Floored.

I am in awe right now, [and also a little bit jealous] Of these women; Kate Holland and Fiona Andersen.
They are both SO amazing at what they do.

I have seen many many many photographers' work in New Zealand, but only a few have ever managed to make me this excited. PLUS Fiona's blogging is incredible, witty, imaginative, beautiful. And just to make you love-hate her a little more; Her photography is sublime. I was actually floored by the beauty in her photos. The colours and the feelings are just absolutely incredible.

What excites me even more [if that is even possible before I become a gooey mess of admiration on the floor], is that Fiona and my next awe-fuelling artist have got some secret collaborative work in the pipeline! *shudders with anticipation*
Kate Holland [who has already been featured with us] is also on my 'wish i was as talented as...' list.
Her stationery is magnificent. Absolutely divine. She has custom designed these little darlings for the impending wedding of The Ivory Dahlia's Laura. The detail astounds me. It is so intricate and personal, and I LOVE how all of her designs are so unique, and there isnt even the slightest whiff of pretence. Just sheer talent and an overwhelming desire to create something beautiful, memorable, and perfect.


Ladies, I salute you both and your beautiful gifts.
It is a shame, almost, that I am writing this when The Ivory Dahlia is so new. Nobody will see it! However, given time...

Stormy Inspiration!

I have recently realised myself finding inspiration in the strangest places.
Today, the colours I have chosen are from a short clip I saw on TV about storm chasing!

I can just see a late afternoon/evening wedding in these colours, using really heavy fabrics, lots of different textures & subtle lighting from lanterns and fairy lights.

Pictures;
1st Row; all from The Knot
2nd Row; PomLove at Etsy, The Knot, Stacks and Stacks
3rd Row; Ruby&Willow, Masterpiece Weddings, Treasurelaundry at Etsy

Fame!

Well as you know I' am planning my wedding and one element that I wanted to be perfect was my invitations. After a few months of me being entirely too nit-picky and bothering my poor designer they arrived, and they were BEAUTIFUL!!

The best part is that they are now up on her blog, www.magnoliarouge.blogspot.com. I'm very excited about this so please check it out. The post is called Laura's invites. Cute!

Kate from Ruby and Willow (Auckl.) Was absolutely amazing and so flexible. She took my ideas on board which was fantastic.

Thanks Kate!

x L

Celebrate! Fair ground inspiration

Who said weddings had to be all white. Why not reflect the joy of the occasion in your colour palette and theme.

For a Fete style celebration you could...
- Set up a photo booth by hanging pretty fabric as a backdrop and setting up a camera so guests can take their own shots.
- Serve fair ground food like mini hot dogs, candy floss, and popcorn.
- Hand out sparklers and have a camera handy for fantastic night time images.
- Organise games and give out huge soft toys as prizes.


L


Images from Once wed blog, Carellia Rose, Project wedding and Snippet and ink.

Another stunning example of old bottles used in an amazing display.

Image from the beautiful Once wed Blog.

Floral fervour!

Since the flowers are one of the most important aspects of any wedding, I thought; why not start with just that!

Conveniently enough for The Ivory Dahlia, Laura and Myeslf are both Florists by trade. [which is how we met and have subsequently realised this blog together!]

So today, I am blogging about just that; Flowers.

May I introduce to you; Floral Fervour. [because I am in the mood for a little alliteration]

Floral Fervour- I have decided- will be a fortnightly occurance, in which Laura and Myself will bring you something wonderful, and flower related. it could be a spotlight on a florist, DIY arrangements, or even something we cooked up ourselves! The possibilities are endless, and the outcome is always gorgeous, and (almost) always New Zealand. =]

For the first Floral Fervour, I thought we would start simple, and have a nosey at some DIY ideas for decorating with flowers.

I am absolutely in LOVE with the idea of adorning tables with a collection of vintage and upcycled bottles in various shapes and sizes. I have seen some really cute bottles around, even coffee jars come in some good shapes. I also find that local produce/farmers/craft markets can house some wonders. [granted that you will have to eat whatever organic goodness is contained within *sigh* before using it for flowers.]
Teamed with the right flowers, it could create dreamy centrepieces for any wedding.

