Southern Weddings

Karen Tran of {Karen Tran Florals} introduced herself recently and we instantly knew we had to have her as one of our guest bloggers. Her eye for design is impeccable and her work is drop dead gorgeous. In order to introduce her to y’all, we thought there was no better way then to show off her own beautiful beachside wedding. So, sit back and relax and read up on this designer diva because you will be seeing a lot more of her work as she shares her inspirations and designs on the Southern Weddings Blog…

What was the design inspiration for your wedding? I had a couple of inspirations throughout my Wedding. The main Theme was ‘Indulge in Love’ we sent out gold chocolate boxes with our logo foil stamp on top for our save the date. Our wedding invitation was incased in a large chocolate silk box finished with a crystal brooch and lined with velvet papers. Lush Romantic elegant and classic. I had different vignettes throughout the wedding. Lush White for the ceremony, Elegant Island style for the Cocktail and deep gold and warm tones for the Reception.

For my personal flowers: I have a deep love for Gardenias. I grew up with Gardenia bushes everywhere, planted by my father. I love the sultry fragrance and its elegant shape. For my attendants, I incorporated lady’s slippers in their bouquet (my other favorite flower) the brown spots in these orchids were perfect against their olive-brown dresses. All the personal flowers were hand crafted with unique sequence trimmings and Swarovski crystal brooches. My sisters and Jr. Bridesmaids carried nautilus shells filled with gardenias, roses and a lady slipper orchid. The flower girls carried a floral bag embellished with sweetheart roses and crystal brooches. The ring bearers carried a silk boxes adorned with brown orchids.

Ceremony Site: I have always wanted ‘WHITE’ color for my ceremony. I had visions of strolling down the aisle lined with thick white rose petals with the blue ocean backdrop. So I have elected to use All white flowers. With the exception of the Altar canopy, I used a tint of camel color roses to coordinate with the silk fabric. The canopy was very special to me since it was a collaborative effort between my husband and I. He built it and I decorated it! The hanging chandelier is an antique piece purchased in France. It is now hanging in our bathroom.

Ceremony: The highlight of our ceremony was the 6 piece gospel choir. The sounds electrified the whole lawn of the hotel. They started half an hour before the ceremony, welcoming the guests as they sat down and led us back down the aisle singing ‘Oh happy day’

Aisle runner: My friend and I hand painted a 100 ft runner made out of heavy canvas. It included our favorite scriptures, logo and wedding date.

Check back for Part II of Karen + Russ’s wedding to learn more about Karen and her designs…

Welcome back to our twenty first spectacular Wanwisa Wednesday! Be sure to check out her previous posts I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVII, XIX and XX for more fabulous wedding inspiration!

It’s that time of year where award shows are airing every other night on television and suspense ensues nominees as last year’s winners clumsily rip through envelopes, and for people who celebrate the Lunar New Year, red envelopes are all over the place. With that said, today’s post is all about the envelope! Such a tiny detail, but so much can be done with this useful paper item to help add that stylish touch to your wedding day details!

Try adding a chic detail via lining the envelopes of your save-the-dates, invitations, and response cards {see second row, first photo; a delicious marble lined envelope echoes the swirling calligraphy on a set of invitations via Martha Stewart, and entire fourth row, a glamorous suite with black and white damask lining including a long-envelope-sleeve with escort tags attached offer guests a lovely way to house photo booth photos! via Brides}. Envelopes can be added for a clever touch! Have a look at the very first photo… kill two birds with one stone and attach an envelope housing escort cards to the back of a booklet-style program {via Martha Stewart Weddings}. Another great idea is to add an envelope with a stash of tissues in it on a ceremony program, your sappy aunt will surely appreciate it! {second row, second photo via Martha Stewart Weddings}. Try passing out vellum envelopes filled with confetti, dried rose petals or rice for the ceremony toss {top right photo via Martha Stewart Weddings and third row, first photo via Brides}. Another fun idea is to attach them to pages of a scrapbook and have your guests slip notes on mini stock cards in them, seal the envelopes and open up on a rainy day to read your wedding day wishes! {second row, right photo via Martha Stewart Weddings}.

Think outside the box and create envelopes out of sweet square-shaped doilies {top row, middle photo via Martha Stewart Weddings}. Try creating a miniature envelope out of grosgrain ribbons to house your rings {third row, third photo via Brides}. These days, envelopes get a fancy makeover and take the form of enclosures, use these chic paper wraps for programs and invitation sets {third row, second photo: a fun program mounted on a tag-shaped enclosure via Brides and third row, right most photo: an invitation suite housed in a pocket enclosure helps keep multiple-part invitations allowing brides to send out tidy and chic inviations loaded with information via Brides}. For another chic look at enclosures, see last row, last photo for a chic fuchsia invitation mounted on a double-pocket enclosure and wrapped up in pretty ribbons {via Brides}. Lastly, for a witty save-the-date, insert your save-the-date into a cut-out sleeve that reveals only the date! {see bottom left photos via Brides}.

So go ahead and push the envelope on adding unique details to your special day!

Until next week! Xoxo, Wanwisa

Written with love by Lara Casey