Book themed wedding ideas for the bookie, English major, or nerd couple. Yes please.

Oh mylanta.  I heard a while ago through a friend about a wedding taking place in a gorgeous, old, brick bookstore in my hometown.  This…is…fabulous!

On that note, lets look into some book-inspired, library themed wedding inspiration.  Yummy!!!

How about this use of old flea market books for table numbers!?

Jessica Claire

I think this would be a great centerpiece!  Though, maybe with flowers too!  Lovely.

We heart it

Such a simple reception centerpiece idea!  A stack of books.

We Heart It

Printed book cover table themes.  Soooo fabulous!  “Yes, you’re at the Fahrenheit 451 table.”

Wedding Wire

Use old, hollowed out books for wedding invitations.  Love it!

Two Upon Ten

book inspired invitation

Jeshurun

More bookie table numbers!

Sweetest Occassion

Old book pages for decorations

Green Wedding Shoes

More torn out book pages.  So neat!

Sweetest Occassion

Book escort card idea- each guest got their own custom bookmark marking which table to go to!

Wedding Wire

More wedding invitation books.  I. Must. Make. One.  Where’s that special client??

Merriment

Groomsmen’s gifts in books.

GH Kim

Another invitation in a book!

Looooove the “library card” look!

Polka Dot

Loving this ceremony bookcase setup!  Please do this for your wedding!!

Jessica Claire

Creative vintage wedding ideas

It probably comes as no surprise to you that I am head-over-heels in love, obsessed, & enamored with vintage goodies used as wedding decor.  I’ve long been an antique store junkie, and just wish so bad I was having my wedding again so I could do it all over in a totally different style.  Actually, I take that back…I loved my wedding…it’s more about how I never stop falling in love with new looks and ideas so, really, I wish I could have a wedding every year to do something new and different on constant cycle.  Hmm, I should talk to hubby about this…

So…vintage furniture used for wedding decorations- it’s nothing super new, but it’s unique, whimsical, and something your guests will swoon over- but never as much as I will!

If you need some vintage wedding ideas & help…lets start with where to get amazing pieces:

There are not a ton of places providing vintage furniture rentals, but they are popping up more and more.  If you’re looking for some, check out 1) Found– they have an amazing line of all sorts of accessories & furniture.  You can find any and everything through them!  2) Archive Rentals – A m a z i n g 3) MMD events– hard to view their products…but they have good stuff!  4) Rust & Lace– gorgeous!  Or you can find many online shops on Etsy for vintage & antique goodies!

Here are some inspiration pictures for you to visualize how to use vintage furniture & lovelies for your wedding.

*gift, guest book, & dessert tables

*lounge area for guests to sit at during reception

*ceremony seating (Maybe couches instead of chairs?  Yes please!)

*ceremony entrances & backdrops

*photo-booth sets or backdrops

*reception tables, decorations, & centerpieces

*escort card displays

*Just for decoration

This should help you have a great weekend!  Happy Friday everyone!

Ruffled, Found, Oh Hello Friend, Elizabeth Anne Designs, Jose Villa, Wedding by Color, Amy Atlas, The Amateur’s Dish, 100 layer cake, Enchanted, Green Wedding Shoes

Ribbons, streamers, & fabric strips are gorge

I am so inspired by the absolutely creative and beautiful use of ribbons, streamers, and strips of fabric for wedding & event decor.  Yes, even streamers!  If done right, they can be whimsical and elegant, without even a hint of tacky.

Think of using ribbons etc to make bunting, a canopy, a ceremony or photo-booth backdrop, a chuppah.  Or hang above the head table for the reception, on the bride’s & groom’s chairs, or from trees.  This is a super simple, cheap, do-it-yourself way to bring your wedding colors to life!

Whatcha think?

The TomKat Studio

The Loveliest Day

Project Wedding

Amy Atlas

Simple Wedding Guide

Merriment Events

Elizabeth Messina

Once Wed

Elizabeth Anne

Intimate Weddings

Project Wedding

Sweet Designs

Make Merry Events

Elizabeth Anne Designs

BridalHood

Ruffled

PhotoJoJo

100LayerCake

Tin cans used as vases & centerpieces? Yes please.

