Wednesday, October 24, 2012

How-To Create a Luxe Tablescape Without Going Broke

tablescape by Romancing the Wedding

I love tablescapes! Tablescapes define the style and mood of a wedding and reception. They can be extravagant and opulent like the one above, or understated and elegant. No matter your style or budget, you can create a tablescape reflective of your vision for your wedding day with a few fab finds and some ingenuity. Keep in mind, building a tablescape is all about layers. It may seem overwhelming when you look at a tablescape that inspires you... all the pieces that have to come together, all the little details...aaaggghhh! But fear not, here is a list of layers and some fab places to find steals and deals to create the perfect table for your special day!
FIRST: Table Linens

Depending on your inspiration table, you may have to forgo the linens provided by your venue (usually matte white or cream) and find something with a bit more interest. The table scape shown above wouldn't have had nearly he wow-factor without those fabulous embroidered gold tablecloths. this pintuck tablecloth from LinenStock adds just enough interest at a reasonable price (between $10-$15.00). Or, for a more dramatic effect, use a taffeta overlay from Beyond Elegance

Don't forget the napkins and chargers or placemats.


place setting by Australiaentertains.com.au

You can easily swap out the damask charger plates for pretty patterned paper (same effect but way easier on the wallet). The menu is cardstock, and great favor boxes can be found at Good Things: Wedding Favors. Be sure to check out Beau Coup Weddings for their perfectly adorable favor bags (they're only $.64 a piece)!


Personally, I think chair covers are a waste of money and kind of visually distracting. Most reception venues have bamboo styled white folding chairs. They are not distracting and really, do you want the chairs to be as gussied-up as your bridesmaids?

SECOND: Centerpiece

This is often the scariest part since it can cost hundreds of dollars and can be quite complex. Large over-the-top arrangements are certainly dramatic and have a major get major points in the first impression department. However, they are not very functional in an intimate setting such as a wedding reception. There is nothing worse than having a giant obstruction annoying the crap out of you as you crane our neck to see what's going on across the table, or at the wedding party table. If you go tall, go tall and unintrusive like this centerpiece that allows for unobstructed views of the entire reception.


An alternative is to do a collection of short bouquets, or one full short bouquet of roses (my personal fav). You can dress up the table with candles, little candle lamps, or even small shallow vases that can accommodate a single floating flower or candle at each place setting.


Centerpiece from Seattle Flowers

Small vases can be purchased for next to nothing. Save-on-Crafts has a variety of smaller vases for under $5.00 a piece, and Global Rose should be your one-stop-shop for fabulous flowers at unbelievably low prices. I have used them before and their roses are fabulous (you can get 200 for under $150)! A good full rose bouquet like the one above will take about 25 to 30 roses, so for about $30 a table you can have a uber-luxe looking centerpiece for way cheaper than a florist (the one above is $89.99 not including delivery). Now pat yourself on the back for being so ingenious!

THIRD: Accessories

Placecard holder from AmericanBridal.com

We're talking place card holders, table number holders, candle holders, holder holders... you get the idea. This is where you can really lose control of your budget. Look on ebay for tea lights and candle holders. I found a listing for 72 votive candles and glass holders for $49.97! Not too shabby. Don't want to send money on place card holders (which you will never use again, and your guests will throw away)? Dress up a standard tent-style place card by dipping the bottom front 1/4" with glue and then dipping in seed beads. Color code the beads to indicate meal choice to the catering staff. Adorable, and cheap, cheap, cheap!
Napkin rings can be created easily with some pretty ribbon (buy in bulk at Schiff Ribbons and save big$$$) and a monogram stamped card stock seal. Get a custom monogram stamp from SimonStamps.com for about $15.00. Just upload your art work, and in a couple days you'll have a custom stamp.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

CONTEST: PIN IT TO WIN IT!

 
Just like all of you, I am obsessed with Pinterest.  I love the idea that I can share all the things that inspire me, and that I can, in a voyeuristic manner, peek through things that inspire those around me.  Love that! 
 
