cheap wedding inspiration

{Real Wedding} Emily & John’s Vintage-Tastic, Contemporary Southern, Rainy Day Wedding Celebration

You guys! We’ve got a SUPER huge treat today. Broke-Ass Bride’s very own Emily has decided to grace us with her very own wedding awesomeness and DAY-UM does she deliver.

via Whitney Huynh

Name: Emily & John

Occupation: Freelance writer/blogger/Etsy shop proprietor & Fisheries Biologist, respectively.

Wedding location: Decatur, GA

Wedding Date: February 18th, 2012

Budget: < $10K

via Whitney Huynh

via Whitney Huynh

via Theary Meak

How would you describe your wedding? We wanted our wedding to feel more like a big party, with all the things we love. We’re foodies, music snobs, vintage enthusiasts – and we love a good cocktail, so obviously these were our priorities.

What was your favorite part of your wedding? I had almost no expectations about things like, you know, the ceremony – in fact, I fully expected to trip coming down the aisle, or have something go terribly amiss – but looking back, this was actually one of my favorite parts of the day. It was perfect. I got a little choked up – much to everyone’s surprise – I am NOT a crier! Also, having about 95% of the people I love in this world in the same room was a big deal for me.

via Whitney Huynh

via Whitney Huynh

via Whitney Huynh

via Theary Meak

What did you splurge on? We splurged on the things that people generally splurge on when throwing a wedding – the food, and the venue. Initially I didn’t expect to spend so much on the venue itself, but it took us a long time to find our ideal venue – and because it was a community center, we felt good about where our money was going.

What did you save on? Photography, flowers, music, and my officiant. The photography was definitely the biggest save – I snagged my dream photographer Whitney Huynh, via Wish Upon A Wedding  - an online charity auction site that provides dream weddings for couples who are facing serious illnesses or life-altering circumstances.  I paid a RIDICULOUSLY low price for a $4K wedding package – so low in fact, that I’m too ashamed to quote it here. It included 2 photographers (but I actually got 3!), a photobooth, and even more goodies!

I also made a crazy-amazing trade with my fabulous florist, Juli Vaughn Events. I fully intended on doing the wedding flowers myself, to save money – but my mom wanted to go with a traditional florist. We brought this up in front of my caterer, who recommended me to Juli. I was about to make a cross-country move, and I had a lot of choice vintage and antique goodies to unload – so Juli and I made a swap. A bunch o’ typewriters, oscillating fans,  my epic collection of mason jars, and a smattering of vintage cameras, for wholesale pricing on flowers. #WIN.

My officiant, Brenda M Owen, aka The WeddingWoman,  actually found me through my blogging gig here, and gave me a nice little “wedding blogger’s discount” (Being a wedding blogger has its perks, y’all!).

We also opted out of hiring a DJ or a band – my parents were really pushing for that, but John and I both have very exacting musical tastes, so we made our own playlists for the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dance sesh, brought our own pair of kickin’ vintage speakers and sound equipment, and even made CD playlist favors!

We also saved a TON on decor by using what we had (VINTAGE), and hitting up Target the day-after X-mas to save BIG on string lights and other doo-dads. I understand that not everyone has a giant arsenal of vintage and antique treats in their personal collection, but still…you likely have something sitting around your home that could make your event design scheme infinitely more interesting!

via Whitney Huynh

via Whitney Huynh

via Whitney Huynh

via Whitney Huynh

Was there anything you would have done differently, in retrospect? I would have invited more people. We invited 75, knowing only 50 would show. As the RSVPs trickled in, I realized barely a third of those in attendance would be under 30, and only a tiny number were single! (That made me feel seriously old.) As a result, there were fewer people on the dance floor than I had hoped – the libations didn’t turn enough non-dancers into dancers, unfortunately!

via Theary Meak

via Theary Meak

via Theary Meak

via Theary Meak

What was your biggest challenge in planning? Well, despite the fact that we’d been engaged for 2.5 years, we planned this entire shindig in 3 months. That was challenging – but what was really challenging was the cross-country move that got jammed in right at the halfway point. My hubs got a job offer he couldn’t refuse, so off we went to Reno, NV.