I love the use of cans for vases!  It’s such a simple, down-to-earth statement, yet so elegant too!

These are just gorgeous!!!

Green Wedding Shoes

Photo booth backdrop

love!

Style Me Pretty

Charming Barn Wedding Ideas

Recently, my friend asked me to help with her wedding.  She’ll be having her wedding ceremony at a beautiful outdoor location- with never-ending, rolling plains surrounded by gorgeous gardens & flowers.  Her reception will be in a huge barn on the property.

From what flowers to use for her bouquets to what she should do for centerpieces…she is overwhelmed!  In terms of a “theme” or “style”…there is none.  Yet!

However, she has picked her colors; coral, gray/silver, & cream- fabulous!

She was not one of those girls with ideas for her wedding when she was ten.  I’ve always thought she was stylish, and talking with her made me realize she just needed some help gathering ideas & inspiration to execute her style and help her figure out what she wants.  I think she knows what she likes and just doesn’t know how to explain it or isn’t able to put her finger on it.  I’m positive when she sees the right thing she will say “yes, that’s exactly what I want!”

Do you ever have that problem?  If so, I would love love to collaborate with you or your vendors to help you come up with the “whole look” for your wedding.  Usually, once you have an idea of how the end result should look it is much easier to find & pick items that execute that look every step of the way, especially if you let me help you with a list of what to buy!  🙂

Email me/leave comments on the blog if you have any questions or need design help for your wedding!  Or keep visiting this blog for more inspiration.

Here are my ideas, loves, & obsessions that I think would work great for any budget-friendly barn wedding, in case you are thinking of having one too:

1) THEME-   in other words the look, feel, style, and tone

You don’t have to go “country” to pull off a fabulous barn wedding.  Think  “Elegant-Vintage-Garden-Chic”…yes…a term I coined, I think, unless it’s out there somewhere else.  *eek*

The long name has its purpose though!  I love the use of vintage-inspired elements in weddings these days.  I have to say it is one of my all-time favorite trends right now.  But, unless you’re really big on vintage antiques and shabby chic finds, you should mix in a few other elements.  That’s totally not required though (some ALL vintage-inspired weddings I’ve seen are still at the top of my list)  However, a mix & middle ground is the way to go for most people, so that’s why I want to add a bit of elegance (which can be more formal & glitzy) with a bit of garden (which is soft, romantic, & natural) and a touch of chic (which is trendy and stylish).

Below, you’ll find some inspirations that are Elegant, Vintage, Garden, or Chic…or a mix of several of these.

2) BOUQUET & CENTERPIECE FLOWER OPTIONS

Wedding flowers are tough to figure out because there are just so so many choices out there.  For the long winded (take a *deep breath*)  “Elegant-Vintage-Garden-Chic” look there are plenty of options to go with.  While my all-time favorite is the Peony, I’m also obsessing on Ranunculus & a variety of heavily petaled roses & open garden roses (there are tons!).  You can see them on my recent post on flowers.  I would create my bouquet & centerpieces with at least some of these “soft” flowers if I was doing a barn wedding.

See how romantic and full the “heavily petaled bouquets” look?

Images: Emily Rose Wood, Country Living, Angie Silvy

I’m also really digging the “just picked yourself” bouquet look.  It is down-to-earth, natural, completely budget friendly, and understated (in a good way, yes).  Can you see how these bouquets below look like they were just picked out of a garden?  Some actually were!  And others were

Idea to steal: fabric strip canopy

By far, this is one of my favorite things to date.  This is an absolutely gorgeous wedding detail.  It is made from cut strips of all kinds of different fabrics in this couple’s wedding colors.  Just think of the possibilities!

This probably took a ton of time and effort to create…but it was so worth it.  Wish I could re-do my wedding just so I could have one of these defining a lounge area.

I would love to use this for a ceremony chuppah, photobooth backdrop, or even as a decoration above the head table.

Truly unique, colorful, and gorgeous and sure to please your guests!

sources: Sloan Photographers, Ruffled

Simple photo displays for your wedding or home

If you were just going to disregard decorations due to budget constraints, think twice before you do so!  There are budget friendly, do-it-yourself options so your wedding can still scream “you”.

