Officially Hitched: Reception Details

Our wedding day view

Okay, I confess, I'm into details. I'm a perfectionist, I'm detail-oriented and I pay attention to all those little things that most people overlook. I'm that guy girl. So that's right, you're getting not one but TWO details posts (does that remind you of an informercial? me too -- if you send me $19.95, I'll throw in a BONUS day-after shoot recap...ooo aah).

Prepare for reception detailed goodness:

Table centerpieces that are so perfect, I almost cried - literally better for our setting than my inspiration

Garden-chic chandelier - a dream piece, I must say

Delicious passed hors d'oeuvres...that we never tasted.

Yummy sparkling raspberry lemonade...and let me tell you, it was just as good as it looks.

The yummy spread...now THIS we tasted, or more like devoured. Yep, I'm a bride who ate at her wedding...and loved every second.

Hello mini pies, I love you.

Mini pie goodness - table using an old door on top of wine barrels, swoon.

Next up, toasts, pie-cutting and the reception really gets going! Tell me I'm not alone, are you a details person too?

Pretty it up

Centerpieces, tents and tables, oh my! No no, don’t go – I promise to try to refrain from future cheesiness.

So after gushing about all of the fun centerpiece ideas I found, I finally hit the motherload and cannot wait to see the interpretation my florist comes up with. Have I mentioned my kick ass florist? Well, allow me to make proper introductions.

Meet Lynn with Fleur de lis. Not only is she crazy talented, we connected so well between in person and email/phone conversations that I’ve come to think of her like a favorite aunt. I just adore her. She gets it…better yet, she gets me. I write with ideas, she comes back with encouragement and ways to build on those ideas. It’s a wonderful collaboration.

When I found my dreamboat centerpiece inspiration, I about flipped. I was scared to even show anyone for fear that they wouldn’t love it like I do. Is that strange? Probably. Luckily for me, Lynn loved it and was thrilled to have the opportunity to recreate a version for me. Did I mention how much I love her? Oh, you want to see it? Ohhhh, right, of course. I’m such a tease.

Without further ado…

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Are you dying? I’m dying. Birch – check. Succulents – check. Romance – check. Organic – check. Garden - check. Chic – check.

Can I be honest? After writing that portion and posting the photo, I’ve sat here just staring and swooning, it’s a little ridiculous. I just love it.

Wipe.drool.from.chin.

Moving on, since I had determined the centerpieces, I needed to find additional decor for the reception. After searching through many ideas and images online, I had decided that I really wanted to do pomanders for the tent. Something similar to this:

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But after careful consideration, I realized that the poms weren’t going to really create the garden-chic vibe we were going for. They are very pretty and totally wedding appropriate but I was looking for something a little more rustic. Something that would complement the birch centerpieces.

Then I was on my favorite site etsy and found the perfect inspiration shot:

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I loved that it was rustic and made from intertwined grapevines, moss, etc. I figured that if the candles were changed out to fit our colors and we used a more rustic looking rope, this could be the perfect piece to hang in the center of the tent over the tables.

And even though the poms were nixed, I found that I really liked the draped fabric covering the poles of the tent in the photo above. I searched a bit and found a fantastic deal at Ikea for sheer drapery panels…get this, only$4.99/pair! Our budget did an immediate happy dance.

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Are you starting to see it? I can’t even tell you how excited I am to see everything coming together. Now I just need to decide…linens. One step at a time friends.

Did it take you a while to determine your reception decor? Did you have any moments where you found something and thought it was right, only to change your mind completely?

Center of attention

You’d think by the title of this post that I’d be talking about myself and Frogger…but you’ve been foiled again, dear friends! Do you like how I use exclamation points for no reason? Me too.

The center of attention that I’m talking about is centerpieces. I can’t get enough of that gorgeous eye candy and once we determined our venue, I knew that centerpieces were going to be one of the next things on my list. My real challenge was to find something that would complement the overall surroundings. With our colors being blue, gray and purple – I knew I needed a good combination of those colors to create the look I was going for. That’s not difficult at all…gray flowers are super common.

Here are some of the ideas I found that I was drawn to:

(source) I love the mod look of this but unfortunately we have round tables and I just don’t feel like this is the right fit for our overall feel.

(source) I love the chic yet casual feel of this one and the color combination but again those rectangular tables…le sigh.

Now for some more delicious options…and by delicious, I mean edible:

(source) Loving the limes and hydrangea combination

(source) Green apples, hydrangea, orchids…lovely.

(source) lemons, limes and gardeny goodness. See how you don’t even notice the chairs? Love that.

(source) Have you ever seen artichokes and asparagus look this pretty?

As much as I love the edible options, I also wanted to explore some more traditional ideas. So I pressed on. Here are some that I thought really started to create a look that felt right to me.

(source) Okay now we’re talking, loving the purple accents and the idea of using succulents – swoon!

(source) More succulent love…

(source) As much as I don’t think a modern look is what I’m going for, this is just…wow.

(source) I love the garden feel of the birdcages but this one got a veto from the male helping to plan this wedding – shocking.

(source) Loving the casual, garden feel of this one

(source) Okay, sold – LOVE the birch…must-find-way-to-incorporate

And just for fun, a couple that I found to be super innovative:

(source) Not only is it sustainable but using the right vessels, it could have such a fun theme – science, wine, etc.

(source) Seriously?! If I were anywhere near crafty enough, I would totally try to pull this off…note to crafty bees, go forth and conquer.

As you can see, I had quite a few different ideas that I was trying to pull together. As I continued my search, I became more confused as to how to make my vision come to reality.

Let’s play “how well do you know this Froggie?” Which direction do you think I went in?