Peacock Color Palette

One of my current brides has chosen a "peacock" color palette for her wedding & reception. Given that her wedding is in October, these jewel tones (think teal, olive, deep blues) will look amazing! I wanted to share some inspiring photos for how to pull off this color palette (and use peacock feathers in a tasteful manner!).

Feathers get a bad reputation, but this gorgeous centerpiece tastefully incorporates peacock feathers (they're almost "dripping" down the side of the vase!). Also, note how well the plum fabrics work with the peacock colors...






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This bride's bouquet is so thick with color and texture - I love how the peacock feathers are peeking out from behind the arrangement. Subtle, yet very striking!




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I normally don't prefer iridescent fabrics, but with a peacock palette, it just works. I love how the teal hues tie in with the feather adornments, and also love the plum/burgundy accessories. It's hard to believe this linen is the same one that's shown in the first picture above (which looks more plum-colored) - amazing what light and angle will do to an iridescent fabric!





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All pictures are from this post on the Karen Tran Florals Blog.

My Version: DIY Centerpieces

I hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day weekend! While relaxing indoors (since it was rainy most of Monday in Indy), I made a few tissue paper flowers like I mentioned I would in my last post. Here are some pictures:

I decided to go for a peach & turquoise color palette...



{Source: author's personal collection}

I must have bought the most delicate tissue paper ever because the layers were super-difficult to pull apart, but I think the end-result was quite lovely! I bought a multi-color tissue paper pack from JoAnn's Fabric for about $10.

Here's one big flower - I think it looks cute all by itself!



I used cheap-o glass containers (old soda bottles, juice carafes, anything I could find that was glass and wasn't cracked) from Goodwill - I love the look of non-matching vases.

It took me about 5 minutes to make each flower, so if you were thinking about doing this for your wedding, you should allocate approximately this amount of time per flower.

Another DIY Centerpiece Idea

I just saw this DIY flower arrangement idea on Country Living (I occasionally browse this website for decorating inspiration) and thought it looked so easy & simple - I had to post about it for the crafty brides!






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Imagine tissue/crepe paper flowers in your wedding colors, or if you are a sewing-fanatic, flowers cut from vintage sewing patterns (like in the picture above)! Click here for instructions (skip to the second slide in the slideshow).

I am DEFINITELY making some of these flowers for the sad, empty vases currently sitting on the mantle above my fireplace. :)

Monochromatic Bouquets

I have some fabulous bouquet eye candy for you today, my friends!

I think monochromatic (sticking to one color or color family) floral arrangements look so lush and beautiful, so I wanted to show some of my favorites from Martha Stewart's Weddings:





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Green Floral Arrangements

There was a point in time when I did not like the idea of an all-green bouquet or centerpiece. But slowly, I've been coming around. Now, when I look at a bunch of green flowers, words like "fresh" and "clean" and "modern" and "chic" come to mind. I actually really, really like the look of all-green! What do you think? Have you ever changed your mind about something you once disliked but now absolutely love??



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Mason Jar Inspiration

I love mason jars. They are so simple, rustic, cute & functional (not to mention: CHEAP)! If I were planning my wedding again (I know I say that way too often!), I would HAVE to find some way to use them.

Just some of the ways a mason jar can be used:

• Candle holder
• Vase
• Beverage glasses
• Hanging lanterns
• Candy bar containers
• Pen holder for your guest book/wishing well/what-have-you table

And some pictures to inspire you:

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Love Affair with Peonies

My favorite flower is hands-down the peony. So chic, so lovely, so ethereal... I can't get enough of them.



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A fun fact about the peony: It is the state flower of Indiana!

If you plan on using peonies at your wedding, keep in mind that peonies are generally in bloom in mid- to late-spring; sometimes into early summer. [Using in-season flowers can help you keep your floral budget low.]

Our Floral Order

The florist we hired for our wedding called me last night to ask if I could send her some pictures to use on her website, and that got me thinking... Maybe I should share my florist order with you, in case it helps you out when thinking of how many arrangements you'll need for your wedding. Of course, your wedding will most likely differ from mine, so this is just a starting point.

[By the way, my florist's name is Shana from Petals & Pots. E-mail me if you'd like her contact information! All images below taken by Lemongrass Photography.]

{Above: My bouquet... TR's boutonniere...}

{Above: Bridesmaid bouquet sitting in a vase @ our headtable... Flower girl's pomander...}

Ceremony Floral Arrangements (Role, Type of Arrangement, Quantity)

Bride - Bridal bouquet - 1

Bridesmaid - Bouquet - 5

Flower girl - Pomander - 2

Groom - Boutonniere - 1
Groomsman - Boutonniere - 6
Ring bearer - Boutonniere - 1
Usher - Boutonniere - 3
Father of the bride - Boutonniere - 1
Father of the groom - Boutonniere - 1
Step-father of the bride - Boutonniere - 1
Grandfather of the bride - Boutonniere - 1
Grandfather of the groom - Boutonniere - 1
Godfather of the bride - Boutonniere - 1
Godfather of the groom - Boutonniere - 1
18 total boutonnieres

