Remember those embarrassing prom pictures? The ones where you’re pretending to put on your date’s big, tacky boutonniere? Let’s not do the same for your wedding day! To make things a bit classier, here are some of our absolute favorite boutonnieres from Etsy.

Bookworms won’t be able to resit this book crafted bout by DiddleBug.

The bohemian couple will love sharing their love of nature with these foliage bouts by WildRoseAndSparrow.

You ‘wood‘nt’ want to miss out on these amazing and original designs by BATTLEWOODmaterial

Copper makes a comeback with these one-of-a-kind bouts by RachelEmmaStudio.

For another stunning foliage inspired bout, feast your eyes on this extravagant design by Eucca.

Gold is not only for the bride, as you can see in this beautifully designed bout by CollectedEdition.

For another twist on the gold bout, this mix of classic and flashy by Lietofiore is perfect.

And finally, this small naturesque bout by which goose completely wins us over.

*This post contains Etsy affiliate links

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It is time, dear readers, to get in touch with your inner super hero! What better way to do this than by making some super cool cartoon action bubble pins! We think these would be perfect to add to escort cards. Simply pin onto paper name cards with guests’ names.

You will need:

• Shrinky Dinks
• Judikins Diamond Glaze
•  Brooch Pin Backs
• E6000 230010 Craft Adhesive
• Sharpie markers
• colored pencils
• Comic action bubble graphics to trace (Found here and here)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. If you don’t want to use your oven, you can use a toaster oven. Grab your Shrinky Dink sheet and place over action bubbles.

Using a Sharpie, trace over the graphic onto the shiny side of your Shrinky Dink paper.

Add details with permanent marker.

Turn over Shrinky Dink paper and color in graphic with colored pencil.

Voila!

Cut out shape.

Place shiny side up onto an aluminum pie plate and place into preheated toaster oven. Watch the magic happen! It only takes a few seconds.

Remove from oven and lay flat. Once the Shrinky Dink has cooled, glue brooch pin onto the back. You can use a glue gun, but we recommend e-6000 glue for more permanence.

Coat with Diamond Glaze and let dry.

That’s it! If you are using these for your wedding, pin onto paper name cards for each guest.

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Ten years in the making, Chelsea and Darius’ wedding day was nothing short of magical. With a major venue setback, guest list pressure, and budgetary challenges, however, getting there wasn’t an easy task. Despite the planning pitfalls, everything came together rather serendipitously for the bride and groom as they officially joined their lives together in a beautiful outdoor ceremony and reception at the Felt Estate in Saugatuck, Michigan. Bathed in the soft golden light of a summer’s eve and surrounded by all the love and happiness of their family and friends, Chelsea and Darius couldn’t be happier with how things turned out for their big day. Thankfully for the couple – and for us, Jillian Bowes was on hand to capture every last gorgeous detail!

Chelsea, 28 & Darius, 36

Location: Saugatuck, Michigan

Wedding Date: June 11, 2016

Number of Guests: 75

Wedding Cost: $20,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Felt Estate

Wedding Reception Location: Felt Estate

Why did you have an intimate wedding? 

Our wedding was ten years in the making, and after my father passed away, we decided life was much too short to wait any longer. Since we wanted the wedding to truly reflect our two lives officially coming together in the best way possible, we knew from the start that a small celebration with only our closest family and friends was the way we wanted to go.

What are some the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

We thought intimate and small would translate to inexpensive; we quickly realized, however, that wasn’t the case. Our first issue came after the venue we selected closed and let us know via a letter sent along with a cheque for our deposit amount. In a panic and not wanting to change the date, we found and toured one of the only venues that had our date still available and fell in love. It’s funny how these things work out! It was also a constant challenge between wanting everything to feel elegant, and working against the budget that we (regrettably) never really set.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

Extremely! We both have huge extended families and friends who we didn’t want to offend. Also, getting married years after most of our friends, it made us uncomfortable not to invite people who had invited us to their wedding.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Oh, yes. I spent many hours on the phone having breakdown after breakdown explaining to my mother why I wasn’t inviting someone or another. I had to make the tough calls to invite one cousin and exclude their siblings, and other decisions like inviting two aunts and not the others. From the start, we went with the closest friends and family who we actually enjoyed spending time with … We didn’t give anything a second thought on the wedding day itself, however, and we were perfectly content with who we invited.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Darius’ brother, an accomplished violinist, played throughout the ceremony. We still insist this was the best wedding gift we received. We were also thankful for the incredibly powerful readings from our matron of honor and Darius’ sister. Consequently, these moments truly personalized the ceremony for us. We also spent a lot of time writing our vows, making sure they applied exactly to us and what we wanted to promise each other. It made all the difference and as a result, from what we heard, there wasn’t a dry eye to be found. 

