By Jennifer Cox

My four bridesmaids carried traditional bouquets that matched my arrangement – I think most brides opt to have their girls carry bridesmaid bouquets. But I love when I see unique ideas for things that stray from the conventional.

Who said bridesmaids had to carry bouquets of flowers? There are other floral configurations that are just as striking (if not more so) – I personally love round hanging arrangements (sometimes referred to as pomanders). They’re elegant and still lend a beautiful flowery feel (I wish I’d discovered these sooner!). The girls can also hold a single flower or they can each have their own bouquet rather than be matchy-matchy.

There’s also a wide range of other accessories bridesmaids can tote, everything from similar clutches and coloured fans to pretty parasols and even whimsical pinwheels.

Some brides give their lovely ladies something to carry that serves a dual-purpose – candles or lanterns are not only charming but add to the ambient light as well.

Just because it’s the “norm” to give your bridal party identical bouquets doesn’t mean it’s what you have to do. The fun in creating your wedding is personalizing it and making it unique, and if you want your bridesmaids to carry a fanciful bunch of balloons or fiery awe-inspiring sparklers down the aisle, well so be it!

First & Second Photo: Bella Destinee; Third Photo: The Design Grove; Fourth Photo: Britt Productions; Fifth and Sixth Photo: Adore; Seventh Photo: Landlocked Bride; Eighth Photo: Project Bride; Ninth Photo: Stephanie Williams Photography

Jennifer Cox is a Montreal based freelance journalist who loves everything from weddings to foodie news, photography & candy!

By Jennifer Cox

Brides and grooms want their weddings to be memorable, and one way couples are adding that “ooh” and “ahh” factor to their special day is by releasing sky lanterns. A long-time tradition at Asian festivals for thousands of years, paper lanterns were used to celebrate the Chinese New Year and as a signaling device. Countless were launched to rid the people of their worries and to decorate the city’s sky with light. The flame would symbolize knowledge and wisdom.

There are several vendors who sell sky wish lanterns, which are now 100% biodegradable and come in a wide range of flame-resistant papers. They’re touted as being a calm, beautiful tradition as guests release their lanterns to light up the night sky. They can fly in the air for up to 20 minutes to more than 1,000 feet in altitude and will travel several miles in distance, after which the flame is supposed to blow out and gently float back down for a safe landing.

However, it’s precisely this lengthy trip that sky lanterns take that can make them potentially dangerous (very dangerous, in fact). They can’t be controlled once they’ve been released and they could drift into trees, building rooftops, fields, and other combustible materials while the heat source is still burning, which could create a significant fire hazard.The Saskatchewan government (The Office of the Fire Commissioner), for example, formally asked fire departments to caution members of their community about the potential fire risks of the flying lanterns.

So if you do decide to integrate a sky lantern release into your wedding, make sure you adhere to all safety warnings and proceed with extreme caution.

First Photo: Weddingo; Second Photo: Event Accomplished; Third Photo: Fireworks Arcade; Fourth Photo: Scissor Paper Stone; Fifth Photo: Chasing Rainbows Kissing Frogs

Jennifer Cox is a Montreal based freelance journalist who loves everything from weddings to foodie news, photography & candy!

An edible wedding dress? Now wouldn’t that add a little  “wow” factor to your wedding day.

Lukka Sigurdardottir created this wedding cake dress:

Here’s a dress you can walk in. “Baker Valentyn Shtefano and his bride Viktoriya show off her wedding gown, which Shtefano made out of flour, eggs, sugar and caramel in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod in Aug. 27, 2006. The edible dress, made of 1,500 cream puffs and weighing in at 20 pounds (9 kilograms), took the 28-year-old baker two months to make. (AP Photo)” Photo: Via Craftzine

Happy Friday!

The vintage brooch bouquet is one of the latest trends in non-floral bouquets. A vintage brooch bouquet is a collection of ecletic vintage brooches assembled to take the form of a bouquet.

Not only are these brooch bouquets stunning, they make a fantastic keepsake from your wedding.

Kristin, who had an intimate wedding in Austin, Texas had a brooch bouquet at her wedding.

“I wanted a 50’s themed wedding and the brooch bouquet was perfect,” she says.

Kristin and her husband scoured second hand stores and antique stores in Michigan and Arizona for the brooches. Most cost between $2-$12 each. In total she spent $250 on brooches.

Amanda Heer at Fantasy Floral Design created the brooch bouquet (she added some of her brooches to the bouquet.) Total cost for the vintage brooch bouquet was $600.

What did she do with her bouquet after the wedding?

“I have it in a vase on my table,” she says.

Photos from Kristin and Patrick’s wedding photographed by Paige Newton Photography.

Tired of vintage mason jars, chandeliers hanging from trees, bunting strung over vintage tablecloths and old typewiters? Looking for some fresh outdoor wedding ideas?

I pulled together some images that might just inspire you to create a wedding that is entirely unique!

Ever heard of glamping? I didn’t until I saw this photo on Giver’s Log. Amazing.

What about these whimsical swings hanging from the trees instead of chandeliers?

Chill in this old school caravan on your wedding day. (If you live in the UK you can rent it.)

Or get married here at Isaih Zabar’s Magic Garden in Philadelphia. They do host weddings!

I love the watercolor illustrations of Nicole Wong. I am lucky to have one of her original ACEO’s in my collection. This  one is still for sale.

Happy Friday!!

Art has always been a source of joy for me. I put down my paint brushes more than a year ago because life got busy.  I am going through serious withdrawal.

To soothe myself I’ve spent the last few weeks on a gardening bender. My husband and I hauled 20 yards of topsoil into our backyard and planted a truckload of perennials. I guess you could say that currently my canvas is my backyard. But I still miss the smell of paint, and the surprise that always awaits. (When I sit down and paint I seldom know what I will create.)

So there I was researching wedding-related stuff for the blog, when I stumbled on They Draw and Cook.

Artists from around the world upload illustrations of recipes onto the site. Like this one by Claire Murray:

Amazing. I am so inspired to create an illustration.  I am not adept at Adobe Illustrator and all of my art is created freehand, but I think it would be great fun!

Not only is the site a treat to look at, I think it’s a great source of inspiration for a wedding. Why not have an artist illustrate your menu?  Or offer up an edible wedding favour, along with an illustrated version of the recipe?

Now for one of those Brrr! Bananas!

Talking Heads Little Creatures is one of my favourite album covers of all time. Outsider artist and Baptist Reverend Howard Finster created the artwork for the album. ( Someday, I am going to make a pilgrimage to Paradise Gardens.)

I adore folk art. Which is why I adore the wedding invitations designed by Rifle Events.

The designer created the invitations below for her own Mexican-fiesta- garden- party wedding in Florida. Can you believe these have a matching cake?

Why not have an artist create a one of a kind folk art invitation for your wedding?

Can’t get enough of folk art wedding invitations? Check out Emma and Michael’s couple portrait invitations.

Photos: Rifle Events

These flowers are made of wood.

Exquisite.

A new trend has begun.

You can purchase wood flowers from Thailand here.

Make your own library card at The Library Card Generator.