These cakes are beautiful on their own, but they are made more unique, and special, by the additions of the peonies.

Bouquets of peonies feel very happy to me, whether they’re mixed with other floral varieties or in all one color.

Because they come in a variety of colors, you can also adapt them to many different styles. Here you have a pretty feminine vintage look.

While these centerpieces are playful and bright.

Peonies by themselves can have quite an impact too. I love the idea of bridesmaids carrying a single stem.

Single stems or buds also look good set in small vases, cups, or bowls because of how wide they can open.

Peonies in your hair would be perfect for a backyard or more modern wedding.

I also love  peony arrangements that are all the same color, or a mix of different colors.

This peony inspired invitation suite is gorgeous.  I love that peonies could be a theme that you tied in throughout your entire wedding.

I’m sure you’re just as in love with peonies now as I am! Peonies can be spendy, around $4-8 per stem depending on the the time of year and whether they’re in season or not. One nice thing about peonies is that they grow in people’s yards too! If you have a friend or family member with peony bushes or trees you could save tons of money on these gorgeous blooms. If you’re not that fortunate, remember that because these flowers’ blooms are so big you need less than you would with other flowers for a grand effect.

Image One: stylemepretty; Image Two: iloveswmag; Image Three: stylemepretty; Image Four: stylemepretty; Image Five: bellethemagazine; Image Six: thecinderellaproject; Image Seven: stlyemepretty; Image Eight: kaboodle; Image Nine: stylemepretty.com; Image Ten: weheartit; Image Eleven: stylemepretty; Image Twelve: meridameridian; Image Thirteen: stylemepretty; Image Fourteen: stylemepretty; Image Fifteen: meridameridian

Rebekah is a stylist and wedding and event designer. She owns the company A & B Creative, read her blog.

Looking for a DIY favor idea that’s klutz-proof? This DIY wedding craft project from Michaels is a cinch!

BTW, if you are planning a DIY wedding, Michaels really is a one-stop shop for all your wedding and ceremony needs! The aisles are jam packed with all of the latest and greatest craft and baking supplies to help you pull off just about anything. If you need some inspiration, check out the DIY wedding projects section at Michaels for oodles of wedding-related tutorials.

Tutorial for BRIDES  Mini Chalkboard Flower Pots

You will need:

( Michaels is offering 20% off your entire regular price wedding purchase.  Click here for coupon.

The DFW Wedding Room in Colleyville, Texas offers an elegant space for indoor and outdoor weddings.

The indoor chapel is available for up to 150 guests sharing in your special day.

The picturesque garden also accommodates 150 guests.

An all-inclusive package allows you to chose from several dinner options, and can be customized to meet your photography needs.  You can even bring your own camera if that’s what works best for you!

In addition to great all-inclusive packages, The DFW Wedding Room offers many wedding options and price levels for you to chose from. You have the option of  a late Saturday morning wedding, a Saturday evening wedding or a Sunday afternoon cake and punch reception. Another great inexpensive wedding option for couples on a tight budget is the Thursday night wedding.

Want more info? Visit The DFW Wedding Room.

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Danielle & Joseph scrapped their original plans to tie the knot in Bali, and decided on St. John’s, Newfoundland instead.

“Our wedding from start to finish was absolutely amazing. The venue was breathtaking. Being married on the side of a cliff between two lighthouses, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Need I say more? We had whales jumping out of the water; the mysterious Newfoundland fog; it was a dream come true and it wasn’t anything we could have ever planned for – because that’s Newfoundland. We truly felt like we were standing at the edge of the world. Not to mention all the Newfoundlanders we ran into, congratulating us and making us feel right at home,” says Danielle.

A big thanks to Danielle and Joseph for sharing their real wedding story – and also to photographer Sandra Lee for the fantastic photos!

