Something Turquoise {daily bridal inspiration}

The Not Wedding is a bridal show alternative in the form of a big, fake wedding. The wedding guests’ are brides-to-be who get to enjoy an emotional ceremony, a tasty dinner and a dance-party reception while truly experiencing wedding vendors in action. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Los Angeles event which took place on 2.27.13 – where we incorporated 5 of our DIY tutorials into the wedding day. The fabulous images below are from Candice Benjamin Photography, who was one of the talented vendors that participated.

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Everyone asks about the situation regarding the couple… each ‘Not Wedding Couple’ is already married and durring the ceremony they are actually renewing their vows. In this senario, the attendants are their close friends and the darling little flower girls are their adorable daughters!

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Each vendor is asked to do what they do best; the photographer takes the pictures, the florist does the flowers, the bakery does the dessert, the planners plan, etc… with all those ‘cooks in the kitchen’ it truly creates an event like no other!

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You might recognize the two projects below… they are our very popular ‘Time Capsule Guest Book‘ project and our tech savvy ‘Instagram your Wedding‘ project…

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Different wedding planners and designers are given a few tables each to go wild – they get to create any type of decor their hearts desire (based around an inspiration board created for the event) in hopes of gaining the attention of brides-to-be…

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One of the home-runs from the night were the ‘Wed-libs‘ – our fun wedding Madlibs. Each guest received one at their table and we had a fabulous time watching people as they filled them out and then laughed at their answers! We had an overwhelming response to them on Instagram  - which absolutely warmed my heart.

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All over the venue we also provided our ‘conversation starter mason jars‘… which help to break the ice and get people talking. They are pictured below on the bar…

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Another one of our DIY’s… the ‘chalkboard here comes the bride sign‘ made the most darling appearance of the night!

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Such a lovely couple and such a heartfelt ceremony, they wrote and read their own vows and I was in tears!

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After the ceremony and the yummy dinner… guests get to wander around and meet all the talented vendors who created the event in an area called ‘The Tunnel of Love”… where we each had a cocktail table to display our best – here are just a few…

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At the very end of the evening we were able to watch a fantastic ‘highlight film’… which Amari Productions worked feverishly on throughout the entire day! Watch it below…

Here are a few images I Instagramed durring the evening… a huge THANKS to my dear friend Christin who helped me with the event and another huge THANKS to all the vendors who made the entire day a success! They are all listed below, xoxo.

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the event images above are courtesy of: Candice Benjamin Photography // other photographers associated with the event: Meghan Christine Photography and Chelsea Mitchell Photography // videography: Amari Productions // venue: Lot 613, Los Angeles // The Not Wedding event coordination and design: Couture Events // event designers/planners: Sweet Emilia Jane, Two B Events and Fabulously Wed // other decor: A Fresh Coat of Paint // florist: The Little Branch // stationary: Smitten on Paper // catering: Premiere Events // wine: Ferrari // cupcakes: Sprinkles // dress: Maude Couture // wedding accessories: Happily ever Borrowed // makeup: Shelby Wilson // photobooth: Magnolia Photobooth Co. // production, lighting, and DJ: SOS Entertainment // event rentals: Pico Party Rents & Sales // media sponsor: Ceremony Magazine // marriage resources: StartMarriageRight.com // DIY decor: your’s truly!

Today’s Etsy inspiration board was inspired by the darling neon ice cream spoons below by Sucre Shop… I have been ridiculously into neon lately, especially when paired with a neutral!

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All of these gorgeous images are from current Etsy listings, that’s right – you can purchase all of these items right now! For these exact listings and many more please follow this {link} to find our shopable Etsy treasury:

neon wooden ice cream spoons: Sucre Shop // neon coral stretch jersey maxi dress: Tsyndyma // LOVE brings us together print: Fuzzy Hippo // neon mini planters: Wind and Willow Home // bright neon confetti sprinkles: Alana Clemens // neon washi tape set: The Sewing Post // neon and natural block letters: A Fresh Coat of Paint // extra large neon pink chalkboard: Shugabee Lane // neon circle garland: Le Petite Fest // wooden laser cut neon earrings: So little time

It’s amazing what a little sunshine and warmth can do for us southern California people! This past weekend truly had me believing it was summer and so I thought sharing this darling love shoot on the beach was a perfect fit for our spectacular weather…

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photography: Micko Photo // styling: Linnea Adams

With love in the air this month… we wanted to share a romantically inspired dream wedding bouquet that embodies passion and whose different textures keep your eye moving constantly throughout the bunch!

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BOUQUET // This Bouquet is rich in textures and romantic tones. Burgundy is a perfect color for winter and fall weddings or for a romantic theme anytime of the year. The mix of the traditional and modern elements of this bouquet creates a romantic feel that photograph amazing! This bouquet as a whole is available fall and winter. Anemones are available spring, winter and fall; dahlias are in peak season summer to winter; cymbidium orchids are available year round and come in two sizes. Shown in this bouquet are the full size cymbidium orchids.