Also, I am pretty laid back – my mom and dad are both EXTREME worriers. It only took one parental freak-out for me to realize that I was going to have to be totally on my game with the wedding planning, so that we could all still be on good terms by the time they walked me down the aisle together.

What lessons did you learn from planning or from the wedding itself? Expect surprises – and be open to them! My wedding turned out to be much more fabulous than I ever could’ve anticipated.

What were your top 5 favorite things about your wedding?

The one thing that touched me the most was how much John LOVED everything. He had been very involved with planning, but we were both elated with how beautifully things turned out. He said “Best day ever” at least half a dozen times. And he was right!

MY FLOWERS were absolutely amazeballs. I was seriously going to make little arrangements myself, and I’m sure I would’ve been satisfied with them, but having professional arrangements, bouquets, and boutonnieres really bumped my wedding up a notch. (I have to pimp Juli Vaughn Events here again – Atlanta brides, take note!) We also rented an antique bar cart, chairs for our photobooth, and a black chandelier from Four Inch Fold. These larger pieces rounded out our vintage look quite nicely!

MY CEREMONY! Because of our big move, Brenda and I never actually got to meet until my wedding day – something she was a little anxious about (because she’s such a PRO). But everything worked out splendidly – Brenda crafted a beautiful, moving ceremony that we’ll always cherish. Also, the time immediately following the ceremony was really special. After we got hugs and kisses from all our guests, we ran out in the rain with our photographers for a few couple portraits. These photos are my absolute faves from the whole day. We were so pumped up with love.

MY BRIDESMAIDS! My b-maids were/are the 3 ladies I love most – and I was so happy they traveled from all over the country to be there! FABULOUS LADY TIMES.

THE FOOD! We queried a LOT of caterers, and we really didn’t think we were going to be able to get the food we HAD to have for the price we wanted. We lived in Athens, GA for almost 3 years before our move to Nevada, and we LOVED locavore, contemporary Southern cuisine. The menus that looked the tastiest to us were often more than double what we wanted to spend on catering, and included ridiculous, excess charges that we simply couldn’t fathom paying ($500 for a coffee service?!). Zest Atlanta Catering TOTALLY got us. They understood what we wanted, they wowed us with a totally opulent tasting spread, and when they gave us a quote, the food was SO much more affordable than comparable menus we’d seen!

via Theary Meak

via Theary Meak

Top 5 least favorite?

I really have no complaints – it was a PERFECT day. I’ve been reading about “real weddings” for so long, I was prepared for anything (and prepared not to lose my cool) – but everything was so much better than I ever expected.

Ok fine, I have one or two complaints. John and I love fancy cheese – so we had our caterer do a beautiful cheese spread using Sweet Grass Dairy cheese – Sweet Grass is a Georgia dairy farm, so we were stoked to share our little foodie obsession with our wedding guests. It was by all accounts, an awesome spread, which I did I not get to taste any of, or even see! Things move really fast at weddings, so don’t be surprised if you don’t get to stuff your face with apps between your ceremony and reception.

Also, I only had one bite of my wedding cake – on top of our dessert table, our cake was totally excessive (but still beautiful). So keep that in mind if you’re doing a dessert table – you probably only need cake for half your guests.

What was the worst piece of wedding advice you received?

Peeps – when you start throwing ideas like “wedding taco bars” around, people start to freak. My friends were freaking in a good way – others (like my parents) were slightly appalled. Be prepared to defend your stance, pick your battles, and make an occasional concession – but make sure the wedding day you get matches your wedding vision, no matter what.

The best?

