Enjoying Placecards and Tablemarkers!

Well, I know I WAS going to talk about black being "in" and such, but I had to do some research on place cards and table markers for an upcoming event and ran across some things I just had to share!

I think table markers, escort cards and place cards are the perfect places to put creative and unique touches about the bride and groom - be it that they love seashells or had something really special in their invitations which would be great to tie-in or they're into hearts, butterflies - whatever! But, even though I base my ideas on the bride and groom themselves, I always need fresh perspectives on how to display, format and graphic design them! This is what I found this time around...

TABLE MARKERS

Here's a chocolate brown, turquoise option I found over the The Knot. I love the modern, yet elegant approach.

Some other great Knot finds were these Photo Luminaries - the idea behind this was that the table was named after a landmark with a photo of the couple and then each side had something re: the town where the wedding was held - fact, history, pictures. I think, for the right couple, this idea would translate well here in Vallarta as we get so many out-of-town visitors who really know very little about Vallarta, Jalisco and Mexico in general.

Photos of the couple aren't exactly a new idea, but this one also had little details about the couple as well, which I thought was really smart and gave an old idea a new twist.

It makes sense that a lot of our couples love to travel - I've used photographs before and names of cities the couple have loved, but I found this postcard idea with the reason WHY that place was so special to the couple incredibly inspiring.

And, lastly also from The Knot, I liked the use of ribbon, the photograph and the graphic design - really sharp!

PLACE CARDS

For some reason, I find Table Markers a lot easier to do than place cards - I think some of that is because place cards generally have such a small printing area. But these ideas should definitely help!

I think these place card votive ideas from The Wedding Bee are beautiful, classic and functional! The added ribbon just gives it a little added romantic touch.

I also loved this whimsical cake along with the flower place cards holder, which we found at Get Married. Great way to combine a place card with a favor.

These buttons, found over at Martha Stewart, can be ordered in all sorts of styles, names and icons. For just the right couple, I think this touch could be really impressive!

And lastly, but certainly not least as you know I love to save the best for last!, here is a place card tree found over at Style Me Pretty. I absolutely LOVE this place card display with the ribbons and the beads in a willow tree. Absolutely perfect!

Well, that's all for May Mid-Month - I promise to get around to the black and white inspirations as well as sharing some fabulous new centerpiece ideas really soon! And, as always, if there is something you need ideas for or are curious about, let me know and I'll see what I can find for upcoming blogs!

I dream of cupcakes and cakes!

I thought I would start off this month by sharing some great finds I found while investigating for an upcoming wedding where the bride has requested a cupcake tower! I usually direct the wedding couple to a cake gallery I have and ask them to choose a few cakes they like - then I take to the web and try to discover new and amazing ideas which would be perfect for their event design, based on their preferences!

CUPCAKES

I found cupcakes, as you probably already know from your own investigations, to be really difficult - probably because the design area is so small. It was very hard to find ideas that I felt were inspired and different but I did come across 3 that I just had to share!

Cupcake Tower Black

I found this amazing cupcake tower on the Vanilla Bake Shop website. I love the strong, bold look of this black and white design which truly makes this cupcake tower something to behold!

Blossom Cupcake Tower

This next design I found by Yummy Piece of Cake on flickr. I love how these bright blossoms make this cupcake tower feel so lush and inviting!

Bride and Groom Cupcakes
And I saved the most amazing for last (of course!). This bride and groom cupcake set was one of the most original and cute ideas I found for cupcakes. I found it on 52 Cupcakes blog and the design is from A Baker's Guide by Dede Wilson. I'm definitely going to try to incorporate this somehow!

CAKES

Well, while I was out and about, I also ran across some great finds for cake inspirations! One of my favorite cake design sites comes from LovinSullivan and, if you haven't heard of them yet, you just have to check them out! Here are three cakes that really caught my eye this time through!

LEFT: I love this fern decorated cake - even only using elements of it.

RIGHT: Not only do I think the use of color and flowers beautiful, but the top layer of the cake has a line from a poem that the B&G loved and that's exactly the kind of detail I think makes a truly incredible event.

BOTTOM: I think this black and white preston sturgess cake is really modern and "in." I found a lot of black and white inspirations, actually, but I'll deal with that in another blog!

This beautiful paisely cake came from I Dream of Cake. I think the detail in this cake is amazing!

And, last but not least, some inspiration from The Knot. As you probably already know, The Knot generally doesn't change their gallery around too much, although they occasionally add to it. So, once you're caught-up on what they have, it's easy to spot the newcomers!

flowers on chocolate by Cheryl Kleinman

violets and lavender by Ellen Baum Woll for Bijouxdoux

black and white modern by How Sweet It Is

So, that's it for this month ... mid-month I'm debating between the black and white motif and unique centerpieces ... if you have a preference, let me know!