was a great party!"

Bridal Hair Combs

It's been fun seeing what's new in bridal hair adornments this past week! But the classic accessories are still very much around. Take decorative hair combs, for instance. Lovely accents for a bridal chignon or updo, whether you choose to go elegant floral...

Monique bridal hair comb by Velvet Owl, via Events by WE

...or quaint antique style.

Vintage inspired bridal hair comb, via Recycled Bride

These can peer prettily through a sheer veil during the ceremony. Then, once the veil comes off at the reception, voila! These beauties...including the bride, of course...really get a chance to shine!

Bridal Caps, Anyone?

While we're on the subject of bridal hair adornments, bridal caps can't be overlooked! Another hot trend on the bridal scene in recent months, these stylish accessories set a definite period look for a wedding.

These two gorgeous examples from Twigs & Honey (again!you can tell I just adore their stuff), for instance, I can just see on the bride at a dreamy Art Deco inspired wedding!

Eyelash lace trim bridal cap

Vintage inspired lace trim bridal cap

both via Luna and Chloe Weddings

Besides being just so beautiful, these lovely creations combine the practicality of a cap with the lacy romance of a veil.

Bridal Hair Adornments Go Vintage

With bridal bouquets going totally creative and innovative (as our recent posts show), bridal hair accessories are definitely keeping pace, too! While the classic lace-trimmed full veil will never totally disappear, look what precious creations designers have been coming up with as alternatives.

In the area of vintage weddings alone, I stumbled upon the absolutely lovely 2011 collection of bridal hair adornments by Myra Callan of Twigs & Honey. Whether you're the dainty and demure feathery accent type...

or the more daring and dramatic bejeweled head band type...

you've go to admit brides today are sooooooo lucky to have heavenly choices like these!

Foliage and Feathers Bouquets

What will they think of next?! Want something truly unique (and fragrant) for your bridal bouquet? Go with a charming all-foliage arrangement of  herbs!

Or for something truly show-stopping at a vintage-inspired wedding, why not a feather bouquet?

Credits: Herb bouquet / Feather bouquet

Seashells and Succulents Bouquets

The options for bridal bouquets just keep getting more creative and innovative. Here are two more gorgeous ones to add to your "how will I ever choose" list!

White seashell bouquet by Kimberly Aurora (via Bouquet Chic)

Succulents and roses bouquet by FlowerDuet.com 

(via Hearts and Flowers)

Butterflies and Bows Bouquets

Two more fabulous non-floral wedding bouquets for brides to consider! This time they're made with butterflies and bows. Lovely!

Artificial butterfly bouquet by Martha Stewart

Bouquet crafted from fabric ribbons 

(both via Helen Carter Weddings)

A Sweetly Heart Inspired Wedding Cake

Love this cute heart-inspired wedding cake! Makes you want to get married on Valentine's Day.

source: D'Pasteles Cake Shop and Cafe

Brooch and Button Bouquets

You've surely noticed that weddings today are incorporating more and more handmade elements. You see it in the decor, in guest favors, and even in the bridal party's attire and accessories--such as some ultra-creative, non-floral bouquets. This idea isn't exactly new. But it still continues to amaze me at what fabulous arrangements designers (and even brides themselves) have created from all sorts of materials!

Today's "Take Two" reminds us of what gorgeous wedding bouquets have been made from fancy brooches (both vintage and not) and decorative buttons. From sophisticated and elegant, to sweet and whimsical--you can choose a style for every type of wedding!

1. Two stunning bouquets (top) made entirely of floral brooches from Fantasy Floral Designs 
2. "Pretty in pink" all-button nosegay from RBK Creations via Helen Carter Weddings
3. Whimsical felt and button arrangement from Princess Lasertron via Wedding Bee Pro
4. Unstructured bouquet of brooches and buttons from Simply Stephy

"Take Two" Kickoff

Announcing! Here's my attempt at organizing my blog for the new year, by offering you two nuggets of wedding inspiration to take away with you per post. Hence, "take two"!

At the moment, I'm still suffering from "pre-spring fever." So anything with an air of freshness that has been worked into a wedding is sure to catch my eye. Take these two lovely ideas: an elegant cake embraced by wildflower vines and berry clusters, and fresh fruit centerpieces in the most irresistible colors. Now, aren't you just dying to work these into your spring wedding?

1. Fruit and flower adorned wedding cake from Wildflower Custom Cakes (via Paper Olive Blog)
2. Luscious green apple centerpiece from Simply Stated, A Real Simple Blog; and cheery lemon centerpiece from The Knot (both via The White Petal)