The following vendors contributed to this styled shoot:

Stationery – Courtney Callahan Paper \ Flowers – Fleur \ Photography – Simply Jessie Photography \ Planning and design – SQN Events \ Sweets – truffle truffle \ Drinks – Femme du Coupe

*Courtney Callahan Paper, Fleur, Simply Jessie Photography, and SQN Events are members of the EAD Vendor Guide.  To find vendors in your area, click here, or if you are a vendor interested in applying, click here.

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The first gorgeous concept we’re going to highlight is a French tea party dessert table from Julia Franzosa Photography, Naturally Yours Events, Mignonette Bridal, and Luscious Layers Bakery!  When shoots like this highlight the yummy treats and natural beauty of the French countryside it’s really hard not to drop everything and start packing! This sweet shoot is filled with feminine touches and rustic textures like lace details on the cake and the gorgeous handmade backdrop.

The following Chicago vendors contributed to this inspirational wedding concept:

Photographer –  Julia Franzosa Photography \ Wedding Planner – Naturally Yours Events \ Bridal Gown - Mignonette Bridal \ Cakes – Luscious Layers Bakery \ Pastries - Floriole \ Floral – Larkspur \ Stationery and Paper Products - Julie Hanan Design \ Table – Architectural Artifacts \ Wall Artwork - Emmy Star Brown \ Makeup Artist - Makeup Your Beauty \ Hair Stylist – Erica with Lather Salon \ Veil and Accessories - Violet Bells \ Model- Jill Nyquist

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By swapping out the elegant brown chargers for modern white with glittery metallics and replacing the deep red with a fuschia, the tabletop is easily transformed into a cheerful and fun holiday tabletop!

The following Chicago wedding vendors contributed to this inspirational wedding shoot:

Planning and Styling – SQN Events* \ Photography – Maypole Studios \ Floral – Dilly Lily \ Stationery – Elizabeth Grace \ Sweets – Truffle Truffle \ Vintage Jewels (featured on sweets and truffle cake) – Rock Candy by Helen \ Venue – Trump International Hotel & Towers Chicago, Grand Salon \ Linens – BBJ Linen \ Rentals – Hall’s Rental

*SQN Events is a member of the EAD Vendor Guide.  To find vendors in your area, click here, or if you are a vendor interested in applying, click here.

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The following Chicago wedding vendors contributed to this inspirational wedding shoot:

Floral – Fleur Inc* \ Coordination – Greatest Expectations* \ Stationery – Lily Red Studio \ Sweets – Truffle Truffle \ Catering – Pure Kitchen Catering* \ Photography – Amanda Hein \ Location and decor elements – Architectural Anarchy \ Dress and accessories – The Left Bank

*Fleur, Greatest Expectations, and Pure Kitchen Catering are EAD vendor guide members. To find vendors in your area, click here, or if you are a vendor interested in applying, click here.

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First up would probably be my top pick, a French 75 (champagne, lemon, and gin)

{French 75 via Honest Fare}

A spin on the classic Lemon Drop recipe, check out this Ginger Lemon Martini (gin, lemon, ginger syrup, sugar)

{Ginger Lemon Martini via All Day I Dream About Food}

Or for those hosting a big party, try this Lemon Drop Champagne Punch (lemons, sugar, champagne, vodka)

{Lemon Drop Champagne Punch via Martha Stewart; second Champagne Punch via Food Network}

Finally, for some real fun, how awesome are these Lemon Drop Jell-O Shots?

{Lemon Drop Jell-O Shots via Bakers Royale}

What do you think? Do you have any go-to books or recipes that involve our color/flavor of the week? Do share!

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The sweets table features cake truffles, mini cupcakes, and whoopie pies atop elegant cake stands.  Cacao Sweets and Treats graciously shared instructions for making the heavenly cake truffles.

Supplies:

• Cake truffles
• Edible metallic shimmer sugar (you can order this online or buy in craft stores)
• Edible decorations to match your theme (pearls, rice paper, etc.)
• Milk, dark or white chocolate to match your truffles, melted
• Pan lined with wax paper

Directions:

1. Dip the bottom of each cake truffle into the melted chocolate of choice, directly dip into shimmer sugar
2. Set on pan to dry
3. Dip decoration into melted chocolate and place on top of cake truffle
4. Set on pan to dry
5. Store all of your cake truffles in an airtight container, refrigerate until serving (bring to room temperature before serving).

The inventive escort card display is a custom photo board.  Each square of the photo is an escort card, and as each guest takes their square away, a thank you message appears to guests.  So clever!  And in keeping with the decadent chocolate and wine theme, the “guest book” is a fun custom wine bottle label.

Thanks ladies for entering the Inspired Creations Contest!

Event design – Visions Wedding & Event Boutique \ Stationery – Julie Hanan Designs \ Photography – Angela Renee Photography \ Desserts – Cacao Sweets and Treats \ Rentals – M&M Special Events Company \ Venue – Hotel Arista

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The dessert table is a gorgeous setting worthy of the sweetest of sweets.Sleek ribbons run the length of the glossy parsons table, macarons sit atop a capiz shell platter, and a tower of Swiss meringue buttercream rests on a silver-leafed glass cake stand with a handmade cake topper.  Kelly baked a basic lemon cake and used this Martha Stewart frosting recipe and this petal tip frosting technique from My Sweet and Saucy to create the beautiful ruffled creation!

To make the bunting cake topper:

1. Take two long lollipop sticks and spiral wrap in Japanese Washi tape.
2. Using several scraps of ribbon, arrange in your desired order.
3. Fold the pieces in half and feed them into your sewing machine one by one.
4. Trim ends of ribbon to desired length.
5. Wrap the extra thread on each end and hide them under the tape to secure.

To transform a simple glass cake stand:

1. A product called Simple Leaf can be purchased from your local craft store. Using a liquid adhesive for leafing, paint the underside of the plate and the stand. When it dries, it becomes sticky.
2. Using sheets of silver leaf, lay face down onto the adhesive and gently rub. Everywhere that you put the adhesive, the leaf will stick.
3. Coat the entire cake stand except for the top of hte plate where the cake will sit.
4. To tone the leafing down a bit, brush champagne colored metallic craft paint over the leafing, then rub off, leaving just a hint of color and adding a vintage look!

The intimate table is layered with textures and soft colors, and features a lush garden-style centerpiece in shimmering carnival glass.  Each mismatched place setting includes a small succulent favor inside a mercury glass votive holder. 

The escort card table is a lovely mix of flowers and paper, arranged on a repurposed silver-leafed shutter. 

1. Take an old shutter and turn it over.  On the backside, pull the levers all the way down in one direction.  Use a nail at the bottom to secure the lever.  This keeps the slats angled up allowing you to tuck things in between them.
2. Coat the shutter in your choice of paint color.  Let dry.
3. For a more vintage look, rub edges of the shutter/slats first with the side of a candle.  The wax resists the paint.  You can then go with some sandpaper and gently rub the wax back off, showing some of the wood underneath.
4. To add the silver leaf, you will need a product called Simple Leaf (from Michaels or Hobby Lobby).  You use a liquid adhesive to paint all the parts of your shutter you want to cover.  When it dries, it becomes sticky.
5. Using the sheets of silver leaf, lay it face down onto the adhesive and gently rub.  Everywhere that you put the adhesive, the leaf will stick. 
6. Continue doing this to as much or as little of the shutter as you please.
7. To tone the sliver leafing down a bit, brush champagne colored metallic craft paint over the entire shutter then rub it off, leaving just a hint of color and giving it a bit of a vintage look.

Last but not least, Kelly created a beautiful ribbon table runner!

1. Purchase a few yards of Ragna fabric from Ikea in Natural.  This particular fabric is already pre-hemmed on the sides to a width of 18”, so you only have to hem the two ends. 
2. After sewing the two ends, lay out various ribbons to find the arrangement you like best.  Make sure to let the ribbons hang past the fabric to create a fun effect.  One by one, sew the ribbons on using a contrasting thread color.
3. If you like a more irregular look, don’t pin your ribbons to the fabric before sewing.
4. When done, trim the ends of all the ribbons to the desired length.  Voila! 

Incredibly, the team spent a mere $385 on flowers and materials for this shoot, proving that a little creativing and ingenuity go a long way! 

As a reminder, reader input is taken into account when determining the top 10 contest entries, so if this Inspired Creations Contest entry is your favorite, share your love in the comments!

The following Chicago wedding vendors contributed to this inspirational wedding shoot:

Styling, DIY projects, stationery – Kelly Maron Horvath of Paper Stories and Indie Wed \ Event design and wardrobe styling – Lauren LePine of Ryan Alexander Events \ Floral design and styling – Lynn Fossbender of Pollen \ Photography – Stevi Savage of AveryHouse \ Styling support – Shannon Spellman of Plate \ Venue – room1520 \ China – Plate \ Model – Haley Lertola

© Elizabeth Anne Designs: The Wedding Blog, 2011 · Permalink · 30 comments · StumbleUpon It!
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You will need:

• Melting chocolate (milk-chocolate candy melts available at Michaels, Hobby Lobby etc)
• Large marshmallows
• Graham crackers, crumbled into a small dish
• Lollipop sticks (I prefer the long ones) – available at Michaels, Hobby Lobby or online
• Clear treat bags & twine for packaging

1) Insert the lollipop sticks into the marshmallows and set aside.

2) Melt the chocolate according to the package instructions.  It is best to melt a little at a time in a smaller dish.

3) Dip and roll the marshmallow into the chocolate, covering the sides and top, then immediately roll side of marshmallow through the graham cracker crumbs.

4) Secure the stick into something that will keep it upright while the chocolate dries.  I used a cardboard box with holes poked in it. A large block of styrofoam (the ones that come as packaging in boxes) work well too.

5) Continue steps 3 & 4 with the rest of the marshmallows.  Melt more chocolate as needed.

6) When the chocolate has set, wrap the treat in a clear bag, wrap with twine and add desired printable tag.  Voila!  S’mores on a stick.

{Photos and tutorial by Kelly Maron of Paper Stories}

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