After the ceremony, we insisted on having a few sacred moments to soak it all in. It allowed us five minutes to cry and let go of the emotions and nerves we’d been carrying all day. Darius’ grandparents then joined us to sign the marriage certificate. This was one of the highlights of the day as Darius’ grandfather is an ordained minister, but too frail to perform the ceremony himself. The officiant, Darius’s childhood pastor, offered to let him sign the marriage certificate anyway. This was an especially powerful moment, celebrating with a couple who’s been married close to 65 years and who couldn’t wait to give their blessing to our marriage. 

What were the highlights of the reception?

We had an incredible farm-to-table meal, which tasted even better than the tasting we had six months before; everyone commented on how good the food was. It was a truly surreal experience, soaking in the sunshine, eating a delicious meal, listening to friends toast us, and laughing so, so much. We were also thrilled the playlist we agonized over for months was a huge hit and set the tone. We also opted for golden hour photos, which gave us a chance to get away and truly enjoy the last moments of the day.

We’re not dancers, so we opted for a later ceremony and cocktail hour/dinner immediately following instead. After the reception drew to a close, we headed back to the city with a few family and friends to one of our favorite hole-in-the-wall bars and had our first dance to an Eagles song my uncle selected from the jukebox. It was perfect.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

We were able to spend time celebrating with each and every guest, and everyone wanted to be there. We felt so loved and happy, and our choice to have an intimate wedding from the start helped us keep perspective.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Go with your gut, always. Don’t get too caught up in the “It’s OUR day” mindset to the point where it’s off-putting, but stand your ground. Let people help you when they offer and don’t be afraid to ask for help! The fact that we had so much help from our family and friends made the day that much more special. Also, remember, intimate doesn’t mean inexpensive. Set a budget early and review it often; not doing that was our biggest mistake.

Vendors:

Venue: The Felt Estate

Photography: Jillian Bowes

Caterer: Kangaroo Kitchen

Florals: Andylous

Chair, table, linen, and bar rentals: The Rental Company

Beauty Services: Cheeky Strut and Siren and Proper

Bride’s Dress: Private designer purchased from Bridal Elegance

Bridesmaid Dresses: Wtoo

Men’s attire: Bunny Tuxedos

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With a baby on the way, reunited college sweethearts Leah and Nick felt that eloping was their best option. With just their immediate family and their son by their side, the couple chose to tie the knot in the small town of Lutsen, Minnesota. The bride, who was five months pregnant, hiked to the top of the cliffs overlooking Lake Superior along with her groom to exchange their vows in a beautiful tear-filled ceremony, followed by an intimate dinner and a bonfire on the beach.

Special thanks to Bailey Aro for sharing Nick and Leah’s super sweet elopement with us today!

Leah, 37 & Nick, 39

Location: Lutsen, MN

Wedding Date: October 9, 2015

Number of Guests: 8 (including us, my son, and also our daughter who was in my belly!)

Wedding Cost: $2,300 (not including the gown and rings)

Wedding Ceremony Location: On the cliffs of Lake Superior at Lutsen Resort

Wedding Reception Location: Lakeside Dining Room, Lutsen Resort

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

My husband, who was my college sweetheart, had already had a big wedding and felt it was too impersonal. Originally we were planning a destination wedding with 30-40 guests, but the event I was envisioning would have cost a lot of money. That, paired with the fact that most of our friends and family were scattered across the country and in the midst of major life events (having kids, buying houses, getting married!), and that we wanted to make things official before baby number two arrived, we decided to elope in Lutsen – a place my husband had been coming since he was in his mother’s belly.

