Real Weddings: Elizabeth and Josh, Kansas City

Elizabeth is a DIY kind of gal, so for her wedding she just need a few personal flowers, and she handled the ceremony and reception decor.  A classic fall bouquet went perfectly with the simple black bridsmaids dresses and black tuxes.  We added in fun textural elements like green trick, and billy balls, and the giant orange dahlias were simply beautiful.  Photos by Lindsay Pierce Photography and emmy-ray.  

Thanks so much to Elizabeth and Josh for letting us be part of your day, and to Lindsay for the the referral! 

xo - Emily

Real Weddings Carissa and Todd, The Elms, Excelsior Springs

Carissa and Todd's wedding was a true collaboration.  When I showed up to our first consult Carissa's mom, Dana, had already collected all the vases for the tables.  Talk about prepared!  Their event was taking place at the newly remodeled Elms Hotel, in Excelsior Springs.  A beautiful historic spot, with an outdoor space for the ceremony.  Unfortunately it was rainy and humid on the first day of September, but we made due in the ballroom with a beautiful ceremony (all the decor for the ceremony was created by Dana).  We were really happy with how everything turned out, and Carissa and Todd loved it, which was the most important part (and Dana as well).  

A big thank you to Dana and Carissa for collaborating with us on this lovely event, and to Morgan at Cornerstone Photography for the images.

Carissa carried a classic, romantic bouquet full of ivory dahlias, ranunculus, and garden roses.

Instead of traditional pin corsages we made brooches out of fresh flowers and incorporated vintage rhinestone jewelry for a bit of sparkle.  Bouts were textural with ranunculus, scabiosa pods, and berries.

The bridesmaids wore beautiful poppy orange dresses and had bouquets with garden roses, dahlias, and ranunculus.  

The ceremony took place in the grand ballroom, and all the decor was provided to us by Dana, the mother of the bride, we just set it up.  Loved those beautiful fabric flower pomanders!

Half of the tables had vases provided by Dana were filled with twig balls for a touch of brown, along with fluffy white hydrangeas, beautiful orange roses, and touches of pink, and accents of sparkling crystal.

The other half of the tables had pomanders in orange, peach, and ivory.  We wanted a sort of ombre effect.

If you notice the place settings Dana also made napkin wraps and menue cards for every guest, and butterfly escort cards as well.  

The sweetheart table was covered in a gorgeous ivory rose linen, super fluffy, and romantic.  We just added the flowers for a little touch of color.

Vintage glassware and tons of candles filled the mantel.  We supplied the blooms.

And although I had absolutely nothing to do with the cake, I just had to include it because, yes, Dana, the mother of the bride made it as well (she bakes cakes).

Such a lovely day, we were happy to be a part of it!

xo ~ Emily

DIY Projects: Thanksgiving Decor

I'm not hosting Thanksgivign this year, but it doesn't mean my mind isn't running rampant with lots of fun ideas for what I would do to decorate our table.  I've been sharing a few of them around the internets.  They're super duper easy (like anyone can do them), and look like you spent hours and hours on them.  It's all about groupings of simple to make items, which is key if you're busy cooking a Thanksgiving feast. Pop on over and check them out! 

Here's the Fall Leaves Vases that I shared over on White Table Style.

 

And the super simple Squash and Taper Candle DIY on Paper Muse Press.  

Hooray for Thanksgiving.  I can't wait to gorge myself on delicious food, and spend lots of time with family and friends!

xo ~ Emily

Phonography: November Part II

 

We got an H&M. Happy dance...

Sweet fall arrangements for my friends engagement party.

Visited my little sisters school for special friends day.

Went and watched the Plaza Light's test at 2am the day before Thanksgiving.

Enjoyed the holiday with my family, look at the adorable centerpiece my mom whipped up.

