Flower Power

There is something so special about the bouquets that are chosen for the bride and her bridesmaids. They have the opportunity to add colour, warmth, and tradition to a ceremony. Below you will find my top five favourite spring and summer bouquets!

Pale Purples, Yellows, and Pinks

 

Light Brights in Beautiful Hues

Bright Blues, Pinks, Greens, and Yellows

Fresh Green, White, and Coral

An Ombre of Orange to Peach

What are some of your favourite bouquets for the warmer seasons? To find these and more, visit my Pinterest Board: The Flowers.

Orange You Glad

Orange happens to be one of my favourite colours, but I was worried that it could look scary for a wedding.
Boy, was I wrong!

A mixture of orange flowers creates a beautiful, bright bouquet.

Calla lilies offer a pop of orange to the groomsmen's attire.

A polka dot tie paired with a dahlia boutonnière looks great on a beige suit.

Candy bars a sweet favour to offer guests; an orange one is all the more fun!

Having vases of different heights, filled with a range of orange florals looks gorgeous.

"Orange you glad" you can use this colour!?

To see even more orange inspiration, head over to my Pinterest board: Colour Wheel: Orange

Designer Spotlight: Lazaro

Lozaro's designs feature elegant, dramatic silhouettes, unique beadwork, along with special and creative touches to each gown. Lazaro has gorgeous dresses that any bride would be lucky to wear on her big day!

Here are my favourite 5 Lazaro gowns:

Style LZ3306: Art Deco Trumpet

Style LZ3314: Satin V-Neck Trumpet

Style LZ3315: Blush Ballgown

Style LZ3251: Buttercup Ballgown

Style LZ3305: Beaded A-Line

It's Mint to Be

One of the hottest new colours for weddings is mint! This colour is sweet, fresh, and soft all rolled into one!

Getting married in a mint chapel is just too adorable for words.

A unique white design on a mint tablecloth gives any table an added pop.

The cream complements the mint lace of this bridesmaids dress perfectly.

With just added hints of mint, like the birdcage, this invitation is simply sweet.

To satisfy guests' sweet tooths, these coconut bars (tinted mint) is the perfect thing!

What else would you give as favours but mints, in mint, with the label, "mint to be!?"

Green lemonade is not only a yummy drink, but a perfect splash of colour.

Mint save-the-dates with a whimsical font is a great reminder for guests.

Grey suits with mint ties is classic and chic for the men.

Designs on mint-coloured nails is unexpected and beautiful.

Cake pops are another hot item in weddings right now, so mint ones are wedding-forward.

Stacked books with candles and vases is a cute centrepiece idea.

To see even more minty inspiration, head over to my Pinterest board: Colour Wheel: Mint

What is "mint to be" for you?

xo, Wedding Day

Friendly Inspiration: Clara

Week Five: Clara
Our Relationship: I met Clara my freshman year of college and now we're living together for the second year!
Her Major: Bio-Psychology
Her School: University of California, Davis
Her Interests: cats, tv, eating, tumblr & YouTube

Clara's Questionnaire:
Colours: blues, greens, coral
Feeling: rustic, home-y, not too fancy, relaxed
Season: spring
Dress: not mermaid, no big ball gowns (minor is okay), simple with a little flair, nothing too beaded or ruffled
Location: outside ceremony and reception
Special Requests: would like some kind of photobooth

Clara's Dream Wedding:

The Colours: Shades of coral and aqua are the perfect combination for a spring wedding!

The Invitations: With its unique design and coral and aqua colour scheme, this invitation is the perfect choice!

The Bride's Attire: This bateau top and lace fabric bridal gown by Modeca incorporates just enough flair for Clara's low-key garden wedding.

The Bride's Beauty: Clara wishes to have her natural features enhanced without wearing too much makeup, so we chose a natural eye colour, voluminous eyelashes, and a perfect pink pout. Along with natural makeup, Clara will also have naturally coloured nails (she's not a huge fan of nail polish). Clara has beautifully thick hair, but when she's going to be dancing up a storm, she definitely wants her hair up, so we chose this unique braid-bun updo for her.

The Bridesmaids' Attire: This seafoam green dress by Social Bridesmaids is a perfect mix of colour and detail.

The Bridal Party Shoes: I love the idea of colourful shoes for a wedding, and Clara totally agrees! To offset the colour of the bridesmaids' dresses, we chose this beautiful coral pump by Thomasina. As a way for Clara to match her bridesmaids, she will be wearing Jessica Simpson pumps in the same colour as the bridesmaid dresses.

The Groom & Groomsmen Attire: In keeping with the lightness of Clara's colours, the men will wear a medium-grey suit with fun bowties to match the bridesmaids.

The Flowers: This bright coral and pink bouquet was an immediate favourite for Clara! The groom and his groomsmen will wear matching boutonnieres.

