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Remembering Loved Ones on Your Wedding Day

Rebekah — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:24:10 +0000

Honoring loved ones who have passed away is an important wedding day detail for many couples. Whether its a display of photographs, candles or the written word, many couples find it essential to remember friends and family who are deceased.

If you’re getting married outdoors, making a memorial by hanging photos of your loved ones on a tree lets guests also view and pay tribute to them.

You could also attach photos to a clothesline near the guest book where each guest will have a moment to view photos of those who couldn’t be there that day.

Another option is having a table with a small sign where you write something special about your loved ones.

Making a note in your wedding program about your loved ones is another sweet way to honor them.

You can represent your missing loved ones in your attire as well. Locket boutonnieres are so sweet and are an amazing keepsake for after the wedding as well.

Brides can incorporate photo charms into their bouquets too, another cherished keepsake item.

If you’re having a destination or beach wedding I love the idea of putting a flower lei into the sea in remembrance of a loved one. The sign is especially touching. If you are going to put leis into the ocean please make sure you remove the string so that fish do not get caught in them.

If you want to be more symbolic in your remembrance, you could always incorporate some of your loved ones’ favorite flowers, foods, or songs. Knowing that an important friend or family member can’t be there to share your special day with you is heartbreaking, but when you honor them in your own way you’re including them and making sure that they are with you in spirit.

Image One: prettylittleweddings.com; Image Two: 100layercake.com; Image Three: elizabethannedesigns.com; Image Four: ruffledblog.com; Image Five: stylemepretty.com; Image Six: greenweddingshoes.com; Image Seven: etsy.com; Image Eight: marthastewartweddings.com Image Nine:stylemepretty.com; Image Ten: creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com; Image Eleven: thefoundblog.com

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

Paper Flowers Swedish Style

Christina — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:06:30 +0000

What a refreshing take on paper cranes and origami flowers. These photos were found at Ikea Sweden. I don’t understand a word on the site, but the photos are fab!

A New Look at Intimate Weddings

Christina — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:37:47 +0000

IW just got all gussied up. Now we’ll be spreading the wee wedding gospel in some stylin’ new duds. Same message, just prettier packaging – and easier navigation. We’re still working through a few technical issues, so you might notice a few glitches here and there. Hopefully we’ll have everything running perfectly in the very near future!

Meantime, check out the new Intimate Weddings homepage.

We’re Hiring!: Freelance Wedding Bloggers Wanted

Christina — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:12:15 +0000

Do you love weddings? Do you fancy the idea of writing about them? Do you have a passion for small weddings?

Help us spread the small wedding gospel! We are looking for bloggers to write fresh and snappy content for our blog. If you are full of great ideas, we want to hear them!

Candidates must be familiar with WordPress. Bloggers will be responsible for finding images, and crediting images in blog posts.

Interested? Contact christina(at)intimateweddings.com

Bride and Groom Seating

Rebekah — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:50:38 +0000

You’ve already seen how to make regular chairs and seating look more unique and personalized, but now you can have even more chair inspiration for the two most important seats at the wedding – the bride and groom!

I am absolutely in love with these 1950′s inspired bright colored and glittery graphic bride and groom seat markers!

Bride and groom seating does not have to be marked on the chairs alone. I love the simplicity of these tags tucked into the forks.

Silhouettes are also adorable, and I would love if they had only been used subtly and were tied through to the chairs as well, i.e. the invitations had a silhouette element, or the save-the-date etc.

Always a sucker for a vintage chalkboard. Short, sweet, and to the point.

These beautiful blooms displayed for the bride and groom seats look gorgeous and even a little regal; just what you want on your wedding day!

Using scrabble tiles to spell out bride and groom for their places would be adorable as well!

I saved the best for last! I love the vintage feel of the term “just hitched”. It’s adorable and this sign complete with hanging cans and all is too perfect for words!

Chairs are just another great way for you to carry out your style and to push your favorite elements even further. Whether you chose your unique display from your font, your favorite game, or your favorite bloom personality always makes for the best inspiration!

Photos One and Two: ruffledblog.com; Photo Three: stylemepretty.com; Photo Four: stylemepretty.com; Photo Five: stylemepretty.com; Photo Six: bridalhood.blogspot.com; Photo Seven: magnoliarouge.com; Photo Eight:snippetandink.com

Rebekah is a DIY obsessed, wedding and event design wizard who loves hunting her bay area homeland for clever craft ideas, vintage gems, bargain buys, new pieces for her vintage rental line and blogging inspiration. She and her husband live and write in Oakland. Read her blog.

Hot for Hydrangeas!

Rebekah — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:46:22 +0000

Hydrangeas have seen a huge boost in popularity.

For weddings, they’re styled in one color or mixed with other lush colors to show their true beauty and simplicity.

I’ll start with the most dreamy use of hydrangeas. This swoon-worthy runner was made using all green hydrangeas and is so incredibly beautiful I can barely stand it!

While the runner is rather grand, even the most simple use of a hydrangea cut short and placed in a vintage tea cup can have an impact that most single stems of a bloom couldn’t achieve. Here’s another example where a simple vessel and just a few stems can be just as good (if not better) than a packed centerpiece.

Being the versatile flowers that they are, hydrangeas also look beautiful when bunched tightly together.

Bouquets made up of hydrangeas are of course a favorite as well! If you’re wedding day is going to be hot though, make sure to keep them in water as much as you can to avoid wilting. These bouquets have a fresh and simple look that would be perfect for an outdoor wedding. Check out the DIY tutorial for how to make a bouquet like the pink one!

Hydrangea inspiration isn’t limited to just the fresh cut variety. Here is a simple, yet gorgeous rose and hydrangea inspired cake as well as pretty hydrangea cupcakes!

These hydrangea inspired invites are gorgeous as well.

Here’s a cute hydrangea inspired DIY pomander too! Learn how to make this hydrangea pomander.

If seeing all of these gorgeous flowers has inspired you there’s a few things you should know: they’re in season in the summer, so if you’re getting them at another time know that the price may be inflated with the quality and size decreased.

Heat or lack of water can make them wilt or appear “droopy.” The white varieties can also show bruising more easily. Have no fear though, as long as you’re styling these flowers in water or wet floral foam them should do fine!

If your wedding is going to be on a very hot day and the flowers won’t have relief from it, you may want to think of another variety of flower. If using the hydrangeas in your bouquet, that’s okay too, just make sure to be storing them in water whenever you’re not using them (for photos or during the ceremony).

Prices for hydrangeas range roughly from $3.00-$7.00 per stem depending on how many you’re ordering and from which time of year. Thankfully these beautiful blooms are all over the world and grow in many people’s gardens; you may be able to get enough for your bridal parties’ bouquets just from a friend or neighbor!

Photo One: simplesong.typepad.com; Photo Two: dreamywhites.blogspot.com; Photo Three: stylemepretty.com; Photo Four: valdirose.blogspot.com; Photo Five: stylemepretty.com; Photo Six: projectwedding.com; Photo Seven: watters.com; Photo Eight: iammommy.typepad.com; Photo Nine: glorioustreats.blogspot.com; Photo Ten: momentaldesigns.com; Photo Eleven: intimateweddings.com

Rebekah is a DIY obsessed, wedding and event styling wizard who loves hunting her bay area homeland for clever craft ideas, vintage gems, bargain buys, new pieces for her vintage rental line and blogging inspiration. She and her husband live and write in Oakland. Read her blog.

Creative Thank-You Cards from the Bride and Groom

Rebekah — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:39:21 +0000

One of my favorite wedding day details is sneaking in a photo op thank-you to send after your big day. I think it’s not only clever and creative, but it’s sweet for your guests to have another token reminding them of your wedding day. Brides today are opting for less generic versions of the thank-you signs of the past, and seeking more individual options.

I absolutely adore this book thank-you sign. The couple had a book themed backdrop at their wedding as well. Easy to make, simple, and most of all was really about the couple’s personality.

This thank-you version obviously isn’t a photo, but it’s just so sweet and pretty that I think any guest would still delight at getting this in the mail! You could create your own version with personalized last name, wedding colors, etc. then take a photo of it and create postcards to send. If you specifically want vintage scrabble tiles (the only difference between those and new is that the new ones can be more glossy and brighter, and have less of an aged look) ebay is a great place to find inexpensive ones.

This photo is just gorgeous. Aside from the bride’s incredible dress the simple heart displaying their thank-you doesn’t deflect from the star of the shot, the couple. This could be a handmade DIY project, or you could find a similar heart on Etsy.

