Black Pearl Press

Everyone should check out the posts by guest blogger Elisabeth Warman of Black Pearl Press on {frolic!}. Elisabeth is planning what already looks to be a beautiful wedding in Maine- we can't wait to see more of her ideas and inspiration!




Here are some beautiful letterpress wedding invitations from Black Pearl Press:

Silk Screening

Faye and I both loved the recent spread in the summer issue of Martha Stewart Weddings on silk screening. The problem is, we are not crafty people. What I love is that in this issue, they explain how to do it, but also where you can order it to be done for you if you are one of those brides that burns herself with the glue-gun (raises hand). I especially love simple designs with utensils as the primary design element- I think this is an elegant but playful way to decorate your reception or other dinner party without being theme-y. Silk-screened placecards and table runners available through Clever Setting. Thanks to Britt from The Paper Moon Project for posting these pictures on her blog!




{photos from Martha Stewart Weddings via The Paper Moon Project}

Inspiration Boards

It seems like lately the blogs are all in a tizzy over inspiration/mood/story boards. Holly at Decor8 recently held a mood board contest for interior design inspiration, and here is the 1st place winner:

{image from Decor8}

Although now wedding story boards have become all the rage, I think Abby from Style Me Pretty started the trend with her amazing inspiration boards that she creates for readers. Here is my favorite board for "An Intimate Gathering":

{image from Style Me Pretty}

Other wedding bloggers have happily hopped on the band wagon already, and they are all equally unique and creative, just like their blogs! {click on each to see enlarged pictures and details}

Brooklyn Bride:


Perfect Bound:


Burlington Bride (aka Miss Onion on WeddingBee):


For more storyboard browsing, check out the reader boards on WeddingBee.

So, inspired by Abby, I created my own inspiration board a few months ago. Although it went through several revisions, I found that creating it was time-consuming but so worth it because it really made me focus. Every wedding picture you see when you are planning is a temptation- they are all so beautiful!- but making this board made me really think about how all the details and elements fit into the bigger picture that I had envisioned. Here is my board:

{Top, L to R: bouquet from Brides, cake by Lovin Sullivan, reception from Brides;
Middle: floating gardenia from Brides, boutonnière from The Knot, earrings by Adriana Orsini from MrsRobsButton;
Bottom: photo from Dutchman's Designs, photo from Martha Stewart Weddings, photo from Lena Corwin's wedding on Flickr}

Knot Bios

We are taking a vacation from blogging for the next week, so we thought this Thursday we would leave you with lots of links to pretty weddings. These are our favorite bios on The Knot and most of them look like they hopped straight out of the pages of a magazine- these brides pay so much attention to detail and take so much time to make these bios for us to enjoy, so if you love one and it is not listed yet on the Somewhat Official Knot Bio List as a Best Bio, nominate it! For more bios, check out WeddingBee's weekly knot bios.

• Soon2bmrs.stone
  
  
  You can also see the pictures from this wedding on Brides


• SpringChic
  
  


• graceface
  
  
  Planning Bio


• mrsmek
  
  


• MrsRobsButton
  
  
  Planning Bio


• DJRS
  
  
  Planning Bio


• MrsAnayisnin
  
  


• NPwedding
  
  
  Planning Bio
  


• bentpinkies
  
  


• BeachBride2
  
  
  

Happy 4th of July!

We'll be back tomorrow- enjoy!

{photo from Brides}

Modern Wedding

We love the modern color combination of red with splashed of turquoise and lavender in this wedding on The Knot. The flowers were done by Grandiflora Floral Design by Nancy Birch, whose online galleries showcase many more creative color palettes. We could get lost browsing her site!

{photos from Grandiflora}


{photos from The Knot}

Pink & Cream Wedding in Tacoma

We love the pictures of this wedding- the colors feel cool and muted but still very modern and simply beautiful.

{photos from The Knot}

New Uses for Brooches

{(L) from Brides, (R) from Brides}

Vintage brooches have always been a beautiful finish for the bride's gown or bouquet, but we really like these decked-out cakes as well- what a great way to use your grandmother's vintage jewelry! If you don't have vintage brooches from family, you can purchase some pretty crystal and pearl brooches at White Aisle.

