Looking for a fun detail to add to your wedding, engagement session or save-the-date? Sometimes you can make the biggest impact with something super simple and fun… like balloons! We love balloons! There’s just something about them that brings a smile to every face from the youngest to the oldest! Because our love of balloons is so great and their popularity at the most love-filled events ever-growing, we’ve brought together some of our most favorite inspiration! Including a really special first look balloon release!

We just adore heart-shaped balloons!

Miranda Laine Photography via Style Me Pretty – Texas

Definitely kiss-worthy.

Austin Gros via Wedding Chicks | Crystal Genes Photography via Southern Weddings

A very unique save-the-date!

Designed by Blue Pool Road via Love. Obsess. Inspire.

Super sweet.

W+E Photographie via Ashley Baber Weddings

Bright and cheery.

 Natalie Bray Photography

We are completely in love with this sweet first look balloon release!

Michael Segal Photography via Style Me Pretty

One of my favorite photos of Rhiannon’s (Hey Gorgeous Events) wedding!

Love those giant peach balloons!

Amanda Wilcher Photography via Style Me Pretty

Lettered balloon love!

via Oh Joy!

Spell out your wedding date!

Luminaire Foto via Heart Love Weddings

There’s those giant balloons again! In red, this time!

Luminaire Foto via Heart Love Weddings

Up, up and away! Totally awesome photo!

Luminaire Foto via Heart Love Weddings

Super sweet!

Danielle Gillett Photography via Love and Lavender

Sweet as sweet can be!

Wildflowers Photography

Did you use balloons in your love-filled day? Or do you believe they are overrated, overused and overdone? Don’t burst my bubble, tell me you love them as much as we do!

xoxo

Peach – Clementine – Nectarine – Tangerine, these are some of the most beautiful shades of orange with Tangerine Tango being the Pantone color of 2012. We were so inspired by this color that we couldn’t wait to create a beautiful tangerine wedding inspiration board with a unique array of colors and a shabby chic feel.

Any shade of blue makes for an awesome combination with tangerine, but we are especially in love with the aquamarine blue of this bridesmaid’s dress. It makes such a great background for the peach roses in the bouquet. The green, aqua and even fuchsia in the escort cards make a nice addition with whimsical patterns presented in a homespun, shabby chic style. Cake pops make a yummy wedding cake alternative with touches of orange that look like sugared zest. The suede blue gray color of the groom’s suit adds such a classic touch and the beautiful peach rose boutonniere kissed with orange edges coordinates beautifully with the bridesmaid’s bouquet. You know we love sparkle – who doesn’t? – but peach sparkle is even better on a bride’s shoes. Lastly, what could be better than having food that coordinates with the colors of your wedding! We just love these adult-only popsicles that look so cool and refreshing. Perfect for a warm, summer wedding.

Orange has always been a favorite of mine. It’s bright, cheery, wild, and vibrant. Such an awesome choice for the color of the year. It just makes me want to smile and do a happy dance tango! ;) How about you?

xoxo

Row 1: Bridesmaid & Bouquet via Style Me Pretty | Seating Chart via Style Me Pretty | Cake Pops via Style Me Pretty

Row 2: Groom’s Boutonniere via Holly Chapple | Peach Shoes via Ruffled | Strawberry Peach Vodka Collins Popsicles via Endless Simmer

Colors: Tangerine Tango, Suede Blue Gray, Nectarine Yellow, Aquamarine Blue

Traditionally wedding cake conjures up visions of vanilla or chocolate cake and buttercream frosting with sugar roses and an equally delicious cream filling. But who wants to do everything by tradition? Nowadays, choices abound when it comes to wedding cake. Why not consider wedding cake pops, cupcakes, individual cakes, pies or how about a fun dessert bar? We’ve collected some awesome yumminess to give you some inspiration. You can start drooling now! ;)

Aren’t individual mini-cakes (not cupcakes) just so darn adorable? Not necessarily bite-size, but definitely plate-size.

Sprinkle Bakes | Wedding 4 Teen

Yes, these are mini cakes designed to look like a box of chocolates. Wouldn’t this be a sweet surprise for guests in the middle of their table? Yes, yes it would!

Sweetapolita

Anything in a mason jar is yummy, right? How about cheesecake (my favorite) or even homemade ice cream? Portable and fun. Yum!

Southern Weddings | The Italian Dish Blog

I think that pies are the perfect comfort food at a wedding. Think of all the possibilities…cherry, pumpkin, apple, blueberry, lemon meringue, berry, oh my! And they can come in full size, or even better, bite size!

Style Me Pretty | Tara Guerard Soiree

Bakerella

And what’s not to love about a cookie? At a wedding? Yes, please! Cookies with milk shooters (great for the little ones who want to party like big people) and they make great favors for a late night snack for your guests on the way home. Even better, cookies that are stacked to look like mini wedding cakes – best of both worlds!

