Cherry Blossom Wedding

I don't know what it is about cherry blossom, but I have a bit of a weakness for it.  I love the pink, the delicate flowers, and I love the taste of cherries, which I suppose also contributes to the general feeling of loveliness I get when I think of cherry blossom.  So on my travels around t'internet, i've been saving images of these gorgeous flowers when applied to all things bridal.

First on my list of "I LOVE" inspirations is this utterly stunning Cherry Blossom Cake by Intricate Icings. 

You absolutely simply MUST click on the link to their website (the photo links to the cake on their blog).  In case you have missed it, this is the link to their website:   http://www.intricateicings.com  I know they are an American company, and for my UK readers, you aren't going to be ordering a cake from them, but...they are awesome, and I really, really mean that.  Please, for me, click on the "Inspiration" tab.  I've never seen anything like it before, and i'm rather hugely in love with their designs.

I also love this cake by Complete Deelite - cherry blossom flowers, without the wooden stem, which is the bit that I can live without anyway - perfect!

But if you are planning on cupcakes, rather than the more traditional tiered wedding cake, you can't go wrong with these gorgeously cute cupcake wrappers from Cupcake Couture

I found it quite hard to find cherry blossom bouquets, but really love this from DK Designs:

The flowers are clay, so this would make such a gorgeous heirloom as well as looking beautiful on the day!

For Cherry Blossom thank you cards, these are from Wedding Paraphernalia.  The flowers are so delicate, with such a stunning colour to them.  They also sell cherry blossom paper fans, which would make beautifully themed favours for female guests.

For Cherry Blossom inspired hair accessories, we have a Cherry Blossom Side Tiara at Starstruck Designs.  She's not yet on the website, but keep a eye open for our newest range, coming soon...no name as yet, although Starstruck Boutique is a bit of a front runner!

And last but by no means least, are these utterly gorgeous shoes by Harriet Wilde:

I've never seen anything like them before, and must admit to having fallen head over heels (pun intended!) in love with them!

A Swarovski vision

I don't always have the time to write a blog post, despite having a fantastic idea for one. In these situations, I start a draft, where I just write a little outline of what I want the finished product to contain - then I can come back to it and write it properly when I have the time.

About a month ago I started a draft blog post called "A Swarovski Vision". It was based around a musing I had regarding the gorgeous Fire Opal Swarovski colour. For those of you who aren't familiar with this stunning colour, here it is:

Basically, I was wondering why this is the only true colour blend that Swarovski do. They do have other blends, such as Vitrial, Vitrial Light, Bermuda Blue etc, but these are created with coatings and unfortunately only work when 1 side of the crystal is hidden. What I mean is, these work amazingly on diamante, rivolis, even some pendants, because you don't see the back, which has the coating over it:

Above image, clockwise from top left: Vitrial, Heliotrope, Volcano, Bermuda Blue, Vitrial Light.

And how do these translate into bicones? Take a look:

On the left is the Bermuda Blue, and on the right is Volcano. The crystal beads look much duller, and darker when half of them is showing the reverse of the coating, which is usually silver or gold.

So my plan was to write a post all about which colour blends I thought Swarovski should be making, I was even hoping to photo shop some of my visions to give an idea of how I think they should look. Unfortunately photoshop is not my strong point! I was thinking how I would love to see a blue blend into a purple, a sage green blend into a pale pink, and a hot pink blend into a purple. Ooh, and what about a champagne gold blending into a chocolate brown?

Then a couple of days ago, I received an email from Swarovski, outlining their 2013 Innovations (their new products, about to be released). Well, if I didn't know better, I would say that they have been tapping into my thoughts (or at least reading my blog drafts!). Here's what got me all excited:

Crystal Luminous Green !

Blend colours - Burgundy into Blue Zircon, and Fern Green into Topaz. Maybe not quite what I would have picked, but I cannot wait to get my hands on some to see them for real!

Until I actually have them here, I wont know for sure, but I think that these are proper blend colours, rather than coatings. {{{SQUEAL}}}

Orange and Fuchsia Colour Scheme

To kick off the New Year I thought I would blog a colour scheme in response to a request I had.  I love the hot pink/fuchsia and orange mixture - so fiery, warm, fun and bold.  I think probably the combination would be mainly used during the Summer, but orange is such a fantastic Autumnal colour, pink is beautiful in Spring, and who wouldn't want to be warmed up like this on a Winter's day?







