Birds of a Feather; vintage-natural style

Lately, I have been drawn to birds and all things bird-related...bird cages (well I have always loved them) bird houses, bird nests, bird prints and of course birds themselves...so why not have a bird-themed wedding?  Or at least incorporate them into your wedding, decor and reception.....vintage style.  I pulled together some ideas to help get you started.

A gorgeous invite on Burlap paper.  Sets the ton for an orange-aqua wedding with natural elements

You can find bird-cages like this at Marshall's, Hobby Lobby and online at Etsy.  You can easily add candles and have around the room for your reception.  Also, with the hook, hang them from trees etc. for the ceremony or reception.

These are recycled "love notes" that are found on Etsy.  You can easily take these and place with your bird-cage to ask those attending your weeding to leave a note of love, advice or memory,

Where ever you have bird-cages, you have to have nests too.  Again, Etsy is the place to find super cute things like this.  You can also go to Michael's or on-line and find the individual items to make this nest.  Add to your reception table decor, in window sills at a church, along side your guest book.....endless possibilities

These super cuties are a considered a wedding cake toppers, but you can use them in other ways.  Again, Etsy.

As a photographer, I am always looking for great ideas for pictures.  This is super sweet. This banner can be posted over a dessert table as well as be added into a bedroom decor after the ceremony.  This is made from burlap and fabric scraps and stencil letters.  Etsy.......

This tag & key table seating idea is almost too cool.  So simple and elegant.  They are tacked onto boards, but you could easily attach to an old garden gate or picture frame with chicken wire in place of the picture.  This little bit of whimsy adds vintage charm with your birds.

Bird paper confetti, made from music paper, instead of rice anyone?  How charming.

Ring pillow with bird applique.  So sweet and fun.. Again, Etsy.  You can pic what kind of fabric for your bird pattern.  This would look great on a Burlap pillow.

FOR THE BRIDE

Beautiful Aqua shoe with vintage clip detail

Vintage dress--or vintage looking-- and hair clip

Orange bouquet with some white and lime.  Notice the burlap wrap on the stem with a bit of lace.

Funky, vintage inspired necklace...adds color and charm.  If you don't want this for the ceremony, add it for the reception. Brides have two dresses.  One for the ceremony and one for the reception, why not have different jewelry too?

THE RECEPTION

Add these into your table decor, around the food or even in the loo.  Unexpected pops of decor to carry out  your theme.

Love the simplicity of these flower arrangement.  Collect jars as you live....spaghetti sauce, jelly, olives--you get the idea.  Soak the labels off and BAM, you have vases.  Add a little bit of rope and some fresh white flowers.....easy flower decor for your reception.

Any rustic space always looks better with Chandeliers. Exposed brick and rough hewn beams add charm to the space.

Family style dining would be great for an intimate wedding reception.  Also, enjoy opportunity for small vinyettes like the vintage coffee cups above

Add in some of your wedding color with a patterned table runner like this orange and white one above.  Those simple flowers above, with a Few bird-cages with candles and some bird nests, would look lovely.  You can stack old books as well and put the flowers on them to create different height

THE GROOM

Lets not forget the groom.  A simple grey suit and pinstripe tie, very dapper.  Add in a burlap and button boutonniere and you have some vintage charm.

Add in some zany colored socks just for fun.....and makes a great picture.

Lastly a Fedora with some orange in the trim would look excellent for a vintage inspired wedding.....

I hope there are some ideas in here that you can steal for your own bird-lovin' vintage wedding.  Drop us a line and let us know what you liked the most.

ENJOY!



Not just junk in the trunk.

As I am currently remodeling my bathroom, I have been looking for a vintage truck to use as storage under a table.  It gave me a great idea of trunks and suitcases in weddings...why not? I am in love with vintage themes anyway.....so feast your eyes below on some cool ideas to incorporate into your day of love.

What a cute idea for wedding wishes--card holder/display: a vintage suitcase with a handmade sign. Super cute.

Another version of a vintage suitcase card-holder.  This would be great for a vintage, garden or tea-party theme wedding

Here trunks and suitcases are utilized as decor giving a rustic feel to a formal affair.

 

A stack of vintage trunks are used to display at a wedding reception. Super cute and the trunks can then be used within the newly-wed home as a nightstand or coffee table etc.  Check out my other blog, Feather Your Nest to see other ideas for trunks.

Love, love, love this little sweet vinette for props at a wedding reception.

A steamer trunk is used here as a coffee table for a staged lounge area at a wedding recption. Fun and functional

I love this trunk idea here staged with an old typewriter and books.  The clock makes it.

Once married, take your trunk out in a meadow and take wedding pics with it like this.

Barn Wedding

I love the idea of a wedding/reception in a Barn.  Not a new, never-been-kissed, perfect, red barn.  But, an old, worn out, rustic, one-of-a-kind barn.  Vintage meets Rustic and never looked back.  How lovely.......an easy way to create a theme and decor with taking a nod from a rustic barn.  By keeping the other details to a minimum, this will create a night to remember and one that your guests will be talking about for years to come.  Not to mention the beautiful background for pictures that will tell an amazing story and last forever.

