TwitterPated...Tweet Tweet!

I first stumbled across this a while back and thought it was a great idea - but must admit that I would prefer to take it a little less literal. But, anyways, this is where the inspiration for Love Birds came from - these two great collages. The first from Best Wedding Sites and the second from Tastefully Entertaining.

INSPIRATIONS

PRINT

Let's start with print, a very good place to start ;). I love this first design, even if I'm not terribly enamored with the colors which was found at MindyWagner. Underneath it we have this beautiful 3-D invite (Letterperfect) and next to it a very organic/artistic invite found at Wedding Bee. Underneath that we have a more 1930's place card approach (Wedding Bee), this beautiful red/gold rendition from H2Cards and last but not least this more scrapbook crafty appeal from Shazanne Crafts.

TABLES AND THINGS

I love love this floral, organic centerpiece which I stumbled across at June Bug Weddings. Underneath it we have this ornate birdcage surrounded by flowers found at Joyful Weddings and Events as well as this fun, playful place setting also found there in the middle up top. Down below a very Autumn/nature feel at Wedding Bee and what Love Bird wedding would be complete without it's share of nests! From top to bottom: Joyful Weddings and Events, Isn't She Lovely and Here Comes the Guide.

ODDS 'N ENDS

I also heart heart this pink lovebird up top from The Handcrafted Wedding. There's just something sweet yet sassy about her! Up top we have these fun bird napkin rings (Kaboodle), down below this fun bird mint tin (Wedding Things) and wooden birds ordaining the ceremony aisle (IStockPhoto). Love bird garter (Etsy - a Pete Rene Design), birdcage down below and very large (almost larger than the flower girl!) flower girl basket (Wedding Bee) .

CAKES

Ahhhh - ceramic love bird topper (Wedding Resources) followed by a yellow/brown love bird cake (Joyful Weddings and Events). Birds nest with roses (1812 Hitching Post) and my FAV this beautiful cake which was a take on the invites found at Pink Cake Box. I also like this very artistic take with the bright blue and bird accents from Isn't She Lovely.

That's all she wrote folks - I have oodles of ideas for next month's blog but not sure which one I've settled on yet, so it will be a surprise to me too!

Shades of Blue and Cherry Reds!

Well, I got it all backwards! I thought orange and blue would be hard and red and blues would be easy - I couldn't have been further from the truth! But the goodies I did find are quite the catch!! Without further ado....

INSPIRATION BOARD

Most of these photos will show-up again - I just wanted to put a little something together to show you the beauty of this color combination from some of my favorite shots. The one picture that won't show-up later is the beautiful floral inspiration in the upper left corner which I found at Wedding Poop Blogspot (no, I DID NOT make that up - go there and see!).

INVITES, ESCORT/PLACE CARD/TABLE MARKER INSPIRED

In the upper left hand corner we have the pretty embossed invite version I found at the ever famous Project Wedding. Next to that I love the bold, modern yet fanciful twist of this handmade invite over at Etsy. These interesting word cut-out handmade invites were also found at Etsy by AmyZo. Next to that is the more reserved, yet elegant invite at Budget Dream Weddings. Underneath I love the way this invite is wrapped with the pretty red floral graphic done at Project Wedding. This more flamboyant invite was actually an invite to a museum auction but I thought it would look great as a wedding invite for the right bride and groom and found at Paper Style. And, over at Perfect Memories Events Blogspot, I found this whimsical red and blue circle invite.

CENTERPIECES

I didn't find a lot, but what I did find I love! First up is this delightful centerpiece collage in the upper left-hand corner, found at Brides. I love the cut-out metal floral vase paired with blue candles and red accents - now, I'll admit, not an easy look to achieve here in Vallarta - but not impossible! What I adore in the next photo is all upwards - I love what appears to me strung red flowers and the pretty light blue Chinese lanterns - so whimsical yet dramatic! The reason I don't love the table scape as much is I would love to see some sort of touch on the white covered chairs - I'm not a fan of the white-covered chair but do think they can be incorporated fairly well if there is some sort of accent-action going on. Anywho, I found that photo at Life, Love and Lipstick.

In the middle row is the larger version of the centerpiece I love mentioned up above. Next to it is a more breezy, beachy idea which was found at I-Weddings. Of course, this photo is missing the blue accent - what I would have loved to see is the white vases replaced with blue vases - then I think this photo has the possibility of fabulousness!

