2013 Wedding Trends

Unique Rustic Wedding Ideas

November 4, 2016 by lilly

Rustic Romance

A Rustic Wedding Theme can be put together for bride’s of all personalities, whether you’re laid back and simple or whether you like all the glitz and glamour that goes along with a traditional wedding. A rustic or country wedding is also a green and budget friendly wedding idea, with a lot of cost savings in the diy rustic wedding projects and the ability to use elements and decorations strait from nature.

Location

The first, and probably most important thing to consider when planning a rustic wedding, is your Rustic Wedding Location. An outdoor setting is clearly the easiest way to really get that rustic feel, such as a national park with lots of tall trees, a barn, or even the beach! The idea is to incorporate nature and all of it’s beauty into your special day. A Vintage Rustic Wedding is also a cute idea; mixing old and new. I love the idea of using vintage cars or trucks as props, and it looks particularly stunning in your wedding photos.

The Stationery

The Rustic Wedding Invitations that you choose really set the tone for your wedding, and give your guests an idea of what to expect. Be sure to choose something with a little bit of a rustic feel, but then add your own feminine touch to them with things such as lace, ribbon, and color.

Lots of unique rustic wedding ideas! — Top left: T&T Top right: Minted Bottom left: The Knot
Bottom right: Etsy

The Dress

Have you ever wondered what a Rustic Wedding Dress should look like? There really isn’t a particular style that you should go for ; this is the part of the wedding where you can really go over the top! Choose a dress that fits your personality, whether that means a wedding dress that is simple and casual, or a wedding dress with beading, rhinestones, lace, ruffles, and hand embroidery. Either way, I love the striking difference in the white gown next to the soft and natural colors of a rustic wedding.

The Flowers

Rustic Wedding Flowers are one of the most important wedding decorations, especially for this theme. They are nature’s most beautiful creation, and are easy to incorporate into everything from the rustic wedding bouquet to the rustic table centerpieces. I like the idea of using burlap & lace to wrap the stems as opposed to traditional ribbon. And, along with the flowers, use lots of herbs and plants, such as rosemary, mint, moss, or wheat.

The Decor

Rustic Wedding Decorations are my personal favorite, because not only are they economical and earth friendly, but they’re beautiful! You can really get into some fun rustic diy projects using items even from your own backyard, such as twigs and tree trunk slices. Some other rustic decoration ideas are with the use of cotton, wheat, burlap, twine, dried flowers, pinecones, hay, fruit, vegetables, and old vintage items like mason jars glasses.

The Cake

A Rustic Wedding Cake or Rustic Dessert Buffet tops is all off! Everybody loves something sweet, and the best thing about a rustic wedding cake is that you can do it yourself. I’ve noticed that a lot of the rustic wedding cakes use a simple white buttercream frosting, surround it with things from nature, and then rest it on top of a Rustic Wedding Cake Stand made out of wood. Gorgeously simple!

In addition to the cake, consider a rustic themed dessert buffet:

Wedding Cake Design Trends

February 13, 2016 by lilly

Wedding cake trends have certainly changed over the years, but the array of options keeps widening, leaving even more creativity and thought to be put into choosing and designing a wedding cake in 2012.

I’ve found the new wedding cake trends to be ultra-chic and romantic, but yet on a more simplified side. Instead of the big white cake with ornate iced flowers and leaves, brides are choosing a cake based on their overall wedding theme and going from there. Fortunately, modern brides aren’t necessarily as traditional as they have been in the past, leaving dessert options open to more than just a wedding cake.

Candy bars have become very popular at wedding receptions, leaving a taste of something for everyone; cupcakes, pies, pastries, pudding, cookies, brownies, fresh fruit with chocolate fondue, etc.

vintage-wedding-cake-with-anemone-flower

vintage-wedding-cake-with-large-gold-flowers

With these other options, an enormous wedding cake might not be as necessary. Many brides are choosing smaller, all-buttercream cakes because they are undeniably heavenly on the palate and can hold up just fine on a smaller than traditional cake. Despite these modern trends, the drama of a tiered wedding cake is still the prevailing preference; after all, the cake is the centerpiece at your wedding reception, and is certainly a piece of art. You can still get the look of a towering wedding cake without all of the waste with the use of fake tiers. Or, you can also put your cake on a beautiful stand to add to the height, drama, and excitement.

