Wedding Help needed (inspiration board included)

[Dannielle]

I know there is a topic for posting inspiration boards, but i''m after specific advice so I was hoping that it would be okay?

I''ve just tried to bring together all the elements that we love- I adore the bridesmaids dresses (ever since I saw sex and the city I couldn''t get the colours out of my head) and the centerpeices. I am not to sure if the pictures clearly show what the centerpieces are. We would like to have a mirror with 3 red vases and candles (all different sizes) and then scatter clear stones on the mirror. The clear stones i''m thinking of are sometimes put in vases? I couldn''t find a picture but they are available at candle shops.

I didn''t put a picture of the groomsmen but I was thinking just black tuxedos with white shirts and thick white ties (I am horrible at descriptions).
I have no idea what flowers would tie all this together.. nor do I have any idea about little elements that just give the wedding a real feeling?

I''d really appreciate some feedback/opinions/inspiration
Thankyou!

 

[AllieLuv83]

I think it looks really nice. In terms of the BM dresses are you just thinking about having them wear those colors in a similar style of dress or those exact dresses. Personally I am not crazy about three different dresses in three different colors, but then when I got to thinking I am not sure about three different colors of dress in the same style either. I understand the look you are trying to create but the BMs are not my personal favorite. I think the look you are going for is pretty glamorous. I love those invites, as well as the centerpieces!

 

[Dannielle]

If I do the different colours the dresses will definately be different. I do love the look of the dresses I posted but they seem a little more attention grabbing then my dress, which obviously I don''t want.. however, i''m actually more willing to compromise the dress I love then the bridesmaids dresses

I love the centerpieces too.. and it should be a little cheaper to put together than flowers *fingers crossed*

 

[Dannielle]

Anyone else? Please?

 

[oobiecoo]

Are the dresses red and blue... or is that more of an orangey color? Its hard to tell. I think that white flowers would be a nice contrast against the bridesmaids colors… maybe something like this.

I think you definitely have alot of good ideas already!

 

[oobiecoo]

I also LOVE the look of this and you could do it in white instead.

 

[oobiecoo]

Like this!

Also, are those pictures of your actual church and reception spot or just inspirations? I was thinking you could hang (either from the ceiling or shepherd's hooks) flower balls. You can make them yourself or have your florist do them.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 11/10/2008 7:46:19 PM
Author: oobiecoo
Like this!

Also, are those pictures of your actual church and reception spot or just inspirations? I was thinking you could hang (either from the ceiling or shepherd''s hooks) flower balls. You can make them yourself or have your florist do them.

I love the white poppies with the rich black centers!!

Your wedding is going to be so dramatic, I love it. The BM dresses are great...do your BM''s love em?

 

[katamari]

If you want to do bold colors like blue, red, and black, then you should take oobie''s suggestion on the white flowers. I think anything else would compete or make it too busy.

One thing I would consider, though, is that if you are having a long engagement the SITC theme will be heavily played by then and you may be sick of it (I imagine that a lot of us BIWs are taking inspiration from that movie). Plus, new trends will be in. It may be better to wait awhile because of the trend potential, imo.

 

[Dannielle]

Thank-you for the replies!

Fingers crossed, the locations posted will be our actual venues. They are both rather expensive though, and St Marys Cathedral has a long, long waiting list.. but that shouldn't be a problem if we book soon.

The gunners barracks is where we are hoping to hold our reception, they do a winter package at $150 p/h which is a little more than we wanted to spend, but it is perfect and we haven't found anything which even comes close to how amazing it is

oobiecoo I love the white flowers with the dark centers, the are really eye-grabbing. I don't know if I am going to give the bridesmaids flowers, just because of the added expense and I don't think it will look tha great. I think I will have a bouquet and then just have flowers decorationg the cathedral and (possibly) the reception venue.

The bridesmaids dresses/colours are something which I really love, for a few reasons. Firstly, my bridesmaids are very different (personalities, body shapes etc.) so i like the individuality. I also love the way the colours look together.. Italia, you nailed it, it will just look so dramatic.

Katamari.. you make a valid point, I might get sick of it in two years time, so I might hold off purchasing the bridesmaids dresses for awhile. Hopefully it isn't done to death, but as long as it isn't a family member or close friend that uses the colours it won't bother me to much

I posted another picture of the bridesmaids dressed, Samathas dress does seem to be more orange then red, but I will definately be going for a nice, deep red.

 

[meresal]

Just an FYI... those boxed invites run around $25 per invite, if I remember correctly. I am doing a very formal wedding and looked into those exact ones. They were definitely not in my budget, but if you can use them, I will be very envious, they're gorgeous!!

I also agree with white flowers.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Okay..I don''t want to hurt anyones feelings because it sounds like you''ve put a lot of thought into you''re plans...

But...

Weddings should be seamless. I understand you love those incredible bridesmaid dresses, but they are extremely pricey--like the price of many bridal gowns...and you''re not going to give them flowers in hopes of saving some money? It will look unbalanced. IMO, if it boils down to you not being able to afford flowers if you go with those dresses, you need to find other dresses.

It''s like buying a giant mansion, and having no furniture to furnish it. It would seem "off". And thats how those bridesmaid dresses will look in a room that is spareless decorated. Not to mention the fact that 2 years from now those dresses will be dated.

