If you love the American Southwest as much as we do, why not take inspiration from it for your wedding day?

You don’t need to have a desert at your disposal to jump on this trend; outdoor venues and raw spaces  also look amazing decked out in Southwestern decor. Think feathers, cacti and bright hues combined with a sand-colored backdrop, Navajo textiles and chevron details.

Embrace the vibrant colors by using edible decorations such as chilli peppers and exotic fruits. They’ll definitely bring your table settings to life.

This is a great opportunity to experiment in the tie department; forgo the plain colors or spots and go for a rich blanket inspired pattern.

You can enhance the look of wooden tables by using copper and gold accessories with turquoise arrow details.

The white background of these invitations give the print a crisp finish. Soft aqua and coral tones are an ideal color palette for a southwestern look.

There’s nothing more fitting for a desert wedding than a cactus cake!

For those who prefer a darker look, red and black will also work well with this theme.

A wild bouquet tied with multicoloured ribbon is very much in keeping with this aesthetic.

A backdrop of printed feathers in your ceremony space will bring the southwest straight to your venue.

We love the endless options for color pairings and combining prints, with this trend.

These beauties are perfect for a night of dancing (and showing off). Coral shoes will also become a great addition to your summer closet too.

Turquoise plates, mismatched glassware, a blanket-inspired runner and a large floral arrangement are lovely ideas for working this trend into an intimate backyard reception.

Photo one: burnettsboards.com; Photo two: greenweddingshoes.com; Photo three: juliecate.com; Photo four: ruffledblog.com; Photo five: brookealiceon.com; Photo six: ruffledblog.com; Photo seven: frenzelstudios.com; Photo eight: visphotography.com; Photo nine: 100layercake.com; Photo ten: bellethemagazine.com; Photo eleven: storyboardwedding.com

Teal is one of those colors that never seems to go out of fashion. Check out the 5 gorgeous color palettes we’ve created with this beautiful greenish blue hue and get ready to jump on the teal bandwagon with us!

This color palette proves that autumnal color schemes don’t have to be boring. Tweaking the tones of a traditional fall color combination – red, orange, yellow – and pairing it with teal, makes for a surprisingly fresh and contemporary palette.

Peach and teal are a pretty combo, but it’s the surprise accent of red that takes this color palette to a whole other level of sophistication.

This elegant blue/green color scheme mixes things up by adding in some purple and yellow accents to keep things interesting.

Some might find muted colors boring, but this dusty colored palette makes us completely weak in the knees!

Metallic copper is hot this year and it just happens to pair really well with teal, as do golden yellow tones.

Photo one: etsy.com; Photo two: jennaraecakes.com; Photo three: junebugweddings.com; Photo four: 100layercake.com; Photo five: stylemepretty.com

Looking for an alternative to the traditional guest book? Origami Wedding Wishes are unique, fun and utterly fabulous! And they are a cinch to make! Even if you are new to origami, you will be amazed at how simple they are to create.

We first discovered these over at Tiny Rotten Peanuts, where they were used for secret notes. We thought they would be perfect for weddings!

There are lots of other creative uses for these origami creations. Here are just a few:

• love letters
• party ice-breakers
• truth or dare
• thank-you notes
• things you are grateful for
• raffle tickets for prizes
• fortune messages

If you are using these for your wedding, simply provide pieces of origami paper at the reception and instruct your guests to write a wish or piece of advice on the back of the paper, along with their name. After the wedding, fold the pieces into Wedding Wishes and keep them in a bowl, jar or another special container  in your home. Open them when your return from your honeymoon – or on your first year anniversary.

You will need:

• Origami Paper (we used 6′ x 6′, but you can use any size)
• a wooden dowel

Place wooden dowel at the edge of the origami paper. Roll until you reach the end of the paper, being careful to make sure the paper is even on both sides as you roll it. Remove from dowel. Pinch the right edge of the roll of paper as shown in the photo below:

Continue pinching along the roll of paper, alternating the position of your fingers as shown in the photos below. Do this until you reach the end of the roll.

And there you have your Origami Wedding Wish!

Don’t they look amazing?

Amy and Peter’s wedding anniversary is a date that surely neither of them will ever easily forget. The couple met on the 4th of July at an Atlanta Braves game, and they were wed exactly four years later. Despite originally wanting to elope, the couple settled on an intimate garden ceremony with just their families, followed by a larger reception filled with family, friends, and fireworks.

A huge thank you to Paige Jones for capturing Amy and Peter’s big day and sharing it with us!

Amy, 32 & Peter, 31

Atlanta, Georgia

Wedding Date: July 4, 2014

Number of Guests: approximately 35 (only family, minus our officiant, who is Peter’s childhood friend) for the ceremony

Wedding Cost:  $25,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: The Boxwood Gardens at the Swan House

Wedding Reception Location: The SkyLounge at the Glenn Hotel

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

This is hard and not very wedding friendly, but if it were up to me, we would have run off to somewhere tropical with a photographer and eloped. When other people got involved (i.e. family), it made it a bit more difficult to do so. So, I guess we met a bit in the middle. We wanted to maintain the intimacy of it being just us along with the feeling of our two families joining together. It made it special and comfortable (although there was still a sense of nervousness). I can’t imagine having to do something like that in front of a larger audience. Eeks!!

