Inspiration Board {Seersucker Summer}

Nothing says summer quite like seersucker; along with linen, it is a quintessential fabric of the season, worn to help battle the heat and humidity of the warmest days. For a summer wedding, a color palette of blue, white, and yellow paired with seersucker elements is perfectly suited for staying cool in the hot, hot sun.

Row 1: L to R- Michael Norwood Photography, Carrie Patterson, Martha Stewart Weddings. Row 2: Whittaker Photography via Style Me Pretty, Anna Kuperberg, Adeline & Grace Photography via Style Me Pretty. Row 3: Custom Event Group via Style Me Pretty, Martha Stewart Weddings, Katie & Steven- Kate Murphy Photography via Once Wed. Row 4: Whitebox Weddings, A Charleston Bride via Style Me Pretty, Emma Mitchell.

Home Sweet Home

A custom pen and ink drawing of a couple's home from Etsy shop the ink lab would make another sweet and very personal wedding or first anniversary gift.





Think outside the box for a couple who hasn't yet shared a special home; for them you could commission a drawing of the place of their rehearsal dinner, wedding or reception.

A friend of mine received a drawing of the historic home where they held their wedding as a wedding gift, and it is a piece that holds great sentimental value to her. Art this personal seems bound to become a family heirloom

In addition to the ink lab, you can find other custom home drawings on Etsy here and here. A colorful home portrait can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here on Etsy.

A Room Reveals A Wedding {A Relaxed Elegance}

This is the first post of "A Room Reveals A Wedding," a new segment that will be featured on Under A Paper Moon. I enjoyed Cassandra's Inspiration Board Contest so entirely that I wanted to be able to showcase this concept on a regular basis.

Inspiration for weddings can come in many forms, and one such source can be a room, which speaks to a person's style and taste. In "A Room Reveals A Wedding," a room's mood and design will be interpreted into an event inspiration board.

This first inspiration room is an elegant, yet relaxed bath featured in Homes & Gardens. I love the tranquility in this space; it's very easy to imagine unwinding in this bath after a long day. Through the use of warm-hued whites, accents of tan, brown, and green, and varying textures, the bathroom feels quite inviting.

The Inspiration RoomHomes & Gardens

The wedding based on this room would exude the same warmth and relaxed elegance.

The Inspiration Board

Row 1: L to R- Homes and Gardens, Our Labor of Love photography, West Elm
Row 2: Kelley & Nate- Photogen, Inc., Carrie Patterson Wedding Photography, Tulips via flickr kmjdepalma
Row 3: snowberry bouquet- Martha Stewart, Whitebox Weddings, Rebecca Cole Design
Row 4: Leigh Miller Photography, Programs- Dasha Wright photographer via Brides.com, candy buffet- Martha Stewart

From the Runway

While there are so many inspiring pieces that have already come down the runways in New York this week, with no doubt many more to come, on Wedding Wednesday it seems fitting to look at things from a bridal point of view. Below are a number of shown looks that provide inspiration for the bride.

Monique Lhuillier

Dennis Basso

Carolina Herrera

Malandrino

Hanii Y


Diane von Furstenberg

All Photos from Style.com

Three Elements

When one of my best friends from home, Abby, became engaged this past spring, I, of course, couldn't wait to hear about her planning; I LOVE talking about weddings! I may have driven her crazy with my questions trying to establish the look and feel she wanted for her wedding, and, I decided sending her some inspiration boards might help clarify for me, and perhaps her, what she hoped to see.

Abby was unsure if she wanted something traditional or a little more whimsical. She thought she might like a color scheme of black and white with either a combination of bright summer colors (magenta, orange, lime, etc.) or one specific color.

Original Color Considerations
all colors from COLOURlovers

Colors here, here, here, here, and here

We started with three inspiration boards, and, after viewing them, Abby decided a combination of all three spoke to what she wanted. Abby, then, selected a country club as the venue for her reception and wondered if she should still use bright, bold colors or just a pink that was softer in hue.

We established that she wanted to find a way to carry black onto the tables other than through the linens. She also thought she'd like to include a monogram throughout the wedding and possibly wanted to use a black and white stripe envelope lining.

Two more inspiration boards followed based on those changes to her visions for the day. I chose three elements that met the criteria she thought she wanted and showed how they could work in two very different feeling weddings.

The three images below are those three elements.

Utilizing Black Containers- Escort Card Display
Wedding: Sabrina and Conrad; photo: Laura Novak via Brides.com

Thin Black and White Stripe for Envelope Liner
Image from here

Inspiration for Incorporating Monogram
Save the date from Wedding Paper Divas

The first board incorporates a slightly softer look with black, white and pink. It is an updated take on a traditional country club wedding.

Country Club Modern

First row: L to R- La Sposa gown- Brides.com, Anemone bouquet- marthastewart.com, Champagne-freedigitalphotos.net, black and white stripe- fabricsandpapers.com

Second Row: Save the Date- Wedding Paper Divas, Reception-Wedding of Stacey & Kyle- Photo: Marisu Wehrenberg via Brides.com, Max & Cleo Dress- Nordstrom.com, Goat Cheese Collection- Williams-Sonoma

Third Row: Photo- Brooke Schwab Photography blog, flower girl- Stella Alesi Photography, Boutonniere photo- Jennifer Skog Photography blog, bouquet: Ariella Chezar Design via Brides.com

Fourth Row: Escort Card Display- Wedding of Sabrina & Conrad- Photo: Laura Novak via Brides.com, Wedding of Maggie & Jeff- Photo: Anna Kuperberg's Kuperblog, Black and White Cookie via OaklandMagazine.com

The second board includes the bright summer colors that Abby was drawn to originally. It features the same starting three elements as found in the board above.

Black and Bright

First Row: L to R- Centerpiece- Wedding of Namrita & Roman- Photo: Elizabeth Messina via The Bride's Cafe, Diane von Furstenberg Dress from Nordstrom.com June 2008, Buckwheat Belinis- Epicurious.com, black and white stripe- fabricsandpapers.com

Second Row: Save the Date- Wedding Paper Divas, Bouquet- Wedding of Sarah & Sean- Flowers: Yvonne Floral Design & Photo: Stefanie Riedel of Absolutely Loved via The Bride's Cafe, Matchbox Ring Shot- Wedding of Kathy & Mark- Photo: Our Labor of Love blog

Third Row: Centerpiece photo- Stella Alesi Photography via The Knot, Peaches Melba- Epicurious.com, Escort Card Display- Wedding of Sabrina & Conrad- Photo: Laura Novak via Bride's.com
Fourth Row: Pronovias gown- Brides.com, Shoes- Wedding of Sarah & J.W. via Our Labor of Love blog, Laduree Macaroons via Southern Weddings

These two inspiration boards illustrate that you can personalize your wedding to create a feel that is unique to your day, even when starting with the same elements at the beginning.

After looking at these boards, Abby decided she was still inclined to choose the bright colors she'd originally imagined. I know with my wedding, my color choices ended up changing further along in the planning process; as Abby's wedding is this upcoming summer, I'll be excited to see the end result and what evolution may occur in the design plans!

bklyn pillow

On my first Wedding Wednesday, it would be remiss of me not to mention the new venture of blogger Vane from Brooklyn Bride. She generated much interest after making not only the ring pillow for her own wedding, but also one for the wedding of fellow blogger, Erica of Thoughtful Day.

Now, she has opened her own shop, Bkyln Pillow, full of beautiful, eye-catching ring pillows. There is even an option to customize certain pillows with your own ribbon selection. With such a wide array of colors and styles, there is almost sure to be something to suit the taste of any bride.

all images from Bklyn Pillow