photographs by Aaron Delesie (who we looooove)

Ceremony Style

Use planters packed tightly with white carnations (really tightly) to line your aisle. You can either buy inexpensive ceramic planters and paint them a high gloss chocolate brown or you can make your own wooden ones. A super easy DIY that even we could do. To save a little mula, skip the flowers sprinkled on the aisle. Although gorgeous, your guests won’t notice their absence.

The altar is the real stand out feature. If you are lucky enough to have a a structure already in place, simply drape it with really basic winter white fabric. You can tie off the edges with wire then cover with simple greenery. If not, use four poles with large sheets of fabric secured at the top of each (puddling on the ground) to create that same dreamy effect.  You can also use thick white ribbon tied down the pole. It will blow in the breeze and look gorgeous.

Rather than a bouquet of orchids, go for hydrangeas. They aren’t quite as polished, but you get a big bang for your buck as you only need a few stems. Plus, they have that creamy color and pretty, feminine style that will look perfect within this wedding style. Your girls can carry the purple variety, tied simply with a pretty white ribbon. Please note that hydrangeas don’t have a long shelf life unless they are really treated with care. Here are some tips.

Consider renting your wedding dress, rather than buying it. Which is just what this bride did. Just make sure to do your due diligence on the company you rent from and get plenty of recommendations. Give your girls free reign on their own bridesmaids dresses by giving them 3-4 fabric swatches in a soft gold and letting them choose their own dress.

photographs by Aaron Delesie

Cocktail Hour and Reception Style

Decorate your cocktail tables with succulents, tucked in sand inside glass vases. A crazy easy DIY project that you and your friends can actually do WAY ahead of time. Just hit up your local wholesale flower mart for different varieties of succulents and inexpensive vases.

Create indoor/outdoor spaces by adding little antique cocktail tables (found at flea market or Good Will and spray painting them white), cute throw pillows and draped blankets. You can find such good “ambiance” details at IKEA for next to nothing. When all is said and done, these make great Christmas and holiday gifts!

Layer basic white table cloths that your venue provides with light blue square fabric pieces. You can make your own super easily by purchasing the fabric at a wholesale store or online, then using easy hem to finish off the edges. The square should overlap the edges of the table slightly OR be placed in the center leaving 12″ or so at the corners. If you are lucky enough to have square tables, you can use a light blue runner instead.

Make your napkins using a great lavender fabric. Napkins are probably the easiest sewing project on the planet, and you can finish them off by wrapping a pretty pale blue or white cord/ribbon around them. Or take it one step closer to the real wedding style and fasten old brooches as napkin rings (often found at flea markets).

For perfect centerpieces, make sure to vary the styles on your tables. Some tables should be tall, others low and others can simply feature an array of candles tucked in varying sizes of hurricane vases. Use Kathleen’s DIY to make pretty, muted gold vessels to hold your flowers. Stick with all one hue, shades of whites, and go with inexpensive but fluffy flowers…hydrangeas and tightly packed carnations.

Finish off the look with a bit of glitz. Use jeweled frames to house your table numbers, roll a few of your vases in super sparkly crystal clear glitter (we did this for our wedding). Or you could just dust off your bejewler, rent every episode of sex in the city and get to work adding a band of bling to your vases.

So that should give you some good ideas as to how to translate today’s gorgeous featured affair into one that can be done on a budget. By looking at each element as a separate piece to the puzzle, and tackling them one by one, you’ll be able to see how these ideas can really be done on any budget. The key is in not getting overwhelmed with the whole…rather finding the elements that stand out to you the most, and figuring out a really cost effective way to achieve that same look.

And one last thing…hiring professionals to help you (florists, planners, etc) will most definitely ensure that your vision is translated with ease. A florist often knows great ways to trim the cost of things that you might not have thought of so they just might save you more money than DIY.

