Wedding Inspiration at Anthro...{around the corner}

The other week, I happened to stop in at Anthropology.  I don't do that nearly enough.  

It's always been one of my favorite stores, but I don't usually have the time to stop. However, when one of my dear friends had her birthday, and I wanted to treat her to a little something from her favorite store, it gave me more than enough reason to visit.

As soon as I walked in, I had to start taking pics. Not just because it was beautiful, or because it welcomed me in with her wonderful smells...but because I couldn't stop seeing wedding inspiration.

centerpiece material

These fun things have DIY written all over them.  It doesn't have to be bought at anthropology!  Wrapping yarn around cylinders and putting different candle holders inside with buttons could be all of $2 for a unique centerpiece!

eclectic decor ideas

grab some cool old bottles and books and set them out to add to the decor of your event.

unique jewelry for bridesmaids

whimsical fall foliage wrapped in gold paper

another DIY vision!

polaroid picture display

I love finding creative ways to display pictures at weddings.  Polaroids make such a statement, and I love the way Anthro hung theirs here. You could find a spot to hang pictures of the past, or to show off the fun from the day of the wedding.  Your guests will have fun taking and viewing them for the entire time!

i may be the only one that thinks wedding all the time, but hopefully, it will give you a little inspiration!  are there stores that you find yourself feeling refreshed and inspired?

chatting about fleurs...

Apparently, I'm just like Fancy Nancy.  Everything sounds prettier in French.  Thus, flowers become fleurs, and oh, so pretty!

Before You Go...

You might have heard the old Southern saying, "Don't arrive empty handed."  Well, going to your florist is no different. Don't go empty-handed!  Your florist cannot event begin to think, design, or create what you will like without having some idea of what your vision for your flowers is.

Pin It.

Have fun pinning away and make yourself a board or, you can go the old fashion route and clip out from magazines.  Your florist will be thankful for pictures, either way.  As you pin, you will begin to see a trend with colors and arrangements, that will help to show what your style is.  (Don't take mine as an example of similar tastes and styles...Mine is the opposite...it's a starting board for finding out which ones are clients favorites, so that then I can begin to narrow down which ones are their style.)  But, just from looking over a few pictures, you can begin to see which style and colors you like the best with flowers.

The last thing you want is to have your flowers show up at your wedding and be completely off from what you were thinking your flowers were going to look like.

So, if you're in the middle of planning, that's your homework...find pictures of what flowers you absolutely love, so that you know you're all on the same page.

flourish{ing}

 Flowers are amazing.  

You have a bare space, and then all of a sudden, you add flowers or greenery, and there's life!

But, similarly to color schemes, the trends with flowers change over time.  What I picked for my bridal bouquet (13 years ago today actually!) was perfect...then.  

Maybe I'm just too fickle, and vary my taste too much, but my flowers would be completely different now, than what I chose in August of 1999.

Over the last decade, {like many things in the wedding industry} the floral industry has taken quite a turn.  There is a whole movement toward more organic and natural arranging, and not your grandmother's (no offense!) florist.

For years, I didn't like the term florist.  It just felt stuffy, and unexciting, to say the least.  But, I love flowers!  It wasn't that I was unhappy with the flowers, more of how I would see them arranged.

There is a huge difference between having someone do the flowers, and someone being a floral designer.

In the next few posts, I'll be giving some tips on how to pick your favorite flowers, and how to make sure your style will truly flourish.

Color, Color, Who's Got the Color?

Maybe it's just because it's summer and these colors are so fun, but this is my favorite color combo right now for weddings.  It's so fun and spunky, but also modern and sophisticated. I think I'm in love...

Whenever I say or hear the phrase, "What are your colors?" I totally think of Steel Magnolias, where they're all in the beauty parlor, and they ask Shelby what her wedding colors are, and she says... (come on now, say it with me if you know it)

"My colors are blush and bashful."

And Weeza says...

"Your colors are PINK and PINK!"

Oh, I love that movie.  Ok, so what about you...

What were your colors? If you had to do it all over again, what colors would you choose?

I'm sure I'll change my mind in another month, but for now...I think I'll go put on my coral earrings and a turquoise dress.

A Little Flat?

So, you know how you always dream about what shoes you might have worn (or might wear) for your wedding? Ok, maybe YOU don't. But, I totally do.

Shoes are a tricky thing. Because as much as I'd love to rock these for a fun special event, let's be honest. I know as well as you do, that after an hour, my feet would be mis.er.able.

With the reality heels bring, many times, brides would rather wear flats.

The other day I went with one of my brides to look for flats for her big day, and I couldn't believe all the fun options out there. I mean, soooo many cuties!! And super reasonable (especially with a DSW in town!) These two were my favs for this time of year...

