Pew Cards

This post over at {my other little blog} Penned & Pretty was so loved that its getting posted here too, because I know you will all adore this idea.If you are looking for an easy and sneaky way to make sure that your loved ones get a front row seat during your ceremony, include these little {bride's side & groom's side} pew cards in the wedding invitations you send your closest family members. On the back, simply write a little with instructions to bring the pew card to the ceremony and hand it to an usher to obtain their VIP seating as you say your vows. Now that makes everyone happy, doesn't it?
found via: Twig & Thistle here

First Order of Business

After the first kiss, the first thing that you get to do together as a couple is walk back down the aisle. Beaming from ear to ear you are a newly minted married couple. Your first order of business? Take a moment just to be with eachother. Hug. Kiss. Just be.

Chris and I high fived our bridal party, shared a brief kiss and then high-tailed it back to the front of the church to dismiss our guests. I am a firm believer that you should make every moment last a little longer on your wedding day and I wish we would have slowed down at that particular moment and relished in the fact that we were really {finally} married.

photos by: chenin boutwell

At the Winery

I came across this wedding a long time ago, on the blog of Laura Novak. The wedding was held at a winery and the ceremony took place in front of this adorable little building. I love the greenery cascading down from the roof, the pop of color the initial of the couple {crafted out of flowers} hanging on the door adds and the tenderness of the groom kissing the bride on the forehead.
Please tell me that some of you are getting married in front of something just as adorable.

Lavish Petals

I'm not usually one for lavish details at a wedding. I suppose that I prefer the details that make the day more personable.

But even I fell in love with the ample amount of petals scattered up the aisle of this ceremony location. And then there is the breathtaking design {mimicking the couples monogram, perhaps!?} made by the rose petals at the end of the aisle that I absolutely adore.

via: style me pretty

Wouldn't you just love to see your future husband standing smack dab in the center of the arrangement of petals as you walk up the petal-filled aisle?

A Quaint Little Church

We got married in a gorgeous Catholic cathedral. It's beauty was just breathtaking. But if I could have tied the knot in a quaint little church like this, I would have. In a heart beat. Aren't the wreaths combined with the draping of fabric just beautiful?!

photo found on the blog feelin' lucky with photo credit to kim box photography.

Unity Candle

With the want to incorporate the unity candle into the ceremony comes the desire to do it tastefully. I love the unity candle below (Joyful Weddings & Events via Jasmine Star): I feel as though it really works with the outdoor venue it is in. Buuuut I'm not too sure that it will work in a church. Don't ask me why. I suppose I just feel like unity candles in a church are supposed to be your typical 20 year-old stuffy looking run-of-the-mill rentals.

Are you incorporating a unity candle into your ceremony? Are you buying your own or using a rental from your florist/ceremony venue? Do share (pictures are especially helpful!) your thoughts.

Poll: Poof Balls....or No?

Friends,

By now you all should have seen the planning bio and the married bio of VintageGlam99 on the knot. And you should have visited her bios more than once, drooled over them, and wondered how her wedding could have possibly cost less than $15,000. Because I did.

So I come to you today requesting your help. VintageGlam99 decorated the chairs of her ceremony site with these adorable tissue paper pom poms :

How charming! I love love love them. I haven't blogged about it yet, but I was thinking about letting our ceremony site go bare as far as pew decorations are concerned. The church itself is so radiant and breathtaking that I'm not so sure if it needs any decorations drummed up by yours truly. Here's a picture of our church:

(photo via bobbi + mike)

I would do white pom poms with plum ribbons maybe on every other pew. And here are the pros and cons of the pom pom poof balls, as I see it:

Pros: affordable. super cute. a fun project shared with BMs and a couple bottles of wine on a Thursday night. necessary...i feel like everyone EXPECTS there to be pew decorations.

Cons: one more DIY project. tissue paper decorations that could be considered cheap/tacky. the pom poms might distract from the simple beauty from the church. the pom poms would be in EVERY single picture taken of the church/aisle.

Thoughts? What would you do? Discuss. Vote.

{Voting Update. 41 total votes: love them: 26, not feeling them: 12, undecided: 3}

For the Pews & Chairs

Adding a little "bling" to the ends of pews or chairs at your wedding venue will have all of your guests taking note. Forget the standard draped tulle and make a statement with something different... (all pictures taken from The Knot)
1. Words cannot express how much I love this pew decor (but perhaps you could sense my love for it because of how often I have posted the picture on my blog)! How elegant, fresh, and classy!

2. Pomanders are all the rage. I love them for flower girls and for the end of the aisle. These flowers can even do double duty and have a place in the reception!

3. And now we're taking the pomanders outside and putting them on shepherd's hooks...love it.

4. The simplicity of this pew/chair decor is what I love. It works perfectly with the outdoor venue.

5. The alternating flowers are refreshing to see. I love how the ribbon is blowing in the wind and catching the eye.

6. Tin buckets on the side of the pew/chair are affordable and unique and can also work into the reception decor!

And I still love the candle-lit ceremony idea...it's what my parents did!