The new look in wedding cakes has become more rustic, vintage and chic with simple designs instead of the busyness you’ve seen in the past, but with one grand detail such as a large single flower, a small eye popping splash of color, or trimming it with simple ribbons and pearls. I anticipate that a vintage design with one intricate detail will continue to be a classic look throughout 2012 and years to come.

I’ve always liked the look of a monochrome wedding cake, but with simple color choices, and preferably just two; maybe black and white monochrome with a single purple flower or small cluster of fresh fruit, for example.

If you are like most brides, you want your cake to reflect your personality in some way,making it even more memorable. When it comes to designing your wedding cake, the only opinion that matters is your own, so go for it, and let your creative side shine!

Along with the design, comes the creativity in the wedding cake flavor. Yum! Click here to see my list of unique wedding cake flavors. My personal favorite is lemon blackberry cake covered in a cheesecake icing. That flavor combination will get me going back for seconds every time.

Check Out These Amazing Wedding Cake Designs:

Burlap And Lace Wedding Ideas

January 29, 2016 by lilly

The Perfect Duo

Country casual meets sexy & sophisticated – the perfect combo! A burlap and lace wedding seems to be the perfect combination, almost representing the rough and rugged side of the groom , and elegant and feminine side of the bride. A simple and ultra-romatic parity for a wedding.

Burlap and Lace Wedding Inspiration & Ideas — Source: Etsy

realistic-lace-wedding-cakes.001 — Source: Martha Stewart Weddings

Burlap & Lace Inspiration

Who would ever think that combining burlap and lace would make for such an elegant pairing, yet with a rustic and country chic touch. I love the earthy tones of the burlap and how the material is rough and imperfect. It makes the lace feel that much more delicate. The blend of burlap and lace wedding decorations looks particularly stunning for an outdoor or country wedding ceremony and reception.

Lace

Lace is a timeless material that will never go out of style. In fact, lace is being incorporating in many aspects of weddings, everything from the wedding dress to the wedding cake and decorations.

I’ve seen some pretty amazing creativity in brides lately, using lace appliqués on vintage mason jars and using them as vases, candle holders, and hanging lanterns. Or, better yet, creating their own lace balloons. This is kind of along the lines of the paper mache’ projects we did as children in grade school; gluing lace or doilies to round balloons with wallpaper glue, popping out the balloon, and then using them as hanging decorations and lamps. They look fabulous hanging from the ceiling or trees at your reception. Lace ribbon is also a cheap and easy way to integrate lace into your wedding theme. You can use it to trim the tables, vases, and other decorations.

DIY Doily Lamps — Instructions: Dos Family

Burlap

Burlap is a woven cloth with a large weave pattern made from hemp, jute, or flax fibers. These plants are known for making a courser fabric with natural beige coloring. When most people picture burlap, they think of storage bags for grains or other materials. It is a green choice for brides because it is biodegradable and should eventually disintegrate without any harm to our environment.

As a wedding decoration, a burlap and lace table runner is the most popular use of burlap. It also looks fabulous wrapped around the stems of the bride’s and bridesmaids’ flower bouquets, as pouches for the wedding favors, surrounding jars and vases, as draperies, burlap chair sashes, and many other unique ideas. This wired burlap ribbon will make it easy to incorporate burlap into any aspect of the wedding decorations.

Burlap & Lace Stationery

I went on a hunt for wedding stationery that would work well with this theme and found the cutest burlap and lace wedding invitations, Save the Date cards, place cards and response cards from Wedding Paper Divas and Minted:

lace and burlap stationary — Source: Wedding Paper Divas

burlap and lace inspired wedding stationery — Source: Wedding Paper Divas

lace and burlap wedding invitations — Source: Wedding Paper Divas

burlap and lace response cards — Source: Wedding Paper Divas

burlap and lace wedding invitations — Source: Minted

Camp Themed Weddings

January 4, 2016 by lilly

Yes, camping. Well, more like Glamping. This wedding theme idea may not sound very glamorous to you, but just imagine your friends and family at a 5 star camping ground with enchanting and urtra-luxe tents and dolled up cabins; all sitting around a camp fire after the ceremony.

