Category — {Ceremony}

While perusing Martha Stewart Weddings today (I know, what else is new), I stumbled upon some seriously stunning flower power and kinda became obsessed.  You kn0w how it is.  So, after gathering up my absolute favorites, I thought I’d bring them back here for you guys to see.

Flowers: pink cabbage roses (gathered from Martha’s East Hampton garden)…

Flowers: grape-hyacinth and lavender florets…

Flowers: roses, cactus dahlias, and pompom dahlias (accented with oak leaves and acorns)…

Flowers: ‘Nikko Blue’ hydrangea plus blue lace flower mix with scabiosa and nigella…

Flowers: millinery (fabric) blossoms…

Flowers: giant peonies and ruffly sweet peas…

Flowers: five varieties of roses — ‘Blue Curiosa,’ ‘Rustique,’ ‘Sahara,’ ‘Esther,’ and ‘Magic Silver’ — plus a single saffron ‘Oriental Curiosa’…

Flowers: miniature calla lilies and ranunculuses…

We all want our weddings to be great, and this can mean many things to many people.  It all depends on who you ask.  It can mean keeping with tradition.  It can mean standing out from the rest.  It can mean showing our personalities, and our uniqueness, both as individuals and as a couple.  However, regardless of how it’s defined, one thing’s for sure – we all want that extra special thing, whatever it may be, so that everyone who has come to celebrate this momentous occasion in our lives will remember it always, as our wedding.

So, how about balloons? Hehe.

Mansion from Tim Walker, via Santa Barbara Wedding Chic

Overexposed via Oh Happy Day

Photos by Jill Thomas, via Once Wed

Photos by Jessica Johnston

Photos by Caroline Tran, via The Knot

Photo by Max Wanger

By the way, remember this post?  Truly one of the more awesome balloon shoots I’ve had the pleasure of seeing…

Totally worth a look-see.

Ok, so clearly those are engagement shots – and while brilliant shots, they aren’t weddings.  So here’s an actual wedding with the balloon idea implemented.  I LOVE how the crisp, white spheres line both sides of the aisle, adding such incredible structure to the photos.  There’s an intensity here, with the focus so clearly on the marrying couple… and it’s very much a result of the double row of balloons, which serve to guide your eyes towards the center.  It’s clean, it’s powerful, and it’s beautiful.

Sticking with the white wedding theme, howsabout this…

Via Style Me Pretty

Via B Magazine

Here are a few more of my favorite engagement shots.  Don’t you love the creativity of these couples?  A prop like this can really ease out the playfulness that is so essential with engagement shoots.  The Bubblicious is your call.  If you teach for a living, I imagine it’s not for you.  (In fact, if you’re anything like the teachers I had in grade school, you’re probably aching for these girls to trash the chewing gum posthaste.)

Though, I must say, these two young ladies pull it off quite nicely…

Photos by SimplyBloom Photography, via Green Wedding Shoes

Photos by Jill Thomas, via Green Wedding Shoes

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One last thing: I caught wind of The Cherry Blossom Girl on a visit to decor8 one day, and found this precious little balloon brooch, by Stolen Thunder.  If you really love balloons – like, REALLY – but don’t know if they fit in all that smoothly with the rest of your decor, well then here’s a darling way to show your affection for the them.  If it’s not the right fit for your look that day, then it could be the perfect bridesmaids’ gift, no?  I admit, I think it’s just too cute not to make up an excuse to buy a few of ‘em.  So that’s kind of what I’m doing right now.

Must capture:

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Typography treasures for the tables +

Obviously, there will be dancing:

Delicious details I must create +

A look I’m loving +

A REALLY GENEROUS gift for your bridesmaids +

A stationery suite that screams glamour and glitz +

Lovely light blue! +

A little gold leaf can go a long way +

More adorable phrases with which to adorn the tables

And finally, some stellar bouquet inspiration +

Here’s my new invitation idea: send them calendars w/ your date circled? +

The way I’d like to “belt” my gown +

Favors for a winter wedding +

{via wickedlyfab}

I’m sure you’ve seen some form of it… I think by now we all have.  Maybe it happened at your friend’s wedding, or you might have seen photos of it happening online somewhere.

Pictures of some form of this are among the most unforgettable images we see across the wide spectrum of images snapped during a wedding – it adds fantasy and fun to this already emotionally magical moment, and it can be the key to one seriously amazing exit shot.