So maybe choose the heels to feel pretty coming down the aisle, but take heart, if you switch to flats...your feet could still look (& FEEL!) amazing.

Not to mention, you can get plenty of use from them later...

even in jeans. heehee.

photo credit: http://www.onewed.com/bridal-shoes/blog/bridal-shoe-trends-in-the-making-what-2012-brides-want

Not Just for Funerals...

It's funny how times change. This past weekend, as my family gathered to celebrate the life of my Grandaddy, my little girl climbed upon my Grandmother's lap, and proceeded to ask,

"Grandmother, how did you and Grandaddy get engaged?"

As my sweet Grandmother retold the beloved story, I sat stunned at all that has changed in the way of weddings. They had been dating for a while, and Grandaddy was in the War. Against others suggestions to wait until after the war was over, they decided on Thursday evening while he was home to get married the next day! They each went home to their families to announce the news, and the following day, told everyone they saw in town to come up to the church that evening for the wedding. The church was just about packed that evening, and they were hitched.

Now days, the first thing my Grandmother will ask me, when inquiring about someone's plans for their big day is, "They're not gonna have black dresses are they? Black dresses are for funerals!" I smile, and reassure her they're not just for funerals anymore.

Many times, brides love the thought of allowing their girls dresses to continue to be functional after the wedding as well as during the grand celebration. So, they suggest for the bridesmaids to simply pick a black dress of their choosing. Or they might choose a bridesmaids dress that looks like a fun black cocktail dress that would be able to be worn time and time again. Either way, black is not just for funerals anymore!

I ran across this collage on Wedding Chicks and loved the varying bouquets with all of the uniform black lace dresses.

Or, you can have the opposite, where everyone's dresses are the same color, but different styles, and the bouquets are uniform. This below storyboard was from a wedding I did this past August. The girls were so cute in their short black dresses and cowboy boots.

I know my Grandmother will never be persuaded about black being a bridesmaids color, but I'll definitely always love the option.

How about you? What colors did you choose for your wedding?

Daniel & Lauren

A little over a month ago, I was blessed to be part of this beautiful wedding. Daniel and Lauren are a precious couple completely in love, and it was so fun to be able to work with them.

This wedding was kept simple intentionally. I remember Lauren's words to me in one of our first meetings. She said, "We really just want it to be about God, and what He has done in our lives."

They cared about things like fair trade sugar being used to make their cake, good music, and people being able to hear how much God loves them.

Jeff did a remarkable job capturing what their day was all about. Enjoy this highlight video straight from Jeff Brewer Films!

Lauren + Daniel Highlight from Jeff Brewer Films on Vimeo.

Roaring 20's Wedding

I knew this wedding would be fabulous from the moment I started working with the bride to be. The bride and groom decided to go the more intimate wedding route, choosing a roaring 20's theme! Though this wedding was on a smaller budget, it was not lacking in style! This fun crowd had a blast dressing in 20's fashion, and partying the night away. The wedding was held at the bride's sister's house, which was a perfect fit, being an early twentieth century home.

We used the foyer to accommodate the guest book area, along with many vintage furniture accents to create the 20's feel from the moment you walked through the door.

The tables were adorned with oil lamps and arrangements of peacock feathers and art deco accents. They added a bit of the Speak Easy Tavern feel to the reception time.

The bride carefully chose her gown, shoes, and jewelry to

all reflect her style as well as the period she was representing. She completed the outfit with bright red lipstick and a 20's styled hairdo. It was brilliant.

I designed an old time Candy Store using period sweets on a sideboard.

Guests had been asked to come dressed in 20's style, but for anyone who needed a few more touches to their outfits (or just for the kids to play dress up) we had a few extra accessories on hand.

We used silver painted sticks to create an altar area for the bride and groom. We lighted the sticks and hung crystals to give a more enchanted effect. And, of course, being the 20's, the peacock feathers couldn't be left out!

It was so fun to see how everyone participated in the theme of the wedding and truly had a blast celebrating...20's style!

Special thanks to Laura Redd for helping me make this event one to remember!

Go Big or Go Home?

Most of the time when you think of weddings, you might think the best way to go is...well, big. What's ironic though, is that many times when I ask people what they would have done differently in regards to their weddings, the answer I hear the most is that they would have made it smaller. More intimate. More intentional with fewer people.

This is also a way to cut costs tremendously. If you are in a place of needing to keep things economical, the best way to keep expenses down is to decrease the number of guests. I realize it can be a tricky thing, because many times, families are so big, and friends are so numerous, there's no way to figure out how to lessen your head count. However, if it means being able to go ahead and tie the knot, it might be best to find a way to have fewer people, in a more quaint venue. instead of going big, consider going home.

