Bernardsville New Jersey Elegant Winter Wedding

Just because you get married close to a holiday, doesn’t mean you to have to match everything with your wedding to it. For New Jersey couple, Rebecca and Jon, their December wedding was still very much about them as a couple. So instead of red and green, they had pink and black!

 

 

 

 

Before the ceremony, Rebecca and her bridesmaids had fun getting ready together. Wearing pink and gold robes, they helped their friend look perfect for one of the most important days of her life.

 

The couple wed in a beautiful church, full of wooden architecture that was so grand in and of itself. Rebecca was escorted down the aisle by her father. She wore a fit-and-flare gown with a beaded sweetheart neckline and ruching. The skirt was beautiful and dramatic with its interesting layering and pick-ups. She also wore stunning earrings and a long veil. To get her down the aisle, she wore silver peep-toe Jimmy Choos.

 

 

 

Her bridesmaids donned long black dresses with beaded bodices and black pashminas. Their bouquets featured bright fuchsia, pink and white flowers, including poppies, dahlias and roses, while the brides’s bouquet was equally as impressive and unique with dusty-colored roses and silver brunia berries.

 

 

The groom, Jon, wore a black tuxedo, with white shirt and black tie and his groomsmen followed suit. After the heartfelt ceremony, the bridal party took some photos in the cool December air outside.

 

 

For the shoot, Rebecca wore a faux fur jacket to cover her shoulders. It was the perfect wintry accessory.

 

Guests were in for some fun at the reception. They were given mad libs from the couple that they could fill out, alongside with personalized pens. There were sure to be some funny and interesting answers!

 

 

The tables were decorated with tall flower arrangements filled with soft white and pink roses. Wreaths were created with the couple’s initials, also made out of roses. And a beautiful, antique trunk served as the cardholder at the reception.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, there were a few nods to Christmas, as well. The venue had a gorgeous Christmas tree in front of a large window. Rebecca and Jon took advantage and were able to get a few great shots for the season.

This was a lovely winter wedding for a lovely couple. It shows that you can make your wedding day whatever you dream it to be. Sometimes, it’s a nice surprise for guests who might expect one thing to see something completely different, and personalized, instead. Congratulations to Rebecca and Jon! We’re sure the memories of this chilly December day will warm their hearts forever.

Photographer:  andres valenzuela photography

Floral Designer: Floriography Designs
Reception Venue: The Bernards Inn

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Bridal Session

This sweet bridal session was shot a few weeks before the actual wedding day because Olivia, the bride, really wanted some quality time for portraits with the groom. With the Old Ogle Home Place in the Smoky Mountains as their back drop, Julie Roberts began the shoot with their “first look” and continued with a lot of lovely sentimental moments. Justin and Olivia wrote each other a love note and shared it during the session. Olivia’s mom made the bouquet and boutonniere. Olivia made the head piece herself. This session was full of so many personal touches … not to mention a couple that have a beautiful connection with each other. 

The Top 10 Fun & Fabulous Wedding Confetti Ideas

The wonderful Bené  is back and as always she’s leading the way with chic ideas and quirky trends.

This time it’s all about fun ways to feature confetti to your wedding…

Nothing says it’s time to celebrate like a splash of confetti!

Who doesn’t love being showered endlessly with little bits of vibrant, colorful paper? (It really is one of the best feelings in the entire world!)

Weddings are the perfect occasion to cue the confetti. For a serious dose of fun, take a peek at the top 10 confetti wedding ideas for your big day.

1. Save the Dates

Photo by Alfie Design

Save the dates are such a great way to introduce a confetti-theme and get guests buzzing with excitement about the celebration to come.

2. Engagement Photos

Photo by Priscila Valentina

Confetti engagement pictures are so much fun to take, and the results are definitely frame-worthy.

3. Invitations

Photo by BerinMade via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Confetti invites will definitely put a smile on guests’ faces. It’s especially fun to sprinkle confetti in the envelopes for a grand opening!

