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An Homage to the Wedding Trends of 2009: What will Stay? What will Go?

December 31, 2009 by

argyle socks wedding

To say adieu to yet another year, I thought it would be fun to reflect on some of this year’s wedding trends.

In 2009, we saw:

Birds. Lots of birds.

Peacocks, even.

And moustaches.

Candy. Yum.

Converse-All Stars.

Argyle socks and men pulling up their pantlegs to show them off in photos.

We heard the clickety click of typewriters used as guest books.

And Scrabble tiles reborn.

scrabble place card

 We re-visited our childhood at carvival weddings, 

ate french fries

and ice cream.

We embraced country chic with mason jars,

wheat,

haybales,

clothespins,

bicycle rides,

and  animals.

dog ringbearer pug

 

Handwriting was hot,

so was fruit,

carnations,

cupcakes,

and  trash the dress.

cave bride trash the dress

 

It was a year full of DIY,

dreamy, retro-inspired photos,

and second hand.

vintage diy napkins

How many of these trends will stick around in 2010? What new trends are lurking on the horizon? Can’t wait to see another year unfold!

Photo One: Santa Barbara Wedding Chic; Photo Two: StyleatHome.com; Photo Three: AutumnWard.com Photo Four: Del Sol Photography

Filed Under: Wedding Trends |

DIY Paper Cranes for Your Wedding

December 29, 2009 by

origami paper cranes

The last time I made paper cranes I was in my last year of high school. A friend of mine taught me to make them. They really weren’t that hard – just time consuming. I stuck them on my dresser along with other teenage trinkets (lip gloss, perfume, Ramones cassettes, paperback version of The Catcher in the Rye, retainer, pack of gum, letter to ex-boyfriend.)  Before long they were buried and forgotten. Too bad I didn’t think to hang them from the ceiling!

Paper crane garland is so beautiful and a wonderful DIY touch to any wedding.

paper cranes

pink paper cranes 

Here’s a video tutorial on how to fold paper cranes:
 

 

To learn to put them onto the string, hop on over to So Your Engayed for this tutorial on paper crane strings.

Photo One: Christine Meintjes; Photo Two: One Love Photo via So Your Engayged; Photo Three: Kirsten Ellis Beaux Arts Photographie via PolkaDotBride.

Filed Under: DIY Favors & Gifts, DIY Wedding, DIY Wedding Decor |

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2009 by

christmas wedding

I love this cute shot taken by Jane Lee Photography at a Christmas wedding.  Hope you find lots of goodies under your tree – and that your heart is warm and cosy from visiting with dear relatives and friends.

Filed Under: IW Hot Shot |

DIY Cupcake Bath Bombs and More: Good Enough to Eat Bath Goodies

December 23, 2009 by

cupcake bath bombs

These look delicious, but they’re not for eatin’! They’re for that decadent bath you’re going to take when you can catch an hour or two for yourself.  Check out the full tutorial over at Craftster.org.

ice cream scrub

While you’re enjoying your cupcake bath, why not exfoliate with some homemade neapolitan ice cream bath scrub. Find the recipe here.

lip balm

And when you’re done your bath, you can try out the handmade lip balm that you just made . Here’s a great tutorial on how to make lip balm.

BTW, wouldn’t all of these homemade bath goodies make for wonderful shower favors for the gals?

Filed Under: DIY Misc., DIY Wedding |

DIY Snowflake Garland: Winter Wedding Decorating Ideas

December 22, 2009 by

Remember those pretty paper snowflakes you made as a kid? Guess what. They’re a beautiful way to decorate for a winter  wedding. Simply cut snowflakes from paper and hang. You can create a snowflake garland using thread or fishing line, or simply stick them to flat surface.

Here’s how to fold a paper snowflake from kinderart.com:

how to fold a paper snowflake

Maya*Made has instructions on how to create a garland out of your snowflakes.

paper snowflake garland

Check out this cute paper snowflake display at an Anthropologie store. Photo by Katy Elliott.

make paper snowflakes

Make a snowflake curtain over at Bugs and Fishes.

snowflake curtain

First Photo and Last Photo: Bugs and Fishes

Filed Under: DIY Wedding, DIY Wedding Decor, Theme Weddings |

Real Weddings: Katarina & Brian’s Seaside Restaurant Wedding

December 21, 2009 by

Katarina and Brian got married at the beginning of October surrounded by 60 guests. The ceremony and reception was held Catarina’s Italian Village, an Italian restaurant owned by the groom’s father in the seaside town of Narragansett, Rhode Island. (This is where the groom grew up.) Jennifer from Esq. Events planned the wedding. According to photographer Li of Fat Orange Cat Studio, there were “beautiful rose bouquets in fall colors, a 3-tiered cake, a one-woman accordion band, limoncello toasts, a 90-year-old dancing fiend,  parents and a bridesmaid all the way from Sweden, and sparklers which we used to uh, smoke out our bride and groom at the end of the day.” That’s their baby daughter in the red. What a sweetie!

