Garden weddings are so very of-the-moment.  Infuse nature’s color palette with shades of pinks and purples and you have a romantic and timeless event.

{Bride and groom from Becky and Alex’s wedding photographed by Mthree Studio, vintage movie ticket escort cards in crate photographed by Robert Sukrachand from Yuli and Keith’s wedding via Green Wedding Shoes, calligraphy sign by Laura Hooper Calligraphy, flower girls on rope swing from Betty and Kent’s wedding photographed by Punam Bean, rustic tablescape photographed by Silvana di Franco posted by Wiley Valentine on Weddingbee Pro, wedding cake with pink and white sugar flowers from Sara and Matt’s wedding photographed by Duston Todd, invitation by Flush Designs, garden wedding ceremony set-up styled by Oh How Charming! and photographed by Elizabeth Messina}

I’m a South Carolina girl at heart, so I simply adore Kacie and Darby’s wedding, set at one of my favorite venues in the world, the Inn at Palmetto Bluff, and photographed by the incredible Nashan Photographers.

Guests were welcomed to the lowcountry with beautiful jute gift bags and lovely palm fans.

The ceremony took place in Palmetto Bluff’s Waterside Chapel - a simple and stunning small chapel with wooden pews and loads of sunshine.  Each aisle was decorated with lush pink and green florals in glass vases, tied with ribbons to the pew.

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Mr.’s mom and I met with our first florist. It went pretty well I guess, although she didn’t really talk pricing a whole lot and that’s what I was hoping to get out of it. She had us sit down and look through all these books that looked like they were from the late 90’s to bookmark what we liked (for reals, totally not inspiring at all). I bookmarked a boutonniere and that’s it. So, instead, I took out some pictures of what I am looking for. We discussed the types of flowers that I’d like to have…dahlias, ranunculus, roses, stock, hydrangea, (peonies if available), poppies, anemones, lisianthus, to name a few. Still trying to go with that rustic Mediterranean feel…

We have these urns, vases, and candle holders at Pottery Barn that I love and think would look great with flowers { images via Pottery Barn }:

The one in the middle is the one I’d like…otherwise, there are these pillar holders that I think would look beautiful with flowers dripping off the sides instead of candles:

I would love to do a centerpiece that isn’t just one piece but a couple different pieces together like these tables:

This one is a little too girly…just note the setup

{ photo by Erin Hearts Court, via Once Wed }

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Every now and then I come across a wedding that is not only drop-dead gorgeous, but it’s so creative it warms my soul. That’s Kristen and Matt’s wedding. Kristen, an art director for a cosmetics company, created the entire event herself from start to finish, and the result, photographed by the talented and sweet Daisy Varley, was absolute perfection.

Kristen chose a Mexican fiesta theme for the wedding, full of bright colors, family traditions, paper flowers, and fabulous details!

Bridesmaids were asked to choose a Mexican peasant dress and hem it to their liking.

The wedding was held at Condor’s Nest Ranch in Pala, CA.  Guests were able to stay on the grounds, so signs pointed the way to the wedding and the camping!

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Mike and Erika’s San Juan Capistrano wedding, much like Erika’s bridal shower, is all about classic romance and lots of pink!  Sandra Pan of Sandra P Photography did such a wonderful job capturing all of the details.

Rancho Capistrano is such a gorgeous venue, and Flower Allie’s work is always top-notch.  Soft pink chiffon Jenny Yoo bridesmaids dresses are highlighted by fluffy pink and white bouquets.

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After we took pictures, I went upstairs with Matt to check out the ballroom…

I honestly couldn’t have been happier at how it all came together. I had envisioned everything in my mind and to see it come to life was amazing. I had purchased all vases, branches and votives and hired a designer to put it all together. It looked incredible…

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Every year my mom sends me this and I think it’s neat to see which colors are predicted to be the trends for that season. It starts out talking the color trends for Summer 2010:

“Wide-ranging agreement at the latest biannual color meeting organized by Eurovet: stylists and industrialists agreed that the market demands color. Stars of the season: the greens. Guests of honor: nuances of red and soft and refined pinks, mauves and neutrals in full evolution. And essential are bright – almost neon – accents targeted at beachwear which is ever-more influenced by the street and clubbing. Last but not least, white (color 26!) and indigo blue remain very much in focus. ”

{ image via fashion trendsetter }

And on the topic of fashion:

“The background and shapes: the Capri spirit of the Fifties, haute couture precision, the desire of a perfect, radiant elegance… Motifs and prints are rich, lines emphasize the contour and strike the right balance, details and finishings are perfect. Nothing is left to chance, nothing is vague: everything is well conceived, neat, pretty, ravishing, harmonious, graceful.

