Today's post is a flashback to last year when I shared my Top 6 Favorite Fall Wedding Ideas for Centerpieces. These centerpieces are super unique and not the traditional ones you'd expect to find at weddings. You can see the full post with details on creating each unique fall centerpiece here. Which centerpiece idea is your favorite?
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The popular home furnishings retailer West Elm announced last week the debut of its wedding and gift registry program. It's now easy for customers to register for gifts for their home as a wedding, anniversary, housewarming or “just because” present. The West Elm Registry even includes exclusive offers from partners Riley & Grey and Minted as well as shopping guides, registry tips and home decorating advice. Below is a little montage of ideas for your newlywed home if red is your go-to color, or maybe you're a bit of a blue couple. Either way, there are so many options available at West Elm, you certainly will not be short on ideas when creating your wedding registry with them. There's even free home design services for wedding registrants provided by West Elm Home Stylists who are available to help with making selections for your registry.
Organic Cotton Pintuck Duvet Cover + Shams, Enamel Cast Iron 6-Piece Set, Potter’s Workshop Tableware, Minted for west elm - Ember Drops
Organic Bead Print Ikat Duvet Cover + Shams, Greenpan® Nonstick 10-Piece Set, Organic Shaped Crackle Dinnerware, Canvas Print - Blue Blooms
Today's post certainly has me craving some yummy ice cream with lots of fun sprinkles and whipped cream. With warmer weather approaching I thought it would be fun to put together a bridal shower that incorporated homemade ice cream as the focal point. This idea was inspired by the brand new book by Lindsay Clendaniel called, Scoop Adventures: the best ice cream of the 50 states. Ice cream maker and blogger Lindsay, writes for her blog by the same name, Scoop Adventures. In her new book, Lindsay takes us on her travels across the county sampling ice cream from special shops and restaurants. This special ice cream cookbook includes 80 adapted recipes from her travels that can be easily made with a home ice cream maker . . . like Orange Chocolate Decadence, Lavender Caramel Swirl Ice Cream, Seaport Salty Swirl Ice Cream and many more. Check back tomorrow as I'll have 2 ice cream recipes from this book to share with you. In the meantime, here's my ideas for a backyard homemade ice cream bridal shower . . .
Ideas for Plannning a Homemade Ice Cream Bridal Shower:
1. If you have a backyard deck or patio - how cute would this ice cream bar look?
2. These ice cream cone towel favors are the cutest.
3. An ice cream bridal shower invitation is a must-have.
4. Waffle ice cream sandwiches anyone?
5. How about a fun ice cream pearl decoden as a game prize?
6. Cupcake wrappers around ice cream cones is the perfect little "dress me up".
7. If you're making the homemade ice cream, you will definitely want to serve the flavors in personalized ice cream containers.
8. To combat the sweetness of the ice cream goodies, how about serving fruit salad in ice cream cones?
9. Display your chocolate dipped cones on a tiered dessert tray
10. Instead of purchasing new bowls to place the ice cream toppings in, why not use a muffin tin from your kitchen?
11. The cutest ever ice cream cone tissue paper decorations
12. How about an ice cream scoop with bling for serving your guests?
1. If you have a backyard deck or patio - how cute would this ice cream bar look?
2. These ice cream cone towel favors are the cutest.
3. An ice cream bridal shower invitation is a must-have.
4. Waffle ice cream sandwiches anyone?
5. How about a fun ice cream pearl decoden as a game prize?
6. Cupcake wrappers around ice cream cones is the perfect little "dress me up".
7. If you're making the homemade ice cream, you will definitely want to serve the flavors in personalized ice cream containers.