4. Programs

Photo by Michelle Edgemont

I’m always on the lookout for unique program ideas. I love the concept of combining a program and a confetti-filled bag into one.

5. Recessional

Photo by Jeremiah and Rachel Photography via dresx.com

Walking through a confetti toss is the absolute best way to spend your first seconds as a married couple.

6. Confetti Bar

Photo by The Glitter Guide

Setting up a confetti bar at your reception is super easy! Fill several clear vases with sequins, glitter, and vibrant bits of paper. Then, set out small paper bags for guests to fill to the brim.

7. Dance Floor

Photo by Marianne Taylor Photography via dresx.com

After you say, “I do,” one surefire way to get the party started is by sprinkling festive confetti across the dance floor.

8. Decorative Chair Backs

Photo by Anika London Photography via A Subtle Revelry

You guys know how much we love beautiful chair décor. Confetti chair backs are pretty and ever so festive.

9. Wedding Cake

Photo by Judy Pak via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Adding sprinkles to the batter of a vanilla wedding cake makes for an amazing (and downright delicious!) confetti-filled treat.

10. The Send Off

Photo by Isabelle Selby Photography via Ruffled

When wedding day celebrations come to an end, have guests bid you adieu by showering you and your love with heaps of multicolored confetti.

Bonus! Bridesmaid Stationery

 

Photo by charmandfig via Etsy

How adorable are these confetti-themed “will you be my bridesmaid” cards?

There you have it! Fabulous ideas for adding a touch of playfulness and fun to your special day… In my book, there’s no such thing as too much confetti. Don’t you agree?

Fresh Garden Bridal Bouquets

Nothing is more aromatic and traditional than a fresh bouquet of flowers. Even though these bridal bouquets are made with the hottest of flowers in the wedding sphere, they still exude a classic elegance that will still be relevant for years to come.

These garden fresh flowers look perfect in their imperfection. A tightly-tied bouquet isn’t a hard and fast rule for brides. This bouquet is full of assorted greenery with bright bursts of white roses, pink peonies, and small garden roses. The bouquet would be the perfect accessory for a natural and extremely romantic ceremony.

via Corinne Krogh

Dark and bright colors both make up this unique arrangement. This bouquet boasts a vast variety of flowers including dark red dahlias, assorted roses, orchids and unbloomed peonies set in a base of greenery. The unfinished and wild quality is endearing and effortless.

via Kerinsa Marie

This bouquet is full of finesse and femininity. It is plentiful of peach and pink peonies, snapdragons, and delicate purple flowers that make for an ultra-pretty arrangement. Tied with a pink ribbon, this bouquet is perfect for the traditional summer wedding.

via Spindle Photography

Black and white poppies are a chic addition to this bouquet. Long, leafy greenery looks exquisite next to deep red and blush-colored flowers. This arrangement is hearty enough and colorful enough for a beautiful wedding in the cold winter months.

via Orange Photographie

This bouquet looks as if it were plucked straight from the fields and what’s not to notice? There’s thistle, yellow roses, blue iris, and wildflowers, just to name a few. An accessory such as this would be quite ideal in a small, intimate wedding or an affair full of rustic regalia.

via Alixann Loosle Photography

The placement and assortment of the flowers in this bouquet is quite exclusive. The bright pink flowers in the front, surrounded by verdant leaves, pairs perfectly with the ribbons around the stems. Additionally, there are blush and pink roses and peonies, eucalyptus, and other assorted greenery to make this bouquet burst with color and texture.

via Rachel Pearlman Photography

Fresh garden bouquets offer something rare and original for a bride. Definitely not like any bouquet she’s ever seen before, a bride’s best accessory should be something exclusively her own.