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BLUEPRINT // 10 stems of White Anemones with black centers // 5 stems of Burgundy Anemones // 2 Stems of Burgundy Cymbidium Orchids (minimum of 18 blooms) // 6 stems of Galax leaves // 1 bouquet holder // Small handful of Preserved Lichen // Ribbon + floral glue

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CARE // Cymbidium Orchids are very hardy flowers, however Dahlias and Anemones do need a water source therefor it is best to use a bridal bouquet holder for this design. Using a bouquet holder also makes it easier to use the cymbidium orchids. Cover the base of the bouquet holder prior to designing the bouquet. After finishing the design glue in touches of Preserved Lichen to cover any foam or holds in the bouquet.

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BOUTONNIERES // Cymbidium orchids are the best option for a coordinating boutonniere. Above is a traditional boutonniere or a modern boutonniere that will match the bouquet beautifully.

amazing photography by: Studio 11 Weddings // gorgeous florals by: Floral Designs by Jacqueline Ahne // styling/layout by: Jen | Something Turquoise

I’m OBSESSED with Instagram – it is by far my favorite of all social media. If you aren’t familiar, Instagram is a camera app (for iPhone and Androids) that allows you to easily create dreamy photos and share them in an instant across multiple social media outlets along with your friends and followers. Naturally some of the guests who attend your wedding will Instagram their favorite pics from the day… and I’m sure you’d like to see them all! Here’s how you can easily encourage your guests in four different ways, to add your wedding #hashtag to their pictures – and just like that all the pictures Instagramed at your wedding will be in one place!

PinI purchased the chalkboard above at Cost Plus World Market and using a chalk marker from Michaels (found in the wedding section) I simply wrote my message to the guests including my special wedding #hashtag. Place at the entrance to your ceremony and then somewhere visible during your reception and you’re good to go!

#hashtag:

In the comment section of your photo, placing a # in front of any word or words combined creates a searchable category within Instagram (and Twitter) that essentially tags your picture by whatever word you use. For example, in the bouquet picture below I used the hashtags #bouquet #wedding and #somethingturquoise – if anyone was searching for a bouquet on Instagram, that image will be among the thousands ‘tagged’ as such. Same thing with my craft space below, I used #marthastewartcrafts #mastercrafter and #somethingturquoise – these words however don’t need to make sense, they can be funny and sometimes are used as a way of commenting. For example, if I shared a picture of a huge piece of cake and glass of milk, I might want to hashtag #notonmydiet. Your wedding #hashtag can be whatever you would like… my examples show to use your initials plus the word wedding along with the day you get married. If your #hashtag is too simple or too generic, there is a chance other people or weddings out there could have already used that #hashtag and you’ll have to sift through their photos as well. To find out if a #hashtag has already been used simply do a search on Instagram. The “#” needs to be touching the word and there are no spaces or other characters allowed – otherwise is breaks the #hashtag code… for instance if you use #m&jwedding – the use of ‘&’ will break the tag. So, stick to using letters and numbers in your wedding # and you’ll be fine!

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Here are three other ways to inform your guests of your wedding #hashtag. You can add the info to your ceremony program, you can add a framed sign to your guest book or gift table, or you can make simple tent cards for each table. Think about including your Instagram name on your cards so that just in case your guests don’t follow you already, they can easily find you and tag you in the picture as well. What option will be best for your wedding?

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In love with these ideas? Well you are in luck! I’ve designed this cute Instagram Wedding logo below that you can download for free and incorporate into your own wedding day designs. To download/save the image below you can drag it onto your desktop or for the PC users, right click it and hit ‘save as’. Import it into any design software and resize it to fit whatever style of information card that you are creating!

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I’ve also created these free downloads below of the gift table frame and table tent cards. If you are computer savvy you can import these pdf’s into any design program and add your personal text to them. The font I used is called TeX Gyre Adventor and is free to download at FontSquirrel.com. Or you can simply print these onto your choice of cardstock and handwrite your wedding #hashtag onto them.

Gift Table Frame   //   Table Tent Cards

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Here is a list of where you can print your Instagram photos:

1. Printstagram – From mini-stickers to calendars, posters and more, this is one of my favorite places to order prints of my Instagram photos.

2. CanvasPop - Easily print your favorite pics on high quality canvas! Even your low-resolution images print perfectly with their special ‘Picture Perfect’ technology!

3. Blurb – Has a new adorable, Instagram friendly way to make mini photo books!

4. StickyGram – Make affordable and adorable magnets of your Instagram photos!

5. Image Snap – Prints your photos onto ceramic tile of all shapes and sizes!

6. Casetagram – Create custom Apple and Galaxy mobile device cases from your photos!

7. PostalPix – A free iPhone app that lets you order real prints of any pictures on your phone!

*Please keep in mind that you CANNOT print images from other people’s Instagram feeds! If you want to print one of your friends Instagrams from your wedding, you will need to ask your friend to send you the picture and then you have to Instagram it yourself. Please don’t screen shot your friend’s feed then crop and re-post, you can do this for fun but print resolution will be lost in the screen shot resulting in blurry prints.

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All that being said… If you have created a project inspired by one of our DIY tutorials please share it with us via Instagram or Twitter using the #hashtag: #SomethingTurquoiseDIY ~ Even if you don’t have a project to share, find me and say hello at jen_somethingturquoise.

Photography: Studio 11 // DIY tutorial and free downloads by: Jen | Something Turquoise // cute chalkboard frame and white gift table frame: Cost Plus World Market // white chalkboard pen (in the wedding section) and peach cardstock: Michaels