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Pining for a Barn Reception? Barn Decor Ideas to Inspire

barn wedding

Are you pining for a barn reception?  Country chic, barn receptions are the bees knees for many brides.

If you’re lucky enough to have a barn in your neck of the woods that’s available for weddings, you might be looking for some ideas on how to decorate the barn.  Although some barns are wedding-ready, others are more like this one:

empty barn wedding decor

If so, there’s no need to fear! There are plenty of ways to transform this space into something beautiful.

Drapery

Drapery hung loosely from the rafters of a barn can work wonders on creating an inviting space.

barn wedding decor

barn wedding decorations

String of Lights

A few strings of lights hanging from the beams and rafters will instantly warm up a space.

barn wedding lights

rustic barn wedding

Paper lanterns

Hang paper lanterns throughout the barn and go from drab to fab!

paper lanterns barn

Chandelier

Sometimes all you need are a few simple chandeliers.

barn wedding

barn wedding reception

Are you planning a barn reception? I’d love to hear about how you plan on decorating!

Photo 1: Shutter Think; Photo 2: Shelterrific Photo 3: The Encore Bride; Photo 4: Wedding Creative Photo 5: One Love Photo via Living the Swell Life Photo 6,7: Elizabeth Anne Designs; Photo 8: Project Wedding; Photo 9: Jon Day; Photo 10: Laura and Jeff’s Real Wedding shot by Ken Kienow

Peonies

white peonies

By Mary Oliver

This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready
to break my heart
as the sun rises,
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers

and they open —
pools of lace,
white and pink —
and all day the black ants climb over them,

boring their deep and mysterious holes
into the curls,
craving the sweet sap,
taking it away

to their dark, underground cities —
and all day
under the shifty wind,
as in a dance to the great wedding,

the flowers bend their bright bodies,
and tip their fragrance to the air,
and rise,
their red stems holding

all that dampness and recklessness
gladly and lightly,
and there it is again —
beauty the brave, the exemplary,

blazing open.
Do you love this world?
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?
Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?

Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,
and softly,
and exclaiming of their dearness,
fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,

with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,
their eagerness
to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are
nothing, forever?

Photo: Michelle Kelley

Rainbow Cake

rainbow cake

One day, I am going to make this.

Whisk Kid made this cake for her friend who was moving away. She baked six individual cakes and topped them with lemon flavored buttercream icing.

She writes:

… the most important aspect of this cake, the thing that makes it so her is the fact that it’s frosted in white buttercream. Why? Because the smooth white exterior makes the cake look completely normal, but once you slice into it you realize… OH SNAP! THIS CAKE IS CRAZY!

And flippin’ brilliant.

Happy Friday!

Found via Style Notes

Doily Envelopes

doily envelope

I’m on a doily kick. Aren’t these envelopes made from doilies the cutest? Martha’s  got a whole bunch of ideas on how to put your doilies to good use over here. Don’t forget to check out the DIY cupcake wrappers made from doilies.

Photo: Martha Stewart via We Heart It

Real Weddings: Helen & Neil’s Toronto Schoolhouse Wedding

toronto wedding cn tower

Helen, 35 & Neil, 35

Toronto, Ontario

Wedding Date: September 19, 2009

Number of Guests: 75

Wedding Cost: $50,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, schoolroom

Wedding Reception Location: Enoch Turner Schoolhouse, hall

toronto schoolhouse wedding

bride with bouquet

bride near pillar [Read more...]

Cupcake Wrappers Made from Doilies: Free Cupcake Wrapper Template

cupcake wrappers

I wish I could say that these cupcake wrappers made from paper doilies were my very own idea. I wish I could say that I was the genius behind this DIY brilliance.

I discovered these cupcake wrappers over here. I was skeptical at first, thinking that it looked too easy.

I asked Brittany over at Pink Peacock Paperie to whip me up a template for the cupcake wrappers. Then I tested it out on some doilies that I had kicking around in my arts and crafts room. They just happened to be the perfect size.

I was amazed at how easy they were to make and how pretty they looked. And if you lack patience like moi, you can stack multiple doilies on top of each other and cut out several at a time.

Here is the free cupcake wrapper template download.

Tutorial for Cupcake Wrappers Made from Doilies

You will need:

paper doilies
(Mine were just over 11 inches.)

pencil

scissors

glue stick

cupcake wrapper template [Read more...]

Recipes for Rhubarb: Rhubarb Crunch and a Life Lesson

rhubarb crisp

I learned a life lesson the other day. And I owe it all to the rhubarb plant in my garden.

I planted the rhubarb last year. I’m not sure why I planted it. I disliked rhubarb. Very much. I think the only reason I planted it was for nostalgia’s sake: growing up, we had a big rhubarb plant in the garden and I remember my brother tearing off the stalks and devouring it raw. I would stare in both disgust and admiration: how in the hell could anyone eat this stuff – raw??!! Just watching him made my cheeks pucker. (I recently read that rhubarb is a natural laxative. Hmmm.)

My husband doesn’t like rhubarb either. My two girls? Nope.

So there I was, wondering what I was going to do with my thriving rhubarb plant, when my dad informed me that he wanted to make a rhubarb pie.

“Have at it dad! It’s all yours!”

Dad came over and harvested some of the stalks – but there were still plenty left.

