Showing posts with label weddings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weddings. Show all posts

Thursday, May 8, 2014

party trend: lush leaves

i've noticed a beautiful new trend creeping into weddings and parties lately: lush leaves. the luxury standard has long been crowded blooms (think poms completely covered in roses). but just as hairstyles have moved toward loose beachy waves, and jeans are relaxing into baggier boyfriend styles, flowers are becoming less formal too. modern arrangements are more organic in shape and stem selection, with more leaves and space allowing blooms some breathing room.

though they haven't been the historic showstoppers, leaves are taking advantage of their moment to shine, and they are beautiful to behold. look at some of these examples of how the supporting cast of the flower world is enjoying the limelight.


here, a table runner is made of magnolia leaves, and a single leaf serves as a simple placecard. 

lots of leaves replace the traditional floral topper on this gorgeous cake.
{via adventures in cooking}


minty green garlands lend definition to this dream-like ceremony altar.


this time, garlands are draped from the tented ceiling.
{via jesi haack design}

overhead arches are filled with branches and foliage.

green leaves peeking through white peonies add contrast and interest in this bridal bouquet.
{via southern weddings}

these bouquets pull in fern fronds.

lavendar and olive leaves adorn a simple white cake.


what a sweet idea: olive tree saplings as favors. 
{via the pretty blog}


a loose leaf wreath denotes a bride's chair.
{via green wedding shoes}


a bayleaf garland dresses up this drink table.

now that you're inspired, start with this:
a beautiful and simple diy magnolia leaf garland from the sweetest occasion.


and for more gorgeous ideas on how to use leaves, visit the wedding party, who first tipped me off to this trend on pinterest. as they mention, a bonus here is the budget-friendliness. leaves offer a lush, modern aesthetic at a fraction of the cost of flowers. who doesn't like that?

Thursday, April 24, 2014

sweet vintage barn wedding: ellen + michael




if this blog had existed back when i attended the amazing wedding of photographer ellen mcinerney and breakdancer michael swalley, i would have had pictures posted of it the very next day.

as it stands, the moment i was brave enough to tell anyone about this new venture of mine, i was asking ellen for the disc. you'll see why. not only are they possibly the sweetest couple in the world, every detail of their day was darling...right down to the pink shoe laces.

date: november 25, 2011
location: oswego, illinois


as soon as the custom designed invitation arrived in the mail, this event had the couple's signature style all over it. the pallette, a romantic and vintage-y soft pink, grey and cream, was set against modern graphics like a boom box and cassette tape (a nod to those who know michael as 'bboy bishop'). 


i thought long and hard about how to introduce you to a friend as indelible as ellen (now) swalley. this picture is a start. pre-wedding, we get a peek at the bride's tattoo as she gets her hair done. it is james 2:26, "faith without deeds is dead," in amharic (the ethiopian language). to know ellen is to know she lives that verse. she got the tattoo after doing missions at an african orphanage. (for more of her story, go here). i could go on and write a novel about why this girl is so precious, but like i said, this is a start.


{her bouquet combined ivory and pink roses, rununculous, berries and lamb's ear.}



{the bride wore a custom hair clip at the reception that coordinated with her handmade boutonnieres.}



{charcoal grey bridesmaid dresses were from j.crew.}



{bridal portraits were in the venue's tea room, a restaurant that exudes charm and country patina on the emerson creek property, where you can still join a monthly supper club.}


  {ellen chose a fitted a-line beaded lace dress by casablanca via bridal mansion.}



{the girls.}



{the guys.}


the couple met while they were both studying at dallas theological seminary in dallas, texas. before the ceremony, they joined hands and paused for a moment of prayer together (with no peeking around the corner):   








{the groom, waiting for it all to begin.}




{church pews were decorated with poms of baby's breath.}




{quiet moments after their vows.}


the wedding took place on thanksgiving weekend, and the barn was already decorated for the holidays. white christmas lights, garlands and twinkling stars illuminated the big country sky.



