Your Love Story

   When creating your inspiration board, its important to gather influences from within your own life and the life you've created with your fiancee. Even long after you are married, people will always want to hear the story of how you first met and more importantly, how you got engaged. 

Usually, the spot chosen for popping the question is no trivial location. It was chosen for a reason, whether it be the first place you kissed, or your spot at the beach where you carved your initials in a bench. Wherever you got engaged, the significance of the place is meant to enhance the impact of the ultimate question: Will you marry me? 

Not only is it to be remembered by the both of you for the rest of your lives, but if its the perfect spot, a 'yes' is thus guaranteed. 

If your man did his homework and knocked you off your feet when he proposed, why not give him some credit and draw inspiration from where it all started?

Provence, France

This couple met in Paris during a study abroad program and took a weekend trip to Provence...

Four years later, they were married where their love story began.

Photo Credit: FranceVacationVilla.com, OneandOnlyParisPhotography via Style Me Pretty

Where did your story begin?

Until Tomorrow,

Kate Matthies

Magazine Scrapbook II - Inspiration Boards

Happy Holidays!

Here are some examples of what you can find from online magazines.  Although I love to flip through a photo-filled magazine, I really don't like having stacks of them just collecting dust when I'm done ripping out the pages I find inspiring.  There is a solution!

Many wedding magazines have full versions or previews available to view online.  Some of my favorites include: Weddings Unveiled, Well Wed Magazine, Wedding Style Guide and Get Married Magazine.  While some magazines compile full inspiration boards for you, others will have plenty of pics you choose from to make your own.  

White Glam

NY Well Wed Magazine, Jessica Claire Photography

Winter White and Navy Prep

Well Wed Fall/Winter 2010, Zophia Photography

Weddings Unveiled & Wedding Style Guide

Photo Credit: Jen Fariello Photography for Weddings Unveiled Magazine, Project Duo Photography for Weddings Unveiled Magazine, and Chris Court Photography for Wedding Style Guide

Wedding Styles

Photo Credit: Nautical, Love Bird, and Glam pages from Get Married Magazine, Winter 2010.  Summer board by Sungold Photography for Well Wed Magazine, Winter 2010.  Fall board by Well Wed Magazine, Winter 2010.  Sugar High board for Well Wed Magazine, Winter 2010 by: Cunningham Photo Artists, Brian Hutson Photography, Mark Leet, and Donna Von Bruening.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and safe travels during this holiday season!!

Cheers!
Kate Matthies

Get Inspired by Great Interior Design

I love interior design.  I get a lot of inspiration from non-wedding related things, mostly housing and interior design.  I have so many favorite websites and catalogs that I look through to get some great ideas.  It is really a great way to discover your personal style as well as design your wedding.

Today I'm going to do a similar blog post to yesterday and share some websites that you can browse to get some ideas.  Martha Stewart does have great ideas, but we're going to branch out and show you some other sites to feast your eyes on.

Get inspiration from bathroom design, textures, colors, wallpaper, furniture, molding, you name it...you'll be able to find it on these sites.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Courtney Shaver

designspongeonline.com

design-milk.com

dwellinggawker.com

habituallychic.blogspot.com

materialgirlsblog.com

apartmenttherapy.com

freshome.com

thedecoratingdiva.com

Magazine Scrapbook

This is a time-honored tradition.  Girls ripping out pages of magazines and putting them together in a scrapbook.  I know I do it!  It's one of the best ways to figure out what you really like.  Usually what I do is rip out the page, then circle or identify what it is about the photo I like. To be honest, when it comes to home photos...I'm always attracted to photos with flowers in them.  I realized this after I started circling what I liked!!

To help determine your wedding style, I'd start with the basics.  Pick up The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Southern Weddings and one of my favorites: Wedding Style Guide based in Australia.  You can get some seriously amazing ideas if you start with those.  You can then branch out to their websites or blogs.  Then you can clean up the edges (if you're OCD like me) then hole punch or slide them into sleeves to put into a 3-ring binder.  This way you can sort cakes, tablescapes, flowers, etc. in your binder.