8. To combat the sweetness of the ice cream goodies, how about serving fruit salad in ice cream cones?
9. Display your chocolate dipped cones on a tiered dessert tray
10. Instead of purchasing new bowls to place the ice cream toppings in, why not use a muffin tin from your kitchen?
11. The cutest ever ice cream cone tissue paper decorations
12. How about an ice cream scoop with bling for serving your guests?
Happy Cinco de Mayo! I have a fun DIY to start today's post with. I was recently sent several blank boxes from Pamela Smerker Designs and asked to put my craft skills to the test to see what I could come up with. Since I knew today was coming, I thought her petal favor boxes {which come undecorated or with patterns on them} was the perfect starting point for my Mini Fiesta Boxes. How cute would these be for guests at your next party of fiesta? Or maybe at your taco bar? {more on taco bars for weddings after the DIY}
To create this mini fiesta box, I used one of Pamela Smerker Designs' white petal box with crepe paper that I fringed with scissors and then glued around the sides of the box with glue stick, overlapping the colors. I then painted both sides of the petal flaps with matching colors. I lined the box with wax paper and placed in corn chips. It's now the perfect individual serving for your guests' chips to be dipped in guacamole or bean dip. This cute little "take-out box" of sorts, is perfect for today's Cinco de Mayo parties and especially perfect for taco bars at weddings and pre-wedding events. The colors can of course be changed to match your party.
A perfect way to use these Fiesta Boxes is with a Taco Bar at your wedding. Wouldn't it look super cute to see a box like this filled with chips and decorated in your wedding colors waiting at your guests' place setting? What a fun way to bring color to the table. You could even have small bowls of bean dip and guacamole ready for immediate dipping at the center of the tables. And, then of course, a taco bar is the perfect reception solution. Check out this taco bar from a fiesta wedding styled shoot photographed by Aislinn Kate Photography . . .
I'm thrilled to welcome Great Performances {one of NYC’s premier event production companies} back to the blog today. This time, Josh is here to share his top 5 décor tips for spring weddings.
Top 5 Décor Tips for Spring Weddings {edible salad garden with gardening shovels as the serving utensil} | from Josh Tierney of Great Performances for www.brendasweddingblog.com
1. Spring is all about planting:
• You can utilize seed packets as part of your décor - whether it’s vintage seed packets or actual seed packets you buy from a nursery
• Seed packets can be used as favors, escort cards or table display items
• Seed packets can also be carried throughout the theme of the party
• Plants can be used in an edible salad garden with really beautiful compost salads. Another option is a crudité display.
• Seedlings can be used for décor. Consider newly sprouted items that are available from different hardware stores and nurseries such as fresh herbs, etc. that you buy early in the season. Guests can also take these home and plant them.
Vintage Seed Packets as escort cards for weddings | image via eco-beautifulweddings.com
2. Baby animals:
• Consider dressing the ring bearer or flower girl (if they are very young) in a lamb or baby chick costume to walk down the aisle. This also makes for a great photo opportunity.
• For the photo booth, consider hiring an animal wrangler to bring chicks, lambs, pigs so guests can hold them in photos. This is great for weddings on farms or in the countryside.
3. Flowers:
• You can go to local craft store and buy silk flowers and use them to make a wall entirely out of flowers. This can be used as a backdrop for the dessert display, photos or a photo booth.
Silk flower wall for wedding backdrops - perfect for behind dessert displays, photos of wedding guests or the photo booth {image via Martha Stewart Weddings}
4. Non-Floral Plants:
• You can create a non-floral plant centerpiece or an edible centerpiece. For example, a beautifully presented crudité edible garden as a centerpiece. You can also incorporate flowers and bulbs in this.
Edible Wedding Garden : crudité appetizer display | by Amanda Gentile
Edible Wedding Centerpieces : crudité edible garden with pumpernickel dirt | by Josh Tierney
5. Birds:
• Buy fake birds from the craft store... finches, etc. and vintage bird cages from etsy or ebay. These come in a beautiful brass color or you can spray paint them to match your color theme.
• You can also incorporate real birds and put them in the bird cages instead of using flowers. You can donate these after the wedding to a local nursing home, school, etc. This is a great alternative to using flowers that will get thrown in the garbage at the end of the wedding.
About the Guest Author: Great Performances is New York City’s premier catering company spearheading the evolving “food as fashion” movement. The company is known for incorporating seasonal ingredients into its delicious, innovative and beautifully designed food presentations. Counting many of the city's most high-profile cultural institutions and landmark properties as clients, such as Sotheby's, The Plaza, Asia Society, BAM, and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (at the Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center), Great Performances is the only New York City caterer to own and operate its own 60-acre organic farm, Katchkie Farm, in Kinderhook, NY.