The role of the flower girl has been documented since Ancient Rome, but its thought that they’ve been part of weddings since day one.

Early on, flower girls would walk down the aisle carrying sheaves of wheat and tossing herbs to promote fertility. Through their evolution they also carried garlic, a bride’s cup and snips of rosemary. In the Victorian Era they began carrying baskets of flowers or wearing flowered crowns (which mirrored the shape of the wedding rings). Today flower girls are just as unique as the bride’s wedding day style.

Flower girl fashion can vary widely, but they are still typically dressed in tones similar to the brides or bridesmaids dresses. Often dresses and shoes are white or in pastel or pale palettes.

If your wedding style is vintage influenced and your looking for dresses that are reflective of that look, you can look in vintage shops as well as online (Etsy and Ebay are always great sources) for dresses that fit the look you’re going for. Remember, if you fall in love with an adult sized dress that is perfect you can also have it tailored to fit your flower girl.

Just like brides, flower girls can have fun with their accessories. Hair adornments and wreathes are sweet details that work for weddings with bohemian looks to formal affairs.

Here is a beautiful basket that is not only filled with flowers but has also been adorned with them to create an ethereal look and feel. Another vessel that could be used as a basket is this clever idea for using a vintage tea kettle.

Flower girls don’t have to just carry baskets anymore, this idea of using ribbon wands is a fun and Mid-Summer Night reminiscent look turning the flower girls into sweet fairies.

Another fairy, or ethereal look for your flower girl could be adding wings. I prefer the look of wings to be more natural, like an angel, as opposed to looking like it’s a Halloween costume. I absolutely love these flower girl wings that were made from pampas grass (these plants also come in pink, how adorable would that be?!) she really does look like a little angel.

One of my favorite flower girl basket alternatives is flower girls holding signs. I’m a big fan of text and I love the messages that these girls carry. This is great if you want to have more than one flower girl too.

While flower girl fashion and accessories can range from any style you choose, their symbolism remains the same since their invention. The flower girl (or girls) are supposed to represent who the bride was growing up and her journey from child to woman now as she becomes a wife.

Image One: nellystella.com; Image Two: inspiredbride.net; Image Three: greentreephotography.net; Image Four: marthastewartweddings.com; Image Five: marthastewartweddings.com; Image Six: stylemepretty.com; Image Seven: stylemepretty.com/texas-weddings; Image Eight: stylemepretty.com; Image Nine: greenweddingshoes.com; Image Ten: merrimentevents.com; Image Eleven: bios.weddingbee.com; Images Twelve and Thirteen: greenweddingshoes.com; Image Fourteen: theloveliestday.com; Image Fifteen: 100layercake.com; Image Sixteen: loveandlavendar.com; Image Seventeen: emmalinebride.com

Rebekah owns the even design company A & B Creative. Read Rebekah’s blog.

Tartan or plaid patterns are the perfect detail for winter weddings. Today we use the terms tartan and plaid interchangeably, but historically in Scotland tartans signified a clan while plaids were worn as kilts. Tartan or plaid detailing can be seen everywhere – from bridal party attire to tablescapes.

I love plaid accents in the wedding parties’ attire. This pale pink plaid dress is so subtle you can barely tell it’s plaid!

This gutsy bride’s plaid blouse is a great way to add interest to an otherwise simple gown.

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Ombre is a wedding detail that is popping up all over. Ombre is shading or graduating color. Brides are using ombre detailing in their centerpieces, invitations, bouquets and bridesmaids dresses.

For the most part it’s not crossing over into the wedding dress yet, although Gwen Stefani (being the trend setter she is) did debut the style with her own wedding dress nearly a decade ago.

More modern brides are easing into the look with their bridesmaids’ dresses.

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That repeating inverted V shape you’ve been seeing all over everything from invitations to backdrops? It’s chevron, baby! Chevron is a pattern that’s extremely popular right now, but has been appearing in early art as far back as 1800 BC (!).  Chevron is a pattern that can be very vibrant and somewhat loud (which doesn’t have to be a bad thing) when it’s done with bright, deep colors, or can be more subtle and understated when done in a neutral or lighter color.

