Inspiration board #8: Summer afternoon

Aah... summer afternoon. What a perfect time of the day for an outdoor wedding celebration. Imagine guests lounging on beautiful picnic blankets under big shady trees, fresh flowers in rustic containers, bags of cherries as snacks or dessert and delicious finger food served in traditional picnic baskets. The details and colours available for a celebration of this kind are boundless.We were inspired to post this inspiration board by the changing colours of the leaves from green to orange. There's always a certain sadness when summer ends as it is a season which seems to conjure up carefree days of basking in perfect weather. And what a wonderful feeling to be associated with your wedding!

(Please click on board for larger image)

Top row from left: paper bags of cherries by Martha Stewart Weddings; meadow and baby's breath bouquet via Once Wed;  flowers in cans from Rachael Ray's centerpiece of the month
Row 2: Tree portrait by J.Crew; love stamps via Things Are Better With A Parrot; picnic by Rebecca Thuss
Row 3: Drinks stand via Style Me Pretty;  bicycles via Brides.com

Time for Cake

As an Amy Atlas fan, I do love an over-the-top dessert buffet or sweets table but the traditionalist in me is thrilled that the classic white wedding cake is the industry's pick for 2010. I had one and so did my sister and the white wedding cake remains a much-loved motif for weddings. The filling can still reflect your personal taste - chocolate, carrot, traditional fruit cake and more - and the icing is not limited to marzipan, what about fondant or buttercream icing? I topped mine with handcrafted iced flowers while my sister's was topped with roses from our mom's garden and matched her bouquet. Your choice of cake toppers is also endless. One thing is for sure, cutting the traditional white cake is a romantic and special moment of any wedding day.

My gorgeous cake beautifully made bycake genius, Franco the Cakeman

Elegant white wedding cake via Martha Stewart Weddings

Eyelet cake inspired by a pretty cotton summer dress via Martha Stewart Weddings

A simple modern take on the white wedding cake via The Knot

Real wedding #8: How charming

This is a DIY super-bride! We are in awe. She hand-crafted everything from the paper goods, the table linens, the flowers, the candy buffet and candy bag favors, the cake toppers, the hanging monograms, and the paper funnels for confetti. We are inspired by the way every details exudes freshness, charm and the bride's personality. While this scale of DIY is a rather daunting task to take on, select one or two projects that you and your bridesmaids can manage. Handmade touches really do add a special and unique touch to a wedding.

Sunshine yellow provided a wonderful backdrop for bright coloured flowers and other bright details like the bird place card holder. The bride mixed in pastel turquoise into the palette which works well as a contrasting tone. If you love this look, check out our Inspiration Board #7: Hello Yellow for some more inspiration. 

The hanging monogram is such a lovely detail and, as explained in this real wedding post, can be hung over the bride and groom's chairs, the entrance to the reception or just on a tree.

This is such a great idea for flowers if you want to take on the project yourself. The bride used only roses in all different bright colours and made up the vases and bouquets on site. Beforehand, she painted small flower post white and tied bakers twine around them. The result is fresh, striking and beautiful!

The bride is the creative director and designer at a small paper goods company Smitten Studios and so was able to design all the paper goods herself: the stationery suite, the fans/programs, the paper cones for confetti, the menus and place cards.

A yellow cake is unusual but works perfectly with the colour scheme. The bride found raw wooden cake toppers and painted them to resemble herself and the groom.

The bride made the pinwheels from colourful paper, wooden dowels and split pins. We will have to do a pinwheel DIY post soon! These provided the guests with a taste of nostalgia.

The photo booth consisted of a curtain backdrop. See other ideas for photo booths and DIY photo stations here . The props consisted of paper mustaches on sticks and a frame that the bride painted white. 

Source: Style Me Pretty 

Photography by: Jessica Johnston 

Perfect Planning

When it comes to planning your dream wedding day so much comes down to great planning. There are so many details to keep track of, so many people to manage and so many things to do before 'the' day. So with a little extra organisation beforehand, half the battle is won.

Although not strictly a giveaway, today's feature is more of a 'secret' we're letting you in on! We love Martha Stewart, despite her dodgy prison stint, and her wedding planning tools available for free online are some of the best we've seen or used. It takes a little effort to set up - you need to register (make sure to clear the email alerts that you don't want to receive), confirm registration and then provide a few more details (Hint: when they ask for budget type in your rands budget - do not convert - then in the budget tool it will show dollar signs but ignore and treat amounts as rands - much easier than trying to convert everyting!). After that you'll have access to the amazing tools: checklist, budget, vendors, seating plan, guest list and timing plan. So put a few hours aside this weekend to get your tools in order - it will be worth it once you see the hassle and confusion you're saved during planning.

To sign up click here and then select the 'start planning' link.

Happy weekend!