What is it?  It’s whatever your guests are going to throw at you, blow at you, wave over you, or float in your general direction as you and your new sidekick-for-life exit the site of your ceremony.  And you have some options here, so choose wisely!  One quick note of advice before we begin:  be sure to check with your venue about any restrictions they may have before you fall in love with any one choice.  Depending on the site, rice, and even bubbles, might not be among your options!  Ok, let’s begin…

{Martha Stewart Weddings}

RICE ~ Here’s the widely disputed 411: it has been rumored for quite some time that uncooked rice is a serious health hazard to birds.  The belief is that when the rice mixes with liquids in the bird’s stomach, it expands and the bird perishes as a result.  That sounds HORRIBLE and I doubt any of you want to hurt a helpless little birdie.  Well, the current understanding is that this is nothing but a rumor, and that rice is perfectly safe for any wildlife attending your ceremony.  But don’t celebrate yet; many venues do not allow guests to throw rice, so you should check with your venue before making any decisions.

Even though it seems that the death-by-rice rumor has been debunked, that doesn’t mean it’s safe for your face.  So if this bird thing is in fact a rumor, I’d suspect it was started by a very smart engaged couple who were just trying to avoid this:

{via uphaa}

Ouch.

So, let’s say you’ve ditched the rice but still really like the pellet-pitching approach?  How about supplying the post-ceremony line-up with birdseed?  It’s undoubtedly bird-friendly, and still gives you the all-important feeling of tradition that so many of us seek for our nuptials.  And if you want to take it really far, you could celebrate birds and make it a wedding theme of sorts!  Here are some absolutely darling ways to bring out the birds on your big day (I simply couldn’t choose just a few, so here’s a shot of nine ideas I loooove:

And a few more, just ’cause…

{1, cottonbirddesigns; 2 & 3, Martha Stewart Weddings}

ROSE PETALS ~ Maybe you’ve chosen to go with rose petals.  A lovely and much softer, gentler choice, both on the environment and your decolletage.  (Who wants to pick rice from within their bosom?)  Those rank among the major pros of choosing to provide your guests with a handful of rose petals to toss over you as you make your exit.  Here’s a small con of which you may not have been aware: someone has to sweep it all up, and your venue might charge you for that service.  Not awesome.  But if you’re ok with that, I’m ok with that… because when I look at this absolutely magical photo from one of the most elegant and beautiful weddings I’ve seen out there in the ether, any cost seems justified… 

{Photos by Max Wanger via 100 layer cake}

By the way, there are other wow factor ways to add the delicate beauty of rose petals to your ceremony; just check out this awe-inspiring pathway of pretty petals:

{Martha Stewart Weddings}

SPARKLERS ~ Oooohh I love sparklers.  One of those guaranteed WoW factors.  How naive I once was to have thought their only purpose was to bring in the New Year!  Ever since I first saw these bright light beauties being held high, flanking the exit path of a thrilled bride and her groom as they exited their ceremony site, they have held a special place in the wedding-planning chamber of my heart.

Pros: they are a ridiculously good time, they shimmer and shine, they guarantee an AH-MAZING photo, and they make people smile.

Cons: although I’ve never heard of an accident involving sparkler use, they do seem a tad dangerous.  I don’t know for sure, it’s just a feeling.  Anything that gets lit has to be a little bit dangerous, no?  (And that works for both lit objects and lit people.)

Yes, your wedding can look like this, too (!!!)…

{Photo via ever after planner}

{Photo via bridal inquirer}

{Photo via elizabeth anne designs}

{Photo by Holland Photo Arts via brides.com}

BUBBLES: I love bubbles!  Here’s what’s great about them: they are light, low-impact (who has ever gotten hurt by a bubble in the face?), rainbow-colored floating spheres that take us back to a time when we were kids at play.  WHAT IS BETTER THAN THAT?  Not much.

{via wizards4weddings}

{wickedlyfab}

{Photo by Sakura Photography via bridal inquirer}

{Photo by Sakura Photography via bridal inquirer}

{via elizabeth anne designs}

Remember this YouTube sensation?  28-year-olds Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson had their entire bridal party — seven bridesmaids, five groomsmen and four ushers — dance down the aisle to the tune of Chris Brown’s “Forever” in this amazing video.  Simple but strong choreography coupled with sincere dedication resulted in an experience that will live on forever in their video.  You’ve probably seen it a dozen times, but in case you’d like to take another look (it’s just so uplifting!)…

Guess what?  They’ve done something wonderful that trumps even their own dance down the aisle.

I think we’ve all heard about what transpired between pop singers Rihanna and Chris Brown.  Well, on the heels of this horrible story, newlyweds Jill and Kevin – whose dance sequence was performed to a song by the accused domestic abuser – turned the massive internet success of their wedding video into a means of raising funds to combat violence.  How WONDERFUL is that?!  Interested in making a donation?  Or if you’d just like to take a look at that video again, please check out their site.