So I thought I better post this now (the last day of October) since this month marked the anniversary of my close friend Victoria and her husband Wade. They were married last year in Caledon, Ontario in a sweet, small church ceremony where the groom’s family had been going for centuries. The family owned a beautiful farm close by and that is where all the photos following the ceremony were taken.

I was thrilled to take part as a bridesmaid, as well as custom design and print all of the wedding stationery. It was the least I could do for a dear friend on her special day. I also played the role of songstress, although that is in no way my claim to fame.

So once again: Happy anniversary Victoria and Wade! I’m so glad I could be a part of it with you.

{photos 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, & 7 taken by Jenn Kavanagh; photo 3 & 8 taken by Bob House}

Weddings used to be about tradition. There was a certain way to be married. When I saw my parents’ wedding invitations and programs from 1986, I decided that I refuse to marry like everyone else, and my wedding could not be boring. It has to be me.

Many couples realize this now, which is why there are so many themes and exciting ways to customize a wedding so that it is uniquely theirs. I am a bit of a whimsical person, so these cute cake toppers instantly caught my eye.

How adorable are these cake toppers? I love the spherical hand-painted wooden heads. Sarah Neuburger can create custom cake toppers for your wedding, with details to suit your theme, dress, hair and accessories.

{photos from thesmallobject on Etsy}

I absolutely LOVE texture, especially when it comes to garments. And I asked myself: if I were attending a formal event on a cool afternoon, what kind of shawl or sweater would I wear to stay warm? Well this is my answer: a lovely ruffled flannel or wool wrap from artLAB. Pretty, yet simple. Not over-dramatic, but still dressed up. And I adore the muted colours. It allows your attire underneath to still shine through as the main attraction.

{photos from artLAB on etsy}

I told you we’d get back to talking about food, so here is a yummy thought: tiny single serving pies basked in jars – how sweet! (in more ways than one). You can get really creative with this one by baking various batches with different flavours and toppers. Wouldn’t this be the perfect dessert for a backyard country wedding? Or how about wedding favours?

You can find the tutorial here from Our Best Bites.

{photos from Our Best Bites via DIY Bride}

Feathers, when fancy, can be a very delicate touch to a party. These orbs are intended for holiday decoration and ornaments for the tree, but there’s no reason why they can’t be featured in a different sort of festivity.

I can imagine an assortment of these looking very beautiful hanging in a candle-lit room. And the best thing about them is, it isn’t very difficult to replicate this look. Glass ornaments are sold everywhere around holiday season, so if you pick some of those up and also find some pretty feathers to place inside, then you can easily achieve a DIY feathered orb collection.

{photos from Anthropologie}

I love the store Anthropologie, and am so happy that we finally have a store of our own in Toronto :) They have some really sweet things…a lot that are suitable for wedding or decoration ideas too, so expect to see more things from them here.

These floral heels are cute, yes? Designed by Chie Mihara, these heels come wrapped in a warm grey suede.

Not too high, and perfectly girly. I think that’s all I have to say for this post!

{photo from Anthropologie}

I was recently introduced to the brand, Sula Beauty and their Paint & Peel nailpolish, because they are a client we design for at work. I probably wouldn’t take much notice of peeling nailpolish otherwise because they usually seem tacky and targeted towards a pre-teen market. Having the opportunity to try on samples in all the colours got me addicted. Yes, I am sold. All the girls at my work are.

Sula’s Paint and Peel not only comes in the teeny boppy hot pink, but also in lovely blues and greys that I love so much. Dove, Azure and Slate are my favourite colours from the trend collection. It dries very quickly, and even if you do make a mistake, wait a minute, and peel. 100% hassle-free. Add a top-coat for durability and you are done.

There are such a range of chic colours, that I’m sure bridesmaids would be thrilled to receive them as a gift. I know I would. And I’m already thinking about how much simpler my life will be the next time I’m traveling without a bottle of alcohol nailpolish remover. It’s not expensive, it doesn’t smell, it’s non-toxic and water-based…um, what’s not to like? (Probably the hot pinks they come in, but that’s just me :P)

{photo from Sula Beauty}

Today’s post about Christine Celic Strohl on designworklife was a really good feature (as usual!). designworklife is really one of my favourite design blogs because the blogger, Courtney, always has the best finds and consistently delivers amazing content everyday. She is also a bride-be-herself and blogger behind Head vs. Heart which is a wedding blog that really inspired me to do this.

Christine has some amazing work from Mucca Design, and some very  impressive invitations. I love the limited colour palettes and clean typography. The illustrations and ornaments are always a nice touch, but not overwhelming.

My favourite has got to be this baby announcement. The colour choice and technique is very suitable, and not just a generic baby pink and ducks. Hopefully Sam and I will get to do some watercolouring soon!

{images from Christine Celic Strohl}

Today, I wore a feather headband that I purchased from Etsy a while ago, and while browsing for something to add to my collection, I came across these beauties. Dramatic headdresses are definitely back. After Sam’s discovery of the soft fabric headdress, this week I found some other pretty accessories.

LiveInStyle has over 700 handmade necklaces, headbands and earrings for sale. They are made of vintage-looking materials such as feathers and lace, that will really help spice up an outfit. There were so many to pick from that it took me a while to select my favourite photos for this post.

Both of these headbands are precious in a different way. The patterns on the feathers are so cute, and I love the emerald green, while the sequins are much more outstanding. I wear my feather headband quite regularly with a dress or just a fancy top, so even if you aren’t attending something formal, this is something you can wear everyday.

The lace necklaces they carry are a bit much for a regular outfit, but if I had a formal party to attend, I’d definitely pick up one of them in black lace.

{photos from LiveInStyle on Etsy}

Wedding favours don’t have to look cheap just because they are inexpensive. Sometimes overdoing it with mesh and ribbon and whatever you found at the dollar store, might not be very impressive. Nice Package has some great things for simple DIY ideas.

With some fabric, string, paper and lots of love, you can create some elegant solutions to decoration and wedding favours. I especially like the printed ribbon on the little bags because it leaves a surface for you to write your names or a ‘thank you’.

{photos from Nice Package}