Ruffled® » ceremony

Best of 2011: Ceremonies

Ashley — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:44:58 +0000

We’re continuing our look back on our favorites of 2011, with a focus today on our most adored ceremony sites and decor! It was no easy feat to narrow down our choices, but we picked some we know you’ll remember and love:

1.Philadelphia wedding, captured by Love Me Do Photography

2. Rochester barn wedding, captured by Eric Lundgren Photography

3. Illinois wedding, captured by Deidre Lynn Photography

4. Wedding at Serenbe, captured by W Scott Chester

5. New Orleans wedding, captured by Kelly is Nice

6. Tennessee Wedding, captured by Dixie Pixel

7. Atlanta warehouse wedding, captured by Kyle Hale

8. Texas wedding, captured by Ryan Price; 9. Dublin wedding, captured by Magda Lukas with Brosnan Photographic

10. Mojave Desert wedding, captured by Made U Look Photography

11. Canadian Wedding, captured by Sweet Heirloom Photography

12. Australian wedding captured by CKMetro Photography, 13. Big Sur California Elopement, captured by Evynn LeValley Photography

14. A Steampunk Wedding, captured by Feather Love Photography

15. Florida garden wedding, captured by Ben Sasso

We have many, many more to show here in the photo gallery!

1920s Inspired Wedding

Amanda — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:32:35 +0000

When Victoria, the bride, sent over her engagement session and told me about her wedding plans, I immediately jumped at the chance to share her story and images. If you were smitten by the teaser I posted yesterday as much I was, be ready to ooh and ah over her wedding. Their sweet ceremony is only part one of Victoria and Graeme’s feature and a glimpse of their insanely beautiful vintage wedding in Sussex, UK. The perfectly sweet images are by Simon Fazackarley, who was kind to share them with us today.

From the bride: It was Graeme’s idea initially, he suggested we get married at the Charleston farmhouse in Sussex (home of Virginia Wolfe’s sister) and the whole idea of a vintage 1920s theme came from there. When we found out Charleston was unavailable we decided to just go ahead with the original theme anyway. We both love that era and we wanted an excuse to go vintage!

When we first went to see the venue, the sun was setting over the South Downs and gleaming off the ponds. A group of geese were grazing at the other end of the field – we couldn’t have found a nicer venue. Another couple had dropped out of the first weekend in August, freeing up the 7th for our wedding. It seemed like fate!

My dress was by a local, Brighton based designer called Sarah Arnett. She was having an end of line, closing down sale for her ready to wear collection and I dragged Graeme along to go take a look (I’ll admit it, I was scared of going alone because of all those ladies you hear about – grabbing and ripping clothes out of each others hands). I saw the dress! Another woman was just returning it after trying it on and I pounced on it, it was worth it. I grabbed myself a ridiculous bargain – £100 reduced from £1700.

Check back soon for part two. Victoria will be back to share more details about their insanely beautiful day!

Wedding Vendors (Sussex, UK):

Ceremony and reception location: Laughton Barn / Florist: DIY flowers, purchased from a supermarket / Photographer: Simon Fazackarley / Wedding Dress: Sarah Arnett / Hair Accessories: Etsy seller Romancingthebling / Jewelry: Bride’s grandmother’s and mother’s / Shoes: Dune / Feather shrug: Principles / Groom’s suit: Gresham Blake / DJ: a friend of the couple / Caterer: Circa Events / Dessert bar: potluck by friends and family / Wedding invitations: created by groom, a designer

© 2008-2012 Ruffled® , 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Posted under: Real Weddings, Vintage Weddings 1920's, ceremony, England, lawn games, outdoor weddings, red, Simon Fazackarley, Sussex, UK, yellow

DIY Easter Lily Backdrop

Amanda — Tue, 04 May 2010 13:02:15 +0000

Veronica from My Hands Made It is back with us again, now sharing with us one last project she made for her wedding. She is also the brains and crafty hands behind Coco Irene, a fabulous accessories shop with the cutest belts and statement necklaces.

I’m pretty sure the first time I saw the Easter Lily altar from Martha Stewart my heart stopped beating for a second. I had been searching for a ceremony backdrop with a 1930s look and that altar was so sculptural and had such a great deco feel to it – I HAD TO HAVE IT. Unfortunately a couple hundred fresh Easter Lilies are not within our budget nor are they even available in late June for our wedding. So I went with artificial lilies, and although they are definitely not as fragrant, they still look seriously awesome.

The cheapest flowers I could find were bought by the bush, which meant a lot of time spent stripping the flowers and leaves from their plastic stems and then removing the stamens. The flowers then had holes running through the centers – perfect for stringing onto wire.

To make our 7 ft tall x 4 ft wide altar, I used:
- Approximately 450 artificial lilies
- Two 3 ft long wooden dowel rods
- Bendable wire
- 4 ft long leaf garland
- Masking tape

The process is actually super simple. Make an “O” at the end of a length of wire and drop your first lily on, bell side down. Then crimp and twist the wire so that the bottom of the next lily will just graze the top of the first. Add another lily and so on until you’ve reached your desired length. Wrap the top of your wire around a dowel rod and begin on the next wire. I also added leaves from the lily bushes for a little extra color. Keep working with the dowel rods separately and vary the length of wire. When both dowel rods are filled, tape them together to achieve the width of your altar. The flowers will then overlap, creating great depth. The leaf garland is great for camouflaging the dowel rods – simply attach with wire.