Here is a great, cost effective way to decorate and personalize your wedding…**without breaking the bank**…at all!

Images: 1::WeddingChannel.com 2:: unknown.  sorry!  3:: Elizabeth Messina 4 & 5:: U Make Me Smile

Start by gathering your photos. Engagement pics, old photos of the two of you together, and childhood snapshots.  Maybe even pictures of your parents ‘ & grandparents’ weddings.

You don’t have to use the originals if you don’t want.  Visit a photo kiosk at your local drugstore or photography shop where you can make high-quality copies at a reasonable price.

Then, you can either attach the photos to different-sized pieces of cardstock (like they did in the 1st photo above) using photo corners or special photo glue (or use just the photos themselves) to clip to long strands of rope, twine, ribbon, wire, etc using clothespins or metal clips.  You can use stakes to attach the string, or wrap it around trees, or even just use push-pins in the wall and wrap the string around those.

Here is a great tutorial on customizing your clothespins I found at Creature Comforts.  The photo below shows a couple pins with fabric on them, which is a great great way to add in another splash of your wedding colors.

Source: Creature Comforts

And below are a few more photo display ideas, designed for use in your home, but I think they would be fab fab for your wedding too!

That heart…what an adorable way to collage your pics for your wedding!  I can picture it on a barn wall, or what about on an old, rustic door leaned up against a wall?  Cute!

The glass vessels with black & white photos in them are pretty swoon-worthy too.  How about using this idea for your centerpieces on each table?

Source for photos above: Merriment Events

Or old vintage bottles (like the ones above) for your centerpieces…or grouped on the tables next to the guest book, cake, favors, etc.

Source: Hatch Creative Studio

This is just wonderful!  I love the use of old frames  in any shape or style (all painted the same color to give them some cohesiveness) with pictures inside.  It looks like they just glued or stapled strips of ribbon to the back of the frames, and then used mini clothespins to attach pictures to the ribbons.  LOVE IT!  You could hang the frames to the walls of your venue, or simply just have them on tables leaning against the walls instead.  ORRR…maybe you can hang the frames, using clear fishing line, from the rafters, trees, or ceiling…like this gorgeous wedding photo display below…

I’ve seen this idea everywhere and just LOVE it!  I’m obsessed with hanging decorations!  And what’s so great about this last one is they just used their pictures from home, frames & all, and hung/tied them using invisible line.  How simple is that?

Welp…that’s it for now!  With any of these ideas you’ll have a completely personalized, custom decoration that looks beautiful and can cost next to nothing!  Not to mention, your guests will love looking at all the different images of you guys before the ceremony or during the reception.

Check back for more budget-friendly, DIY decoration ideas to be posted soon!  In the meantime, head on over to our recent bunting post for another creative, low-cost, high-style idea.

Awesome popsicle stick wedding paperie

Loving the fun, creative use of popsicle sticks for wedding menus, programs, etc.  I want to design these for someone!!!

How fun!!  A custom crossword puzzle for guests to do while waiting

This is a great idea…loving the pictures of all the people in the wedding party on the program

Hand-painted portraits of the wedding party are printed onto programs.  So amazing!  Call me and I can make something like it for you!

Oh, and there are other uses for popsicle sticks at a wedding too.  Stir sticks anyone?

Credits: Ruffled, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Elizabeth Anne Designs, Kelly Hicks Design, Rifle Paper Co., Baum Birdy

Cheaper peony “replacement” flowers for your wedding (and garden too!)

Peonies…one of the absolute most gorgeous flowers out there!  They are loved for their large size and their very high petal count, making them very dense and soft looking.  Unfortunately, they are fairly pricey…especially if they’re out of season.

If you’re working on a budget or if your wedding is not during peony season don’t fret….you can still get gorgeous, full, high-petal-count flowers that will give the same look and feel as peonies, without the expense.  These are also great additions to any garden.