And in that spirit of sharing, we have created our very own PIN IT TO WIN IT contest!  Kind of similar to Pinterest in that you share a photo-link to something you love based on that month's  theme.  However unlike Pinterest, here it pays to pin.  That's right, each PIN IT TO WIN IT monthly contest comes with a prize for the pinner who receives a winning number of votes.   We'll announce the previous month's winner and the theme of the new contest on the first day of each month.  Voting will begin 5 days before the end of the month.
And although you can pin to your heart's content, you only get 1 vote!!
 
THIS MONTH'S PRIZE:  Professionally Designed DIY Invitations! 
We will chat with you about your invitation needs and wants, come up with 3 concepts, refine the one that you love the most, and forward all printable files to your inbox so you can print at home!  Professionally designed invitations (a $250 value) for the price of cardstock.  Not too shabby! 

THIS MONTH'S THEME: Best Color Combos for a Spring Wedding
So Let's Get Pinning!!
 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Halloween Wedding Cakes

Spooky Halloween Wedding Cakes
halloween wedding cae
Halloween Cake from Pink Cake Box
 
I am definitely getting in the Halloween spirit (a hem). The air is crisp and cool, the leaves are changing color and starting to wreak havoc on the lawn, and hints of ghouls and goblin decor have been popping up here and there.  So what better time to get in the mood, than on Wedding Cake Wednesday? 
 
zombie wedding cake, halloween wedding, theme wedding
Zombie Cake Courtesy of Big Fat Cook
 

zombie wedding cake, zombie wedding, halloween wedding
Courtesy of Blogger of the Bride

So I am not a fan of the zombie rage. I know, I know. The Walking Dead show (or whatever it is called) is widely accredited by all my associates, yet I think it is just plain dumb. But I could maybe get behind it with a cake like this on the table.
 
black wedding cake, black fondant, halloween wedding, halloween wedding cakes
Courtesy of Wedding 4 Teen
 
I love me a black wedding cake.  I love black anything for a wedding.  I know it sort of goes against everything a wedding is supposed to represent, but I just think it is so cool in an off-beat kind of way.
And I am no kind of baker (I can't bake boxed cake even), but I know this must have been hard to pull off since you see EVERY mistake with black fondant.  And this looks pretty close to perfect.  Sadly, I don't know who the baker was... I'd love to give them the kudos they deserve.
 
wedding cake, halloween wedding cake, theme cakes
Courtesy of The Bride and Groom
 
This is one of the most detailed cakes I have ever seen.  And I am now wondering if I should get into cake decorating, cause this is awesome!!!
 
orange and black wedding cake
Courtesy of A Wedding Cake Blog
 
My favorite cake is one that is unexpectedly awesome on the inside.  The other day I found a leopard print cake on Pinterest and I have kind of been obsessed ever since.  This is PERFECT for Halloween!  Love it!
 
So would you do a Halloween wedding cake if your special day fell around the holiday?
 
~Happy Weddings!~ 

Monday, October 8, 2012

Hot Wedding Trend: Morning After Photography

Hot New Wedding Trend: The Morning After Wedding Photo Shoot
 
 
Photo of the rings...check.  Photo of the shoes... check.  Photo of my husband and I getting raunchy.... say what?  So here's one more reason to feel guilty about not hitting the gym this morning... your wedding porn photo shoot.  Well, okay, that may be an exaggeration (for some ;),  but a hot new wedding trend is to get "Morning After" shots from the wedding, er, night. Ranging from the steamy to the cute, this new trend has some brides feeling more pressure than ever to look their most perfect.  
 
Hot Wedding Trend 2012: Morning After Photos
Courtesy of NYmag.com
 
New Wedding Trend
 
Morning After Wedding Photo
 
Morning After Photos
Courtesy of Inquisitr
 
What do you think of this new wedding trend, is it just an added stress, or is it a super cute idea? Do you think it is a perfect portrayal of your bond together, or is it a little too risque? 
 
~Happy Weddings!~
 


Friday, October 5, 2012

Unique Wedding Photos

 
Unique Wedding Photos
Courtesy of weddingchannel.com
 
There are exactly two photos of my wedding: a kiss shot, and a front-on goofy-grin shot.  My husband and I eloped, and although it was perfect, romantic, beautiful, and totally "us"; it was, just us.  So the one thing I feel like I missed out on was the wedding album and being able to look back at all the moments that made the big day so special.  Good thing I can get my fill by living vicariously on Pinterest ;)
 
But that lack of an album inspired today's post showcasing some unique, fun, not your ordinary boring goofy-grin wedding shots. The kind I would have wanted if I didn't hop on a plane half way around the world to do the deed in private.  I hope they inspire you jump out of the box (perhaps even literally) during your photo session.
 