I might be a little partial to this idea because my husband and I met at a summer camp about 15 million years ago. I’m thinking walks by the lake, a picnic style dinner, and S’mores. Hey, this isn’t for every bride, but it would definitely be a fun and memorable experience. Here are a few inspiring wedding boards to help you envision your own camp style wedding.

This first one from Glamour & Grace really takes my breath away. The bridesmaids’ forest green dresses, simple and rustic flower bouquets, and natural up-do’s were the perfect choice. Go check out the rest of the stunning photos here.

This one from Ruffled, combined the summer camp theme with a chic vintage appearance. They really set the stage for something laid back yet spectacular. Let’s just say, this outdoorsy couple really knows how to camp with style!

From Bridal Musings, this couple made an entire day out of it with fun activities; swimming in the lake, a picnic lunch, canoeing, and a ropes course! What a great way to get all of your loved ones together for a day full of fun and happy memories.

Talk about the ultimate rustic camp wedding, this couple used a medieval catapult for their bouquet toss! All of the wedding decor, although spectacular, was DIY. It sounds like the bride had a lot of fun planning her wedding. Go check the details over at Green Wedding Shoes.

This artistic couple from New York planned a weekend for their friends and family to relax and have fun. Although unconventional, I love the idea of making your wedding day yours. Hop on over to Green Wedding Shoes to see more photos and wedding details.

Mini Food Ideas

December 9, 2015 by lilly

Anything in itty bitty form just seems to be so much more appetizing. I suppose it has a lot to do with the cuteness factor. With the mini food trend rapidly growing for weddings and other party events, mini food ideas have become an endless array of unique little bites; everything from mini casseroles to mini pies.

Mini food is a nice way to give your wedding guests a variety of food to choose from. You can feature many different miniature food options on your buffet table or appetizer trays. Start them off with mini veggie dips or mini shrimp cocktails before the ceremony, and then offer some cute little mini grilled cheese sandwiches, mini burgers, mini hot dogs, mini macaroni and cheese, or even mini chicken pot pies at the reception! Here is a gallery of mini food ideas and recipes to inspire your miniature wedding bites!

Mini Mac n’ Cheese

Everyone’s favorite comfort food! You can’t go wrong with that, right? Even the kids will want to indulge. The secret are crushed crackers to give the edges that lovely crispiness. If your caterer can pull this off, dinner will be a success!

TONS of mini food ideas!! — Source: The Curvy Carrot

Mini Pot Pies

Mini Meatball Appetizer

Mini Shrimp Cocktails

Mini Bean Bacon Cups

Mini Sandwiches

Mini grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup have become the yummiest little appetizers! Really, any mini sandwich with a spear would be devoured and appreciated. Just think; mini pastrami, mini ham and cheese, mini pulled pork, mini meat ball subs, or even mini pitas!

Mini Pitas

Mini Burgers & Hotdogs

An American classic; hamburgers and hotdogs, only in miniature form! That’s right, you don’t have to feel guilty for theses small pleasures. Finish them off with a mini side of fries. Consider a cone cup or even a mini glass with ketchup dip.

Mini Tacos & Dip

These are so perfect combined with mini margaritas! Bite size tacos just look like so much fun. Consider mini fish tacos, mini chicken tacos, or mini black bean tacos. even easier, how about a mini bean dip? Layer your bean dip in mini glass jars to make the perfect little individual servings.

Mini Salads

Looking for a healthier option? Mini salads and mini veggie dips make for perfect little appetizers. They also give your vegetarian friends and family the chance to indulge in your mini wedding bar. Cucumbers are perfect finger foods for hallowing out with a mellon ball scooper and filling with a yummy dip.

