Great Stripey Candle Design

I just came across this cool DIY project on MarthaStewartWeddings.com  I think it is so fresh and gives an atmosphere of understated elegance.

Image from marthastewartweddings.com

If you are inspired in the DIY area this is a really easy but striking project and would be perfect for an abroad wedding. Check out the templates on Martha Stewart's website  

www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/decoration-templates#slide_7 

They really do bring such a beautiful, yet subtle, hint of colour to the table so if understated and chic is what you are looking for, these would be perfect.  For me, I think they would also look amazing free standing in the sand at a beach wedding or just bringing a touch of colour and detail to some rocks.

NY

Add a Little Fun to your Favours

Caricatures make me laugh!  I have always enjoyed them and done well can make great mementos of a certain moment in time.  As I write this, I can see the caricature of my two cousins and myself that we had done in Recoletta in Buenos Aires and it still makes me laugh.  

Image from weddingsbymarius.co.za

The idea of having one at your wedding is great and can double up as your favours if planned right.  Having a stash of frames and some pre-cut mount board at the ready and all you have to do is designate a couple of people to assemble them and present them to the respective guest. I would be stoked to be given one for a favour, what an amazing memento of the occasion. I organised this idea for the 60th birthday party of my dad and it went down a treat!  The other great thing about this is, in Greece you can usually locate a cartoonist in any local tourist spot. For example, I know there is one who sets up camp every night in Chania harbour.  I cannot imagine they would turn down a great gig, like a wedding, to boost their income.

Simply, it is genius!

NY

Artwork Inspiration

How cool are these?  I found these art work inspired table names on www.katemillerevents.com and absolutely adored them!  It screams personality to me and shows the couples individuality.  Although, these  images show how they have used artists as their inspiration, I also like the thought of using CD artwork for your visual table numbers  

Images from sergius-bruce.com

Image from sergius-bruce.com

Image from sergius-bruce.com

Image by Jamie Hewlett

Image by Hipgnosis and George Hardie

Image by John Pasche

There are some amazing album covers out there and in using them you are also allowing your guests more of an insight into your personalities.  How much more personal can you get ( to quote the great film 'The Life of Brian').  Not only that, they are some inspiring pieces of music history which tell the story of our lives.  We all have songs that have specific memories of our life story up until this point in time and where else to share such memories that at your wedding.

This is also an extremely easy DIY project, all you would need is some high quality prints of the images, some limed frames and away you go.  Budget friendly without having to compromise on the result!

You have to agree that they make a visually, striking statement and how vibrant is that table plan?

NY

Please Slip Into Something More Comfortable!

I know this is not a particularly new idea but for Greece it really is one worth some serious thought.  Our wedding venue and church both had very uneven, cobbled floors, which were a hazard for those who insisted on wearing heels (despite strong advice not to!) and this option would have been perfect to help out those in 4 inch heels.  

Images from theknot.com

Images from greek-sandals.com

Anyone who has been to Greece knows that they make a lot of leather sandals there and this would make a great alternative to normal flip flops.   As you can see  rom above they come in many different styles and what I like best about them is that the leather ages beautifully in the sun.  Adding personal detail, like the flowers on the top left image, is also a great way to make them more unique and an easy DIY project for you to do, whilst lazing by the pool the week before the wedding.

NY

Shipwreck Heaven

Wow!  I love this themed shoot for NonPariel Magazine it is gorgeous.  Now you had all better get comfortable as there are a lot of images to go with this.  I just could not decide which to have so I have posted most of them.  I find this shoot not only fresh but completely without any cheese factor attached to it.  Hard to pull off when your theme is shipwrecked.  I think you will all agree that it looks amazing and could be used in a number of venues.  I would love to see this adapted to a beach.  How striking it would be and the visual impact for you guests, on arrival, has the potential to be huge.

 

 

 

 

All the above photos are courtesy of lapartieevents.squarespace.com and where shot by www.elizabethmessina.com

Do you see what I mean?  Absolutely breath taking.  The attention to detail is perfect and can be easily replicated and changed to reflect your personality.  The other thing to take into consideration is that a lot of this can be done yourselves so it would not have to cost the earth.  Amazing!!!!!

Obviously I am  big fan!

NY

And we're back!!! Celebrating the Hop.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!  So Christmas was eventful and honestly quite manic but very enjoyable! Now back to grind of work and the fun of blogging.  I had an interesting car journey back from Switzerland. One which has left my car stranded in the French town of Chaumont (damn gear box) but it allowed me to have a great conversation with a friend of mine who is getting married in 3 months time.  She is a landscape designer and her knowledge of plants and flowers is incredible.  What interested me was her idea of using hops as part of her wedding flowers and center pieces at their forthcoming wedding. 

