Real Wedding: Lorelei & Michael

Remember that freak October snowstorm we had last year? I'm sure that Lorelei & Michael will never forget the weather on their wedding day. Although they avoided the snow for their City Hall ceremony which happened just a few days before the day of the reception at the 3 West Club was a much different story. I really enjoyed working with Lorelei on creating the right look for her wedding, she came to me with great ideas inspired by her love of travel and work with the Peace Corps. She still had a world map that had traveled with her from place to place decorating her walls. We mounted that on foam core and used it for the escort cards. Lorelei gathered many travel themed props to use and I scouted a few more from the local flea markets. Gold mercury glass vases and metal bowls were used to hold the flowers. Each table had multiple vases and the props were used throughout.
I especially love the entrance display where Lorelei displayed wedding pictures of loved ones which was especially fitting since she wore her grandmother's wedding gown that had been redesigned to best suit Lorelei.

 Lorelei's bouquet was a mix of white ranunculus, white calla lilies, astilbe and gomphrena with accents of green lily grass.

 

 Entrance display with vintage suitcases, maps, globes and a vintage camera were combined with brown bottles and gold mercury glass bud vases filled with white tulips, green fern, anemones and gomphrena.

  Map of the world with place cards.

 Each table had a different assortment of travel props with flowers.

All photos courtesy of Karen Cunningham.

What worked best about this wedding was that the "theme" seemed effortless and was not too overdone or forced in any way. You can include your personality, your hobbies and interests, the parts of your life that you are passionate about without overdoing it. It's important to find the balance between a personal theme and "kitschy".

Vintage and Rustic Weddings

I had a draft for this post sitting around for awhile now and for one reason or another I hadn't gotten around to finishing it. Yesterday, while following tweets from engage!11 in San Diego I was intrigued to see that Abby Larson from Style Me Pretty tweeted "Brides still love vintage but editors would love other wedding submissions. Bring on the ballrooms".

It was refreshing to know that I wasn't alone in my thinking. I LOVE vintage and rustic looks, don't get me wrong but I also love the look of modern and classic weddings too. Somehow it doesn't seem as real to me that so many couples are going after one look. I'm working with a few couples right now that are going with a vintage and more rustic inspired feel for their wedding but it definitely suits them and the venue that they are using for the reception.

I'm also working with another couple who is much more traditional in their personal style and are getting married in a church and having their reception in a classically designed ballroom in a historical landmark building. They are looking for a combination of contemporary and traditional designs, what I would consider "classic contemporary". Elegant and romantic with some traditional elements but a new take on the classic look.

I think that's the most important thing to keep in mind. The ceremony space and reception venue should play a role in the style of decor that you choose. Be true to yourself and your own personal style but keep these other factors in mind and you will be sure to have the perfect look for your wedding.

Remember, while everyone is busy trying to be different things can begin to look the same. Do what you love and what feels right to you.