Destination Inspiration: Paris

Piggypacking on the London-inspired board I showed you a couple weeks ago, here is another dose of destination inspiration for you to feast your eyes on. Starting out with a photo of the Pont des Arts, and all of the locks that decorate it, I put together a board that features locks, keys, and a mix of scrollwork and grid lines.

(source)

sources (clockwise from bottom left): cake, dress, muslin bags, coasters, escort cards on fence, boutonniere, escort cards on screen, welcome bag.

Destination Inspiration: London

This latest inspiration board was originally created with an upcoming trip in mind. I've never been to London (except for a brief impromptu stay at the Heathrow Hilton) and will be there in just a few weeks time. With the original photo highlighting the iconic red phone booth with a glow of lights in the background, I wanted the board to incorporate similar colors and warm notes. Enjoy!

source

sources (clockwise from bottom left): chandelier, clock, bus, stairs, bridal party, shoes, chandelier, ribbons.

Destination Inspiration: Christmas in Bedford Falls

Inspired by last year's trip to Whoville, I decided to use another Christmas movie as the basis for a board this holiday season. This time around we're visiting quaint Bedford Falls, the setting of the classic It's a Wonderful Life.

(source)

You can aim for 1940s elegance, try to capture that sweet small town charm, or mix in some elements from the movie like bells, angels, and lassoing the moon.

credits (clockwise from bottom left): lasso the moon sign, bride, couple in bank vault, couple coming down stairs, bells, sled, flower girls in angel wings, bride in fur, couple in car.

And I'll leave you with a favorite quote from the film, which doesn't necessarily correlate to today's inspiration but could inspire a cute housewarming gift:

Bread...that this house may never know hunger.
Salt...that life may always have flavor.
And wine...that joy and prosperity may reign forever.

Royal Wedding - The Belles Dish

Our invitation may have gotten lost in the mail, but we caught a good chunk of the royal wedding this morning while prepping for work - Oh, the glamour!  The nonstop speculative coverage over the past few months was a bit much but how fun to see an event like this live and of course dish afterwards. Some of the highlights for us: 

(source)

The Dress:  The perfect choice for a princess, a timeless look with modern interpretation in the streamlined bodice.  The reception dress is nothing to sniff at either, and we suspect brides will be pulling inspiration from both ensembles for years to come.

(source)

The Bridal "Look" and The Jewels:  When a bride is this gorgeous, natural makeup and hair is the way to go, and will keep wedding pictures from looking dated for decades. Her happiness was so apparent too, she's every bit the blushing bride.  When when you're a brand new member of the royal family, there's bound to be some serious sparkle. The combination of the lace trimmed veil, delicate diamond tiara, and drop earrings was so pretty.

(source)

The Trees:  The live trees lining the aisle were genius decor solution for the grand scale and high ceilings of the ceremony space.  They provided interest while managing to not compete with the architecture. The fact that the trees will be planted at the family home is touching and eco-friendly.


What did you love about the Royal Wedding?  Brides, did you find any inspiration from today's coverage?  Is anyone else ridiculously jealous of the stacked Middleton gene pool? 

Destination Inspiration: Cherry Blossoms in the Nation's Capital

Spring is a really beautiful time of year in the DC area. Starting in late March, the weather takes a turn toward pleasant, and the Tidal Basin erupts with millions of tiny pink and white cherry blossoms. The pretty blooms are a favorite among local brides, and this is a very popular time of year to tie the knot or snap some engagment photos.

Cherry Blossom Wedding Cake, Wedding Dress, Cherry Blossom Tree, Flower Girls and Table Setting, Petal Appliqué Dress, Cherry Blossom Centerpieces and Instructions , Invitations

Pantone Spring 2011 Color Inspiration and Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Pantone released their Spring 2011 color palette last fall. We know they were predicting individual hot colors for the upcoming fashion season, but we couldn't help but notice how bright and cheery the group is. It reminded us of the Mexican Wedding Flags stationery suite by Senor and Senora and of the colorful streets of Isla Mujeres in the Mayan Riviera. We'd love to see a wedding under the stars decked out in island brights with festive flag banners swaying in the breeze and guests dancing the night away.

Stationery Suite by Senor & Senora

Necklace by Nicola Yoon

Isla Mujeres Street Scene by Sarah McGee

Destination Inspiration: A Retro Holiday Bridal Shower

Typically our destination inspiration boards are centered on a fabulous place, not a bygone era. We couldn't help ourselves when we recently came across this vintage aluminum Christmas tree ad.