{Top: cake by The Cake Girls; Bottom: photos from DJ76 planning bio on The Knot}

Honeycomb Candy

I can't believe the adorable bee photospread in the newest Martha Stewart Weddings issue. If I had seen that honeycomb cake by Wendy Kromer a few months ago, things at my wedding may have looked a lot different! I was especially happy to see wedding favors using my favorite stationery design by Pearl & Marmalade, but they paired it with the cutest honeycomb candy from The Stained Glass Candy Company!

{stationery by Pearl & Marmalade, honeycomb candy from The Stained Glass Candy Company}

Gardenias

Faye and I both love the look and the smell of fresh gardenias. Here are some of the gardenia elements we have planned for my wedding. The bouquet includes white gardenias and mini calla lilies set in green antique hydrangea, making the bouquet look like a mini gardenia bush.

{clockwise, L to R: bouquet on Brides, pomander by Soiree from Charleston Weddings magazine, boutonnière from The Knot, floating gardenia on Brides}

Surf & Sand Inspired Weddings

We are getting ready for vacation ourselves, but it seems like everyone else we know is already at the beach! Here are our favorite beach wedding details:

Cakes (find more of our favorites by The Cake Girls and April Reed here, browse our favorite Lovin Sullivan cakes here)

{(L) coral cake from Martha Stewart Weddings, (M) Asian-inspired wave cake from Martha Stewart Weddings; (R) starfish cake by The Cake Girls}

Paper- We love the combination of cork and sea glass by Two Paperdolls. The sea glass could also be used to prop up escort cards. (More sea-inspired paper products here)

{all photos from Two Paperdolls}

Boutonnières (more choices here)

{all photos from Brides; clockwise, L to R: seashell, yellow freesia, hot pink calla lily, hydrangea and orchid with sea glass beads}

Something Blue...to Eat!

Who would have imagined that pastel blue cake would look so mouth-wateringly delicious?

{Top (L to R): garlands and wreath from Martha Stewart Weddings, robin's egg blue cake on Brides, gift box cake on Brides;
Bottom (L to R): something blue from Martha Stewart Weddings, cake with silk corded closures from Martha Stewart Weddings, individual cakes on Brides}

Luggage Tags

With more and more couples choosing to throw destination weddings, travel seems to be becoming a theme in itself. Personalized luggage tags are great favors that can double as place cards and napkin rings, and they are a sweet touch for any traveling guest.

{clockwise, L to R: silver luggage tag on Brides; Tepper Jackson leather luggage tag on Brides;
place cards on Brides; boat luggage tag on Brides}

Martha Stewart also featured these vintage print clip-art luggage tags (left). In Martha Stewart Weddings, traveling place cards (right) were made using paris street map gift wrap by Cavallini, but you could pick any gift wrap that matches your own colors.

{photos from Martha Stewart}

Beaulieu Gardens

If we had planned this wedding even remotely close to the West Coast, we would have been seriously tempted to have it at the Beaulieu Gardens in Rutherford, California; a private estate at Beaulieu Vineyards in Napa Valley. All the wedding pictures we have seen from Beaulieu make it look like 'The Secret Garden': imagine a reception dinner with a natural arbor in full bloom overhead and taking a stroll through the vineyard in your wedding gown. The venue can only be booked through Elaine Bell Catering.


{photos from Brides}


{photos from Brides}

Chelsea Lembi-Muraswki, otherwise known as The Charming Gardener, also held her wedding at Beaulieu Gardens. I love how, even though they all chose the same location, each wedding has such a different feel- but what they share is the same stunning and naturally beautiful surroundings.

Art Deco Earrings

I finally tracked down my art deco style Adriana Orsini earrings for the wedding. I first saw them here and then here, but they were never in the store! Finally, I found mine at Saks Fifth Avenue (the third Saks I went to). So excited to wear them!

Martha obsesses over dog details too!

One of the best things about starting this blog has been the unexpected friends that Faye and I have made. Some of our favorite bloggers like Miss Kiwi from WeddingBee and Sarah from Toast & Tables have been so friendly and we really appreciate the warm welcome! This is why we are excited about our post this morning, because it comes courtesy of one of new friends at Martha Stewart (!!!) who noticed that I am a little obsessed with dog details. She was nice enough to not only tip me off to an article in the summer issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, but to also share some of the pictures and step-by-step instructions from the story to share with all of you!

