Today's wedding from Christine of C Weddings Photography is a lovely homespun affair. The wedding of Jennifer and Richard was held in the bride's parents' backyard in Newbury Park, California. It was a lovely intimate wedding with around 30 guests. Food was all homemade by the bride's mother, aunt and friend. And, the main course was 3 different kinds of lasagna, yummy. The bride even wore a tiara that had been passed down from her grandmother, what a special wedding heirloom.

Thank you Christine {C Weddings Photography} for sharing this wedding with my readers today. You can see more from Christine on her web site and blog.

Wedding Vendors:
Cake by Perfectly Cakeable
Cake Topper is the same exact cake topper her grandmother used circa WWII era
Flowers were homemade and hand picked from the LA Flower Mart
Wedding Dress was found at a Santa Monica Vintage Store

On the Better Homes and Gardens wedding section of their site, they have some beautiful DIY projects for easy flower girl projects. Below are a few of my favorites. You can see the entire flower girl accessory collection of project ideas here.

These flower girl baskets are actually fabric-covered tin buckets {craft directions here}. Ribbon necklaces and bracelets will make your flower girl feel special. These are embellished with tiny blooms of silk flowers. The small, flat varieties work best and it's recommended to sew them on so they stay secure.

This flower girl's satin purse is filled with rose petals {craft directions here}. Flower cones are an ideal lightweight accessory for flower girls {craft directions here}.

Hair flowers {fresh or silk} are a special way to doll up a flower girl's attire {can also be added to the bow of their dress}. A sweet little accent for the flower girl would be for her to carry a small nosegay that mimics the bride's bouquet.

For more wedding ideas, you can check out the wedding section of BHG.com. And, for some great bridal shower menu ideas with recipes from BHG.com for bridal showers, please click over to our wedding edibles section.

Guest Blogger with My Wedding Workbook

Brides have spoken, and they are embracing both high-tech and homespun items. Today's guest blogger Jeff Kear is owner of My Wedding Workbook - free online wedding software for engaged couples - and My Wedding Workbook Pro - online software for wedding consultants. Today he is sharing with us some interesting results from a survey of the more than 12,000 brides using his online planning tools.

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Since we started My Wedding Workbook in March of last year, brides have been sharing with us how they like to plan their weddings, and in a recent survey they told us that, in 2010, they are relying more than ever on homemade items as well as high-tech tools to help them.

Of the brides who responded to our survey, 73.6% said they will be using homemade or handmade items such as decorations, favors, centerpieces and invitations, and 68.7% also stated that they would be using high-tech tools such as wedding software and wedding web sites.

This makes sense with what we've been hearing over the last year as brides have really embraced handmade wedding items to add warmth and originality to their wedding (just look at the popularity of sites like Etsy and all the great handmade wedding items offered there ... even my wife bought a vintage handmade birdcage veil for our wedding there).

In addition, there are so many new high-tech wedding tools out there - from free software like ours and wedding websites to Facebook and iPhone apps - that it only makes sense that brides are taking advantage of all these helpful aids. According to our survey, 75.0% of brides are using wedding websites; 69.5% are using wedding software, electronic checklists and spreadsheets; and 54.9% are using online forums, blogs and other social media sites to connect with each other and gain wedding planning ideas and insights.

We also did a bit of research into new wedding traditions, and there are more than a few that are very popular with 2010 brides, including save-the-date cards, 62.6%; engagement photos, 59.2%; personalized wedding vows, 39.0%; unmatched bridesmaids' dresses, 34.7%; environmentally friendly products, 26.7%; and reception photo booths, 21.8%.

So, as a bride, what can you take from all this? First, there's more and more high-tech tools out there that can make planning a wedding easier and more fun. Second, if you want a more personal touch for your wedding, you should certainly either consider making your own items or buying handmade items (for which there are many online venues). Third, your peers are openly embracing new ideas and traditions, and you should feel free to explore them yourself in creating a wedding that's uniquely yours.

From all of us at My Wedding Workbook, happy planning in 2010 and beyond.

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Thank you very much Jeff for guest blogging today - I love being able to share these stats with my readers. I love the growing trend of eco-friendly weddings {along with the growing number of vendors that are going green as well}. Even with everyday life relying more on technology, it's so nice to see it being put to use to bring more personalization to weddings and help to make wedding planning easier for today's busy couples.

Continuing with the festive posts . . . here's some of my favorite holiday place cards from Martha Stewart. You can see today's earlier post on napkin presentation ideas here.

tree place card, red holly leaf place cards, peppermint candy place card, tree place card

With the holidays rapidly approaching, it's time for some festive posts to begin . . . starting with these beautiful presentation ideas for napkins from Martha Stewart. Links to the tutorials for each of them can be found after the images.

napkin holders made from felt holly leaves and a jingle bell, satin bow napkin rings, crepe-paper bells, place card with a sprig of evergreen, place cards that resemble elegant paper scrolls, tree-shaped napkin rings