Awesome wedding photo ideas
 Courtesy of Digital Photo Web
 
 
creative wedding photo ideas
Courtesy of The Weddingfinder
 
fun wedding photos
Courtesy of Wedding Gawker
 
best wedding photography
Courtesy of Cascio Photography
 
unique wedding photos
 
hilarious wedding photos
Courtesy of  whistle0.blogspot.com
 
Awesome wedding photo ideas
 
 
Have a photo of your special day that is one of those, "holy cow, that is too awesome" pics?  Share it so we can let the world see you in all your awesomeness!
 
~Happy Weddings!~
 


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Candy Coated Wedding Cakes!

Candy weding cakes
 Courtesy of A Wedding Cake Blog
 
It's Wedding Cake Wednesday Y'all! 
 I woke up this morning late (for some reason my son starts school an hour late on Wednesdays... really convenient for working parents, ahem), but that meant I actually got a shower in before the day started (I'm a mom of two boys, I run a BUSY business, I keep a home, and I am generally busy ALL THE TIME, so shower time is a luxury I do not take for granted). I digress.  But during my me-time, I thought it'd be cool to start the Wedding Cake Wednesday tradition. I opened my facebook and was greeted with a lovely cake decked out in M&M's (coinkidink?).  So I thought I'd find other candy confections make especially for the big day.
 
Rock Candy Wedding Cake - Candy Cakes
Courtesy of Edible Crafts
 
 
I LOVE this rock candy cake.  It is so simple a decoration I could do it, if I could first bake a cake... a feat that has proven in my thirty-some-odd-years to be impossible. 
 
Courtesy of Know Ur Taste
 
A candy Sprinkles tiered cake!  Perfection!! 
 
 
 
truffle cake - Candy cakes
 
Courtesy of Indulgy
 
Okay.... hold the phone.  Is this what I think it is?  A chocolate truffle cake with chocolate pirouette cookies and a giant sugar and truffle cake topper?  Be still my beating heart, I think I just found Mr. Right.  And I will call him "Delicious".
 
Candy Covered Cakes
 
You know those candies you'd get on the long sheet, that turned out to be nothing but sugar drops?  Yep.  There's a cake for that.  And a mighty pretty one too!
 
Candy coated wedding cakes
Cake by Red Ribbon Studio
Courtesy of OneWed
 
Another Rock Candy cake... I LOVE the colors!  This would be perfect for a casual, beachy soiree.
 
Candy Cakes
Courtesy of Cake Central
 
A Candy Cane Cake!  Perfect for the holidays!  I'd want mine to be about 6 tiers though ;)  and what about using those fruity brightly colored canes for a summer wedding?  Could be pretty stunning...
 
Candy Decorated Cakes
 
And what could be better than to finish it all off with a Candy Land Cake!  Decorated with red licorice laces and those little fruity candies shaped like fruit that you get out of a vending machine for a quarter (what the heck are those called anyway?).  Love this!!!  And the topper is candy land pieces holding hands, aawwww!  Maybe a little too whimsical for a wedding, but hey.  Why not?
 
What's your cake plan?  Traditional or a little unique?  Would you do a Candy Land Cake?
 
~ Happy Wedding Cake Wednesday!~  

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Fall is in the air...


Purple and Orange Wedding Inspiration Board
All Rights Reserved
 
 
So I am going to make a conscious effort to be more blog-happy.  And toward that endeavor, I thought I'd post a little inspiration.  I am in love with deep purple this season (I even redecorated my bedroom... from just boring dark grey to dark grey with deep purple... yum!) But I digress.  Deep purple is a perfect color for the season, and mixed with a pop of orange you have a sexy, sultry, high-impact combo that can't be beat for fall!  
 
All the photos have credits, but you can link right up here:

 
What's your favorite fall wedding color combo?  Anything out of the ordinary?  Ooh, ooh, ooh... wouldn't a deep teal, espresso, and orange be a fabulous, unexpected combo for the season? Hmmm.. maybe tomorrow :)
 
~ Happy Weddings~