Watermelon is the ultimate summer refresher. As the scorching days come in there’s nothing better to beat the heat then a cold slice of fresh watermelon. For a summer wedding we love incorporating the fruit not only into the menu but also using the color palette in the decor.

Serving mini slices of watermelon on sticks will keep your guests cool and refreshed on a hot day. If you’re looking for creative ways to dress your table, then using some fresh fruit is a very seasonal option. Stick to the same palette by opting for pomegranates and strawberries to accompany the watermelon display.

For a cooling signature drink; a watermelon cooler served with lime and melon balls will be ideal.

Carved fruits are very hit-and-miss, they seem to recall visions of bad seventies dinner parties or great flashbacks from exotic vacations. Turn a watermelon into a stunning sign with carved floral details. Pick up the greens and pinkish-red hues from the popular fruit and incorporate them into your floral centerpieces.

This is a seriously charming save-the-date card, don’t you think?

To stick to the classics, a fruit salad is a perfect menu addition for an outdoor wedding.

Get as much out of your watermelon as possible by creating a vase to use as a centerpiece.

Surely you can’t have a barbecue without watermelon? We’re huge fans of outdoor BBQ weddings in summer; especially low-fuss family style buffets. A pink bouquet with touches of green and a tiered ombre cake are both reminiscent of watermelon tones.

To add a dose of vivid color, bright bridesmaid dresses are a stunning choice. They work well with a watermelon inspired color palette and look great with the dark green leaves in a bouquet.

Photo one: carolinetran.net; Photo two: andreadozier.com; Photo three: recipechart.com; Photo four: ventolaphotography.com; Photo five: doveandsparrow.com; Photo six: minted.com; Photo seven: inspiredbythis.com; Photo eight: carolinelimaphotography.com; Photo nine: mattedgeweddings.com; Photo ten: annawu.com; Photo eleven: jubileelauevents.com; Photo twelve: pinterest.com

If you’re looking to add a little sunshine to your big day, I think we can all agree that there’s no sunnier color out there than yellow. Incorporating bright shades of yellow into your color scheme can be difficult, but Pantone’s mellow yellow will give your color palette a little squeeze of citrus without being too overwhelming. Here are 5 of our favorite ways to use it on your wedding day!

Pale yellow makes an excellent base color for a bright hue like purple to pop next to.

How fun are all the colors in this scheme? We think this palette would look great at a laid-back spring wedding.

Yellow, yellow, and more yellow! Off-white and charcoal grey add a bit of contrast to this color scheme, but yellow definitely takes centre stage here.

Yellow and blue are a classic color combination and you can’t go wrong pairing different shades of the two together for a nautical-esque palette.

For a real citrus punch, throw in some orange and a little pale lime green, and then balance it all out with lots of white for a clean, crisp look.

Photo one: onefabday.com; Photo two: ruffledblog.com; Photo three: bhldn.com; Photo four: etsy.com; Photo five: weddingchicks.com

The great thing about having an intimate wedding is that you can spend more time with your guests on your wedding day. It is also much easier to show how much you appreciate their attendance. Your guests will thank you for the small details that keep them comfortable and show how much you care. We’ve picked 10 of our favorite ways that you can welcome your guests into your celebration.

1. Breakfast Treat 

If you’re having an early ceremony then treat your guests to some breakfast on the go. Homemade cinnamon rolls in vintage tins are a decadent and thoughtful idea. You can have them ready before the ceremony starts or serve with coffee after the ceremony finishes. As they are packaged and ready to go, it also eliminates any fuss.

2. Welcome Box 

After a happenstance meeting, a six hour first date, and four months of dating, Andrew proposed to Shantelle at the state fair on the tilt-a-whirl! While this spontaneous and fun-loving couple had originally planned on having a cruise wedding, financial constraints forced them to rethink their plans and get creative in planning a wedding close to home instead. The bride DIYed much of the decor herself and the couple each chose their favorite color — red (bride) and blue (groom) — for their color scheme, adding tons of bright and cheery touches to their intimate February nuptials.

Special thanks to Mikkel Paige for sharing their special day with us!

Shantelle, 25 & Andrew, 29

Raleigh, North Carolina

Wedding Date: February 6, 2014

Number of Guests: 30

Wedding Cost: around $5,000 (our reception food was paid for by my mother, so I’m not aware of exactly how much that ended up being)

Wedding Ceremony Location: All Saint’s Chapel

Wedding Reception Location: Second Empire Restaurant

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

Much of my family is spread over the country and due to some issues with his family we had to move the wedding to North Carolina. This had us paring down the guest list quite a bit! We will be having another reception in New York in August to celebrate with more family who couldn’t be part of our small guest list in Raleigh.

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

Mostly self-imposed! We wanted to accommodate everyone else so we ended up compromising on a lot of things. I think if we had invited more people it would have been a little easier to let loose and do what we wanted.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

We made a rule to really only invite people that were immediate family or very close friends, so it wound up not being as hard as we thought!

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

We had quite a few problems with family, however the issues weren’t really brought to light until about 2 weeks before the wedding! So by that time we had to basically discuss it with them and move on. Open communication!

What were the highlights of the ceremony? 

Walking down the aisle to the Louis Armstrong version of “La Vie En Rose” and our high-five at the end of my vows!

What were the highlights of the reception?

Accidentally destroying my toss bouquet a little (by throwing it too hard into a chandelier, OOPS) and our cake!

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

We were able to spend time with some really amazing people, rather than not being able to eat/speak/or really enjoy our wedding day.

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

Really consider your guest list; there were people we didn’t think of inviting until it was too late!

Vendors:

Reception and Cake Designer: Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern

Cake Topper: Better Off Wed

Bouquet: The Bridal Flower 

Toss Bouquet: Cute As a Button Flower

“C” Guest Board: League of Letters

Wedding Dress: Galina from David’s Bridal – Also had alterations/additions designed by me and sewed by Unique Tailors

Photography: Mikkel Paige

Andreas and Corinna planned their New York City elopement long distance all the way from Germany. Despite not being able to meet any of their vendors beforehand, however, their’s was a simple and lovely wedding day complete with a sweet New York City Hall civil ceremony, cupcakes, and wedding tattoos – all perfectly captured by Leila Jacue of L&L Style Photo.

Corinna, 36 & Andreas, 35

New York City, NY

Wedding Date: May 28, 2014

Number of Guests: 0

Wedding Ceremony Location: NYC  – city hall

Wedding Reception Location: No reception

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We wanted to enjoy the intimate moment just by ourselves.

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

We had to arrange everything from Germany without being on site and knowing any of the vendors. Also, we had to convince family and friends to stay home.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

No, we had no guests.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

The  excitement of standing in front of the registrar.

What were the highlights of the reception?

There was no official reception, but we had cupcakes after the wedding and then got our wedding tattoos instead of rings.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

Everything went as expected. No need to be considerate for anyone else and no strict schedule without any space for us to enjoy our moments and our day.

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

Plan your wedding the way you want to have it instead of planning your wedding for others’ expectations.

Vendors:

Flowers: Adore Floral Inc.

Bride’s Dress: Kate Spade

Groom’s Outfit: Fred Perry

Wedding Tattoos: Kings Ave Tattoo

Cupcakes: Little Cupcake Bakeshop

Photography: Leila Jacue of L&L Style Photo