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

Just the overall stress of the planning process; finding the right vendors for what we were looking for, and hoping it would all come together. Lucky for us, it did. All of our vendors were absolutely wonderful.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

Not really. We only invited immediate and close family members. For the reception, we opened it up to our friends who are really important in our lives. We didn’t invite people just to invite them – each person had a special place in our lives.

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

Yes, we had a few minor issues, but we were able to tell them that the venue had a 40 guest limit and we needed to keep it to just family. People were pretty understanding. We were able to have the officiant’s wife (and friend of ours) record the ceremony and put it on YouTube, so we were able to relive the moment and also share it with those friends who weren’t able to be there.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

He said: ” Seeing you for the first time as you were walking down the aisle”; reading our personal vows to each other; our officiant talking about how Peter and I met at a Braves game on the 4th of July, four years prior and I instinctively did the braves chop…at the altar. And I love the crazy group picture Paige captured of all of the family members immediately after the ceremony.

We encountered a lot of 4th of July traffic on our way to the reception, but we embraced it. It felt like we were in a parade of our own as we rode in a ’63 Bentley that Peter had surprised me with. We posed for pictures and waved to the people on the street as they yelled out warm wishes and congratulations.

What were the highlights of the reception?

Being introduced to our guests as Mr. and Mrs. Hall with “Welcome to Atlanta” playing in the background, being eye level with the Centennial Olympic park fireworks, and dancing the night away with our friends and family.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?  

We had all of our favorite family and friends in one place celebrating together. We were really able to enjoy being together, in the moment with them and not have to break into a the formal wedding meet and greet routine. And we could really be ourselves – it took a lot of pressure off of the situation and we had the most amazing time.

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

Do what feels right for you. It’s such a special moment in your life, share it with the people that matter.

Vendors:

Photography: Paige Jones

Hair: Emily Galbaugh with Event Hair and Tan

Flowers: Lindsay Coletta

Ceremony Music: Mary Beth with Classy Chicks

Ceremony Venue: Swan House

DJ: Tim DeGroot with Hip & Hitched (amazing DJ-highly highly highly recommend)

Reception Photography: Whitney Kilcrease, Sister

Reception Venue: Glenn Hotel

Transportration: Special Day Limos

Cake: A Piece of Cake

Most couples find planning a wedding – even an intimate one – stressful, but not Jennifer and Casey. The couple included their friends in the planning process making the whole thing a team effort – and a downright pleasurable one at that! Their friends even arranged a few special musical surprises for the bride and groom, making it a truly special and memorable day for everyone involved.

Special thanks to Shannon Moore for sharing their beautiful wedding with us today!

Jennifer, 36 & Casey, 36

Templeton, CA

Wedding Date: July 19, 2014

Number of Guests: 60

Wedding Cost: $26,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Dancing Deer Farm, Templeton, CA

Wedding Reception Location: Dancing Deer Farm, Templeton, CA

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

The process of entering into a relationship, getting engaged, and planning a wedding was moving and overwhelming. We wanted the people who had been integral in our process to be there celebrating our marriage. Sharing that day with those directly involved in our love was very important to us. Also, we had a wedding weekend, so that we all had time to spend together and connect before the actual ceremony. It was beautiful!

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

In my opinion, it was more fluid to plan an intimate wedding because everyone was involved and it was more of a team effort than just a couple planning a wedding. Our friends are amazing and the planning was quite pleasurable!

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

No, we felt very certain about being surrounded by friends who love and support us and the decision on the guest list was quite easy!

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

No issues! Casey and I both have cut contact with our families and so our guests included friends only and we invited every friend that was important to us in our lives.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

So many! Unbeknownst to me, all of our friends had gotten together and recorded a song that was played as I walked down the aisle. So beautiful! Our friends, Joe & Nikkia, sang a song to us during the ceremony. We let them choose the song and it was a surprise revealed during the ceremony. They blew us away with a lovely and moving choice. Also, at the very moment that our officiant, Jono, was talking about the future, our friends’ two year-old son ran up to us on the podium with an orange popsicle. It was classic.

What were the highlights of the reception?

Again, so many! The speeches by our bridal party had us both in tears the entire time. Standing on the veranda and watching all my friends clicking away with utter joy and goofiness in the photo booth was priceless. We had a late night dance party in the barn on the property and watching everyone dancing their hearts out was great!

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

I got to spend time with the people I love!

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

DO IT! Getting married is such a monumental life transition and it’s meant to be nurtured by those around you who love you. Also, having an intimate wedding offers the opportunity to connect more with your guests and make the day memorable for everyone!

Vendors:

Photography: Shannon Moore – Plum Jam Photography

Flowers: Erin at Sprigs Floral Designs