And it doesnt take much.

All you need to know is what flowers you like and what season they are available. There are growers all over this little country, so sourcing & ordering won't be much of a chore. Better still, you could completely cut out the middle man, and grow your own! The Warehouse do a great selection of bulbs in spring, and Bunnings, Mitre10 and local Garden centres are easy to hit up and get some gorgeous plants.

Clear glass bottles are the obvious and most readily available choice, but you can also find some wonderful vintage glass in various shades of green and blue. Blue vases with silver/white flowers; lambs ear, echinops, sea holly, ananomes, roses etc would look classy and elegant.

Or even green vases with yellow flowers; billy buttons, roses or poppies would look bright and beautiful for a summer, yellow-themed wedding.

Personally, I am currently persuing an obsession with echinops and alliums, which would look SO cute in upcycled/vintage jars bottles and vases!

Jar at header www.intimateweddings.com tall jar vintageprettythings at etsy, bottles with corks twolittlesmom at Etsy, all flower pictures are from GettyImages.

Some examples of local growers include Moffatts Roses, Fairleigh farm, Aromaunga.
Riccarton Rotary market is a treasure trove of vintage finds and trade me is a great tool to help you find odds and ends.

Hope this helps inspire you!

so fresh so clean....

Inspiration Board #1: Green & White Theme.

This board was inspired by the GORGEOUS Vintage dress featured.
I adore the bark baskets. They would make a wonderful centrepiece for an eco-friendly wedding!

left column, top to bottom; Nine west shoes photo: The Knot, Guestbook: EmersonBindery at Etsy, Bark & Moss Baskets: NHWoodscreations at Etsy.
right column, top to bottom; Green Table setting photo: The Knot, White & Green table centre: Harakeke Flowers, Christchurch, and Vintage Dress: StoryBoutique at Etsy

DIY Swizzle sticks

Your guests will fall in love with little details at your wedding like these swizzle sticks for their drinks!
All you need for these super sweet swizzles is...
- bamboo or wooden skewers
- cute pattered paper or fabric in your wedding colours
- double sided tape or really strong glue stick

All you do is take your paper/fabric and cut rectangles or diamond shapes to whatever size you prefer, (my rectangles were around 7cm x 3cm). You then need to either stick double sided tape across the back or use your glue stick. Then fold lightly in half and stick the corners together so they line up. Pop the skewer into the fold and press the paper together around it. Cut the skewer to length. Voila!

The first post!

So, we don't know about you guys, but we are in love with all things vintage and anything old and beautiful (love you mum!). We are also into fantastic design, great trends and most of all WEDDINGS!! With one of us currently planning our "Big day" and the other continuously daydreaming about her own (future) nuptials, we have really discovered a lack of resources for girls like us who want modern, on trend, luscious weddings.
I'm not loving the fake topiaries with white organza wrapped around the stem, or the classic 80's style white wedding arch drooping with plastic ivy and fairy lights. (available from many Chch hire companies if you're interested)
Christchurch is a lovely place... but is it difficult to find what you want!!
So hopefully by learning from my planning experiences and using some good old creativity we can help inspire you and inform you.
Why shouldn't you have a wedding like the ones in all those pretty bridal magazines?

L&H

Bohemian Bride

I don't know about you, but I love the dream like quality of these images. A bohemian wedding to me, is the absolute epitome of romance. I would use soft ethereal hues and lots and lots of wildflowers. I think this style wedding should be outdoors to make the most of natural light, and natures beautiful decor. Maybe I'm a little bit hippie after all.

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floating flowers - we heart it, bohemian girl via wedding paper divas, slippers and flower field- we heart it, outdoor wedding table- we heart it, cake- thriftyfun.com, Table and couple in grass via elizabeth anne designs, dress via bohemian wedding dresses, hair garland- my opera hair models,