accessorizing the bridal party

August 5, 2013August 5, 2013 | circadee

Hello! Hello! How was everyone’s weekend? We are enjoying some unseasonably cool weather here. It is like a fall preview. I LOVE it. But enough of the small talk. I’m sharing more pics and deets from our wedding along with another DIY.

Today we are chatting about accessorizing your peeps with flowers. When to go fresh and when to go fabric.

In the name of organization, we knocked out a few boutonnieres months prior to the big day. If you are a Circa Dee diehard, you may even recognize some of the fabric used. I didn’t get crazy about sourcing the perfect fabric for these flowers. Instead, just pulled scraps from previous upholstery projects in blues and neutrals that would complement the color scheme. Bridezilla? I think not.

Hunter, our ring bearer, and Wilson’s escort has a more playful color palette with a splash of pink and aqua – kind of like the centerpieces. His seersucker vest is from crewcuts.

Wilson opted for a more traditional look with a matching seersucker bow tie and leash from etsy.

He decided he’d like to take a seat during the ceremony rather than stand up front. Seriously, I know.

I’m obsessed with this dog. Judge me if you want. But first, just look at that face…

Oh, hey! Look at these dapper guys. They went fresh in the flower department.

Shawn, the best man, sported a throwback baby’s breath boutonniere that matched Leigh’s bouquet.

That was a bit of a vintage spin on the personal flowers. The baby’s breath bouquet and boutonnierre were easy to DIY. I gathered a bunch and constructed them with floral tape covered with ribbon just a few days prior to the ceremony.

What’s a wedding without a little air guitar? Huh? I can only imagine some Journey was being belted out of my gaping open mouth. Don’t stop believing, friends.

So Ryan and I went with fresh flowers. (I’m really tempted to say “fresh to death” here because we were at the Jersey shore after all but I am refraining. Or am I?) Anyway, a fresh flower bouquet of with a pale color palette of thistle, roses, lisianthus, sweet pea, ranunculus and seeded eucalyptus…

to match Ryan’s ranunculus boutonniere.

These I cannot take credit for. Our flowers were created on our wedding day by my very talented friend, Renee.

She also helped construct the fabric boutonnieres months prior (among many other things!).

Now for the DIY… we simply cut long fabric scraps – say about 2 feet x 2 inches. Twirled the fabric tightly round and round, hot gluing with each pass and strategically folding the fabric over to create the look of a blooming rose. We garnished each a little differently with either lace ribbon (left from the invitations), mossy green wire or green raffia wire to create “leaves”. Once complete, it was glued to felt backing and then to safety pins. Easy. And not just for weddings. This DIY can totally be used to deck out kids backpacks, hats, etc.

I leave you with this image. Aqua chucks. The must have reception accessory for my dad. For those who know him, you know Chucks are absolutely his style. The aqua part is all mine.

Photos by Love Shack Photo

wedding tablescape

July 26, 2013July 30, 2013 | circadee

I am a hoarder.

I think we all know that by now. That is pretty much how I ended up in this biz. I love old stuff. I love making stuff pretty. I love collecting.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about my wedding centerpieces.

For months leading up to the big day, I collected silver water pitchers and teapots preferably tarnished. A couple of antique champagne buckets as well. In fact, I collected more than I needed. Because I am a hoarder.

The shapes and sizes of the centerpieces alternated on each table with the floral palette being the commonality.

I already had a growing collection of vintage aqua blue mixing bowls. This is my mantel from last summer proudly displaying the collection which was growing rapidly at the time.

The color scheme was just right for our wedding so I was determined to incorporate my personal collections into our centerpieces.

We had 20 guest tables, 4 food tables and like 10 cocktail tables, I think. In my mind, they all needed to be adorned with fresh flowers. Arranged by me. Large and small.

Was I nuts? Maybe. I like to think I came to my senses though when I came up with the brilliant idea of only arranging fresh flowers in half of the containers – mostly the silver pieces plus some blue ball jars which coordinated with our wedding invitation.

My solution to remaining sane was to arrange the other half of the centerpieces the weekend prior to the wedding. I used flowering plants instead of fresh flowers since they would keep easily and that way I could divide and conquer on the centerpiece front.

Each mixing bowl was filled with pink flowering vinca, trailing vines and succulents. Topped with moss and Cape May wine corks.

Bonus, most of these plants have been flowering in my garden all summer. The wedding centerpieces were merely a layover for them!

Another collection of yellow McCoy planters in 3 sizes were displayed on the food stations.