{i love this clever shot by their photographer, ashley concolino, as if she was spying on the couple through the window.}



as their invitations promised, 'the party was in the barn.' the reception decor was almost entirely made by hand by the bride and a handful of people who are, miraculously, still her friends after the endeavor. 



 {hand-stamped treat bags at the candy buffet.}



{monogrammed cupcakes provided by the venue.}




{a tower of sweets.}




{a vintage suitcase collected cards.}


psalm 118:1 was a fitting summary for the couple, who are truly thankful people. thankful for each other, thankful for family and friends, thankful for the love of the Father who is the giver of all good gifts.





{guests printed "leaves" with their thumbs on this tree painting in lieu of a traditional guest book. i love the monogram heart on the tree trunk.}



{twine and clothespins made for a simple display of their engagement photos on the barn wall.}



{firepits outside were ready for roasting s'mores. inside, the fare was pure & classic chicago: portillos and gene & judes hotdogs and giordanos pizza.}



{yeah, it's that good.}



{table centerpieces included twine- or lace-wrapped jars and tissue paper poms.}




{the petite cake.}





{sweet tea at the bar was served up in handled mason jars. guests got to tag their jars and take them home as favors.}






everyone expected to see michael breakdance at the reception. i'm not sure anyone expected ellen to. she surprised (and impressed!) all of us during their adorable first dance. check out the video here. and if you don't smile the whole time, you might be broken.




weddings and parties are the moments we pause to celebrate what is most dear to us. they have a special place in my heart, as do ellen and michael, and i'm so grateful to them for allowing their wedding to be the first (of hopefully many) i share with you.


{sources}:

venue, appetizers & cupcakes: emerson creek pottery & tea room
bridal dress: style #1918 by casablanca, via bridal mansion of lisle 
bridesmaids dresses: j. crew (similar)
groom's vest & pants, groomsmen's vests: express 
groom/ groomsmen's ties: handmade by friend of the bride
shoes: chucks, what else?
invitations: (custom) by nathan michael
boutonnieres & reception decor: handmade by bride
bride's reception hairpiece: (custom) by soul speak
reception food: portillos, gene & judes, giordanos


Thursday, April 3, 2014

diy: fabric photo backdrop

chicago is not cooperating.

at christmas card time, i wanted those idyllic vintage-inspired shots of a family hauling their fresh cut tree home, clad in shiny boots and furry hats, tromping through the snow, joyfully singing a carol. there was no snow and it was 20 degrees.

for spring, i imagined us outside in wellies, welcoming blossomed trees and jumping in puddles, twirling umbrellas and looking all bright and british. it was snowing and it was 20 degrees.

so both times we ended up inside at the last minute...henceforth, the need for a quick and cute backdrop.


isn't it lovely? this was really easy to make (i did it the night before our family pictures), but i admit it was a bit more time consuming than i'd originally hoped (thank goodness for coffee and fx movies).

the stats:

skill level: novice
patience level: saint
time: 3 hours
materials: thin fabric, clothesline, scissors, cup hooks
cost: $24


the tutorial:

1. purchase your material



for a wall space that is 6' wide x 8' tall, i purchased 12 yards of fabric. i chose pale pink symphony broadcloth from joann. if you aren't lucky enough to catch it on sale, there are coupons always available here.

when choosing a fabric, make sure it is cotton and fairly thin (you'll be ripping it). the quilting section is the best place to look.

note: i was hanging this on a wall, so it didn't need to be super "full" or opaque. when it was done, you could see through it. if you're hanging it as a stand-alone backdrop, for instance at an outdoor wedding strung between two trees, you'll need about 3X the amount of fabric to fill a 6' space.


2. cut fabric into (4) 3-yard long panels


you are dividing your 12 yards of fabric into 4 equal pieces. each piece will be roughly 9' long (doesn't have to be perfect), giving you 6" to tie at the top and 6" to pool on the ground (well, more than that because the rope will sag, but close enough). if your space is taller or shorter you can adjust accordingly.