Now I have never really seen hops and as I am sure you all do, only really associate them with beer, so I googled them as soon as I managed to get repatriated back to the UK.  How beautiful is the lushness of the leaves?  Stunning and thanks to the Greek beer industry there will definitely be a supplier who you can purchase some off (yay! Mythos!).

Not only are they vivid in their green colour but also have a density that will provide amazing body to your arrangements.  This friend of mine is simply laying a garland down each table with fairy lights woven in between the leaves and finishing off with flowers of her choice dotted, sporadically throughout.

Above are two images from 'Kirsty and Phil's Perfect Christmas' that was shown on Channel 4 just as some inspiration and to show how great hops can look. Not only are they luscious but I also love their uniqueness.

NY

So So Succulent

Succulents are a great choice of flower for Greece.  They can withstand a lot of heat and the do not need too much water. I personally, love their structural form, especially coupled with bright coloured flowers to really give them a lift.

Here are some moodboards for you to peruse at your leisure.

Images from (top left clockwise) recycledbride.com,
floracadet.com,  floragrubb.com, jasminestarblog.com,
rootedinpaperandart.blogspot.com,
& alchemyfineevents.com

Images from (top left clockwise) heidiryder.net,
forgetmeknotweddingsblog.com,  jmsucculents.com,
floragrubb.com & pgjennielove.wordpress.com

There are so may different ways to arrange the succulents that all produce a completely different feel.  They really are such a versatile plant and definitely worth considering for your wedding arrangements.  I am loving that table plan.  It looks gorgeous!

NY

Chilled with Style

How perfect are these ice cubes?  What a great way to liven up an arbitrary item.  They not only come across as really fresh but also add such a vibrant flash of colour.  Ideal for any pre-reception drinks or cocktail hour.

Image from TLC Cooking

Images from Brides.com

Image from fotolia.com

They are such an easy but effective DIY project.  All you have to do is get some ice cube trays, pop the fruit into each one, cover with water and freeze.  Simple but the results are gorgeous!  Perfect for hot summers day in Greece.

NY

I wasn't lying...I Love These Table Plans

Images from jasminestarblog.com

Truly I wasn't!  I just love the depth of them.  They have great texture and are visually beautiful. For me it makes a great change to the one dimensional stationary versions although there are some of those that I love but this is just something different.  

As I have said before, this can be adapted to your taste in flowers and your theme.  It would look beautiful made up of indigenous plants to the different islands in Greece, the colour would be spectacular.

Tying the stationary in with the foliage would also be a striking detail and what a wonderful visual greeting for your guests.  A great way to set the tone of your wedding reception.

NY

Spin Another Yarn!

Image from
sittinginatreeevents.com

This table setting design is simply divine.  The use of the yarn is genius and also the striking colours are amazing.  What a wonderfully different idea for a centerpiece.

I think it is such an adaptable idea that would work in any venue and would be so striking in a minimalistic, open spaced venue.  With white walls and a very simple table layout it would really come into it's own.  A great idea if you have chosen a modern hotel for your venue.

The yarn balls could be replicated with a bit of imagination in a DIY project as well which makes this even more versatile.  Coupled with the mish mash of trinkets and flowers it really is gorgeous and can be adapted to any ones personal style.

It rocks!

NY

Don't forget the Kids

A lot of your guests who are coming may have children and want to make a holiday of the trip.  I found that 90% of my friends who have children brought them with them, so take this into account and be prepared.  Kids party bags are a great idea to help entertain the kids at your wedding and will also enable the parents a little rest bite from their children.

There are a large amount of companies out there that will provide ready filled party bags for a reasonable price which could be an option for you but take into account you will have to ship them to Greece.  The other option is to make up your own, which also could be fun!  I have put together a moodboard for you to inspire you a little.

Images from  partydelights.co.uk &
paperchase.co.uk

Obviously if you are going down the DIY route for your Kids party bags, purchasing the fillers in Greece would make a lot more sense and there are numerous children's shops there that you could utilise.   You could always mix and match fillers from the two countries if you are worried that Greece won't have a specific product but cost wise it, would be best to reduce the amount you ship and also you could need that vital space for something else.

NY

Lucky Lotto

Every year I hold a Christmas feast for a bunch of my friends (yes I love the festive season!).  It generally involves a lot of food, drink and immaturity, I think this comes from us all knowing each other for between 17 years old to 20 years ( when did I get so old).  As any true Christmas bash should involve there is a secret Santa session at the end of supper and it is this that leads me to the inspiration part of this post (obviously cunningly disguised in all this pretty irrelevant information!).  

Image from dottiecreations.com

Last year my dear friend and Maid of Honour wrapped up a bunch of scratch cards.  Genius!  Whilst at the modern bride show I came across a company called Dottie Creations that had taken that idea a little further and had favours of lottery tickets.  I love this idea.  Buying a batch of Greek lottery tickets ( may as well get in the spirit of the country you are getting hitched in) and packaging them beautifully would make such a cool favour.  Budget wise, it would be damn reasonable too as well as something they may actually enjoy and appreciate.  Think about it....it is awesome!

