100 Layer Cake

31 Mar

Guest Blogger: Lanie from Lovely, DIY burned flowers

I fancy myself a lover of d.i.y. looks, but when it comes to making things, I have the attention span of a two year old. I need something quick and easy…sort of semi-d.i.y. So when I discovered these flower pins and realized how easy it was to make them, I thought they would be a perfect item to make in bulk for my own wedding last June.

I wanted to give my close family and friends an opportunity to feel part of ‘the story’, so making custom flowers in our wedding colors was the way to go. And like I mentioned yesterday, it resulted in amazing wedding footage from our photographer and videographer, where many of the shots were people I wanted to see in them, not my distant cousins third wife who got crazy on the dance floor.

You’ll need very basic items to actually make the flowers: Scissors, needle and thread, felt, a candle, and polyester fabrics. The fabric can be satin, charmeuse, chiffon, but it MUST be polyester, since poly melts, not burns. Lastly, you can use feathers, gemstones, or other findings to taste.

1. Cut out several squares of fabric in descending sizes to make the various layers. Your largest circle should be about 4 to 5 inches in diameter and the rest should be about 1/2″ smaller. This will vary based on how full you want the flowers to look. More layers, more full.

2. Round the squares off into circles. Don’t worry about getting them perfect as they will melt down unevenly anyway.

3. Slowly rotate the circle about 1 inch from an open flame. Go slowly as the edges start to melt. Get closer to the flame for a more dramatic edge effect.

4. For a modern flower that is more flat, only burn the edges slightly. For a more ruffly and girly look, hold the flower at both edges and slowly bring the middle of the fabric to the flame.

5. You can see the effect here as the middle starts to melt and create a rippled look.

6. Layer the circles together largest to smallest and put a few hand stitches in the middle to keep them together.

7. To stabilize the flower, add a small circle of felt to the back with fabric or hot glue. You can then glue on any number of items (like a hair pin or stick pins) depending on where you want the flower to go. These also look cute glued on a hair elastic for your flower girls.

8. To take the personalization even further, glue or stitch something fun in the center. I love the idea Summer from Grey Likes Weddings had last week and think personalized findings would be an adorable element. Imagine giving your ‘study abroad in Paris buddy’ one with an eiffel tower center. C’est Chic!

30 Mar

Guest Blogger: Lanie from Lovely, les fleurs

categories Guest Blogger, Wedding Wardrobe

So now that the bride has been covered, we thought we’d discuss blooms for the groom…and guests. We love the idea of not only outfitting your groom and groomsmen in flower accessories, but carrying it through to your wedding ‘vips’. It is a thoughtful touch to give your immediate family a bit of handmade love, but it also helps alert the photographer to who the key family members are. Let your photographer know that anyone wearing your special flower should be in a good share of the candid reception shots.

There have been so many cool updates to boutonnieres and corsages, that it is hard to chose just one! But remembering the style rule of ‘create a story’ you should make sure the effect contributes to the over all stylistic theme that you are going for. Here are some of our favorite looks by style.

These sugary sweets from Sarah Culleton are a delicate little treat. You guests will be endeared by the vintage findings and the cute fabric mixes. I love the idea of guests using these as bookmarks after the wedding! Usage: Romantic Brides and Vintage Brides.

The look of dried flowers and frost bitten leaves would be great for a fall or winter wedding. These Twigs and Honey accessories have a pale beauty to them for a snow wonderland theme. Usage: Eco Brides and Hippie Brides.

For the classic prepster, Emerson Made pins are a-class. There little little guys are so fun in bunches! Usage: Preppy Brides and Classic Brides.

For the no frills couple, these Nimbler Grove flowers are beautiful and architectural. With such a simple design, you can really punch up the color quotient. Usage: Modern Brides and Rock & Roll Brides.

If none of these looks fit your theme, or if you are just feeling a little d.i.y itch coming on, you should attempt your own flower pins. Tomorrow, I’m going to show you a simple and quick techniques for pumping out a high volume of romantic fleurs. See you tomorrow!

29 Mar

Guest Blogger: Lanie from Lovely Bridal Shop; What’s Your Look?

categories Guest Blogger, Wedding Wardrobe

Hi Cakies! I’m so thrilled to be guest blogging this week. Allow me to intro myself. Obsessed with fashion and other things pretty, I decided to open a bridal lifestyle boutique in NYC this Spring (Opening April 8th as a matter fact) called Lovely. Oh yeah, we’ll have great dresses, but also some fun surprises that may keep you coming back post-nuptials. Our love of styling is unquenchable and we are so excited to help future brides style out their own perfect wedding. Don’t you get so excited when you see a bride who brings it all together perfectly, like to the point you clip and save the photo even though you don’t know her? That sheer perfection of styling comes from two simple principles:

1) Your look should be a reflection of your personality. Although that ball gown may be exciting to try on, if you are a sex-pot glamazon, work it on your wedding day in a mermaid style that has them all swooning. The pictures will tell the truth.

2) Create a story. A perfect dress is one thing. But coordinating the accessories and details is what wraps your guests in a mythical event with you as the fairy-tale heroine.