Instead of an inspiration board today, I'm providing several wedding magazine covers linked to their respective websites for you to start browsing!!

Cheers!
Courtney Shaver

www.realsimple.com

www.styleguide.com.au

www.weddingsunveiled.com

www.wellwed.com

www.iloveswmag.com

www.getmarried.com

www.theknot.com

www.marthastewartweddings.com

Design by Fabric, Part II - Inspiration Boards

We're back today with a couple more inspiration boards for you.  We took three fabrics with unique qualities and showed how the pattern and color could be interpreted and worked into a cohesive design.  We have a more contemporary damask pattern that incorporates a deep blue, a feminine lace-based board, and a traditional wool tartan.  All three feature a different color scheme, pattern, and variation in texture.


When you base a design around fabric, be sure to think about each element to the fabric.  Look to the colors, shapes, and weight of the fabric in order to build a comprehensive design.  Further, you don't have to use EVERY element of the fabric.  As you can see, for example, the wool tartan is a visually heavy fabric but when paired with bright complementary colors and light textured fabrics, the overall feel is light and fresh.


Until tomorrow,
Kate Matthies

Sapphire Blue Damask

Modern twist to a traditional pattern

Photos: Waverly, Erik Ekroth, The Knot, Heather Saunders Photography, Jasmine Star Photography, Wedding Cakes Pictures Blog, Suzy Clement Photography

Lovely Lace

Delicate & Soft

Photos by: Martha Stewart Wedding, Vineyard by Priscilla of Boston, MS Wedding, Junebug Weddings, 

Azzura Photography, Erin Hearts Court, MS Weddings

Tartan

Masculine and fresh

Photos by: The Knot, Z Media Photography, Linda Clifford, Ricky Chung Photography, Kickstand Events,  Jubilee Lau Events

Design by Fabric

I'll admit, I'm a total fabric junkie.  I remember walking through my grandmother's magical sewing room as a kid and feeling as if I were in a different world.  From felt to silk I learned at an early age to appreciate how the texture of fabrics, the warmth of wools, and the crisp airiness of linen can transform the feeling of a room.  The fabric store is a place I frequent looking for new patterns, color combinations, and textures to incorporate into a design.  


Take a walk through Joann Fabric or local fabric store and grab swatches that catch your attention.  When you get home sift through what you picked up and look for a trend.  Are you attracted to geometric shapes and stark color contrasts of a modern print?  Or are you overwhelmed with the tranquility of an ice blue silk with a sleek sheen?  You can often find the style you're looking for based on the fabrics you choose.  


The board I put together features a bed linen from Urban Outfitters.  I find the swooping pattern lines and complementary color scheme exciting and fresh...perfect for a summer bash.  What do you think?


Until tomorrow,
Kate Matthies

Photos by: Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Zenadia Design, Corbin Gurkin Photography, Starry-eyed Studios

Tomorrow's post will feature more boards based on a variety of fabrics... see you then!

Colors of Emotion Part II - Inspiration Boards

We put together a couple color-inspired boards for you to check out.  As you look at them take note of which colors speak to you.  Do the blues soothe your anxious nature?  Do the reds evoke your passionate side?  Or does the happiness of the yellow remind you of warm sun and cool breezes?  Make a note in your design journal of which colors caught your eye first and which kept your attention.  


Enjoy!