The Ceremony: Clara wanted a casual, yet elegant, outdoor venue for her ceremony. When we came across this garden location (Lake Oak Meadows) in Temecula (Southern CA), it was meant to be!

The Ceremony Decor: Lining the aisle will be hanging mason jars with coordinating flowers to Clara's bridal bouquet. To add a light-hearted feel to the ceremony, we'll create a ribbon backdrop for the couple in the wedding colours.

The Reception: Lake Oak Meadows also has a great reception space with the exact feel that Clara wants - especially with the fire pits!

The Reception Decor: Minimalistic decor is the name of the game! With these adorable wooden boxes filled with beautiful garden florals, it's the perfect mix of garden and rustic elegance. Rather than table numbers, words will be written on the boxes to add some uniqueness to the tables.

The Escort Cards: The font used on these escort cards is perfect and the little hearts give them character!

The Cake: Clara wanted a simple cake with some wow accessories!

The Guestbook: Clara loves photobooths, so this guestbook will incorporate the photos taken by her guests.

The Favours: M&Ms in the wedding colours fill a mini mason jar that will be given to the guests.

Little Extras: Some extra little details to make Clara's day unique.

Photo: Clara is beyond in love with her cat, Kitten (also known as Bootle), so this is a must-have photo!

Reception Fun: A photobooth for the guests is a must-have at this wedding! 

Drink Bar: Drinks in both aqua and coral in mason jars will be a for sure hit with the guests!

Next week, I'm going to do my bestie, Kiley's, wedding - and fun fact, she's actually getting married! :D

Sources:
Colours: Colour Lovers
Invitations: Truly Engaging
Bridal Gown: Modeca
Bridal Beauty: Jennifer Lawrence, Indulgy, Pretty_Design, Nailstah
Bridesmaids: Dessy
Shoes: Thomasina, Jessica Simpson
Groomsmen: GQ, Divine Domestication, Little Vys, CCA Design
Flowers: Style Me Pretty
Ceremony Venue: Lake Oak Meadows, Nick Corona, Hulse Photo
Ceremony Decor: Style Me Pretty, Your Wedding Keepsakes, Rebecca Shepherd, Style Me Pretty
Reception Venue: Lake Oak Meadows, Hulse Photo
Reception Decor: Wedding Bee, Inspired by This, Ruffled
Escort Cards: Emmaline Bride
Cake: see my Pinterest
Guestbook: The Knot
Favours: My M&M's
Photo: see my Pinterest
Photobooth: Stace Cadet Designs
Drinks: Breakfast with Audrey, Kitchen Treaty

All the ways to Remember

There are so many ways to help your guests remember to "Save-the-Date" of your wedding. From classic stationary to engagement photos, it can be wonderful to keep with tradition; however, adding some creativity can truly play a part in showcasing the couple's personality. Here are my top five favourite ways to help guests save-the-date!

A Love Story Flowchart

(via)

A Folded Heart Reminder

(via)

Photobooth Fun

(via)

Pop-up Couple

(via)

A Timeline of Love

(via)

What are some of the best save-the-dates you've seen?

Loreal Get Noticed

Hello lovely wedding-lovers!

My younger sister, Bethany, has entered Loreal's Get Noticed contest and she needs your help!

To vote:
1. Follow this link: Get Noticed
2. Click the heart!

Bethany entered a little later than she wanted to, so needs votes quickly!

Plus, today is her 19th birthday and by voting, you'd really make her birthday wish come true!

Here is the photo you're looking for:

And I mean, come on, look at the beautiful job she did with the makeup! She should totally win! :D

The Little Ones

The bride and groom aren't always the center of attention on the day of their wedding; sometimes the kids steal the show. To help the little ones feel included during the wedding festivities, be sure to take some flower girl- and ring barer-specific photos. Here are my top five favourite kid-shots!

1) Flower Girl in the Bride's Dress

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2) Ring Barer Dancing with the Bride

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3) Flower Girl Gazing at the Bride's Gown

(via)

4) Ring Barer as the Leader of the Cool Guys

(via)

5) Little Girls Hiding Under the Bridal Gown

(via)

Sometimes the littlest ones make for the sweetest of photos!

Friendly Inspiration: Caitlin

Week Four: Caitlin

Our Relationship: I met Caitlin in Mrs. Matthew's Grade 3 class & we've been best friends ever since!

Her Major: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Her School: University of Arizona

Her Interests: Dance (she wishes she still did it)

Top Left: Grade 8; Top Right: Grade 10; Bottom Left: First year of college;
Bottom Right: Going into our third year of college

Caitlin's Questionnaire:

Colours: red, black, white, silver

Feeling: vintage, cozy

Season: summer

Dress: simple, maybe lace or little sparkles

Location: outdoor ceremony, indoor reception

Caitlin's Dream Wedding:

The Colours: Caitlin's colour scheme inspired me to create an old Hollywood feel to the wedding.

