Smart Decor

Posted by Matthew Robbins, Contributor

I was looking at the lovely photos (provided by Christian Oth Studios) from a recent summer wedding we designed and came across a perfect decor moment to share.

Often, your biggest concern is how to spend your money wisely as you plan your wedding. One smart idea is to make your ceremony decor work double time, using it to embellish your reception long after it leaves the altar. For this wedding, we created beautiful hydrangea and passion vine wreaths for the aisle decor and later repurposed them as decor for the bride and groom's chair and for doorways, windows, and other areas around the reception venue.

Are you looking for smart decor ideas for your own wedding? Keep this little trick in mind as you plan your ceremony decor. Think about how the pieces might relate to your reception site; perhaps you'll need to use colors and materials that work in both scenarios to take advantage of the beautiful decor for the entire evening! 

 A perfect wreath hanging on one of the pew ends in the church.

 

The same wreaths were used to embellish the bride and groom's chairs.

A beautiful window for one of the hydrangea wreaths.

Personalize It!

Posted by Darcy Miller, Editorial Director

I assume many of you have seen the crazy You Tube video (yes, we scooped the Today show!) with the bridal party dancing down the aisle. I guess it just goes to show that there’s no end to personalizing your wedding, even without spending a lot of money! But let's face it—most of you are probably not having your friends dance down the aisle. The good news? There are many other ways to personalize your ceremony without breaking into song or dance: Write your own vows, create personalized programs, include special readings, or have a friend officiate the ceremony.

Cheree Berry made giant signs that spelled out LOVE. When they kissed, the signs were turned over and read XOXO...now that’s personal.

Would you ever dance down the aisle? Or, more importantly, ask your friends to? If not, how are you planning on personalizing your wedding? P.S. Read this article for more ideas on this trend.

A New Take On the Processional

Posted by Shira Savada, Real Weddings Editor

We recently stumbled upon this video. Definitely a nontraditional take on getting down the aisle, but it had all of us smiling from ear to ear. Slow motion? Choreography? Love it! It's like a musical where the cast members spontaneously burst into a dance routine!

Any of you planning on dancing your way to the altar? Or perhaps something equally entertaining?

A Grand Entrance

Posted by Cheree Berry, whose wedding is in our new summer issue!

When Jeff and I first started dating, we would share stories of staying up late as kids to watch the opening of Saturday Night Live. I could usually squeeze in the first half hour before being ordered to go to bed, with visions of Toonces the Driving Cat dancing in my head.

So, what does any of this have to do with our wedding? Well, Jeff and I wanted our bridal party to walk into the reception site to the SNL opening music: "Live from St. Louis... it's Saturday Night!" However, we couldn't find the music without the pre-recorded names of the cast, and even though one of my bridesmaids could have passed for Victoria Jackson, we just couldn't make it work. It was a last minute decision that I wish we had given more thought earlier in the wedding planning process. It's all about these little details, so make sure you have a DETAILS section in your wedding binder to keep track of these personalized components that make a wedding so special.

LOVE = XOXO

Posted by Cheree Berry, whose wedding is in our new issue!

So much of the wedding planning seems to go into the reception details—the food, the band, the bar, even the hand towels in the ladies room! I wanted to make sure we gave as much attention to the ceremony as we did to the reception.

Jeff and I both attended Washington University in St. Louis, so we thought it'd be fitting to be married at Graham Chapel on the school's campus. The chapel is quite grand, but the interior is a little dark and understated. I knew that it would take a lot of flowers to brighten up the place, but I also couldn't help but think about how I could sneak another "paper" opportunity into the mix.

So, I dreamed up the idea to have four 9-foot planters made, each holding a life-sized letter to spell the word LOVE. A family friend who has experience in set building took my 2-D sketches and brought them to life. The gigantic planters were sprayed with gold, filled with flowers, and trimmed with flowing ribbon. They were the perfect backdrop for our whimsical wedding.

photos by Donna Newman

And the grand finale: When the minister said, "You may now kiss the bride," our bridal party rotated the stands around to reveal "XOXO" on the backside of the LOVE stands. And Jeff and I did just that!

