AisleDash

Waterlily lights

Ilona Peltz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Pre-Ceremony Parties, Flowers, Receptions

Who can resist the delicate, pastel-colored lighting provided by these floating water lily lights? Each lily is 10 cm (about four inches) across. They are lit by batter-powered LED lights, and will change color gently as they float. For an additional touch of whimsy, add a few of the lily pads with a clear glass frog on top, and watch the frogs change color. Not true to nature, perhaps, but fun.

If you're having an outdoor wedding and/or reception, these lights can be an addition to a water feature. For an indoor wedding, perhaps you could have place large decorative bowls on a couple of small tables, on either side of the door, say, or at each end of the head table or cake table. Float one or two of these lights in each bowl. Lovely!

(For more information on the Waterlilly lights, or the Floating Frog lights, check out The Glow Company.)

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Blooms not found in nature -- but so COOL!

Ilona Peltz — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:01:00 EST

Filed under: Do-It-Yourself, Flowers

Take one creative Etsy shop-holder, let her propose to her sweetie, give her some time to put those creative talents to work on her very own wedding -- and you'll be sure to see something spectacular. Princess Lasertron (aka Megan), creates hugely fun button flowers in her Etsy shop, so of course she'd be making her own wedding bouquets!

A bouquet can take between 10 and 40 hours to make, starting with hand-made patterns on heavy paper. Each flower is formed of layers of felt and sewn together with hand-dyed white silk thread. Dying her own thread is cheaper, says Megan, and that way she gets the exact colors she wants. Each blossom is finished off with a vintage button or sparkly jewelry.

And the result, we're sure you'll agree, is SPECTACULAR! If you'd like some fabulous Princess Laserton blossoms for your own wedding, check out her Etsy shop.

Gallery: Princess Lasertron Felt-and-button flowers

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Family lei exchange

Meg Massie — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Relationships, Flowers, Ceremonies

Lots of weddings include a special part of the ceremony specifically designed to symbolize the joining of two families. Some couples use unity candles, others have a handfasting ceremony, and others might have a family lei exchange.

In the lei exchange, the bride and groom take turns adorning their new in-laws with leis, with the maid of honor and best man or other attendants holding the leis for the ceremony until it's time to use them. This is a great job for a child attendant. Instead of or in addition to flower girls and ring bearers, you can have a lei carrier.

For examples of ceremony scripts including a lei exchange, visit this site. For some of our favorite leis and where to buy them, read this post.

Gallery: Leis for your beach wedding

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The perfect leis for your beach wedding

Meg Massie — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Flowers, Favors

When you have your wedding on the beach, you can dress and accessorize however you like. Many couples opt to wear the same formal attire that they'd wear in a church wedding, and others go a lot more casual. You can wear anything from a skimpy bikini to a traditional big white dress -- you have tons of options.

The same is true for your flowers. Lots of beach brides and grooms opt against traditional boutonnieres and corsages in favor of something a lot more beachy -- the lei. Leis can be the perfect accessory for the bridal party, and they also make great favors for your beach wedding.

Leis come in all different types of floral and leafy designs, so no matter what your beach style is, there's sure to be a lei that will complement it nicely. We found gorgeous selections here, here, and here. Browse the gallery for some of our favorites.

Gallery: Leis for your beach wedding

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Beach Wedding Decor: So many choices!

Kristen Seymour — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Destination Ceremonies, Flowers, Favors, Theme weddings

If you've decided to have a beach-themed wedding, you might think the tough decisions are behind you. After all, once you choose a theme, all the decorations should be easy peasy, right?

Here's the thing -- within the beach wedding genre, there are a plethora of sub-themes to choose from. You could opt to go with any one of them, or, in some cases, combine a couple of them to make your wedding uniquely yours. But first things first -- you have to decide which sub-themes best suit your personality.

As always, we're here to help. Just click the "Next" button to see some samples of different beachy themes. Before you know it, you'll have your wedding all planned!