The Invitations: These black on black wedding invitations are elegant with an added vintage touch.

The Bride's Attire: Caitlin was hesitant about a lot of sparkle or beadwork, but when she saw this Lazaro gown, she fell in love!

The Bride's Accessories: To give her look a vintage feel, I found these pearl and diamond accessories to pair with her dress.

The Bride's Beauty: For Caitlin's hair, we chose effortless waves, partially pinned back, which work perfectly with the cut of her dress. For her makeup, we had to include the hollywood glamour of the red lip and dramatic eyes, along with the classic look of a french manicure.

The Bridesmaid's Attire: To match the cut of Caitlin's dress, these bridesmaids dresses were chosen. To incorporate the red into the bridesmaids' look, these beautiful red pumps were chosen (and the crystal heel is such a bonus!).

The Groom & Groomsmen: All black suits (including the dress shirt) are effortlessly glamourous, and paired with red ties (so the groomsmen match the bridesmaids) and a silver tie (so the groom matches his bride), the look is perfect!

The Flowers: I absolutely love the bouquet that Caitlin chose! It's so luscious and adds so much colour to the bridal party and groomsmen's looks! (Now don't quote me on this, but I believe these are garden roses.)

The Ceremony: I lived in Yorba Linda for three years (and still visit every year), and never knew that the Richard Nixon Library hosted weddings - and beautiful ones at that! The backdrop to the ceremony is the gorgeous First Lady's Rose Garden, which creates the perfect space to get married.

The Ceremony Decor: The arch featured below stood out to me for two reasons: first, because of the gorgeous chandelier, and second for the natural feel of it. Rather than the vines that cover it here, I would use twinkle lights. Lining the aisle, I would hang florals (most likely Ranunculus) and on every other, hang vintage tea-light holders with crystals. Ideally, I would like to hold to ceremony at dusk so that the lights and candles can be visible to the guests.

The Reception: The Richard Nixon Library offers a grand ballroom filled with gorgeous chandeliers and an elegant atmosphere. The feeling of the room is completely in keeping with the feel that Caitlin wants for her wedding.

The Reception Decor: I decided on two looks for the tables, each of which are described below!

When I saw this table, I knew that I wanted to recreate the look of these
plates!

I couldn't find what I was looking for online, so I made a quick sketch of
what I was thinking of with the plates. On the silver tables, I would start
with a square black plate, a red napkin on top, and then layer it with a
silver plate. For the black tables, I would do the opposite colours for
the plates.

On each table, I would include all of the above.

Black Table: black, pleated tablecloth & silver Chiavari chairs
Centerpiece: vase filled with diamond vase filler; crystal hangars around
vase; red calla lilies & red orchids in vases; red orchid & rose petals
around the centerpieces, along with crystal holders for tea-light candles 

Silver Table: silver, pleated tablecloth & black Chiavari chairs
Centerpieces: mirrors to base the vases; vases filled with diamond vase
filler; crystal hangars around vase (like in bottom left photo); white
ostrich feathers in vases; red orchid & rose petals around
centerpieces, along with crystal holders for tea-light candles

The Escort Cards: This elegant way to display the escort cards, along with the beautiful calligraphy used, was exactly what this wedding called for!

The Cake: This cake was practically made for this wedding with its vintage black lace and red roses. 

The Favours: This black, white, and silver candy buffet is a great way to allow the guests to create their own favours, getting exactly what they want! (Slight edit: I would want to add some red candy to the mix.)

Next week, stop by to see a bright and happy spring wedding for my roomie, Clara!

Sources:
Colours: The Perfect Palette
Invitations: Paper Ink Love
Bride's Attire: JLM Couture
Bride's Accessories: Something Jeweled, Bride Shop, Lolam Bridal
Bride's Beauty: Brown Eyes Blue Skies, Bridal Expo, Daily Makeover, Style Bistro
Bridesmaids: Bloomingdales, Dessy
Groomsmen: The Tie Bar
Flowers: Style Me Pretty
Ceremony: Wedding Wire
Ceremony Decor: Mariage-Original.com, Wedding Chicks, Fifty Flowers, Blank Canvas
Reception: Wedding Wire
Reception Decor: Joann's Fabric, Save-on-Crafts, Stuart Rental
Black Table: Pacific Callas, FTD, Chiavari Chair Rentals, Stuart Rental, Amazon
Silver Table: Tradesy, My Dream Fiesta, Save-on-Crafts, Chiavari Chair Rentals, Amazon, Stuart Rental
Escort Cards: Martha Stewart Weddings
Cake: Cake Coquette
Favours: Hostess with the Mostess