Celia + Amit | A Catholic, Hindu Multicultural Affair in Austin, TX

This Catholic-Hindu wedding is bursting at the seams with color and culture; it's full of tender moments, sweet, loving glances, and lots of hand holding. Captured expertly by Sean over at Day7 Photography, Celia and Amit's day long Austin, TX wedding celebration, which included a Catholic ceremony in the morning and a Hindu ceremony in the afternoon, combined family traditions and modern touches to create a true fusion affair.

Celia and Amit met in Boston through mutual friends at a party. Amit played it cool. Celia thought he wasn’t interested. They ultimately got along better than expected, since he proposed!  Despite living in two different cities for the time being, Austin was in their hearts and top of the list when it came time to start planning their wedding. And what a wedding celebration it was!

Hindu weddings are know for their fiery colors and ornamental, intricate attire for both the bride and groom. A rich warm palette of reds, golds, bronze and burnt orange symbolize happiness and prosperity. Traditionally, a Hindu bride wears a red sari and headdress, embellished with metallic gold stitch work, and black, gold and red jewelry including her bindi and bangles. Celia's strong bridal colors stand in dramatic contrast to Amit's cream and gold colored wedding attire. Take a moment to appreciate the intricate embroidery and beading on their outfits....such detail and craftsmanship.

Traditional Indian Hindu weddings are made of numerous steps, each emphasizing harmony, balance and personal growth.  They call upon friends and family to bless the couple and usher them into their new life together.  I think my favorite Hindu wedding traditions is the jaimala, or oath of respect, where the bride and groom exchange flowered garlands to symbolize unity and then recite a pledge of acceptance, where they promise to respect each other. Respecting each other is not a bad way to start a marriage.

I just adore when multicultural couples choose to have two weddings. Such a perfect way to honor family heritage and tradition, and create a brand new version of who you will be together - this is the ultimate respect. Congratulations to Celia and Amit; may your days be filled with joy, laughter and an abundance of love. Many thanks to Day7 Photography for sharing this wedding us. I look forward featuring more of your stunning, personal photography in the future.

Are you planning a multicultural wedding? Check out my Top Tips for pulling off a successful, unique affair in style!

Here's to more respect,

Top 10 Must Have Flowers for Your Fall Wedding - Part 1

Fall Wedding Flowers

I know I know, Lovelies. It's only the beginning August and I'm already throwing autumn into the mix. But Mother Nature always saves the best for last, giving us splashes of brilliant fall colors and an abundance of foliage and flowers along with styles, textures and patterns, a bride's dream come true.

So if you're planning a fall wedding, get ON IT now, especially with your flowers. Why? Well if you're going the DIY route and I highly encourage at least some floral DIY, it takes prep time; scour Pinterest for the looks, off to flower markets for the goods, then the trial runs to get it just right.  Remember to work with in-season, local flowers to get the best bang for your buck. 

Here are 5 of our Top 10 Must Have Flowers for Your Fall Wedding. We've got 5 more in Part 2 later today.

1. Sunflowers 2. Chrysanthemums  3. Dahlias 4. Hydrangeas 5. Calla Lilies

1. Who doesn't love a sunflower? Seriously. Sunflowers bring on a serious happy tone to any early fall wedding.  Their bright yellow pops against a white dress, and they project undeniable sentiments of joy to come.  Sunflowers are amazing when used as an accent flower, though you should be careful if you’re planning a completely yellow - use other  accents to give your color palette some depth.   

 2. Chrysanthemums or mums are a hearty flower that offers a variety of deep tones and shades to add "fall" to your bouquet or centerpiece.  Also available in brighter colors like pink, green or even white, you can work within your color palette with a flower totally in season. Mums make great accent and filler pieces. The small green buttons are wildly popular for adding a flash of fresh color and dimension.

3. The beautifully symmetrical and intricately petaled Dahlia has more the look of a delicate paper lantern than a flower.  Available in a wide range of colors including deep reds and deep plums (including two-tone colors like pink and yellow or purple and white), you can probably find a shade of dahlia to fit the color palette you have in mind.  Round and full, they create a luscious bouquet full of life and texture.

4. Hydrangeas, an ever popular wedding flower, offer the look of fullness with a little puff of flowers.  Hydrangeas are available in lighter colors (like periwinkle or a light cornflower shade) that can make a beautiful contrast to some of the deeper hues. An ideal bloom for bulking up bouquets and centerpieces, hydrangeas are perfectly romantic and whimsical on their own.

   

5. Calla Lilies are one of my favorite for their almost solitary, regal feel; straight and smooth they evoke a sort of vintage elegance. They are often called “the green goddess” for their creamy color set between verdant leaves. Callas also come in shades of cream, yellow, burnt orange, burgundy, and bronze. The mini size is perfect for small single flower bouquets and boutonnières.  Callas are popular as part of a larger bouquet as they tend to be a wee bit expensive.

Fall is right around the corner and now is the time start thinking about your wedding needs. i'll be back later today with the rest of out Top Ten!

What flowers are you planning to use for your fall wedding? What else should be on this list?  Join the flower conversation on our Facebook Fanpage and Twitter. Hope to see you there soon!