So that left the larger vessels which were arranged just a few days before the wedding, packed up and then driven across state lines. I think I successfully pulled of the task.

Here’s a glimpse at what my kitchen turned floral shop looked like all in the name of DIY…

That makes me happy.

So I am going to tell you the secret to pulling off arranging your own wedding centerpieces without going insane.

#1 Be Flexible

I was not committed to specific flowers, only a color scheme. I arrived at the wholesale florist that particular day, 3 days before the grand event, and did what I do best.

Shopped.

Lilacs were in season so I started there and then built a springy palette around it.

Having worked in flower shops for years, I know the old requests of “no mums or carns. No babies breath.” I grew to dislike all of those common flowers during my florist tenure. But guess what, I got over it. I actually like these and as Carrie Bradshaw once noted, pink carnations are making a comeback. Yes, still. I’m fond of the hot pink minis so into the arrangements they went.

And the spin on mums? Sunflower-esque pom pom mums. Both these and the mini carnations are great filler flowers.

Moss covered pods were a nod to Ryan’s woodsy style. Pink waxflower, lisianthus, sunflowers, pink tulips, variegated pittosporum, green status and more…

I took my selections home to my kitchen turned floral studio and got to work filling antique champagne buckets, ice buckets, ball jars, silver water pitchers, tea pots and a few smaller mason jars to don the cocktail tables.

#2 Be Organized

My to-do list was mostly completed at this point in the wedding planning process. Had it not been, I don’t know that I could have pulled it off.

This tip is also two-fold. You have to be organized from the beginning as it relates to collecting your vessels. See: hoarding.

Honestly, DIYing these centerpieces was probably the most zen part of wedding planning for me. Other than the spa, of course.

If you are a DIYing bride with some floral design abilities, I have faith that you can tackle your own centerpieces too! If not, you can always ask your florist to use your own collected vessels and vases to personalize your centerpieces.

Next up…Ryan’s secret to getting the mini chalkboard table numbers to stand on their own. And if you missed it, check out details on incorporating atlases into your tablescape here.

Centerpiece photos by Love Shack Photo

let them eat cake

July 12, 2013 | circadee

Can I tell you a story?

It involves drinking wine and eating cake.

I thought that would get your attention.

When planning my wedding, I was dead set on having a wine barrel as the cake table. Well, actually first I was set on a vintage tea cart. I found a really cute one last fall but after our cake tasting, I realized how large and in charge our 4-tier birch log inspired pound cake would be. Out with the cutesy tea cart and in with the wine barrel idea. Serious stature.

So the wedding was rapidly approaching when I went on my Bucks county wine tour bachelorette party in April. Which was a blast by the way. Then again, drinking wine in the middle of the day always is. A group of friends and I boarded a Tastings & Tours bus which picked us up right at my house and took us around beautiful Bucks county. (They also do wine tours in Cape May!)

Are you thinking what I was thinking? Duh. We were on a winery tour and I needed a wine barrel.

Enter my new favorite Bucks county winery, Buckingham Valley Vineyards, known for their sweet wines and laid back attitudes. Oh yeah and their FREE tastings and incredible prices. No this isn’t a sponsored post. Well, I guess in a way it is…

I did what any cake table-less bride would do. I asked the proprietor if he sells or rents wine barrels. I explained my predicament to him and my desire to have a rustic wine barrel at my reception. Do you know what happened next?

Yup, there was a wine barrel in the back of the tour bus. Before I even finished my third tasting.

Dana & Ryan Cape May Wedding Love Shack Photo

And even more amazing is that it was a total loaner barrel. The vineyard didn’t charge me anything for it. In fact he didn’t even take my name. He simply asked for my word that I would indeed return it.

That is what this country is built on. Honesty and trust, my friends.

And wine and cake too. Dream come true.

Don’t worry we returned that barrel promptly after our honeymoon sans the wine tour bus. We didn’t leave empty handed in exchange for Buckingham Valley Vineyard’s gratitude.

If you are planning a wedding and considering this move, let me just tell you the reality of transporting and storing a wine barrel. It is a BEAST. I know that and I am pretty sure I never even lifted it. And it took up like 20% of the garage while we were storing it.

Plus about 3 days before the wedding, I panicked that the top of the barrel wouldn’t be big enough to accommodate the cake. I quickly ordered a custom piece of glass to be cut which roughly cost about 5 times the price of renting a standard cake table. But hey, who’s keeping track?

Moral of the story: You’ll never know unless you ask.

All of the incredible cake images by Love Shack Photo