AND_011

gettingready

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[Read more...]

Filed Under: Real Weddings |

IW Hot Shot!: Heart Confetti

December 20, 2009 by

rose petal confetti

Photo: Mike Cookson

Filed Under: IW Hot Shot |

My Blog is Actually Bela Lugosi

December 18, 2009 by

bela lugosi

This is not just a photo of Bela Lugosi; it’s a photo of my blog. At least that’s how I feel about it this very moment as I pound away at 10:29 pm, when I could be stretched out on the sofa reading a damn good novel. I haven’t read a novel since I started my blog one year ago. That’s just wrong. Life’s too short not to read damn good novels.  Thankfully the Christmas holidays are here to rescue me and get me away from my computer. 

I’m taking a much needed break until the new year. I have scheduled posts for the next two weeks – so I won’t be abandoning y’all.  

See you in 2010!

Filed Under: About IntimateWeddings.com |

Homemade Granola with Free Printables

December 17, 2009 by

homemade granola

As a kid, I remember the smell of homemade granola baking in the oven. It smelled so delicious – and the taste was wonderful. I’ve yet to make my own homemade granola, but when I saw these free printable Christmas granola labels over at Peacock Designs via craftig, I got inspired. Will I get it done before Christmas? I sure hope so!

Not only would this be perfect for Christmas, but what about a ‘green’ wedding? If you are an eco-ist who is planning a green wedding – why not offer up some homemade granola in pretty packaging as wedding favors? This would be ideal for a brunch wedding!

Britt used this homemade granola recipe. My husband has an aversion to coconut, so I headed over to Allrecipes.com to check out some of their recipes.

Here are a few sans coconut:

Megan’s Granola

Stovetop Granola

Honey Peanut Granola

Filed Under: DIY Favors & Gifts, DIY Food & Drink, DIY Wedding |

We have a winner for The DIY Bride & Intimate Weddings Book Giveaway!

December 16, 2009 by

Thanks to everyone who participated in The DIY Bride and Intimate Weddings book giveway. Your kind comments are much appreciated! Stay tuned for more contests.

I used the random number generator to pick a winner. And the winner is:

random number

#23 is Darcy B. I’ll be sending your books in the mail asap! Hope you enjoy them!

Filed Under: Giveaways |

Sponge Candy Recipe: With or Without Chocolate, this Sponge Candy is Da Bomb!

December 15, 2009 by

sponge candy

Me and my sweet tooth! This time I’m offering up a killer sponge candy recipe that you can use for making your wedding favors! If you want to get really decadent, dip the sponge candy in chocolate. If you make this, please let me know how it turned out! I love to hear feedback from my readers.

BTW, in Canada we call it sponge toffee; in England it’s called cinder toffee; in Australia they call it honeycomb and in California it’s called sea foam. No matter what you call it, it’s yummy!

Please note: Although this is easy to make, it’s imperative to use an accurate candy thermometer. One of our batches was overdone  because our  cheapo candy thermometer wasn’t accurate. (We found this out after the fact by using the method for testing your candy thermomter found on this site.) [Read more...]

Filed Under: DIY Favors & Gifts, DIY Food & Drink, DIY Wedding |

Candy Cane Mania: Candy Cane Syrup, Peppermint Bark and Candy Cane Fudge

December 14, 2009 by

candy cane syrup

Got some extra candy canes kicking around? Why not make some Candy Cane Syrup for the holidays?  Drizzle it on ice cream or even hot chocolate. And it keeps for a good month! Wouldn’t this be fun for a winter wedding?

I discovered the recipe for Candy Cane Syrup on Craftzine. Hop on over and get the recipe here.

peppermint bark

Still can’t get enough of the minty taste of candy canes? Try Chocolate Peppermint Bark. You can find the complete tutorial over at instructables.com

And last but not least, why not whip up a batch of Candy Cane Fudge! Here’s the recipe:

Candy Cane Fudge (From Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

  • 2 (10 ounce) packages vanilla baking chips
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed candy canes
  • 1 dash red or green food coloring

Directions

  1. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, and grease the foil.
  2. Combine the vanilla chips and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until almost melted, remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. When chips are completely melted, stir in the peppermint extract, food coloring, and candy canes.
  3. Spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Chill for 2 hours, then cut into squares.
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Filed Under: DIY Favors & Gifts, DIY Food & Drink, DIY Wedding |