I hope you caught the Modern Spring Decor Inspiration Shoot from earlier this week. Today I'm going to share with you the step by step DIY for creating this lovely ceremony arch (along with a video!). I partnered up with Afloral on this project, and had such a great time doing it. I wanted to create a design that was fresh, modern, and just a bit whimsical. So let's get started!
I'm a more is more kind of girl. Meaning I can definitely appreciate simple, un-cluttered design, but for the most part I thrive when I'm surrounded by color, texture, patterns, and lots of layers. I partnered up with afloral.com to create this lovely head table decor, along with some of my favorite local Kansas City wedding vendors. And for this post I'm not just sharing the finishing shots, but also some behind the scenes images of how the table came together.
I keep asking myself why it's taken me such a long time to write this post. I keep putting it off, and finding reasons not to do it. I guess the easiest answer would be that by putting it into words, it's all very real. 2015 was our last year doing wedding florals. There, I said it. Trust me, I am at peace with the decision, it was a long time coming. However it's hard to put the past 8 years into words. Doing wedding florals has brought me so much happiness and joy, some of the most stressful moments of my life, and really "tested my metal" so to speak.
My heart is so grateful for all the amazing couples who put their faith in us to make their day beautiful, to all the amazing vendors we've worked with over the years. To my mom who has been my design assistant and right hand woman from the beginning. To my husband who put up with the mess in our house, the crazy schedule, and hauling countless boxes. To my family who were there to lend extra hands whenever they were needed. To all of you I say thank you a million times over. Now here are a few of my favorite images from each of the weddings we did this year.
I've never done flowers for an Indian wedding here in Kansas City, unfortunately for me. I've always wanted too, but never had the chance, so when Madi of Madison Sanders Events asked me to take part in this inspiration shoot I jumped at the opportunity. When I wrote Middle of the Map Weddings, I got the chance to share a handful of Indian weddings, and I always found them so inspiring. Not only the gorgeous colors and decor, but also the beautiful traditions behind the events that make up a wedding event. We had an amazing team for this one, and I'm so glad that I got to be involved.
This was my first time every making a varmala. I wanted to coordinate with the lovely colors of the models green and gold sari. I used gold beads along with white and green mums and carnations. It took a lot more flowers, and was way heavier than I expected.
Madi did all the lovely gold lettering and signage that you see in this shoot. She is a calligraphy master.
This is probably my favorite shot from the day. I just adore all the beautiful colors and textures that Paper Crane Photo captured here.
Today's wedding is simple, but gorgeous. If you guys know me, then you know that I'm a huge supporter of the DIY movement. My floral design journey actually started when I created all the flowers for my own wedding. I always jump at the chance to work with couples who are doing a DIY wedding, and create special personal flowers to supplement all their projects. I think it helps take the stress of them, and I get to be a small part of their lovely days.
Erin was such an easy bride to work with. She and her fiance Cody were getting married out at the family farm, so she wanted her bouquets to have a wildflower feel to them, but still some knock out blooms like ranunculus and garden roses. Cody's love of beer was even incorporated with hops in the boutonnieres. We kept the bridesmaids simple with babies breath bouquets, the perfect counterpoint to their mix and match pastel dresses. A huge thank you to Erin and Cody for having us as part of your day!
It's good to love what you do, and pretty much everytime I work on a wedding I say to myself "This is the best wedding we've ever done", and I absolutely mean it. Not in a braggy way, but in a, "look how beautiful we made someones day" way.
We've done lots of weddings since Adrienne and Pat's spring affair from 2014 (yes I'm way behind on blogging here), but it still lands in the top five of all the weddings florals for me. There were so many details, and so many gorgeously unique moments, like the custom wood sign, the hanging floral installation, and Adrienne's bouquet (to die for peonies happening here). It was a true collaboration with the couple, and I think that shows through with the lovely things we were able to create for their day. Here's some of my favorite images, and man it was tough to cut them down (from over 100+ favorites). Enjoy, and thanks to Adrienne and Pat for letting us be part of your beautiful day!
I mean, those bridesmaids dresses, so amazing. I love the mismatched bridal trend, and these ladies are all on point with their choices!
We showed the guys some love too. Each one of these beautiful boutonnieres was a work of art, and we made al of them just a little bit different and unique.
The reception decor was a total knock out. Guests entered the event and signed oars which acted as the couples guest book. We had flowers everywhere, including this beautiful hanging installation right as guests entered the reception space.