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Post tags: Aaron Delese, budget, California Weddings, Look for Less, Palos Verdes Wedding
Post categories: California Weddings, Los Angeles Weddings, The Blog

Here are a few things that you can do to get this perfect look, while keeping your budget in tact. With just a little elbow grease, this style is something that is not only doable…it’s kind of simple!

-Use one type of flower. In this case, hydrangeas, split among a variety of bud vases. By doing this, you’ll create a look of abundance, without an actual abundance.

-Use white sheers to create “rooms.” White sheers go along way in creating a romantic look and ambiance, without breaking the bank. You can even by fabric by the yard, then use an iron-on hem to save a little more $$.

-Japanese lanterns are used for lighting, for decor and for ambiance. Japanese lanterns usually run under $10 and in my opinion, create such a beautiful atmosphere.

-By using white linens and clear/white china…your cost options are really much more plentiful. I would go with a simple white linen, that has a bit of texture and just enough quality to look chic.

A few other cost cutting bonuses that come with a monochromatic wedding…you can buy in bulk. Scour ebay for vases, candles, linens, vintage silverware, etc. Ebay is one of the best sources for wedding decor. You can even think outside the box a bit and buy teacups or mint julep glasses to hold a single flower bud, mason jars or old milk jars to hold candles. Adding a vintage charm to an all white palette is a good thing!

To really create this look…put your money into rented furniture. A few white sofas, coffee tables and ghost chairs will really bring this style home.

Coming up next, a HUGE treat. The amazingly talented Joel Serrato has sent us a film vignette of the day…and it’s beyond incredible.

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Post tags: Corridan & Co., Firestone Vineyard, Jose Villa, Look for Less, White, White Wedding
Post categories: California Weddings, Look for Less, Santa Barbara Weddings, Traditional Elegance

We are breaking it all down over on the Style Circle, so to read more about this wedding and how you can achieve it on a budget, click right here!

A GREAT rehearsal dinner coming up next.

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Post tags: Look for Less, Malibu
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image by Karen Wise…a peak into one of next week’s gorgeous real weddings!

*A sneak peak of Peculiar Pair Press’ gorgeous new Save the Date collection, along with a pretty great giveaway! Plus a first look at their new online wedding invitation line.

*We announced the Beau Coup giveaway winners and the hugely popular Sarah Drake giveaway. Congrats to the lucky ladies who stole the show!

*A Rocker Chic Affair that made us all swoon…you can check out the rest of their wedding here and here.

*A Zebra Inspired reception along with a fun Look for Less Feature…you can see the rest of the reception here, here and here.

*Fabulous Photography Tips by Karen Rusten, along with eight other pretty brilliant photographers.

*A Southern Inspired wedding that will make any girl fall in love. You can see each feature here, here, here, here and a look at the gorgeous, letterpress invitations right here.

*The winners of the Four Seasons Films giveaway and their gorgeous Rustic, Chic wedding.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Post tags: Beau-Coup, Four Seasons Films, Karen Rusten, Karen Wise, Letterpress Invitations, Look for Less, Peculiar Pair Press, Sarah Drake, Save The Dates, Souther Inspired Wedding, Zebra
Post categories: Look for Less, Wedding Favors & Gifts, Wedding Invitations & Stationery, Wedding Resources

The best way to really make a statement would be to add a zebra print throw rug. I found the top one at Urban Outfitters for $68. You can also bring in that great zebra print through accent pieces like pillows (found at CB2 for $29.95) and fun pictures frames, also found at Z Gallerie for $26.95.

Next, you need your shots of color…bold, bright orange found in vases like those above from Z Gallerie and great lacquer plates found at CB2 for $3.95. Place single stem leaves in the vases and pile great decorative balls on the orange plates. Finally, layer in a fun green hue to round out the palette.

With this look, there is absolutely no need to go overboard with the accent pieces. Stick with a simple, white backdrop and add pieces in that make a bold statement. The best part is that you can keep everything for your home when all is said and done!

Thanks so much to Caplan Miller Events for inspiring this Look for Less!!

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Post categories: Look for Less