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Inspiration board: White wedding

Roxanna Sarmiento — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Cakes and Catering, Invitations, Budget Advice, Flowers, Favors, Bridal Beauty, Theme weddings, Inspiration Boards

A white wedding can be so many things - ethereal and innocent or crisp and oh-so-chic - it's a wedding theme beloved by both traditionalists and edgy modernists because it can be anything you want it to be.

Of course, most weddings have at least one major player dressed all in white: The bride! From the white dress to her dazzling smile, a bride in white is a very special and lovely sight. Imagine the impact of an all-white event!

Continue reading Inspiration board: White wedding

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Wednesday wedding wrap-up: June 11, 2008

Kristen Seymour — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Honeymoons, Destination Ceremonies, Do-It-Yourself, Flowers, Music and Entertainment

Wednesday Wedding Wrap-up is a weekly roundup of highlights from the past week, covering wedding blogs and websites, reality TV, even particularly hot scoop right here at AisleDash. Think we missed something? Leave your favorite highlight in the comments!

Manolo for the Brides evaluates the pros and cons of a destination wedding. What, you thought getting married in an exotic location was without its flaws?

Bridalwave tosses around some alternative first dance songs, none of which made the cut for the couple in question, but it might give you some ideas.

Hostess with the Mostess has a fabulous idea for centerpieces -- blumeboxes with ribbons. You can personalize them in lots of different ways to ensure they're perfect for your wedding (and they're affordable and reusable, so give them to guests or take them home at the end!).

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All-White table decor

Roxanna Sarmiento — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Pre-Ceremony Parties, Do-It-Yourself, Flowers, Receptions, Favors

The key to a an all-white wedding is setting a white table - you know you'll need white tablecloths of course, and white dishes are a given; but what else can you add to make your table visually interesting?

A dramatic white floral centerpiece will make a great focal point to anchor the table and will also add warmth because even the whitest of blooms will have a hint of color, if only because of the greenery. White flowers make for some gorgeous arrangements, so selecting a centerpiece will be easy!

Check our gallery for some floral inspiration and for ideas for accessories that will make your white table come to life:

Gallery: All-white table decor

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Flowers for your hair: Bridal head wreath

Ilona Peltz — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Flowers, Bridal Beauty

A floral head piece is a lovely accessory to a spring or summer wedding. In fact, made from bronzed oak leaves and berries, it is a rich and gracious addition to a fall wedding, too. Come to that, why not white fur and red berries at Christmas?

For an all-white wedding, you can use flowers, lace and ribbons to create that ethereal, bridal aura around your head. The headpieces in the gallery are all made from silk flowers, so they can become a keepsake of your day. Why not put your head wreath to second use as an indoor wreath?

For more information on the head wreath in the picture, check out this link.

Gallery: All-white head wreaths

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Bouquets for your all white wedding

Meg Massie — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Flowers

It is said that white roses are the flower of true love. Flowers don't have to be bright to be completely stunning. For your white wedding, the bouquets, centerpieces, and floral arrangements are sure to be breathtaking, whether you select white roses, calla lilies, daisies, silk flowers, or any of the hundreds of other floral selections that come in this essential bridal color.

A simple bouquet of white roses or calla lilies is a bridal classic, but you can make stunning bouquets by mixing different types of flowers, and by stepping outside of the box and selecting non-traditional (but still white!) blossoms. Additionally, you can dress up your bouquet with pearl or crystal accents, and of course, yards of white ribbon.

Need inspiration? Flip through the gallery below for ideas!

Gallery: All White Bouquets

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Which Sex And The City Character fits your bridal style?

Roxanna Sarmiento — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Cakes and Catering, Over-the-Top Weddings, Flowers, Receptions

One of the many things we love about Sex and the City is how the show taught us that it's OK to live stylishly - and that you can and should do it on your own terms. Each of the girls has a distinct look to go with her personality, and while we believe that there's a little bit of each of the girls in every woman, most of us tend to favor one girl's style over the others.