I am thankful for...too many things to count.

xo ~ Em

For the Love of Flower: Kristi and Joe, October 2011

Kristi and Joe's wedding was a bit different than usual because I didn't do the personal flowers.  Instead they were put together by some designers I really admire, Blue Bouquet.  However I really loved working on their wedding at The Hobbs Building, which is actually where my husband and I had our reception.  Kristi definitely wanted to embrace the fall vibe, but didn't want it to be the usual palette of oranges, reds, and golds.  Blue Bouquet came up with a beautiful concept that included soft peaches and pinks, alongside dark crimson dahlias, and smokebush.  Kristi also wanted us to add in dried green hydrangea that she and her mom had purchased.  I'd never worked with them before but they were fabulous and really filled out the arrangements nicely.  A big thank you to Kristi and Joe for letting us be part of your day!

xo ~ Em

 

Gorgeous crimson dahlias in rustic centerpieces.

Varied size and height containers with lots of greens.

 

fall centerpieces with pink, orange, green, and red flowers

 

Lanterns and burlap runners.

 

Kristi's mom hand drew each of these escort cards to hang from this tree.

 

The receptions space at The Hobbs Building.

 

Large centerpieces for the outdoor courtyard.

 

The garden roses, dahlias, and ranunculus were so gorgeous.

 

Lush green garlands with wispy wheat and muslin ribbons.

 

For the Love of Flowers: Mikala and Jaime, October 2011

Mikala and Jaime live in Washington D.C. so the first time I met them was on Skype.  They were getting married at The Madrid Theatre in Kansas City, so they wanted their flowers to compliment the space with it's warm colors.  Mikala also loved the idea of arrangements with hanging orchids, almost like fall leaves.  The personal flowers were dramatic in shades of red, burgundy, and one of my favorite flowers, black scabiosas.  A big thank you to Mikala and Jaime for letting us be a part of your day!

xo ~ Em

all images by emmy-ray

Phonography: October 2011

Hot Dog

Pumpkins all in a row.

The Crescent Hotel

Fall wedding show

Kate Spade Opening

For the Love of Flowers: Sarah and Brian

Oh boy, I can hardly contain myself and my excitement for today's post.  First it was one of my favorite weddings of 2011, and two it was for my dear friends Sarah and Brian.  There's a lot of pictures here folks, so bear with me (although they're all full of sweet wedding inspired goodness, so it's definitely worth it).  

I've known Sarah since college.  The weird thing is that we didn't become good friends until my very last semester, but I'm glad we did.  She's creative, generous, and I truly enjoy traveling back to visit her.  She definitely found her match with Brian.  They're such a complimentary couple, and when they're together it's easy to see how at ease they are, and how much they love each other.  

xo ~ Em

 

Sarah loves fall, so she definitely wanted to celebrate the colors of the season in the decor for the wedding, without making it stereotypical.  We went with lots of textural blooms in oranges and reds, and then added in some peaches and golds to soften things up.  She's also collected milk glass for years and years, so it was an easy choice for the containers.

For each table we mixed in ghost pumpkins, gourds, candles, and succulents for a multi layered effect.  Sarah is a talented graphic designer and created all the escort cards and table numbers herself.

For the personal flowers we used the same mix of flowers, but without any of the greens except a collar of dusty miller.  I wrapped the bouquets in off white silk ribbons and jute.  The men wore boutonnieres with a golden spray rose, billy balls, succulents, and dusty miller.  

I also created some bridal accessories for Sarah including her birdcage veil that she wore for the ceremony, and then a headband with pleated silk pinwheels for the reception.  She even had a dress change (I told her she was like a celebrity).

I absolutely loved their cake, isn't it gorgeous!  They held their event at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs.  It was an amazing old hotel that is supposedly haunted.  As lovers of all things vintage it was the perfect spot for Sarah and Brian.  They had their ceremony in a beautiful chapel in the middle of the woods.  

I snagged this sweet picture of my friends Shad, David, Maria, and Vladin right before the ceremony.  Miss hanging out with these guys...

A big thank you to my friends Sarah and Brian for letting us be a part of your guys big day.  We had such an amazing time!

xo ~ Em