Audrey Magazine | HGTV

Julia Usher Kitchen

While not traditional, cupcakes and even cake pops are becoming more and more commonplace at weddings. But I mean really, with all the varieties available, these little cuties are anything but mainstream, except maybe a cake pop that looks like a cake. :)

Strawberry Chic

Sweetapolita | Cannelle Vanille

Ruffled

Dessert bars have always been a popular alternative but today the creativity really stands out! Whether you serve it up right after dinner or as a late night treat, there is usually something for everyone’s sweet tooth!

Style Me Pretty

Amy Atlas

I could have gone on and on but I think you get the idea. There are literally so many possibilities today. It’s no longer about tradition, it’s really about what you love to indulge in when it comes to dessert. You can have your cake or cupcake or cookies or pies and …. Eat them all!

Have you been to any weddings with some yummy wedding cake alternatives? Let us know!

xoxo

Hello Monday! And oh, what a beautiful day it is when we feature a wedding from the lovely Deborah Zoe Photography! Top to bottom, this Connecticut wedding is beautiful! From the classic, tented ceremony to the elegantly decorated reception with potted orchids and shades of purple and navy. The bride planned and handmade every detail (like the Scrabble pieces escort cards) to perfectly and genuinely represent both their heritages and their love story, something I simply love so, so much. Her detailed account of their wedding day literally makes my heart sing!

Tracy and Steve first met in 2004 when Tracy lived down the hall from one of Steve’s co-workers, Brandon. As the two became friends, Tracy would often come to hang out with Brandon’s friends and co-workers, including Steve. Both were dating other people at the time and simply became really good friends. When Brandon moved to Florida, Tracy and Steve kind of lost touch, but still played Scrabble together on Facebook from time to time.

When Tracy moved to Steve’s town some time later, the two reconnected and talked about hanging out, which they did, as friends. Tracy was surprised to find her attraction to him growing. Steve was the complete opposite of the she usually dated. He didn’t have a single tattoo, he had a good, full-time job, two Masters degrees and wore collared shirts. (Gotta watch out for the men in collared shirts, they’ll get you each and every time. ;))

One day, Steve suggested they get dinner together after work. Tracy tore down the hall to her boss asking “Do you think this is a date?!” When her boss asked her where they planned on going, the name of the very nice restaurant confirmed what they both already know. It was in fact a date.

Needless to say, they had an amazing time. They didn’t lack for any conversation and he was the perfect gentleman – opening the car door and insisting he pay for their meal – the entire evening. After dinner, Tracy invited him to play actual Scrabble (board game and all) and after he had thoroughly beaten her, Tracy wanted nothing more than to kiss him. So she asked if she could. To this day, she will not let him forget that she kissed him first! (Atta girl!)

The first summer they dated, Steve and Tracy went on lots of little day trips in and around Connecticut to local wineries, Shelbourne Falls, New York City and the beach. Tracy’s favorite memory was when she finally agreed to let Steve (who has his private pilot’s license) take her flying in a little four-seater Cessnas. He flew them to Montauk for lobster rolls at sunset and although it was a little scary, Tracy trusted Steve completely, and they had an amazing time.

A few months later found Tracy head-over-heels in love with Steve. Being who she was, she told him so right away. But he wasn’t “there” yet. For Tracy, it was so hard to be patient, not knowing if he’d ever quite feel the same way. But, when he did, it was perfect and Tracy was on a high for weeks. (Aren’t we all when we hear I love you for the first time?:))

Much like her love for him, Tracy was sure he was the one long before Steve knew that she was too. But after a three-week trip to Southeast Asia and spending Christmas with his family, Steve was finally ready to propose. He looked long and hard for a ring, even taking Tracy with him at one point to help him find the one.

The weekend of Steve’s birthday found the two driving up to Burlington, Vermont in a snow storm. Tracy suggested that they maybe turn around and go home, but Steve would have nothing of it. They stayed at a rather unimpressive hotel and were frustrated the following day by their customer service. Steve suggested they go for a walk while the hotel tended to a few of their complaints. Little did Tracy know, he intended to melt all of her stresses away by proposing on the lake covered in eight inches of snow.

{From the Bride} I’ll start out by saying that I spent four years as a fund-raising event planner – that’s all I did. Even now, I do a lot of event planning for donors, including galas. So, when it comes to the logistics of an event, I’ve got a pretty good method and level of organization. Couple that with Steve’s exceptional knowledge of Excel and we couldn’t be anything more than organized. However, when doing a fund-raiser, you’re incorporating details by committee – not your own personal touches.