We've had some fun imagining what a wedding (or, let's face it for most of the girls it's what ANOTHER wedding) would look like for each of the girls.

Whose wedding style more closely matches your own? Click on your favorite stilettos to find out!

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Miranda

Roxanna Sarmiento — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Alternative Weddings, Flowers

Miranda, the high-strung and high-powered attorney, wouldn't be caught dead in a big white dress. Not because her love of ethnic prints borders on the fanatical, but because she insisted that her wedding day was no big deal...until it was! We know that despite her hard exterior she really is a romantic at heart.

If your style is like Miranda's you won't be shopping at a traditional bridal salon - instead, you'll wear a gorgeous (but decidedly non-bridal) dress and reality will trump fantasy (you will carry a purse on your wedding day...where else would you put your cab money?)

Gallery: SATC Wedding Style: Miranda

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Budget weddings: Flowers on the cheap

Becky Scott — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Budget Advice, Flowers

As the economic crunch continues to hit us all, it's natural that brides (and grooms) will look for ways to stretch a wedding budget. And who can blame them? Gas will probably approach $5/gallon before the end of summer. And as gas costs rise, so does everything else. What's a bride to do?

Think about doing some of your flowers yourself. When my husband I got married, I went by Costco and got a couple of dozen roses in two colors. And then I arranged a small bouquet myself.

So how can you make your bouquet? Try something simple:

1) Trim the roses and bunch them together. If you're using two colors, alternate them throughout in a pattern that's pleasing to you.
2) Add some of the greenery that usually accompanies the flowers, putting it around the outside of the flowers. You don't need to use all of it, just enough to add some additional color.
3) Did your flowers come with babies breath? Stick bits of it here and there to accent the arrangement.
4) Secure the bouquet with string, or floral wire if you have it.
5) Now cover the flower stems with a bit of florist's tape and then wrap with some pretty ribbon.

It isn't that hard, nor is it expensive. Flowers from a place like Costco can be of a decent quality. And the price is definitely right - you can spend well under $50 for a nice bouquet.

Flowers are beautiful, but you don't need to buy a lot of expensive arrangements for your wedding, especially when on a tight budget. And in these times, saving money is going to be important to all of us.

Image: SimonShaw (creative commons license)

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Would you let your guests vote?

Kristen Seymour — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cakes and Catering, Alternative Weddings, Invitations, Do-It-Yourself, Flowers, Music and Entertainment, Favors

According to The Knot, one of the big trends this year is to let your guests vote on things for your wedding, much along the lines of the Today Show's Race to the Altar. We're slightly skeptical.

If you're doing this on a television show, cost is irrelevant because the show is footing the bill. However, for the rest of us (at least those of us without supremely deep pockets), price is a consideration -- one that guests might not take into account. You could certainly only give them inexpensive options to vote on, but still, if they choose the most expensive for everything you let them vote on, you could bust your budget.

Gallery: Items your guests can vote on

Continue reading Would you let your guests vote?

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Dress of the day: Fox'n Lily Alice Flower Girl Dress

Roxanna Sarmiento — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Flowers, Wedding party, Dress of the Day

It's kid-friendly weddings week at Aisledash, which gives us the perfect excuse to feature the adorable Alice dress by Fox 'n Lily; just look at the faux rose petals on the skirt - couldn't you just die from the cuteness?

Petal detailing is pretty common in flower girl dresses, but we chose this version because the dress is made of very grown-up silk dupioni and not potentially scratchy tulle so your little angel can be comfortable while throwing rose petals down the aisle. If you love petal dresses but don't want to spend over $200 on a designer version remember that less is more - we saw some versions that look like a valentine's bouquet exploded on the poor child. A little flower action goes a long way.

An orange version of the dress is after the jump.

$230 at Fox 'n Lily.com

Gallery: Dress of the day: Bridesmaids

Continue reading Dress of the day: Fox'n Lily Alice Flower Girl Dress

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Friday in the forums: What if the flower girl can't have flowers?

