Topping It Off

Last time we chatted about my great debate regarding cake, I was still completely baffled on possibly leaning toward a cake buffet, cupcakes or a spread of ice cream and cookies. So I thought about a cake buffet and I considered the idea of cupcakes and then, for the 87th time, went back to the thought of forgoing cake entirely for cookies (his favorite) and/or ice cream (my favorite). I debated a simple array of delicious cakes picked up the day before the wedding at a regional grocery store chain known for their amazing bakery among many other claims to fame. I hunted around for cake stands in local antique shops and on ebay, and then I priced out cupcakes from a local cupcake baker that I learned about, Pamela of Cupcakes and Smiles, and despite not wanting the cake or lack thereof to be a priority, I found myself spending far far too much time and energy trying to make a decision related to cake. So guess what I did? I did the one thing I never expected to do – I picked up the phone and I scheduled an appointment to order, you guessed it, a wedding cake.

Michelle submitted a DIY wedding cake that looks simply phenomenal!

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, our favorite weddings are those that represent what is unique and special about you and your love! Maybe you’re avid travelers and your table numbers show off postcards from your favorite destinations, or perhaps you are indie cinematographers and your reception features a fabulous home movie. Whatever your personalities are, the more they are celebrated in your wedding planning, the better, and this includes everything from your color palette right down to your signature cocktail! A signature drink is a fabulous way to honor your wedding location (our Georgia event featured a Bellini!), let everyone taste your favorite spirit, and add a dash of your wedding colors to the reception. We chose a few of our favorite color palettes from our archives to pair with yummy cocktail recipes from Daily’s Cocktails to show how you can carry your wedding theme all the way through to your signature drink!

In addition to colorblocking which we talked about last week, another detail I’m loving this spring are all the fun and girly floral patterns in shoes, accessories, and clothing. We’ve featured a few weddings with bridesmaids in floral dresses here at EAD, so let’s take a look at them as well as some other ways to incorporate this fabulous trend.

What you’re about to see is nothing short of pure confection perfection. An absolutely perfect color palette of aqua, mint, watermelon pink, and gold; cuter than cute desserts by Brown Betty Dessert Boutique; and exceptional styling by Styled Creative (LOVE that backdrop!) come together in these incredible photos by Alison Conklin. I adore this shoot down to each and every cake, pop, and sprinkle!

Feminine and fun, I think ruffles are fabulous! I’ve fallen in love with many a ruffled wedding gown, but why limit ruffles to just that? There are so many yummy ruffled details out there, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorites.

Tiny heart-shaped pies, gorgeous deep pink florals, and an awesome vintage bride?  It doesn’t get much more fabulous than this Valentine’s Day shoot from Sarah Donovan of The Stationery Bakery!  Inspired by vintage glamour and old-fashioned illustrated Vogue covers, Sarah set out to create a fresh Valentines inspiration shoot filled with romantic details and a bit of cheeky vintage fun!  Paper goods with playful typography set the stage, and the adorable heart-shaped miniature pies from Tiny Pies are just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.  I hope your Valentines Day is as precious as this!  Thanks to Sarah for sharing and to Charlotte of Number 9 Photography for the beautiful images!

Welcome to day 2 of the Indie Wed Inspired Creations Contest! The incredible team involved in today’s shoot created an amazing and beautiful idea, a “Belles and Gents Bar”. Picture this: one day, wives crash an old-school gentlemen’s club bringing in big beautiful blooms and brightly colored details to freshen up the usual decor of cigars, highball glasses, aged scotches, and decanters. SQN Events stocked the bar with his and hers drinks (homebrews and sweet tea) from Femme du Coupe personalized by Courtney Callahan Paper and treats like chocolate-covered cigars and bourbon-infused brownies from truffle truffle. Fleur never disappoints with their stunning florals and these peony, ranunculus, and cotton arrangements are absolutely some of my favorites! Love this brilliant idea and beautiful photos by the wonderful Simply Jessie Photography!

We were so thrilled to have The Sweetest Occasion and Elizabeth Anne Designs team up with Chicago’s most fabulous bridal show, Indie Wed, to hold the first-ever in person Inspired Creations Contest!  Teams of Chicago wedding vendors submitted inspiration boards for the event, and 6 talented teams were chosen to exhibit their Inspired Creations Contest concept at Indie Wed in January.  In addition to the brides’ and grooms’ on site voting, votes from the EAD and TSO blog readers will be counted, so weigh in on your favorites!

