Best Bits of My Wedding

I guess this is technically "Best Bits of My Wedding: Part One". When I was planning my wedding I remember looking at all sorts of lovely pictures in magazines and online and just wondering if that would really work out as well in "real life" and especially as a bride on a budget. So here are some of the ideas that I incorporated into my big day that worked out wonderfully (perhaps I'll even give you the "Worst Wedding Day Bit" someday, when I feel strong enough).

This is my gorgeous little sister & bridesmaid Morgan. Here she is sporting what I lovingly dubbed the bracelet corsage (turns out it's a real thing, but known as a corsage bracelet... who knew?). I was inspired by an antique bracelet that had a porcelain rose on a pearl bracelet. I thought it was divine. For my bridesmaids we went with a more modern version- stretchy, three-stranded pearl bracelet from Claire's (they were so inexpensive!) and hot glued artificial orchids to the little silver clip backs you can get a craft stores. We clipped on the flowers and the girls all coordinated and had their hands free to dance the night away at the reception. Now the corsages can be unclipped and the girls can wear the flowers in their hair and the bracelets separately. Bonus- these bracelets were also part of their bridesmaids gifts. Lovely!

This is similar to the bracelet I was inspired by. So cute!

Something similar done with real flowers on a stretch rhinestone bracelet. Love the extra bling!

I loved this picture! It reminds me of the head wreaths for flower girls, but all grown up. A slightly smaller circle of flowers would probably work better, but the idea is still so pretty.

These flowers look a little tacky, but I loved the bracelet they are on. You really could find a way to put flowers on any bracelet that coordinates with the look, feel, and budget of your wedding!

I found quite a few of these beaded stretch bracelets turned corsages. I think the organza ribbon is nice because it gives the feel of a classic wrist corsage without the stuffy, 1950's prom look.

Dark Purple

I love collages in general, but I especially love the idea of one demonstrating the look and feel you are looking to create for your wedding. Some people call them inspiration boards, I just call them a good idea. It keeps you focused and it helps you to communicate to your family and your vendors exactly what you want.

Here are a few inspiration boards (and just some great ideas) for a dark purple wedding.

I love how streamlined and classy everything is in this collage. You KNOW just by looking at this that there won't be any tacky use of tulle or anything of that sort.

Love love love! The different shades of purple keep this look from becoming overwhelming. The use of different sizes and materials of containers give it a softer romantic feel while the repetition keeps it from looking like a yardsale table.

Floating candles in dark purple water? Gorgeous! Never seen center pieces quite like that. I love them!
Is it just me or are these unbelievably cute? They'd make great favors.
Really only two things from this one- 1. The silver really offsets the deep shade of purple nicely and 2. That cake stand is phenomenal!
Modern yet elegant. Not quite the color of purple that I like though.

Blue and Yellow Wedding

I had a request to do a post based on this collage... It's a tough color scheme to find things for, but it looks so classy!

Love so many things about this collage- High lights: The groom's funky yellow socks matching his bride's shoes. And the yellow sting of pearls. So lovely. This collage makes me think of a not-so-stuffy Yacht club.

So I began my search... first off- it's difficult to define just what this shade needs to be called. I went with cobalt blue, midnight blue, or sapphire blue when searching. I couldn't find anything quite right with both shades. So I searched separately and these are the things I loved most. Let me know if I'm on the right track Larissa.

Love the simplicity and the way the ribbon wrapping looks here. Perhaps with a large yellow flower instead of the odd shade blue one.

Gorgeous! Not at all the cookie-cutter yellow rose bouquet we've all seen a million times. Made of Yellow cymbidium orchids mixed with yellow ranunculus. You could have the stems wrapped in the correct blue, but I think it looks more stunning monochromatic.
Sapphire jewelry for you (and maybe the moms)? Yes please! It doesn't have to be expensive either- several companies offer really good sapphire fakes for not much more than you'd spend on cheap clear crystal jewelry from the mall or the bridal store. I like JTV's line Bella Luce. I've seen the sapphire stones in person and they're very convincing.

In the same vein... wouldn't the bridesmaids all look lovely in citrine drop earrings? Bonus- you get a built in bridesmaid gift and the girls all coordinate perfectly.

You can't go wrong with a candy bar! Especially at a Mormon reception (you know there will be lots of happy kids) and when your color scheme is so easy to find candy for.

Not a bad look for boutonnieres. I think it'd look even better with ranunculus to coordinate with the bouquet above.

Not sure I'm digging on the daisy ones, but I think those yellow calla lilies look ravishing in vases filled with lemons!

And the final, quirky thought on the topic... Wouldn't it be adorable and insanely memorable to leave your reception in a classic yellow taxi rather than the standard limo? Love it!

Display Cakes

I love the idea of a display cake. Wedding cakes are beautiful pieces of art and it honestly breaks my heart a little when I see them cut into. Display or "dummy" cakes solve that. They're fake cakes for show and then you serve sheet cake (which truthfully most people only serve anyway). This way you pay less for the actual wedding cake AND don't have to pay for cutting and plating fees from your baker/caterer. I think it's the best of all worlds.

I recently found this company MyDreamCake. It's based in Utah and it allows you to rent display cakes (even less expensive=wonderful) and her work is lovely. You can get your display cake and a matching cut cake to smash in your man's face for much less than most brides spend on their main wedding cake alone. She'll even design one just for you if you don't like any of the ones she has. Bonus- if you're having two different receptions like I did, you won't need to choose between getting two cakes ($$$) and going without a wedding cake at one of them. Here's some of the examples that I loved from her gallery.

There are a ton more pictures to look at on her site, but I decided to try to tone down the numbers of pictures I posted this time. Enjoy!

White Wedding Cakes

This post was inspired by the gorgeous cake Annika and I drooled over last night. I've always loved the look of a wedding cake done in all white or nearly-white shades. It's classy and stunning and sometimes you can get away with a much more ornate design if the colors don't attack you when you look at it. Here's some of my favorites- (many are from Martha Stewart, seriously in love with the cakes she does)
#1- Love the decadence here! Favorite feature = the monogram. Love.

#2- How beautiful is the slight hint of pink at the edge of these petals? This could be a gorgeous way to incorporate any color into a cake in a very subtle way.

#3- There are SO many thing I love about this cake. First it has this whole modern-meets-Victorian feel which is scrumptious. Second it's in my favorite colors, so that's lovely. This picture was one of the ones I gave to our decorator for inspiration. True story.

#4- I love how subtle yet intricate this cake is. This idea could be especially lovely if you incorporated design elements like lace or embroidery from your dress.

#5- The thing I love most about this cake is that those are actually oval shaped layers. It makes the cake unique while still keeping a fairly traditional feel.

#6- Layers that aren't matchy-matchy are so beautiful in white on white. You get to have the multiple patterns without risking having a cake that looks too busy. I saw a similar cake done at a beach wedding where each bridesmaid had on a skirt in a different eyelet, loved the coordination. Plus- love the crown shaped top that is actually part of the cake.

#7- Cream and white on the same cake CAN work! Again I love the sampler effect that works so well in neutral shades.

#8 I love monograms in general and this is a way to use one in a very non-traditional way.

#9 A lovely take on the traditional flower cascade. Also a great way to incorporate any color scheme in a way that doesn't take over the cake.

#10- White piping on pale colored fondant almost always looks phenomenal.

I have this one twice... can't figure out how to take it off. So sorry.

#11- LOVE the green hydrangeas in between the layers. The monogram is nice and wouldn't be too hard to do yourself. Annika, if you're reading this, for some reason this cake made me think of you.