Decor Inspiration

 

Posted by Matthew Robbins, contributor 

When I'm traveling (for both business and pleasure), I use my camera to record inspiration for future projects and events. I'm always looking for great new ideas for framing an entrance to a venue or room, or for defining a ceremony space. Natural material is always the most exciting, so I was so thrilled to find these doorways in Italy framed by beautiful vines and foliage. The first is from a delicious gelato cafe, the second from a small flower shop. This approach could easily be used to frame the entrance to your wedding venue or chapel, or to create a lush chuppah. You can start by positioning a basic frame that can be covered in green ivy, smilax, or beautiful boxwood foliage. 

Fabric Flowers Made Easy

Posted by Katie Hatch, Style Director

One of the best things I saw at the craft fair this past January was a new tool for making fabric flowers by Clover. It reminded me of the sweet fabric flower bouquet one of our real brides made. Here's a tight shot of it:

The bride in this case was a fashion designer, so she was obviously comfortable working with fabric. If you're not as comfortable with the idea, don't fret. I saw all sorts of people making darling flowers at the Clover booth without a problem. This is the tool, which comes in three sizes for a variety of results, as well as what you'll end up with.           

The only thing you'd need to change to make a bouquet with them is the finishing on the back. I believe thread-covered wire secured with fabric glue should do the trick. 

What's so nice about this craft is that you can match your decor, your bridesmaids dresses, or just use your personal favorite fabrics to make a bouquet that's really unique and actually lasts forever. Or you could just make bouttonieres for all the men in the bridal party to correspond to their aisle partners. I'm curious—how many future brides out there are thinking about making or carrying an everlasting bouquet like this?

Ceremony Refreshments

Posted by Alexis Givens, Real Bride and marthastewartweddings.com Editor

As most of you know, I'm getting married on a mountaintop in Colorado. Guests will be taking a gondola up and to our ceremony site beautifully situated at the top. Our reception luncheon is immediately following the morning ceremony.

So here's my latest dilemma. Do you think that when guests arrive I should have some sort of outdoor station with lemonade or bottled water waiting for them? Or can they wait until after the ceremony? I like the idea of serving beverages (especially if it is hot and sunny), but I'm wondering if it's strange to serve drinks beforehand and whether everyone will be slurping throughout the ceremony. I have a vision of people juggling the program, the flags, drinks, their cameras, etc. and it all seems a bit complicated.

What do you think? Drinks or no drinks? And just to complicate things a tad...what do you think about snacks?

The Ceremony

Posted by Darcy Miller, Editorial Director

Recently I posted about different companies you can hire to write your wedding vows for you. If you're more of the traditional type and want to try your hand at writing your own vows, take a look at this new book. "Words for Your Wedding" has a diverse selection of content for many different religious and traditional types of services. Are you writing your own vows? What are you using to help you find the right words?

Vows—To Write or Not To Write

Posted by Darcy Miller, Editorial Director

Recently, I was reading an article in the Wall Street Journal called "Outsourcing Your Wedding Vows." In it, the writer researched four companies that, based on the information the couple provides, will write the couple's vows for them. Here they are in no particular order.

Ghostwriters Central
Special Occasion Poetry
Enchantment Online
Instant Vows

At first, I thought it seemed so wrong to actually pay someone else to write some of the most personal words you’ll ever say. But as I read on and thought about it, I started to think it was actually a good idea. Don't get me wrong—if you can write the vows yourself, I think that's best. But if you're having trouble and writing seems overwhelming to you, why not get a little help. After all, we talk SO much about the dress, the flowers, the cake, but what this entire celebration is really about is those few minutes where a couple says their vows to each other. My husband and I each said three lines about why we were marrying each other, part sentimental and part funny. I think it was the best two minutes of our entire wedding.

How about you? Are you writing your own vows? Outsourcing? Exchanging traditional vows?