“Have a cocktail.” – this cures most wedding woes!

via Whitney Huynh

Wedding Vendors:

My Dress: Venus Bridals, purchased at The Bridal Outlet of Atlanta

Bridesmaid Dresses: Nordstrom

Hair & Make-up: BB Salon

Venue: The Solarium at Scottish Rite

Catering: Zest Atlanta Catering

Officiant: Brenda M. Owen, aka The WeddingWoman

Flowers: Juli Vaughn Designs

Photographers: Whitney Huynh,  Second Shooter: Theary Meak

Vintage Rentals: Four Inch Fold

Cake: Publix 

Story: Wedding Story Writer (This is a rather luxe new wedding service I got to test-run at my wedding at a STEEP discount, thanks to a writerly connection I made via Twitter! Again, the perks of being a wedding blogger…)

In addition to her bloggy duties at BAB, Emily also writes for BRIDEfinds, SHEfinds, and Zankyou’s Wedding Mag. She will totally be your BFF if you follow her on Twitter. 

{Real Save the Date} Ashley’s DIY and Yummy Teacher-Inspired Project

Happy Leap Day, Broke-Asses! Since this is kind of an odd day out, we’re going to take a break from our regularly scheduled weddings and engagements to bring you a very Broke-Ass Save the Date from the lovely Ashley. She channeled her and her husband’s professions as inspiration and used her money-conscious mind to dream up these babies. Take it away, ladyface!

Since my fiance and I are both teachers, we have sprinkled tiny little “teachery” elements into our wedding planning such as these save the dates, schoolhouse chairs and personalized pencils as party favors. We love our jobs, our students and each other very much, so why not highlight that with our wedding!?

I got my inspiration for our save the dates from things I already had around the house. I think I saw the heart apples on Pinterest, but pairing them with the books and chalkboard was my idea. As far as the emailing them out decision, that was all my fiance. He had NO preconceived notions of “wedding etiquette,” which has turned out to be pretty helpful. When I mention something like “we need to go buy $50 worth of stamps for our save the dates,” he replies “what is a save the date?” His obliviousness to all “do-it-because-everyone-does-it-that-way” wedding issues has really helped me to think about things. So, we decided to email our save-the-dates. It was FREE, people could click on our wedding website link, and it was FREE.

To make this scene, I used cookie cutters on the apples, a window chalkboard and old books. I then took pictures of it and created a collage in Picasa.

We are both secondary teachers in East Tennessee. We are having small ceremony in the forest where we got engaged, but are meeting up with all of our friends and extended family at a barn dance later that evening.

Thank you so much for sharing this, Ashley! Please come back and share you wedding and/or engagement pictures with us!! And congratulations!

The Broke-Ass Bride is always looking for rad-tastic Broke-Ass weddings and engagement sessions to feature. Interested? You can submit via Two Bright Lights or by emailing us directly!

xoxo

-Christen

{Real Wedding} Heather + Jacob’s Peacock Feathered, History Museum Super-Saver Wedding

Oh! Was I drooling? When this beauty of a wedding landed in my inbox, I just stared … and stared … and stared. Heather and Jacob had a stunning peacock-infused and SUPER budget-friendly event in Seattle. They are one handsome couple and the camera sure does love them. Get your bib ready and throw some plastic over your keyboard, because you’ll be sure to soak it with your own dribble.

Name: Heather and Jacob

Occupation: Café/Wine Bar Manager

Wedding location: Tacoma, Washington

Wedding Date: April 2, 2011

Budget: $10,000, but I think we spent around $12K

How would you describe your wedding:
Our wedding was a total expression of our personalities. It was fashionable, funky and creative but with lots of traditional and personal touches. I knew I wanted to go with peacock feathers, and choosing them opened the door to a beautiful, jewel-tone color scheme. We chose over-the-top venues, fun outfits for our wedding party, but maintained tradition by marrying in a chapel and having our pastor marry us. We both wrote our own vows … we were both crying so much we could hardly make it through the ceremony!

What was your favorite part of your wedding? I think listening to my husband’s wedding vows. I had not heard them before that point, and he was crying so hard … it was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. I was so full of love at that moment!

 My favorite “material” part of the wedding was our flowers. My bouquet was amazeballs!

What did you splurge on?
Photography and invitations.
Photography is really the only thing that really lasts forever, so we knew we wanted great photos. To me, invitations are really important because I believe they set the tone for the whole event.