In the bottom row, these pretty, light and airy vases filled with red buds was found at Flickr. Next to it we have an aqua and blue affair found at Wedding Bee. And lastly, but not leastly, beautiful blue wrapped vases filled with luscious red flowers at Project Wedding.

BOUQUETS, ACCENTS, ETC.

Well, I didn't find enough of each of these to make them their own collage, but I did find pieces of all to create this one! Upper left-hand corner is a full-blossomed bouquet at Brides. Next to it are these wonderful blue-inked ceremony programs done by Hy Studio. I found a few bird inspired pieces - enough that I might just do a whole blog on them! These bird favors and the bird coasters underneath were found on Flickr. I've used bird cages before, but I really love the ornateness of this birdcage in particular which I also found at Flickr.

Underneath the red bouquet are my favorite favors - little metal photo frames which doubled as escort cards at I-Weddings. Underneath we have cute Mr. and Mrs. chairs at Hy Studio, little favor food boxes (yum yum!) also at I-Weddings, and I adore this monogrammed dance floor at Wedding By Color.

Again, blue lanterns which I've mentioned before but love them, so here they are again, at Flickr/OnceWed. Little collection of favor items (like matchbooks, retro pins, etc.) over at Brilliant Event Planning. Beautiful, elegant blue laced pillow at Once Wed. I know I almost never get consulted re: bridesmaid dresses, but I love the color of this blue and the look of these found at Bon Mariage. Snazzy blue boxes with bright red flowers found at Flickr. This memory space with antique candle holders, red candles, red flowers and blue foto frame at I-Weddings. And this ceremony program idea was also found over at Flickr.

MISHKA DESIGNS' TWISTS

We didn't have time to do an example of a blue/red favor as Omar is working on some upcoming projects, but I clumsily tried to do a photoshop example from our maraca/fan examples earlier to hopefully just give you an idea of what you could do (with our help, of course!)!!

Mid-month will find us focusing-in on a requested color palette of lime, red and chocolate brown - should be interesting!! If you're a bride or a coordinator and would like a blog on something for your upcoming wedding, drop me a note!!

Center Me To Pieces!!

I thought the subject of this mid-month blog would be easy but I was OH SO WRONG!! I saw soooo many BAD BAD BAD centerpieces (I felt bad for brides who are looking for new ideas!!) and many, many copycat pieces and very little truly original pieces. Of course, I realize that I'm somewhat picky when it comes to centerpieces - I'm not a big fan of tall centerpieces because they a) block the view from people sitting across and b) in an outdoor setting there is also danger of them blowing over. And you have to be careful with candle centerpieces because, while many of them look good in a photo shoot (as we all know!) they do not stay lit here in Vallarta unless they are protected!!

BUT, with all that said, I did find a few centerpieces I felt worthy of note ... so here we go!!


LIGHT AND AIRY
First runner-up is this flower box, daisy display that I found at Our One Heart. I think, for a casual, fun beach wedding this would be a good option and I love the use of yellow - something we don't see too often!!

Next we have a floating candle, orchid and rock display found at California Wedding Ideas. Now, I know we've seen floating candles before, but I've never seen the combination done with orchids and rocks and I think, for Vallarta and the right bride, this could be a really, great natural centerpiece.

Not to be beaten is this driftwood, orchid centerpiece which I found from a DIY bride at the Wedding Bee. I really like it - it's simple, yet very beachy and a little elegant!

I know I said I'm not fond of tall centerpieces, but I did like this tall submerged orchid piece found at June Bug Weddings. Of course, this isn't a piece we could use on the beach, but it would be a possibility inside the right villa.

Last, but certainly not least, I absolutely love this colorful, simple yet whimsical Gerber arrangement found at Elizabeth Anne Designs. Beautiful!!

A LITTLE DARKER
I have tree branches on my mind these days for an upcoming event, so it's no accident that I bumped into these tree creations. The first is from Project Wedding and I not only like the unique centerpiece but I also really love the combination of the runner and purple flowers NOT to mention the use of the white chiavari chairs with dark seat cushions. Really nice!

The next tree concoction came from the Wedding Bee and I absolutely adore the use of branches, flowers and candles. I know it's a tall piece, but it would work for a villa wedding!!

