Hello lovely!

Ever since I saw this gorgeous centerpiece back in July, I knew I wanted something similar for my wedding. I totally dig the charming rustic feel and crafty use of book pages. (Aren’t wedding blogs great for this kind of inspiration?)

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However, we don’t have the budget for those lovely white ceramic vessels, nor do I have the patience to make that many little paper flowers or paint that many twigs white when we have about 30 centerpieces to build! So Nate and I decided to take this concept and make it our own with what we had available, and with what we could afford. Using reclaimed wood found behind his parents’ house, floral foam bricks (2 of these were needed per centerpiece), white sticks from Ikea, leftover white nails, book pages to cover the floral foam and for flowers (here’s how to make them !), and found twigs, we were able to construct 30 of these boxes fairly quickly and also fairly cheaply! Woot!

Here’s what we spent on our budget-savvy creation:

$40 on floral foam bricks from Joann (and FYI, in case you live under a rock, they have great deals! They honored the reduced online price in the store, and we were also able to use a $5 coupon with our purchase.)

$20 on white sticks from Ikea (yeah, I know I could’ve just painted these myself, but it was worth $20 to me to save the hassle!)

$1 on a bag of vintage hardcover books at a library sale

$0 on wood

$0 on nails

TOTAL: $61 for 30 centerpieces (or just over $2 each)

I am so mentally high-fiving myself right now for creating the awesomeness that is a $2 centerpiece! (And I’m also mentally high-fiving my awesome fiance who’s a mad-wicked chop saw operator!)

I’d love to hear from you – what are you doing for your centerpieces to make a big impact without a big budget? Where did your inspiration come from?

Much love,

Hello my dears!

As an interior designer, I’ve always had a love for unique buildings and great architecture. So when it came time for Nate and I to pick our wedding venue…well, surprisingly, we chose something that is neither unique nor great! Because we live in the middle of nowhere, and because our wedding is on New Year’s Eve and many venues won’t rent on that night, we were pretty limited. We always knew that we wanted the ceremony to be at his church (because that’s where we met – aww!) but we were hoping for something with a little more style for the reception. However, after a few failed attempts at finding a suitable separate reception venue, we realized that it’s just going to be so much more convenient for all our out-of-town guests in the freezing cold December weather to have the entire wedding in one building. It’s also much more budget-friendly. We’re able to rent the church for the entire day for only a few hundred dollars – much less than most venues! But while the price is a big pro, the outdated decor of the church is quite the con. See?

The building does have some positive features, like classic white walls and a gorgeous wood ceiling in the sanctuary. Buuut….that’s about it! I’ve been really racking my brain for creative ways to style the sanctuary and reception hall. We’re planning to drape the walls in the reception hall with white (borrowed!) fabric; make tall planters with white painted branches; decorate both spaces with paper garlands and flowers made from antique book pages; and make a cute tattoo-inspired banner out of foam board to hang above us during the ceremony.

So, although I have a few ideas to bring on the AWESOME – I need your help! I’d love to hear your creative decorating suggestions for a not-so-pretty space. Did you have (or do you have) a similar situation for your own wedding? What were some budget-friendly ideas that made a big impact on your wedding decor?

Much love,

This is part 2 in our series of flower alternatives. There are so many different materials you can use to make centerpieces and bouquets other than fresh flowers, which can be terribly expensive. If you have a little DIY skill or just want to buy something that lasts longer than a few days, feathers are a lovely option. Ribbons, feathers and hot glue and i think you’d be set!

These lovely examples are all from Emplume.

image from here.

Check out this beauty created by The Diamond Willow that was featured on Ruffled:image by Christie Pham Photography via Ruffled

Look at how fabulous feathers look as centerpieces:

image from here.

Bold colors make a statement- aren’t these fun!?

Image from Hostess with the Mostess

Peacock feathers look classy and stylish in this holiday wedding centerpiece.

Image from Wedding Theme Boutique

Adding a feather to your place settings is a nice touch as well!

Image from Hostess with the Mostess

What do you think about feathers as an alternative to flowers? Love it or leave it?

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Past Posts in Flower Alternative Series: Part 1: Paper

3 of my lovely blue Mason Jars arrived last week in this condition. It was a sad day for me.

These dreamy lacy lanterns are only $2.99 at IKEA! Perfect for a tealight or votive.

These adorable lanterns are from IKEA for $4.99!

Saw these darling, recycled glass bud vases at Target for $2.50 each.

Found these oil lamps at Old Time Pottery in Murfreesboro… $5 each. Aren’t the colors perfection?

More Old Time Pottery finds… each of these pieces are under $1 each!!!

Don’t forget my lovely new blue Ball mason jars! As of today, I’ve got 30 of them headed my way!

Found this pic on this post by Brooklyn Bride… this is a bit of inspiration for our tables. We are planning to do burlap runners on our round tables. Perhaps I will make some napkins out of some different styles of country yellow cloths… it would be too cute. I’m hoping to do a collection of different jars, vases, etc in the middle of the tables, with candles and a few flowers… very minimal, very eclectic, very chic.

Picture from here. See the different-patterned-but-same-color-scheme napkins? LOVE.