Unexpected Loveliness: Baby's Breath

Years ago I went to a friend's wedding, and she and her bridesmaids all carried bouquets of baby's breath.  Yes, just baby's breath.  And I LOVED it.  It was so simple and chic and unexpected.  I know most of us pick baby's breath out of bouquets the second they are delivered, but there is something so lovely when you put a bunch of baby's breath together alone.  I was reminded of this recently, when I saw this wedding featured on JL Designs blog.

Here is some beautiful ceremony and reception decor featuring baby's breath, done by JL Designs:

How amazing is the baby's breath lining the ceremony aisle?  And even better, the pieces were moved and put on tables at the reception.  Love it.

Baby's breath also makes for a beautiful bouquet:

Credits:  Martha Stewart Weddings, Real Simple, Two Brunettes, The Knot

It's in the Details: Mason Jars

Mason jars have become very popular in wedding decor lately.  But there are lots of ways to incorporate this vintage element into your wedding decor besides using them as containers for your floral arrangements (although they are great as containers!)  Here are some different ways I have found for you to use mason jars in decorating your wedding (or party, or home):

Top Row:  Drink jar by Sabine Scherer, jar with river rocks and candle by Kate Harrison, jar chandelier by Jamie Grenough via Style Me Pretty, hanging jars with florals by Jennifer Roper
Bottom Row:  Jar escort cards by Sean Walker, jelly jar drink by Ian Grant, lots of jars and candles via 100 Layer Cake, floating candle in jar by Jennifer Roper

I love the idea of using the jars as candle holders, either floating them in water or putting river rocks in the jar.  And how amazing is that mason jar chandelier!  I had to post another shot of it:

By Jamie Grenough, via Style Me Pretty

Where do I begin?

When you are first beginning to plan the design of your wedding, it can be very overwhelming. The day I got engaged, my maid of honor sent me a list of wedding blogs, and I was hooked instantly. Some of those blogs (Style Me Pretty, Snippet & Ink, Once Wed, Southern Weddings, etc.) are ones I still follow today and provided me with tons of wedding design inspiration. A tool that I saw on some of them was a collage of photos, sometimes called an inspiration board, that is used as the basis for the design of your wedding. I believe this is a great place to start your design inspiration.

Basically I just saved photos that I loved or pictures of elements I thought were inspiring. I had folders on my computer for florals, cakes, paper, dresses, hairstyles, wedding party attire, accessories, decor, and personal touches. Anytime I found things I loved I would save the photo in one of those folders. After a couple of months, I looked at these images, deleted ones I no longer loved or that didn't speak to me as much as the others, and then I designed my inspiration board.

Your inspiration board will probably change somewhat along the way, because your design will probably change as you begin to make your inspiration a reality. But the board provides you with something that you can always come back to and helps you keep your design cohesive.

I designed my own inspiration board using Picasa, because it is the only tool I had at the time. Any software that you have should let you make a collage.  Another great new tool is Style Me Pretty's Style Circle, where you can make inspiration boards, blog, chat, save favorites, and lots of other great things.  Head over there and sign up:  http://circle.stylemepretty.com/

Here is an example of an inspiration board I made for a contest on Style Me Pretty's site which would be a great inspiration board for an outdoor spring or summer wedding.  I love the effortlessly chic style:

Credits:

Top Row: Placecards, Lulu Paper from Snippet & Ink
http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/2009/07/board-401-lemon-and-sugar.html , Flowers: Katie Stoops of Open Air Photography http://www.thebridescafe.com/?postID=340&the-secret-garden
Lemon aisle: jose villa http://www.oncewed.com/13271/real-weddings-blog/real-weddings/daniel-laura-ii/
Middle Row: Hanging lanterns by Leigh Miller photography at http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/06/18/real-wedding-by-duet-weddings-iii/ , Vera Wang gown from Look Book, Bouquet by Bellisima Vita Weddings on Snippet & Ink, http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/2009/07/board-401-lemon-and-sugar.html ,
Bottom Row, cake by K rose cakes at Snippet & Ink (same link as above), Table setting, Martha Stewart Weddings, http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/outdoor-weddings lnc=6b1c139b22b1d110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=lpg_inspiration&lpgStart=1¤tslide=16¤tChapter=2#ms-global-breadcrumbs, Florals, Katie Stoops from Open Air Photgraphy at http://www.thebridescafe.com/?postID=340&the-secret-garden