Carly and Drew's wedding was the very definition of classic. Both ceremony and reception took place at Grand Street Cafe's special event space. A palette of black and white with just a touch of green made for a simple, elegant look. Her bouquet was lush and romantic with peonies, garden roses, and lisianthus, and the greenery centerpieces were some of my favorites we've made. So simple, but modern and fresh (and the views not bad either). Thank you so much to Carly and Drew for letting us be part of your day. Images by emmy-ray and Dasa Photography.
Of all the things you could try to DIY for your wedding, this simple, but gorgeous ceremony backdrop is one you shouldn't pass up. It's one of my favorite projects we've ever done for a client outside the realm of flowers, and we got lots of use out of it since then too. It adds a special touch that takes a ceremony from boring, to beautiful. It works great as a cake table backdrop, for a Photo Booth, or any occasion that needs a decorative touch. I'll show you how easy it is in three simple steps.
Here's what you'll need:
One painters canvas 9x12 drop cloth, purchased at a home goods store.
Ribbon. I used super cheap acetate ribbon in various colors and widths. It comes in big rolls and doesn't cost as much as fabric ribbon. (Papermart has a nice selection. 250 yards for under $7.00. Woot!)
Lace. I used two old lace tablecloths I found at a thrift store. They had a few stains on them, so they were perfect for cutting up.
Optional: corresponding color cotton fabric, about 3 or 4 yards.
Box of safety pins.
Scissors.
Pipe and drape (minus the drape). You can rent these from local rental companies for around $25-$50 usually, just for the metal pipes and bases. You could also create this project on a long dowel or piece of wood that you could hang at your venue. Basically you just need a long, rigid object you can attach your ribbon and fabric to.
Step One: Start by tearing your canvas drop cloth into strips. I varied my strip width from about 1 inch to about 4 inches. I cut a small slit with my scissors at the edge of the canvas, then tore it the rest of the way. I did the same with my cotton fabric, and then cut the lace into strips as well.
Step Two: With your pipes extended to the height you desire, measure one length of ribbon so it loops over the top about three inches, and then hangs to the ground. Cut it and then use this length of ribbon as your guide to cut many more in different widths and colors.
Step Three: To hang your fabric strips and ribbon, lower your top bar to about 5 or 6 feet so it's easy to reach. Loop one end about 3 inches over your top bar, and pin it, on the backside, with your safety pins. Continue to pin and layer, alternating between canvas, fabric, lace, and ribbon, varying your widths. When you're finished attaching your pieces raise the top bar to your desired height. Trim any fabric or ribbon that might be too long.
That's it, you're done! Add any other decor to your lovely backdrop that you desire. For this ceremony we added hanging bud vases, and eucalyptus on the framework. When we re-used it for the candy bar below we changed it up by adding some white string lights behind the ribbons for a soft glow. Beautiful.
I hope you'll give this super easy DIY a try when you need an extra touch of special decor for an event. I'd love to see what you create. Just tag #handmakerofthings or @emmyray.
Hillary and Matt's wedding was my first back post baby, and it was the perfect way to kick off the 2014 wedding season. Hillary is a friend from high school. It's so funny to think that when you meet someone when you're 14 years old, you never dream that someday you'll be doing their wedding flowers. However I love that I've been able to be a part of almost all my high school friends big days. Hillary and Matt wanted their blooms in beautiful jewel tones of plum and purple with touches of emerald, and peacock. I took care of the personal flowers, and then Matt, who used to work in a floral shop, DIY'd all the reception arrangements. Everything turned out so lovely, and I felt lucky to be a part of their big day. A huge thank you to Hillary and Matt, and to Dennis Lee Photography for the lovely images. Ceremony and reception held at the beautiful Berg Event Space.
Sometimes the stars just align, and things fall into place, which is exactly what happened for this shoot. I was lucky enough to work in it with my good friend Jana, for E A Bride Magazine, and it still remains one of my favorites ever. When we were brainstorming the shoot we decided we wanted to do something really different. Tons of color, texture, and lots of flowers that you usually don't see used for weddings. We were able to partner with some amazing vendors, and I'm also probably partial to venue since we shot in my house. Anyway, enough talking, here's some of my favorite shots!
Aren't Amy and Peter the cutest? They're a real married couple, and this ended up being the cover shot for the magazine.
And here's a few behind the scenes shots. The end results are always beautiful, but you never know what's going on behind the scenes to get that perfect shot!
Participating vendors who made this beautiful shoot possible:
