When it comes to altar decor, dramatic floral backdrops are all the rage. We’ve rounded up eight gorgeous flower walls and altar decorations from Etsy that highlight this unique trend.

Imagine how awesome this flower wall would look as a backdrop to your first kiss as husband and wife? The flower wall of white and teal by MioGallery is absolutely stunning.

For a softer color, look no further than these large blush tissue flowers by Pompomblossom. Sweet and subtle, the flowers are hand dyed in blush, ivory, champagne, taupe, and grey.

If you don’t want to cover your beautiful view, but you still want to add a little something, then you’ll love this pair of stand alone flowers by MioPaperArt.

Don’t be afraid to have a little bit of fun with your decor. For a subtle look, spice up the blank wall with wall decoration flowers by Pompomblossom.

To easily add color and life to a plain archway or wall, some soft colored tissue flowers by InsideMyNest are perfect. Plus, their handmade appearance works well with a country chic style.

The large flowers add texture of the large paper flower wall by PAPERandPEONY works well as a classy backdrop for your ceremony.

All eyes will be on you during your first kiss as husband and wife, but a pretty backdrop wouldn’t hurt either. This wonderful wall of pink, white and gold flowers by HelloPaperCo makes for a great background choice.

Lastly, this bohemian inspired twine and tissue flower garland by InsideMyNest is the perfect decoration to drape or wrap around an archway.

*This post includes Etsy Affiliate links.

Today we are featuring a styled shoot from Austin, Texas with an old world French countryside theme. The setup of the shoot is a planned elopement—small and intimate but still festive and celebratory, all brought to us by Stephanie Hunter Photography.

From the floral arrangements to the beautiful dress – not to mention the incredible setting, we just can’t get enough of this beautiful shoot. We’ll let Stephanie set the scene for us. Take it away Stephanie!

This inspiration shoot was a collaborative effort among some pretty awesome Austin talent! Since I had the perfect venue in mind, we settled on an “old world, French country” theme that featured deep and vibrant berry tones and featured gold, brass and metallic detailing. Set in the Hill Country of Texas, Le San Michele offered the perfect backdrop.

As soon as you enter the gates of the stately property, even though you are in the heart of Texas, you are transported to the French countryside. Since I had photographed many weddings at Le San Michele, I knew it would fit our vision perfectly, but I had never seen a ceremony staged in front of the gorgeous, antique doors of the farmhouse which became a huge influence on the overall feel of the shoot.

Our models (who happened to be a real couple who were marrying less than a week from the date of the shoot) were genuinely in love. Unbridaled Salon of Austin provided the most beautiful, delicate and ideal Claire Pettibone gown for our stunning & happy bride while our handsome groom sported a fitted, navy Zara suit. The fabulous Mindy Orsak provided hair & makeup for our bride and her bridesmaids. Not only did The Last Petal put together lovely bouquets, but they designed a lovely tablescape centered around a long draping garland, brass candlesticks with black candles and gold & silver etched Anthropologie champagne flutes. Bee Lavish Rentals brought in a rustic farmhouse table and chairs along with gold flatware to round out the table design. Sweet Treets contributed the cake while Brooke from Honey Gem Creative filmed a touching video.

Last, but most definitely not least, Kristi Treadwell and her amazing team from Joyful Details both helped with the overall design & coordinated all of our amazing vendors! Truly a labor of love, each vendor worked hard to make the vision a reality!

Vendors:

Venue: Le San Michele

Hair: Unbridaled Salon, Austin

Bridal Gown: Claire Pettibone

Groom’s Suit: Zara

Hair & Makeup: Mindy Orsak

Flowers: The Last Petal

Table & Chair Rental: Bee Lavish Rentals

Cake: Sweet Treets

Videography: Honey Gem Creative

Planning: Kristi Treadwell, Joyful Details

Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas

Iain and Althea envisioned taking their vows outdoors in a park, punctuated by joy and togetherness. Both knew they were introducing two families from miles and lives apart, and wanted their loved ones and choice friends to feel free to mingle and get to know their future family.

Securing a rambling Victorian home for four days, Iain and Althea designed a mini-holiday that teased conversations and intimate moments beyond the constraints of a reception. From their entrance announced by bagpiper, to a beer and rib reception, they remained authentic to the rhythm of the life they’ve created together, and their weekend with a wedding in the middle.

Documenting the day’s honest moments and genuine smiles was Southern California photographer Sarah Williams of This Rad Love.

Althea, 28, & Iain, 30

Location: Washington, DC

Wedding Date: May 5, 2015 (5/1/15, a palindrome!)

Number of Guests: 25

Wedding Cost:   $10,000

.Ceremony Location: Montrose Park, Georgetown, Washington, D.C

Reception Location: The Uptown House, a large Victorian house in upper NW Washington, D.C.

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

 An intimate wedding was the only way either of us could even conceive of getting married. We’re not flashy, or very traditional. We have select people in our lives that we care the most about, and getting them together to recognize our marriage was the most important thing to us. We knew this could be the only opportunity for our two families, who are spread out across the U.S., to get to know each other, so we didn’t want them getting lost in a crowd and separating off into cliques. So we essentially “boiled down” the wedding to the elements we cared about and lost all of the rest.

What are some the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding? 

We didn’t announce our engagement widely to avoid getting people’s hopes up about being invited to our wedding. This wasn’t very hard for us, as we are pretty private, but we had to tell others to not go crazy on social media etc. which was a little awkward.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

No. We invited immediate family (plus spouses of siblings), close friends, and only two pairs of aunts and uncles because they are local and we see them somewhat frequently. An invitation to our wider pool of aunts, uncles, and cousins spread across the country and world would have quadrupled the guest list, so it was not considered.

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them?

Once our families understood the type of wedding we were going for, they understood the small guest list. We did send out official post-wedding announcements from parents to the extended family and friends, which helped to at least inform the extended network that we did get married. This was nice for our parents who wanted to share the good news –and maybe brag a little.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Being led into the ceremony by a bagpiper was a perfect moment. Walking around the bend hand-in-hand to see everyone we care about the most standing together was an amazing feeling. Jumping the broom was also a great way to end the ceremony on a fun note to segue into the party.

What were the highlights of the reception?

The beer and barbecue. Since everyone was holding giant beer mugs and getting messy eating ribs, the event naturally felt grounded and easy-going. We also loved how, since everyone was staying at the house, it was a team effort to decorate, tap kegs etc. One of Althea’s favorite memories was her brother Andy enthusiastically arranging flowers the morning of the wedding. We also loved the impromptu brother speeches initiated by Iain’s brother Archie before dessert.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

It was special and personal for everyone present. We didn’t need to make a point of visiting each table during the reception to thank every guest because we just naturally spent quality time with everyone.

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding? 

Communicate with your parents, family and friends from the very start about your vision for a small wedding. Focus on the positive!

Whatever the vision, it will probably grow and expand. We initially planned to just go to the courthouse, followed by a small party or dinner. However, everything we did add during the planning process was carefully decided on by us and not a result of outside pressure.

Also, many wedding expenses (permits, photographer, venue rental) are a single rate, no matter the number of people, so this is important to keep in mind if you think you’re going to save big by having a small wedding.

Vendors:

Reception:   The Uptown House

Photographer:  This Rad Love

Catering:  Old Blue BBQ

Music:  Tim Carey- Professional Bagpipes

Officiant:  Capitol Ceremonies

Flowers:  Urbanstems

Geometric wedding decor is one of our favorite recent wedding trends – and Etsy is chock full of items that fit in perfectly with this theme. To save you some time, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite geometric wedding decor ideas.

To start, here is a gorgeous set of rose patterned boxes by MewAndMew. You could easily use these to slip in thank you notes, or little surprises for each of the members of the bridal party.

Whether you are looking for decor for your head table, or a punch of color at your altar, these colorful triangle garlands by pipsqueakandbean are the perfect addition to your geometric wedding decor lineup!

These retro wooden hexagon coasters by CraftingDaily are for more than just holding drinks. These could easily double as a part of your centerpiece, or even as a base for a flower vase.

For a playful look, these geometric paper shapes by FieldGuideDesign would look great hanging behind the head table or in a photo booth. They are the perfect way to add some color to your wedding.

Looking for a trendy approach to geometric wedding decor? These colorful and modern wooden plant holders by SpiritandVine make ideal centerpieces.

This stunning handmade terrarium by Waen would look perfect as focal point on any wedding table.

These affordable wooden luminaries by SocietyNatlIndustry are chic and modern, making them perfect for centerpieces, or even by the dance floor for some romantic lighting.

Forget clumpy boxes or old stuffy pillows. Your ring bearer can now use this gorgeous ring bearer box and holder by Waen instead.

The best way to get everyone seated is by numbering your tables clearly. This seating card by blacklabstudio does just that with bold geometric numbers.

Finally, if you aren’t feeling the bride and groom cake topper, this geometric origami alternative by LittleRayOfSunflower is the perfect replacement.

*This post includes Etsy affiliate links

We think breakfast is serious business, and no one has registry-worthy breakfast appliances covered quite like Cuisinart. Preferred by chefs and amateurs alike, Cuisinart kitchen products are some of the best in the business. So, if you are looking to up your breakfast game, look no further than Cuisinart to take you to the next level.

Let’s start with coffee. To get your morning started right, a great cup of java is key. But what if you and your significant other disagree on what makes the perfect brew? Compromise is important in a marriage, but thanks to the Cuisinart Single Serve Brewer you won’t have to make concessions where your morning coffee is concerned. With three cup sizes to choose from – 6, 8, and 10 oz – and the option of using k-cups or ground coffee, you and your sweetie can get the perfect cup of coffee every time.

After coffee of course, the one thing we always want for a special weekend breakfast is waffles – in our opinion, there is no greater breakfast food. The problem with most waffle makers, however, is the fact that they’re big and bulky, and take up so much valuable counter space. The Cuisinart Vertical Waffle Maker, however, does not have this issue.  Simply add your favorite batter through the spout up to the fill line for consistent waffle thickness. Genius, right?

If you want to get your breakfast game on point, Cuisinart products can be found at Bed Bath & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, Macy’s, and many other retail registries.

Sponsored Post.