Under the Oak Ecru Wedding Invitation
Real Weddings by Better Homes and Gardens and Hurricane centerpieces from the Knot.
The Knot mums ring bearer pillow, Almond Honey favors from Martha Stewart and Carmen Marco Valvo dress from Nordstrom. Below: Rustic elegance decor by Brides and Under the Oak Place Cards.
Summer showers (the wedding kind) are a great way to incorporate the warm season into a fun bridal party. With sunny skies and long days, there are a variety of things you can do outdoors from picnic planning and a beach weekend to having an overnight camping soiree. Here are a few ideas that will inspire your memorable and momentous summer time with the girls! (Photos from left: MarthaStewart.com, TheKnot, Full Bloom Bridal Shower Invitations from Wedding Paper Divas, MarthaStewart.com, daisy magnets from WeddingThings.com)
If I had to do it all over again, I might have chosen a beach wedding. There’s something so sweet about the smell of sea breezes and the cool tones that accompany a beach scene. Imagine your hair down, a flowing white dress, casual attire and the beauty of white sands and gorgeous blues and sea greens. Here’s my idea of an idyllic beach wedding.
Photos of casual wedding gowns from Brides.com. Jewelry and bridesmaid dress from Ann Taylor. Sweetheart table beneath a huppah from Alexis and Eric’s wedding in Coronado, California from The Knot. Starfish cake from La Patisserie: A French Bakery by the Sea in Cape May, New Jersey. Seaside Elegance wedding invitations from Wedding Paper Divas.
Bring hot pink and add a twist of orange, and you’ve got a marriage made in heaven. This color combo creates a bold, vivid and cheerful look. Here’s some glamorous ideas for how to add this color theme to your wedding.
The fuchsia and orange wedding is from Kimber and Johnny’s wedding in San Diego, courtesy of The Knot. Photo of fuchsia patent pumps and Jessica Simpson clutch from ThisNext. Dress by Shoshanna from edressme. Floral Flurry invitation in Orange by Wedding Paper Divas.
Cream and beige hues offer a distinct, natural look, one that is often overlooked. Here are a few ideas on how to add these elegant, understated tones to your wedding for a style that is anything but vanilla.
Candy buffet and escort cards photos from In Style Weddings.
Every bride wants to feel like a princess on her wedding day. Quite a few of them want to feel like a more posh, professional, grown-up version of their favorite fairy tale characters, but these classic stories from childhood often continue to play a part in shaping our ideas about romance long after we’ve outgrown our pigtails.
A friend of a friend recently put herself on the waiting list to get married at Disneyland, an undertaking that involves a “fairy godplanner,” flowers, food, makeup artists, photographers, music–the whole wedding experience, including a horse-drawn carriage and a castle (naturally). The entire event takes at least one year to plan and execute with the help of Disney’s staff of planners and wedding professionals. If you grew up loving Ariel, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White, Disney Weddings seem like a fun way to capture a little bit of their magic for your big day.
But, what makes this particular fairy tale wedding story so amusing to me is that the Cinderella in question has no Prince Charming in sight. With slightly over one year until her scheduled wedding day, she is still (optimistically) single.
For those of you who actually have someone to meet you at the end of the aisle, busting your budget on a full-blown Disney extravaganza isn’t the only way to incorporate a little fairy tale magic into your celebration. Their website offers a variety of alternatives, including a charming Mad Hatter Tea Party Brunch or an Electric Parade Rehearsal Dinner. You can also add whimsical touches to your ceremony with these fun, princess-worthy designs from Wedding Paper Divas.
My wedding colors were a combination of various shades of green including sage and cream. I integrated these colors throughout the ceremony and reception. Wanting to be different, I didn’t get the typical bridal bouquet but instead opted for something simpler-a green cymbidium orchid wrist corsage that matched with my husband’s boutonniere and also coordinated well with his green vest and tie. During cocktail hour, guests were treated to Jones’s green apple and cream soda and apple martinis.
Later on during the night, we received a lot of compliments and little leftovers of our simply sweet candy bar detailed with jars of salt water taffy in key lime, green apple and pear, mint chocolate malt balls (my favorite!) and green jordan almonds. The result was a fresh, crisp look that imbued a sense of simplicity and sweetness. I felt right at home surrounded by the beautiful San Francisco Bay and shades inspired by nature.
If you’re at the start of your wedding planning, you may not know what your theme will be. I remember when I first got engaged people were constantly asking me what my was theme and what my colors were. I honestly had no idea what they were talking about. Now that I am entrenched in the wedding planning process, I’ve developed a thorough understanding of both. In addition, it has given me a greater appreciation for weddings that I have been a guest at previously.
Using colors throughout your wedding creates a consistent and seamless look. I’ve seen it used successfully at several weddings and have noticed how much more put together the event seems when tied in with color. As for themes, I went to a wedding a few years ago where the couple used peonies in everything from their stationery to the centerpieces to the cake. Here’s a few pictures from the event.
These designs would go perfect with a floral theme like this one.
I love how couples are interweaving special cultural customs into their wedding. Whether it’s through stationery or in their ceremony or reception activities, I think that adding personal, meaningful traditions can set your wedding apart from the rest.
Dynamic couples may add a traditional Chinese lion dance to add a bit of excitement and luck to their wedding. Can you imagine the vibrant colors, festive costumes, and how beautiful and fun the pictures will be? In following with this theme, another couple used the opportunity to incorporate their Chinese tradition by giving out lottery tickets in red envelopes as favors. This is relatively inexpensive and will leave guests with a little bit of luck and excitement even after they leave your wedding.
In Hawaii, a lot of Japanese couples work together to fold 1,001 paper cranes that will be displayed on their wedding day. Sometimes the cranes are hung up or put together to create a design that is mounted and framed. It makes a beautiful artistic piece to bring luck and happiness to the marriage and is a great way to share your culture with others.
You can also add cultural motifs or designs that have special meaning to you and your fiance in your stationery. Here’s a Double Happiness invitation from the Wedding Paper Divas line.
Wedding stationery is the first of a number of essential wedding elements (attire, flowers, cake, favors, and accessories) that will carry-out your wedding colors. Because your save the date cards and invitations will be your guest’s introduction to the theme of your special day it’s important to consider the mood and feeling you want to evoke through your design choices. For example, sandy blues and greens are lovely for a peaceful seaside theme or warm tones like burnt orange and brown for a festive autumnal event. Your options for color creativity are truly endless.
When selecting your wedding colors start with the colors that appeal to you most. Magazines, fabric stores and paint swatches from your local hardware store can provide inspiration. The decision can be as easy as picking your favorite color and its compliment like pink and green or a tone on tone approach featuring many variations of the same hue. Adding silver or gold accent creates a more formal look and feel. It’s easy to coordinate your invitation colors with your wedding theme with fonts, monograms or envelopes for a cohesive and polished look.