“Hmmm. Maybe I should look up some rhubarb recipes, just for the heck of it.”

So there I was, scanning Allrecipes.com for recipes for rhubarb when I stumbled on this one for Rhubarb Crunch.

The rest, as they say, is history. I am now officially in love with rhubarb. Madly. In fact, this dessert is one of my all-time favourites. Now I am very sad that my plant has been plucked clean. I will be forced to buy rhubarb from the grocery store just to get my fix. (BTW, my fellow rhubarb-shunning husband and oldest daughter also LOVE this dessert.)

Life lesson? Dare to revisit the things that you think you don’t like! And this doesn’t just pertain to food. You might be delightfully surprised!

Based on comments on Allrecipes.com, I made a couple of adjustments to the recipe.

BTW, I had no ice cream in the house when I made this. I went out and bought some vanilla ice cream the next day and, well, it went from delicious to divine! [Read more...]

Real Weddings: Christine & Jimmy’s $6,500 Vineyard Wedding

georgia vineyard wedding

Christine, 29 & Jimmy, 31

Braselton, GA

Wedding Date: May 1st, 2010

Number of Guests: 30

Wedding Cost: $6,500

Wedding Ceremony Location: Chateau Elan

Wedding Reception Location: Chateau Elan

georgia winery wedding

georgia groom

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We had an intimate wedding because it’s just us. They way we are. We weren’t “big” wedding people. We are really close to our friends and family and we didn’t want to spread ourselves so thin on our special day. And going into massive debt for our wedding isn’t us either. So having an intimate wedding was perfect for us and made the day that more special.

outdoor wedding in georgiaroses outdoor wedding bouquet pink

flower boutonniere [Read more...]

$100 Gift Card Giveaway from Photo Card Creations

photo card save the date

Looking for unique save the dates? Personalized wedding invitations? Thank you notes? Look no further! Photo Card Creations is offering IW readers a chance to win a $100 gift card!

Photo Card Creations is a leading online retailer of premium custom photo cards, announcements & invitations.  They specialize in wedding, baby & holiday cards.   Their cards are designed by talented graphic artists who will work with each customer to customize their cards to reflect their own personal style.

photo card invitation

photo card thank you

They just launched a shiny, brand spankin’ new website with hundreds of fresh card designs, and they’d LOVE your feedback!  Just leave a comment below telling us which card style from their website is your favorite & why you’d like to win this giveaway. And don’t forget to fan Intimate Weddings on Facebook!

Here’s what you need to do to have a chance at winning:

1. Fan Me on Facebook (already a fan? no prob.)

2. Leave a comment at the end of this post telling me which Photo Card Creations card style is your fave, and why.

3. Cross your fingers and wait until I announce the winners on June 1!

You have until 11:59 p.m. May 31, 2010  to enter. This contest is open to residents of Canada and the U.S. only. Winners will be selected by random number generator.

Good luck!

Birthday Week at The Wedding Outlet

The Wedding Outlet, one of our sponsors, turned nine yesterday. To celebrate, they are offering discounts, giveaways and gifts for brides all week long.

Here are all the goodies they have store:

Monday 5/17 - Monday 5/24 shop and receive 9% off your order!

Tuesday 5/18 – Visit The Wedding Outlet’s Facebook Page and wish them a Happy Birthday on their wall and automatically be entered to win a $50 gift certificate! (Winner will be selected at random and notified within 48 hours)

Wednesday 5/19 – Follow and Tweet The Wedding Outlet a Happy Birthday on Twitter and automatically be entered to win a $50 gift certificate! (Winner will be selected at random and notified within 48 hours)

Thursday 5/20 - Visit their blog Wedding Rumors and leave a comment on any blog post and automatically be entered to win a $50 gift certificate! (Winner will be selected at random and notified within 48 hours)

Friday 5/21 – Join their Newsletter to be the first to know about new arrivals and promotions and automatically be entered to win a $50 gift certificate (Winner will be selected at random and notified within 48 hours)

Saturday 5/22, Sunday 5/23 & Monday 5/24 – Shop and enjoy 9% all weekend long!

Texas Brides on a Budget: The DFW Wedding Room offers Inexpensive, Intimate Weddings

dfw wedding

fort worth wedding venue outdoors

Are you a Texas bride on a budget? Looking to get married in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Want a wedding that costs less than $3,000? Check out The DFW Wedding Room located near DFW airport, between Dallas and Fort Worth.

The DFW Wedding Room is perfect for couples who want an inexpensive,  intimate wedding with 50 guests or less.  Whether you chose to get married indoors or outdoors, wedding packages include photography, officiant, fresh flowers, cake and linens.

dallas fort worth budget wedding

fort worth wedding

For couples that want a full reception with dancing, the DFW Wedding Room also has room for up to 50 guests. Couples can hire their own caterer, bartender (BYOB) and deejay.

Want super simple? The DFW Wedding Room even offers drive-thru weddings. (And you thought you had to go to Vegas for that!)

Check out The DFW Wedding Room for wedding packages.

Sponsored Post.

colleyville wedding

DIY Paper Flower Bouquet

paper flower bouquetpaper flowers with  buttons

Learn how to make this whimsical paper posie bouquet over at Our Big Earth. These would make adorable boutonnieres!

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