These chevron invites and save-the-dates all use different sizes, styles and color palettes showing how versatile this pattern can be and how many styles it can adapt to.

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Summer weddings often get all the glory, and while they can be beautiful and warm enough to keep you comfortable at an outdoor wedding in a strapless dress, winter weddings are where you get to have all the fun with accessories! Keeping warm may be a necessity for a winter wedding, but it also allows for adorable additions to your wedding day attire. Whether you’re getting married outside, or you just want to take your wedding photos out in the open snow drifts, winter accessories help show the season and are a great way to off set the fanciness of your wedding clothes.

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Winter wedding cakes are among some of my favorites. While I do love a delicate flower, or the bright pops of color that adorn spring and summer cakes, it’s the sophistication and whimsy of a winter cake that I adore most. For a winter cake you can choose how “wintry” you want it to be, whether it has subtle hints to the season or it is the theme of the cake.

One of my favorite winter wedding cake looks is white on white. Seeing detail on the cake, but it being in the same color as the cake, looks so sophisticated and it evokes the memories of snow. I love the simple additions of the deer and tree as well as the hanging orbs that make you think of the ends of a wooly hat.

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The trend of white on white at weddings is growing. White on white is a stylish, modern and elegant look that’s incredibly simple. Grouping white items together creates an effortless look of style that can be used in any season. Winter is the perfect season for white on white to emulate the look of snow, but the look could work equally as well for a crisp summer wedding. We’ll explore the white on white trend from dessert tables to bridesmaids’ dresses.

Once you have your theme of white on white in mind, creating a dessert table is easy. Simply select and arrange your favorite white treats and you’re ready to go! Marshmallows, powdered sugar doughnut holes, cake pops, cookies and cupcakes are all perfect.

Candy bars are another white on white option. So many candies come in white and you can add visual interest by displaying them in different sized vessels.

You can also choose to have a white on white cake. You may think that because it’s all the same color it would be difficult to see details, but you can easily add texture with flowers, frosting or candies to have a stunning effect.

Flowers are a simple way to display the white on white look, either in your bouquet or with your centerpieces. (The two bouquets below have flowers that are actually made of wood!)

Tablescapes can also be done in all white. Using white chairs, or ghost chairs (clear lucite), along with white linens and flowers creates a stunning look.

While most brides already opt for white wedding dresses, a newer trend is to also have your bridesmaids in white dresses. If you’re comfortable with someone other than you also wearing white then go for it! This look can be very ethereal and looks beautiful when the whole wedding party is together.

White on white is a blank canvas to which you can add whatever extra touches are personal for you. The look can be done in a modern and minimalist style, vintage inspired, or even eclectic. Having the unifying theme of the color that ties everything together gives you a lot of options for whatever style you choose.

Image One: blog.amyatlas.com; Image Two: merrylbrowsevents.com; Image Three: inspiredbride.net; Image Four: merrylbrownevents.ccom; Image Five: hello-naomi.blogspot.com; Image Six: blog.amyatlas.com; Image Seven: theinspiredbride.net; Image Eight: cutestfood.com; Image Nine: yummycupcakes.com.au; Image Ten: krislyndesign.com; Image Eleven: paperdollstudio.ca; Image Twelve: stylemepretty.com; Image Thirteen: hello-naomi.blogspot.com; Image Fourteen: lanedittoe.com; Image Fifteen: theresejacintodesign.blogspot.com; Image Sixteen: vogue.com; Image Seventeen: stylemepretty.com; Image Eighteen: ruffledblog.com

Rebekah is a wedding and event designer and owns the company  A & B Creative, read her blog.

Weddings are exciting on their own – add New Year’s Eve to the mix, and you have one awesome celebration!

If you want to have a New Year’s Eve wedding it will work best to have the wedding start later, say seven or so, then serve dinner and begin the reception after with the goal of ending after the ball drops. Since people have a tendency  to drink more than usual on New Year’s make sure you can provide a shuttle back to the hotel where your guests are staying or a taxi.