Bridal Bouquets with Succulents

Succulents are unlike traditional flowers yet brides everywhere are incorporating them into their bouquets. It’s no wonder with their interesting shapes and appealing green colors. For a little extra dynamic to the standard bouquet, succulents add flair not found by any usual flower and are available year-round.

For a bouquet bursting with color through roses, peonies and dahlias, the small green succulents intermingled within the blooms are charming. A couple of large gray succulents also hang out towards the back to add additional size and a tender softness to all the color.

via Marianne + Joe At Marianne Wilson Photography

This bouquet has an attractive raw quality. With white roses at its center, it also incorporates golden crespedia, eucalyptus and large purple and green assorted succulents. Between the delicate nature of the roses and the waxy finish of the succulents, this is a dramatic bundle.

via Michael Moss Photography

With very few flowers in the collection, this bouquet stands out with all the golden crespedia and green succulents. So much texture and variation is included to make this bouquet a striking accessory.

via Fondly Forever Photography

For the minimalist bride, this bouquet is made complete with a fuchsia rose, a couple of pink and peach carnations and a hearty succulent surrounded by smaller ones. The simplicity and variety of color in this bouquet is endearing and enviable.

via Marianne Wilson Photography

Perfect for a fall wedding, this bouquet boasts a lot of bold color in unfinished fashion. Green and gray succulents pair nicely with bright gold and orange-thistle type flowers. Other notable additions include crespedia, as well as a large dark red dahlia and a spikey protea flower on the bottom.

via Clary Pfeiffer

Succulents are a modern detail that offers that one-of-a-kind creative accent. Hearty and original, these fearless floral finds add a natural quality unlike anything else in the wedding world today.

 

Flower Petals Down The Aisle

Gone are the days when the only way you could have flower petals down the aisle was by way of a giggling flower girl. Now, couples are looking at the aisle as another way to add a decorative element to the ceremony. Not only is it the most important walk you’ll take, but the options are only limited to your imagination.

Embracing the sunlight, this ceremony space is all about brightness. Pastel-colored flower petals aren’t just strewn about; they are carefully placed in a swirling fashion at the top of the aisle, flowing all the way down. How perfectly this idea marries with the water in the distance!

via Matt Edge Wedding Photography

A variation to this design is to use flower petals in a single color. Here, white petals stand out against the green grass of the ceremony space. Echoing the white chairs for the congregation, these swirls help tie in the entire design beautifully.

via Candice Benjamin Photography

This wedding is all about color. With a white arbor at the altar, the aisle was splashed with generous amounts of pink petals. The bold color is mimicked in the arrangements at the top of the arbor, as well, for a seamless, yet striking look.

via Wendy Laurel

In an outdoor ceremony boasting notes of romanticism and softness, the aisle is covered with soft-colored petals. Placed in no particular shape or style, the carefree placement of the petals is perfect for the outdoor occasion.

via Erich McVey

Ombre color trends are in and this aisle takes it to a whole new level. With petals in various shades of pink, orange and white, the designer sprinkled the aisle in an ombre fashion. When the bride hits the aisle, she is walking on pink but by the time she gets to the altar, it’s white. How fun!

via Justin And Keary Weddings

A great opportunity to add a splash of color to a dark floor or ceremony space is to incorporate flower petals in the aisle, as seen in this indoor wedding. A wooden floor is accessorized with white chivari chairs for guests and pink petals are scattered liberally to add just the right amount of color.

via Ruth Eileen Photography

This wedding features a white aisle runner down the grassy ceremony space. To increase the elegance, the couple adds a heavy layer of red rose petals down each side of the runner. The same flowers are incorporated on their white fabric arbor, as well. The white and red offer an amazing contrast to the space.

via lexia frank photography

This aisle is framed with white rose petals down each side of the aisle, with white chairs for the guests and a lovely swag of flowers hanging from the tree. It’s a simple way to supplement grace and style into a ceremony space.