What did you save on?
My dress was a sample gown that had been in the shop for six months and had never even been tried on. I think the owner was dying to get rid of it (guess no one else liked it!) so she gave me a huge discount.

I won an essay contest and got $300 off of our invitations (they still were pricey), we had a friend cater the wedding, and we DIYed as much as we could. I spent 13 hours the day before the wedding making our centerpieces and ceremony décor. I also made all the cake stands for the candy bar and had friends and family members make dessert. We even borrowed a cotton candy machine from a friend and spun our own cotton candy!

I also made all the table numbers and table squares, escort cards, the wishing tree and the bridesmaid’s hair fascinators. I had a whole year to plan, and I was literally working on crafts for an entire year!! Day of, I had friends do my hair and makeup, and stayed at a hotel that my parents’ friends own (free!).

Was there anything you would have done differently, in retrospect?
Honestly, everything went so smoothly that there isn’t anything I would change. We had help from a lot of friends and the day went off without a hitch. I still don’t get tired of looking at my wedding photos … I am still in love with the whole event!

What was your biggest challenge in planning?
Definitely having such a small budget for a wedding with 230 guests. We both had help from our families, but we still paid for most of the wedding ourselves. It took a ton of time, energy, and research to find the most cost effective version of everything. I probably spent thousands of hours on the Internet !! There were times when I thought it LITERALLY would not be possible, but it is! I managed to juggle full-time school, a full-time job, and planning a wedding and still did not come out completely broke!

What lessons did you learn from planning or from the wedding itself?
Organization. I am definitely more of a “free spirited” person than an organized person, but if you are planning a wedding on a budget, organization is key. You need to keep track of coupons and sales, as well as network with people. I used the homie hookup on whatever I could, and I think that’s part of the reason we were able to have such a beautiful wedding on a budget. We used connections through friends at church, our parent’s friends, and Facebook friends! I made lots of excel spreadsheets to keep track of how much we had spent and how much we had left to spend. I had to keep track of every tiny expense, even if it was 5 dollars!

What were your top 5 favorite things about your wedding?
1-the way my bridesmaids looked together. I think their dresses were amazing, and paired with the peacock fascinators, funky hosiery, sky-high heels, and lime green flowers… I don’t think I have ever seen a cooler bunch of bridesmaids!

2- our reception venue. We had it at a history museum and rented out all three floors. When  we walked into our reception it was like being on the loveboat—looking up at three floors of balcony filled with our loved ones cheering and applauding us. It was a surreal feeling. I might be biased but I think it was the coolest reception venue ever (especially since it had a mummy display)!

3- My flowers. They were more than I could have imagined—simply perfect! I even was in love with the flower girl’s dark purple pomander ball! (I used vintage brooches on the front of my bouquet, given to me by my mom)

4-Our wedding video. A very talented friend of ours did a wedding video for us as a gift—it turned out beautifully!

5-Having a candy buffet. Because we had at least 30 kids at our wedding, we really needed to do something they would love. Having a candy buffet complete with freshly spun cotton candy was a huge hit! I loved going around and greeting all of my guests and seeing them all with blue tongues.

Top 5 least favorite?
1. The fact that it ended! We only had our reception venue from 6:30 until 11:00, and I was really sad when everyone had to leave. The party was absolutely insane at our reception, and I think most of our guests moved on to an after party. I am so glad that people had so much fun! (boring receptions are the worst)

2. That we couldn’t have live music at our reception. We just couldn’t afford it, and opted for a DJ instead.
That’s really all I can think of… everything else was wonderful.

What was the worst piece of wedding advice you received?
Well, we had a lot of unique ideas and almost every single person in my life bashed all of my ideas. People could not believe we were doing a candy bar instead of a traditional wedding cake, or that we were doing a wishing tree instead of a guest book. Someone flat out told me that those ideas were disrespectful to our guests! People also knocked the lime green flowers idea, and the fact that I wanted to wear polka dot tight sunder my dress. However, I think once they saw everything together, they realized they were wrong!

