{Real Wedding} A Yellow & Gray Farm Celebration

Jenna and Sean Get Hitched - Rain or Shine

Every couple prays for good weather on their wedding day. Seems like Jenna and Sean got a dose of Mother Nature's best at their rustic farm wedding captured by Daniel McQuade Photography - a dash of rain to hold off the outdoor ceremony, followed by a glorious sunset to finish up the day.  The Swift Level Farm, a 19th century farmhouse and property in Lewisburg, West Virginia, provided an amazing backdrop with its wooden fences, old farmhouse, a water tower, and lots and lots of gorgeous green. 

From the bright daisy bouquets to the striking bridesmaids' dresses to the festive lantern strewn reception tent, every aspect of this yellow and gray wedding was overflowing with light and cheerfulness, despite the rain. I happen to love their color choices - stylish yet accessible, fashionable yet personable, infused throughout the wedding for a polished branded look.  Their simple flower and candle centerpieces popped against the white of the tent while the black and white dance floor was most certainly the center of attention....after the newlyweds of course.  As a final thank you to guests, Jenna and Sean bid farewell by releasing beautifully lit lanterns into the night sky. Quite a dramatic end to the most special of days.

 

{Photo Credit: Daniel McQuade Photography via Two Bright Lights}

Don't you just love their yellow and gray inspired farm wedding? It looked like an amazingly fun time, filled with family and friends! Thanks so much to Jenna and Sean for letting us share their wedding celebration. We wish you a happy, healthy future full of love and laughter! Thanks also to Daniel McQuade for this wedding submission. We look forward to working more with him again.

What do you like most about this Real Wedding? Leave a comment below! As always, you can find us over on FACEBOOK and TWITTER chatting about all things wedding. And remember to join us on PINTEREST to find this colorful wedding and more in our color inspiration area. 

Have a wonderful week,

{Freebie Friday} Wedding Printables to Boost Your Budget

WAAHOO FRIDAY! My very favorite thing about the wedding world today is the explosion of blogs offering up the good stuff - free DIY and printable wedding items. Everything from invitations to signs, save the dates to time lines, you can literally find anything if you Google it enough! Most printable items need your loving DIY touch and while you may not fancy yourself a craft maven, the alternative is a wedding cost the size of a down payment for a house.

Printable wedding goodies are good practical planning and will boost your wedding budget. Get on board with your printer, grab some paper from you favorite craft store, and get to downloading! Here are some of my favorites that I think would be a smart addition to any wedding.

Save the Date Cards
You can find an amazing selection of free printable, customizable Save the Date cards like this one over the Wedding Chicks - they are the best for free wedding printables! From Mad Men to Lovebirds, Bunting Flags to Mason Jars (yes, there is a Mason Jar Save the Date - totally cute), they have it all.

Click HERE for the download page.

Wedding Invitations
I think Bunting Flag ANYTHING is super cute for wedding - it screams fun and festive to me! Check out this Bunting Flag Wedding Invitation I found over on Love and Lavender. Not only do you get the invitation but also a response card as part of the printable package. They have so many great invitation choices, you are bound to find a perfect match for your wedding theme. Best of all - Free.

Click HERE for the download.

Wedding Day Mad Libs
Remember doing Mad Libs as a kid?? You loved them then so why not now too! Had to share this super cute, free Mad Libs printable from over at Love vs. Design. Looking for an interesting alternative to the boring "sign your name here" guest book? Why not these Mad Libs - they'd be a rockin' hit with guests and make a great keepsake book when done. Just print these cuties out, place at your welcome table with some nice pens and an instruction sign! Pure genius planning on your part!

Click HERE for the download

Guest Book Advice Cards

And for more Guest Book fabulousness, we head over Marry This! and their free printable Guest Book Advice Cards. I love this idea cause we all could use a little advice and we KNOW how much our friends and families want to give it. A great wedding keepsake! This download is a fun set of double sided customizable advice cards with an instructional sign! I am in printable heaven!

Click HERE for the download. And while you are there, check out their other amazing wedding guides and printables, like this Wedding Planning Timeline or Customizable Initial Tags.

Hand Illustrated Bride and Groom Signs 
These Bride and Groom Chair signs from Wedding Chicks are so adorable and a perfect addition to any garden or outdoor wedding! I love the colorful flowers and the hand drawn, DIY esque font - can you see these at your wedding? They are non customizable however change the ribbon and you've made them your own!

