Happy New Year!

Hi there

Just popping past to say Happy New Year!!
I know I said I'd still maintain this blog, but I haven't really been, so if you're looking for me then please head over here to my new blog:

Styling, Hiring & Inspiring

Lots has been going on with the new little business.

• We have a new logo (see above)
• We're getting plenty of enquiries flowing in, mainly from facebook or from readers of this blog (thanks guys!)
• We've booked a super-fun wedding for February next year in a theme I've always loved and wanted to do. 
• We're exhibiting at The Eclective in February
• We just did a lovely Christmas photo shoot and are meeting some great industry people for future collaborations.

Exciting times ahead in 2012!!

I hope you all have a brilliant NYE.  May 2012 bring you much happiness and joy. And if you're planning your wedding for 2012, then enjoy every minute!

Jess xo

The Detail Debate

A funny thing happened in the world of wedding blogs today.
Jonas Peterson, talented Brisbane photographer wrote this: The Mason Jar Manifesto.

Of course you should go there an read it. It is beautifully written, with an important message.

In summary (in case you don't follow that link and read it) Jonas is pleading with the wedding industry.. stylists, photographers, bloggers, even brides.. to cut out the details. To strip the wedding back to what it is supposed to be - a celebration of love, of commitment and of family.
Excellent message.. and it's true.  I agree that every bride needs to step back once in awhile and remember what she's doing this for, what it is all about. That will keep every bride sane.. to realise that the perfect invitations and details do not a wedding maketh.

So while agree with the broad message, I'm kind of torn about how I feel about Jonas' manifesto.. or perhaps moreso about the comments that have been made in response to it.

If you've read my blog, you know that I love details.
And while the details might be 'fluff', I believe this 'fluff' is part of what helps a couple turn what is essentially a formal procedure into a celebration.
Details have always existed where parties existed. It used to be balloons. Now it is much cooler stuff... because couples realise that this is their chance to throw a party of a lifetime and put everything they want into it. Make it unique, make it over the top and make it fun for their guests! I guess what Jonas is saying is that the 'balloons' have taken over. And we can't see the couple and the meaning past the 'balloons'. Fair call, I suppose.

But here's where it gets interesting... Jonas specifically refers to the common details that we see these days on blogs: mason jars, vintage typewriters, hay bales, vintage rugs. Exactly the kind of things that I love.. and have written about here on The Rustic Garden Party.

I don't know if it was Jonas Peterson's intention to specifically object to these vintage / rustic type of details (or just wedding clutter in general), but the responses online definitely seem to have latched on to that.. and out has come an onslaught of complaints about people using 'details' that  are too common, popular, trendy, that don't relate to the couple.

So whilst I agree that weddings are about a couple in love... when it comes to this debate about vintage being over-done, I am left wondering...Who cares???
Does it matter if a couple wants a vintage typewriter, even though they don't dress in vintage clothes or have a house filled with antiques? As long as they are surrounding themselves with items they love and that they want at their wedding, does it really matter? Do they have to justify "oh I make jam... that's why I want mason jars" ...or... "my husband likes reading, that's why we have piles of vintage books in our centrepieces"

Nobody was ever asked to explain balloons.. so why do they have to explain this new kind of decoration?
And even when people use these same details... it's not like their weddings become identical! Everyone adds their own touches.

My point is: People follow trends every day. Look at the clothes we wear. The ways we decorate our houses. Weddings are no different.

Some people might make their wedding decor choices based on their backgrounds, or how they met, or where they've travelled, or whatever. This is great and does make the day very special and personal.
But some people will just choose things because they like it. Is there anything wrong with that?

My wedding was filled with details.Some were even the kind mentioned in the manifesto. Our photographer certainly captured those details. And they are probably the things I have blogged most about.. because really, aren't  blogs about providing resources and ideas for decorating weddings? They're not about teaching people to be in love.

Despite the details, there was never any doubt in my mind about what our day was all about.
Me And Him.
Simple.
And I'd like to think that out-shone all of our details.


(while we're being deep and meaningful, you should also go and read THIS "Open Letter to Bloggers" which also objects to same-same weddings and vintage themes. I read this today as well, so part of my post above  is probably also in response to that)

'Sweet' Friday

Hello again. Happy Friday!

This has definitely been the longest I have gone without blogging! I haven't disappeared though and am still checking in to read your comments and answer any questions.

Why is today a 'sweet' Friday, you ask? Well tomorrow I am setting up a Candy Bar at a wedding and today I am putting together the final touches (and drooling slightly!).

My secret plan is moving ahead. Myself and my new business partner have registered a name.. and we have 2 events coming up over the next 3 weeks. I am excited and inspired - and can't wait to share some pics with you!