If you love flowers but don’t want to spend a fortune on décor, or if you just want to add a little more appeal to the aisle, flower petals are a great way to decorate. Think about what you want that all-important walk to look like and seek out a florist that can share in your petal point-of-view.

The secrets of a happy marriage

For the marriage or relationship to be happy this is only up to you. The happy marriage or intimate relationship look like a garden – you plant seeds in a healthy soil and put in the appropriate nutrition: water and sunlight – and see the garden grow. The everyday care makes everything blossom. The same is with the relationships between people – the small things you do every day keep the relationship healthy and happy.
There are three main things every happy couple knows:
1. Communication –couples who communicate between one another are the happiest. It is important to talk about small things in life and not discuss only the big problems – this keeps the sparkle alive. Why? Because communication is the only way the emotional relationship between partners stays positively charged. The happy couples find time during the day to talk about small things in life – share how their days went, joke. Namely the communication with the person next to you makes a relationship really quality.
2.Laughter–Happy couples do not take all turnovers in life so seriously. They learned to sort problems as per substance, they know what is really important and what is not worth to be nervous for. The best way they reply to the blows of life is laughter. It’s not the end of the world after all! So relax and laugh at the problems. If you get mad when in trouble, the situation will not change so you have a choice – laughter or tears. Learn to laugh at yourselves and the troubles, this will make the relationship more healthy and positive.
3. Skills to solve conflicts – happy couples know that most disputes may be settled through negotiation. The fact that there is a problem does not mean the relationship is in trouble. Many people wrongly think that in a happy marriage there are no conflicts. The difference between happy and unhappy couples is how they solve conflicts. The happy ones communicate effectively (point 1) when there is an impact and this way they prevent expanding the anger and insult.

Interesting and original ideas for a wedding celebration

Marriage is such a moment in the adolescents’ life when everything seems filled with happiness, beauty and love. That is the main reason why a wedding ceremony should be organized in such a way that nothing could overshadow the celebration. Each couple aims to make its wedding original, unique and interesting so that it could be remembered. But that requires an interesting and unusual scenario which is prepared with unexpected and original approach.

It will be very hard for you to surprise a professional photographer or video director by offering them an approach that you had figured out. But inviting a bunch of talented musicians will not impress your guests that much too. So, what exactly could make your wedding unique and what could make your wedding scenario different from the traditional ones?

Let’s think about the first dance of the newlyweds. Of course, it should be carefully considered, rehearsed and prepared, as well as the groom’s speech. If you would like to emphasize on these two moments, then you should put a lot of efforts in their preparing. It is recommended that you consider it very carefully, consult with some specialists, use video lessons and take examples from other weddings.  Be aware of the fact that during the first dance of the newlyweds, all wedding guests will be fully sober and you will have to overwhelm and captivate them. The bride and the groom could feel really confident if they have rehearsed their performance for a long time.

Among the dance rehearsing, it is recommended that you consider the wedding decoration more carefully too. Think of the effects that you could include to the dance. Imagine how the fascinating dance of the newlyweds ends with bright and special effects, while the groom picks up the bride roundabout colorful confetti and balloons. These effects will cheer up the mood of all guests – from relatives to friends. Try to pick a song that is more emotional, not a trivial and tuneless composition.

During the rest of the celebration, your guests will need some amusement too. Here is when the wedding lottery comes. Probably, not all the guests will have the desire to participate in it, but the more enticing the earnings are, the more people would like to join the lottery. It’s best that the prizes are made with a sense of humor, because this could cheer up the whole celebration.

Give freedom to your imagination. Consider organizing a wedding competition. The competition and the curiosity will make the rest. You just need to buy little trophies for example (even if they are made of chocolate) and a few little prizes. It is not necessary that all guests receive an award. During the competition, give awards to the guests and at the end of it, give the trophies to the three contestants that have received most prizes.

There are many other ways to make your wedding celebration more interesting, except these two. You just need your imagination and your sense of humor to figure out something that will entertain your wedding guests. Make your wedding unusual and impressive by using your own ideas. After all, this is your wedding and everything should be perfect for you, not for somebody else.