Again, another tall piece, but truly original is this fruit/flower display at The Knot. To be honest, I would like this piece a little more if they took the purple flowers away from the top of the fruit display and just left the white branches, but, in any case, I think it's a nice piece.

Of course, my favorite is last - I love this combination of coffee beans and flowers found at Kim Vallee's Blog. I could easily see this with the use of tulips or very open roses.

FLOWERS FLOWERS FLOWERY
Two interesting floral pieces were this floral cake base and tall glass vase - I would prefer not to have this piece so tall (again!) but I did think it was different and beautiful in it's own way. This piece was found at Precious Moments Florals Events.

Monograms have still not died out (and probably won't) so here's a neat idea to incorporate the monogram into a centerpiece, found at Brides.

ORIGINAL, OUT OF THE BOX
Again with the carved fruit, but I just love utilizing it somehow ... I think this pineapple cut-out isn't quite finished for a centerpiece, but it does give some great ideas, so I included it anyway! Found at Erin Cooks.

Another version of the use of couple photos for centerpieces, but I thought this one was really well-done and there are so many different things you could incorporate into this idea, aside from photos. Found at the Wedding Bee.

And, of course, the best for last .... I love the use of the Chinese umbrellas and natural grasses and calla lilies down below - true inspiration found at Project Wedding.

Next month we have a special treat for ya'all, as Omar has been busy painting various examples of made-to-order maracas to show you just a few of the possibilities for the bride who wants something uniquely hers so be sure to tune-in!!

Dramatic Black and White with Splash of Red!

What a whirlwind couple of weeks! I found some really beautiful things and I can't wait to share it with you, so here it is!

I love the dramatic theme of a black and white wedding, but I do feel like there needs to be a splash of color somewhere to give it some "oomph" ... whether it's red, mango, lime green, yellow ... I chose to go with red for this blog because it feels so Spanish to me and ties in well with a lot of our villa settings.


The Invitations
I fell in love with these invitations when I was designing an event a few months back. These are designed by Kenzie Kate and I think they are absolutely wonderful!

The Bouquet
Black magic roses, crimson calla lilies and feathers ... what's not to love?!! I would add a beautiful beaded trim and wa-la, gorgeous! I found these bouquets at The Knot. Of course, you know I try to stick to things we can actually get here in Vallarta and as you all know, beautiful beaded trim is usually something not readily available, as these are at MJ Trim. However, beads are available, and that's what I would do for this particular bouquet - make some beaded ribbon to accomplish a similar look!

The Ceremony
So much depends on the location, of course. But I love the idea of incorporating some detailed lace with sparkling crystals (Black White Bliss)! And these fans are a wonderful idea that I have every intention of incorporating somehow (found at The Bride's Cafe and created by Oh How Charming).

The Cocktail
For whom, and how I would use this idea, I'm not sure. But in this particular blog of black and white, here's a GREAT idea to recreate an old-fashioned look in a way that we can actually "find" here in Vallarta! These are just fabric covers over boxes but painted to look like furniture, found at Black White Bliss. I love this idea and I'm sure you'll see it one day in one of our designs!

The Reception
I couldn't find anything that really represents in my head when I think about this particular black and white with splashes of red look, but the idea is to print off a piece, such as this tango artwork and wrap it around a hurricane vase to create centerpieces. Then I would add a black tablecloth with white lace runner, similar to the photo (Easy Street Antiques), and some sort of red, white and black printed napkin (Saffron Marigold). I love this burnt number look and would incorporate that into the table numbers as well as the place cards (Black and White Bliss). Then, as the final finishing touches. a couple of filigree red lanterns and clear candles (Illumination) and you're ready to go!

The Dance Floor
I think red hanging lanterns with an arabesque touch would be a great touch and I love the way they are represented in this photo, found once again at the Brides Cafe and created by Oh How Charming. I'm sure you're wondering, "How on earth would you get something that looked like those lanterns here" and all I'm going to say is there are ways! If I gave you all my secrets what would you need us for?? :)

The Cake/Cupcake
I love both this cake (Glass Slipper Gourmet) and this amazing cupcake decor (Black White Bliss) equally, so it would be really hard to make a decision and would have to be up to the bride and groom's preference! But great ideas, nevertheless!

Well, that's it for mid-month. Next month I'm going to tackle the next current and upcoming trend which is vintage, vintage and vintage!