The best?
I didn’t get any great advice. However, I am a really independent person and just went on with my planning by myself and didn’t really listen to what anyone else was saying. Planning a wedding is hard enough, you can’t let other people’s negative opinions and comments get to you! I am glad I stuck to my gut because I am SO PROUD of how my wedding turned out.

If you’ve been married for more than a year, what have been some challenges? It’s been the best 10 months of my life! In fact, we are expecting a little baby girl in May.
{Eds. note: CONGRATULATIONS!!!}

Any other bits of wisdom?
Always go with your gut. Only YOU know yourself best. Don’t let other people tell you “that dress is just not YOU” or, “really? You want your reception in a museum? That’s so not you!” Only you truly know your taste, and if you let other people make decisions for you, you might regret it in the long run.

Check out Heather & Jacob’s totally gorgeous wedding vid (WARNING: it might make you a little teary)

Heather and Jacob | Every sunrise and sunset from james dean on Vimeo.

Budget breakdown?
Food and rentals: $4,000
Photography: $2,600
Ceremony Venue: $300 (score! My husband’s aunt was an employee at the venue)
Reception Venue: $1200
Dress: $800
Flowers: $1,000
Décor: (DIY) $600
Invitations: $500
Candy bar: $200 (lots of DIY, bought candy from bulk website)
DJ: $900
Videographer, wedding veil, and desserts were all gifted!

Vendors:
Dress: Jasmine Collection
Veil: Vera Wang
Shoes: Paris Hilton
Hair Flower: Nordstrom
Bracelets: Forever 21
Groom’s Suit: Tommy Hilfiger
Groom’s Tie: Urban Outfitters
Groom’s Shoes: Steve Madden
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Betsey Johnson, XOXO, David’s Bridal
Bridesmaid’s tights: Nordstrom
Bridesmaid’s Shoes: Steve Madden
Hair fascinators: Made by bride
Cocktail rings: Forever 21
Groomsmen outfits: All H&M
Groomsmen ties: Urban Outfitters
Flowergirl dress: David’s Bridal
Ring Bearer’s outfits: JC Penney
Flowers: Debra’s Botanical Design
Ceremony Venue: Kilworth Memorial chapel
Reception Venue: Washington State History Museum
DJ/Lighting: Adam’s DJ Service
Photographer: Clane Gessel Photography
Videographer: James Dean
Invitations: Peacock Invitations on Etsy

-Christen

{Wedding Inspiration} Rose Gold Colored Glasses

This week’s wedding inspiration is all about my new obsession: rose gold. I can’t get enough of it. I want it on my nail polish, my rings, and my shoes! I’ve been loving pinterest lately and pinned a bunch of great rose gold items to inspire you!

Since I’ve been pinning these items, I can’t link where you can find them, but I can tell you that the gown is Marchesa, the shoes are Brian Atwood, the lipstick is Dolce & Gabbana, and the adorable “love” necklace is from Sydney Evans.

This rose gold is very similar to the blush trend only it’s shiny! Can’t go wrong with that, right?

Also, I can’t help but love this confetti system gold backdrop and the dreamy looking gold cake! Wonder if they can make those in rose gold?Would you go bold with a metallic themed wedding or would you want to keep your day more simple and streamlined?

{Guest Post} DIY Wedding Bouquets from ElsieCake!

The most-fabulous Elsie, who you might better know as ElsieCake, or A Beautiful Mess, or from Red Velvet Shop… was kind enough to let us share her DIY bouquet tutorial from her incredibly awesome wedding… so here it is! Enjoy, ladies, and try to keep the drool from hitting your keyboards
_____________________________________

When I started planning our wedding I knew right away that I wanted to make my own flowers. I love creative flower arrangements. I wanted something different. I also knew that if we chose not to hire a florist that we’d save thousands of dollars (hooray!) What I didn’t know was how much FUN I would have with my bridesmaids making our bouquets. It was so so much fun and didn’t take much time at all!

