A few weeks ago, Darin and I had the opportunity to participate in the Lenox Wedding Tour, hosted by Destination Bride’s Lisa Light and numerous Lenox wedding vendors. Amazing! (You’ll hear all about the incredible venues in the Berkshires that we toured in an upcoming blog post.)

One of the highlights of the tour was the Tablescape Challenge, which required each participant to create a tablescape at Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club based an an invitation by New York stationer The Pink Orange.

I chose the lovely Beyond the Bramble design as my inspiration:

To be honest, I do plenty of DIY projects, but I’ve never had to create a tablescape – so this challenge required me to stretch. (Okay, so I freaked out a little – especially when I found out we’d have to design our own floral bouquets.)  I decided to go with shades of green, pink and amethyst as the color scheme.

Since I love the look of vintage bottles, I grouped a few of them together and added a single rose to each one. (These bottles were all found at flea markets and garage sales. The total cost was well under $20.)

To add a rustic feel to the table, I used a burlap table runner (compliments of Classical Tents and Party Goods, which also supplied the farm tabletop, glassware and dishes) and a lace doily that I brought from home.  I included a couple of amethyst geodes (I scoffed them from my daughter’s bedroom) and some votives to add sparkle to the table. A couple of vintage metal birds (also found at a garage sale) added a touch of whimsy to the table.

To add to the vintage theme, I included a couple of old books which I stacked beneath a few of the bottles. Dried lavender from my garden was wrapped in jute and placed on each napkin.

The biggest challenge, by far, was the floral arranging. Other than a few informal garden bouquets that I’ve whipped up for my own dinner table, I am a complete novice at floral arranging. Thankfully, a kind lady named Margaret Roach from Seagroatt Riccardi  (the company that supplied the flowers for the challenge) saw the trepidation in my eyes and helped me pick out the flowers for my table. She offered me some tips on arranging the flowers (the arrangement should be twice the height of the container; use greens to fill the holes etc.) but the arranging was up to little old me. So, there I was frantically jamming stems into my vase, asking my husband every five minutes how it looked, utterly frustrated by his glazed over eyes.

In the end, I was pleased with how it turned out given my level of experience.

Although the tablescape challenge was a wee stressful, I believe that pushing your own boundaries is a good thing.  And looking back, it was one of the most memorable parts of our trip to the Berkshires.

Thanks so much to Massachusetts photographer Michelle Girard for snapping (and sharing) the lovely photos!

Photos: All photos except last photo taken by Michelle Girard.

Many couples are choosing to spend a private moment together before the ceremony, also called a “first look,” instead of waiting for the anticipated walk down the aisle. The love and surprise captured in a first look can be an extremely emotional moment. Even some grooms get a little emotional when they see their blushing bride!

Your reception is a time to let loose and have some fun after an eventful wedding day. Bring out your playful – and goofy side with some personalized party glasses from Promovizion.

Promovizion, the number one seller of custom printed eyewear in the U.S, has been making custom printed promotional sunglasses for some of the hottest clubs and brands since 2011, so you know they’re party-certified! They offer a variety of styles and colors, such as Wayfarer and Aviator style frames, all with a protective UV 400 coating. All of their eyewear is waterproof, durable and made with high-quality perforated vinyl and eco-solvent inks.

Their wedding collection features all sorts of customizable sunglasses and printed glasses for your celebration. Honor the day with glasses as favors for all of your guests with your printed names, wedding date, personal logo or monogram:

Your guests will love rocking the photo booth and the dance floor with some stylish personalized party glasses. These would also be great for some fun wedding photos props.

Have a bunch made for your bachelorette party or bridal shower for each of your girls. Wouldn’t it be fun to see everyone in their own personalized party accessory instead of traditional boas or tiaras?

The guys will love them for their own night on the town with bachelor party “groom” and “groomsmen” glasses. They will look stylish wherever they go whether they’re off to a nightclub, sporting event, concert or limo ride.

Tell your special someone you “only have eyes for them” with some love-themed glasses. Imagine a fun proposal with these glasses. It would definitely make for memorable photos. Speaking of photography, the glasses would look great in engagement or save the date card photos.

Check out Promovizion for a variety of styles to fit your wedding celebration. Their wedding collection is also on Pinterest, so add their glasses to your inspiration and idea boards. Glasses packages range from 20 to 200 glasses or buy them individually starting at $14.99. Get 10 percent off by using coupon code: 10%offintimateweddings
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If you are looking for free save the date templates, you have come to the right place! We’ve rounded up some of the prettiest free save the date templates on the web.

The best part is you can download and print these templates at home for free (but no one has to know that part!)

Check out this cute template from the Etsy Weddings Blog.

HGTV has a suite of cute invitation templates that would suit any themed party, like a Parisian style dinner or garden party.

Try these classic, elegant designs featuring lace and calligraphy. If you’re printing them out at home, use embossed papers to add more texture to your cards. Download and Print has many free templates, like this design printed on pearl embossed paper.

Some classic fonts can go a long way with this typography featured template.

Consider a design or motif to carry throughout your wedding stationary and decorations, like this modern bird design template.

Depending on the season of your celebration, you may want to reflect that in your save-the-date cards and invitations. A beach-themed card will have your guests dreaming of summer while a spring-themed design is pretty and bright.

A save-the-date is usually a preview for the invitation, and event, to come so it should reflect your theme and even venue. This template would be perfect for a garden or winery venue:

Or this template for a travel-themed or destination wedding…

For a personalized DIY card idea, pick a favorite photo of the two of you and use Photoshop to add a date and message onto the photo. Electronic invitations and cards are always an option, but everyone loves getting a sweet printed card to display and remind them of your special day.

Party games are a great icebreaker, and always good for a laugh, but they can teeter on the side of cheesy at some events. However, when you’re planning (or helping plan) your bridal shower, you may want to include some traditional bridal shower activities.

Bridal showers have now become full fledged themed events, so pick a theme or motif and have fun (check out these spa-themed shower ideas); after all, it’s a chance for you to bond with your favourite ladies. Bear in mind that family may be present, so reserve the more adventurous games for the bachelorette party!