Fabulous Fall DIY Wedding

Ruffled featured such a sweet wedding yesterday that I couldn't resist posting a few photos. This wedding was mostly done by the bride herself and turned out beautifully...
I absolutely love these centerpieces! The rustic but very orderly display is stunning.

For more photos from this simple and sweet wedding, go to Ruffled Blog here and here.

Groomsmen Gift Boxes

Why not put a little more thought into the groomsmen gifts? I absolutely adore these drink boxes recently featured on Ruffled. They are an easy DIY project that could be accomplished on a budget. Simply choose a drink for each groomsmen, carefully package each ingredient with labels, include the recipe, and you have a fabulous gift! The guys will love it and the bride will too because it is such a stylish and thoughtful gift.
These boxes are finished with the name of the groomsman hand stamped across the top and sealed with a stylish label. I love them!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Bracamontes!

Lyndi & Tony were married in April and we are thrilled to have just learned that they're expecting their first child! Congratulations to you both! We couldn't be happier for you.

Finishing Touch Loves Ranunculus!

As I've said before, ranunculus is one of my favorite flowers! It is so delicate and romantic and comes in a wide variety of colors for any wedding. Here are 2 beautiful ranunculus bouquets from the Bride's Cafe.

This one is my favorite! Orange ranunculus & dusty miller. Simply Stunning!

The perfect Groomsmen Gifts!

Something Old, Something New out of Fort Smith, Arkansas has just been featured in Houston's Modern Luxury Bride Magazine for their fantastic boxed cigar sets!

$35.00 each

These are perfect to give as a gift to your groomsmen! And for the bride with a bigger budget would be fantastic favors for the men at your wedding!

After the holidays, these will be available on their etsy shop, but until then, email Something Old Something New from their blog.

Inspiring Images for a Winter Wedding

This beautiful inspiration board from Grey Likes Weddings has me in the mood for a holiday wedding! It's simply stunning...

for all of the details visit Grey Likes Weddings.

Winter Wedding Centerpieces: All Bundled Up

These sweater covered vases blew me away when I saw them in Martha Stewart Weddings several months ago. They add amazing texture to a winter table scape!
I've been looking for a way to create these for months and have just stumbled upon this fantastic DIY tutorial from Greys Likes Weddings:
This tutorial could so easily be adapted for glass cylinders and used as centerpieces like the Martha Stewart table. Any brides out there who want to use it for your wedding? I'm dying to try this!

Golden Goddess Cake

This cake is absolutely incredible! It reminds me of ancient Greek Olympics with the laurel wreaths around the layers. I can see this cake as the centerpiece for a Mediterranean or Greek themed wedding. Plus, the gold is right on trend and always chic.

via The Red Sole Bride

Amazing Outdoor Wedding

This bride has impeccable style. Everything she chose from the pews for the outdoor wedding, to the beautiful blooms in her bouquet is pure perfection!

via Style Me Pretty.
I especially love the rustic bench!

To read about the details of this beautiful day, check out Style Me Pretty. Once again, this incredible wedding was photographed by the always amazing Jessica Claire.

Punk Rock Love from Utterly Engaged

Utterly Engaged has just released it's 6th issue! The Punk Rock Wedding Style section is incredible! Here are just a few of my favorite images from this issue...
Rockin' gowns at rockin' prices:

and rockin' flowers that will blow you away:All of the images are so inspiring and I'm especially enthralled by these incredible florals! The feathers are perfectly placed and the use of unique blooms accentuate the offbeat quality of the bride who would carry them. Absolutely gorgeous...

The rest of the newest Utterly Engaged issue is amazing as well. Look through the entire e-zine for oodles of inspiration.

Amazing Ansel Adams Inspired Engagement Shoot!

With a groom who is a photographer, the sky is the limit. And this groom had a specific inspiration in mind for his engagement photos: Ansel Adams. They flew their photographer to Yosemite National Park and had an engagement session unlike any I've ever seen before. These engagement photos literally left me breathless...
and my favorite of the bunch...
This photo could be artwork on anyone's wall. I am completely in love with this shoot! Amazing...

For more photos from this engagement session, check out the Wedding Chick's blog.

Interns Needed...

Finishing Touch is growing! We have several large weddings booked for Spring 2010 and we need interns.

If you are a girl like me who has always dreamed of wedding planning, or you've just recently decided you might want to pursue a career in the wedding industry, please send your resume to jessica@finishingtoucheventdesign.net

These weddings will be all across the state, so we have opportunities available for everyone! Call or email today.

Wedding Photo Holiday Cards

To all of the newly weds out there... Create custom holiday cards from your wedding photos! Trust me, your family and friends are dying to see them and this is the perfect way to give your loved ones a sneak peak! You could even include a web address to view the rest of your wedding images.

via Classic Bride created by Minted.

These can almost always be professional designed by your photographer. Contact them to get details.

