Spring has finally sprung and that means one thing – the Spring Bridal Collections are here! We’re drooling over all the beautiful gowns being introduced this season and one of the collections we’re absolutely dying over is the new Spring 2015 Madison James Collection from Allure Bridals.

The spring collection is full of whimsical and ethereal gowns inspired by international textile patterns, floral embroidery and vintage design.

Made with the most luxurious fabrics and embellished with luminous beadwork, intricate embroidery, the gowns are nothing short of exquisite.  If you’re a lover of all things modern, sophisticated and ethereal, these gowns were designed with you in mind!

Seriously, how can you not fall in love with details like this lace capelet? We think it’s absolutely to die for!

Romantic and elegant, the vintage-inspired silhouettes are both beautiful and flattering, and in some cases – like the curve hugging dress below – downright sexy. Whether you’re looking for a more modest frock or a dress that’s a little daring, there’s something for everyone.

Want to see more of these gorgeous dresses? Of course you do! Check out the entire collection here and get ready to swoon! And if you’re just like us and want to try on every single one of these pretty gowns, you can find out where they are sold here. Happy Spring, friends!

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The great thing about wedding cakes and desserts surely has to be the amount of tasting that goes into the decision making. There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t taste every single brownie that has the potential to be on your dessert table. That’s why one of the most exciting wedding trends for 2015 has to be mini-desserts. They allow your guests to have a wider selection to choose from and to try different desserts. We’ve picked out 12 tempting treats for you to consider.

1. Mini Apple Rose Pies

These pies would look so stunning if you’re including roses in your floral arrangements or bouquet. They are so pretty that they could be served for dessert or given as yummy favors.

2. Strawberry Shortcakes

A great treat for the warmer months and ideal for an outdoor wedding. These baby shortcakes are just what you need after a summery feast.

3. Mini Chocolate Covered Strawberry Layer Cakes 

Chocolate covered strawberries are an undeniably romantic dessert. Keep the romantic theme going by serving these layered cakes. This would work on a dessert table or having a few of them on each table to be shared.

4. Mixed Dessert Table

Why have one dessert, when you can have several? Solve this problem by having a dessert table filled with a variety of delicious mini-desserts. Your guests can help themselves and the choice will appeal to more people.

5. Lemon Meringue Pie Bites

If you’re going for a cocktail party with passed hors d’oeuvres instead of a dinner party, you don’t have to skip dessert. Pass around different platters of sweet treats that are easy to eat, like these lemon meringue pie bites. 

6. Mini Double Chocolate Berry Cakes 

Chocolate and berries are a winning duo, but sometimes a large slice of cake can be a bit overwhelming. Keep things dainty with these mini offerings.

7. Baklava Cups

Baklava can get really messy if you’re serving slices from a large pie. Making them individually speeds up the process and can be served with other goodies.

8. Tiered Cake Stand 

For those of you who aren’t having a wedding cake, this is a nice alternative. Have a cake stand filled with mini cakes, desserts and shooters for your guests to choose from.

9. Red Velvet Cake Minis

There’s not a single thing wrong with a huge slice of red velvet cake, but this smaller version has more of a refined presentation.

10. Wedding Cake Place Cards 

For a smaller gathering, giving your guests their own individual wedding cakes is a lovely idea. The mini cakes can be used as place cards and favors too.

11. Purple Ombre Mini Cakes 

These purple cakes are the perfect example of why the ombre trend is still going strong. These would work well if you’re having a similar color palette.

12. Meringue Encased Chocolate Mousse S’more Cakes 

Add some elegance to your usual s’mores by including these stunners on your menu.