Tomorrow's candy bar wont be rustic, but it will be pretty.
While researching ideas, I have seen lots of rustic looking Candy Bars/ Dessert Bars though, and think that something natural and woody would've worked really at The Rustic Garden Party.

I'd love to set up something like this one day:

http://www.79ideas.org/

Speak to you soon!

xoxo

Hanging Bottles

I love lovetty love these gorgeous hanging bottles!

I wish I had thought of this before my wedding.
They would have looked fantastic hanging above our bridal table.. or along the big wooden walls. 

100 Layer Cake

I love the flowers too. What is that pink one? Is it a Dahlia maybe? I'm not sure.. It's pretty though. I would like a bunch in my house right now. 

Alternative Ceremony Seating

Ceremonies don't last that long in the scheme of the whole wedding. But they are the important bit. And they often set the tone for the rest of the day/night. I think it's a part that often gets neglected in the styling sense, but has lots of potential to be fun, different and special.
Here's a few ideas for ways to seat your guests for your ceremony....

Summer wedding, beautiful setting, casual vibe? Why not spread your guests out on picnic rugs on the grass?
Provide a basket or bucket with Champagne, Glasses and Nibbles. Delightful!

Oh Happy Day

For the rustic, country feel I love so dearly.. how about hay bales.
They can be plain and farmyard looking.. or dressed up to look cozy and comfy:

Simply Bloom Photography

Or they can even be turned into little lounges!

Elizabeth Anne Designs

When it comes to plain old chairs to sit on (imagine that!), I ADORE these East Hampton Chairs with floral cushions, from Lovebird Weddings:  (and by the way, if you happen to live in QLD you should totally be checking out this company. Their work is all things beautiful!)

From Lovebird Weddings

How about some old church pews. This is cool:

From Style Me Pretty

Or these cool old metal things:

All so very different, fun, special!

Hand-made Table Numbers

I had a few ideas about table numbers.

I thought about using little blackboards.

And I thought about using wood, like the bits i used on tables.

Instead, I bought some little wooden  numbers, some little wooden bases, some super glue and some orange paint.  It all cost me about $15.

The result....Ta-da!

(^ Our tables had to be numbered by row, not table. Hence the 2 numbers on one table!)

What other table number options are out there I wonder...Please share any interesting ideas you've seen!

Continuing on confetti..

After my last post, I think I should share my 'confetti'.

My Mother-in-Law has a garden full of roses, so she thoughtfully started collecting rose petals and drying them for months leading up to my wedding. She would lay them out on cardboard on the spare beds in her house.. and once they were dry enough, she bagged them up for me. I think she also put a rose scented oil on them because they smelt lovely.

A couple of weeks before the wedding, she delivered LOADS of these petals to me. I had no idea what to do with them, how to present them, and how to make them fit with the rest of our look.

Here's what I came up with:

I bagged them up into little white paper bags and stamped them with the stamps from our invitations.

Then I put them into a wooden crate that we had handy. It fit perfectly with the theme after all!

And the result:

The colourful fanfare I love, a hilarious look as Adam cops it in the face, and a dress filled with rose petals for the rest of the night!

Thanks Mother-in-Law!

No Confetti, please

Lots of venues these days don't allow confetti. It makes a mess, it's a hassle to clean up and it stains if it gets wet. In fact, some venues even ban rose petals.

But there is something festive and fun about that explosion of colour and fanfare at the end of a ceremony that rose petals and confetti create. Maybe it is the child in me that remembers running up to shower the bride in colour?

Here are some alternatives if your venue wont allow confetti or rose petals:

"Woo" "Yay" "Hooray" flags

I love the idea of the whole crowd waving these madly as the bride and groom descend down the aisle. 

- Easy to make and to tailor to suit your colour scheme or theme:

Planet Mithi

Ribbon Wands
Ditto what I said about the flags.
Great colours, easy to make, no clean-up required.

Bird Seed - in cute packaging:

Bird seed from Orchard & Brown

Bubbles

I'm sure we've all been to a wedding with bubbles.. not unique, but still a suitable and fun option:

Pin-wheels

Colourful. Fun. Festive. ... BUT I wouldn't want to have to make 100 of these!

Any other ideas? What did you use? 

Wood = Rustic

What could be more 'rustic' than wood?
We already had plenty of wood in our venue, given that it was made of 100 year old baltic pine.
But I wanted to decorate with more wood.

Like Rachel and Brent's wedding that I talked about back here:

Or like this lovely cottony, woodsy, wedding that I found while planning:

So we* collected some wood! (*by 'we' I mean 'I' scavenged from the side of the road and random people's houses).

And we^ spent hour upon hour trying to saw straight lines through the hardest wood ever using only a hand-saw! (^by 'we' I mean my spunky husband and thoughtful Dad).

And we came up with just what I had in mind!

