Put it on Ice - Inspiration Board #5

I found this great idea in The Best of Martha Stewart Living: Weddings . There was a beautiful four tiered wedding cake made of ice with chilled jumbo shrimp laying atop each layer like beautiful flowers. Well, how about I just show you the picture?

Isn't it so elegant?! Well, I was inspired. Although ice sculptures can be expensive, they don't have to be. This one is pretty simple to make as they are just blocks. If you have the freezer space, why not? Just get some cake pans in the size that you want fill them with water and freeze.

Now, a few tips as it isn't exactly as simple as making ice cubes.
1. Put the pans in the freezer before adding the water. Once they are filled they can be pretty heavy.
2. Allow them to freeze for at least two full days to make sure they are good and solid.
3. When you are ready, take them out of the freezer and allow them to melt slightly and they are easy to remove. Do NOT run hot water over them as that will cause them to crack.
4. Get creative! Add food coloring or glitter. Or use distilled water for very clear ice.

Now if you are doing tiers like this one, obviously, you can just stack them. Ice is slippery. Drill a couple holes near the center (make sure you measure so your tiers are straight) and insert dowels. Make sure they are strong enough as ice is much heavier than cake.

Have fun!

Now for the inspiration board... All related to ice! So chill out, relax, and enjoy!

Click on it to view it larger.

DIY - High Style Glamour!

I happened to stumble across this as I was looking for photos of what was in my head for my own wedding and these were nealry exactly it! They are so easy to make for a completely custom, one-of-a-kind look.

The vases are from Ikea and are 30" tall. You should be able to find something similar anywhere. Get creative with the shape too. As long as they are translucent so the light shines through and narrow at the top so you don't need 8 million feather, they'll work.

For these, they covered the vase with a peach colored girl's tights though you can use any color to match you decor. Then they wrapped the vase in tulle to give it texture.

They are lit with lights from Instalyte. There are orange, yellow and white lights used in these for a soft, peachy glow. They rigged a styrofoam light holder with tiny mirrors to reflect the light and attached this to some thread. On the morning of the wedding, the lights were turned on and lowered into the vases using the thread.

I would suggest attaching all the ostrich feathers to florist wire and sticking them into a piece for florist foam that will fit into the neck of the vase. This will make them more sturdy and you can sick them upward to make it look fuller.

Ostrich feathers are rather expensive but shop around. I found them on eBay at a great price. The people that did these got them through a place called Mother Plucker. You have to call to order them as online only sells boas and wings.

You can scatter faux crystals, tealights, or anything else around the base if you'd like. Gorgeous!

Big Dreams, Small Budget - Inspiration Board #4

Just because you have envisioned your big day as an large extravigant event, doesn't mean you need to take out a loan to pay for it all. There are many ways to save and still wow everyone, including yourself! Why start you life together with a ton of debt if you don't have to?

Detail for each image clockwise from upper left.

Hydrangra Centerpiece - Simple cut flowers make a beautiful centerpiece. Depending on what flowers you choose, it can work from anything from and casual garden party to and elegant affair. Choosing large blossoms like hydrangeas means you only need a few. Being there is very little "arranging" to these arrangements, they will be much less expensive.

Dress - This dress is from David's Bridal and is currently on sale for $850 yet has a very high-end, designer look. It looks straight off a top designer's runway without the designer price tag.

Invitations - These are through Paper Source where you can get all you paper, envelopes, stamps, etc. for a great price. You can take them into a copy store or some you can even print off your home computer. Need help creating a custom design for you invitations? Email Jeffrey O'Connell. He can create beautiful custom invitations, save-the-dates, favor tags, escort cards, etc. All at a great price!

Lavendar Bridal Bouquet - This one I just fell in love with it! It is so simple you can do it yourself, yet so elegant. And can you just imagine the smell!

Potted Plants Centerpieces - These are, again, such a simple DIY project. Clay pots can be found anywhere. You can buy them in such an array of colors or patterns to fit your decor. Or why not buy plain clay pots and paint them yourself? Then you can fill the pots with any type of flowers that are in bloom. What's best about these is they could double as favors if you include enopugh per table. Or whatever pots your guest don't take, you can have in your garden at home to remember your wedding everyday!
For more info on these two photos click here.

Wedding Cake Alternatives - Who says you have to have cake? There are so many options now. Shown here are cupcakes and tiered puddings or mousse. Arrange sweets on tiered platters. Serve puddings or mousse in champange flutes. When opting out on the cake, remember, it is all about the presentation.

Shoes - These shoes are from Payless and were just $25! If you want something other than white, you can get them custom dyed for about $45!

Make sure to come back tomorrow for step-by-step instructions on a great DIY project!