Photo one: fmitk.com; Photo two: blog.chickabug.com; Photo three: cakemerchant.com; Photo four: kirstenjulia.com; Photo five: sweetpeasandsaffron.com; Photo six: thekitchenmccabe.com; Photo seven: gimmesomeoven.com; Photo eight: inspiredbythis.com; Photo nine: sprinklebakes.com; Photo ten: weddingchicks.com; Photo eleven: glorioustreats.com; Photo twelve: halfbakedharvest.com

Is there a more romantic city than the City of Love itself, Paris? We certainly don’t think so! We love Paris weddings, so when photographer Katie Mitchell sent us this darling Paris styled shoot, it’s safe to say we were instantly smitten.

Here’s what creative director Vanessa of Vanessa & Caroline – Créatrices de Mariages had to say about the shoot:

Where better to have an intimate wedding than in a glamorous and chic Parisian Palace? With a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower, the Plaza Athénée is THE place to have a small wedding with “le charme à la française. 

We wanted to inspire couples looking to have a smaller wedding or elopement by showcasing Paris’s best vendors who know how to enhance every little detail to create a unique and special day. 

The magnificent Monique L’huillier gown from Metal Flaque was the perfect fit to this “haute couture” hotel and the groom’s classy tuxedo from tailor Scabal was the ideal match. 

The vows were exchanged privately in the Plaza Athénée’s famous interior courtyard, safe from prying eyes. The luminous Organza ballroom is exquisitely set next to the interior courtyard to host a small dinner reception. The centrepieces with pink and green hues from Akiko Usami made for a wonderful contrast together with the gold and white hues of the ballroom.

|Want more? Here is the video from Vanessa & Caroline – Créatrices de Mariages Paris Video Shoot:

{SHOOT PLAZA} VANESSA & CAROLINE from STUDIO ARTIFICE on Vimeo.

Vendors:

Organisation and Artistic Direction : Vanessa & Caroline – Créatrices de Mariages 

Venue: Plaza Athénée 

Photography: Katie Mitchell Photography 

Video: Studio Artifice 

Dress: Metal Flaque – Monique L’huillier

Shoes: Delphine Javaux

Jewellery: Messika 

Hair: Ciara Costenoble Coiffure

Make Up: Charles Gillman 

Manicure: Pierre-Arnaud Manucure Privé

Suit, bow tie, cufflinks: Scabal

Flowers: Akiko Usami 

Stationery: Mister M Studio

Cake (St Honoré): La Pâtisserie des Rêves

When Nicole and Adam realized they couldn’t afford the wedding they wanted and invite everyone they knew, they came to the conclusion that an intimate wedding was the only way to go. While it was difficult to cut out so many people that they loved, limiting the guest list to 45 of their closest family and friends, was the only way to get the kind of personalized and awesome wedding they were looking for – one full of good food, good drink, lots of special details, two amazing venues, and plenty of time to spend with their guests. Both the bride and groom agree they wouldn’t have wanted it any other way!

Special thanks to Adachi Pimentel for sending over all the photos so we could share them with you today!

Nicole, 34 & Adam, 37

Philadelphia, PA

Wedding Date: November 15, 2014

Number of Guests: 45

Wedding Cost: I’m not totally sure! We made the (financially irresponsible, I’m sure) decision to avoid sticker shock and sort of close our eyes to this. If I had to guess, I’d say about $18,000.

Wedding Ceremony Location: Philadelphia Magic Gardens

Wedding Reception Location: Supper Restaurant

Why did you have an intimate wedding? 

For a lot of reasons! Our journey towards an intimate wedding began when we realized that we couldn’t afford to have the kind of wedding we wanted (awesome locations, special details, amazing food and drink, one that felt like us – not a cookie cutter reception hall affair) if we invited everyone that we know and love. As we started to explore options that would allow us to have the kind of wedding we wanted we realized “Oh! We should have chosen a small wedding all along!” You always hear people say “we didn’t even get to eat at our own wedding” or “take a minute to step away from the craziness and enjoy the day”. That’s crazy! We wanted to enjoy all our guests, eat all our food, and relish every single minute. Inviting 45 people instead of 100 or 200 allowed us to do that. It felt like we were hosting an awesome party, not like a crazy chore. We enjoyed every second of our amazing day.

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

Just the obvious one, I guess, which is that inviting 45 people instead of 145 means there are 100 people who you love who you don’t get to share your day with.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list? 

Of course! You don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, ever. But I think at the same time, once we realized why we wanted an intimate wedding, we were also able to see why and how we needed to pare down our guest list. No matter how many people you invite to a wedding – 10 or 100 or 500 – you have to cut the list somewhere. Once you accept that, it becomes easier to pare the list down. You’ll disappoint people no matter the size of the wedding, so you might as well get the type of wedding you really want!

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

Not really. I think that people understood our vision for the day (small, intimate, personal, special) and they understood that to achieve that, we’d have to keep the guest list small. I also think it was helpful that our venues had a limited capacity, so we really couldn’t have too many more people than we invited, even if we wanted to.

What were the highlights of the ceremony? 

We wrote the entire ceremony from scratch and it was totally and completely us. Besides the obvious highlight of getting married, the highlight was that this was our ceremony. It was so personal. One of our best friends married us and our parents read our chosen readings, and that was so special too. There were no strangers at our wedding. These were the people who mean the absolute most to us in the world. Getting to vow to love each other forever in front of the people who love us most was an experience we’ll never forget.

What were the highlights of the reception? 

The food! I’m only partially kidding. The food and drink were incredible, but the real highlight was being in a room with our closest family and best friends all at the same time. I can’t imagine that we’ll ever have all those people in one room at the same time again and we relished every second of it. It felt like we were having a really fancy party at our house, which is exactly what we wanted. It felt so special but was also laid back, intimate, and personal. It was perfect.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding? 

I remember every second of my wedding, which is something that I don’t think every bride can say. I enjoyed every moment too. I never felt rushed or busy or like there were too many people to greet while all I wanted to do was drink champagne with my husband. I also never felt stressed in the planning process once we decided to have a small wedding! It was all so manageable! The cherry on top is that we were able to plan the exact wedding we wanted within our budget by choosing an intimate experience.

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

Do it! It’s so worth it. I think if your real struggle is with who not to invite, confront the issue head on.  Explain to the people you can’t invite – especially family – why you’re choosing an intimate wedding and I suspect you’ll find that they respect your decision. Don’t let the pressures from family and friends (and worse, society) to have a huge wedding change your feelings. It’s so worth it to be able to relax through your planning process and enjoy your wedding day to the fullest.

Vendors:

Venues: Philadelphia Magic Gardens, Supper Restaurant

Photographer: Adachi Pimentel Photography

Food: Supper Restaurant

Cake: Global Dish Caterers

Flowers: PURE Florist

Hair and Makeup: Parlour Salon

If you’re looking for ways to add some personality and uniqueness to your wedding cake, then a topper is all you need. We’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite Etsy cake toppers for you to transform your cake.

This gorgeous birch topper by BetterOffWedRustics, will certainly let your guests know how you feel.

Bring some romantic mystery into your decor with this silhouette cake topper by TheCeremony.

Who needs a fancy car when you can cycle off into the sunset? This cake topper with a bike silhouette by SilhouetteWeddings is beyond adorable.

Say it with glitter with this sparkly Mr and Mrs topper by ChicagoFactory.

This Love You More cake topper by ThePinkOwlDesigns is ideal for a black and white theme.

This custom birch topper by BetterOffWedRustics will make for a lovely keepsake too.

Add this pearl and rhinestone topper by HotPinkHannah into your decor for some extra sparkle.

Love quotes are such a lovely decor idea. This laser cut cake topper by LAVISHLASER will certainly add to the mood.

Bring out your inner cupid with this arrow cake topper made by LeRusticChic.

A simple buttercream cake is easily elevated by this glitter love topper by EmilySteffen.

*This post includes Etsy Affiliate links.