Until Tomorrow, 
Kate Matthies

Yellow

Invigorating, freshness, happiness, attraction, and joy

Photos by: Kristen Weaver Photography, diaszstudio wedding photo and cinema, The Knot, Sweet Stylings, Martha Stewart Weddings

Red

Passion, romance, sophistication, sensuality, and desire

Photos: Elizabeth Messina, Ericuys.com, Atelierjoya.com, Melissa Jill, Belli Fiori, CELESTE STUDIOS Film & Video, The Knot, Vallentyne Photography


Blue
Stability, trust, loyalty, truth, and tranquility

Photos by: Brown Sugar Design, 3 Photographers, Lindsey Hawk Photography and Design, Luna Bazaar - Paper Lanterns, Parasols, and Decorations, Catherine Hall Photography, La Vie Photo, Adam Nyholt Photography

Colors of Emotion

As you build your wedding design you may find yourself wondering where to start. We believe the fundamental design element that has the most emotional impact is the color scheme, so let's begin with that.  Just as interior designers paint bedrooms blue to soothe or incorporate red into a home office for energy and inspiration, you can manipulate the feeling of your wedding – the emotion you portray to your guests – through color.

Suppose you’re having an evening ceremony in the same church your grandmother and mother were married and hope to instill a sentiment of intimacy, romance, and classic tradition. You may be tempted to base your color scheme on your favorite shades of electric blue and tangerine.  Resist that impulse! Think about where your wedding will take place and remember you chose the location for a reason. 

Complement the richness of dark wooden pews, rustic charm of the exposed brick walls and masculine black wrought iron chandeliers by working with a more feminine color scheme and soft textures that evoke that sense of classic romance.  You can create a feminine feel by balancing the "heavy" elements (dark wood, black iron, and brick) with a blush pink, ivory, and black accent color palette.  

Come back tomorrow for more emotion-based inspiration boards! 

Cheers!
Kate Matthies

Classic Romance

Color Palette: Blush Pink, Ivory and Black
Lush peonies, rosettes, and pearls complement the masculine black accents to create a soft balance.

Mon Cheri Bridals, Flora Fetish LLC., Kio Kreations, LLC, Save The Date Co.,Martha Stewart Weddings, J.Crew, W. Scott Chester, The Knot

Non-Floral Centerpieces

So many brides have asked us about what kind of centerpieces they can make without flowers. Well, I guess it all depends on the style of the wedding.  In our Nantucket Photo Shoot, we used pinwheels as an accessory, which is perfect for a centerpiece!  You could also use paper products, food or fruit, books, candles, or even little cakes!  


We've put together some of our favorite non-floral centerpieces for you!  Enjoy!

Photo credits: Kay Bella by Aiko, Wedding Bee, Elizabeth Anne Designs, The Knot, Offbeat Bride, Orange Tree Weddings, Wedding Bee, Big Mouth Bride, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Wedding Bee, Apartment Therapy, Wedding Bee, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Charmed Events Planning.

Inspiration Boards

Making an inspiration board, or "mood board" is a great way to get your thoughts together.  Scouring blogs, search engines, wedding magazines and wedding websites can help you to build your inspiration board.  Some of the biggest locations for photos are search engines...that's generally how we find the best photos.  Searching for things like "citrus inspired wedding" is a great way to find a wide variety of photos.  Change up some search terms from "citrus" to "lemon" or "tangerine" instead to get some different photos!


When creating a board, you should always include a variety of photos.  No one wants to look at an inspiration board with all shoes or all one color.  It'll help you get your thoughts together and get a better idea of the theme you're trying to convey.


Carrying a small notebook (ooooh Moleskine notebooks are our faves!) can help you remember to look up photos online or write some websites down while you're out.  If you have a cell phone with a camera, that's another great way to remember what you like!  Even the most mundane and boring of details can draw inspiration!


To put together a board, we suggest using a word processing application like Microsoft Word or iWork Pages.  To get the best results, keep your photos sized in increments of 3.  So you could have a photo that's 3 x 9 or 9 x 12.  That way, you'll always keep all your photos lined up without awkwardly resizing photos.


To demonstrate our boards, we've put together a board with the inspiration for our brand!  I'm sure you've seen our adorable poppy red and aqua blue color combo with our cute bike...so here it is.  Enjoy!

Photo Credits: Elle Decor, Object Splendor, Snippet & Ink, Wedding Paper Divas, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, Project Wedding, Design Sponge, Kate Spade, Design Sponge, iStockPhoto, and Kate Spade.


Warm Regards, 
Courtney Shaver