{(L) pearl collar; (R) D-ring collar}

Making a pearl collar

1. Measure loosely around dog’s neck; add 12 inches to total.
2. Thread 18-mm faux pearls (3/4-inch wide) onto embroidery ribbon. Knot ribbon at each end close to pearls.
   
3. Knot strand loosely around dog’s neck.
   
4. Cut 2-inch-wide satin ribbon to be 1 yard long; tie around ribbon into a big bow at the back; trim ends on an angle.

Making a D-ring collar

1. Measure dog’s neck, and add 8 inches; cut grosgrain ribbon to final length.
2. Lay face up, and fold one end under by 4 inches. For a buckle, thread two D rings onto ribbon, and slide them all the way to the fold. For a loop to attach leash, thread on another D ring, sliding it to 2 inches from the buckle.
3. Slip a 2-inch piece of fusible webbing between layers of ribbon, between buckle and loop, and another between the layers after the loop. Iron to fuse. At other end, fold edge over toward front of collar, and secure with a small piece of fusible tape.
4. To buckle, thread end through both D rings, then back through the bottom one, and pull loose end to tighten.

{(L) velcro-clasp collar, (R) velcro-clasp collar and leash}

Making a Velcro clasp collar

1. For collar, measure dog’s neck, and add 6 inches; cut 24-mm satin ribbon to final length.
2. Slip 3 inches of ribbon through one side of buckle from the front; use fusible tape to attach ribbon to itself.
3. Try collar on dog, slipping other end of ribbon through open side of buckle from the back, and determine a comfortable folding point. Remove from buckle and refold; insert 3-inch pieces of iron-on hook-and-loop fastener between the layers, and iron to fuse.
4. For leash, ”hem” ends of 80-inch ribbon with fusible tape. Fold one end into an 8-inch loop, and knot. Fold other end over by 4 inches; fuse hook-and-loop fastener between layers.
   
5. To attach, open hook-and-loop fastener, wrap around center post of buckle, then refasten.

Of course, if you are not inclined to craftiness, you can always tie a little scarf around your dog's neck.

{all photos courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings}

I love this whole story and the dogs are so cute, our only suggestion would be to include a Bichon in the next puppy line-up. The whole summer issue is packed with some really great ideas, and we hope you try one of these ideas for dressing up your dog!

{photo by Noah Sheldon}

Punchy Wedding Colors

Faye and I both love seeing pictures of real wedding elements, from the invitations to the flowers- we love all the little details! So I was really excited to find these pictures from Paperdolls Design. They customized an existing invitation design to include a vintage floral graphic in punchy colors that the couple planned to use in the flowers on the wedding day. We would definitely add this boutonnière to our favorites, and notice how pretty their garden chairs are! Click here to see our other favorite summer color palettes from Paperdolls Design.


{photos from Paperdolls Design}


{photos from Paperdolls Design}

Milk and cookies

{photos from La Tartine Gourmande}

Is there anything better than milk & cookies? Just looking at these pictures makes me want to curl up in a warm blanket with my own little plate like Santa Claus. It seems like weddings are catching on to the comforting idea too- the summer issue of Martha Stewart Weddings included milk & cookies as a "good thing" and we definitely agree! Their version used pumpkin whoopie pies from One Girl Cookies in New York.


{photo from Martha Stewart Weddings}

Here are some examples of real weddings on Brides that offered milk & cookies as a wedding favor. On the right, the bride and groom wrote "It is a delicious moment, certainly. That of being nestled in bed and feeling that you shall drop gently into sleep. Sweet Dreams." Mmmmm....

{(L) milk and cookies: a perfect match!; (R) wrapped cookies were handed out with shot glasses of milk}

Martha Stewart Weddings Summer 2007

Just saw Darcy Miller, editor of Martha Stewart Weddings, on Martha's talk show demonstrating the silk screening techniques from the newest weddings issue. They looked amazing- can't wait to see more of the pictures!

Perfect Palette: Pink & Poppy

{photos from Martha Stewart Weddings}

Here are some other details from the newest issue; we are really loving the sunscreen packets! And if you are interested in the button place cards (bottom left), you can order custom buttons from One Inch Round (via WeddingBee). Also check out this WeddingBee post for a $2 off coupon for the summer issue of InStyle Weddings (we know it's not Martha, but it is still fun to read!)

{photos from Martha Stewart Weddings}