Choosing a wedding bouquet

Each celebration requires flowers, so we can not imagine a wedding without the bride’s beautiful bouquet. The wedding bouquet is always a work of art and for some people flowers have a special meaning. But it for sure symbolizes love and family happiness, and it mirrors the bride’s soul. The wedding bouquet should match well with the bride’s wedding dress. Everything else is a matter of imagination.

In order to create the wedding bouquet, you could use any kinds of decorative elements – beads, feathers, ribbons, crystals, colorful tapes and so on. By choosing her wedding bouquet, the bride expresses her individuality, but it is really important that the bouquet is in contrast with the wedding dress, it shouldn’t merge with it. That is why the bouquet should be a few tones darker than your dress (or lighter if it is dark-colored).

What kind of flowers should the wedding bouquet contain? Most often are used roses for the wedding bouquets and they are probably the perfect option. The advantage of the roses is that they give us a wide color variety and they stay fresh for a long time, they are also not very expensive. Except the roses, the flower-de-luce deserves our attention. In Europe they symbolize purity. The lilies look amazing in a bouquet and they smell really nice. But they have a serious disadvantage – they are really delicate flowers and their freshness lasts too short which makes them darker and takes away their beauty. The calla lily is also a good choice for a wedding bouquet. It is also associated with innocence and purity and it easily appeals to every bride. A wide-spread claim is that the orchids are the perfect flowers for a wedding bouquet. That is because of their tropical and exotic beauty.

How many flowers should be in the bouquet? Some people want to show their richness by the wedding bouquet and make it very heavy and volumetric. It is known that beauty requires sacrifices, but after all, these sacrifices should not be beyond the realm of rationality.

3 Ways to Consider Your Guests When Planning an Outdoor Wedding

Photo credit: Norman Yu Photography | normanyu.com

Brides may love the look of the popular and seemingly perfect outdoor weddings they see on Pinterest, wedding blogs and styled shoots. However, it’s important to be realistic and consider the details of these shoots. Most are meant for inspiration, not duplication. For example, consider how your guests would feel about waiting outside in the sun without shelter sitting atop hay bales in a field full of bugs? Doesn’t sound so romantic when put that way, does it?

Styled shoots are often romanticized, and it’s easy to get sucked in by the pretty details and ambiance. Here are three tips to pull off the spring wedding look you want to achieve, but not at your guests’ expense.

Bugs be gone: Check with your venue to see if they provide (or permit) mosquito repellant services. Repellent can be sprayed or sprinkled, and bug bombs set off several hours before the wedding work to keep pests at bay for the remainder of the event. Consider hanging a netted canopy to protect your cake and keep bugs out, while still displaying it in a fashionable way. If necessary, serve drinks in cups with lids to keep bugs out of your guests’ beverages – mason jars with stripped straws are both fun and practical for outdoor weddings.

Beat the heat: Ensure guests are well prepared for your outdoor ceremony by offering them fans that double as a wedding program. Serve refreshments at all times to keep guests hydrated. Drink stations featuring decanters of specialty drinks mixed with traditional bottled favorites in galvanized tubs is a picturesque way to offer an unmanned “bar” throughout the event. Plan shady spots for cooling off such as a tented cocktail hour and reception or canopies draped amongst the trees.

Advise guests of practical attire: If you don’t suggest appropriate attire for your outdoor wedding, guests will show up in the more traditional wedding garb and end up uncomfortable, too hot or too cold, or with their stilettos sinking in the grass. Whether it’s a point you make on your wedding website, or something you briefly mention on your invitation, it’s important to for your guests to look and feel comfortable.

Plan the wedding that you love, but also one that you would want to attend yourself. While it is your day, you want your family and friends to enjoy it as much as possible as you’re creating one of the most memorable events of your future.