If you''re getting married 2010, you have plenty of time to come up with the perfect wedding...if you love the jewel tone dramatic colors, you can still have that but without the price tag...which means more money to give you a well rounded wedding.

But, as always this is my.02 and strictly my opinion.

 

[doodle]

haha, i just posted that exact pic of the satc girls to sparkly a few days ago because she had one bridesmaid with a black dress and another with blue, and she was unsure what color to tell the third BM to get! personally, i love the pop and the unconventionality of it, and even if it becomes trendy in the near future, how many generations have done matching dresses? at this point, you name it and somebody somewhere has already done it at their wedding, so i say go for it. if you''re not having your BMs carry flowers and are just worried about the ceremony space and possibly reception, i think white would be great or red. or you could nix flowers altogether and get creative with crystals or feathers (i have an obsession with feathers, haha!) or just use 80 zillion candles everywhere. it''s a very glamorous look you have going so far--i think it''s fabulous!

 

[doodle]

also, i know some people were questioning the specific dresses--were you wanting those exact dresses or just those colors? quick nosy search (i''m a bad girl!) and i found this dress on nordstrom. it comes in all three colors, and the price on it is really good. there were a lot of other styles, etc. too. i just wanted to demonstrate that when you''re using those colors, it''s actually really easy to find an economical choice in those colors, too. as for the bridesmaids not carrying flowers, i don''t think that''s a big deal, but i would give them something to carry, maybe a fan or something?

 

[OUpearlgirl]

I love the idea but agree with Italia.. If you are wanting those EXACT dresses it will definitely not be cheap!

Your wedding sounds beautiful so far!

 

[Dannielle]

Sorry, I should of been more clear. I just re-read my post and I haven''t explained what I meant

I am not going to purchase those exact dresses.. I was only using those photos as an idea of the colour scheme I am going for. I will be using black, blue and a different shade of red

(again, if i''m not sick of it in two years) I have actually seen some lovely dresses in a similar style and perfect colours at Harts for $300-$550 which is the price range we would be looking at

The flowers are something I am still really unsure of.. Personally, I am not fussed about flowers so to me it seems like an unnecessary expense. I don''t even want a bouquet but when I told this to my FMIL she nearly died- appareantly to tossing of the bouquet is very important to her

The only flowers which I want are for decoration at the ceremony and reception, and even then I am not going to go overboard because I already love the decor at the reception venue and I don''t want it to look overdone.

.. Do you guys think that the ''look'' will look off without the bridesmaids carrying flowers?

 

[Dannielle]

Date: 11/10/2008 11:26:08 PM
Author: doodle
haha, i just posted that exact pic of the satc girls to sparkly a few days ago because she had one bridesmaid with a black dress and another with blue, and she was unsure what color to tell the third BM to get! personally, i love the pop and the unconventionality of it, and even if it becomes trendy in the near future, how many generations have done matching dresses? at this point, you name it and somebody somewhere has already done it at their wedding, so i say go for it. if you''re not having your BMs carry flowers and are just worried about the ceremony space and possibly reception, i think white would be great or red. or you could nix flowers altogether and get creative with crystals or feathers (i have an obsession with feathers, haha!) or just use 80 zillion candles everywhere. it''s a very glamorous look you have going so far--i think it''s fabulous!

... I love feathers too! *scurries off to try and find photos of feathers and crystals*

I am definately going to use a lot of candles, I love the look of a candleight reception.

 

[jstarfireb]

This is just my personal preference, but I think that bridesmaids should either be in the same color or all carry the same thing (flowers, feathers, candles, whatever!). Otherwise it's hard to tell that they're bridesmaids and not just very well-dressed guests. Could they all carry a candle instead of a bouquet, perhaps a flameless candle so it's not a fire hazard?

ETA: You could do what I'm doing...I'm having my bridesmaids each carry a single calla lily. My bouquet will consist of 3 large calla lilies mixed with simple foliage, and my centerpieces are pillar candles with stones inside hurricane glass. Anyway, your bridesmaids could each carry a single long-stem flower (rose, gerbera daisy, calla lily, etc.) without having a big addition to the expense. My budget for flowers was only $500, and based on the estimate I got, I'm coming up under, even with my wedding being on Mother's Day, when flower prices skyrocket.

 

[Dannielle]

Date: 11/11/2008 12:14:41 AM
Author: jstarfireb
This is just my personal preference, but I think that bridesmaids should either be in the same color or all carry the same thing (flowers, feathers, candles, whatever!). Otherwise it''s hard to tell that they''re bridesmaids and not just very well-dressed guests. Could they all carry a candle instead of a bouquet, perhaps a flameless candle so it''s not a fire hazard?

ETA: You could do what I''m doing...I''m having my bridesmaids each carry a single calla lily. My bouquet will consist of 3 large calla lilies mixed with simple foliage, and my centerpieces are pillar candles with stones inside hurricane glass. Anyway, your bridesmaids could each carry a single long-stem flower (rose, gerbera daisy, calla lily, etc.) without having a big addition to the expense. My budget for flowers was only $500, and based on the estimate I got, I''m coming up under, even with my wedding being on Mother''s Day, when flower prices skyrocket.

That is a major issue with the colours that I didn''t consider- I wasn''t even going to have them with the same make-up or hair styles

Hmmm... Life would be so much easier if I liked flowers!