Vintage Never goes out of style....ask your grandma.

I love the short dress with the ruffles.  It reminds me of my mom's prom dress in the mid-60's.  powder blue shoes, they match the old beat-up Ford truck in the next picture.

Mason Jars are always in style for a rustic, vintage or country style wedding.  Here, candy stripe straws with blueberries adds in a little color.

Bride and Groom pictures in a citrus grove.  Who needs decor with all the nature around?

The most perfect time of the day to have pictures taken is right before sunset.  You can see the reason why, right here.

Rusted iron chairs, lace and candles...always an easy way to add vintage style to your reception.  Block lettering spelling our LOVE adds a whimsical element.

An ice-cream bar served on an old chest says, "country fun"

Homemade pennant flags adorn the barn through-out adding a soft edge to an otherwise rustic space. 

Mason jars can also serve as candle holders, string lights and flower vases.

Add some chandliers and old doors to plain white flowers and you have instant charm.

The vintage pick-up truck also acts as a backdrop for weddings details such as the shoes, invitation and flowers

 

Have a barn wedding to share?  We would love to showcase you.  Contact me.

Wedding Theme Ideas

I was watching Dick Clark's count-down to the New Year last night and Ryan Seacrest, posted some stats from Facebook: Over 22% of people changed their status to Engaged in 2011.  Wow, considering how many people are on Facebook, that is quite stagering and at this point, a lot of gals out there starting to plan their wedding: alass with a gorgous bauble on her finger now!  Its ligite now.

Since I posted last about getting into the planning mode. I thought a post about wedding ideas and themes would be most appropriate.  Gone are the days of running to a Justice of the Peace, or courthouse (not entirely--but for the most-part) And, gone are the days of just having a simple wedding. I do's now take much more fan-fare to produce. Now, I don't mean crazy, out-there, shin digs......but, many people attending weddings today expect at least a little something special. So, how do you start?

Start with creating a website to keep your friends and family informed all about what is going on from your engagement to directions to the reception and more.

Paper Divas has some awesome website template programs that can enhance your overall look and "branding" for your wedding. Check them out.

First, think about the things you enjoy together as a couple.  Do you love Skiing? Or perhaps enjoy your weekly Poker night with your friends? How about a lovely Cottage by the Sea or a Walk in the Woods?  Maybe Horses have always been special to you all as a couple or you love 1950's Glam. Did you meet in a coffee shop? I am sure you can come up with a few ideas just by brainstorming. Then, google them to assist you with ideas etc.  Here are some of my pics for the above mentioned ideas...

Skiing

Poker

Cottage by the Sea

Walk in the Woods

Horses

1950's Glam

Coffee Shop

Black is Cool

In honor of Black Friday, I thought adding some ideas for adding Black into your wedding.  Far from being taboo, black can be a great color to add some drama to your day.  Think formal, with a twist.  If you add Black to an all natural green and white pallette, it brings is the importance and solidaridy of the day. Enjoy these story boards for inspiration.

I am in LOVE with the short dress in the upper right corner and am currently researching short wedding dresses for another post. Long is definitely over-rated.  Black in this wedding is definitely used as more of an accent color and helps ground certain elements.

Here Black and Green are used again, but with more of an artistic, bold flair. The cake is to die for and reminecent of Alice in Wonderland. Who wouldn't want to stay for the cake-cutting here and get a piece of that? Also, any bold, black and white print can be used to take something that could look very plain to the next level.  The invitation on the lower right shows just how to do this.

On the other end of the color wheel is Pink. Hot Pink and Black are pure drama and you can do so much with these colors.  Simple, elegant and just plain beautiful--from hanging black chandliers at different levels at the reception (style note: you can buy mix matched chandiliers at garage sales and resale shops and just spray paint them black)monocromatic bouquets, to the must-have hot pink wedding shoe-- black and pink weddings are easy to plan and inspirations are everywhere.

I love that these gals wore their own choice of black shoes...and talking about actually being able to wear your bridesmaid's dress again.....you just can't lose with Black--and they have pockets. What? Crazy...don't leave out the guys. What guy wouldn't want a pair of classic black chuck tailors?  This style just keeps coming back again and again.  If you are daring, you can actually go to the Coverse website and design your own pair of one-stars etc to match your wedding color scheme....creativity is the limit.

Speaking of shoes, I had to show this picture...because these are mt hot-pink wedding shoes....no that is not me in the picture. But, someone stole my shoes.  Those are the same exact shoes I wore in my wedding and actually if I am not mistaken, I bought them on clearence at Kohls for less than $20. As a matter of fact, winter is the perfect time of the year to find fun, haute and stylish colored peep-toe wedding shoes.

Ok, now for the real glam of the day.  If you aren't too afraid, why not a Black Wedding Dress, you heard me.....Black. It wasn't until modern time that a white wedding dress became popular.  Before, ladies would wear their best dress to get married in--no matter what color it was and Black was a great choice. It is elegant, always in style and makes the bride natually look thinner....a win-win.

So, go-ahead, make Black your feature or accent color for your wedding and send us pictures, so I can post them.