Danielle, 28 & Joseph, 29

St. John’s, Newfoundland (The couple traveled from Oshawa, Ontario)

Wedding Date: August 2, 2011

Number of Guests: 2

Wedding Cost: $4,300 for everything wedding related (this also included the 2 week cottage rental and the ferry trip to and from Newfoundland)

Wedding Ceremony Location: Cape Spear Lighthouse

Wedding Reception Location: Bay Bulls. Joe and I had rented a cottage for 2 weeks, so we had our mom’s stay with us for 2 nights before they flew back home. This is where we had our reception dinner catered by Bianca’s Restaurant.

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We had thought about eloping in Bali (just the two of us), but one night Joe came home and said: “Why don’t we get married at a lighthouse?” I of course thought it was terrible idea as I had already begun to plan our Bali adventure. With Joe shot down, something inside made me pick up my computer and start to look up lighthouses in Canada. The idea was planted and I instantly feel in love with what I was finding and our new destination became St. John’s, Newfoundland. Changing our location also meant we got to bring our own witnesses, which is how we got our guest list of 2! We both come from small families (and me having that lovely fear of more then a few people watching me walk down the aisle) and didn’t want the chaos of a big wedding; this is how our intimate wedding began to evolve. We decided that our wedding was going to be about us and we truly wanted something small, intimate, and meaningful. AND to be completely honest, saving some money was a good nudge, as well.

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

When you plan an intimate wedding outside of where you live there are challenges. You have to put a lot of faith in people you don’t know because all of your conversations are based on phone calls or emails. We had booked the venue, cake, flowers, and the food without even speaking to a single person! Yes, it was a little scary at first, but we figured, what’s the worst that could happen? It actually all worked out without a hitch! Our photographer, Sandra, came highly recommended to us from a mutual friend and she was able to help us out a lot, as well. The biggest challenge was getting a hold of someone at the Vital Statics office to get all the information we needed for obtaining the marriage license, as we weren’t residents of Newfoundland. We never got the same person on the phone, so the information was a little mixed up at first.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

For us, no. For our family and friends, YES! We decided to invite our moms, as they are the most important people in our lives. Not to say we don’t love or care about the rest of our families and friends, because we most definitely do, but when we each only decided to chose one person, it only seemed right that it was our moms.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Most definitely. More resistance and guilt then we could have imagined! Funny enough, having an intimate wedding will definitely improve your assertiveness skills because you will need to be blunt with some people and stand up for what you want. They eventually understood when they realized it was our day and this was how we wanted our wedding to be. Addressing it with honesty is the best way to go. Feelings are going to be hurt, but they need to know it isn’t intentional.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

That’s honestly a hard question to answer. Our wedding from start to finish was absolutely amazing. The venue was breathtaking. Being married on the side of a cliff between two lighthouses, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Need I say more? We had whales jumping out of the water; the mysterious Newfoundland fog; it was a dream come true and it wasn’t anything we could have ever planned for – because that’s Newfoundland. We truly felt like we were standing at the edge of the world. Not to mention all the Newfoundlanders we ran into, congratulating us and making us feel right at home. Our photographer, Sandra, was just as amazing! Her energy and passion for her work was evident from the moment we met her. She knows the island and if you are adventurous there are many killer locations for surreal photographs that she is more then happy to take you to! Sandra was fantastic to work with and she made our day that much more special as she was able to capture it for us to revisit for a lifetime. Not being from the Island ourselves, Sandra also helped us out a lot and eased a lot of the initial stress’ we had leading up to the wedding day. Because it was a small wedding, we got to know everyone well and we had a blast at the ceremony and the entire day!

What were the highlights of the reception?

The food was fantastic – especially having made the arrangements over the internet. We had dinner at the cottage (very rustic and bright yellow) we had rented in Bay Bulls, a small harbor town just outside St, John’s. It was overlooking the harbor, so we were able to watch sunsets and the ships passing in and out every night.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

The best thing about an intimate wedding is that it is intimate. They are perfect, small, memorable, and after a little bit of hassle from upset family and friends, it’s a perfect setting for a dream wedding.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

You’ve got nothing to lose! We wouldn’t change a thing about our intimate wedding and we couldn’t imagine our wedding any other way. It was 100% perfect and what we wanted. We are so happy with our wedding and the memories we have as a result of doing it our way. Always hire a professional photographer!!!!! Even though the wedding may be small, it is well worth the investment and when you are back home you’ll have many amazing photographs to share with those who weren’t able to attend. We found that it helped ease some of the difficulties with family members and friends, as it was another way to share our day and memories with them.