1. Wood to form centre-pieces. For vases and candles to sit on and around.

2. Wood to hold our menus.

I love my wood bits. 

More from deep within the wedding archives..

I promised when I started this blog that I would share some of my favourite pics from the (rustic) weddings that inspired me while I was planning. There hasn't been enough of that yet - so here is one of those weddings... from deep within the planning vault. Is it just me or does this sound like a commercial radio station playing 80s music? "And now.. from deep within the audio vaults, here's another classic from John Farnham". Anyway...

This wedding was brought to my attention by West Aussie Wedding whose author was (a) one of my favourite sources of inspiration while planning and (b) a beloved "voguette".
She posted it in August 2009, precisely one month before I got engaged, so it's an early one! In fact, I spot one of the pics in that first ever inspiration board.

What's to Love??  By golly... what's not?

• The glassware... beloved glassware that was important to me from the beginning!
• It's got that lovely, homely inside-outside vibe that I've talked about. Like, it's in the bush yet it just looks so cozy, welcoming. The lights, The furniture, The rugs on the floor = LOVE!
• Those colours. It manages to strike a balance between brights and neutrals. There is plenty of colour, but it is warm. This is surely due to the bushland setting and native flowers. The colours pop without taking over. 
• It's a great AUSSIE example of rustic. It's not America. It's not a barn. It is true blue Aussie charm at it's best.

These photos originally came from here  but I notice they have been removed now, so I hope that Sue-Lynn, the photographer, doesn't mind me re-posting after a couple of years!

Taking the inside outside..

I love the trend of using furniture as decoration. I love seeing lounge out on the lawn or a dressing table in a field. So today's post is full of pictures saved on my computer that feature just this.

Look at this divine chaise... fabulous seating and an amazing photo prop!

Found via Summer Picnic Wedding

This set of drawers (complete with amazing glassware and ranunculus) makes for an amazing "alter" at this garden wedding. (Incidentally, this was one of my all-time favourite weddings for inspiration and will no doubt appear on my blog again some time soon. View the whole thing over here)

Rachel & Brent's wedding from Green Wedding Shoes

Another fantastic "alter" using bedside tables. Great colour!

Maya & Dave's wedding on Green Wedding Shoes

And from the same glorious wedding, how about an old desk as a: ....photo-booth..... guest book.... or dessert table??

Or how about an entire lounge area for your guests...

Danni & Nick's wedding via Design Sponge

And to finish things off.. here is a snapshot of my ceremony furniture:

Treasure.. in the form of glassware

I adore the trend of mismatched vases, mason jars and random vessels as centrepieces and decorations. I adopted this trend early in my wedding planning process, and I fast set about building up a collection.

Hunting for these pieces became like a year long treasure hunt! Some were easy to find and were come across in supermarkets "oh that brand of pasta sauce / jam / juice has a great package.. looks like we're eating that for a year!" Some were harder, with much time spent trawling through op shops, markets and antique stores in search of the perfect colours, shapes, variation of heights, etc.

In the end, I got a great assortment of clear, crystal, greens, browns, ambers and blues:

So what was the result...?
I haven't shared many photos from my wedding yet. I'M NERVOUS!
Here's some to get things started:

Ceremony decoration

Tables

Gimme some kinda sign girl!

Right, now that I’ve gotten your attention with a bit of Peter Andre..

I want to talk about signs. Wooden signs, hand-painted signs, blackboards, thank-you signs, directional signs, name tags, etc, etc. Don’t they seem to be taking over the wedding world?

I think it is because they make such a cool prop in photos.  

AND they are functional.. very handy if you get lost on the way to the ceremony, can't find the loo, momentarily forget who the bride & groom are... 

PLUS they are versatile: as demonstrated below, there are rustic ones, pretty ones, quirky ones, elegant ones, functional ones, etc. 

Top: Stacey Kane; Bragging Bags on etsy; Katie & Scottie
Bottom: Our hobby to your home  and Signs of vintage on etsy

Here is how I made some for our wedding (it’s not that hard… do you even need instructions?):

1. I found 2 x pieces of wood, relatively close in size. If you don’t have this lying around then just cut to size.

2. I started by writing what I wanted in chalk. This makes it easy to change if you need to. If you are fussy - or want elegant ones - you might need to create a stencil.. but i wanted rustic ones so I did it free-hand.

3. I quite liked the look with chalk, but was worried it would come off or smudge, so I painted over it with white paint and a thin brush.

4. I then grabbed a garden stake (buy them from a hardware store) to nail them to.

- At this point, I discovered I was using very hard wood that could not be nailed through. Uh-oh… had to call on husband to help out.

5. Husband drilled holes through my wood so that we could get the nails in.

The whole process took about an hour. And I made 3 of them.

TA-DA - here is a preview of how they looked on the day!