Favors, Flowers, and Centerpieces!

All three in one shot! I just love this idea and saw it displayed so elegantly and simply in the Winter 2009 edition of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. I heart Martha.

Anyway, this idea is so resourceful and I just love it. It has soooo many possibilities. You can have little potted plants stacked in tiers for centerpieces and also serve as wedding guest favors! If you want to be even more eco-friendly, you can use little trees to be planted later. A wonderful reminder of your special day and all of those who participated.

Did you ever wonder what was going to happen to all those beautiful centerpieces that you spent thousands of dollars on? So many times they end up in the trash. At best some of your guests or bridal party take home the flowers.

So here are a few ideas and a real easy DIY project to get you motivated to try this different approach to favors, flowers and centerpieces!


Super Eco-Friendly!


Flower Boxes!


and the DIY project: Mini Bouquets!



Tools and Materials
You will need glass cylinders, 5 inches tall and 5 inches in diameter; 1 1/2-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon; scissors; double-sided tape; plastic flower tubes; sturdy decorative paper; flowers; and our cone template.

Mini Bouquet How-To
1. Cut ribbon to fit around base of each glass cylinder, and tape in place.

2. Make paper cones: Using a template, trace and cut out as many as you need. Curl into cones, and tape.

3. For bouquets, remove lower leaves from the flowers, and trim stems. Fill plastic floral tubes with water; insert flowers. Slip tubes into paper cones, and place a pair of bouquets in each glass cylinder.

Don't forget to have fun with this and get your bridal party in on the assembly action!

Helpful Addiction - Magazine Junkie Finds Great Holiday Decor!

I have outdone myself! What started out as an interest in magazines (bridal mostly), has become overwhelming in the sheer volume of magazines I receive. It seems that many of them are catalogs of sorts from various online vendors that I have ordered from, so not really a magazine, but I still peruse through them from time to time and feel the need to hoard them as if the products will disappear if I recycle the little gem. Hoarding or my need to hang on to every piece of paper I receive is another issue entirely, but is probably the root of why I am so overwhelmed by magazines lately.

Anyhow, recently I started subscribing (again, after a short lapse in letting my subscription run out) to Coastal Living magazine.

I bring this up because of my close proximity to the ocean and the sheer volume of beach wedding us Floridian planners have the opportunity to assist with. This holiday season, I have found great inspiration in the Coastal Magazine December issue. Planning a wedding is a great feat, but a holiday wedding is a completely different ballgame and inspiration for a Floridian beach holiday wedding is a challenge. So I am grateful to my freakishly large collection of magazines come these great challenges, and most recently to Coastal Living magazine as their stylish, chic, and not kitchy or tacky warm weather holiday decor is just what I was looking for. Here are some photos from the December issue. Hope you find them as inspirational as I did!