Chris & Caitlin’s Spring Wedding
When this adorable couple wrote to us in search of some natural, spring-y ideas for their nuptials next April, we couldn’t wait to brainstorm some fresh and memorable wedding details. Here’s their letter:
Woohoo!! I am so excited that you guys have started doing wedding consultations! We’ll be getting married next April a church and then holding the reception at a luxury hotel called the Westin. It’s gorgeous and fancy, but in a modern casual elegance type of way. We don’t want it to feel super stuffy or formal, that would be so far from our personalities. We actually wanted to do a themed but not themed “green” wedding. Like sending people home with seeds since it’s a spring wedding. I love the favors at your wedding, so perfect. Chris thought that we could also plant a tree in honor of each of our guests or send them home with a potted plant. Useful and eco-friendly. With the flowers, I pretty much know that I want greens and whites (peonies, hydrangeas, and white tulips are my favorites). Also, we’re are both very Irish, so I was trying to find a way to incorporate our heritage in there, too. Thank you so much! Can’t wait to see what you come up with! – Caitlin & Chris
We love C & C’s idea of a green and white color scheme along with some spring-like touches that are natural and elegant (with a splash of Irish). So without further ado, our wedding mood board chock fulla fresh ideas:
*Images courtesy of The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Google Images, & Flickr.
Here’s the mood board breakdown.
1. Our proposed color palette features a gorgeous and subtle ivory paired with a leafy green and a rich chocolate brown. Elegant, timeless, and oh-so-spring.
2. Here’s a bouquet similar to the one that Caitlin described. We love the idea of a subtle green and white color scheme and the natural romantic look of peonies, hydrangeas, and white tulips. We also think centerpieces with the same low and round arrangements would make each table soft, romantic, and picture perfect.
3. We’re huge fans of personalized paper products, and a save-the-date like this would set the scene for a cheerful spring wedding in a major way. Attaching cut out numerals to an ivory ribbon and slipping the whole thing into a green envelope might seem time-consuming, but doing it together over a few days will go faster than you think, and they’re sure to make a big impression. So worth the effort.
4. Again tying in with our ivory and green color scheme, a casually elegant invitation like this would strike the perfect balance. Fun and memorable yet effortlessly chic, these invitations would definitely leave people excited about the big day. You can try your hand at designing your own and printing them on quality paper, or just use the above image as inspiration for whoever will be designing your invites.
5. As soon as Caitlin mentioned the whole natural/spring/green idea, our wheels started turning. How charming would an old garden wagon filled with favors (or even champagne) be? The possibilities are endless- Caitlin and Chris could even place it on a table with old pictures of their parents and grandparents on their wedding day for a touch of nostalgia.
6. We’re huge fans of bringing the outdoors in, and for this spring wedding we think these adorable grass filled platers would be the perfect place for everything from menu cards to seating cards (see #13). The best thing is that they’re super easy (and cheap!) to make. Just a bag of grass seed and some sun along with some terracotta pots (painted white or even pale green) is all it takes to make a few of these for each table so the menu’s in plan view for all to see.
7. Making the day memorable is all about signature touches. And a cake like this would look just smashing with all the other green spring-like touches. Your baker could even use real leaves and simply remove them before serving (and a lot of bakers these days actually serve a sheet cake from the back anyway, so the leaves might be no problemo at all).
8. Speaking of signature touches, nothing says “Caitlin & Chris” like a fun signature drink that references their Irish heritage. How about a gin & tonic with a splash of lime called a “Blarney Tonic” or a whiskey sour apple medley called a “Four Leaf Clover”?
9. And speaking of clovers, how about placing a little four leaf clover on each guest’s napkin? Not only a nod to their Irish heritage, this tiny detail would also remind guests how lucky the couple feels to have found each other.
10. When it comes to the favors we love Caitlin & Chris’ seed idea, and simple white boxes (available everywhere from Michael’s to Target) wrapped in green ribbon with a green tag would be super cute. They can all be presented on a table near the exit (even in the adorable wagon from #5) or could be waiting at each guest’s plate to greet them (while adding another personalized detail to the table).
11. Another way to create an über memorable day is to mix and match colors and textures to add dimension and personality. We think the groom and his groomsmen would look amazing with mixed & matched ties in complementary shades of green. And the bride and groom can even purchase them all at once (try a department store like Macy’s for a variety of patterns and tones) to ensure that they all look great together (they can be groomsmen gifts as well as their selected attire for the big day).
12. A charming ring pillow embellished with four leaf clovers will inject another touch of their Irish heritage into the mix. And small clover iron-on patches can be affixed to a regular ring pillow (found in the wedding aisle at Michael’s) super easily. A clover stamp and some fabric paint is another easy way to gussy up a ring pillow sans patches.
14. Caitlin and Chris aren’t stuffy and formal, and they really seem to want their guests to feel comfortable and have fun. So we thought a playful basket of comfy green flip flops would ensure that every guest can kick off their heels and dance the night away (tip: hit up a few dollar stores before fall rolls around to score them for as cheap as 99 cents each- and it’s cute to mix and match different shades and patterns of green).