Make a wish

As promised here in this week's real wedding post, the DIY project today is how to make your own wedding wishing wand. They make a fun, pretty, and unique alternative to confetti and are easy to match to your colour scheme by using coordinating ribbon.

• Buy dowel sticks and paint them the colour of your chosing (or leave them raw for a natural look)

• Wrap satin ribbon around the top of the stick and glue in place with wood glue
• Do this again to add a second ribbon streamer on each stick
• Cut the ends of the ribbon to create a forked end

• Place in containers (how lovely are these old milk containers!) and have your wedding party hand them out to guests before the ceremony

{By Classic Bride}

Inspiration Board #7: Hello Yellow

Yellow is a bright and happy colour - sunshine for your wedding day. Yellow flowers are associated with happiness, joy and cheerfulness - Calla Lilies, African Daisies, Frangipanis, Irises, Roses, Poppies, Daffodils and Tulips to mention a few. It is considered the easiest colour to see and stands for honour and loyalty, glows with optimism and signifies friendship.

Source: Yellow Ribbon Favours, Table Setting, Holding Bouquet, Poppies, Cake Table, Button Seating Cards, Wedding from I Love You, Man, Wreath

Inspired feature: Tink Photography

We love the work of South African based photographer Thea Cogill of Tink Photography. Fun. Unique. Romantic. Creative. These words only begin to describe her beatiful work. It was difficult to chose which pictures to share but here are some of our favourites:

For more information and gorgeous pics visit the Tink Photography blog and website.

Real Wedding #7: Classic Style

 

{Source: Moodboard by Look Photography} 

Today's post is a bit later than usual as we're enjoying the public holiday - hope you're all relaxing, even bride's need a break! I love the classic elegance of today's real wedding. The bride, Sarah, is the blogger behind Classic Bride and her wedding reflects her love for combining modern and vintage details in a polished look. Filled with eye-catching DIY details and a beautiful sense of tradition, this wedding is certainly inspiring!

I am really drawn to tea-length wedding dresses lately - they're reminiscent of a glam age gone by. Plus they show off gorgeous wedding shoes! And look at the couple's intials' strung from the gate - such a good touch that can be implemented anywhere around the ceremony or reception areas (how about the back of your chairs for the reception - actually that would be an amzing favour on the back of every guest's chair ties with lovely ribbon!). Look out for white wooden letters and pretty ribbon - we found lovely letters here, which you can customise by painitng, adding ribbon or other embellishments.

I'm not usually a huge fan of cake toppers but they are gaining popularity as a wider range becomes available. And this little customised pair really suits the cake and the entire tone of the wedding - so sweet. Also notice the small details of having a vase of flowers on the cake table - just finishes it off nicely.

This reception look so lovely - rather fill up a room than have a few tables looking sparce in a too-big venue. And on a summer's day the doors flung open is divine.

Look out for our DIY feature on Thursday when we'll be showing you how to make your own wedding wishing wands. They're a fun and pretty alternative to confetti and easy to match to your colour scheme by using specifically chosen ribbon.

Such pretty programmes, which the bride made herself - a good DIY project for any bride. Just choose pretty paper and ribbon, print out at home and punch to construct.

Such a great gift for the groom from the bride on the actual day - she found vintage cufflinks at a store and then had his initials engraved. Look out for old cufflinks at markets and 'junk' stores. Also a nice gift for your dad on the day.

Sweet favours - she filled jars (find similar at the Consol stores) with salt water taffy, a speciality of that region made vintage-style jar labels and tied with some simple ribbon. For similar favours choose a sweet treat from your area or the perennial favourite - Sally Williams Nougat!

We're huge fans of welcome baskets, especially for a destination wedding or for all out-of-town guests. It takes a lot of effort but appreciation of your guests makes it well worth it. Sarah filled hers with items relevant to the area - from pennies to use at a nearby casino, to local candy, useful sunscreen, local brochures and magazines, a handy itinerary, and some other snacks and cooldrinks.

Source: Wedding via the bride's blog, Classic Bride.

Win a wedding!

{source}

Can you imagine winning a wedding! 

The Bride's Dairy South Africa is giving you the chance to win a wedding at the wonderful Shepstone Gardens in Johannesburg. It is the perfect setting for a fairy tale day as the venue is located in beautiful secret gardens with many picturesque settings such as a glass-roof chapel, sand stone buildings and pressed ceilings. 

For more details on what the package includes click here. 

Entering is easy as all you have to do is full out a form with your details. To enter click here .

Entries close on 25 February 2011 so there is still lots of time to enter but we suggest doing it right now!

Good luck! We are holding thumbs that an Inspired Bride strikes it lucky!

