An Ikea Wedding

Today, I thought it was time to write something especially for budget conscious brides, and to prove that spending less does not have to compromise style.

And my word of the day is...

Ikea.

No, really! Ikea!

It's your local treasure cave of inexpensive candles, candle holders, vases, decorative stones, picture frames and much much more.

I was rather disappointed when, after a bit of research, I realised I was not the only person in the entire world to think of an Ikea wedding. But some of these pictures have captured the idea in a much bigger way:

So, having spent a lot of time picking out my favourite products, I'm ready to unveil my vision!

Take a look at the following centrepiece. Very romantic and pretty, isn't it?

Ikea can recreate this entire picture for just under £12.

Floating candle bowl £5.99

Set of 4 square mirrors to sit underneath £5.99

24 x floating candles £3.29

Box of rose petals £1.99

1 x votive candle £0.69

Put them all together and you have one beautiful centrepiece that won't break the bank.

But perhaps you had something like this in mind?

All you need for this kind of centrepiece is a set of different sized vases, some floating candles, decorative stones and artificial flowers.

Set of 3 vases £14.99

Decorative sand £1.39

Artificial flowers range from £0.59 to £3.99

What I love about the idea above is that you can mix and match what you want in the set of three vases. The large vase could hold a stem or two of orchids in water, the middle size vase could hold some floating candles and the last vase could hold a single flower bud held at the bottom in water.

If an eclectic mix of vases and single flower stems is more your style, then this is achievable too. The lowest priced vase starts at a jaw dropping 59p:

Small single vase £0.59

Now for some fancy table numbers. Like the ideas below?

Ikea sells the replicas! (Although I'm pretty sure the picture above is the actual ikea frame!)

Decorative frame £4.99

Set of 2 £0.79

I'm going to leave you on that note. But I couldn't resist sneaking in a few other products for your pleasure. If anyone else has other Ikea ideas or useful products, feel free to share :)

Decorative potpourri £2.79 ea

Chandelier £17.99

Decorative candles £2.99 ea

Tartan wedding dresses? Yer aff yer heid!

Was having a discussion with my friends the other day when I suggested a tartan wedding dress would be nice for a Scottish wedding when I was met with two disdainful looks. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed since we are all Scottish. It just illustrated to me the lack of imagination in this country. I wanted to share with everyone some really good pictures of tartan dresses, because it really can look amazing if done properly. If you are having a Scottish themed wedding and feel a bit daring, then keep reading.

First up is a very dramatic and stylish dress worn by Miss Scotland. Not necessarily to my taste, but don't get me wrong, I still think it's lovely. I added it in though because I thought it would appeal to fashion lovers.

These are probably my favourite dresses out of the lot, even though they are only bridesmaid dresses. I think the fabric and colour look gorgeous and if I was getting married at home I wouldn't think twice about opting for these. Obviously wouldn't be a good idea for the bride to wear tartan as well, but this is a good way to pull tartan into the wedding party if you are not brave enough to wear it yourself (or in other words just force it on your bridesmaids!) However, I don't think the bridesmaids would be complaining to wear this.

On a side note, it may be tricky to get the tartan in the groomsmen kilts to match, but that is easy sorted by opting for plain kilts which are fast becoming a new popular style in Scotland.

Whether this is your style or not, it does give you some food for thought. Maybe I might have just convinced you. Working on my friends may be more difficult!

Best wishes,
Sarah-Jane

Theme Mania

I found some great theme ideas from Micah at her blog Micanonymous. If you are stuck for ideas, Micah has posted 30 different types of motifs and themes that would make a great starting point.

Here's a few of my favourites:

Romantica

The dress in this board reminds me of Casablanca in the Gower collection by Stephanie Allin (see below). I think this dress would be perfect for a Romantic themed wedding as it is very elegant, curvy and light as a feather. The little butterfly detail on the waist is ultra cute!

Cherry Blossom

A very unsual motif for a wedding which is why I love it! It has a beautiful shade of pink and creates a real feminine touch. Finding a ceremony site that had blossom trees could be tricky but would be a wonderful backdrop to your vows!

Countryside

I just love yellow, and can't get enough right now. This country setting really suits it better than I've seen it anywhere else. The board really fires up my imagination and conjures up images of honey jar favours, bumble bee invitations, and picnic lunches.

Modern Beach

The beach theme has been done many different ways. What I like about this one is that it is very crisp, modern and fresh, and retains some elegance without being too casual. My favourite detail is the beach weathered bottles. I can see this being teamed with driftwood for an ecletic effect.

Summer Fun

There's a bit of rustic charm in this board which no doubt means it will be a big hit with me. The colours really pop and remind me of hot summer. It left great first impressions but somehow still leaves me wanting more. Hmm, can't suss out what though.

Winter Sparkle

A really magical winter style. Wow to the cake!

Shabby Chic

Who doesn't like shabby chic? Fast becoming a popular theme for weddings these days. A good tip as demonstrated by this board is to layer different shades from the same palette and keep it light.

Butterfly Motif

Again, another popular choice. So popular that although it used to attract me, I'm now kind of put off it. Don't get me wrong, it's still a beautiful focus for a wedding and there so much material and merchandise available in this motif, that you are more likely to commit butterfly wedding overload. I'd say that if you chose this one, don't use it in absolutely everything. Hand pick where you want the motif to appear, and keep it original and unexpected. (That cupcake case would definitely be in my list!)

Hope you enjoyed the inspiration blast this week.

Speak soon!

Cool Autumn days

So Autumn was still lingering in my head and I decided to create another rich pallet. This time I choose purple and orange because I think they make a great combination, especially for this time of year. My main tip for Autumn weddings is to go for rich, sumptuous and contrasting colours. Opt for heavier fabrics, for the table linen and dresses. In this board you will also see pashminas laid out in baskets for the guests to keep warm on a cool Autumn day with tags saying "please take one and keep warm". That is a lovely thoughtful touch for your guests that they are sure not to forget. Hope you like this one as much as me.

Fall-ing in love?

My first post is a cracker.

I know we are heading into Spring right now, but I have a friend from uni who is getting married in August and after batting ideas off each other I couldn't resist making an Autumn/Fall themed inspiration board. She told me she has her heart set on dark purples - and I already have great ideas for that - but in the meantime, I made this one based on typical reds and oranges.

The toffee apples were a big hit with me! Would be great if each tag bore a guests name and was used instead of the conventional place cards or seating cards.

Hope there are more Autumn brides using these colours as they are simply yummy and warm.