A tip for budget conscious readers: Design the card yourself and place the order through Snapfish or Jiffy Print. Depending on the number ordered, these could cost as little as $0.10 each!

Simple, Sweet, and Stunning!

Choosing your wedding cake design can be difficult. It is theoretically the centerpiece of your reception and you want it to represent your style and the design of your wedding.
Lately, I am loving smaller wedding cakes. You can save a significant amount of money if you choose a small cake to cut and have sheet cakes in the kitchen to be cut for your guests. Or, if you're like me and you just like the small size, why not have 3 smaller cakes displayed on beautiful pedestals?
Perfect for any time of year, this cake, featured in InStyle Weddings, is absolutely beautiful! The sugar lily of the valley bouquet is perfection - taking this take from plain to wedding worthy.

via Spring 2008 InStyle Weddings

Invitation Rivalry from Sincerely Yours

In the spirit of the big game this weekend between the Arkansas Razorbacks and LSU Tigers, I thought this post was fitting!

Amy Hannon of Sincerely Yours Paper, Inc created a fantastic invitation for a bride's rehearsal dinner this past weekend. They had a tailgate themed dinner and because half of the guests are LSU fans and the other half Razorback fans, she designed a two sided invitation that is perfection!
It conveys the fun atmosphere of a tailgate party and relays instructions for the guests to come dressed in their team colors. These invitations were designed with clever wording and a fun design.

If you're looking for something in this style for a rehearsal dinner or for any party, give Amy @ Sincerely Yours a call!

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

Lydia and Joshua are turning 3! And to celebrate, we threw an amazing Where the Wild Things Are party based on the children's book by Maurice Sendak.

To keep the party from being cheesy, we gathered inspiration from the book rather than taking everything directly from it. To accomplish this, we used a jungle background for the invitations and took fonts and quotes straight out of the book. We also used lots of animal prints in the decor and created a jungle like feeling by bringing in trees and plants and draping streamers adorned with fabric leaves over the doorways. It was a truly magical party!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the day:

The popcorn bar was a huge hit! We made the display of treat cones trimmed with fabric and ribbon. The kids added to their popcorn a variety of toppings, including M&Ms, caramel, melted butter, grated cheese, and much more!
For a DIY tutorial on the cones, go to our previous post.

The children listened to the classic story at the beginning of the party.

They were each given a paper mask to make them a Wild Thing for the day! "They roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth!"
*Comment with your email address if you'd like the template for these masks.

The adorable Wild Thing Cake from Confectionately Yours.

Along with this Where the Wild Things Are coloring book, each guest took home Hershey Bars with custom "I'll eat you up. I love you so" wrappers.

The kids also played "Pin the Tail On Max" using a fantastic felt display complete with a hand drawn Max and fur tail.

The party was a huge success. The birthday girl and birthday boy wore their very own fur trimmed crowns and fur tails as they ruled over all of the Wild Things for the day! Their friends loved the story and had a great time pinning the tail on Max. It could not have been any more adorable!

To see more pictures from the party, go to the gallery on our website.

"Just Married"

Some of the best photos of the night come from the bride and groom's get away. To make these really special, don't forget the "just married" sign.
For this, there are countless options! Here are a few great examples from Green Wedding Shoes...
Or you can opt for the window decal (Kinko's/FedEx Office makes these for a very good price) which is always elegant:
If you'd like to make your own to go along with your wedding decor, Kelly from Santa Barbara Chic has just posted her "how to" for a simple, but beautiful design.

Instructions:
1. Use the same paper that is used in paper products throughout the wedding, and a ribbon that coordinates with the wedding colors.
2. Simply print one large letter per sheet in the font used for invitations, programs, or monograms.
- the size is up to you, we suggest 5 x 8 inches.
3. Using an x-acto knife, cut a slit approximately 1/2 an inch down from the top and 1/2 an inch from each side.
-The slit should be the same length as the chosen ribbon is wide.
4. Slide each letter onto the ribbon until all are in place.
5. Affix to car.

And, finito....
A classy "just married" sign that fits in perfectly with the rest of your wedding decor!

New Gallery Added: Yuhan & Chris

Thank you to Lori Sparkman for the beautiful images of Yuhan & Chris's October wedding. I've just added their gallery to our website, and you must go look at this beautiful bride!
Here are a few of my favorite photos from the wedding of Yuhan & Chris:

the beautiful Saint Joseph's Catholic Church in Conway

My absolute favorite of all of the day's photographs. I love the soft light, the beautiful shapes, the blurry reflection, the black & white. This image is perfection!!

The bride and her father walking down the aisle with the gorgeous vaulted ceiling above.

These sweet moments during the ceremony are priceless.

To honor the bride's heritage, Yuhan & Chris had a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony during their reception. This is the beautiful flowering tea.

For more photos of this gorgeous day, visit our website. And for more information about Yuhan & Chris's vendors and details of their day, check out the previous blog post about their wedding.

Thanks again to Lori Sparkman Photography for the beautiful images!