NY

Cakies (in a Jar!)

I came across a wonderful bog today called mycakies.blogspot.com.  I was drawn to these DIY cupcakes in a Jar which not only look divine but also look delicious. 

Image from mycakies.blogspot.com

On the blog is a complete recipe and also a step by step in photographs of how to assemble them.  She also has a lot of really cool photography on the site mixed in with different DIY projects.  Definitely worth a look at as it is visually inspiring especially for anyone who loves photography. 

Images from mycakies.blogspot.com

 I will leave you with these amazing images as I now have the urge go off to bake something, anything.   I have the need for cake.

NY

Mason jars.....DIY projects

Today I have been thinking about jars, as you will know Natalia used handwired jars to light up the tree lined lane leading to her chosen venue and it looked quite spectacular!!

I was thinking of what else you could use jars for and think it would make a cool theme! If you had a long engagement you could ask family and friends to save jars for you and you could then use them throughout the wedding decor!

Image by mandiecandy on etsy.com

 

For those doing an earthy centrepiece, I love the idea of adding pebbles, string and a floating candle, how cool would these look in the centre of the tables?

Image by sugarpapers on etsy.com

 

Jar shaped escort cards anyone?

Image by mandiecandy on etsy.com

 

 

Firefly jars, I think these are beautiful hanging from branches of trees or a wooden pergola!

Image from the storiesofaa2z.com

 

 

 

Yes I am afraid that all themes must now come in chandelier form as well! How cool is this??????

Image by treasureagain on etsy.com

 

Fairy lights and jars, you really can't go wrong with this combination!!!

Image from behindtheknot.com

Ditto with candles in jars en mass!

Image by leslie on etsy.com

Save the date jars, how cute are these? Slightly difficult to post, but perfect if you can hand deliver most invites!

Image from simplyperfectweddings.blogspot.com

Cocktails served in mason jars keep the theme flowing throughout the event

Image by mandiecandy on etsy.com

And finally using the jar as a vase with a single peony, hydrangea or tulip would also look incredible, loving the burlap and ribbon around the base!!

Some Moodboards for Inspiration - Table Design 2

Whilst I was on this subject I thought a moodboard of place name options and table numbers might be in order.  Enjoy!

Images from theknot.com, BeachHouseLiving Etsy.com,
 ilLUMInate Etsy.com, corkcreations Etsy.com,
floralaffairs.co.za &  coxandcox.co.uk

How great are those corks. They could always be a fun DIY project as well.  Especially if you have to drink enough wine to provide the corks!

NY

Sometimes DIY is Best

….  It really is!  With the previously stated problems with hiring, DIYing some aspects of your Greek wedding is really the easiest way to handle the problem.   Now I am not going to say it is all a bundle of fun, because some of it isn’t but the end rewards make up for it!  I found it very hard to stomach that 200 tea light holders were going to set me back at least £400 and that was without any candles in them. So I decided to make my own! It may have taken a little longer than expected but I got them done!  I found an online site where I could buy 200 small Jam jars for £60…perfect. Next I bought some fine wire from Homebase and some raffia!  After getting comfortable on my sitting room floor in front of a good movie I set about constructing the rustic tea light holders.  It took me about 2 weeks (don’t worry, I wasn’t sitting there solidly, only 1-2 hours an night) and too be honest they were perfect for what I needed).

The other detail that gave me a lot of jip (and Sara will definitely agree as I dragged her halfway round Athens looking for them) was the Bombonieres.  My god!  It was so painful.  I looked everywhere, changed my mind about 100 times and still wasn’t happy.  I have drawers of these things from all my family’s weddings and for me it was important not to waste a lot of my budget on something that I did not deem as hugely important.  In the end I put my mother and 2 family friends to work and made up some cute little packages with an evil eye and the Koufetta inside.  There was also an explanation of what the Koufetta stood for inside, for all the non Greeks.  My father did have some issues with this area as it is traditional to have something made of silver, for the family at least but in the end he caved and for me it was the best decision.  Most of the young (or not so young) were just happy taking away the hats and wigs.

NY

Disco Ball Chandelier DIY

As you may have read in my interviews leading up to my wedding, I had decided to create a focal centrepiece to be hung in the middle of my dancefloor at the hotel! I am uncertain where I found the picture of the disco ball chandelier, however it was immediately filed and I was certain I wanted to attempt to recreate it!


So to remind you of the initial inspiring image:

How cool is this? I mean it would be incredible in a living room or
even over a dining table!!!

And here is my own attempt:

I am quite pleased with it to be honest with you? I think in the evening it will look really cool!