FLOWERS: Beaded Details

For a fun and festive touch, I love the idea of using colorful flower beads like these and including them in bouquets. Your florist can attach them with wire within the flowers or have them hanging from the stems with ribbon for an added touch of color. ($3.85)

SHOP: Etsy, Morceaux, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5166382

FAVORS: Fun Bags

I had crayons, coloring books, treasure map placemats, and other goodies at the place settings for the little ones at our wedding reception, but I had a hard time deciding what to do for the slightly older ones - not quite teens yet, but too old for crayons and coloring books. Ultimately, we ended up not having anything "special" for this age group (we ran out of time) and I wish I had come up with something for them. I saw these Travel Games on World Market ($4.99) and thought it could be a nice surprise for including this age group in on the fun. These always seem to be a hit in restaurants. You could put them in a clear plastic bag, along with a candy treat or two, and staple it together at the top with a piece of cardstock or cardboard and stick on a cute label with their name. Besides wedding receptions, these could also be nice for the kids table at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

There's a great example of something similar by a bride on The Knot. Click here to visit her planning blog and wedding pic's. She has some great ideas, including this one that you see below. She did these fun bags as wedding favors for all their guests - not just the kids! These would also be a nice surprise for each guest at a dinner party.

I also loved this idea from Modern Bride to use a metal lunchbox. Isn't it cute?

SHOP: World Market, http://www.worldmarket.com/

GOWNS: Vintage-Inspired

I adore vintage-inspired gowns and love seeing more and more brides having vintage-inspired weddings. I love this Essence lace gown, which is very Sense & Sensibility. It has elbow length sleeves, a button & loop closure on the bodice, and open scalloped front. The train matches and attaches at the empire waistline in back. The dress comes in pink champagne, natural ivory, and coffee color ($1,000+).

I also love this gown by Claire Pettibone with couture European embroidery and antique lace.

While I'm personally not a big fan of strapless gowns (I look awful in them), I love this polka-dotted dress. Wouldn't it be perfect for a garden wedding?

This Monique Lhuillier gown is one of my favorites. While I'm not crazy about how the dress is pulled up in the front, I love the ribbon sash and sleeves. When I began looking online when we first got engaged, I loved this gown. I was new to the whole wedding scene though and had no idea as to how much gowns cost. I emailed the store to see how much it was, since there wasn't any pricing listed (which I now know = expensive). It STARTED at $10,000, that's plus alterations and whatever the other fees might be like tax. I couldn't believe it. The store was Kleinfeld Bridal and anyone who has watched Say Yes to the Dress, you have an idea of the cost of a gown there. This was before the tv show when I was searching for my dress and I had no idea what it meant to go to Kleinfeld's for a gown. I'm so happy that I ended up going to Adrian Pierce Couture in my hometown though. They were amazing and I absolutely love my gown. They're having a big sample sale right now, so check them out if you're looking for a dress.

This is a real bride in the gown (from The Knot).

I've posted about Stephanie James before and here she is again because I just adore her tea-length gowns. They're so much fun! I especially love this Aubry dress with the blue crinoline underneath.

Did you wear a vintage wedding gown? Have you come across a vintage-looking wedding dress online? Post a link in the comments - I'd love to see it! : )

DECOR: Lovely Low Centerpieces @ Target

If you're in need of some simple but elegant low centerpieces for your reception, check out these Victoria Hagan Beach Glass Hurricanes on clearance at Target. These would look great anytime of year and you could place a few flowers, seashells, pink berries, small white pumpkins, or holly - depending on the season - on the table around the base for a little something extra. You could also fill the hurricane with water and add a floating candle, or fill it with cranberries and a pillar candle. I also love the idea of using sand to hold a few thin candlesticks instead of one pillar candle. The possibilities are endless. ($13.99)

SHOP: Target, www.target.com

ACCESSORIES: Delightful Clutches

I'm a sucker for a vintage clutch and love a vintage-looking clutch that's brand new even more - no old tissues left from the previous owner and free of that attic/mothball scent : ) Be sure to check out the posting by The Bride's Cafe (one of my favorite wedding bloggers, she's a sassy floral designer here in DC - you can check out her amazing work here) on BeeGee Bags (also in our nation's capital) for a chance to win one of these gorgeous goodies! I find the Bridesmaids Unite-Red Lotus clutches especially delightful in this fun and colorful print! ($70.00+)

SHOP: BeeGee Bags, http://beegeebags.com

If in DC, stop by: Nana, 1528 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009, Tel: (202) 667-6955.