Caroline Humphreys — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Negotiating Speed Bumps, Flowers

A bride in Australia found out that her chapel of choice won't allow the flower girl to scatter rose petals as she walks down the aisle (they can stain carpet and other décor). It's a dilemma that raises the question of what any bride could do if she either couldn't have or didn't want flowers, but definitely wanted the flower girl. The Australian ladies have us covered with several creative ideas, including having the flower girl carry a candle, ring a bell, hold a wand (think Glinda the Good Witch), or blow bubbles. Readers of the Wedding Bee suggest a floral purse or satin stuffed animal for a young flower girl. If flowers are welcome as long as they're not scattered, she could carry an elegant pomander (real flowers can be heavy so look into dried versions) or wear a floral crown. Any of these solutions will surely have your flower girl feeling beautiful and cherished.

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Take a sneak peek at the SATC wedding flowers

Roxanna Sarmiento — Thu, 29 May 2008 08:03:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Over-the-Top Weddings, Flowers, Receptions

We're super excited about the upcoming Sex and the City movie - not only because we miss the girls, but because as we all know by now, there's a wedding! The filmmakers have been understandably coy about what exactly happens (and let's be real here, do you really want them to spoil the surprise? We thought not!) but the wedding itself will be a rich source of inspiration and we'll be taking notes!

The movie's floral design was executed by Tess Casey of Aisling Studios who has worked on such films as The Devil Wears Prada and The Nanny Diaries as well as real-life weddings. (Take a look at her amazing portfolio right here.) She's not spilling any SATC movie secrets on her website, but she does share tons of behind-the-scenes pictures of her work in the film. Here are a few of our favorites, but be sure to visit www.tesscasey.com to see all of her work.

Gallery: SATC Flowers

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Now THAT's an aisle runner!

Ilona Peltz — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Flowers

Flowers and weddings go together like ... love and marriage. Flowers in churches is nothing new, of course. People have decorated churches with flowers since people first started going to church. Aisle-runners are nothing new, either. That, too, goes back centuries.

It's not too surprising, then, that the two would sometimes be combined. For certain celebrations, particularly those in the spring, some churches carpet the central aisle ... with flowers. This one, in Arundel Cathedral, is 90 feet long and made of some 1500 flowers, plus pounds and pounds of evergreen branches. Arundel Cathedral has seen a carpet of flowers for the celebration of Corpus Christi almost every year since 1877.

You may not opt to coat the aisle like this, but it's nice to know your aisle runner and/or your flower petals have solid tradition behind them!

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Inspiration board: Exquisitely handmade

Roxanna Sarmiento — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fashion, Cakes and Catering, Alternative Weddings, Budget Advice, Gifts and Registries, Do-It-Yourself, Flowers, Favors, Ceremonies, Theme weddings, Inspiration Boards

Our guide to exquisitely handmade weddings is custom-made for the couple that wants to throw a memorable event. We found so many ways to make it personal - from handmade invitations to tips on finding the best wedding goods on Etsy.

Please take a moment to peruse our list - we made it specially for you!

Continue reading Inspiration board: Exquisitely handmade

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Prim and pretty: Flowers in a teapot

Ilona Peltz — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Flowers

Wouldn't this make the perfect centerpiece for a bridesmaids luncheon or a garden party reception? This lovely creation was made by silkwormflorals on etsy. The artist has arrangements in teapots, as well as other clever uses of silk flowers. Filled with silk flowers, as shown, it would be a long-lasting keepsake which you could use over and over again.

Unusual containers for floral arrangements can give a whole new feel to the event, either formal, frivolous, informal, whimsical. Look in the kitchen, the garage, the craft shop. What could you use?

Use your own teapot filled with fresh flowers, and you can keep the arrangements until the flowers wilt, then reclaim the teapot for its original purposes. Either way, it's a minimal-waste item with a whimsical, pretty touch for a summer afternoon event.

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