Here are ways to make your New Year’s Eve reception dazzling:

1. Sparklers - Sparklers as a send off have become really popular, but I LOVE using sparklers in less expected ways, like in these couple shots, on a cake, or as favor.

2. Champagne – Since toasting on NYE is a tradition, having a champagne tower like this would seem perfect for a NYE wedding!

3. Clock – You’ve already been counting down to the big day since you were engaged, and NYE is all about the countdown, so why not have elements of time with clock decor around your wedding?

4. Noise Makers and Party Hats - These are all fun NYE staples to add to your wedding.

5. Glitz and Glitter – Decorating your venue in anything with glitz, glitter and sparkle will add to the festive energy that New Year’s Eve has. You can buy lanterns, or make garlands to hang, and balloons are also a great way to decorate for NYE.

7. Confetti

8. Fireworks

9. A Kiss - Instead of rice or sparklers at the end of the night, what would you think about this fitting send off?

Image One: imgfave.com; Image Two: sparklersonline.com; Image Three: 100layercake.com; Image Four: pull.imgfave.net; Image Five: designsponge.com; Image Six: stylemepretty.com; Image Seven: agentbauer.com; Image Eight: www2.fiskars.com; Image Nine: blowoutparty.com; Image Ten: hostessblog.com; Image Eleven: claytonaustinlovestories.com; Image Twelve: designsponge.com; Image Thirteen: stylemepretty.com; Image Fourteen: saraspartyperfect.com; Image Fifteen: stylemepretty.com; Image Sixteen: maemaepaperie.blogspot.com; Image Seventeen: stylemepretty.com; Image Eighteen: stephaniewilliamsphotography.com; Image Nineteen: tylershields.com

Rebekah is a freelance writer and wedding stylist and designer, she owns the company A & B Creative. She splits her time designing between California and Oregon, read her blog.

Pine trees, branches, and boughs are perfect details to add to a winter wedding. As with any detail, it should be just that, a small touch that you can add throughout the decor of your wedding to add a festive and warm feeling.

Pine detailing in bouquets and boutonnieres are subtle ways to tie together this look.

Pine incorporated into centerpieces can be beautiful as well. I love different kinds of pine used as accents in the arrangements.

You can also make centerpieces just by using branches of pine too. Adding candles makes a centerpiece like this look more complete.

Pine boughs are another simple design that can add more of a festive feel to your space.

I absolutely love the idea of small pine branches being used as escort cards. If you’re getting married in a forested area these would be free and easy to find. Making nice tags to attach can make this a vintage inspired or more modern look.

You could use pine as a wreath to dress up your wedding favors.

Pine tree saplings are a wonderful favor idea too. I love this idea! (Tree Beginnings, one of our sponsors, sells tree saplings here.) They’re a favor your guests will actually keep after your wedding and your guests will have a reminder of your special day each time they look at their tree growing.

Pine decor can be tied through to your paper products as well. These pine stamps would be great for DIY wedding invites and/or signage too.

You can see that there are lots of different ways to be creative with pine decor for your wedding. Getting married around the holidays makes pine boughs, wreaths, tress and trimmings all widely available and more affordable than in other seasons. Pine elements are a great detail to add to whatever style of wedding you’re already having to show the season and add festive tones to your decor.

Image One: stylemepretty.com; Image Two: charlottegeary.com; Image Three: bhg.com; Image Four: stylemepretty.com; Image Five: athome.kimvallee.com; Image Six: bridal-bags.com; Image Seven: veranda.com; Image Eight: ruffledblog.com; Image Nine: stylemepretty.com; Image Ten: odessamay.blogspot.com; Image Eleven: alisonconklin.com; Image Twelve: stylemepretty.com; Image Thirteen: designsponge.com; Image Fourteen: oslopress.com

Rebekah is a freelance writer and wedding stylist and designer, she owns the company A & B Creative. She splits her time designing between California and Oregon, read her blog.