If you’re considering making your own bouquets, read on! I can tell you from my personal experience that this was one of the simplest DIYs that we tried (along with the DIY Boutonnieres and DIY Corsages too!) I’ll share some tips with you….

I loved what each of the bridesmaids created! We had a bouquet making party after the rehearsal dinner. Each of the girls made their own bouquet. They each had special details like the bird charm hanging from Holly’s bouquet and Katie’s berry branches. I liked that they were all a little bit different.

Rachel snapped this photo on the morning of the wedding.

Make Your Own Bouquet

Step 1: Collect Supplies. For my wedding bouquets I used fresh flowers, handmade velvet flowers, berry twigs, feather birds, feathers and vintage brooches. I also used some family heirloom ribbon (vintage tatting) and velvet ribbon that I found the first month we were dating! Choose accents that are personal to you!

Step 2: Start from the center and build the floral base of your bouquet. Work your way out by adding more and more flowers.

Step 3: Wrap the stems with floral tape. Use as much as you need to make it feel secure. The floral tape should go where ever you plan to wrap the ribbon. The ribbon will eventually hide it completely!

Step 4: Add accent piece such as feather birds (they have wires underneath that can secure them onto blooms) or feathers.

Step 5: Wrap the base of your stems (over the floral tape) with a pretty ribbon. I also tied some lace on mine as an accent.

Ta-Da! Here’s a finished bouquet.

Have fun creating your own pretty bouquets… XO! elsie

Photos by Arrow & Apple, DIY pics by Emma & I.

{Wedding Inspiration} Blueberry Fields Forever

In keeping with my fruity wedding inspiration themes, this week’s color is……blue….for blueberries. I can’t even tell you how much I love blueberries, and furthermore, how much I LOOOOVE the color blue during the summa-time! Or rather, turquoise.

The combination of turquoise and gold makes me heart flutter. I bought two new pieces of jewelry this week and later on noticed that they both happen to be turquoise and gold. Maybe it’s the fact that I was raised on Notre Dame football (blue and gold) or maybe it’s the fact that my mom has a massive stash of lovely blue and gold jewels, but I just can’t help loving this color combo.

The jewels are all Kenneth Jay Lane and can be found here. The dress can be found here. The turquoise shoes are here. And the gold shoes are TOMS (comfy, and cute, AND giving back to those in need? YES PLEASE!) Oh, and my latest turquoise nail color love is not from Dior, but rather Essie in “turquoise and caicos.” Check it out, your fingies will thank me!

As far as decor for a turquoise and gold wedding goes, I love simplicity. Fill up some mason jars with locally grown blueberries and set them on the table. Lemons and limes look great as centerpieces, so why not blueberries?! Frame your favorite blueberry recipes and place them on the table as well. Encourage guests to snack on them during cocktail hour and take home the extras after the wedding. Nothing goes to waste then! For some gold accents, you can get some billy balls and put them in blue mason jars. You can leave them yellow or spray paint them (did you know you could spray paint or paint flowers? You can!)

In lieu of a cake, serve up some blueberry tarts! With some blueberry lemonade to drink of course (I happen to be drinking homemade blueberry lemonade as I type this)!

Source

What is inspiring your big day? What colors are you loving lately? Have a color suggestion or theme for a wedding you’d like to see a mood board for? Let me know and you might just see it here!

-Maddie.

{Can’t Afford It/Get Over It} The Casual Reception Dress

This week’s CAI/GOI request comes from a bride who needs a more casual wedding gown for her BBQ reception.  But since she has already spent the big bucks on the ceremony gown, she’s looking to spend way, way less on the reception look.  Check out bride Liz’s plea:

Hello – I was hoping for some help with my “Can’t afford it!” I am having a traditional wedding with a casual BBQ reception at a park, and therefore would like a shorter lace dress to wear at the reception. However, all of the ones I find seem to be in the $300+ range – not bad if it was my only dress, but this is #2 and I’m on a tight budget.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks! – Liz

Wanna see the $368 Lilly Pulitzer dress she’s got her eyes on?  Be careful, you may fall in love with it too… but luckily, I have put together an enormous list of beautiful, more affordable options below it.  Most of the Get Over It looks I found are under $100, and many of them are under $50!

