decorations

Lake Tahoe Wedding Inspiration | Sweet Treats

Boy, have we come a long way since the days of multi-tier white weddings cakes draped with artificial flowers. Today's brides tend to favor designer cakes draped in fondant or covered in lacy, sugary flowers or tables and trays teeming with treats that beckon guests to indulge themselves. Whether your tastes lean more towards a traditional cake or a farm-table full of goodies, here are some ideas to inspire your sweet tooth.

Left: My Wedding, Middle: Jen Williams Photography via The Sweetest Occassion| Advantage Bridal, Right: Martha Stewart Weddings

First Row: Portraits by Lucinda & My Sweet Saucy both via Elizabeth Anne Designs Second Row: Flowertoss Photography via Snippet & Ink | 100 Layer Cake

Lake Tahoe Wedding Inspiration Board | A Pop of Color

We are just back from Sonoma, where we planned the most gorgeous wedding at the CornerStone Gardens! Everything about this wedding was perfect - the cute couple, vintage decorative accents, flowers, entertainment, and the venue! Plus, the sun was shining - we haven't seen much of the sun lately in Tahoe, so we were loving the UV rays kissing the vineyards! As we return to the office with a little sunburn and feeling very inspired by the flowers and greenery in Sonoma, we thought we'd inspire you with some color trends! Unexpected pops of color are one of the top wedding trends for 2011 and how easy yet impactful it is. Regardless of whether you prefer pinks or greens, blues or yellows, vivid flowers will quickly brighten up your bridesmaid's look and lively linens will be the perfect finishing touch for reception tables. We've pulled some ideas using our favorite hues to inspire you to add a little zest to your wedding palette.

Stella Alesi Photography | Martha Stewart Weddings | Meg Smith Photography via Wedding Cabaret

First Row: Jerry Yoon Photographers | Swayspace Second Row: Occasions Magazine | Perez Photography via The Knot | Snippet & Ink | Martha Stewart Weddings

Left : Beaux Arts via Snippet & InkProject Wedding | Jamie Hammond Photography via Amorology

Inspiration Board | Accessories

Oh how I love accessories. There are so many ways to dress up a room/space/yard/estate. One of my favorite roles as an event planner is working with my clients to find their vision and design the colors and theme, while implementing accessories to boost the personality of the event. Here are a few of my latest finds: Simple Whimsical Elements

Implementing nature is a very popular theme today. It is especially great for those on a tight budget. Why? Because there are many things you can collect in the forest, on the beach, in your backyard, etc. that are free. They just require a little crafty DIY!

This inspiration board is made up of fresh accessories that elude an organic feel. The place cards wrapped around a wooden post and held in place with clothes pins is such a simple, yet decorative display; the wooden lantern is used to collect gift cards and decorated with river rocks; a collection of recycled paper hand tied with raffia is used as a unique guest book; potted plants and popsicle sticks create a very whimsical means for seating guests; a beautifully decorated belly belt is used to hold the napkin in place while adding a punch of color to the table; and rustic lanterns hang from tree branches over hay stacks, which are covered with colorful blankets. Each of these images are pretty simple, yet so prominent.

Creative Twist on the Traditional Wedding

Traditionally, weddings were pretty straight forward and the decorations minimal at best. The focus of the wedding was mainly on the ceremonial matters and gathering loved ones together. While these two fundamentals are still huge in today's wedding world, the decorations, theme, and design of the wedding have become almost just as important. You want your wedding to stand out and be memorable - what other way to do so than in your accessories. Thanks to the abundance of magazines, websites, and creative minds there is an infinite amount of ideas at one's disposal. Simple things like signs created out of a plank of wood or chalk boards to direct guests are incredibly trendy at the moment. But, the creative part is not copying a picture, it is implementing this picture and twisting it to reflect your theme, personality, and design. This is the inspiration behind this board. Each item is very simple and somewhat traditional, but they are almost reorganized to produce a fun and different image.

Inspiration Board | Place Cards of all shapes, sizes, and designs!

After all things great and small, fine attention to detail really does play a huge role in knocking the socks off your guests! It may seem like a simple and overlooked part of your wedding, but displaying your escort cards in a unique and aesthetic manner is the icing on the cake! Here are a few of my latest favorites. Theknot.com | Brides.com

MarthaStewartWeddings.com | TheKnot.com

TheKnot.com

The Knot

Thank you to brides.com, theknot.com, marthastewartweddings.com, and the following photographers:

A Bryan Photo

Autumn Lin Photography

Mindy Myers Photography

Red Ribbon Studio

Angie Silvy Photography

Kim Long Photography

Simple Place Card Ideas

Although pretty simple, place cards can create a beautiful display and create a graceful entrance to the reception room. You can spend pennies or dollars when creating this display. Check out a few pics below to view simple arrangements:

A fresh rose with place card attached. Christy and John had their wedding date embossed into the card and each person's name engraved in gold writing.

Catherine Hall Studios

A bed of wild rice held the wine corks in place. Each cork was sliced horizontally to make a perfect slit for the place cards. This display holds up on windy days!

Heidi Wilson Photography

Simple cards clipped onto a string. A simple tablecloth and ribbon incorporates the colors and design of the wedding.

Court Leve Photography

What better way to tie in the beach theme than use sand for the place cards. Since it was a little breezy, the baskets allowed us to easily move the place cards inside during the ceremony and quickly bring them outside as guests approached the table!

Heidi Wilson Photography

Organic & fresh! Incorporating the mountain theme with a green wedding, these place cards were symmetrically placed on a striped linen.