What are some the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

I wanted everything to be perfect despite the fact we were eloping. I had a very specific vision in my mind for our wedding day. It was difficult planning my dream day without the help of a wedding planner (other than my mother-in-law, who was my partner in planning crime!) in a super small town with few resources. Since most of the other weddings that took place at the resort were bigger, they were able to use vendors from Duluth, which is two hours away. The closest salon was an hour away, so I found a hair/makeup girl whose day job was dairy farming. My mother-in-law and I got beautified in her living room, while chickens roamed around us.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

We went back and forth about just how intimate the wedding was going to be. At first we were going to invite a few close friends in addition to immediate family, but it started getting a bit tricky. Once we decided to elope with only immediate family, it became a lot easier.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

My husband has a rather large, close-knit family, and there was some pressure from his parents to have a bigger wedding. Because it was his second marriage, however, and the fact that his brother was having a giant wedding two months later, it was less of an issue, and in the end, I think people were understanding of our decision.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

We knew we wanted to get married on the lake, but didn’t have the exact location nailed down until right before the ceremony. The photographer suggested an intimate spot on the cliffs, so there I was, five months pregnant in my wedding gown, hiking to the staggeringly gorgeous location. The whole ceremony was such an adventure. I walked down the rocks with my son and father-in-law to Romance in G. Despite never meeting, it felt as if we had known our officiant, Timothy Young, for years. It was difficult reading our handwritten vows to one another, because I couldn’t stop crying.

Marrying the love of my life half a lifetime after I fell in love with him for the first time, while pregnant with our daughter and our son by our side, was so profound. In that moment I realized that God truly had a plan for both of us, and that things in the world were exactly the way they were supposed to be.

What were the highlights of the reception?

Enjoying a delicious meal with our family and getting to refer to each other as husband and wife! I decorated our $20 cake – carrot with cream cheese frosting – with flowers and served it on a slab of wood; and it was the best cake we’d ever had. It came from a small bakery located in the kitchen of an old church in the next town over. After dinner, we changed out of our wedding attire and headed down to the beach for a bonfire.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

Instead of spending nearly every moment visiting with other people and worrying about standing in the right spots or saying the right thing, we were able to really appreciate and enjoy every moment.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

You don’t have to compromise your “dream wedding” just because you opt to have an intimate wedding. Don’t sacrifice what is important to you just because there aren’t very many guests. Put together a vision board on Pinterest and get creative. Plan but don’t over plan, and let the small details take you on an adventure. When it comes to budgeting, be very clear on what things are important to you and splurge and save where applicable. You can wear a gorgeous dress, have beautiful flowers and eat delicious cake without spending a ton of money. Also, I firmly believe that a beautiful backdrop and an amazing photographer are crucial, and that if you are going to splurge on one thing, it should be the photos. We are absolutely in love with ours, thanks to the brilliant Bailey Aro. I knew she was the one the first time I visited her website.

Vendors:

Photography: Bailey Aro Photography

Venue: Lutsen Resort

Officiant: Rev. Timothy Young

Florist: Terra Bella 

Cake: Elfvin’s Bakery

Violinist: Max Bichel

Hair & Makeup: Lindsay Berglund

Wedding Dress: Rachel Zoe

Wedding Shoes: Linge

Bride’s Wedding Band: Kwiat

Groom’s Wedding Band: Tiffany & Co.

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With so many things to plan, some great decoration ideas might go forgotten – such as decorating chairs at your head table! To save you the trouble of going through heaps of decoration ideas, we’ve compiled a list of our top eight!

Finally united as husband and wife, let this cute ampersand sign by papercasestudio show off your new status!

We love these “better together” signs by BlackLabelDecor! Simple and sweet, this is the perfect way to remind everyone that you’re just better together.

These country chic wooden signs by salvagingeden are another perfect way to show-off your new team-status.

Modern wedding decor is one trend that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and we’re happy about it because it gives us gorgeous designs like these bride and groom wreaths by LettersToYou.

You can’t go wrong with this lovely pure white pair of cursive bride and groom signs by NarWall.

Hostandtoaststudio offers a more colorful alternative to the previous design, and we can’t decide which one we love more!

French is the language of love, so share your new titles as Madame et Monsieur with these chair signs by SugarAndChicShop.

Finally, replace the wooden signs with some cute and playful Mr. and Mrs. balloons by Twigsandtwirlsllc.

*This post contains Etsy affiliate links.

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