We took the robin's egg blue, silver, and red scheme (and of course the aluminum tree) and came up with the board below for a retro inspired bridal shower for the holidays. The look is flirty and feminine, perfect for a get together with your favorite ladies. If you love the color combination, it would translate well for a daytime wedding, with the silver accents swapped for a liberal amount of dove gray to keep the palette modern and less kitschy.

source list: Table settings, snowflake favor boxes, North Pole Cupcake, Drink Bucket, Apron, Flocked Wreath and Garland, Flocked Tree with Blue Decorations, Warm up Cocoa, I'm Engaged

Destination Inspiration: Christmas in Whoville

Until now, we've taken ideas for our wedding boards from destinations all around the globe. Santorini, Nashville, Bali, Napa, and our alma mater Penn State are the locations we've visited most recently. Now we wanted to do a board that represented the spirit of the holiday season, and no "real life" destination seemed to measure up to the animated spot that kept popping up in our heads: Dr. Seuss' wonderfully whimsical world of Whoville. More specifically, the Whoville we all love to watch in the Christmas cartoon every year. Below are some ideas to throw together a very Seussian winter wedding, and we think the Grinch would approve...even enough to have his heart grow three sizes, maybe? We looked to punchy colors, sweet treats and knits you can wear, hold, and decorate with to create a wedding style fit for a Who. Fahoo fores!

(source)

clockwise from bottom left: mittened couple; rainbow sorbet; flower girl; rings; sock garland; knitted flowers; cotton knit wrap; button bouquet; pink hair; cupcake tree; macaoons; bundled up bride; Who cake topper.

Destination Inspiration: Happy Valley

Fall always has us nostalgic for our college days at Penn State. Pumpkins and foliage are signs of the season to some, but to any PSU alumni that crisp feeling in the air brings about fond memories of carefree days on campus.

source (both): William Ames Photography

For the latest installment of our Destination Inspiration series, we designed a fall wedding for college sweethearts at none other than The Pennsylvania State University. Penn State's classic navy and white color palette, while not exactly seasonal, makes perfect sense to anyone who spent their formative years in Happy Valley. University Park is the quintessential college setting. The small town in central Pennsylvania is quaint and scenic, and there's even a sweet chapel on campus, ideal for an intimate ceremony.

Just a few minutes from town, there's a restored barn at The General Potter Farm that hosts events including wedding receptions, like the one pictured below. The relaxed atmosphere is the perfect setting for a gathering of family and old friends. Best friends in mismatched navy cocktail dresses, full white bouquets tied with navy grosgrain ribbon and metallic peep toes that beg for the most special of occasions round out the board.

gray suit groom look, Old Main, bouquets with navy ribbon, silver bow peep toes, barn wedding setup, bride with navy bridesmaids, Penn State Elms, Lion Shrine, navy pintuck linens

Destination Inspiration: Napa Valley

There's just something about Napa - nearly every hillside seems ready to host a sunset ceremony or an outdoor reception under the stars (with lots of wine, of course!) without anyone putting in much work at all. Napa, and the inspiration board it inspired, encapsulates understated elegance and whimsical charm. Cheers!

(photo credit)

clockwise from bottom left: rose and grape centerpieces; Mr. & Mrs. cork place card holders; Lazaro dress; floral arrangement; "wine stained" invitation; ceremony benches; barrel escort card display; mauve clutch; white chocolate cake.

Destination Inspiration: Bali

Bali has so many architecturally interesting poolside retreats tucked amongst its lush foliage. This inspiration board combines natural textures and of course lots of color, to represent the effortless beauty of this tropical island. Anyone else ready to pull up a lounge chair?

(photo credit)

Clockwise from bottom left: bouquet, Real Simple; drink urn via Real Weddings; cake stand via Fric and Frac; lounge furniture, B-alance; "Fiorella" pleated gown, Nicole Miller; mossy escort cards via Economically Chic; headpiece, etsy seller pompandplumage; napkin rings, Deck Dock; tealight holder, Expressions Emporium; placemats, Stonewall Kitchen; pendant, Blue Nile; candle holders, Aspen Country.