GIFTS: Potential Groomsmen Gift

If you have a groomsman that happens to enjoy wine and playing a game of pool or golf, this bottle stopper could make a great addition to a bottle of wine as a thank you gift. ($20.90 - $22.90)

SHOP: Horchow, www.horchow.com

FLOWERS: In or Out?

I was shopping with an engaged friend recently and we were chatting excitedly about her wedding plans. We were in Whole Foods walking by the flower section and I mentioned how much I love hydrangeas. She's on a tight wedding budget, so I suggested that she could do just a couple of hydrangeas in a simple vase (she's thinking mason jars) as centerpieces for an elegant, but inexpensive touch - these could also easily be done by a friend to help out her budget. They're fuller flowers, so they'll give you a bit more punch than a smaller flower would. She HATED the thought and said that hydrangeas are 'such a wedding flower' and she hates them because that's what every bride does - are you getting how much she HATES them? : )

I happen to love hydrangeas and included them in all of my wedding day flowers, so I'm partial to them. As far as I knew, they've always been better known as a seashore flower because you always see big bushes of them growing beside beach houses. For me personally, the "go to" or "it" wedding flower always seemed to be roses. What do you think? Are hydrangeas "mainstream" and overly done for bridal bouquets? Are there any flowers that you're getting tired of seeing? Anything you'd like to start seeing more of?

Personally, I really love to see classic flowers - think hydrangeas and tulips - mixed with something unique that gives guests a little surprise - like tweedia (which we used in almost everything on our wedding day), seashells, Irish clovers - anything that has a special meaning or that the bride just loves. It's these little details that give it just a touch of something special.

Check out this combo below of hydrangeas and white ranunculus with Japanese anemones and celosia brain. How sweet is it that the bride's mother put this bouquet together for her?

{Photo Credit: Vallentyne Photography; Published by: Brides}

SHOPPING: Fun Finds @ Pier 1 for Beachy Brides

If you're getting married at the beach next spring or summer, be sure to check out the last of the summer sales at Pier 1. Unfortunately you can't buy their products online anymore (a change they made last year to their website), so if there are any items you know that you would like more than a few of, call the stores closest to you to have the items put on hold. Then get there as soon as you can before someone else snatches these sale items up!

If you're searching for totes for your bridesmaids, check out these beachy bags - they're less than $3 each! They don't look like they could hold anything too heavy, but they'd be perfect to toss in a pair of flip flops and their bridesmaid gifts ($2.48)

These glass lanterns with copper iron are a bargain and would look great hanging from stakes to light the way to an evening reception or placed on the bar and tables during a cocktail reception ($1.98 - $2.98).

Like coral? Include these white coral frames on your parent tables at the reception with a thank you note or family picture as a special surprise for your parents, grandparents, and siblings on the day of ($7.48).

If you have a few spots where you could use a small arrangement of flowers, pick up a few of these handblown glass vases. They have tiny bubbles in the glass and would be perfect for a beachy reception. You can ask your florist to add sea glass or small sea shells in the bottom and then have just a small arrangement of hydrangeas or other full flowers that will give this small vase a little oomph. If none of your guests take them home, you can save them at the end of the night and give a bouquet of flowers in the vases to your parents or bridesmaids the next time you see them after your honeymoon ($2.48).

SHOP: Pier 1, www.pier1.com

FAVORS: Gumballs!

We've all received candles, picture frames, and mints as favors at weddings. Here's an untraditional, but fresh and unique idea from from Beau Coup. Whether you include these mini gumball machines for the kids' table or everyone, these are sure to be a hit. They may be a bit pricey to do for a larger wedding, so they could also be a nice surprise at a rehearsal dinner for each of your guests with a note that says "We hope you have a ball tomorrow!" If you can't afford these, you could also still run with the gumball idea and tie them up instead with a bit of tulle and ribbon and include a similar note ($2.95+)


SHOP: Beau Coup, www.beau-coup.com

DECOR: Potential Centerpiece @ World Market

Check out this pretty Nest Tealight Holder at World Market ($39.99). This could be a unique alternative to traditional floral centerpieces. It's super cute in the wrought iron and has a small bird at the top.

SHOP: World Market, www.worldmarket.com