Sunflower Weddings

Ideas and Inspirations | Photos and Galleries
Colors: Yellow, Green, Shades of Pink/Purple
Motif: Sunflowers
Yesterday I celebrated my 6 year wedding anniversary. And, this week, I'll be taking a break from work to spend time with my husband and our 21 month old daughter. But, please do check back as there will be a new post each day.

Now . . . on to today's post. In honor of yesterday's special day, I decided to do our wedding all over (digitally), hence today's inspiration board. Our wedding theme was sunflowers with yellow and navy blue as the color palette. If only I knew about inspiration boards back then. I would definitely still have an outdoor wedding, but once I saw the bridal bouquet on Brides I knew those would be the colors. Yellow, green and shades of pink/purple. Since our cake didn't turn out as expected (somehow the raspberry filling was left out), I would definitely opt for cupcakes this time. Plus, I am a bit obsessed about cupcakes (I hardly ever eat them, but I love looking at artistic cupcake creations, like this one from Sugar Rush Cakes in Montreal). I love the idea of having long tables at the reception {above image from the Evan Williams Catering blog}. We had round tables, but I feel that it's always so hard to converse with the person sitting on the opposite side. I absolutely love the idea of serving guests sunflower and honey rolls in terra cotta pots, perfect for a garden reception {see link for recipe}. I would place a sunflower favor box in the center of each guests plate {available at My Wedding Market}. The Autumn Festival invitation {from Invitation Consultants} matches perfectly with the overall look of the wedding. For my wedding, I opted to not wear a veil and had my hair pulled back in little clips with a fresh small daisy in each one - the result looked like a headband. But, I really love the Sunflower inspired hair comb {from simplylin's etsy shop}. The yellow sundress {available at Nordstrom} is great for attendants as it can easily be worn again and again. And, lastly, for my own shoes, I think I would definitely go with a color this time instead of the traditional white shoes. I actually went barefoot for most of my reception as my dress sandals weren't comfortable and kept falling off my feet. I love these Franco Sarto Sally slides at Zappos.

Please continue to post comments while I'm on break as I love hearing from you. There might just be a delay in your comments being posted as my access to email will be limited.

Crystal Wedding Bouquets & More

Unique Wedding Find
I'm absolutely loving these crystal bouquets by The Flower Diva in North Carolina. While I've seen crystal bouquets on other sites (ex. Very Best Weddings), I've never seen a boutonniere, corsage or centerpiece crystallized. A nice tradition that can be started with a crystal bouquet is to pass it down to the next generation for their wedding day, or you can keep it yourself as a lasting keepsake.

Same Flower Type Bouquets

Weekly Wedding Tip
brought to you by bridalguide.com
"Buying all one type of a flower is generally less expensive than getting smaller amounts of a range of blooms, and it can have considerable dramatic impact both in bouquets and in table arrangements."

Is anybody considering this for either their bouquets or table centerpieces? Has anybody already done this for their wedding?

And, if you're looking for something other than flowers for your tables, why not a fruit bouquet? I love the strawberry bouquet - it would be the most unique table centerpiece for an outdoor summer wedding or bridal shower.

Image Credits:
Tulip Bouquet and Centerpiece: [griff] [griff]'s flickr gallery
Calla Lily Bouquet: Fi20100's flickr gallery
Strawberry Bouquet: sunflower [nami]'s flickr gallery
Sunflower Bouquet: Marta Potoczek's flickr gallery
Rose Bouquet: ProFlowers

Weekly Wedding Tip

brought to you by bridalguide.com
Saving Money on Floral Displays
"Save money on costly floral centerpieces by using your bridesmaids' bouquets to decorate the head table or the cake table."

I think placing your bridesmaids bouquets around the cake table is a great idea. Not only will it add a nice touch to the cake display, but it will keep their bouquets in a safe place while they enjoy the party. If using the bridesmaids' bouquets at the head table, you might consider placing an empty vase with water at each bridesmaid's reception table setting. Not only will the presentation look nice, but it will keep their bouquets looking like they were just picked (especially perfect for outdoor summer receptions). And another option for the bridesmaids' bouquets could be as a colorful display on the buffet table. Will you be using your bridesmaids' bouquets to help decorate your reception location?

Image Credits:
Left: Pampered Bride Weddings
Right: Critsey Rowe Photography

A Flower Inspired Bridal Shower Dessert

I found the idea for this amazingly cute and eye-catchy dessert from two food blogs and thought they would be perfect for bridal showers. On the Pioneer Woman Cooks blog, she calls them "Springy Flower Pot Desserts". At the My Sweet and Saucy blog, she re-creates the recipe from Pioneer Woman using mostly homemade components instead of store-bought ones. Both blogs have step by step tutorials to create these unique fancy flower pot desserts. To make these desserts, you place a round piece of pound cake on the bottom of a terra cotta pot with a straw inserted into the middle. Then you layer with ice cream or gelato and your "dirt" mixture. You insert your flower into the straw and your done. Very clever idea.