Mother of the bride - Wrist corsage - 1
Mother of the groom - Wrist corsage - 1
Grandmother of the bride - Wrist corsage - 1
Grandmother of the groom - Wrist corsage - 1
Godmother of the bride - Wrist corsage - 1
Female Greeter/Guestbook - Wrist corsage - 5
Female reader - Wrist corsage - 2
12 total wrist corsages

Guest book table - Vase arrangement - 1

Reception Floral Order

Centerpiece worksheet:

Total # of guests including wedding party (predicted) = 195

• # guests at head table = 13
• # in regular tables = 182

Regular table seating capacity = 10 people

182/10 = 19 tables

19 Centerpieces

6 vases on head table for bridesmaid bouquets

Bright Pops of Color

I have admired this New York State wedding for over a month and have yet to post about it... since I've got some spare time today, I just had to pick out a few of my favorite photos. The details and cheery colors are so amazing!

{Credit: I discovered this wedding on Design*Sponge's blog and all images were found on frecklegirl76's Flickr page}

Ceremony location... Pomanders are the cutest floral arrangements ever. I love them as aisle-liners, too.

You all know by now how much I love paper lanterns... and I'm starting to prefer long tables over round tables for receptions...

A beautiful rendition of the branch-seating-card display... Check out that calligraphy! I wish I could have splurged on having all of my paper items done by a calligrapher. It just adds a very distinct touch of personalization to everything!

Favors for guests: Homemade syrups with funky cloth squares covering the lids...

Table setting... Totally love the "groom" tag pinned to the glass. I did this for my Thanksgiving table setting!

Table numbers & menu... the turquoise ink really pops against the soft orange of the dahlia. Speaking of the dahlia: who says a centerpiece has to be elaborate and consist of tons of flowers?? The tiny tree trunks and clear glass vase for the bunch of flowers get the job done simply and (probably) cost-effectively!

This wedding is just beautiful!! I absolutely ADORE all of the personal touches.

Summer Floral Inspiration

On such a chilly day, it really brighted my mood and warmed up my thoughts when I saw this array of beautiful orange, yellow and pink flowers over on Mindy Rice's website (found via Style Me Pretty):




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The splash of aqua (the cake! the tie! the bike!) adds such a refreshing coolness to the warm color palette. I just love it! I also adore the long rectangular tables, the vine-ripened oranges hanging overhead, and the rustic urns that the cake & flowers sit upon. There isn't anything I dislike about this decor!

Real Wedding: Ashley & Chris

As promised, here are some professional pics from Ashley & Chris' October 11th wedding... openField Photography took some amazing photos and were nice enough to create this handy collage! :) Thanks so much! To view all of the Ashley & Chris' wedding pics, here's a link to openField's blog post.

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Again, I should put a disclaimer here: I didn't come up with these wedding designs. These were all Ashley & Chris' creations - I just made sure everything was set up appropriately, kinda like a day-of wedding coordinator would do. It was so much fun to be a guest at their wedding!


Another disclaimer: I still need to post pics of their candy bar ~ it was so perfect! In fact, Ashley's candy bar was so cool, I told her she would have to be my "candy bar consultant" if my brides choose to have one! :)

What I Wish I Would Have Known #3

You really CAN have a do-it-yourself wedding!

Many brides start planning their wedding with the idea that they will make everything themselves. Why buy an aisle runner from a store when all you need is some muslin, a printer, paper, tape, paint, and a bit of thread?? I never once thought I could be that type of bride. My crafty skills are rusty (I haven't made anything since a clay thumb-pot in the 5th grade) and I just figured I'd have to pay for pre-made items.

I was so wrong. Sadly, I discovered my favorite wedding blogs about three months prior to my wedding date. After reading so many excellent ideas for my wedding & reception, I was ITCHING to do something creative. I wanted EVERYTHING to have a handmade touch. This is the dangerous effect of wedding blogs! After telling my fiance all of my "fun ideas", he practically begged me to forget them all. He's seen me stressed out, and he was trying to prevent a meltdown. But I really, really wanted to make something - anything - for the wedding. If nothing more than to say to someone, "I made that!"

I toyed with the idea of cancelling on my florist so I could hand-make paper flower arrangements (see below) - I even went so far as to warn my florist I was thinking about this idea - but after making ONE FLOWER from Paper Source's flower kit, I decided against it. There was NO WAY I was going to put myself through the torture of making a hundred or more paper flowers.

Bottom line: There was just not enough time to make all of the things I wanted to make. I should have started reading these blogs MONTHS beforehand!! But I didn't even know wedding blogs existed during the first half of our engagement. To think of what could have been had I discovered Weddingbee at the 12-month-away mark...

Here are some pictures of what my flowers could have looked like (images from Paper Source):



One project I was able to complete (with the help of a particularly crafty bridesmaid) prior to the wedding was the place card ribbon board display. I was inspired by this picture on Martha Stewart's website:



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Each of these cute ideas were featured on various wedding blogs. I have started a list of my favorite blogs on the side of my blog ~ please take a look! You might just be inspired to make something!!