Below are three ways to carry it through from head to toe:

Us girly girls don’t shy from pink, or ruffles or flowers, or all of them jumbled together in one frou frou outfit. It’s ok! You can embrace this look on your wedding day. Embellishment is key here, like the floral rosette bodice on this Elizabeth Dye gown. Paired with a vintage silk cardigan from Jcrew, you can add just a touch of vintage inspiration. An over the top flower from Ban.Do, thank you very much. And if you have had sugary overload by this point, hand off the girly baton to your bridesmaids in this ruffly frock from Ruche and cut flower platforms by Badgley Mischka. How cute would plastic printed floral sunglasses be for your bridesmaids gifts! That quirky element pokes a little fun at this sweet overload.

You va-va voomers know how to work those curves. This Lea Ann Belter dress does most of the work for you…it could give a soda can a waistline! To cover up? Spring or Fall, fur for all. Who can resist this cute one from Etsy? For a real vintage throwback, feathers must be present. Lauren Christensen of Lo Boheme creates the most amazing hair pieces, and each new line just gets better! And for your girls? Jenny Yoo captures the modest but still glamorous look of the fifties in silk shantung. Red was our fav here, especially to pick up the red in a pair of killer Louboutins for the bride. A good way to tie it all pretty with color. And notice the subtle pattern in those shoes. It’s those little vintage inspired details that make it all come to life. Lastly, glamour bags for your girls…talk about a gift that keeps on giving!

You can still look casual and glamorous on your wedding day. Consider cotton, like this cotton crochet dress by Watters. For a cool summer night, a sweater shrug is great, but the gold sequins make it perfect. There is no reason a casual bride can’t shine…as a matter of fact, sequins and glitter, like this Miu Miu sliver wedge, it what makes the look YOU but notched up 20%. Your girls should be in cotton sundresses, and if you are daring, mis-match them. Add some fauna to their hair, like this great Twigs and Honey piece. And lastly, do something thoughtful for their bridesmaids gifts, like these custom made Megan Greene Jewelry rings. Each one is made custom to order and can be designed to match each girls personality.

Creating a story that reflects your personality will keep the guests buzzing about your beauty. And remember, even if you are nonchalant about your style, dial it up to a 2.0 version of yourself on your wedding day. It’s fun to have give your new husband a little gasp as you walk down the aisle.

I’ll be back tomorrow to share some more tips and tricks with you. And please let us know if you need any styling tips…we love to play personal stylist!

26 Mar

Guest Blogger: Unruly Things, invites

categories Guest Blogger, Pretty Paper

Being a designer, one of the most important elements to me about our wedding is the stationery and paper goods. One of the benefits of owning my own little letterpress shop, Postal Press, is that we’ll be able to print our invitations! I’ve been teaching DLB to print as well and he’s excited to be able to help.

{Image c/o Neither Snow}

Since our inspiration for our wedding is based loosely on natural medical and science related things, we knew we wanted our invitations to carry on this theme. We began our inspiration by browsing antique botanical books, old pharmacy labels and vintage calligraphy samples. we came across a wonderful book from the late 1800′s filled with ferns that beautifully matched our theme.

{Images c/o Vintage Portland Map, Snippet & Ink, Ferns of Great Britain & Ireland, Ampersand, love potion bottle, vintage pharmacy labels, vintage specimen}

Aside from our design being nature inspired, we’ve also been collecting vintage postage stamps for a few months now. We’ve found some amazing butterflies, trees, acorns and even lab glass stamps that we’re planning to don our envelopes with.

{Images c/o Paper is Lovely, dsbrennan, Vintage Postcard, Kraft tag, Butterfly Specimen}

I’m not sure about you, but I’m slightly obsessed with fonts. I’ve got hundreds on my computer and even more bookmarked away for future purchases. Combined with custom calligraphy and archive fonts, we’re planning on our invites have a truly old world/vintage feel with true aspects of our personalities shining through.

{Images c/o vintage post card, Mr. Boddington, Emilie Friday, Tara Jones, Neither Snow}

So that’s it! I want to thank the ladies of 100 Layer Cake for having me here and letting me talk about wedding stuff for a whole week! Be sure to check in with Unruly Things to see the outcome of our July.

25 Mar

Guest Blogger: Unruly Things, DIY flowers

categories DIY Wedding, Guest Blogger

When DLB and I first began planning our wedding, we had thoughts of picking flowers at a local farm to save ourself money. Then I got a little worried about time constraints and started researching “do it yourself” bouquets and of course, local florists. First of all, let me start by saying that if a florist is in your budget, by all means, save yourself the time and energy and have a professional put your bouquet together! I’m still on the fence on flowers, whether or not I want to do them myself, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to assemble a DIY bouquet and share my experience with you.

I started off at a local flower shop. I didn’t really have a good idea in mind and didn’t know how many flowers I needed to get. I just knew a general idea of color and kind of went from there. I picked out one central large flower to be my focus flower and color, a few accent flowers and some greenery.

Once I got home, I trimmed off the excess leaves and stems that I didn’t want on my bouquet and quickly saw what I felt was enough flowers dwindle down to half the original size. But I pressed on. I started by arranging the flowers in a vase so that I could see how they would look once tied together. Then I gathered them up and bound them with some floral tape. I finished off the bouquet with an vintage piece of lace though I’m hoping to use my great-grandmother’s handkerchief on my actual bouquet.

I have to say, I was quite pleased with the bouquet and it was quite refreshing to know that I would be capable of making one. Though I think if I were to make my own, I’d definitely get twice as many flowers. This was a wonderful learning experience that I’d recommend experimenting with prior to your wedding if you’re planning to create your own bouquet. It really helped me visualize and plan!