Vendors:

Photographer: Sandra-Lee Photography
Florist: Sister’s Flowers
Cake: All Occasion Cake Design
Reception Dinner: Bianca’s
Venue: Cape Spear Lighthouse (Historical Site)
Officiant: Jane Morgan
Pre-Wedding Accommodation: Cantwell House
Gown: Everlasting Memories (Port Perry) / Allure 2359
Hair/Makeup: The Signature Salon
Suit: Moore’s (jacket) and Bluenotes (as it wasn’t a traditional wedding Joe did wear black jeans which was 100% him)

These hanging book pieces are very cool looking and also are a great DIY wedding project. Here is the book mobile tutorial if you want to make them yourself.

Hanging book pages on ribbon like this is also an option. I like how the colored ribbon adds contrast to the neutral color of the book pages. I think making these in your wedding colors and having them hung at different heights behind the altar would look amazing.

I was surprised to find just how many things you can make from book pages…garlands, streamers, vases, rosettes, drink flags and candles, oh my!

Book pages modge-podged onto  a wall is a great backdrop and a super affordable DIY project.  I love it as the background in both of these pictures and I think it would make a great backdrop for a photo booth too. Using a big stack of books like this would look great for photo ops!

What book lover’s affair would be complete without some book loving wedding venues?! The first couple had a wedding in their home and covered all the books in their bookshelves with white dust jackets to make their ceremony background more neutral. The second couple got married at their local public library, which would be an especially lovely venue if your library is a historical building.

Any elements you add to your wedding should be personal and if one of your passions is book reading then I hope this post inspires you!

Photo One: ruffledblog.com; Photo Two: greenweddingshoes.com; Photo Three: somewheresplendid.com; Photo Four: greenweddingshoes.com; Photo Five: thenester.com; Photo Six: oncewed.com; Photo Seven: arrowandapple.com; Photos Eight and Nine: stylemepretty.com; Photo Ten: modernhepburn.tumblr.com; Photo Eleven: stylemepretty.com; Photo Twelve: perfectboundblog.com

Rebekah owns the even design company A & B Creative. Read Rebekah’s blog.

Candles – made from oranges? Brilliant, huh?

I love when DIY wedding projects are simple – and this one is as simple as they come! Orange candles add a beautiful botanical touch to garden wedding or party decor. They would look lovely placed in a row on a long table or individually on smaller tables. How do you make them?

* Do NOT leave orange candles unattended for any length of time. Also, make sure the orange is stable so it does not topple over. It is a good idea to place the orange on a dish or saucer. Do not place the candle near anything flammable.

You will need:

• A navel orange (they are easier to peel)
• a knife
• Olive oil or other kind of vegetable oil
• Lighter

The orange will be resting on the stem side, so find an orange with a stem that doesn’t protrude too much. Using a small, sharp knife cut around the orange – but only skin deep.

Use your fingers to work the skin away from the orange. Be gentle, so you don’t rip the skin! (If you are using a navel orange, the skin should loosen quite easily.)

Once it has been loosened, remove the skin – but leave the white stem-like piece intact. This will be the wick.

Fill with olive oil until it is about 1cm from the top of the wick. Dunk the wick in the oil, so it is coated. Light. Enjoy! The flame will last several hours. Don’t want to use an orange? What about a grapefruit? A tutorial on Instructables says you can use any type of citrus fruit – but I have yet to try anything other than an orange.

Nix the knick knacks and go green for your wedding with tree sapling favors from Tree Beginnings.

I don’t know about you, but I adore the idea of  tree saplings as favors. Unlike most favors, a tree is a lasting reminder of your wedding day for both you – and your guests.

At Tree Beginnings, you can choose from tree saplings in a burlap bag, a box or a tree tube. Don’t fancy the idea of saplings? Tree Beginnings has more than 200 eco-friendly favors to choose from including seeds, flower bulbs and a variety of plantable handmade papers.

Tree Beginnings, which operates out of a 100 year old farmhouse near Ithaca, New York, has been selling eco-favors for nearly twenty years – so you can feel confident that you are dealing with a company that has plenty of experience. Check out Tree Beginnings for more info.

Photo One: weddingbeepro.com; Photo Two, Three: thebridallounge.ie

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Even though Greg fancied the idea of a big wedding, Alaina convinced him otherwise – and they had no regrets.

“I’ve seen time and time again brides and grooms having to spend so much time welcoming every guest and getting pulled in so many directions that they can barely enjoy themselves. We were able to get up and talk to each one of our guests during our dinner and still had time to sit back down and eat. And we literally had the best night of our lives,” says Alaina.

I love the sunny color scheme and the DIY touches of this intimate barn wedding.

Thanks to photographer Adi Nevo for the lovely photos.

Alaina, 30 & Greg, 32

Sonoma, CA

Wedding Date: June 20, 2011

Number of Guests: 50

Wedding Cost: $33,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Cornerstone Gardens, Sonoma, CA

Wedding Reception Location: Cornerstone Gardens – Barn

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We knew we wanted it to be in Sonoma, and also had a tight budget therefore we couldn’t have it at a large wedding venue and invite everyone we know – it would have ended up being very costly. Being in CA, the majority of our guests had to travel, as most of them are from the Midwest. We figured, it’s our day and we’re spending the money (our parents didn’t pay for it), so we wanted to do what we wanted to most, and California wine country (specifically Sonoma Valley), is where we love to be. We also wanted to share that part of the world with those we love and knew most of them hadn’t been, so it was an amazing opportunity to introduce them to Sonoma Valley – which they all LOVED!!

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding?

Because there was a smaller group, rather than the typical 150-200, our guests felt they would have alone time with us, and we just didn’t have that kind of time. We did all we could to schedule and plan group events for the whole weekend so we could see as many people as possible and spend as much time with them as we could (knowing they traveled so far for us), but it made for a VERY exhausting (but fun!) week.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

It was, mostly for my husband. I don’t keep a lot of acquaintances – I’m very picky with who my friends are – but Greg on the other hand, likes having lots of people around him at all times and wanted to invite everyone he knew. I didn’t want those who weren’t very close to us to feel obligated to send gifts since they were obviously not going to travel out to California for the wedding. We had to argue on that quite a bit. Of course, in the end, I won. It was me sending out the invites, after all!

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

At one point our mothers kept asking if we could invite so-and-so, which at first I was fine with, but then realized it was rude if I was inviting people we didn’t know, but not inviting those we did. In the end, we invited most of those guests. We decided that we’d at least send the invitation. If they could make it, we’d work something out. But we did have to put the kibosh on a few.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Greg and I have a 4-year-old little girl, Lily Rose (she was 3 ½ for the wedding). I decided long ago it just wasn’t appropriate to have my father “give me away” since we basically were already like a married couple. I had my daughter walk me down the aisle, or so was the plan. Once we started she decided she wanted to go look at the pond running alongside the garden where the ceremony took place. So I continued on myself until I heard her yelling behind me that her shoe fell off. My wedding coordinator didn’t hear, so I had to tell everyone to hold on, I’d be right back, went back the way I came so I could go help her put her shoe back on. She still refused to walk down with me, but instead came behind me, cookie in hand (that was given to her by the coordinator) and smiles on every single guests face – including mine. As frustrating as it was, I can barely remember any other part of the ceremony, so it made it memorable. There are of course pictures of all this, but sadly no video.

What were the highlights of the reception?

Goodness, too many. We had two fantastic speeches by my MOH and the BM. Then my husband, Greg, made a pretty powerful speech that had everyone bawling, including him (and he never cries!). Our very good friends were our acoustic band, and they rocked. OH! Massive highlight was one of my bridesmaid’s step-son (8-year-old), Alex and Greg having a dance off; Greg did the splits! It went on for a good 5 minutes and was AMAZING.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

By far, being able to enjoy our day so much more. I’ve seen time and time again brides and grooms having to spend so much time welcoming every guest and getting pulled in so many directions that they can barely enjoy themselves. We were able to get up and talk to each one of our guests during our dinner and still had time to sit back down and eat. And we literally had the best night of our lives. I also always wanted one long Kings table for dinner and if we had even one more guest we would’ve had to do something different. Greg and I sitting at the head of one long table with all our closest friends and family was surreal. I also was able to make all my own stationery which included welcome guides, welcome kits, programs, escort cards and menus. Greg and I made them ourselves and they were definitely one of my favorite parts of the wedding. If I had a larger guest list there is no way I would have had the time or patience to do all that, or if I had they wouldn’t have looked very nice.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding?

Keep it personal and remember: it’s all about the two of you, and not everyone else. If you have to cut out your mom’s best friend’s cousin because she was invited to their wedding, so be it. This is your one and only wedding (hopefully) and you don’t want to compromise your tastes and wants for what others want. Plus, a smaller more intimate group will guarantee clearer, more distinct memories. It’s hard to pinpoint different things when you’re pulled in a hundred different directions due to all the commotion and chaos of the several hundred people you’ve invited.

Vendors:

Venue: Cornerstone Gardens

Photographer:Adi Nevo (best photographer EVER!!)

Wedding Coordinator: Leslie Goldberg, My Dandelion Events

Caterer and Rentals: Alex’s Catering

Cake: Costeaux, in Healdsburg, CA

Music: Tony Calderisi & Chris Costello (personal friends)

Make Up: Cristina Hlebako – Santa Rosa, CA

Officiant: Reverend Jaqueline

If you are planning a DIY wedding, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A-to-Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspirationis one book you will want to get your crafty little hands on.

Although the book (which weighs more than my cat!) isn’t targeted specifically at brides, it’s chock full of fantastic DIY projects that are entirely customizable to weddings.

Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts contains complete instructions and brief histories for more than 30 techniques, detailed descriptions of the necessary tools and materials, and easy-to-copy templates.

Topics covered include: candlemaking, botanical pressing, decoupage, rubber stamping, and wreath making – among many others.

I have more than a dozen sticky notes throughout the book, marking projects that I want to try.

Like these vintage teacup candles and seashell candles. Would these make adorable wedding or shower favors?

 I’m loving these crepe paper flowers. I hope to give these a whirl in the upcoming weeks.

These glitter birds were the inspiration for my ‘glitter’arium.

If you are the crafty type – or are even a wannabe crafter, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts will ignite your imagination – and just might cause you to enter into a full-blown DIY wedding frenzy.

Can you imagine stumbling on these colorful retro chairs at a yard sale?

Retro chairs are all the rage for both wedding and ceremony seating. They add a fun, whimsical element to retro-inspired weddings. Aside from yard sales, Kijiji, Craigslist or the Habitat Restore are all possible sources for retro chairs.

Here are a few ways that retro chairs are used:

I especially love these ones because they are cushioned!:)

 These chairs bring me right back to my school days.

 These mismatched vintage lawn chairs are my absolute fave!! I’m sure you could snatch these up at yard sales.

 If you stumble on some ugly folding chairs at a yard sale, paint them!

 If your wedding is next year – you have lots of time to scour yard sales and thrift shops for wedding chairs. Once you’re done with them you can sell them and recoup your investment.

Photo One: Ruffled; Photo Two: Hindsight Bride; Photo Three:Andrea Reh; Photo Four: BlainPhoto; Photo Five: Hindsight Bride; Photo Six: Weddings Online; Photo Seven: Manuel/MC