Sign My Cast

Last Friday morning I left with camera in hand to document all the fabulous things there were to share at the largest bridal show in the southeast. With over 200 vendors representing everything from cakes to gowns to limos I knew there would be tons to share.

Well a funny thing happened. I was helping my favorite florist set up her booth and lost my balance. A rush trip to the ER, 3 hours of surgery and 4 days in hospital I missed the show, Dang. It looked like it was going to be a good one too. That silly EMT wouldn’t stop for me to take pictures as he wheeled me out. Whatever was he thinking? Maybe that cantaloupe masquerading as my knee had something to do with it.

Yes it hurt!

Yes it hurt!

Any way, it would be great if you could sign my cast. OK, so I don’t have an actual cast, just an immobilizer but if you leave me a comment that works too. Send a little love to your wedding diva to help her heal.

I promise to post pictures of the show highlights as soon as I get them.

Feather Bouquet

This gorgeous bouquet was all dressed up for the holidays without a touch of red.

Feather and Crystal Bouquet

Feather and Crystal Bouquet

A few weeks ago Friend of the Dish, Vicki Sanders of Branching Out Event Florists did the décor for this wintery wedding in a vintage downtown Nashville manse. The ball room was decked out in shades of white taken to dramatic heights with feathers and all things sparkly. From the white calla lily bouquet with crystal centers and an explosion of white feathers to the lighted feather centerpieces the look was elegent and edgy at the same time.

Feather and Candle Wedding Decor

Feather and Candle Wedding Decor


Mantle Decor for December Wedding

Mantle Decor for December Wedding

One of the great things about doing weddings is seeing how happy you have made that one young lady on such a special day. The two conical trees flanking the fireplace belonged to the venue and were originally on the mantle. Well the bride just hated, I mean really hated them. Until she saw where we had moved them and how we had garnished them liberally with cream colored roses. After the ceremony we went back and added white ostrich plume to them.

Cupcake Wedding Cakes ~sigh~

Cupcake wedding cakes aren’t exactly new. Here is the picture that started the whole trend back in the mid nineties. It was from a real wedding layout in Westchester Weddings. I bet I did some variation on that set up at least a dozen times.

Cupcake Wedding Cake

Cupcake Wedding Cake

Since then every baker worth their sugar has started doing cupcake weddings. They can be kitsch or elegant, fun or restrained but always delicious.

They can also be a budget friendly DIY option if you dress them out yourself and build your own stand.

Just order plain cupcakes in wonderful flavors from a local bakery to pick up the day before your wedding. You can top them with candies or fruit or edible flowers like pansies. If you are feeing industrious, simple sugar flowers can be made in advance to top them. Be sure to allow enough time for set-up on the day of your wedding. The best idea is to have a friend set it up for you just before the ceremony. Give them a picture of what you want it to look like and all they will have to do is set the little goodies on the stand.

Poppy Cupcake, Cherry Cupcake, Beach Cupcake

Coming Events and Tweets


Your Wedding Diva is on the road again. This time I’m off to New York for a bloggers luncheon at Conde Nast. The luncheon is to highlight the launch of Wedded Bits, the official blog on Brides.com. Internet buddy, Laura Goldberg sent the invite along with Michelle Preli, Brides.com’s Editor-in-chief. I am jazzed to see what other wedding bloggers will be there. You know we are all honored by the invite.

Tweet, tweet…I finally gave in and started Twittering. Follow my travels and travails at ChrisBoulton. I’ll try to remember to tweet from the road.

One of the things I hope to use Twitter for is to get all of you, my faithful readers to hold me accountable. Due to many requests and much needling I have started putting together Wedding Dish: The Inside Scoop to Planning Your Wedding. I am shooting for at least 1000 words a day. I’ll post my daily count and trust my readers to keep at me if I slack. I want the first draft FINISHED by mid July. I’m counting on you!

$1000 Tigerlilly Jewelry Giveaway


WooHoo! My favorite jewelry designer, Mandy Greenan is giving away $1000 of her fabulous bridal jewelry to one lucky bride.

Tigerlilly is looking for its Bride of the Season for summer. Not only will the winner receive a gift certificate for Mandy’s beautiful bridal and bridesmaid jewelry and hair accessories; she will be featured on the Tigerlilly website complete with pictures and details about her wedding. How great is that.

To enter, brides should visit www.tigerlillyjewelry.com/seasons.html and tell Tigerlilly a little bit about themselves, what designs they would choose if they won, and why they are Tigerlilly’s Bride of the Season. The winner will be announced on Monday, June 2.

If you are not familiar with Tigerlilly, they are a couture jewelry design house that has been featured every where from the Knot to Modern Bride to Lifetime TV to Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Bryant Park. Mandy’s unique designs set her apart in the bridal industry. These are most definitely NOT your mama’s tiaras.

Since I am obviously not eligible, I certainly hope one of you win it. I just know you will love her designs as much as I do.

Read more here and here.

Seating Charts and Table Layouts

I work with a variety of different wedding professionals on the back side of weddings. By back side I mean the people that make all the magic happen before you or your guests ever enter the room. I help florists and caterers and planners and rental companies. There is one single tool that all these different types of pros use to keep it all together: a CAD drawing of your event.

A CAD insures everyone is on the same page; it helps keep track of counts on things like linens and chairs. It helps everyone visualize the space in advance so that on the event day set up goes smoothly with out everyone running around asking redundant where, what and how many questions.

From the brides point of view a CAD can greatly simplify the entire ‘who sits where’ ordeal. It is just so much easier to plan your seating when you can see it in scale and in situ.

Perfect Table Plan is one of the sweetest consumer versions I have seen. For the relatively inexpensive price of $34.95 you get a fully functioning CAD to lay out your room; a guest list manager and a great ap for writing your seating chart. Handy!

I love that you can play endlessly with the room layout until you get it just right. Add some tables to the window then just drag them around until you like the layout. Cool.

If you are doing your own planning, you really need the ability to work up a map/layout like this for your vendors. Not only will you be making their life easier, but in the process yours too.

In my never ending quest to help brides get their vision out of their heads and into there vendors, I highly recommend that you print out a copy of your layout and take it to all your vendor meetings. So much easier than trying to explain where you want the tables and which centerpieces you want where.

If a system like this is what the pros depend on why shouldn’t you?

Living Centerpieces for Flower Friday

If you are looking for a more interesting idea for your centerpieces than the standard cut flower arrangement why not go live. I ran across a press release for The Wedding Greenhouse’s new website. The Wedding Greenhouse specializes in live potted saplings to be used as both favors and decorations.

Their offerings range from miniature palms to coffee plants. I wasn’t really keen on the way they try to dress up the pots with cheesy ribbon. I know my DIY readers could improve on that 100%. What I was really taken with was the idea of using a cluster of these to surround a tall candelabrum at center table.

What’s more it got my little brain going on other options along the same lines.

I love African violets and I have one of the largest growers in the world right under my nose. Holtkamp Greenhouses grows the internationally acclaimed line of Optimara Violets. Their miniature line would look fab clustered as a centerpiece for a more casual wedding. They are available in a wide range of colors, including blue. Tiny potted violets would be so sweet and romantic for not only your centerpiece but also as a favor for your guests.

Unlike the plants from The Wedding Greenhouse you would have to order these through your florist to get specific colors in any quantity since they don’t sell directly to the public. One thing I do know about Holtkamp’s is that they only ship plants currently in bloom. No worries about having them not ready to go for the big day.

You can view the Optimara collection in their catalog. It may inspire some ideas of your own.

If you have used violet in your wedding decor, please drop me an image with some images, send to christine(at)thinklikeabride.com.

Wedded Bits

Laura over at Brides.com just tipped me off to an online survey they are running about the central question in the Sex and the City movie: Will Carrie and Big tie the knot and is she ready for marriage? It seems that the brides-to-be that were polled think that they will indeed do the deed. If not, they want our favorite sex writer to skip back to that darling little Aidan. (my personal fav, but that is a long story) Vote and check out the rest of the details for yourself at the Brides.com blog, Wedded Bits.

If you haven’t subscribed to Wedded Bits yet you really need to check it out. It’s a wonderfully newsy site with lots of celeb updates and style. It struck me as sort of People meets InStyle with Brides pulling it all together. Pretty fun concept and a new must read for me. With the power of Conde Nast behind it, they are able to get interviews and other inside dish that is beyond we mere mortals.

Thanks for the heads up Laura.

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