cool (and functional!) table number idea

Just saw this photo spread over on Green Wedding Shoes, love the table number idea - big number painted on a carafe! I've been collecting milk bottles to use as water jugs for the tables, and then also looking for ideas for table numbers.. ideas = married.

Just found these carafes for sale - pretty cheap! We might still want to use milk bottles, but this is a good back up. [photo courtesy of Mission Restaurant Supply]

If you're looking for milk bottles and have some time before you need them, we've been getting our milk in old-timey glass bottles from Whole Foods - comes from a creamery in Virginia, can't remember the name! It's not cheap, like $4.50/bottle, but you can return the bottles for a $2 refund. So if we go ahead and collect enough to use at the wedding, we'll be able to turn them back in next March for a nice little bit of cash. Also.. the milk is delicious!

Centerpieces: Flames vs. Flowers

One of the things that I have encountered as being more difficult than it should be is trying to figure out centerpieces. My current battles are:

DIY vs. Buy, which then leads to candles or flowers?

Here's the deal. I can easily put together a swarm of candle on a table and call it a day. But is that the "look" I want? Or I can throw a bunch of blooms in a vase and voila! Instant centerpiece. Or do I want a flower candle mix? I know it seems like it shouldn't make a difference either way, but I plan on spending the majority of my wedding day at my reception and I really want those tables to look warm and inviting.

So as the wedding day looms over the horizon, my future mother in law has lovingly sent me emails asking what my plans are for the centerpieces. I am torn. I am usually really good at making decisions: I picked out the save the dates without feeling torn, picked the invite wording immediately, and picked the bridesmaid dresses in an instant. So here are my current choices/inspirations:

(image courtesy of www.weddingbee.com)

or

(image courtesy of ftdflowers.com)

How did you pick out your centerpieces?

Potpourri of Planning!

Three things.

First, I'll start with the most exciting! We booked our hotel for the honeymoon in New York City! We'll be staying four days and three nights at the Park 79 hotel in the Upper West Side; next door to Central Park and the Natural History Museum!





We already have reservations for the Comedy Cellar, are looking into tickets for "Tony n Tina's Wedding" and have put in a request for Daily Show tickets. Then there will be the other fun things... a carriage ride through Central Park, going to the top of the Empire State Building, amazing dinners around Manhattan. I. Cannot. Wait.

Secondly, I've finally decided against a veil. But I want to do something with my hair! My hair is a bit above shoulder length, plus I usually have side swept bangs. (Right now they're a little grown out. I so need a haircut.) I've been looking at cute headbands to wear. Here are some of the ones I've found:

[CLICK PICTURES TO BE TAKEN TO THEIR PAGES ON ETSY]







Third, I've been doing some thinking about the decor for our reception... For reference, here's the main room we will be using. It will not be set up as shown. There will be floor space for dancing, moving about, etc.


It's the top floor of the Fish Market on King Street, in Old Town. (We'll have the other room, as well.)

We're going to have white linens on the tables, of course. And, irony of all ironies, I showed off hanging poms in my last post as examples of decor:

[CLICK PICTURE FOR ETSY SELLING PAGE]



Oh, the irony is that I mentioned that they would not work for a wedding like mine... well, until I decided I wanted them. So we're going to be getting a bunch of them in all red or red and brown to hang from the ceiling.

I also found some inspiration for our wedding centerpieces, which are going to be very simple. The design is based off of this:



This shot is from the wedding of Amber, who has brilliant taste in design and color.

See the cute daisies in the mason jar? Patrick and I decided that we wanted to do something similar. As our colors are red, brown, and white, we're going to do RED Gerbera daisies instead of the pink pictured. In addition, we're going to cluster two or three jars and flowers for each centerpiece.

But we're not just going to do jars. We're going to start collecting jars and unique bottles to cluster at each table, to give it a punch of color.

Hope you're all enjoying your President's Day!

For You Spring Brides

One of my favorite things about wedding planning is looking for unique and fun decorations. As a Fall Bride, however, it's always a bit sad to see all the wonderful fresh colors typically used in Spring. (Then again, were I a Spring Bride, I'm sure I'd have Fall Bride-envy, as well. Sigh, are we never happy?)

Recently I've come across some very neat and unique centerpiece items, things that I think could be USED in centerpieces in Spring.

One of my absolute favorites that I've seen on Etsy from various sellers are self-sustaining moss terrariums. Sounds interesting, but not quite wedding friendly. Take a look, though...



Neat candle sticks that could be used in conjunction with the fresh flowers. A nice little touch of grass green. Not only that, but they don't require a lot of care, which is ideal since a lot of brides' lives can be so hectic in the days leading up to The Big Day. From what I've seen, basically you water once every 2 to 3 weeks and leave it in a place with indirect sunlight. The end!

I could just see it at a garden themed wedding, perhaps an outdoor evening wedding reception.



Paired with some red daisies, etc. It could be really beautiful.



There are some even with little mushrooms!

I just thought they were so adorable, and could seriously be a wonderful way to bring a bit of natural lushness to spring and garden themed weddings.





I know, you hear MOSS and it doesn't exactly scream wedding floral, but the colors are vivid and lush. Plus it's a nice unique touch! Definitely something for people to gab about at the table.

Sellers:

Made by Mavis - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5836556
Tiny Gardens, Charlotte Cramer Designs - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5371110
(terrariums with and without figurines added)

There are many many others, but those were the two that I came across. Man, almost makes me want to get married in the spring, hehe.

Centerpieces, Schmenterpieces....

Ugh. Centerpieces. Should I be excited about this? I feel totally lost on what to do. At first, I was just so uninspired by anything I could find online. Nothing felt right to me, or represented my taste and sense of style. i wanted something chic and unique.Floral centerpieces are gorgeous. I see that, but I am not the biggest flower person and I think alternative ideas are an easy way to save money. But what? My original idea, to my Mother CP's dismay, was goldfish. I have this vision of various odd shaped vases with navy stones and goldfish. 3 or so on each table. How cute, right? I couldn't find a good picture but kind of like this.

source

The worry was the fish dying during dinner and then having to have someone on goldfish duty. I mean, can you imagine eating dinner, enjoying your dinner and seeing a dead fish floating in the centerpiece? There is also the problem of what to do with them afterwards. Would people take them? Should I supply goldfish food and baggies? I still love the idea though and am trying to think I fit would work for the cocktail hour centerpieces, but to have 20+ fish may not be the smartest idea.
So on to a new idea. What about odd shaped candle holders? I love this picture and it would look gorgeous in a room with no windows.

source

I have always loved floating candles. They are romantic and make the room glow. So maybe something like this?source

So I was flipping through a Pottery Barn catalog, I came across some lanterns. They were colorful and modern and were totally my style. Could they work for a wedding? A black tie wedding, specifically? I rushed over to the store to see them in person. And then I bought 18 of them. What do you think? They are much bigger than they appear. Imagine Pillar candles in them, and tea lights all around them.

source

Here are the ones I actually got, sitting on my window ledge. Aren't they unique and just so pretty? I plan on using a mirrored tile under and little tea lights all around it.

Have you thought of, or seen any unique ideas for non-traditional centerpieces?