DIY Ring Mirror Backdrop

Ruffled recently posted a DIY Ring Mirror Backdrop, which was used as a feature in a Modern Mediterranean Shoot by Yellow Bird Events. I think it would be a great feature for many occasions, and have good reuse around the home.

DIY Ring Mirror Backdrop. Source: Ruffled.

All you will need for this project is

• Glue
• Embroidery hoops in different sizes
• Gold spray paint (Antique metallic finish is used here, though it's personal choice)
• Mirrors (in sizes coordinating with hoops)

To view step-by-step instructions on this project, view the post on Ruffled.

Choosing a centrepiece

When choosing a centrepiece you can do many things, expanding the theme, expressing yourselves as a couple, or even just adding some more lighting. Whatever you and your partner choose, ensure that you enjoy looking at it, as it is one of the main decorations of the evening.

Source: Flowers In Love.

Source: When Geeks Wed.

Source: Joyful Weddings and Events.

Source: Pink Frosting.

Source: CandleTech.com.

Alternatively you could skip centrepieces all together and use the entrée or even the guest's cake portions as the separator for the table!

Have a centrepiece idea you would like to share? Tell us in the comments!

Finding a Theme

Looking more into inspiration with something to give us some ideas, I started thinking about a theme we could base the wedding around. I looked at all the ones listed on the wedding sites I have found and none of them really caught my eye. While Ricky and I were discussing certain aspects of the wedding that we have wanted from the beginning, I realised that we should go along with a video game style theme.
I thought this is a great opportunity for Ricky and I to express who we are and create our own integration of the theme.

Some of the sites I found to encourage inspiration along the path include:
The Drunken Moogle - The Drunken Moogle has many cocktails based on games, series and awesome movies. If we were to have alcohol at the wedding we could use some cocktails from here.
HyperComboFinish - A blog with how a couple used the video game theme in their wedding.
Cake inspiration - Video Game Cakes, More Video Game Cakes, Geeky cakes

There are more out there, though I haven't found them yet or they aren't covering the areas we are after. Keep in mind this theme doesn't mean the whole feeling of the wedding is going to change, it is just that we will have a part of our hobbies involved with what is one of the biggest days of our lives.

XKCD Inspired Cake. Source: Pink Cake Box

Aiding in Inspiration

I was trying to get some inspiration of what setting the wedding should be in, so I starting playing around with making an inspiration board. With an hour or two of playing around with it I realised I had the invitation for Pinterest in my inbox.

I under estimated the site due to the hype that was being made about it. It is good to keep images of what you want for the event and be able to link back to the original vendor to buy it later. The best thing about PInterest is that it can be used for more than one event and interest.
Using this virtual inspiration board I have been able to build a better picture of how the colours can blend together and how the shapes work together. Ricky and I have gone through some changes so far, though the colour scheme (Blue, Green, Silver) has stayed the same.

For the flowers we are going to use the following bouquet's as inspiration for ours. At the current time we have decided on fake flowers, the type depending on availability and cost.

Bouquet of blue orchids and green Spider Mums.
Cream roses add a beautiful contrast to the cool greens and blues.
Source: Bouquet Wedding Flower.

Bouquet - white tulips, light and dark blue hydrangea,
white mini callas, white stock, blue delphinium and blue triteleia.
Source: Bouquet Wedding Flower.

Bridesmaid Dresses

When first looking for styles of dresses I had no idea what to look for. I have never had envisioned any "fantasies" about weddings when I was younger, having never been to one and would rather learn about the world around me than create and design, I had no direction of what style I wanted. Not knowing the style of the wedding or colours and wanting to jump right in and look at styles, lets say it didn't make it easy. While searching for ideas I came across The Dessy Group, this site became an area of inspiration for me.

The styles to choose from with the range of colours helped me develop more direction and get some ideas. While consulting with Ricky and Jessica (sister and bridesmaid), we agreed upon Shamrock (shade of green) for the dresses.

The colour design for the bridesmaid dresses comes from The Dessy Group: After Six Bridesmaid Style 6553. With the main colour being 'Shamrock' and any highlights 'Apple Slice'.

After Six Bridesmaid Style 6553 (Source: The Dessy Group)

When choosing the style, I went searching for a few that had the rough idea of what I thought would work and came across quite a few, including the design above. Having more than one bridesmaid, I wanted the individual to show who they are, while still staying in theme. I gathered some of the designs I have found and showed them what I was after, leaving the option open for the ladies to suggest some designs of their own once they have seen what I was after. To my amazement both of the ladies chose the below design, which we will need to  add some accessories to, as we plan to have the wedding during late Winter. I don't remember where I got this design from, though it can be found at Zhahau Tiansong Trade Co. Ltd.

Pleated Bow Flounce Hem Party Dress
(Source: Zhahua Tiansong Trade Co. Ltd.)

At the current time the colour scheme is Green, Blue and Silver. Though this is subject to change depending on what ideas we find during the next 6 months.