15. As for the bridesmaid dresses, we actually were torn. Rich chocolate brown strapless tea-length dressed like these would definitely look classy and elegant (and actually get worn after the wedding thanks to the timeless cut and color)…
16. …but there’s also something so fresh and “now” about mix & matched bridesmaid dresses in a variety of green shades (and they’d look fabulous with the groomsmens’ mix & matched ties). So we’ll leave the tough decision up to C & C.
17. Possibly our most “outside the box” idea, we found plantable paper embedded with actual wildflower seeds that can be used as thank you cards (you can stamp them, run them through a printer or handwrite a note to each guest) and then your family and friends can plant ‘em in their garden for a gorgeous flower display to remind them of that special day. How amazing and original is that?!
18. We also love the idea of creating two giant cards that say “thank” and “you” to hold while posing for pics on your wedding day. The photo can then be slipped into the plantable thank you cards for an adorable portrait that demonstrates just how much you love each other (and your guests!).
Whew. So there’s our brian-dump. What do you guys think? Have you used (or seen) other playful spring wedding ideas that you’d love to throw into the mix? How about some Irish heritage ideas? Any Irish poems for the ceremony or Irish traditions to tie into the reception? Oh and if you’re in need of a custom wedding mood board of your very own, click here to get the ball rolling.
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Comments
This is just amazing, breathtaking even! I’m only 20 so a wedding is not on my horizon for a good while yet, but having been with my boyfriend for 4 years already I can’t deny day-dreaming about it! So I’ll make sure to take notes on the wonderful details which appeal to me from your moodboards, while awaiting the day when I can e-mail you about my own! With ideas this brilliant and personal, I can assure you that I’ll get back to you when the time is right ;)
//Your blog-follower from Sweden
another great way to incorporate the irish heritage without getting clover-crazed is the classic celtic knot. i absolutely love the simplicity of it, and you can already find plenty of things that have it printed (invitations and such) since it is such a popular symbol among people with irish backgrounds.
the best part is you could still incorporate the beautiful green/chocolate/ivory theme and all of the lovely garden elements and just incorporate the celtic knot as a symbol to (no pun intended!) tie everything together.
Y’all are amazing. What WAY COOL ideas!!! And how generously you share it all with all of us — wow. And THANKS!
Seriously wonderful ideas!! My favs are the STDs, the place card holders, and incorporating the 4 leaf clovers. So lovely!
I think these are great ideas. I particularly love the idea of the flip flops and the seed-filled packets that can be personalized with a message to the guests.
You have no idea how excited I was to come home and see this! I can’t wait to share it with Chris! I especially love the mix and matching of the bridesmaids dresses, the grooms ties, flip flops, the wagon filled with frames or favors, and the seeds in a box tied with a lovely green ribbon! It’s funny because we have discussed incorporating the plantable paper idea somehow—LOVE IT (especially as a thank you card!) While the bridesmaids dresses would definitely be going out on a limb, for me anyway, (I am not a very flashy or bright dresser) they would help to show off the fun and fabulous personalities of my bridesmaids. And for the groomsmen, I think Chris would love sporting a funky green polka dot (or whatever) bowtie, he loves bowties and it would showcase his sense of humor perfectly! The groomsman I originally wanted to just wear black suits and a silk tie of whatever accent color we decided upon, so this fits right in! Thank you for going above and beyond on this project for Chris and I, and in record time, phew! You and John have definitely helped to give us the visuals for our perfect day. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!
Love,
C & C
I just thought I would tell you about what I did with my favors – my wedding’s this Saturday and I just finished making my favors… They’re wildflower seeds in cellophane bags, tied with raffia (with instruction tag) and placed in a pea pod I think it’s called – a degradeable, plantable pot. I wanted something that was handmade and personalized. It was so easy, cheap and something different from the typical wedding favor. I just posted pics on my flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/24221378@N02/sets/72157606323065219/ Good luck with everything! Looks like you’ve already got some great ideas :) Love the moodboard.
Hey C&C- We’re sooooo happy that you’re happy! It was a blast and we can’t wait to see how your big day comes together. Don’t forget to keep us posted and send us some pics! Happy planning…
Hey everyone else- Thanks so much for the ideas and the enthusiasm! We’re super excited for C&C’s nuptials (is it April yet?) and we can’t wait to see some pictures. From the Irish heritage suggestions to more green/springy decor inspiration, we’re loving all the new ideas that you’ve added to the pot (and we LOVE those favors Jessica- good luck with your impending wedding!). Thanks so much for chiming in.
xoxo,
Sherry
For an Irish accent, don’t forget about the Claddagh, either as a design accent (you can find stamps and many other things with the Claddagh on it) or to use as your wedding rings. And the symbolism of it is lovely for a wedding: hands for friendship, a crown for loyalty and a heart for love. A beautiful sentiment for a wedding day.
My vote is for the green dresses. Not only does it allow the bridesmaids to showcase their individuality, but if the groomsmen are wearing black suits, then you avoid the black suit with a brown dress look, which I have to admit I’m not fond of seeing. But that’s just me.
And where was this site when I was getting married?! That’s a joke, I’ve been married 13 years this month. :-)
I love the green, ivory and brown theme!
Some other springy/green ideas:
limes in the centerpiece vases
http://tinyurl.com/67ugc3
white and green chair covers
http://tinyurl.com/6pyr5a
flower in each bridesmaids hair
http://tinyurl.com/54td8f