Feeling blue

peach flowers- stephanie williams photography, underwear- ell and cee sweet dreams, place cards- the knot, peach sorbet- martha stewart weddings, blue groom- once wed, jelly bean favors- the knot, parasols- a field journal, shoes- snippet and ink, table arrangement- verandah, blue dress- karen walker.

Getaway; Venice, Italy.

I must apologise for my silence, I am currently on holiday from work and have been rather absent. Not the best weather to be on a break, however, I'm quite happy just chilling out with the massive bruise I got from ice skating at Lake Tekapo. =/ I am also going away with a girlfriend for a couple of nights, which should be smashing - I haven't done that in ages!
However, on to the posting! 

I am obsessed with destination weddings right now, in case you hadn't noticed....

Another dream destination just has to be Venice.

I would keep an old world charm, dusty hues and splashes of sumptuous colour, with lots of textures. Im talking a mass of ribbons and feathers and lace. How about a masquerade procession through the canals with all the guests on gondolas? And of course, a mountain of gelato at the reception!

How would you plan a Venetian wedding?

Enjoy!

images; dress, gondola, gelato, hair, masquerade, flowers, champagne, invitations, ring box

Staying Neutral

If there is ever a place for neutrality, it's a wedding.

Give a coffee-cream palette some punch with strokes of black, and add interest with stripes. 

This colour theme lends itself to a 1920's twist. I love the tassels on the black bridesmaid dress in row 2. And the bride's glasses!! Super cute!

 groom- jose villa,  cake- country living, bouquet- unknown, flower hair piece- style hive, bride and maids- pandora,  shoes- countess de vintage, hairpiece- bella brandy, Favors- country living, clutch- the knot, model- dita sunglasses, invites- how about orange

Berries and Cream

Yum! Soft mauve with creamy ivory. This looks beautiful punctuated with a touch of deep plum or navy. Brighten it up with some eggshell or baby blue. Delicious!

lady- Elle sweden, dress- stephanie williams photography,berry iceream- cookincanuck, gloves, Skirt-we heart it, Dress- monique lhullier, Buttonhole- unknown,  invites- the knot.com

Getaway; Iceland

Another almost "trend" I have noticed lately is quirky destination Weddings. Namely in Iceland. Did you see this divine wedding?

Iceland is a place I have always wanted to visit. Sure, one of it's un-pronounceable volcanoes erupted and brought the northern hemisphere to a standstill, but Iceland didn't ask to sit atop two tectonic plates. 

Iceland looks astoundingly beautiful. And the language is too. [Take a listen to the language being sung via another love of mine; sigur rós.]
Imagine a wonderful cozy indoor wedding during the afternoon, and then meet up with all your guests for a late night, camp fire lit reception, beneath the heart stopping Aurora.

I have put together a getaway inspiration board for you.

I think an Icelandic getaway wedding would be full of textures and rich colours. I just dont think you could have a wedding in summer in Iceland. it needs snow on the mountains to add that extra contrast to a warming palette.
Alternatively you could go all out rustic, grey-white with rich woody tones with maybe a splash of a dusty red or blue.
What other countries do you think would make great Wedding destinations or Honeymoon getaways? Any suggestions?

images; vases, Icelandic horses, couple feet, Church in Iceland, dress, 

tights, cardigan, shoes, chair, invitations, socks, couple dancing.

Easy DIY make up.

If you are thinking of saving some money and doing your own wedding day make up, Don't be afraid! Its not so hard. If you invest in good quality make up and ask for advice from your local make up counter ladies you will be fine. Just practice practice practice!!

A Sunday Smile

This weeks Sunday smile is one that makes you go all weak at the knees!

From Erin Hearts Court
I love the look on Lisa, the Brides face.
I adore it when a Wedding makes you remember why people get married. When you see that intense love radiating from two people, you cant help but want that too.

Cakes and Flowers.

If you are anything like me, details are super important. But if you haven't the time or resources to do hand calligraphy on vintage handkerchiefs, then select a few main details that can be outstanding, such as your cake and bouquet.
And sometimes, less is more.

You can then leave it to the professionals, or DIY some gorgeous flowers and a divine cake. 

Bakers are getting more artistic by the minute, and my favourite cake trend of recent times is lace detailing.

Below you will find some of my favourite cake and bouquet pairings. =]
Enjoy!

images; Ruffled, 100 Layer Cake, Green Wedding Shoes, Martha Stewart Weddings

Kick Back With Black

A black wedding theme doesn't necessarily need to be ultra-modern or classique.

You can keep it looking laid back, without it being harsh and overruling.

I would definately team black with shades of dusty blues and grey.
Black is definitely a hard colour, but don't be afraid to accessorize! How about with a gorgeous necklace from yesterdays post?!

I can see some quirky little bow ties for the groomsmen, and floaty, casual dresses for the bridesmaids. Bouquets of white anemones and maybe some green hellebores?
What is your favourite colour to team with black?

images; hair, shoes, photos, mason jar candles, black dress, colin firth, invitations

Look Book- Wedding Necklaces

Oversize necklaces are a big trend at the moment.  If you are wearing a simple wedding dress, it leaves lots of room to play with your jewellery. I spotted most of these gorgeous necklaces on etsy ( yes the first one is a head peice but it's so pretty!), which is a great resource for weddings. Numbers 2 and 3 are from NZ . You can find them here and here.

#1 etsy, #2 Tutta bella- (Ackl),  #3Clara Jewellery- (Chch), #4 etsy, #5 etsy, #6 crystabelle (uk), #7Unknown,  8 and 9 wedding obsession , #10 the knot,  #11 wedding obsession

Floaty Light

Double whammy for this Saturday for you lucky readers!

My favourite Wedding Dress trend of recent times is the soft, floaty look.
Think bows, layers, and loads of soft silk chiffon.

And you don't even have to pay through the teeth for voluminous layers of chiffon to achieve this style. {check out dress six from j-crew!}

I have put together a selection of some of my favourite gowns that give you that soft, romantic look.

one. two. three. four. five. six.

Laid back beach celebration

I am not really a fan of the beach wedding.Mostly because I'm a baby and I just don't think I would enjoy the sand + wedding gown + hot sun. I do however think a laid back, evening celebration would be fun. It would need to be super casual and comfy...

BBQ'd sossies and toasted marshmallows, a cold beer or hot chocolate in hand. Kids playing soccer on the beach and grown ups, celebrating around the bonfire. Buckets of flowers buried in the sand and hanging outdoor lights.

Ahhh bring on the summer evenings! 

dress- coliena rentmeester, flowers- brides cafe, table of food- we heart it, girl holding plate - fotobank, Seagull- we heart it, lanterns- we heart it, hot choc- askville.com, sodas- gordon gossip blog,  sparklers- elizabeth anne designs. Gumboots -little elk, shawl favors-inspired by this,  groom- in the now, 

Powder and Wheat

Powder blue paired with neutrals is such a pretty combination, and very victorian. A little dash of slightly brighter blue or navy will prevent this palette from looking washed out. 

Dress- Missotten at Browns, table- we heart it, wheat table- project wedding, lavender favors- martha stewart,  flowers, style me pretty, invitations- ruby and willow, buttonhole image- jose villa, cake on dresser image- millie holloman

Inspiration Board; Pink & Grey

It has been a few days, So I best apologise for the lack of Inspiration for you! {But you were pretty spoilt last week.... =P}
 Today, I got sent home from work for being so poorly! But I have created a magical inspiration board for you! {Since I don't know what else to do whilst snuggled up in bed, bored!}  I thought I would try a colour I wouldn't usually play with.
Here is a board in Pink, with a layer of grey....

Dress, Pink drink, stationery, grey nailpolish, grey suit, table centres, fascinator, lipgloss

Carnivale

Oooooh I love the sights and sounds of the fair. The colours, the food, the atmosphere! You couldn't choose a more fun filled theme. Here are some ideas on how to achieve it.

♥ Start with primary colors like red and blue and add brights and candy hues.

♥ I love the idea of a hot dog stand, serving mini hot dogs and snowcones.

♥ How cool would it be to set up games like darts. You set up a board of bright water balloons and have prizes for those who pop them. That should keep them amused while you have your photos done.

♥ Hang lots and lots of colourful bunting flags, ribbons, and streamers like these fabric streamers

Candy sticks,red shoes and sweet tickets,-via hostess with the mostess, Wee girls- Kaiya Eve, girl with balloons and candy apples- the cherry blossom girl, couple with lollipop- wedding paper divas, place cards-,  Popcorn favor- martha stewart, cupcake papers- pink frosting 

Ask and you shall receive... your dream wedding!

If there was a lesson I learned during the planning of my wedding, it was that if

I'd asked for more help, I would undoubtedly have saved a TON of money while maintaining

a lovely day to be proud of.

I know in the throes of  planning you can get lost in the tiny (teeny tiny even) details. 

I really believe that when you involve family and friends, your wedding becomes more joyful for everybody. However, this means you have to let go a little...yes, you can do it. Just relax a bit!

After all, your wedding is about your love for your groom, and your love for family and friends.

I have done posts like this before yes... but its a subject we all can relate to.

Here are some ideas where you could utilise possible talents of those who surround you...

Have your Cake

Do you have an aunt/gran/friend can bake a great cake? 

Just look at these lovlies below...The beautiful cakes in these pictures do not require a professional cake decorator. Imagine a few fresh flowers placed lovingly on top and voila! A very on trend wedding cake. Show pictures of what you want, and you'll get it I'm sure. 