3. use scissors to cut slits about 2" apart across the top of three panels (save the fourth panel for later)



if you imagine your panel as a rectangle, these cuts should be on one of the short sides. try to space them somewhat evenly, but don't worry at all about it being perfect.


4. tear the fabric into strips down the long length of the panels


use the slits you cut at the top as your starting point. it should rip very easily down the length of the panel. this is where i sweetly asked the hubby for help. it took 10 minutes per panel to rip them into long skinny strands. the edges naturally gain some texture as they fray.


it'll start to look like a party pretty quick! the most annoying thing about this were those little straggly strings that come off of ripped fabric. i should have cut them as i went along, as they led to all my strands getting tangled later. i'll let you make your own decision, but don't say you weren't warned.


5. use scissors to cut slits about 6-10" apart along the top of the fourth panel


you're going to rip this last panel the same way as the first three, only you are making much wider strips this time. you want five strips total from this one, so you can space your scissor cuts however far apart is needed to achieve that. 

these wider strips are going to be used to create the fatter more ruffly "fringe" strips you see in the backdrop.  


6. rip the fourth panel into five fat strips





7. use scissors to make slits 1-2" apart along both long sides of each fat strip


again, you are using the scissors to get you started so you can rip the fabric.


8. pull toward the center and rip fabric to create fringe along the sides




tip: be careful to stop the rip when you get to the center, leaving about an inch between the fringed sides, otherwise you'll tear your piece right in two! (and if that happens, like it did to me, don't panic. tie two fringe strips back together with a knot. it will just add more texture).

another tip: i realized late in the game you can just fold these length-wise in half to make your cuts & ripping and do it in half the time. duh!





again, it's totally ok if nothing is evenly spaced, some strips are bigger than others, or you have to tie a few knots to keep it together. this project is very forgiving, and actually looks better without perfect uniformity.



9. cut clothesline to size

i made my length of rope the same as the width of the wall with a few inches left on either side to tie knots on for hanging.


10. tie fabric strips onto clothesline



i used a double knot to tie each skinny strip to the rope. (save the fringe strips for later). do not worry about making them all exactly the same length. eyeball it.

this should have been the easy part. but remember how i said those pesky little string stragglers would trip you up? it was quite the task to untangle the pile i had been offhandedly tossing all my fabric in. i don't know exactly how you can avoid that, but i'm going for full disclosure here.



you will eventually have something that looks like this:



as you tie the strings on, you can slide them together on the rope. the picture above shows what they looked like pushed together once they were all on. much to my dismay, they only filled about two feet of space rather than six.



this picture shows what it looked like when i spread them all evenly across the length of the rope, to fill the six foot wall. there is a lot of wall showing through. so, again, if you need this backdrop to be fuller, you'll need more fabric.



12. tie on the fringe pieces.



space these across the rope in a bit of a random pattern. mine went like this:

|    | |   |   |

(in other words, not perfectly even in spacing).


12. hang your rope using cuphooks.


screw your cuphook into the wall, then tie a knot at one end of the rope. loop the knot over the hook.

put another cuphook on the other side of the wall (at the same height). grab the opposite end of the rope and pull it taught. you'll have to really pull as the weight of the fabric makes the rope sag quite a bit. you don't want it to be perfectly straight across the top; just a gentle slope.


knot the second rope-end around the hook and you're done. stand back and admire, then turn off the coffee pot and go to bed. or stay up even later snapping photos of your finished product for instagram.






this last picture (above) was taken by my darling dear photographer ellen swalley of red sweater photography, before she shot our family pictures.


i'm so glad i made this backdrop and thrilled with how it turned out. if only the kids had stayed in one place for more than a second, i'm pretty sure our family picture would have been epic.

{update: we actually got a few of the kids sitting still! i'll refrain from posting them here...but if you want to see our shaggy dog and where not to put a mustache, feel free to stop over at ellen's!}

 
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