Delicious Details - Heart Place Cards

Hearts are, in many ways, the quintessential wedding motif and there are so many ways of including them in your day. They don't have to take over, they don't have to be the overwhelming feature of the day but you can easily sneak them in, especially at points when you need a little something.

And place cards can sometimes be the perfect spot for a bit of heart based inspiration and also a great touch of wedding DIY. Here are some lovely lovey-dovey ideas for things you can make, things you can do and things you can easily and cheaply put together to stamp some big lurve on your wedding day. So, without further ado, here we go with the ideas...

Above - I really like these place card holders - they'll add some height to the table and if you've got high table centres, they won't get lost underneath them. Two wire hearts on stands can have place cards slipped between them and if you're handy with the pliers, you can, with a little practice, easily bend the wire into shape yourself. Image - Belier

Above - a more traditional style place card with a sweet heart and stitched look. The backing card can be cut with edging scissors and then the name card is stuck on top. You can create the stitched look with a marker pen and the heart can be made some either wood or felt or really anything you like. Image - Folksy

Above - now I've professed my love for origami before and this folded heart place card is rather lovely. You can use any coloured or patterned paper and the printed name paper is tucked neatly in between. Image - Martha Stewart

Above - this rolled heart place card is really elegant. The strip of paper has the guest's name written on to it and it's then rolled into a quilled heart and is tucked over the glass. Image - Martha Stewart

Above - love these child-like felt heart place cards. Roughly cut and stitched together the the stitched name tags pinned on top. Again, any colour combinations would work here and don't have to stitch on the names if you're not that handy with needle and thread!  Image - Our Labor Of Love

Above - now DIY doesn't come much easier than this. Cut out a heart with pinking shears, print out names and then stick on top. Punch an hole, thread with ribbon and twine and tie around your napkins. Ta-dah!! Image - This Is Pretty

I Love... Clipboards

Now even the title of today's post probably panders to a lot of stereotypes about wedding planners - that we all strut around clutching our clipboards and barking orders all day. Neither of those things are true (I promise you!) but that doesn't stop me thinking that clipboards are great for weddings - especially when they're cute props and delightful details bringing a little bit of personality to your day.

Of course I'm not talking about big, boring clipboards that give you flashbacks to the most awful school field trips of your teenage years. No, I'm talking about sweet, stylish and small mini clipboards that all about the pretty and here are some ideas for you...

Above - love these typewriter style menus clipped onto this board. The backing board itself might be very plain but it works so well with the blue name tag place marker against the bare table. Fabulous. Image - Brookelyn Photography 

Above - proof that the clipboard can work with the pretty girlie flowers. Beautifully patterned background and the kraft paper table plan looks brilliant. Those clear stands are an excellent idea too - nothing to distract from the board and the information on it. Image - Kate Headley

Above - another gorgeous board, this time showing what's available at this buffet station (great idea - saves ever guest asking questions!). Am rather loving kraft paper at the moment - it looks so great with plain bold typefaces too. Image - Kate Headley

Above - another pretty table that's included a clipboard menu. The board is white and the paper is a slight off-white (which definitely stops your guests thinking you've just printed off all the menus at work!) and you can download typewriter style fonts to get the look you want. Oh, an as an aside - if you can see the menu, how yum do 'lasagna cupcakes' sound? Have visions of beautiful little rounds of lasagna in pretty wrappers! Image - Mark Brooke Photography

Above - love the gorgeous stripy clipboard with the menu attached and that place card is a great DIY detail. A square of card has the guest's name written on it and two other squares are off-set behind it to just edge the place card with a splash of colour. This would work well with almost any combination of colours and patterns. Image - Sarah Postma

In The Mood - Picnic Inspiration

A lot of the last week has been about having outdoor fun with friends - it's been the first week of my son's school summer holidays and we've been making the most of the ok-ish weather with trips to parks, country estates and endless tennis in the garden. And a lot of these trips have involved picnics and I love this. There's something so fabulous about eating outside, lazing around with yummy treats, talking, laughing, cloud-watching and then racing to buy ice creams for dessert!

All of which al-fresco fun has got me thinking about picnic weddings - I love the idea of a really relaxed reception with no formal meal and a totally laid back vibe. You all know how I love to make everyday things extra special at weddings at there's plenty of scope to turn a picnic into something magical and utterly fabulous. So, here are some of my absolute favourite ideas (possibly coming to a park near me this summer holiday!)

Above - totally love the idea of serving a picnic style buffet from gorgeously rustic trugs and baskets sat on gingham cloths. Obviously you don't have to go for the pick-up truck look but I do like the thought of including a prop or two here! Image - Country Living

Above -now I've probably mentioned my love of cutlery bundles for buffet or picnic style receptions because it makes it easy for guests to grab & carry them. These great forks and napkins are wrapped with a simple band of kraft paper and tied with garden twine. How easy and how effective. Image - Liz Banfield

Above - it's great to let people pick and choose where they want to sit and these baskets of pretty picnic blankets are oh-so tempting. Image - Liz Banfield

Above - instead of a buffet or elaborate meal, these personalised lunchboxes full of salads, meats and breads are just perfect. That red apple is part of the meal and it's a great styling accessory too and that's doubly fab! Image - Sara France

Above - picnics don't have to involve blankets and these white picnic tables covered with ditsy fabric look brilliant. Slightly more comfortable, slightly better if you prefer a plated dinner but still pretty and very au naturel. Image - Tec Petaja

Above - loving these cute lunch bags with printed menus attached and a sprig of insect repelling lavender. You don't have to serve a whole meal from a bag or box - how about packing some DIY canape sets for guests? Image - Tiny Water Photography

Above - gorgeous strawberry pudding packs! And check the jar glasses and the stripy straws - totally brilliant and the wooden barrels and trays are a perfect contrast. Image - via Project Wedding

Above - more stripy straws and gorgeous gingham for a great picnic look. I am coveting that lemonade dispenser in a way that's slightly wrong and the picnic style guest book table isn't unappealing either... Image - via Ruffled

Above - part of my picnics always involve games of some description so do include some fun for guests. I do like croquet and it's great for getting everyone talking too. Image - White Box Weddings

Above - hmmmm, picnic sweetie buffets - twirl your own candy floss or pick your own sweeties from stacked cake stands. Both please!! Image - The Youngrens

Delicious Details - Photo Save The Dates

I am a big fan of pre-wedding photo shoots. I know I've said it before but I'll say it again - I think they're great for helping you find your 'in front of camera mojo' before the big day. But they can also have another purpose - they can provide excellent images for some really individual save the date cards.

If this is something you'd like to do, talk to your photographer because they're bound to have some ideas and they'll also be able to make sure that they get the right shots too (and there's every possibility they'll be able to   print them too for a little extra cost). 

So get out there, have some fun in front of the camera, create something really personal and start the countdown to your wedding with lots of smiles...

Above - I really love this film strip bike shoot. Lots of fun and lots of personality and the dog sat in the bike basket is a genius touch! Image - 4 The Wedding

Above - such a great idea for a few shots on a pre-wedding - just pen the designs you want on some big sheets (make them bold so they'll show up in the pics) and take them along to the shoot. Image - Erin Mcfarland

Above - brilliant quirky pics with the couple in question laying down on the grass and posing with the 'save the date' case. More fun and this would certainly make guests smile when these cards drop through the door. Image - Kyle Hale

Above - more loved up gorgeousness with these beautiful pics. There's no harm in getting a little dreamy for your save the date shots and the date sign makes it very clear. Have these images printed on one side of a postcard and then print more details on the reverse. Image - Love & Lavender

Above - ok, totally LOVE this pic. I actually want to do this myself... Image - via My WV Wedding

Above - another image I just really like. The fabric letters, the outfits, the poses, the simplicity of this card, it all works really well. Image - via Wedding Chicks

Above - now if you've ever wanted your name in lights, this is the shot for you! Easy to set up outside a cinema and then get busy with Photoshop afterwards to add in your details. Image - Wedding Invitation Shop

I Love... Vintage Postcards

This time of year is all about holidays - my son has been on school summer holidays for a week now and we've got another eight weeks to go! We do days out, trips around and we like to collect postcards for my son's summer holiday journal. Sometimes they get sent, sometimes they don't but every one tells a story and that's why I love even the tackiest ones that my son picks out (forgive him, he knows no better!)

And I have the softest of soft spots for vintage postcards and these are just gorgeous for weddings. There are so many things that you can do with them from using them as stationery to creating decorations from them. They're full of personality, they're always talking points and they're just lovely. So, here are some ideas for you - lots of great DIY, lots of options and everything is full of vintagey goodness...

Above - such a simple idea for a banner and it's so effective. Little squares of postcard and stuck on to twine, string or ribbon. These would look great strung across a marquee or lining a pathway. Image - Cori Kindred

Above - totally love this table centre, the books, the nest and that beautiful vintage postcard. I really do so love creative, personality packed table centres and this definitely falls into that category. So easy to put together and ever-so effective. Image - Elizabeth Anne Designs

Above - gorgeous letterpress postcard style invitations with a fab vintage vibe. I really do love the colour here too, such a warm orange glow. - I would love this for an autumnal wedding, especially because that motif looks fabulously vine-y. Image - Golden Rectangle Press on Etsy

Above - fabulous table number cards (often forgotten in my view) with a great look. And the best thing about these cards is that when you buy them, you get a downloadable file so can use them for many things (mini seating cards?) Image - KF Collection on Etsy

Above - I love these vintage postcard seating cards. Each is pegged onto the ribbon with the table name on the face of the card and the guest's details on the reverse. You could then use the same design for the table name card and place markers too. Image - Little Pink Book

Above - I really like the print of the postcard sat on the gingham napkin. It's fabulously country! Image - Project Wedding

Above - what a fab guest book station! postcards in a traditional wire spinner and those aqua pens are just such a great bright touch. Then more postcards are lined up in those wooden drawers and are great seating cards. Love this look! Image - via Craft Gossip

Above - what a brilliant menu card! You could print them yourself or running them through an old style typewriter would also give a brilliant effect. Image - Wedding Bee

Above - A final image with lots of pegged on postcards, covered with lovely messages from guests. So many things you could do with these after the wedding to keep them on display so those gorgeous postcards and wonderful messages are never forgotten. Image - Wildflower Photography

Table For Under Twenty Pounds

So a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have a day shooting lots of great styling and design set-ups for my fabulous new website with the wonderful Claire from Brown Box Photography. We rattled through lots of different looks and I love them all (so you'll all be seeing them over the coming weeks!).