Here are some alternate flowers to look into:

Ranunculus

Sources: Bulbs Online, BHG, Lovely Little Details

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous & they are uber trendy & stylish right now for weddings

Double Flowering Tulip

Sources: Wedding Bee, BHG, White Flower Farm,

Tell me those don’t look just like huge, round, peonies…

Cabbage Rose, Juliet Rose, Eden Rose

Sources: Jackson & Perkins, Cut Rose, Martha Stewart Weddings, Wedding Flower Ideas

Any of those roses, all of those roses, are super high-petal count, super dense, super soft & romantic looking…so don’t write off roses!  Let me just say, there are TONS of rose varieties out there that are not your “typical” rose.

Also, check out these rose varieties below:

Pope John Paul II Hybrid Tea Rose

Florence Nightingale Floribunda Rose

Sweet Intoxication Rose

Miranda (Ausimmon) Rose

Patience Rose

Phoebe Rose

Rosalind Rose

Astrid Graffin Von Hardenberg Rose

Hope this helps with your flower search!

Creative, miniature bunting cake toppers you can do yourself

More of the fabulously fun & stylish bunting trend.  Are you sick of it yet?  Hope not, because there’s still more to come on this blog at a future date.

I love the idea of bunting on a cake!  Such a festive, celebratory embellishment.

M Sweet Desserts

Vintage Magpie

A Subtle Revelry

Kiki La Ru

Kiki La Ru

 

What do you think of this new trend?

A source to find any & everything!

I visited one of my favorite sites, Green Wedding Shoes, and saw their recent post of a wedding decorated with paper lanterns shot by photographer Tanja Lippert.

Green Wedding Shoes

Isn’t that just gorgeous!!!?  Not only is the barn absolutely stunning with its cathedral-high ceilings, but that burst of color in the middle from the hanging lanterns is so modern and playful, such a perfect juxtaposition with the dark, rustic elements of the barn.

More pictures of this gorgeous, colorful barn wedding  shot by Tania Lippert below

If you’re looking for these lanterns, check out Luna Bazaar.  Jen Campbell at Green Wedding Shoes loves Luna Bazaar.  And so do I.

In fact, the hubby and I ordered some glass vases from them for our bookshelf a few years ago.

They have EVERYTHING you could ever want for your wedding decor, and all at great prices.

Here is a picture of a gorgeous wedding display using some of Luna Bazaar’s glass vases (see link above)

Green Wedding Shoes

And here is a spread from Better Homes & Gardens magazine on these fabulous glass votives.  They would be great on a table surrounding the guest book or as centerpieces for the dinner tables at your wedding.  Or…at home, on the mantle.  Or maybe for your wedding and then at home after.  Reuse!  *smile*

And look at this picture I found at Classic Bride of Luna Bazaar’s beautiful linen & wire lanterns.  They don’t look particularly special on their site, but look how absolutely gorgeous they are real life below!!

Here are some of my other favorites from their site.  ANY of them would look great at your wedding.

1::  Rattan Ball String Lights– these would look beautiful strung kind of low between trees outside or between tall posts outside your reception entry

2::  Colorful Paper Parsols– they have tons of different colors & even different shapes

3:: Round Hurricane Lantern– use some on each stair tread, lining both sides of the aisle you’ll walk down, one at the end of each row of seats during the ceremony, or even hanging from the trees or tent.  Try grouping three together as a bunch, and then re-use them from the ceremony to the reception for the centerpieces.

4::  Lotus Flower Candle Holder– I love love love these so much!  I can see using the fuchsia, red, and orange ones together in a moroccan or indian inspired wedding.

5:: Mercury Glass Votive– these can be both very formal & elegant, or surprisingly…even rustic and vintage, depending on the rest of your decor.  I can picture these in a barn or garden theme wedding, with other vintage & rustic elements.

6:: Eyelet Paper Lanterns– what I love so much about these lanterns is the absolutely beautiful light & shadow display they create.  The light from inside glows through the holes cut into the lanterns, and it is gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!

Those are just a few of the many beautiful pieces from Luna Bazaar.  If you haven’t been over to their site, you must check it out!  At first, it might be a bit overwhelming, but it’s worth the digging.  They have one of the biggest and definitely one of the best collections of accessories & decorations for your wedding, event, or even for your home.

Hope this source helps you!

Paintable Wedding Bunting

Here are some amazing bunting inspirations I just had to bring to the table.