Can’t Afford It:

Get Over It:

1. Lucky Brand. $89.99.

2. Rare. $75.31.

3. Free People. $98.00.

4. Top Shop. $98.00.

5. Pins and Needles. $79.00.

6. Cooperative. $59.00.

7. TFNC. $39.45.

8. Top Shop. $90.00.

9. Vava by Joy Han. $85.00.

10. Aqua. $88.00.

11. Top Shop. $90.00.

12. Top Shop. $98.00.

13. Lulu’s. $55.00.

14. Rebecca. $71.00.

15. Top Shop. $100.00.

16. Yumi. $64.55.

17. Asos. $35.86.

18. Free People. $49.95.

19. A Wear. $71.72.

20. Asos. $80.69

21. Vila. $44.83.

22. Free People. $128.

23. Mod Cloth. $89.99.

24. Soo Lee. $109.99.

25. Mod Cloth. $74.99.

26. H&M. $29.95.

27. Victoria’s Secret. $65.50.

28. TFNC. $41.24.

29. Warehouse. $44.83.

30. Asos. $39.45.

Miss any CAI/GOI magic? Catch up here:

• What if I can’t afford a budget bridal gown?
• Can’t Afford it? Get Over it, Pt 1
• Short/Tea Length Gowns
• Break up with Oscar, Fall in Love with David
• Now Taking Requests
• Amsale Edition
• Lhuillier Lace Fiesta
• Your Requests Answered
• Pnina, Claire, Melissa, & Amsale
• Can’t Afford the “Carrie”? Get Over It with these Gowns
• Jovani “Get Over it” Wedding Gown Gallery
• A Groom’s Request for his Bride
• Alterations Included
• Under $200
• Grace Kelly Inspired Gowns with Sleeves
• The Sash Bride
• Off-Le-Shoulder Gowns
• Illusion Necklines
• The Textured Look
• Swiss Dots & Polka Dots
• Shoes… Yes, Shoes!
• The Sheath Dress
• Veils… Yes, Veils!
• Save Your B-maids Some Bucks!
• Lace Covered Pumps
• Curing Your ‘Something Blues’ With Shoes

{Wedding Inspiration} Fruit-spiration

This weeks wedding inspiration is all about color! I love lots of it. Color, color, color! When it comes to choosing wedding colors, it can be a bit overwhelming. Do you go with your favorite color? Do you go with a color that will look good on all of your bridesmaids? How do you find inspiration for color combinations?

Well, whenever I need to find new color combos or inspiration, I look to nature. I visit a butterfly exhibit, I walk through gardens and the flower mart, and I even find inspiration in the produce section. Crazy, I know, but some of the best color combinations are sitting right in front of us on our kitchen counters! So I’m starting a new short series where I’ll be using fruit as inspiration for wedding colors. This week, we’re starting at the beginning (it’s a very good place to start) of the rainbow with some reds and oranges!

Red and green is a great color combo. Most people think it’s reserved for Christmas and the holidays, but if you pair a coral-y red with a lime or olive green, tah-dah! You get a fantastic combination of colors that pop! It’s so perfect for the summer too!

This color combination was inspired by peaches and blood oranges. I love the reds and peachy oranges paired with pops of yellow. Staying in the same color family is a great idea for a bride who wants color in her wedding, but doesn’t want to go too crazy with it. Putting your bridesmaids in all different shades of the same color family also looks great in photos, and allows you to pick colors that compliment all of your bridesmaids.

Not gonna lie, this last color combo is my new favorite! Who would have thought that orange and green would look good together?! I think I need to go out and buy an outfit like this for myself. I’m just head over heels with the sea foam greens and peachy colors here.

What do you think? Would you use this bold color combination for your wedding? How are you deciding on colors for your big day? What are they? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

And if you would like your own wedding inspiration board tailored for you and your wedding, drop us an email and we’ll create something specially for you.

-Maddie.