Image Credits:
Top Left, Bottom Left and Right: My Sweet and Saucy
Top Right: The Pioneer Woman

Weekly Wedding Tip

brought to you by bridalguide.com
Toss Bouquets
"Unless you don't mind sacrificing your beautiful bridal bouquet, you'll want to order a second one for tossing. Ask your florist to arrange a smaller bouquet, perhaps using inexpensive flowers, so you don't have to part with the original."

For my own wedding, my husband and I decided to forgo both the traditional bouquet and garter toss. But, I can definitely understand why you'd want a toss bouquet so you can keep your own bouquet as a momento of the special day. Will you be having a toss bouquet created for your wedding reception? You might even be able to find a florist that offers a complimentary toss bouquet as part of their wedding floral package.

Another twist to the bouquet toss that I think is so clever, would be to create multiple bouquets (maybe 5) for a "fortune bouquet toss". You could either have mini versions of your own bouquet or a breakaway bouquet. Each bouquet would include a tag with a fortune on it - this way you could invite all the female guests out to participate, not just the single ones.

A few other options for a toss bouquet:
- make a mini bouquet with silk flowers so the catcher can have a keepsake
- you might want to do something just for the kids and toss a stuffed animal
Do you have any other ideas?

To preserve your own bridal bouquet - you might consider either Florage or Heller and Reid.

Please look for a new wedding tip each week, courtesy of bridalguide.com. These tips will now be a regular feature of the blog.

Above Bridal Bouquets with corresponding Toss Bouquets from ProFlowers

Web Site Find: DK Designs

I came across DK Designs' etsy shop the other day and fell in love with her handcrafted clay floral designs. These flowers will last for years and each of Diane's designs are one of a kind and handcrafted petal by petal. Along with her esty shop, Diane has her own web site at dkdesignshawaii.com where she also creates stylish tropical and Asian-inspired wedding stationery.

I think these clay floral designs are perfect for centerpieces at bridal showers and even weddings, as well as for a special gift for mothers of the bride and/or groom and bridesmaids. Diane also creates wedding bouquets using clay flowers. On her web site, Diane says "Clay flower bouquets will look as vibrant as the day you say "I do" for many years to come."

Be sure to check out both of Diane's sites for more beautiful photographs of her awe-inspiring designs.

Poppy Theme Weddings

Ideas and Inspirations | Photos and Galleries
Motif: Poppies

Poppies are considered the flower of joy, making them the perfect accent for weddings. Two popular color schemes for the poppy wedding theme can be seen in the photo collections below - they are:
- red and black
- light blue and orange

Poppies: Red and Black
Image Credits and Resources
Invitation: Poppy Fields Wedding Invitation from MewPaperArts's etsy shop
Favors: Poppy Topped Favor Boxes from our wedding store
(coordinating poppy napkin rings are also available)
Centerpiece: Brides.com
Wedding Cake: Jaime Anderson's flickr photo gallery
Cupcakes: image on left from Jaime Anderson's flickr photo gallery and image on the right from Clares Cupcakes in London.
Hair Accessories: Recycled Poppy Bobbypin Set from foundling's etsy shop

Poppies: Orange and Blue
Image Credits and Resources
Invitation: from Wedding Paper Divas (also available in 2 additional color palettes along with a coordinating Poppy Bridal Shower Invitation)
Wedding Cake: Studio Cake's flickr photo gallery
Mini Vase of Poppies: Brides.com
Tablesetting: Brides.com

2008 Wedding Flowers Trends

We are happy to share with you the following trends for 2008 in wedding flowers provided to us by Clara Varga-Gonzales, owner of Tiger Lily Florist in Charleston, SC (named Elegant Bride Magazine's Top Wedding Designers for 2005 and The Knot Best of Flowers 2007).

above photos courtesy of Tiger Lily Florist

2008 Wedding Flowers Trends
• There is definitely still a curiosity about natural elements. Flowers and botanicals, such as grasses, pods, herbs and lichens, are incorporated into all aspects of the wedding from boutonnieres to pew markers and cake flowers.
• Designs that focus on grouping materials such as chocolate artichokes, fern curls and green Goddess Callas Lilies are presented in artisan containers and gracing the tables at outdoor receptions.
• In color palettes, green is still the most sought after color with accent shades of creams and white or hot pinks and mango coral. However, combinations of deep burgundy red Black Magic roses, Black Forest mini Callas and rich purple, almost black, tulips are striking against ornate damask linen. No more white linen on guest tables for sure.
• Ceremonies that are being held outdoors are letting nature provide the backdrop, which can be quite dramatic here in the Lowcountry. Emphasis on ornate aisle starters and chair markers allow the bride and groom to be the main focus for guests during ceremonies.

About Tiger Lily
Located in downtown Charleston, SC, Tiger Lily is an upscale florist, taking inspiration from the area's long legacy of flowers and gardens to bring Charleston residents the highest-quality, most impactful arrangements. Only working with the world's best suppliers and growers to ensure the freshest and most beautiful blooms, Tiger Lily’s arrangements are long-lasting and carefully designed to meet the unique vision, whether traditional or modern, of each customer. The company's many accolades include runner up to Florists' Review's America's Best Retail Florist of 2006, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year 2004 and one of Elegant Bride Magazine's Top Wedding Designers for 2005. For more information, visit www.tigerlilyflorist.com.