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Posts tagged ‘decor’

May 25

alice featured pic
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Real Bridal Shower: Alice in Wonderland + Free Printables!

Okes, I am VERY excited about today’s post. It all started when a lovely reader and bride-to-be, Tanya, mailed me the invitation to her bridal shower. It had an Alice in Wonderland theme (or ‘Alles in Wonderland’, which I love! – that’s ‘everything in wonderland’ for our overseas readers). I asked to see some pics, and she sent over loads of them – these girls looked like they were having a wonderful time! I couldn’t believe how much effort her friends had gone to in creating the decor, but the best was yet to come. Tanya’s friend Andrea Kuhn mailed me offering to send me her files as free downloads for the blog, so she could share them with all of you. How sweet is that? We love Andrea. (If you’d like to contact her about design work, drop her an email at mrsandreakuhn{at}gmail.com.)
What I love about these printables is that they’re really whimsical – a perfect nod to the novel Alice in Wonderland, but so usable for this kind of party. Cupcake flags, tags, cards for the table, photo props – they’re all there. Read more

May 23

brunch weddings feature image
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Brunch Weddings

Source: Pancake display

So, usually I am the person working in weddings who doesn’t get to GO to a lot of weddings. Side effect of living in London, innit. But this year has been different. This year, if I had a pound for every wedding I’ve attended… well, I’d have five pounds. Still, five weddings between March and May is quite something. Four have been in South Africa, which has given me the best excuse to hang out here for almost three months. (And a chance to see so many precious friends, I’m a lucky girl!) The last of Wed-a-palooza was the wedding of my friends Sven & Louise (which you’ll get to see soon), and apart from being insanely beautiful, what made it unique was that it was a brunch wedding. A trend beloved of bloggers, but rarely seen in the wild, this was the real deal. And it totally convinced me. Brunch weddings are AWESOME. Here’s why: Read more

Nov 9

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Decor Idea: Penguin Books

Today’s post is inspired by my dear friend Shannon, who just so happens to work at Penguin, and just so happens to be getting married next year. I don’t think she’s using Penguin books as part of her decor, but probably because of her I’ve been more aware of a few instances of them coming up in weddings recently. I have to say though, that I wouldn’t call this a trend – it’s certainly not for everyone. But for a certain type of bride and groom (library wedding, love of books, English Lit graduates, writers or editors, etc.) it makes a lovely and personal motif. All books would, of course, but Penguin books marry literature so successfully with iconic design. There are, of course, the original Penguins – those single colour covers that we all instantly recognise. But more recently, there’s been the work of Coralie Bickford-Smith, a senior designer at Penguin who has won awards and acclaim for her beautiful, covetable covers (I own a complete set of the Fitzgerald ones and I’M COMPLETELY IN LOVE with them). Including these in your decor immediately adds an element of great design, and I think that’s why some couples have been using them so successfully. Let’s have a look.

First, the classic Penguin. Truly a British design icon. (The three horizontal band design was created by then office junior Edward Young – orange was for general fiction, green for crime, pink for travel, dark blue for biography, red for drama, yellow for miscellaneous, purple for essays and grey for world affairs.) And, it turns out, they make for a very cute Save the Date or wedding invitation!


Images (L-R): Marty McColgan (top); these glorious days (bottom); Greenwich Letterpress via Word Doodles; Marty McColgan Read more

Sep 7

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Milk Glass

Oh, hello lovely! Is pretty much what I think every time I see milk glass as part of wedding decor. Which, right now, is OFTEN. This is one of those times when being part of wedding world has kind of been an education, because a year ago I’d never even heard of milk (also called opaque) glass, let alone discovered how absolutely gorgeous it can look with a variety of different kinds of fillers from succulents and moss to lush bunches, single blooms or even candles. So what IS milk glass anyway? Well, it was first made in Venice in the 16th century and comes in a variety of colours (although white is the most popular – achieved through adding an agent like tin dioxide or bone ash to the glass). It was super popular at the end of the 19th century. Collecting genuine milk glass can be a pricey business, but while nothing quite compares to the beauty of the real deal, you can achieve a gorgeous and budget-friendly alternative following one of these simple DIY tutorials. Read more