“The most demanding design direction with its apparently contradictory, subtle mixtures of authenticity and the new modernity. The desire for durable luxury with genuine lingerie fabrics but now in the revolutionary lightweight fibers. Collections combine perfect performance, generous volumes, details which project natural eccentricity, hand made and artisan effects, as if aged by time…”

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With 11 months to go and the school year right around the corner, I’m a bit more antsy to make some more decisions about the wedding. I’m not talking about cake flavors or napkin folds or anything, but I feel like it might be good if I had SOME sort of idea of what this whole shindig should look like, right?

I’ve spent hours upon hours looking at beautiful weddings and have bookmarked hundreds of inspirational images or articles that I’ve loved (I know y’all feel me), it really is just too much fun! But how do I choose what I actually would like at OUR wedding? I find it insanely challenging to take all the elements that we love and put it into one cohesive look for our wedding. We just like too much of this stuff. All you creative people out there…too much coolness!! I think the biggest challenge of all is making sure that everything blends in with the venue itself. How do these wedding stylists do it??

Enter Beth Helmstetter (and on my birthday too!). I have been absolutely obsessed with inspired by this wedding since I saw it a week ago on Style Me Pretty (see also II, III, and IV). It fits our secret garden meets Mediterranean rustic vibe perfectly…AND there are succulents!

Photography is by Steve Steinhardt and the event was designed by Beth Helmstetter.

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I’m just in love with every single thing about Joanne and Dan’s Detroit wedding, especially the photos from the fabulous Jessica Johnston.  The ceremony and reception were held at the Max M. Fisher Music Center at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Blossoms did an unbelievable job with all of the floral - this bouquet is just to die for!

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I ran across this great post on The Nichols blog and I was instantly inspired!

Now that we have decided to have the wedding at our family cottage, this post was exactly what I needed to see in order to get my mind in wedding cottage mode!

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Anyone who knows me, knows I love black and white together. I love the damask pattern, black and white check tiles, gingham, b & w photos - you name it. So when it came to colors for our wedding (I have really been trying to say “our” not “mine” - it’s very hard) I figured I would be inspired by black and white. I wasn’t and I surprised myself. I don’t consider myself a very colorful person, but in my daily internet exploration, I came across this site and found the fabric below:

Flamingo Disco Dot is the name of the pattern. I was hooked! But how was I going to use this awesome, fun, fabric? I mean - I couldn’t wear it. I couldn’t make my matron of honor wear it - and then it came to me….a photobooth! I bought about 6 yards of this fabric and my sweet mom is going to make a drape to hang between two trees at the reception. Then my guests (ours, not my) can have their pictures taken in front of the fun filled color fabric!

Have I said “fabric” enough?

Anyway, the polka dots above are my inspiration. I love the bright simplicity of the colors. On our tables we are having pink and orange dahlias. My sister and I are carrying dahlias as well.

Bill and I bought Vera Bradley ties and cuff links in a great pattern: Raspberry Fizz.

I am excited to see this all come together. Because I have planned everything down to the teaspoon, I have this “vision” in my head of what it is going to look like. I can’t wait.

Did you surprise yourself with your color choice?

I love today’s real wedding from a photographer new to EAD, Jeffrey Neal of  JNP Studios!  Michelle and Dennis are so vibrant and photogenic and their yellow and pink color scheme really popped with the Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells as a backdrop.

Michelle is a radiant bride:

I’m over the moon for her bouquet (and all of the florals really!) created by Suzan M Florals.

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