These are all made from burlap, which I’m bringing to you because you can paint on it, thus make it completely custom!

If you will have a long engagement and have some time on your hands, or if you have a little creativity, or if you are just an aspiring do-it-yourself-er…this is the perfect decoration to start with!

Here are some of my ideas for what to paint

–paint with your wedding colors– this is just a great opportunity to bring your colors through in more of your wedding decor.

-your print or motif– from stars, to stripes, to the fancy swirl on your invitations, carry your “theme” by painting it on your bunting

-your names or initials- can I just say…cute!

-fun sentences & sayings- think “we’re getting hitched” or “how sweet it is to be loved by you”

-signs, directions, informational- this would be a great place to write out “Ceremony here”,  “Thanks for coming!”, “Welcome”, or even “Pls sign our guest book”

Instead of burlap (which tends to lend a fairly rustic or farm feel) you can also use plain cream canvas fabric instead (perfect for that garden party or nautical theme, or pretty much any theme since it is a bit more understated than burlap.

Either way, with a little paint you will have one-of-a-kind, custom, and “just-you” bunting!

Enjoy…

Burlap banners::  funkyshique & SheriSewSweet.  Photography:: Elizabeth Ray Photography

If you’re not an artistic, free-hand-it type of person there are still options for you!  Try looking into some stencils.  You can find them at your local Michaels or Joanne’s Etc. stores, but even better are the online stencil resources.

At Cutting Edge Stencils there are gorgeous prints & patterns that I am madly in love with!

Stencil photos above from Cutting Edge Stencils

Royal Design Studio and Modello Designs also have incredibly beautiful options and very large libraries.  Royal Design Studio has some great stenciling tutorials and Modello has a custom stencil option, where you can send in any graphic (as long as it is yours and not copyrighted) and they will turn it in to a plastic cut-out for stenciling.  This means you can do exactly what you want for your bunting & stenciling needs!

If you don’t have a graphic, we at Lifework Media can create one for you.  Or if we’re doing your invitations or other paper goods already, we are more than happy to send any of the custom graphics from your invitation suite to Modello.  Otherwise, don’t be afraid to ask your stationer to send your graphic, print, or motif to them for a completely custom stencil that carries your theme throughout.  And if you’re not in the mood to make these yourself, contact us…we’ll make bunting for you!

Good luck!

The Bunting Trend

It is one of the hottest trends in the wedding and event industry…and it really is fabulous.  Today’s bunting is a nod to the circus days, the red or striped triangle banners strung together and attached above the tent openings, but with an updated twist.  Bunting is a wonderful decoration to add to your wedding or event!

Here is a collection of some real wedding bunting.  The examples below use a variety of patterned & solid fabrics to create a shabby chic, country, and somewhat vintage look….but bunting can add ANY feel and look you want depending on the colors, patterns, prints, and materials they are made from.

Found at:: 1 Ruffled 2 & 3 Beautiful Little Weddings 4) Peonies & Polaroids

If you want to change up the look to fit your wedding colors or theme better, try finding different fabrics.

One of my favorite fabric sites, Calico Corners, has a great variety of prints from hip & modern to rich & ethnic.  My favorite collection is the Dwell Studio Collection– what fabulous colors to model your wedding after!  This will have to become a color palette for another post.  Another favorite for fabric is, surprisingly, Ikea.  I love their Elisabet prints for a super colorful & preppy wedding or their Gunvor for a very bold, graphic, black & white wedding.

Find the perfect fabric, cut into triangles (or circles, or squares! etc), & attach (sew, staple, glue) to string, ribbon, twill, or double-fold bias tape for easy bunting fabulousness!  It’s easy to do yourself and it’s easy on the wallet too.  Try searching “DIY bunting” for help & tutorials.  And, if you’re not into making it yourself there are a ton of people offering to make it for you!  Check out Etsy for pre-made bunting, many of which can still be customized for you, or contact us– we make it too!

Feel free to send pictures of your wedding bunting, or if you are a photographer or designer who has pictures from a recent wedding you shot or styled with bunting.  I’d love to see it, and maybe even post it on the blog to inspire all!