Mar 2

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Just My Type! {Typewriter Wedding Details}


Source: Ashley Rose Photography via Love and Lavender

I love antique shops – all those lovely little bits and pieces from another era. There’s only one problem. I can never really justify buying the things I covet, because most of them are to all intents and purposes pretty useless now that their technology has been surpassed or is no longer needed (and unfortunately space is at a premium in my house). Hatstands, boot scrapers, telephones, gramaphones (I die), writing desks, ink pots, perfume bottles… and typewriters. How much do we loooove typewriters? I mean no, I wouldn’t swap one for my MacBook, but there’s no denying the romance of those little keys tik tikking away and the bell at the end of the line. Thing is, most of us WANT a typewriter, but we’re never actually going to USE one. Enter: your wedding. The grand excuse to indulge all those whimsies you otherwise may put to the back of your mind. And that’s why I think typewriters have been making such a major appearance in decor recently (helped on, of course, by the meteoric rise of all that is vintage). There’s some seriously cute stuff going on here! Read more

Jan 26

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TOP POSTS Burlap Wedding Details


Burlap wedding via Magnolia Rouge

Ah, burlap. How I do love thee! Maybe it’s the farm sacks connotation or the rough texturing or the colour, but nothing says rustic like burlap (or hessian to some readers). And nothing says rustic chic like burlap contrasted with lace or pretty crockery, or a chandelier. It shouldn’t work, because they’re so different, but it just SO DOES. Read more

Nov 3

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Parisian Stripes

Oh, I do like a trend! It’s no secret that stripes have been all over the catwalks recently, and they’ve been showing up in subtle wedding details and especially in stationery for a while. But recently I’ve noticed a lot of bold black and white stripes showing up on tables, including in yesterday’s gorgeous featured wedding, and I couldn’t help but wonder, are stripes the new damask? It’s true that they have the same magic of allowing pops of colour to really stand out against a black and white print. And they have the added bonus of a bit of Parisian ooh la la. Aaaand they perfectly walk that narrow line between bold and sophisticated. In fact, I can’t think of a single reason not to love them!

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Nov 1

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Swan Wedding #13: The Decor

In less than a month’s time we will be Mr & Mrs Mostert! Yayness! BUT together with all the excitement comes a big helping of wedding planning related stress. Will everything be done in time? Will it look as good in real life as it looks in my head? Will it be all I hoped and dreamt up? Do we have enough chinese lanterns/ balloons/ bunting/ drinks? Did I worry too little about the perfect dress/shoes/veil and too much about the confetti boxes? Will the playlist we have spent hours on, really get the guests to boogie as much as we want them to? Will all the DIY stationery details even be noticed? Will the day be drenched in love and happiness in the same way I imagined it since I was a little girl?

Urgh! I know worries will get me nowhere. Better to just keep on making my to-do lists, make sure everything is written down and delegate the things I can. And I must say as the big day creeps closer and closer, I get more and more excited. In my head, the day looks beautiful and Dirk and I are beaming. The ribbons dance in the wind, our favourite tunes are the perfect soundtrack to the day in which we promise to love and respect each other forever. Sounds just about AMAZING to me!! Read more

Oct 25

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Vineyard wedding post on Sparkle & Hay

Surprise! Today you can find me guest blogging over on one of my favourite blogs, Sparkle & Hay. The lovely Erin asked me to fill in while she heads off for her honeymoon, and I’m so honoured to have been asked. Sice Erin got married at a vineyard, I’m rounding up my top 5 ideas for a wine farm wedding. Check it out here!

Oct 20

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Sheet Music Wedding Details

Hot on the heels of the book trend comes another piece of paper awesomeness that you can DIY. Sheet music makes the most gorgeous, subtle accent for just about any kind of wedding – it works perfectly with vintage, adds whimsy to formal and can be used cheekily for a modern celebration if you pick your song sheets wisely. And what better way to celebrate your shared love of music? In fact, who can live without it, I ask in all honesty? (And yes, I totally just quoted ABBA).

My favourites? The boutonniere and the pinwheels, which are small enough to be cupcake toppers and omigod the cutest things EVER. I want them. So here they are, along with some other delicious eye candy that’ll have you hitting the high notes. (Sorry.)

Which are your favourites?

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