Inspiration Board #1 - Yellow

Mustard, lemon or pale yellow, there's nothing mellow about this color. When I see this bright hue it immediately puts a smile on my face, and a spring in my step. Whether you choose to saturate you special day with it, or just add a few subtle hints here and there, yellow and weddings go together like ice cream and summer!

Below I have put together a few boards to get your creative wheels spinning in the right direction. Enjoy!

(Don't you just love that dog!)

{Top left: DC NearlyWeds, Photography by Next Exit; Right: here; Bottom left & right: Martha Stewart Weddings}

I would totally rock that headpiece. Very chic.

{Top left: Martha Stewart Weddings; middle left: Lindeman Weddings; Headpiece by: giant dwarf photo via The Perfect Palette; Bottom left photo via Truly Smitten, cake: Martha Stewart Weddings}

I want those shoes!

{Top left:One Wed, Photography by Tanja Lippert ; Cake: Martha Stewart Weddings; Bottom left: Intimate Weddings; Shoes pic: Being Social}

Polka dots and gemstone engagement rings are perfect accessories for a wedding at the Viceroy, Palm Springs.

{Top left: Santa Barbara Wedding Chic via Brooklyn Bride; middle left: InStyle Weddings; Right: Tying The Knot; Bottom: Santa Barbra Wedding Chic via Viceroy Palm Springs}

Wonderfully Unexpected: Succulents

To all my Eco-conscious and green brides out there: If you're looking for a green alternative to cut flowers, succulents are the plant for you.

To all the rest of us: They're just so lovely to behold!

{Top photo via: A Mountain Bride; Bouquet photo via: Inspired to Flowers via Martha Stewart Weddings; Boutonniere photo via: Blogger Brides}

Don't think for a second that these "blooms" are restricted to Palm Springs and Arizona weddings; they work with all types: Modern minimal, beach, vineyard, vintage romance, earthy and the list could go on.

{Upper left: Plant Design Online; Bottom left: Margaret Honeycutt Photography; Upper & bottom right: With This Ring}

With their fleshy leaves, they make unique bouquets, giving dainty feminine florals an edge.

{Top row: (left) One Love Photo, enovember; Bottom row: (left) Erin Hearts Court, bouquet: here}

They also make unexpected boutonnieres, with their structured petals for guys who don't want anything flowery.

{Top row: (left) Out of Hand, (right) here; Bottom: Erin Hearts Court}

The best thing about succulents is their renewable quality. You can replant them once your wedding is over as a reminder or keepsake of your special day. How romantic is that!

{Top row: (left) Succulent Luv, Casa Sugar; Bottom row: (left) here, Apartment Therapy}

Bold & Beautiful Billy Balls

Billy Balls ( also known as Billy Buttons or Craspedia) are a relative of the daisy, and such a sweet playful addition to any Spring, Summer, or Fall wedding. These unusual blossoms add wonderful texture and visual interest to any floral design. I am borderline obsessed with these giddy little yellow orbs that are, well, cute as a billy button!

They can be feminine and flirty in a Bridal bouquet, masculine and fun as a boutonniere, or modern minimalist as reception decor.

Photos via - {Top row: Bloomerism, Moments That Shine} {Middle left: here} {Bottom row:Elegance & Simplicity, Blue Bouquet}

I would love to carry these down the aisle...

Photos via - {Top left: Parsonage Events ; top right: bouquet by Janie Medley vis The Bride's Cafe; bottom left: dellables; right: here}

{Top right: bouquet by Blue Bouquet, photo vis Fashion Bride; Bottom left (2): dellables; top and bottom right: photos via Bloomerism}

Perfectly Pretty Peonies

Be still my longing heart.

{table decor & white wedding bouquet: Martha Stewart Weddings} {top right & bottom left bridal bouquet: design by Flowerwild}

Peonies are such a romantic flower. It was love at first site for me and their perfectly pretty, and totally versatile petals. Their soft, abundant and complex blooms just ooze femininity, grace, sophistication, and a fairytale like charm that no princess bride can resist.

{The Knot}

White, raspberry, fuchsia, peach, pink, blush, deep red and lemon are just a few of the colors these Spring blooms have to offer. Pair them with garden roses, hydrangeas, ranuculus, anemones or any other perfered blossom for a perfectly lush bouquet that is, well, perfectly stunning! (I just couldn't resist..)

{Peony bouquets featured on The Knot}

While I wouldn't encourage you to eat the real thing, these sugary sweet replicas will add just the right amount of magic to your special day.

{Top Row: Big Bloom Nice Icing, Peonies & Ribbons The Knot} {Bottom Row: Brown & Green The Knot, Sweet Peonies Roxy Cakes }

With such a wide range of possibilities, any bride from romantic to modern can afford to sneak these precious flowers into their wedding decor.

Welcome!

Weddings have become a pleasant obsession of mine.

Color schemes, themes, dresses, flowers, table linens, gorgeous venues, abounding guest lists; I love it all! i mean I simply go head over heels, mad cap crazy for weddings. No detail is too small; no color is off limits, and no theme is too outrageous.

It began with my older sister’s wedding earlier this year in March. She and her husband planned the wedding themselves, and it was so uniquely them. I had never been intimately involved with a wedding before then and now I can’t imagine why not! The beauty of the day just sweeps you away into a gilded bubble of food, fun, music and the many splendored thing: Love.

It wasn’t until after the wedding that I discovered the craftier side of planning an event to remember. I have since become a veracious reader of wedding magazines, and blogs ingesting daily the latest trends, and learning from the creative industry giants that make it all look so easy. Personally, I simply adore the DIY weddings. They have that lived-in, but oh so chic feel to them that just makes my heart leap and my soul swoon. Whether a little or a whole lot, handmade touches just make the day cozier.

The name for my blog is an ode to two things: 1) To the many different components, layers, people, ideas, love, and inspiration that magically come together to create the splendor that is a wedding. 2) And my love for poetry. The line "many splendored thing" comes from a Francis Thompson poem titled, In No Strange Land. You may remember it from a song (Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole) or perhaps from a movie starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones.

In any event, weddings just like love, are truly a many splendored thing.