Make it a beautiful day,

DIY Fortune Cookie Wedding Favors + A No Bake Option

{Thrifty Thursday} Handmade Wedding Favors

Happy Thursday lovelies! Here's a budget favor idea to help you stretch a dollar if you only have a few to spend but want your wedding to feel like a million bucks. Fortune cookies - I know, they get a bad rap; stale, cardboardish, plastic wrapped, questionably edible "cookie" you get from take out Chinese places. Truth is, they are a sweet, affordable, and personal ending to your already fabulous wedding. 

Photo via Lady Fortunes Gourmet Cookies

There are lots of different routes you can choose for your cookies. You can go slightly more expensive and purchase personalized fortune cookies OR go thrifty and gather your ladies for a favor making party.  We’ll go thrifty, since this is Thursday and the thrifty way, in my humble opinion, is just a lot more fun and memorable; the idea of lovingly assembling your own wedding favors with a gaggle of giggling bridesmaids, makes me smile. So let's get to it. 

FYI: Be sure to check out our No Bake Paper Fortune Cookie DIY ideas at the end of this post! 

  Photo via Your Wedding Support

What do you need?  Cookies, dipping sauces/frosting, sprinkles if you choose, boxes and ribbons, and if you go the totally self made way, paper, printer, scissors.  

Cookies - There are a number of places on the internet to purchase regular fortune cookies, with fortunes already inside.  The Oriental Trading Company offers a great deal with 50 for $6.99.  Another option is making them yourself – hence the need for a girl party. Here is a great tutorial/recipe for personalized cookies. I love the idea, however as a stressed out bride you may not have to time since the cookies should be relatively fresh.

Photo by Victoria Hudgins

Delicious Dipping – For an extra touch of class and decadence, how about serving up cookies partially dipped in all sorts of yummy flavors?   Here is a super easy recipe for Chocolate Dipped Fortune Cookies using semi-sweet chocolate chips that just about anyone can master.  You can do the same with white chocolate, peanut butter or caramel chips. You can even add color, festive sprinkles, even nuts to match your wedding color scheme. Go fancy or go fun, either way you are sure to please!

Photo via Bridesmaids and Weddings

Photo via Bridal Banter

Photo via Beau-Coup

Final Touch - Remember, presentation goes a long way in pulling off thrift. Head over to your local crafts store or online crafts vendor  for some favor or jewelry boxes, appropriately colored tissue paper and satin or grosgrain ribbon. I love this cute little handprinted bag. Adds a nice splash of color and culture. Also Luna Bazaar has an impressive collection of colorful and interesting wedding favor boxes and bags to help add a little culture.

You might want to tuck in a sweet note of thanks or even a small love poem before your tie up your favor treat.  A label with your names and wedding date attached to the box or tied on the ribbon is nice but not necessary....they did get the invite after all

Photo via Sophia's Favors

Photo via My DIY Wedding Day

No Time for Real Fortune Cookies? Try this super cute Paper Fortune Cookie instead. A little less hassle, same great effect, and no potential cardboard tasting cookies! Go at your own pace and they never go stale. There cuties are a great way to continue your wedding branding - you know look, feel, color, and patterns. Best of all, they are super inexpensive, less that 10 cents per cookie!

Check out LW Design for all the DIY details.

Want More? Head over to Kind Over Matter for this adorable free fortune cookie printable. I totally did the patterns and the sayings. Super easy, just add paper, printer, scissors and glue!

Photo via Kind over Matter 

What is the most memorable fortune you've ever received in a fortune cookie? Leave us a quick comment below! Join us on Facebook and Twitter to here what others say.

Have a deLicious day,

{Inspiration Board} Red & Lavender Wedding Colors

Red & Lavender 

Setting up our new de Lovely Affair office here in LA has inspired a new love affair with this fresh, vintage feeling wedding color combo. I love the boldness of the rich red together with the subtlety and shade variety of the lavender, from dusky tones to light and sweet!

lavender bouquet | favors | cupcakes | bridal party

purple bottle tabletop | dresses | flowers | red shoes

invitation | purple petticoat | table setting

This is a perfect color palette for a bold bride who just does not do summertime pastels or blush, lemonade, cotton candy or any other variation of pink! What I love most about this duo, it can be used successfully and with great flair in any season. Whether a vintage summer wedding, an outdoor fete full of natural fall light, or a modern spring affair awash in pale tones, red and lavender is elegant, sophisticated with playful and sassy side thrown in for fun.  With tones across the color spectrum, the options with these two beauties are endless AND you will never be at a loss for gorgeous wedding florals!

And now back to the office decoration! Pictures soon! And make sure you check back soon for my Wedding Color Series that will be featured over on Wed Loft, the blog of Wedding Window. Anything and everything you would ever want to know about wedding colors.

What do you like most about this color combo? Would you use it for your wedding? Leave us a comment below and then head over to TWITTER and FACEBOOK to check out the rest of the convo! I love chatting it up with the ladies over color and weddings. Le sigh!

Have a colorful day!