Inspired by a peacock feather, these jewel-toned tabletops designed by Beth of SQN Events are the perfect combination of elegant and modern.  Whether you’re planning a wedding or a party, jewel tones set the stage for a fabulous urban holiday soiree, and the gorgeous purple, red, and green palette is brought to life by the modern blooms from Dilly Lily.  Ribbon-wrapped menus and favor boxes with touches of swirling calligraphy add an elegant touch to the wedding tabletop while “naughty” and “nice” gift boxes add cheeky punch to the holiday tablescape.  The scrumptious sweets table and 4-tier truffle cake from Truffle Truffle is a fun and unique alternative to a traditional cake.  I’m in love with all of the colorful images from Maypole Studios!

Working with the fall color palette of amber, gold, saffron and chocolate, Kelly Marie of Fleur and Heather of Greatest Expectations pulled from the in-the-moment trend of beer and hops to style a shoot that is the perfect combination of modern and rustic.  With custom stationery and the cutest vintage beer bottle labels from Lily Red Studio, a mouthwatering menu (a charcuterie and cheese station!) from Pure Kitchen Catering, a beautiful bridal look from The Left Bank, and the fabulous raw space at Architectural Anarchy, every little detail was thoughtfully presented.  And don’t even get me started on the amazing desserts from Truffle Truffle – including an out of this world 4-tier truffle cake!  It was impossible to narrow down the gorgeous images by Amanda Hein, so run over to see ALL of the eye candy in the gallery!

Hi everyone! Christen here, ending out our lemon week with a Friday-perfect post: lemony cocktails! One of my favorite blogs (probably my favorite non-wedding blog) is Mrs. Lilien. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s an absolute must. Entertaining, FULL of style, and always written in fun, rhymed verse. It was Mrs. Lilien who inspired me to complete our week with some grown-up fun. Check out her own tribute to lemonade! Anyway, I promised a couple lemony cocktails so here we go (all links take you to the recipes).

One of the ways to really get creative and interactive with your wedding decor is to create a fun and unique way to display your drinks.  Using my new favorite addiction, Pinterest, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite drink station ideas.  Are you going to offer a specialty drink or do a drink station for your wedding? 

Well here it is, the last official entry of the Glitter and Glam Inspired Creations Contest!  I’m sad to see it go but excited to use your comments, facebooks and tweets to determine the top 10 (look for a full round-up of all of the contest entries tomorrow so you can sound off on your favorites).  This glamorous black and gold sweets table, escort card display, and guest book idea from Visions Wedding & Event Boutique, Julie Hanan Designs, Angela Renee Photography, and Cacao Sweets and Treats features melt-in-your mouth desserts, an abundance of candles, and a fluffy DIY lisianthus centerpiece!

There is just so much pretty in this shoot, I’m over the moon! Kelly Maron Horvath of Paper Stories, Lauren LePine of Ryan Alexander Events, Lynn Fossbender of Pollen, Stevi Savage of AveryHouse, and Shannon Spellman of Plate have dazzled me with their interpretation of glitz and glam for the Inspired Creations Contest, it’s an absolute wonderland of handmade charm.  Mercury glass accents, mother-of-pearl buttons, satin ribbons and gilded china from Plate are just a few of the ways that the team incorporated glitter and glam into their tabletop and dessert display.  And since the Inspired Creations Contest is all about being fabulous on an approachable budget, everything from the sewn paper bunting to the ribbon table runner, escort card holder, cake topper, and even the cake itself was created by Kelly, and all of the decorative accents used in the shoot were brought in from the team’s homes and studios. 

View all of Stephanie’s previous wedding recaps here

I love edible wedding and party favors, and Kelly Maron – mastermind behind Paper Stories and the hip Chicago bridal show Indie Wed – has stopped by EAD today to share her quick and easy how-to for S’mores on a Stick!  And even better, she has created three adorable printable tags for these goodies in two color palettes.  Print either the “Love on a Stick” or “Yum! Yum! Yum!” tags on sheets of label paper, and wrap around the S’more stick, or print the “Gimme S’more!” tag on cardstock, punch a hole, and attach to your S’more with decorative twine.  Voila – easy peasy S’mores favors!  Thanks Kelly for sharing!

View Juel’s previous recap posts here!

My sweet tooth is running wild, so I thought I’d indulge it with a bit of cake!  Here’s a few fun and unique cake ideas for your wedding day:

This lovely little inspiration shoot provided a much-needed dose of sunshine to my morning! The combination of peach and pink is so romantic and when you add in fluffy peonies, a beautiful peach and white cake, and a build-your-own ice cream sundae station, you get a sweet little vignette sure to give you inspiration for a summer garden wedding.  Kansas City florist Erin Volante pulled together the beautiful blooms, and all of the lovely images are courtesy of Portraits By Lucinda.