I was really keen to do lots of DIY and to do some budget friendly styling details too and, in that spirit, today I'm bringing you a table for under twenty pounds. Yes indeed - this one is easy on the wallet and easy to put together on the day.

And here's what I spent my money on... Doilies (£5 per pack - I used a quarter of a pack = £1.25), Vases (50p each x 5 = £2.50), Cupcakes (these were made for me by the wonderful Indigo Cakes but you can get similar high street options from Waitrose at £1.04 each so 6 x £1.04 = £6.24), Flowers (I bought 3 bunches from my local market for £5), Pink Lemonade (on offer at Waitrose for £1.62 per bottle so 2 x £1.62 = £3.24 )

All of which rampant spendthrift-ery gives a grand total of (drum roll please...) £18.23. That's table decorations, chair decorations, place markers, favours/desserts and even some lovely pink lemonade for drinkies! Don't say I'm not good to you all! So, now you know what I bought and what I spent, here's what I did...

Above - the table runner is just doilies laid along the centre of the table, nothing complicated, no gluing or sticking, just place there where you want them and away you go...

Above - place markers are smaller doilies with the guest's names written on them in white pen...

Above - those chair back decorations are just smaller doilies threaded onto a little ribbon and then they're tied to the chairs...

Above - a cupcake is set at each place setting as a fab favour/dessert combo...

Above - the vases are filled with a few stems of flowers and lined up along the centre of the table (this helps to hold those doilies in place)...

Above - and a bottle of pink fizz completes the table...

Huge thanks to the fabulous Brown Box Photography for being so great to work with on this project. I heart her lots and lots xx

In The Mood - Peach Inspiration

To me, there's something very summery about peaches. I just love them but only at this time of year - call me totally weird (and I'm sure some of you do!) but I just can't eat them in the winter. You have to eat peaches on a warm day - either biting them like uber juicy apples or, in yummy salads with mozzarella, parma ham and rocket. Yum yum yum...

OK, get me back from thoughts of food and onto weddings again and inevitably, today's feature is all inspired by peaches with their soft shades of beautiful colours and their oh-so tactile skins. Peaches are a beautifully delicate source of inspiration for weddings and I hope that these images give you some new ideas (or at least cravings for peaches for your lunch!)

Above - gorgeous peach coloured bridesmaids here and I love that bridal gown and prettily coloured shoes too. Perfect and those gowns give everyone's skin a beautifully funkadelic tone. Image - April Smith Photography

Above - a peach inspired dessert table. I love the bunting hung behind - the random shapes stop it from looking too perfectly cutsie and you could use either papers for fabrics to achieve this effect. Image - Avery House

Above - regular readers will know my love of using fruit in decorations and I love the peaches piled around the bottoms of these centrepieces. Such a simple idea that just brings colour to table tops and pulls the whole theme together perfectly. Image - Justin & Mary Marantz

Above - peach champagne and peach sorbet, what a gorgeously pitch perfect part of your meal. I do love sorbets and peach sorbet is just so refreshing. Bringing your theme into your menu is a really fab idea. Image - Martha Stewart

Above - more gorgeous centrepiece ideas and these 'just picked' pails of pretty peaches are wonderful. Don't fill the whole bucket with peaches though because those at the bottom will just get crushed anyway. Fill to the  brim with floral oasis and then pile up your peaches. If you want to hold them in place, poke wire into the peach and then through into the oasis and everything will stay just as you want. Images - Martha Stewart

Above - such a pretty peachy bouquet, I love the contrasts of colours, textures and shapes in this bouquet and those big fluffy peachy roses are just so so delicious. Image - Rinne Allen

Above - proof that all things peachy don't need to be soft, these bold invitations with peach stripes are really rather special. Image - Sandstone Wedding Invitations

Above - again, another image that I just love. The rustic basket, the hessian/burlap wrap around the stem of the bouquet is so so fabulous and that bouquet is wonderfully natural and really rather perfect. Image - Simply Bloom

Above - ooooh, another pretty pretty image (I'm using the word 'pretty' a lot in this feature which probably tells you a lot about the them I have to say!). I do so like wooden cake stands and the few peaches scattered around the base with those simple little bottles of flowers add to the overall look without detracted from that beautifully simple cake. Image - Simply Bloom