I’m less traditional than Steve is, so I was ready to do away with things like cake cutting, grand entrances and even first dances. But those meant a lot to him, so we kept them in. Steve also really wanted an autumn wedding as many of his family members are in Florida and don’t get to experience our beautiful New England color explosion. Rather than wait for 2012, we were able to find the perfect place with a great fall date this year (2011). Having done events, I knew I wanted an all-inclusive deal where the weather wasn’t a big factor (or stresser!). The big tent overlooking the Farmington River and the gorgeous facilities at The Riverview was perfect. I had done a tasting there when it first opened, so I knew the food was good. The fact that our coordinator working with us up to the wedding was the same person the night-of was very important too.

Since neither one of is particularly religious, and our families are a mix of Born Again, Catholic and Jewish, we went for a non-denominational ceremony, performed by my former boss’ husband who is a JP. He gave us a ceremony that was short, sweet, not too traditional and the perfect length. We picked two readings that reflect my love of Old English literature (Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 and Sir Philip Sydney’s My True Love Hath My Heart) read by one of my male friends and one of Steve’s female friends. I played flute for many years, so we had two Symphony co-workers of mine do flute duets for the ceremony. Cocktail hour was all jazz, dinner was American Songbook, all programmed with help from lots of Symphony co-worker enterprise as well!

We incorporated ourselves and our loves into all sorts of elements of the wedding. I love crafting, so it was a lot of DIY. Our programs had jewelry elements and since I love making jewelry, I made all of my and my bridesmaids jewelry also. Our escort cards had Scrabble tiles on each one (thank goodness for ebay!) since we do love our Scrabble. The tables were named after aircraft that Steve chose, with the background being flight maps of our favorite places to fly – the Cape, Vermont, NYC, Block Island, etc. Since I believe strongly in not wasting things, the centerpieces were potter orchids that folks could take home, rather than centerpieces that would be thrown out. I collected votive candle holders from Goodwills and Salvation Armies, which have now been donated back to them. I also made the favor boxes with fun pinwheels instead of bows because we needed a little more “fun factor”! We also incorporated the Chinese symbol for “double luck” on our menus, our cake topper and even the clasp for my bracelet. Our father-daughter dance was a Chinese song that I always loved when I was little because I thought it had my Chinese name in it – Xing-xing – and a Chinese rumba was played later on. Our favors were fortune cookies (sort of a joke) with a few fun literary quotes about love and friendship (however, our favorite was “I love you like a fat kid loves cake”). It was important to us to make our heritages part of the wedding too. We also made sure we had a traditional Italian song for his mother’s side and Hava Nagila for his father’s side too – complete with raising us in the chairs.

I think our favorite moments were being lifted up in the chairs during Hava Nagila because it’s such a fun tradition, and just seeing so many of our friends and family having a good time. The dance floor was packed for most of the night. Our best man and maid of honor and father of the bride toasts were fantastic too – to know that the people we love so much love us back and were there to make our day perfect meant the world to us. On the advice of others, we made sure to sneak away for a few minutes to let it all sink in. It was so special to do that, and not just get caught up in the blur. Hanging out with lots of our friends after the wedding at the hotel was great to – to really be able to catch up and have fun!

Goodness, how I love a bride who took the time to not only make every detail of her wedding day about her, her husband and their love, but also took the time to share those handmade details with us here! Thank you, Tracy, and the biggest of celebratory hugs to you and Steve as you begin your new life together! A big hug and thank you to Deborah Zoe as well for sharing with us their very special day! xoxo

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Photography: Deborah Zoe Photography

Event Design: The Bride | Event Coordinator: Alyson Moreno from The Riverview

Venue & Caterer: The Riverview | Florals: Just For You Floral Design Studio

Wedding Dress: Pronovias from Mariella Creations | Shoes: Dyeables from Footprints

Hair & Makeup: Sandra at Tracy & Company | Jewelry: Made by the Bride

Feather Hair Accessory: Kathy Johnson on Etsy | Veil: Edward Berger from Mariella Creations

Bridesmaid’s Dresses: D’ZAGE from Mariella Creations | Men’s Attire: Formals by Antonio

Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas | Favors: Fancy Fortune Cookies / Evergreen Bag

Happy Saturday lovelies! I hope you have as fabulous a weekend planned as I do :) It consists of shopping, date night, maybe margaritas and absolutely no work! This workaholic is very much looking forward to this! And in case you missed anything this week, be sure to catch up on all the loveliness below! xoxo

What we indulged in this week…

A gorgeous nautical Chesapeake Bay wedding with one very special detail!

Wedding Planning Tips – why you should set your date and create your guest list first!

Rock your wedding registry with Knot a Registry!

Preppy New England Wedding Inspiration Board that speaks of spring-like colors and clean, crisp simplicity!

A romantic and edgy engagement session with natural lighting that makes me swoon!

DIY: Love Mugs + We’re giving a set away!

A few lovely links from around the web…

The lovely ladies of at Little Bit Heart have launched a pretty new website!

9 Wedding Dress DON’Ts every bride should know from OneWed!

Gorgeous colors in this wedding on Southern Weddings this week!