Archive for the ‘Bouquets’ Category

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Wedding In a Winter Wonderland

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

There’s nothing like a winter wedding. Snow (if you live in an area where it’s common) makes a pretty backdrop for a wedding. And since winter is a far less popular time of the year to marry than spring or summer, it’s quite possible to get extra good deals on halls, catering, and flowers. And with all the decorative items on sale for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve, etc. it’s easy to get all kinds of pretty sparkly things to make your day beautiful on a budget.

Of course, there are some practical issues to consider, too. Weather is more likely to be stormy. One unexpectedly heavy fall of snow could spell the difference between a full house and lots of empty pews at your ceremony. Since many people travel for the holidays at this time of year, it’s also possible that you’ll wind up with less guests than you’d hoped due to family obligations or used up vacations days that won’t allow people to come out your way.

Once you’ve looked over the pros and cons and decided to set your wedding in the winter months, here are a few ideas to make it extra pretty and seasonally suitable.
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Posted in Accessories, Advice, Bouquets, Bridesmaids Dresses, Catering, Decor, Dresses, Food, Wedding Dresses | Comments Closed

Brooch Bouquets Made Easy

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012


One of the more popular alternative ideas in the wonderful world of weddings in the last few years has been the brooch bouquet. If you’ve got access to a bunch of fun sparkly pins, you can make a unique – and potentially quite meaningful – bouquet to carry when you marry.

But you may be wondering how exactly it’s done.

Best Destination Wedding has a great article on creating your own brooch bouquet. With just a few simple tools and materials, you can make a bouquet like the one shown above. Or leave out the faux flowers for an all-brooch one.

The author mostly bought brooches from inexpensive sources, such as thrift stores, eBay, and Etsy, but if you’ve already got a selection of sparkly brooches or have ones you can borrow from family members or friends, it gets even less expensive to make.

I don’t know about you, but I love these things!

Posted in Bouquets, DIY | 1 Comment »

In Praise of Baby’s Breath

Thursday, August 30th, 2012


Most of my life, this is how I saw baby’s breath, that ubiquitous filler of cheap bouquets of roses and carnations. There would be half a dozen roses or carnations, two fern fronds, and a couple anemic sprigs of baby’s breath to ‘fill’ out the look. It never worked. Most of the time, I tossed the ferns and the baby’s breath and made do with the half a dozen ‘real’ flowers.

But you know what? Something magical can happen when the filler is used as the main bloom. Something, say, like this:

(Image via Pretty Little Things)
Suddenly a flower that was puny and pointless is a cloud of romantic elegance.


(Illustration via The Ring Bearer where you can also find instructions)
Or it can be relaxed and rustic.


(Illustration via The Alternative Bride)
You can even reverse the polarity and have a couple lovely blooms nestled amid an explosion of baby’s breath for a cool, modern look.

Using fillers thoughtfully can save you big bucks on your floral budget. But there’s no reason whatsoever to sacrifice style in doing so. If you pay attention and use your imagination, it’s amazing what a humble filler flower can do.

Posted in Bouquets, Decor, Flowers | Comments Closed

LOVE/HATE: Feathers as Flowers?

Friday, August 24th, 2012


When we think about what a bride will carry down the aisle with her, we usually think of flowers. Of course, it’s also perfectly proper to carry a prayer book, a fan, or to follow the example of Frances Folsom when she married President Grover Cleveland in the White House and carry nothing at all.

But most commonly, we carry flowers. We expect other brides to carry flowers. We think of them tied in a bouquet… but the fact is a bouquet needn’t be made of flowers. And some brides – whether from concerns about allergies, dislike of the waste of cut flowers, or simply a desire to be a little different – would much rather their bouquets be made of something else… such as feathers.

Me? I LOVE the idea, so long as they’re done well. The picture up top is my idea of a great feather bouquet. The feathers are simply allowed to be themselves. I happen to be a fan of having things look like what they are.

But what about you? LOVE ’em? HATE ‘m? Think they soar to heights of fabulousness? Or consider them for the birds?

Posted in Bouquets, LOVE/HATE | 2 Comments »

Handmade Without the DIY

Friday, May 18th, 2012

You guys know I love DIY. I think it makes for a unique, highly personal celebration. On the other hand, it’s not for everyone. Some of us don’t have the time, or the inclination to do the work for ourselves. And let’s face it, there are some amongst us who simply do not have the crafting chops to get the job done right. For example:

(Image via CraftFail)
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to put up that poor mess of string at my wedding reception!

So what do you do if you love DIY but don’t have the time or the space or the talent? Why you go to people who have those things and pay them to do it for you. And that’s where Etsy comes into play.
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Posted in Accessories, Bouquets, Decor, Dresses, Flowers, Invitations, Veils, Wedding Dresses | 3 Comments »

Five Ways to Reduce Your Wedding’s Carbon Footprint

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Once upon a time, if you mentioned an eco-friendly wedding, people tended to think of something like this:

You know, obviously hand-hewn, crunchy granola, unfashionable, and probably reeking of patchouli.

In short, even a lot of people who admired the commitment these couples made to living lightly on Mother Earth wouldn’t be caught dead in a ditch looking – or smelling – like them.

But times have changed. You don’t have to be a card-carrying hippie to care about the environment anymore. and you don’t have to completely reject both tradition and fashion to follow your convictions.
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Posted in After the wedding, Alternative Ideas, Bouquets, Catering, Decor, Flowers, Food, Receptions, Stationery | 1 Comment »

Inspiration: Neon

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

When thinking about wedding colors, many of us tend toward pastels or deep jewel tones. Neutrals also have a strong following. But what about neon?

I know, it struck me – child of the sixties and Yellow Submarine fan though I am – as possibly a bit scary and OTT… until I saw it done right.

The key, as shown in this fabulous photo of a real wedding featured at Design Sponge, is restraint. Keep the backgrounds to stark white or black, and use the neons sparingly. Stick to just a couple colors, but don’t fear them.

As you can see here, a bright white background and carefully considered touches of neon pink, neon orange, and lime green make for a festive, fun, yet surprisingly sophisticated look.
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Posted in Accessories, Bouquets, Bridesmaids Dresses, Cakes, Colors, Dresses, Flowers, Inspiration | 4 Comments »

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