Inspiration: A Casual Country Wedding

Our latest destination inspiration is courtesy of a recent engagement of one of our favorite country music couples: Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.

source: www.people.com

If you aren't a country fan, you may not be familiar with these two. Miranda is petite, sassy, and recently topped the charts with the hit "White Liar." She was discovered on Nashville Star - country's answer to American Idol. Blake is a sort of country bad boy (just check him out on Twitter - @blakeshelton) He proposed to her after five years of dating, and afterwards, Miranda told People magazine, "Weddings are great and engagements are great and diamonds are especially great. But I'm just excited to be married because I want to tell Blake I really can love him the rest of my life and be happy and make him happy."

This could have just as easily been a Nashville inspired wedding (and we will definitely visit that concept in the future), but we came across some photos from Aaron Snow of an Oklahoma prarie wedding and it seemed like the perfect fit for this down to earth couple since they share a home there. Busy with hit songs climbing the country charts, we envisioned them celebrating a laid-back wedding without much at all to plan.

A sweetheart neckline with a subtle a-line skirt would suit Miranda's cute, curvy figure, and it wouldn't be a country wedding without cowboy boots for the bride and her bridesmaids. We love the pairing of boots with short sundresses for a funky laid-back bridal party ready to kick up their heels at the reception.

The bride and groom would exchange short but traditional vows during a ceremony in an open field with hay-bale seating, and the down-home feel continues with a summer evening reception under the stars. Guests are treated to fried chicken and blueberry pie washed down with bottles of beer from an antique washtub. We bet these two run with a pretty rowdy crowd, so a bluegrass band will keep the party going all night long!

Cowboy boot bridesmaids, Cowboy boot bride, Boots and bouquet, Fried chicken, Lace Dress, Horseshoe, Oklahoma field, Hay bales, Blueberry pie, Rustic wedding cake, Guitar/washboard player

Destination Inspiration: Santorini

Santorini's natural landscapes are highlighted with pops of colors along the island's cliffs - even more so at night than during the day. The inspiration board features varying hues of blues and touches of orange, with a dose of earth tones to round it all out. Enjoy!

(Photo Credit)

Clockwise from bottom left: empire waist gown, Alita Graham; mason jar lanterns, Alyssa Ettinger; peep-toe pumps, Michael Antonio; asymmetrical print dress, Christian Siriano; grey ruffle bag, Stacy Leigh via etsy; cocktail ring, White House Black Market; bouquet, The Knot; ring bearer bowl, Paloma's Nest; terrazzo planter, Crate & Barrel; vase, IKEA.

St. Patty's Inspiration Board

A wedding is a great excuse to celebrate your heritage, and on St. Patrick’s Day, everybody’s Irish! Try a mossy pillow for a lad to bear the rings on, and invite your guests to share your joy with letterpressed foliage. The “Emerald Isle” is steeped in rich traditions and has a long history of craftsmanship. Embrace them with a gorgeous gown of handmade lace and raise a glass to wedded bliss with Ireland’s own Waterford crystal toasting flutes. If you are lucky enough to travel to Ireland for your wedding, there are no shortage of stunning stone cathedrals and castles, like Kilkenny Castle, shown here.


Irish brides carry a horseshoe with them for good luck, and display it in their newlywed home, turned U-side up so the blessings don’t fall out. If you don’t think an iron shoe complements your décor (although we think they can be charming and rustic), why not incorporate horseshoe tags on your favors? Wish your bridesmaids hope, faith, love and luck (one wish for each leaf) with a shamrock pendant necklace by Etsy seller westybron. For a spendier bridesmaids’ gift, try these emerald stunners. They’ll be the perfect complement to the kelly green strapless number.


Slainte!

Inspiration: Neutral Beach Nuptials

Cold and snowy days have us dreaming of warm summer nights. A simple sunset ceremony on the sand, family style dinner under a fabric-swagged gazebo and wedding cupcakes to top it off (ornately frosted tiered wedding cakes don't fare well in heat and humidity). Keep the color palate neutral in whites and khakis in light and breezy fabrics. Think beachy waves or a sideswept bun for your hair, and adorn it with a double-gardenia clip.

sources:
Neutral Beach Nuptials
From top left
Torch-lit pathway and gazebo
Cupcakes
Gardenia Hairpiece: Etsy Seller PowderBlueBijoux, $24
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: J. Crew, Erica Cotton Cady, $225
Gold Sandals: Lilly Pullitzer ar Zappos.com, $95
Bride’s Dress: J. Crew, Sophia Silk Chiffon, $395
White Sandals: apepazza at Zappos.com, $104
Groom w/ Rolled Khakis
Beach Sunset: personal photo