This thank-you version is especially fun because it gets the whole bridal party in on the fun, and the vintage letters are a bonus!

I can’t help myself when it comes to vintage chalkboards! Write anything on them and I will swoon…

This couple takes a departure from the thank you bunting and uses sweet handmade signs to string together. J’adore.

This couple carried this vintage inspired text through out their wedding, so it only made sense that they used it in their thank you photo as well. I really love that they attached the letters with vintage clothes pins!

The font, the shape, the wood, there’s nothing I don’t love about this thank you sign! I found this sign on etsy and I think it would be perfect for a cute vintage pop for a couple to hold in their thank you pic!

Lastly, this thank you printed on burlap can be modern (because of the font) or rustic (because of the burlap) and has a great DIY touch.

Wedding thank you photos are another fun way to show your creativity and to leave your guests with a beautiful keepsake!

Photo One: louisapodlich.com, Photo Two: lanaloustyle.blogspot.com; Photo Three: kissthegroom.com, Photo Four: stylemepretty.com; Photo Five: stylemepretty.com; Photo Six: katforsythphotography.com, Photo Seven: greenweddingshoes.com, Photo Eight: etsy.com, Photo Nine: 100layercake.com

Wedding Chair Decor

Rebekah — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 08:59:33 +0000

Whether you have to dress up your chairs because the rentals you got aren’t exactly you’re idea of chic, or you just want to add more visual interest to your chairs, using flowers, pillows, or ribbons are great easy fixes for blah chairs!

Something as simple as vintage fabric bows instantly make these chairs more feminine and helps to tie the colors on the table together.

Ribbon is another fun decorative element you can add to your chairs. Each type of ribbon gives a different look and feel: thin, thick, all one color, a gradation, mixed with flowers, etc.

In my opinion simple vintage florals can do no wrong. That’s probably why I love these vintage pillows so much. The chairs are already beautiful but the pillows add so much more personality and spark.

Flowers have long since been the go-to chair decoration, but they went a little too far and now if I see one more flower ball hanging from a chair at a wedding I may just scream! Okay, I’ll take it down a notch, flowers can still be a great accent for chair decor. I especially love this simple arrangement in mason jars with the rustic touch of the twine.

As a wedding chair alternative, bales of hay have long been a favorite of mine, but because of how sharp and pokey they can be you have to cover them with something. Vintage quilts, blankets or sheets all work and look great.

For wedding chair decor, it’s best to keep it simple, but also to take advantage of the chairs being one more way to extend the design of your wedding. Most importantly, have fun and get creative!

Photo One: valdirose.blogspot.com; Photo Two: designspongeonline.com, Photo Three: stylemepretty.com; Photo Four: stylemepretty.com; Photo Five: jessicaclaire.net; Photo Six: green-weding.net; Photo Seven: oncewed.com

Rebekah is a DIY obsessed,wedding design wizard who loves hunting her bay area homeland for clever craft ideas, vintage gems, bargain buys, and blogging inspiration. She and her husband live and write in Oakland. Read her blog

Seating Charts for Your Small Wedding

Rebekah — Thu, 19 May 2011 09:08:37 +0000

Wouldn’t it be nice to combine the modern, beautiful look of your intimate wedding while aiding your Aunt Ida who can’t seem to find where she’s supposed to be sitting? What if I told you that you can! Yes, you can have a unique, attractive seating chart that is both utilitarian (Aunt Ida will thank you) and still keep the stylish look of your big day.

These are some of my favorite vintage inspired seating charts:

Great modern and graphic seating charts, I love these colors!

These last charts are so unique and creative, I love that you really can be inspired by anything from your wedding for your chart!

Seating charts are yet another amazing benefit to having a smaller wedding, charts that don’t have to fit in three hundred guests allow you to use so many more creative elements. You don’t have such a huge area that you need to fill and therefore can use a smaller space, whether that’s on a frame, a pegboard, tree or even with a school theme!

Photo One: rockmywedding.co.uk; Photo Two: ruffledblog.com; Photo Three: snippetandink.com; Photo Four: bklynbrideonline.com; Photo Five: valchoa.multiply.com Via Pinterest; Photo Six: snippetandink.com; Photo Seven: ruffledblog.com; Photo Eight: onewed.com; Photo Nine: MarthaStewartWeddings.com