Romantic Garden Wedding Dresses

Exploring the possibilities of having a wedding outfit which isn't formal and doesn't really follow the norms. It's important to me that I am really comfortable and beautiful on the day. These have all been planned with flats to keep my feet happy. Straps and flowing materials to avoid any ugly bulges and having to readjust myself all day. And they could be high street store prices which is fantastic because it keeps within my budget and doesn't make me feel guilty for spending astronomical amounts of money on a dress I will only wear for a day. They are feminine, useful and beautiful.

Romantic Garden Wedding Dresses by jessica's wedding plans featuring Chloé

THE DRESS

You know I can't do anything the easy way. Why not get a loan from the bank, ask a relative, blow your savings and blast it One Wonderful Wedding Day and quite probably an Epic Honeymoon?? Nooooo.... I have to make sure that my wedding is frugal, recycled and second hand to the point of insanity. Don't worry with only 9 months to go I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I really can't do everything and I will have to pay for a professional on some points at least.



One of these points is THE DRESS.

The options are these:

1. Buy the fabric myself and have a professional (friend of the family with 20% discount) make it perfectly fitted.
2. Buy the fabric myself and get my wonderful Oma to make it. 
3. Buy the fabric myself and make it myself - no I am in no way qualified to do this.
4. Buy a second hand dress.
5. Buy a vintage dress hints from {frolic!} here
6. Buy a brand new dress in the sale

 
sold dress by adVintageous

Things that are UNDECIDED:

1. The fabric - lace, silk, satin, crushed silk...
2. The length - over the knee, knee length, floor length...
3. The shape - shoulder straps, Aline, empire....
4. The colour - white, mocha, cream, champagne...
5. The extras - beading, lace...

short or long dresses by Sarah Seven

Things I have DECIDED I don't want:

1. a strapless dress.
2. velvet fabric.
3. any other colour than from the white - beige range.
4. a two piece outfit - it has to be a dress
5. uncomfortable
6. scratchy
7. cold

And with that I am a little bit less lost but I will keep you up to date!

Colour Palette Inspiration

Alright so it's a baby room - you can tell what I have on my mind! Way ahead in the future, Mum. Nonetheless there is something brilliant about this set of pictures so I'll try to describe it.

Why I am loving this:
The colour palette.
The pom poms
Pastels with a hint of hot pink.
Ceramic pastel animals.
The unbelievable rag banner.
Lots of light.
Basics of pine (love wood) and white.

image via here

The Discovery of Ornamented Life

Upon the discovery of HORNE I was delighted to find this range by Ornamented Life as they recycle chipped plates and crockery and make them pretty again. It's beautiful artwork, a fantastic DIY idea and it means you don't have to throw the plate away!

Whole Row of Boutonniers Ideas from Fritts Rosenow

I especially love Captain America - awesome idea! Thanks fritts

Simply Sweet Afternoon Tea

Make goody bags for your guests with personalised badges, favourite flavour of gum or sweets and fun things to pass the afternoon.

Whilst looking for inspiration I often stumble upon the nicest things. Here's a yummy patisserie, miette, in San Francisco. I love the look of their sweetly simple designed cakes.

The blog they run is absolutely hilarious! With no end of homemade sweets with adorable and unconventional wrappers, I love the chocolate moustaches the most! They would make fantastic favours.

Oh My Goodness!

Inspired by this wonderful stationary the next wedding theme I am most excited about is FLORAL RETRO KITSCH. Key to making this theme work:

• Choosing the right vintage-y hues of the colours you want to work with so put an emphasis on a colour from the era you are interested in (
• Ensuring that the items you are working with are more kitsch than country.
• Asking yourself, "Would the queen mum feel good doing/wearing/receiving this?" If the answer is yes, you're on the right track!

By choosing this theme I am hoping to use a lot of second hand things which I find in second hand shops close to home thus saving money and gathering inspiration from vintage etsy finds.

Combining retro flowers including dahlias, carnations and daisies and incorporating some of my favourite retro hues of turquoise, aqua and a dirty light blue, hot pink, candyfloss and hints of lemonade yellow and mustard, this is a theme which I think is going to stick.

Speechless... Words cannot describe... find... here....

Modern White: Wedding Dress

THEME: MODERN WHITE is all about elegant simplicity, clean line and no frills. Bright, crisp white is the only colour. Accessories are kept to a minimum and hair is fuss free. This beautiful bride is the epitomy of Modern white. Minimal. Modern. White.

image courtesy of the great Todd Pellowe

MODERN WHITE THEME: Bright, crisp white. Modern and unusual cuts. Simple accessories and hair.

Amazing Amy Atlas

I'm glad I was guided to this website. Amy Atlas Events. This lady is wonderful. Her brilliant design ideas and attention to details are just wonderful. Wonderful. This is what I want at the wedding. For more sweet-toothed delights have a look at her blog.

THE World's Best Photographer Yet.

To be fair Todd Pellowe has taken pictures of the most beautiful people at the most beautiful time in their lives and yet, the moments he captures are moving. They make me laugh and cry and wish he was a little closer to Scotland in October next year... Enjoy.

Wedding Stationary

Thinking of saving the money and doing all of the Wedding Stationary myself. While I was browsing for inspiration I came across this talented lady, Marina Chaccur and her work. Above is one of my favourite pieces. Visit her site and see the steps she's taken to get here.

DIY Wedding Stationary

Planning a wedding for a reunion of two nationalities, with relatives coming in from various locations, is always a little more complicated than if everyone lived in the same village so it's best to let everyone know well in advance what's happening and where. My time frame goes like this:

Save the Date cards & homemade gift: 1 year in advance
Wedding Invitation: 6 months in advance
Location Information Packet - including accomodation, sight seeing & a little bit of history with basic event timetable: 3 months in advance or upon receipt of RSVP
Invitations to Rehearsal Dinner/Night: 6 weeks beforehand
Event Timetable & Directions: 2 weeks beforehand

paper, card, inks, embossing powder, stamps, bulk or small amounts of 10, paper creasers - cellophane bags for making favours - paper punches, paper trimmers, scissors

Some great online sources:
Liz's Crafts
Paper Crafter
order sample swatches to match the exact hue you're looking for.

But when it come to paper, I want to have felt it so here are some places in Edinburgh
Paperchase on George St.
Daintree Paper on Morningside Rd and their blog which has handy guides and templates

Ready made cards are:

• quick & less time consuming- no designing, cutting, glueing and messing up!
• cheaper than printed invitations
• unique if you buy from small gift shops with start up designers who only print in small batches
• ideal if you have a small wedding planned as each card will have to be written by hand! You could save yourself some time and print out smaller insert papers with your wording and personalise it with your handwritten signatures or small note
  

Ready Made Card Shops in Edinburgh:
The Bay Tree Co on Hanover St.

All Shades of Wicked - Purple

purpure

The Purple Cupcake

The purple cupcake, originally uploaded by thelondoncupcake.

What?!

Romantic Purple

Purple Invitations

Stunning colour combination with the chartreuse and magenta. The purple is exactly what I'm looking for as it's warm and rich. I love the simple layout of this invitation... I just can't remember where I found the picture so if anyone wants to claim it please leave a comment or email!

Bridesmaid Dresses

Diane Von Furstenberg

Michael Kors

Purple for the bridesmaid dresses. Their whole Autumn '08 collection was a graceful ode to the 40's and 50's. On or past the knee skirt length and nipped waist with a belt.

All Things Scottish

Living in Scotland and marrying a Scot made me wonder if we should go with the traditional castle-thistle-kilt gig. The kilt was ruled out quite early on due to lack of "pretty knees"; the castle, although magical in thought, proved to be a rather expensive and pretty gloomy looking whim which leaves us with the thistle. Just looking for a pretty picture for this posting put me off! They're thorny, unfriendly looking things! The only thing I really do like about them is the rich hues of purple they bear so my next exploration is into purple, one of my favourite colours. Look out for it in my postings over the next few days.

Purple and Turquoise

Vera Wang - Autumn '09 Forest Fantastasia

Unbelievable. Vera Wang hit the nail on the head with her Bridal Autumn '09 dresses. From off white to taupe to outright chocolate brown the colours are amazing. The texture and ruffles are exactly what I want and definately not prim princess! The ivy crown. The flowing hair. The accent of simple purple flowers. This is it!