Drive-by Inspiration May 6, 2008

I love that my commute to and from work takes me right by the museum where we’ll be getting married in close to a year. That is, if we can make it that long before heading to judge’s chambers I always try to drive as slowly as I can without endangering other drivers, craning my neck to get a good view of the sculpture garden where the ceremony will be. It was a little bare during winter, but now it is fully in bloom and absolutely gorgeous. There are two small trees that I think we’ll use in lieu of an altar or archway and I’m thinking of decorating them with strands of hanging orchids, similar to this picture. The site is already so beautiful we won’t need much else. Since we’re planning a dusk ceremony I might also use some of those paper bag luminaries. If you had an outdoor wedding how did you decorate?

Oh, Canada… May 4, 2008

What a whirlwind. Somehow in the insanity of the last few weeks we found time to buy a house! We actually had to negotiate for it from Canada, which was somewhat difficult considering our hotel was a darling bed and breakfast (ie not caught up with modern technology quite yet). But it all worked out, and we’re in contract on our first choice place.

This means that now I can officially add buying furniture and decorating to my list of obsessions. It still doesn’t seem real yet, but that seems to be the trend of grown-updom. Hopefully everything goes smoothly with the inspection etc. because I can’t wait to move in! Pictures to come…

While that was our own personal highlight of the trip, the wedding we went to was lovely too My favorite elements were easily the gorgeous centerpieces and the favors. The bride found these pretty patterned tin boxes of “Wedding” tea that she emptied and used for vases. The tea was put into tiny silver pots with our names on them which we took home as favors and doubled as place cards. Not only was this adorable, but something I will keep and use which I always appreciate.

Weekends of Weddings April 28, 2008

Even my vacations are wedding filled! I’m back for a brief jaunt in Ohio before heading up to Canada this week for our best man’s wedding. We’re staying in a quaint inn with jacuzzi tubs and couple’s massages, smack in the middle of wine country. Sounds pretty good, eh?

This last weekend Drew and I spent at our alma mater. The guys golfed and the girls (2 recently married, 3 getting married within the next year) shopped and had long chats about…you guessed it. Not to mention we’ll be attending 3 other weddings just this summer. So closing in on one year to our wedding, I’m being bombarded from all angles and fortunately I couldn’t be loving it more. I’ve heard that the wedding doldrums or stress always take over eventually, but so far so good!

One of the hot topics this weekend was flowers. Flowers are obviously synonymous with weddings and even though I’m a big proponent of using other elements (branches, candles, water etc) flowers definitely do up the prettiness factor. We’ve already splurged on the location and the photographer so we were brainstorming ways to not be too ridiculous with the decor. Of course I immediately fell in love with orchids (expensive), especially cybidium orchids (even more expensive) which might be somewhat of a hurdle. But I think I still may be able to get the best of both worlds, and one way could be using expensive flowers in sparing but striking arrangements like this fishbowl idea. I think I would choose a differently shaped container, but the mix of simple lines and textures is chic and cheap. More details to come!

Reinventing the Rose II April 20, 2008

As promised, here is a follow-up on less conventional ways to use the most conventional wedding flower.  I love  the idea of incorporating roses in prints, whether on your invitations or your bridesmaid dresses. I’m also a fan of centerpieces that put a different emphasis on roses, such as the stems or just the bloom in an unusual container. And while the the concept of a rose bouquet is very typical, the color and texture of this one are so lovely I had to include it!

red rose centerpiece, lemon lime rose centerpiece, silver tub rose centerpiece, shredded tulle rose bouquet, beaded rose pin, rose pillow, rose print dress, curly pink rose centerpiece, wedding cake, blue rose dress

Button Bouquets April 10, 2008

If you’re super crafty (and I would only call myself moderately crafty), these button bouquets would be a quirky twist on wedding decor. I probably wouldn’t use them for every centerpiece, especially because I imagine making them is incredibly time consuming, but scattered throughout the reception I think they could add some interesting texture and personality. Another plus is that buttons are very cheap, both new and antique so this could double as a money saving option as well. Plus who doesn’t love a good excuse to dig through an antique store? Actually, there are probably a lot of people, but regardless if you’re a do-it-yourself queen, these may be for you!

Image Credits: Brandelicious, Lil Fish Studio, MMM Designs, The T Cozy

Confession and Inspiration March 26, 2008

Ok, I admit it. I was watching The Hills last night. I don’t have an excuse, other than it was shot in Paris and I will usually stop on any show that has beauty shots of that city. Shockingly, however, something more came out of the episode than me just really wanting to pack my bags and hole up on the Champs-Elysées. It was only a split second image, but I was really inspired by these whimsical flower arrangements at Le Grand Hotel (I apologize for the bad quality of the image by the way, I had to do some technical blundering to find it for you). What an original yet simple way to liven up centerpieces with something as cheap as food coloring! I was already considering using green orchids in water for my reception, but having them in chartreuse water would definitely punch up the overall effect. There are lots of other variations on this look that would be killer as well.  You could substitute candles for flowers, jars or fishbowls for vases, and experiment with different materials like rocks or grass. So far I haven’t been able to find a lot of examples online which leads me believe this look hasn’t been made popular yet. This way you have a fresh slate to create your own exclusive design (and to validate the fact that I watched and enjoyed a trashy reality show).

Flowers for all Seasons March 18, 2008

I love monochromatic bouquets, which is what I was searching for when I stumbled on this pretty sweet site called 1,000 Petals. Not exactly what I was looking for, but cool nonetheless! My favorite feature is that you can search their designs by season, and a lot of their work has a cool Asian flair to it. My favorite section was Autumn, especially these photos of a bold green and orange color scheme. Not something that sounds great on paper, but it looks really fresh and vibrant the way they’ve put the colors together. They have lots of other great floral and decor inspiration if you’re in need of a distraction at work or just for fun!