Alternatively...if you have several 

members of the posse who make a 'signature' dessert that makes you drool...have a dessert 

bar in lieu of a cake! Anything goes these days and its all in the presentation my friends.

Cakes, cookies, pies, slices, fudge...mmmmmmm! 

The Handy-man can

DIY is big!

My lovely Papa was happy to bang together a sign post similar to the photo here. It took him a few minutes and it really looked great.

If you know some one who is handywith their handies, embrace the rustic look of DIY. 
Wedding arches, table decor, photo booth backdrops , bench seats made out of logs, dance floors, cake tables, etcetera, etcetera... Oh the possibilities! Custom made for next to nothing!

Be creative!!

Do me a favor

Mum makes a great jam, my sister does an awesome tomato chutney. How lovely to walk away from a wedding with a beautiful jar of homemade conserves. There are printable

downloads of labels available through out the web like this one from Ruby and willow over at 

postcards and pretties.

Uncle Bob loves his gardening and every seed he plants germinates into a beautiful, healthy plant. OK I don't really have an uncle Bob but I'm sure you all have someone like him around. I think plant favors are a great green option for gifts. 

 So...  I think you see what I'm getting at. The biggest new trend for weddings is DIY. Combine that with the global push to be friendly to the environment... and it all makes perfect sense. You must be brave and ask for help. Believe me, most people will feel honored at being part of your special day.

Laura xx

Ivory Dahlia Loves....

Its a slow Saturday, consisting of cleaning and reading vegetarian cookbooks. I am so out of inspiration today. Which is rather disappointing on my day off for writing blog posts. =/

So I thought today I would take it slow on you guys too, overloading you with too much inspiration can make your Wedding planning more confusing. [Or at least that is my excuse for my lack of it!]

Here are some favourite posts from the Wedding world this week;

A Wonderland Engagement shoot. I was kind of over the whole Alice In Wonderland Bandwagon thing. But this is the cutest Alice inspired shoot yet!

I also want to do a shout out to Kate MacPherson, who has had a Wedding posted on the wonderful Style Me Pretty. Go New Zealand! You can click the photo to see the entire Gallery from the lovely pristine Wedding. I especially love the splash of turquoise!

Songbird Designs has updated their online shops with Yummy hair grips!

I think they would make great little on-the-day gifts for your Bridesmaids, or as part of a bag of thank yous for them! What do you think?

I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'm off to get ready to watch the Rugby!

Sweet dreams

I have a really major obsession with soft dreamy colours. I can't help it. When I see palest pinks and soft grays side by side it makes me go all girly. Add to that my other addiction, which is sugar, sugar products and anything made with sugar! I went with a pale gray/latte and peachy pinks for my March wedding, and I have to admit, it was pretty challenging to pull off without looking washed out, but the end result was beautiful and so romantic. ( In my opinion :)

Here are some of my favorite images from blog world...

lingerie- ell and cee, gowns via cherry blossom girl, macarons- laudee (france), key via a la parisienne, cake- martha stewart, make up look - mac, dress- sweetest day (blog), lights pic- bella pink.

petit four- thanks google images, 

Fare thee well, chair covers...

Outdoor Weddings, and alternative locations as we know, are the big thing right now. And though {thankfully} many venues and locations are able to supply you with nice chairs, some fail miserably in this department, and seem to think it is okay to offer a selection of white and green plastic patio chairs as ceremony seating.
Some {not many, but some} Wedding venues can sometimes be rather lenient, and will allow you to hire in chairs from another vendor - some even work in conjunction with hire companies - which allows you to select some more attractive chairs for your guests to be seated on. It is at extra cost, but if you are anything like me, every little detail is important, and you want your wedding to be a stress free as is possible! 

So today, I bring you a board free of chair covers and organza bows.
I know it's been done before, but I can't get enough of it!

Below you will find some great alternatives to school-chairs and faded-plastic patio beasts.

Images; sofa's, assorted chairs, hay bales, hay bales, benches, blankets, assorted chairs

sunshine yellow and sea green

In general most colour combos's can be done well and look beautiful, and they can be done badly and hurt your eyes. Aqua and yellow is one of those mixes that can really, really jar the senses. My advice would be to not use the two colours together everywhere. Perhaps just stick to white and yellow with touches of  turquoise. Another way to soften the look would be pair it with a soft neutral like grey or beige.

car- flikr, pretty zooey deschanel, flowers- in bloom event design, bouquet via weddingbee,  

turquoise dress- black halo, daises- verrill farm, invites- adam ramerth

Join the Club

In my travels I have just discovered that New Zealand's own Lonely Hearts club (yummo fashion label) has a delicious lingerie collection (two actually). I really love it. Its cute and quirky and not too 'pretty'. What do you think?

Lonely...

Gorgeous.