How is it that British brides are so much more willing to think outside of that old familiar strapless white box when choosing their wedding dresses? I swear, I find more pictures of brides in color and unique styles of gown on wedding photographer web sites in the UK – not to mention more gorgeous colored wedding dresses on the sites of UK bridal shops. It is cultural? Or are British brides just encouraged by their WIC to choose white if they like or something else if that’s what they prefer? Either way, I dig it. Check out these lovely ladies…

The bride in blue made her own dress – no kidding! – using a pattern from the 1950s, while the bride in pink chose a raspberry Vivienne Westwood dress. Both can be called unusual choices, especially when you’re looking at them from a US perspective, but both are absolutely stunning and I think definitely convey the personality of the brides who chose them. Much more so than a basic white wedding dress could have done, no?

(Note from Christa – Whoops, sorry for the technical difficulties, here and on Manolo for the Home. Not sure why all the images disappeared, but they’re all back now! Enjoy!)

For the wedding ceremony, especially if one is saying one’s vows out of doors, having something that frames the main event can be helpful in setting the mood. The easiest option? The basic trellis archway, which can be purchased or rented for about $35. But sometimes those wedding arches can be pretty blah, and it may just be that your wedding theme doesn’t exactly lend itself to saying “I do” under something that would look more appropriate in a backyard garden. For those couples who want an arch or an arbor at the wedding ceremony, I’ve collected some inspirational images that will hopefully inspire the creation of a truly beautiful frame.

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Fruit as centerpieces and fruit in bridal bouquets? Then there’s fruit on wedding cake, and even fruit used as place card holders. Fruit has definitely found its way into the modern day wedding for a lot of brides and grooms, with beautiful (and tasty) results. But what about the fruit’s more savory cousin, the vegetable? I’m not about to argue that fruit is prettier or lends itself more readily to use in centerpieces and such. Vegetable centerpieces are just as easy to DIY – just check out this video – and the arrangements below. Vegetables can even be used in a bridal bouquet, as demonstrated by floral designer Robert Blancaflor. Best part? Veggies are a lot cheaper than flowers for the bride who is on a budget!

Aren’t these pics all just gorgeous? The reception centerpieces are all super easy to DIY, though I can’t say I’d be the first person to stand up and choose that particular bridal bouquet. I do think that vegetables can be used in bouquets to good effect if you mix things up with some flowers, some vegetables, and some bridal bouquet accessories!

Ever since I was planning my own nuptials back in, jeez, 2006, I’ve been enamored with the idea of the picnic wedding. I know that picnic weddings conjure up images of an overwhelmingly rustic wedding in most people’s minds, but they shouldn’t. A picnic wedding – yes, complete with blankets and baskets – can be as elegant or as rustic as you want it to be. Picnic doesn’t translate into sandwiches and sodas, after all! There could be anything in those baskets and maybe the pillows on the blankets are silk. Here’s some sweet inspiration to get your mind going:

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How absolutely adorable is this balloon save-the-date?

And not too pricey, either, when you compare it to the cost of other save-the-dates if you print the cards yourself. This could even make a fun wedding invitation for a couple who doesn’t take themselves too seriously!

Can I just say that in some games of wedding this-or-that, I have no opinion other than SQUEEILOVETHEMBOTH. So it is in the case of traditional bridal bouquets and alternative bridal bouquets. I just happened to have faux flower bouquets at my own wedding, but I would have been equally happy with, say, feather bouquets and
origami bridal bouquets.

And why not? Pretty much all the alternative bridal bouquets, from flowers made of ceramics to crystal and wire to seashells (for real), are just as heavy as flowers (sometimes heavier) and still somewhat delicate. Plus, they’re awesome. Right now I am salivating over all of the beautiful paper flower bouquets out there.

Aren’t they sweet? A paper bridal bouquet can look as much like or as little like the real thing as you want. I have a soft spot in my heart for the paper flowers made of old book pages from Danamazing’s Paper Flowers, maybe because I’m just a book addict. But the others are lovely, too: A spooky, crisp paper bouquet from My Bohemian Summer, a stylized origami bouquet from 3D Cranes, and a pretty, girly paper flower bouquet from Desicra.

P.S. – I keep reading lately about carnations making a comeback, so I just wanted to toot my own horn and say that I wrote about the new wedding carnations almost a year ago. Ha!

If you listen to most people, you’ll think it inevitable that you won’t have the time or energy to enjoy your own wedding. After all, there are so many things to worry about on the big day: photographs, working out how to talk to everyone you invited, dealing with the crisis of a missing bouquet or a bridesmaid with a run in her stocking, fitting every expected tradition into the time you have the hall… and the list goes on.

The good news is you don’t have to spend your entire party worrying about how to fit everything in. Just take a few tips from me, and you can have as much fun at your wedding as I did at mine.
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