Some of the sweetest weddings I've had the pleasure of being a part of were held in homes. A home allows for an intimate setting and very comfortable atmosphere for the guests. Sometimes at a bed and breakfast, or other times at a home large enough to have 50 or so guests enjoying being together. Just like at most receptions, you don't need seating for everyone. People like to mingle and stand with small plates of appetizers. If the weather is nice, garden weddings are completely enchanting. Instead of paying the pretty penny for a big name venue, begin to see the possibility of having an exquisite venue in your own backyard.

Sometimes going big isn't possible...

going home always is.

Come back tomorrow to hear about my most recent boutique wedding done in a 1920's home. It might just encourage you that it can be done!

picture credits: http://www.oncewed.com/32639/wedding-blog/real-weddings/a-diy-wedding-at-home-ii/

a time for everything

One of the first decisions that you make when planning your wedding is the time and date. If you're trying to cut corners, one thing to think about is what time you will set for your wedding. If you set your wedding to be at 5pm, that means that you will have your reception right at dinner time...which also means you will be suggesting that you will be serving dinner. Meal times = lots of food.

I have a sweet couple that I'm working with right now, and they are trying to keep things as simple as possible...in every way. So, one thing they decided was that they would have their wedding after lunch, but before dinner, so that they wouldn't have to feed their guests an entire meal. They'll still have a few little things that are easy to pick up and eat while mingling, but they won't have to spend a ton to feed everyone a meal.

The food for the reception can sometimes use up to half of your wedding budget! Think outside of the box...if you know that you need to cut back, think about ways that you could schedule the reception to be at a time that you could get away with not feeding everyone quite so much food.

Remember, selective menu does not mean that it will be dull. Check out these beautiful, but simple receptions...

vintage picnic wedding

(one o'clock ~ three o'clock)

(quilts for ceremony and reception seating)

high tea reception

(two o'clock ~ five o'clock)

fun storyboard with this example

dessert reception

(eight o'clock ~ eleven o'clock)

There are ways to be economic and creative while entertaining your family and friends. Whether or not you have dinner, you can still have a fabulous affair!

picture credits: http://theweddingcommunityblog.com/2011/10/17/afternoon-tea-wedding-reception-moody-monday/, http://stylishperfection.com/?p=519, http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/2008/09/26/reader-question-dessert-reception/, http://www.brides.com/wedding-ideas/wedding-meals-drinks/2010/09/alternative-wedding-reception-ideas-dessert-receptions, http://www.mywedding.com/blog/nggallery/page-6055/image/11281/page-1/, http://bluelilyevents.blogspot.com/2011/05/vintage-picnic-wedding-inspiration.html

The Choice is Yours...

You might remember back when weddings were just something done at church on Saturday afternoons...with nuts and mints...and if you were being really extravagant...a cake. What was celebrated wasn't the wedding...it was the marriage.

We've come a long way since then. Yes, weddings are more personable than ever, and are able to be designed to fit exactly who the couple is, but many times that means more expensive than ever.

The question of doing it on a dime seems like a lost phrase when it comes to weddings. However, even though they have become wonderful celebrations filled with personality and glamour, there are still ways to save.

Just because you can do more than ever these days, doesn't mean you have to. It will still be beautiful...and it will still be your wedding.

I think sometimes, the biggest hump to get over is feeling this obligation to please the people coming to your wedding. I hear all the time people say,

"But, will it be nice enough?"

Not to rant, but if people are coming to your wedding to judge whether or not it's nice enough, they probably shouldn't be there to begin with.

The permission to cut back, is yours to take hold of, and more worthwhile than you might realize. At the end of the day, you will be married...and you don't want to start your marriage with thousands of dollars in debt just because you wanted to show your friends a good time.

Hear me clearly, I'm not saying to just forget about hiring professionals. I'm saying, choose wisely where you put your money. I still stand behind my principles to have people who know what they're doing be in charge of your day. Even the most economical weddings that I have done, have had families that say over and over again, how thankful they are to have someone else in charge of the details of the day. That's a must. You still want good photos to capture the day, and you still want to love the celebration...but this doesn't mean you have to spend your life savings to make that happen.

Choosing the things that are most important to you are key with knowing where to save. If you want to skimp on flowers because they're not that important to you, that's ok. Or, if you absolutely love photography, and you want to spend a bigger part of your budget on that, you can choose to do so. Spend time thinking about the things you care most about, and prioritize those things within your budget. That way, you will know how to proceed with other decisions. The choice is yours...just remember to choose wisely.

picture credit: http://aweddingrunsthroughit.blogspot.com/2010/03/old-timey-tuesday-recessional-and.html , http://www.fashion-era.com/Weddings/1927-old-wedding-photos.htm