If you click on any of the images above you will be taken to the website of the company that offers the product shown.

Top row, L-R: Fuchsia and orange silk flower bouquet by Debbie Co Flowers. Orange and bright pink cupcake wrappers by Bella Cupcake Couture. Citrus Ombre bridesmaid dress by Dessy

Middle row, L-R: Orange and Pink Mens Neckties by Tux and Tulle. Orange and hot pink paper lanterns - I couldn't find the original credit for this image, but I have found a UK seller of gorgeous paper lanterns Hanging Lanterns. Orange and Fuchsia thank you tags for favours by Weddings by Susan.

Bottom row, L-R: Orange and hot pink wedding invitations by V O Handmade. Orange and fuschia clay flowers by D K Designs. Hot pink and orange wedding cake by White Flower Cake.

Whilst writing this post, I kept thinking about jelly beans! I absolutely love the Jelly Belly beans and this post really made my mouth water for the pink grapefruit flavour, which I think would work perfectly with this colour scheme. So off I went to find a photo, and in my search I found this:

Flavours shown are Bubblegum, Cotton Candy, Pink Grapefruit, Peach Bellini and Orange Sherbert. Click this link to find your way to Jelly Bean Heaven!

If you are a wedding supplier, and you have any product or venue images that you would like to be included in a future blog post, please leave me a comment or email me details!

Purple and Yellow Colour Scheme

Before I start, I have to just share an alternative title to this post. Mr Starstuck seems to think that I used "fancy names" for the colours on my last inspiration post, and wanted to know why I was using "normal ones" this time!! So in an attempt to keep him happy, I did toy with the idea of using the title "Cadbury and Canary"...for about half a second!

Sooo....post number 2 on colour schemes, and this one focuses on purple and yellow. My best friend got married just over a year ago and chose purple as her colour. She incorporated several shades of purple and lilac, which worked beautifully together, but right at the very beginning of her planning she toyed with the idea of using sunflowers with the purple. Ever since then i've had a bit of a "thing" about purple and yellow together, it just seems like such a vibrant, uplifting and fun combination.

So here is my take on the colour scheme - I hope you like!







If you click on any of the images above you will be taken to the website of the company that offers the product shown.

Top row, L-R: Purple glossy wedding cake from WeddingsCakesPictures Blog. Flower girls dress by Dessy. Viva vintage wedding invitation, £4 each by Ananya Cards

Middle row, L-R: Mini Lilly Bridal Headband by Starstruck Designs. Bridesmaid dress in Vintage Ombre by Dessy. Purple peep toe stilettos by Christian Louboutin. (note: i'm not sure if these are still available, but loved them too much not to include them!).

Bottom row, L-R: Purple and yellow bouquet by Posies by Pippa . Purple and yellow wedding invitation by Millie and Me.
Purple and yellow flower hairpins by Starstruck Designs.

I've loved putting this post together, and can't wait to get stuck into the next one! Combinations that have been suggested are black and white, navy and pink, navy, silver and light blue, sage green and dusky pink, hot pink and purple. If you'd like to see anything else, leave me a comment below.

If you are a wedding supplier, and you have any product or venue images that you would like to be included in a future blog post, please leave me a comment or email me details!

Teal and Fuchsia Colour Scheme

I'm often asked to make pieces for brides (usually for their bridesmaids!) in wonderful colours. There are some that get asked for over and over again, and others that are really unusual combinations, but that look absolutely amazing when they are put together with the right shades. However, if there is one thing i've learnt over the years, its that most of the time, its very difficult for brides to visualise how something is going to look, without actually seeing a "draft" first.

So I thought it might be useful to put together some inspiration boards for various colour schemes, just to give an overall idea of how some colours look together. Hopefully I can make this a regular feature of the blog, and to kickstart things, i'm starting with teal and fuchsia. Teal is often a very difficult colour to match, and I often find myself suggesting that brides work with various tones, rather than spending much sweat, blood and tears finding an exact match. Here you can see how several shades of teals and pinks work really well together.







If you click on any of the images above you will be taken to the website of the company that offers the product shown. The crystal bouquet and teal bridal earrings are both available in other colours as well, so do get in touch if you like the style!

So with any luck you'll find this is a regular feature of my blog - and if you have a particular colour scheme that you would like to see featured, please leave us a comment below and we'll hopefully fit you in!