Guest Blogger:: Gina

I spotted these easy rustic centerpieces on oncewed.com, and fell in love with their simple beauty. As a wedding floral designer, I probably shouldn't be taking centerpiece work away from myself; but these are too pretty to pass up.

All images courtesy of oncewed.com

Made from cuttings from a fallen tree in the bride's yard, with candles, twine and wooden flowers. Simply gorgeous!

 

 

Guest blogger Gina Niemiec is the owner of Fiori Floral Design in Scottsdale, Arizona

 

Guest Blogger :: Gina

I love flowers, it is what I do. But fresh flowers are so fleeting, so fickle and often so expensive. Is mentioning this career suicide? Maybe, but I am now officially in love with paper flowers. No more worrying about wilting, timing the life-cycle of a bloom just right, or a heat wave ruining my handiwork. Make all the bouquets, boutonnieres and decorations out of paper and it can all be done months ahead of time. Have a flower-making party with friends while watching Mad Men and drinking manhattans. Talk your mother into pitching in and spending her free time folding paper instead of laundry--it is much more fun.

 

Image courtesy of Craftstylish.com

These little white beauties would look great grouped en masse in a bouquet, or just use a few stems for a boutonniere or corsage. For more impact around a ceremony site, go for larger paper flowers, or giant paper poufs:

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

These poufs are so festive and fun, and can be re-purposed as reception decor. To bring color to the dining tables, make centerpieces out of paper flowers and put them in a vase just as you would fresh. Since the stems of paper flowers are not the most attractive part of the craft, choose a container that is opaque, or cover a clear glass vase with even more paper. A pattern in a complimentary color would be a fantastic choice.

The centerpiece shown below is so colorful and artfully done--damn you, Martha! I may just have to add "paper floral designer" to my resume.

 

Guest blogger Gina Niemiec is the owner of Fiori Floral Design in Scottsdale, Arizona.

 

Guest Blogger :: Gina

Last week we featured a do-it-yourself project for a fun wedding photo booth. Since then ideas have been pouring in, so we decided to make it a series.

 

Canditto is a great new product brought to our attention, also in the DIY vein. Having a disposable camera at each table during the reception is nothing new, but the quality of photos that come from the throw-aways are less than frame-worthy. Here's to quality photos fast--Canditto capitalizes on a well-known fact: most guests bring their cameras (digital more than not) to weddings. So dig this. Order Canditto online (www.canditto.com) and for $450, you have this little device (Canditto calls it a "kiosk") sent to your chosen location. If you are getting married in Hawaii, but live in Texas, have the device sent to your resort. One less thing to pack!  Have guests snap away at the rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception as they usually do, and at their leisure, have them upload the photos from their camera's media card into the kiosk. Your DJ can make an announcement so guests know the drill. Then take Canditto with you to your Sunday brunch the day after the party, and have friends record that event as well. 

 

You can keep Canditto for a week, and the cost includes two thumb drives that you own, so print photos at your leisure (the device holds well over 500 photos). Post favorite shots on your wedding website or Facebook before you return from the honeymoon! Round-trip shipping is free--just put the laptop back in the box it came in and take it to the post office. 

 

Friends and family can often capture moments that the photographer might be too busy to see (your saucy bridesmaid kissing one of the waiters, perhaps?), provide a unique perspective and great candid shots. Fun, instant photos and no extra work for the happy couple--can't beat that.

 

Guest Blogger :: Gina

We wedding professionals love to scour the web for great ideas (imitation being the sincerest form of flattery). I came across this unbelievable photo booth idea on Kiss the Groom. Sasha Souza Events created this amazing wall prop for guests to enjoy, which I am sure made for hours of entertainment. Prints could serve as favors--double duty! Have a laser printer on hand, print a photo of each guest, and each couple/partygoer could grab an empty picture frame on the way out to display their memento at home.

Photo courtesy of Sasha Souza and Bliss*

This board was created by the wedding planner at this particular event, and yours may be up for such an endeavor. If not, talk to your photographer about dimensions that would work best and create it yourself!

A big sheet of plywood can have the "picture frame" holes cut out, then cover it in wallpaper to match your wedding colors and style. Hang photos on the wall of family members on their wedding day, snapshots of your pets, or anything that is dear to you. Prop it all up with 2x4's, and snap away!

Of course, having your photographer bring a second shooter would be the best choice for getting this idea going. Otherwise, enlist a friend to hang out and take shots for an hour or so, and then hand the camera off to someone else. Digital cameras make the process easy, and if your friends or family members are gadget-savvy, they can print the photos on the spot. Just like Santa's helpers do at the mall! Now that I think about it, fake beards as props would be fun for the shoot...