Mini Veggie Dips

Mini Cucumber Recipes

Mini Fruit Cups

Mini Dessert

This is the mini food finale! Impress your guests with adorable mini pies, mini banana splits, mini ice cream cones, mini root beer floats, mini milk glasses with cookies, or cute mini cakes. This doesn’t mean you can’t have an amazing cake as your centerpiece at the reception. Other dessert recipes just offer a little bit of sweet variety.

Mini Banana Split Bites

Mini Milkshakes

Mini Ice Cream Cones

Mini Parfaits

Cookie Milk Shooters

Mini Wedding Cakes

Mini Key Lime Pie Parfaits

Mini S’mores

Mini Waffles

Mini Drinks

You definitely need something to wash down all of that mini food. Hmmmm. Mini drinks? Yes! These mini drink ideas are just too adorable to pass up. Give a toast with mini champagne glasses and bottles! Or, offer up a mini hot chocolate on a winter wedding day.

Mini Champagne Toasts

Mini Cocktails

Mini Hot Chocolate & Doughnuts

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

October 23, 2015 by lilly

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dress Inspiration

Because I love the idea of Mismatched Bridesmaid dresses so much, I’ve gone on a little dress spree. If you haven’t already been to ModCloth.com, you’ve been missing out on the cutest dresses in every style and formality. ModCloth has a large variety of party, special occasion, and bridesmaid dresses that are ultra-modern, but with just the right amount of sophistication to dress up your best girls.

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses By ModCloth

Bridesmaid Dress Ideas — Stable Scape Dress

Don’t be afraid to let the colors vary a bit.

As long as they are within the same general color palette, they will still be an obvious part of the bride’s entourage. Let the bridesmaids pick out a dress that suits their figure, but yet still keeping in within the guidelines and requests from the bride. Communication is important to insure that the final dress selections look pulled together. For photos of mismatched bridesmaid dresses from real weddings, visit a similar post here.

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses Pink — Source: Modcloth

Aqua Mismatched Dresses

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses Aqua — Source: Modcloth

Mint Bridesmaid Dresses — Source: Modcloth

Blue Mismatched Dresses

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses Blue — Source: Modcloth

Bridesmaid Outfit Ideas — Art Deco Dress: Modcloth

Coral Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

Coral Bridesmaid Outfit Ideas — Chic My Name Dress: Modcloth

Silver & Grey Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses Grey — Source: Modcloth

Bridesmaid Ideas Blog — Stone Poses Dress: Modcloth

Purple Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses Purple — Source: Modcloth

Black & White Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses black and white — Source: Modcloth

Unique Bridesmaid Dress Ideas — You Mist A Spot Dress: Modcloth

Washi Tape Projects & Ideas

November 8, 2012 by lilly

With all of the new elegant washi tape designs, it has even become popular for wedding crafts, such as vases, candle holders, escort cards, and even wedding invitations! It’s a creative and budget friendly way to add a little bit of whimsy to your wedding decor. I’ve found some pretty creative washi tape wedding ideas, and thought I’d share what I’ve found.

Chalkboard Wedding Inspiration

July 20, 2012 by lilly

Creative Chalkboard Wedding Ideas

It’s amazing how a simple chalkboard and chalk can create such a unique and creative wedding theme. I think these chalkboard wedding ideas would be especially fitting for high school sweet hearts! It’s such an affordable way to let your artistic side be seen, whether you do it yourself or enlist help from your friends and family. You can incorporate a chalkboard theme into your wedding from the very beginning with chalkboard stationery, and then continue the theme all the way into your reception decor. Consider chalkboard decorations such as signs, banners, candles, bottles, cake, and perhaps even a chalkboard photo booth.

Chalkboard Wedding Cake

Consider the use of a simple chalkboard element to tie your cake into this theme:

chalkboard wedding cake — Source: Ruffled Blog

Chalkboard Wedding Favors

Chalkboard Signs

Chalkboard wedding banners and signs are the easiest way to incorporate this theme into your wedding. Because the chalkboard motif is gaining such popularity, they are available for purchase in many different sizes and designs: