I have to admit, this trend might be one of my favorites in the wedding world right now. I am LOVING the barn meets elegant wedding feel- with the rich wood tones, fresh green nature in the background, and homemade feeling to the decor. Ali and Jared tied the knot in June, and we had the privilege of planning their wedding. Enjoy these gorgeous photos, taken by Erica of City Lights Studio.
I'm getting back into the swing of things now, so my blogging frequency should pick up again in the next few weeks. We have a really fun wedding this weekend- very backyard elegance with pies instead of wedding cake and strawberry centerpieces- so I'm looking forward to that. Hope all is well and welcome to summertime!
Kate Spade is a favorite designer of mine, with her crisp lines and use of bright colors. If you're looking for a preppy clean look for your wedding day (and a short dress!) check out Wedding Belles, Kate Spades new bridal collection. She also offers bridesmaids dresses, and tons of cute, colorful shoes and accessories.
I've been seeing a lot of gorgeous wedding images featuring boats lately, and I'm kind of in love. :) Plus, we have a fall wedding this year with a "lagoon" theme that we're considering using a boat as part of the decor, so I love to find more inspiration photos. From canoes to row boats to sail boats, if boating is part of your life then why not incorporate it into your wedding photos?
I thought this was a really cute idea for decor at a bridal shower (or, if executed correctly, a wedding). Photos of the couple are attached to ribbons, mixed with flower pomanders hanging on a window. This decor could be hung anywhere in your event space, and could be done horizontally as well. The little bags holding flowers along the windowsill are adorable as well!
Did you know that Prince Willian and Kate have a wedding website? They are so with the times. ;) Check out OfficialRoyalWedding2011.org to see the latest details about the upcoming wedding. Want to know where the procession will be driving? How the orchestra is preparing for the ceremony? Who's designing the wedding cake? All of this and more can be found on their official website. 
One detail they have released is that she walked down the aisle in a custom-designed Monique Lhuillier pale pink gown. Love it!! A lot of sites and bloggers are making a big deal about her not wearing white, but the colored-wedding dress trend has been gaining steam for at least five years now, so I don't know what everyone's getting all worked up about. Besides- we all know she has been married before, so I feel like her not wearing white should be even less of a surprise. Kudos to her for going the non-traditional (but I bet still gorgeous) route.
Another fun thing about his collection is that he offers many shorter dresses- this is the Audrey.
Oh if only I could have another wedding (to my husband of course!), I would definitely get one of these dresses. And since they range in price from $970-$2700, I could actually afford one! Tell us about your favorite wedding designer- or your dream dress!
Kate is a big fan of hats, this one above was designed specifically for her by milliner Phillip Treacy. She has also commissioned him to design custom hats for some of her guests- how fun!
This hat above is a typical Kate hat- she wears many of her hats tilted to the right side. And this outfit has been praised all over for the gorgeous blue brocade coat- so pretty for a morning wedding ceremony!
Birdcages were all the rage last year, and they are still going strong as brides still love the vintage look. Here is a little pillbox hat with some interest added by changing the shape- and a gorgeous little birdcage veil.
This feather-y hat is a little more out there than the rest, but it's still so fun!! I can totally imagine this on a bride with a subtle bird theme throughout her wedding day. 
As I talked about in this post, connecting with your wedding vendors on a personal level is important when you're going to spending a lot of time with them. So, I thought it would be good to let you all get a peek into our lives outside of the wedding world. And we'll start with me (Liane) since I do most of the blogging anyway. Julie says I'm the tech saavy one, and she's the artsy one- it's so true! 
It was OVAL (for some reason I had to have it oval) with swiss dots, and that fondant made to look like draped fabric- oh I just loved it! And see our monogram up top? Eric designed that himself (he's a mechanical drafter/engineer) on AutoCAD and had it made at the shop where he works. I still have them- someday I swear I'll make a shadowbox with them or something! 
Yes, not quite the same as that awesome headshot photo up top (props to Lindsay DeDario for our photos!), but what do you expect for 7 months pregnant? :) Eric takes a photo of me every week on Mondays, to document my growing belly. You can check them all out on my personal blog, The Baby Roy.
So, those are the highlights for now... stay tuned for more glimpses into the life of me, as well as some posts from my partner Julie- which I will have her write and then I'll post on the blog, because I'm the techy one. ;)
Have I mentioned that I love color? Because I do. :) Pantone released their color of their year, Honeysuckle, a couple months ago, and now with Fashion Week they've come out with their color report for Fall 2011. I find Pantone's color reports to be a great resource for the latest and greatest wedding color trends. I could go through and spell it all out for you, but one of my favorite color palette sites did such a great job, that I'm going to just link up to her. Check out The Perfect Palette's detailed summary of the Fall 2011 Color Report!
Decor: Subtle touches in your decor can reflect the rustic feel- try using chalkboards as your table numbers, or to detail the menu for the evening. Also, clotheslines are a very "barnyard" way to display anything from your placecards, to photos of you and your new hubby. I also like the idea of mixing in photos of other loved ones' wedding days- like parents, grandparents, friends, etc.
Photos: How to get the rustic feel in your wedding photos? Let's go back to location. :) When exploring the area around your ceremony and reception location, look for things like abandoned barns, old style wood or metal bridges, farmhouses- even a tractor in a field can make your photos feel more rustic! Using a field as a background can do the job, but adding these extra "props" can really enhance the feel. Just make sure you ask permission first before you use someone's personal property in a photo.
Food: One of the most fun ways to make your wedding rustic chic is through the food you choose to serve. Instead of the standard "steak or chicken" choices, consider homestyle fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, and other home-cooking specialities. Consider using local vendors to provide homemade goods- and serve iced tea and lemonade to cool your guests during the ceremony. And for dessert? One of the biggest trends we've seen for wedding dessert is PIE! Having a buffet of different-flavored pies can definitely remind your guests of being down on the farm- while still being delicious!
It was bit windy the day we did our photo shoot- made for some fun hair situations. :) Stay tuned for more one-on-one, up close and personal chatter from both myself (Liane) and my partner Julie. And tell us what you think- is it important to "click" personally with your wedding vendors?