Head over to the Wedding Chick to print out these chair signs, which were designed by Loft Life Press 

DIY Wedding Favor Boxes

Last but not least, we have these super adorable and totally affordable DIY, printable Wedding Favor Boxes over at Style Me Pretty, designer by Twig and Thistle! TOTAL BUDGET BOOSTER! Do you KNOW how much favor boxes cost?  They have four different designs in a couple colors.  I'm sure you could find some crafty or computerized way to change the color if need be. These cute boxes would also work well for a bridal or baby shower...hint!  

Click HERE for the download. If you have a different design in mind, try this Love is Sweet DIY Wedding Favor Box. Download, Print, Cut, and Fold...Voila!

Hope you've enjoyed my Printables Round Up! We all know that weddings can cost an arm and a leg. Notice I said CAN, as in doesn't necessarily need to happen. I fully believe that with smart planning, good research, wise purchasing and a little elbow grease, you can help your wedding budget. Save some money with these printables so you can spend it on the things you REALLY care about most.

Which of these printables would you choose to help boost your budget? You can find these and so many more DIY ideas over at our Pinterest page. Won't you join us there?

Have a lovely weekend,

{Top 10} Roses & Wedding Bouquets = Always in Style + I Blame Pinterst!

Wedding Roses on My Mind

Happy Tuesday! I am a pinning fool these days....hard not to do when there are SO many amazing photos and wedding ideas out there just waiting to be snatched up. Like this random bouquet of exquisite garden roses I found on Facebook (here's our FB fanpage for you to LIKE)...I adore garden roses, or are these cabbage roses, and in half a second flat I am off in a Rose wonderland, perhaps never to reemerge. I blame Pinterest.

Photo via Martha Stewart Weddings

Roses are the most popular and dare I say most romantic wedding flower there is. They are timeless, classic and never go out of style, which got me thinking: how many types of roses are there? Surely there has to been every flavor rose for every flavor bride...the bouquets we see are so varied, personal, and just down right jaw dropping.  With that in mind, here are my Top 10 Favorite Rose Wedding Bouquets simply cause I am in the mood for some pretty.

Cherry brandy roses anchor this vibrant multiflower bouquet! This couple is definitely going for color.

Photo via Brown Bunny Flowers

Pretty blush pink English roses, look like peonies when closed but definitely a rose when they open.

Photo via The Sweetest Occasion

Soft yellows, peaches, and ivories - reminds me of a creamsicle + baby blue ribbon, a perfect combo!

Photo via My Life is Brilliant

Color palette: brown, burgandy, and ivory. The Black Bacarra Rose was a perfect choice! I adore the use of an embellished ribbon to add some light and bling.

Photo via Snapdragon Studio

Chic, sophisticated, understated ivory bouquet.

Photo via One Wed

Peach continues to be one of the hottest wedding colors! Love this peach bouquet with Apple Blossom Amaryllis, Juliet Garden Roses, Peach Hyacinth and Ruffled Peach Lisianthus.

Photo via Wild Flowers Inc.

A romantic clutch of roses, geranium leaves, and passion vine 

Photo via Martha Stewart Wedding

Roses and Succulent bouquet wrapped with jute twine.  Ranunculus, berries, curly willow and billy balls add texture and visual interest. Very California to me!

Photo via Apple Blossoms Floral Designs

This lush bouquet of ivory and blush garden roses is so sweet and romantic! 

Photo via Zest Floral and Event Design

An ideal bouquet to usher in Spring! 

Photo via Posies by Pippa

Rustic hand gathered wildflower bouquets with oddly shaped floral accents MAY be all the rage, and unique non-floral bouquets MAY be topping the popularity chart but roses will always rein supreme when it comes to weddings. Some couples are shying away from roses these days because of the expense but I say, go DIY with your wedding flowers. Purchasing from floral markets or online wholesalers like Global Rose will get you a TON of bang for your buck plus pretty roses.

Oh and FYI: there are over 100 species of roses, in three groups with hundreds of more hybrid variations...oh wait, another site says 150 types in seven groups....and yet another says the Alba Rose has been around since the 1st Century. Well I guess that proves my theory, there are as many varieties of roses as there are wedding themes! Here is a great resource for some of the most popular roses.

What type of rose is your favorite? Would you consider going DIY with your wedding bouquet? For great DIY ideas, check out my Guest Post on Wed Loft blog on How to Reduce You Wedding Flower Cost! You'll be glad you did.


Have a beautiful day,

PS If you want more great bouquet ideas, head over to our Pinterest page for beautiful inspiration.