Bouquets, The Day After

Photo courtesy of Courtney Anton, Photographer

One bride decided to perch her bouquet on top of her bird feeder to encourage birds to stop and eat some of their nectar or honey.  While filling her feeder with some nice, juicy black oil sunflower seeds might attract yet more birds, her flowers certainly add a certain amount of 'class' to the neighborhood!

What creative things have you done with your bouquet the day after the wedding?  I know mine sat in my frig (I know, I know, I AM SO NOT creative...I had plans just lacked the execution.)  I'm sure you have some better ideas.  Share them with everyone--I just love it when someone posts a great idea!

Peach and Texas Tequila Wedding

This simple wedding cake from a Texas wedding draws every eye without being overly ornate.  Peach color flowers decorated the cake and guests were served ice cream cones with peach ice cream (yum!).  The wedding had a vintage look but the taste! You'll wish you'd been there. 

They also served Texas beers and alcohol.  See photo below. 

I guess there are some things you never see unless you go to Texas, a state shaped tequila bottle is one of them.  How boring to live in Pennsylvania like I do, the bottle wouldn't look very interesting! Photos by Anne Marie Photography.  (Wedding also on Style Me Pretty and Bella Figura)

J-E-L-L-O! Centerpieces Bill Cosby Would Love!

Having a casual wedding or a wedding shower and looking for a memorable and fun way to decorate your tables? Why not try these JELL-O centerpieces from Rachael Ray? Ya gotta know Bill Cosby would love these things! 

The folks over at Kraft Foods can help you make this easy and inexpensive centerpiece that use six boxes of their J-ello, a few flowers and some vases from your favorite craft store or dollar store. Evette Rios, one of the design gurus at Rachael's show, elevates this jiggly, translucent dessert to an artistic centerpiece. 

Directions from Rach's web site say: Combine six boxes of Jell-O powder with half the amount of water specified, chill the mix in a glass vase for half an hour, then just push flowers into the semi-firm gelatin. How easy could it be? Use flowers, sliced citrus, anything your imagination can think of for this JELL-O-istic fun centerpiece.  I suggest sticking with lighter colors because darker ones won't let the flowers show through as easily.  Bet you all your guests will be asking you 'how to' make them after the party. 

Even if you don't use this for a wedding related party think what fun it would be to make with your kids for the next time Grandma comes to dinner! A totally kid-friendly project!

Rustic Futuristic Flowers

Source: google.com via Nichole on Pinterest

Looking for a rustic centerpiece with a futuristic look? I found this one on Pinterest. Save your wine carafes (yes, you'll have to force yourself to drink all that wine (or better yet, have a party and use it all up!) and reuse them as vases. Then try using paper flowers similar to the ones you've seen in other posts either here or on Do It Yourself Wedding Planning.  Here are the links: try this one, this one, and this one(a wreath).  You can also find more paper flowers all over Etsy.com.  Some are made from crepe paper, others from old books and newspapers.

Flowers made from crepe paper, old books or newspaper or a combineation of the two are more eco-friendly than some of their very pretty but pricey live counterparts.  For instance consider the price you'd pay for those fancy roses flown in from Ecuador, not just the dollars but the carbon footprint you'd leave behind.

Your paper flowers are also a nice memento of your wedding day; you can use them in your home long after you wedding is over. 

Paper flowers aren't just for centerpieces.  Some Etsy artists can make an entire wedding bouquet from paper flowers.

So if you're looking to reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding use paper flowers, reuse old wine carafes, and add some branches you can find outside.  Less expensive, better for the ecology... if every bride tried to reuse items instead of buying new items for decorating at her wedding we would save more than just money!  So don't just love this rustic and futuristic centerpiece because it's pretty, love it because it's GREEN!

Easy Italian Centerpiece

This centerpiece photographed by Katie Leonard Photography, Gainesville, florist unknown, shown on The Knot is perfect for the DIY'er planning a wedding with an Italian theme. Metal decorative pasta cans or other Italian advertising tins make perfect vases for gerbera daisies and colored babies breath.  

Looking for more ideas for Italian theme weddings? Go to Italian Weddings 101 for a variety of ideas on planning an Italian wedding.