Back to Basics

We're getting so many mails from brides inspired by the DIY projects featured on this site. For many it is their first create-it-yourself attempt and knowing where to start can be daunting. Our number one piece of advice is to enlist help - sisters, moms, bridesmaids, they're all eager to help and wedding craft is one place where many hands make light work (as opposed to choosing a dress!). Our second piece of advice is to invest in a set of essential tools, which will make your projects that much easier. Here's our list of DIY must-haves.

• Paper trimmer - accurately size and cut paper, say good-bye to rulers, grubby pencils and skew lines.
• Craft knife - cut delicate, complex shapes in the blink of the eye.
• Cutting mat - protects work surfaces when using above craft knife and the grid keeps things on the straight and narrow.
• Ruler - No less essential than in grade 1 for measuring and aligning.
• Scissors - Invest in a quality pair for navigating tight corners and hand-cut shapes.
• Tweezers - Not just for plucking, use to attach small embellishments or lift tiny stickers.
• Bone folder - Nothing compares to this old-fashioned tool for perfect scores and fold.
• Glue stick - Reliable, easy-to-apply, acid-free adhesive for sticking, sticking and more sticking.
• Double-sided sticky tape - It changed our crafting life! Use when assembling a paper box, attaching ribbon, mounting photos and even seam-free gift-wrapping!

Now you're ready to tackle any DIY project with ease (or more ease than in the past!) - good luck! We'd love to see the final products!

P.S. I love the craft shown in the above image - no words required! Mithi used a vintage book to create these lovely placecards. Find out more here.

Inspiration board #6: Circus and stripes

A big top theme for a big celebration! A circus inspired wedding is a wondeful way to incorporate bright colours, fun props, and fabulous details into your big day. There is certainly a way to execute this idea while still retaining a sophisticated and elegant feel. Stripes work very well and can be used in your stationery suite and favour bags. Playfulness can be injected into your bridesmaids dresses with fun headbands or into your photographs with paper crowns. Vintage style photo stations suit this theme as do cheeky red heels for the bride. Serve snacks that are reminiscent of your childhood visits to carnivals like caramlised popcorn, candy canes or mini hotdogs. This is one show your guests certainly won't forget!

(Please click on board for larger image)

Top row from left: Photo station sign from Style Me Pretty; Chapel of Love booth via Inspired Bride; bridesmaid headband by YuzuRose by June Wee; blue tulle dress by Shannon Renee Photography; red and white striped dress by stylist Jane Roarty
Row 2: Balloon party via we heart it; big top invitation via Ruffled; vintage decor from Factory 20; bride and groom paper crowns via Inspired Bride; caramel and fleur de sel popcorn from Martha Stewart Weddings
Row 3: Carousel photo by Microabi; picture of pony from Style Me Pretty; seating chart via Inspired Bride; photo of bridesmaids by Red Photo Co.

We love our new look!

We were inspired to create a beautiful new header for our blog. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Look Book

We take dress inspiration from J Crew's seasonal look books for fabulous bride and bridesmaid dresses that are always on trend and beautiful. It's a great place to get ideas to share with your dressmaker.

Their Spring 2010 Wedding Look Book shows off some of this year's best ideas and trends for dresses:

• Asymetrical dresses: the one-shoulder option is very flattering and glamourous.
• Feminine, floaty fabrics such as taffeta and chiffon
• Lovely details such as fabric flowers, ruffles and bows
• Interesting necklines from halter-necks and boat necks to ruffles and ties

Real Wedding #6: Story Book Wedding

It's hard to go wrong when you are the creative director of the fabulous Hello!Lucky stationery and design team. Even so, Eunice and Daniel's wedding looks like it is straight out of a storybook. Which makes sense since the inspiration for the day came from photographs by the fantatstical Tim Walker.

Guests marched parade style to the outdoor ceremony site holding puppets and animal cut outs on sticks.

Custom designed playing cards were given to guests as welcome gifts in their hotel rooms.

Victorian style motifs mingled with with woodland fairytales decorated the stationery suite and information booklet.

The seating chart used animal silhouttes instead of numbers.

Guests had fun with paper hats, caramel popcorn and old fashioned candy.

Vintage conatiners, vases and trophies were filled with bright peonies, garden roses, jasmine vine, lilacs, dusty miller foliage, anemones, foxglove, and metallic leaves. Purple and fuschia crackers served as place cards with the guest's name on the band wrapped around the cracker. The favours were the small treats inside.

Imaginative details were in abundance at this wedding. From signature cocktails and a balaswood cake topper, from a trunk filled with blankets for chilly guests to a basket of slippers for dance-tired feet, from eco-confetti to cockade boutonnieres, from hand made labels for condiments to a photobooth filled with props, there is an entire storybook of inspiration.

Everything came together to create a surreal yet sophisticated dream day. See more pictures of this wedding here and here and let your imagination run wild.

Source: Hello!Lucky and Martha Stewart Weddings
Photographers: Sara Remington and Gia Canali