Inspiration

Here is  a compilation of all the snippets of inspiration I've absorbed over the last ten months or so. Flowers, centerpieces, dresses, shoes, groomsmen's attire, DIY ideas to get from the ceremony through to the last song  the band plays. I'll share with you my inspiration... please share with me your thoughts!

Seating all the guests at one long table at the reception alludes to the intimate ambiance of a dinner party rather than a typical wedding reception, and feels as much a celebration of the special people surrounding the table as the newly wedded couple. This component guided my search for the venue and fortunately we found it!

Here is the view of the veranda at our chosen venue, The Viewpoint Inn in Corbett, Oregon. Score! Now how to fit 20-30 extra guests around that table...

I loved this clever save the date. Bill and I wavered between so many locales for our "destination wedding" that when we finally, and surprisingly, settled on our hometown of Portland, I knew I wanted to highlight the (slightly anticlimactic) location of our wedding in a similar way.

I love Etsy and this resource for handmade crafts provided me with unlimited inspiration for everything from invitations to decorative elements for personalizing our wedding. The designs above are by invitedDesign and FoglioPress and can be customized to make a DIY Invitation project that much easier. Thank goodness.

When I saw this set of customizable cake toppers by samyii, I knew I had to have them. I don't care what my cake looks like, as long as there's a little mini wooden wedding-day likeness of Ellen and Bill on it.

I love unexpected and somewhat non-traditional execution of traditional wedding elements. That's what I love about this bridal bouquet... it looks like she popped into a florist to pick up a bouquet of fresh-cut florals wrapped in paper on her way to the church. This suits my budget just fine and, in fact, suits my aesthetic more than an overblown emphasis on color coordinated blooms arranged by a high-priced wedding florist. No offense.

How sweet and romantic is this baby's breath bouquet? I was inspired by the unexpected concept of what is traditionally a filler flower used as the primary bloom in the bouquet, and the delicacy of the result. Oh, and the minimal deduction it would make in my expense report column entitled "flowers".


Here are just of few of the other inspirations I found along the way to planning our wedding: