Tip of the day: reusing wedding decor

After moping about the exorbitantly priced placemats yesterday, today I remembered something that lessened the blow:

At my request, my mother-in-law made 12 table runners to decorate the banquet tables at our wedding reception. She then had the brilliant idea to transform the table runners into a new set of placemats, napkins, and a table runner for our table at home. Isn't my mother-in-law awesome? Dwell, thanks for offering the overpriced but gorgeous placemats and everything but I don't need you anymore - I have my own set coming my way, and they remind me of our wedding day to boot!

Here are some shots of the table runners:


Mark's mom did an AMAZING job! The runners fit in perfectly with our other decor:

1. white tablecloths/napkins
2. white chairs
3. gobs and gobs of flickering candles
4. strands of white lights in the sculpture garden
5. a few pops of color in green and purple to pick up the colors in our wedding invitations

To be honest, we didn't put too much thought into a color scheme. We chose to hold the reception at a contemporary art gallery for the simple reason that we loved the look of the gallery itself. We kept it simple, hoping to highlight the interesting art and sculpture on display. Obviously, we're minimalists at heart - give me whites, neutrals, texture, and a few pops of color and I'm a happy girl.

For the runners, I chose a delicate black and white floral fabric at Joann's and Mark's mom ordered the fabric from her local store. We gave her a few measurements and then trusted her to do her own thing. I loved them -they were elegant and added some visual oomph but they didn't compete with the vivid contemporary art tableaux on display.


Tip of the day: If you DIY for your wedding, try to think of ways you can reuse decor items afterwards. If you intend to use the decor at home, pick something that complements your and your spouse's style (obviously).

I can't wait to throw a dinner party and reuse my transformed table runners. They are special because they were handmade by Mark's mom just for us. These babies are basically a new family heirloom... though I may rethink that when I knock over my glass of red wine for the tenth time!

*photo thanks to our wonderful photographer

Julia and John's backyard wedding

Just saw some of my friend Susie's pictures of the wedding on Facebook! I absolutely love this picture, because we see the adorable bride and groom AND the amazing wedding cake Mark made for them.


Also, you get a feel for their casual backyard affair - the yellow tablecloths and bunches of yellow, green, and orange wildflowers. If I had to pick my favorite element of decor, it would have to be the cake - not only was it crazy delicious chocolate cake with vanilla bean buttercream, it was simple and pretty. The crazy pink poppy on top represents Julia's love for the unexpected.

After making/sampling least 13 different iterations before settling on the recipe for our wedding cake, we have strong opinions on wedding cake. Above all, it has to be tasty; you can't sacrifice taste for beauty. There is a reason why Sylvia Weinstock, the couture wedding cake baker, refuses to use fondant. I love this lady, not only for her convictions regarding fondant but also for her amazing choice in eyewear.


Back to Julia and John... So happy to have been a part of their day! Congrats you guys!

wedding ruminations

Julia's wedding was this past weekend. I'll blog more about the wedding later - once I upload the photos. For now, I just have to say how much I love weddings. They are such happy occasions, bringing everyone together to talk, laugh, dance, and share in the couple's joy. Mark and I have been married for almost 2 months (whoa!) and we still marvel about about what an amazing day our wedding was. Mark and I are simply so, so grateful that our dear family and friends came together to celebrate with us, and we have the best memories of it because of all the loved ones who were there.


*photo credited to our amazing photographer! If you are getting married, he comes highly recommended.

Plus, I got my beautiful sis to wear makeup and high heels (I had to buy them, but still) and my handsome brother to wear a suit - how often does that happen? Oh, that's right... NEVER.