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. 

Sewn-Paper-Bunting

Pink-Blue-Green-Wedding-Decor-IdeasDIY-Pink-Ruffle-Cake

The dessert table is a gorgeous setting worthy of the sweetest of sweets.Sleek ribbons run the length of the glossy parsons table, macarons sit atop a capiz shell platter, and a tower of Swiss meringue buttercream rests on a silver-leafed glass cake stand with a handmade cake topper.  Kelly baked a basic lemon cake and used this Martha Stewart frosting recipe and this petal tip frosting technique from My Sweet and Saucy to create the beautiful ruffled creation!

To make the bunting cake topper:

  1. Take two long lollipop sticks and spiral wrap in Japanese Washi tape.
  2. Using several scraps of ribbon, arrange in your desired order.
  3. Fold the pieces in half and feed them into your sewing machine one by one.
  4. Trim ends of ribbon to desired length.
  5. Wrap the extra thread on each end and hide them under the tape to secure.

To transform a simple glass cake stand:

  1. A product called Simple Leaf can be purchased from your local craft store. Using a liquid adhesive for leafing, paint the underside of the plate and the stand. When it dries, it becomes sticky.
  2. Using sheets of silver leaf, lay face down onto the adhesive and gently rub. Everywhere that you put the adhesive, the leaf will stick.
  3. Coat the entire cake stand except for the top of hte plate where the cake will sit.
  4. To tone the leafing down a bit, brush champagne colored metallic craft paint over the leafing, then rub off, leaving just a hint of color and adding a vintage look!

Vintage-Pink-and-Silver-Tabletop

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Succulents-Wedding-FavorsPeach-Garden-Rose-Centerpiece

The intimate table is layered with textures and soft colors, and features a lush garden-style centerpiece in shimmering carnival glass.  Each mismatched place setting includes a small succulent favor inside a mercury glass votive holder. 

Succulent-Favors

The escort card table is a lovely mix of flowers and paper, arranged on a repurposed silver-leafed shutter. 

  1. Take an old shutter and turn it over.  On the backside, pull the levers all the way down in one direction.  Use a nail at the bottom to secure the lever.  This keeps the slats angled up allowing you to tuck things in between them.
  2. Coat the shutter in your choice of paint color.  Let dry.
  3. For a more vintage look, rub edges of the shutter/slats first with the side of a candle.  The wax resists the paint.  You can then go with some sandpaper and gently rub the wax back off, showing some of the wood underneath.
  4. To add the silver leaf, you will need a product called Simple Leaf (from Michaels or Hobby Lobby).  You use a liquid adhesive to paint all the parts of your shutter you want to cover.  When it dries, it becomes sticky.
  5. Using the sheets of silver leaf, lay it face down onto the adhesive and gently rub.  Everywhere that you put the adhesive, the leaf will stick. 
  6. Continue doing this to as much or as little of the shutter as you please.
  7. To tone the sliver leafing down a bit, brush champagne colored metallic craft paint over the entire shutter then rub it off, leaving just a hint of color and giving it a bit of a vintage look.

Escort-Card-ShutterShutter-Escort-Cards

Cake-BuntingVintage-Vases

Vintage-Mismatched-ChinaVintage-China

Vintage-Aqua-Peach-Wedding-Place-Setting

Pretty-Gray-Wedding-Menu-CardPeony-Succulent-Bouquet

Rock-Candy-Swizzle-SticksPink-Silver-Wedding-Table-Ideas

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Hair-FlowerPink-Rose-Boutonniere

Last but not least, Kelly created a beautiful ribbon table runner!

  1. Purchase a few yards of Ragna fabric from Ikea in Natural.  This particular fabric is already pre-hemmed on the sides to a width of 18”, so you only have to hem the two ends. 
  2. After sewing the two ends, lay out various ribbons to find the arrangement you like best.  Make sure to let the ribbons hang past the fabric to create a fun effect.  One by one, sew the ribbons on using a contrasting thread color.
  3. If you like a more irregular look, don’t pin your ribbons to the fabric before sewing.
  4. When done, trim the ends of all the ribbons to the desired length.  Voila! 

Pink-Gold-Dessert-TableRibbon-Table-Runner

Incredibly, the team spent a mere $385 on flowers and materials for this shoot, proving that a little creativing and ingenuity go a long way! 

As a reminder, reader input is taken into account when determining the top 10 contest entries, so if this Inspired Creations Contest entry is your favorite, share your love in the comments!

The following Chicago wedding vendors contributed to this inspirational wedding shoot:

Styling, DIY projects, stationery – Kelly Maron Horvath of Paper Stories and Indie Wed \ Event design and wardrobe styling – Lauren LePine of Ryan Alexander Events \ Floral design and styling – Lynn Fossbender of Pollen \ Photography – Stevi Savage of AveryHouse \ Styling support – Shannon Spellman of Plate \ Venue – room1520 \ China – Plate \ Model – Haley Lertola