Pretty romantic stuff, right? I can’t wait to see the sun shining through this gorgeous curtain of flowers as I walk down the aisle.

Blooming Wedding Ideas

Amanda — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:52:55 +0000

Last week I attended the NY Magazine Weddings Event, and couldn’t help but drool over the amazing floral designs some of the booths had. So much inspiration I had to share with you all. Garden roses, peonies, ranunculus and lavender were everywhere, subtly reminding me that spring is finally here and summer is right around the corner. The blooming tea mini centerpieces were my absolute favorite! Pair those with vintage pink Depression Glass goblets and it’s pure bliss. You also might want to check out this post on another gorgeous vintage tablescape from a few weeks ago for more decor eye candy.

Top 2 rows: flowers by Poppies and Posies / Rows 4 and 5: Designs by Ahn / Last 3 rows: Hatch Creative Studio / All photos by Jen Huang Photography

Mismatched Vintage Chairs

Amanda — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:26:45 +0000

It’s impossible to talk vintage trends without mentioning mismatched chairs. If you’re deciding between chivari or white foldable chairs, why not skip the cost and start collecting vintage chairs? One can even acquire old chairs for free if your wedding is still a few months away, you just have to be on the look out for chairs on the curb during furniture pick up day.

Let’s start with this real wedding I featured a few months ago, where the bride collected vintage chairs she bought from thrift stores (see more from this vintage handmade wedding).

First row: vintage handmade wedding featured here; Second row: Painted Revelry tablescape featured here designed by Momental Designs; Third row: photo by Jill Thomas, designed by Amorology Weddings, Fourth row: old mismatched chairs via Bliss Event Group; Fifth and last rows: photo by Cathy Empey designed by Grey Likes Weddings, Sixth row: Country Living; Seventh row: left, mismatched ceremony chairs via Brigadeiro de Colher; right, photo by Mike Larson Photography designed by Lollipop Events

Vintage Hawaiian Wedding, Part I

Amanda — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:00:30 +0000

I diiiiieeeed when the crazy talented ladies over at Lollilop Events and Designs sent over this amazing vintage inspired Hawaiian wedding they designed for their clients a few months ago. I love every single wedding they create, and was over the moon when this one landed in my inbox! The couple got married in Maui, and asked them to incorporate elements of peacocks into their special day. Photos by Christie Pham Photography.

Vanessa from Lollilop Events and Designs says:
Instead of going the traditional jewel tone route, we wanted to soften the palette and use light pastels and bleached peacock feathers for a more subdued underlying effect rather than an obvious peacock theme. The only obvious display of peacocks was visible on the monogram of the invitations and the custom printed canvas gift bags.

For the ceremony site we wanted to maintain the simplicity of the sea filled backdrop and the rustic dried out palm frond pergola. We hung clusters of tight roses dripping with unexpected strands of pearls. A crystal chandelier majestically glittered against the backdrop of the expansive ocean and setting sun. Vintage frames were propped against the rustic archway and covered with moss and flowers as an inviting entrance to the alter under which they said “I Do!” in the romantic setting of tropical perfection.

The brides’ childhood friend was kind enough to write a poem for the couple’s special day. We were so inspired by the time and love put into the poem, we asked her to send us the original handwritten copy. We then made beautiful copies onto our custom design bridal letterhead and passed out to guests in lieu of traditional programs.

Stay tuned for part two of this gorgeous Maui wedding!

Gatefold Program Templates

Amanda — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:04:20 +0000

I think this is probably my favorite freebie find as of yet! These gatefold wedding programs (or you can make invitations) are just beautiful. Found on HP website (who knew they had fabulous templates?)

Download green gatefold template

Download purple gatefold template

Download gray gatefold template

Download brown gatefold template

Have a good weekend everyone!

French Inspired Buffet Markers

Amanda — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:07:52 +0000

I had these buffet markers bookmarked back when I was planning my own wedding, aren’t they perfect for a vintage, French-inspired wedding? They would look adorable as buffet markers for a dessert table.

They can be found here.

Paper Rose Tutorial

Amanda — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:03:48 +0000

I saw this tutorial via Creature Comforts (from Dozi Design) and the first thing that came to my mind is cheap-but-awesome-DIY centerpiece. Check out that arrangement below!

Step 1. Draw a spiral on a 4×4″ square sheet of paper
Step 2. Cut out spiral along the lines you have drawn
Step 3. Begin rolling up the spiral from the outside
Step 4. Keep on rolling until there is no more left to roll
Step 5. and you’re done!

DIY Music Sheet Petal Cone

Amanda — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:00:48 +0000

I compiled a huge selection of projects and ideas back when I was planning my wedding, and now I can get to share some of the ideas with you. Here’s one I loved:

You will need:

- music sheets (you can find vintage music sheets on Ebay)

- Scissors

- Glue gun or double sided tape

- wax seal or metal medallion (you can find custom monogram seals here)

- ribbon

- hole punch (if you would like to hang them from chairs)

Click here for instructions

I bought these vintage Wedding March music sheets from Ebay for $2!