Ditch the veil and go for a floral crown for your summer wedding. These beauties are such a romantic accessory and all you need to complete your wedding attire. They have a distinctly bohemian vibe but floral crowns can fit in with any style depending on what flowers you use. They are quite simple to make, especially if you call up some willing friends and get crafty over some cocktails.  We’ve rounded up 10 DIY floral wedding crowns so you can have a go at making them yourself.

1. Wild Roses and Lavender

This stunning floral crown from Bridal Musings, has smaller spray roses which create a full look. The addition of lavender and dusty miller really turns this into a statement crown. A gorgeous accessory for a glamorous boho affair.

For a quintessential summer look, coral tones are what you need. This color with its pinkish orange hue will definitely bring the feel-good factor. We love that there are so many complementary colors to pair it with such as teal or cobalt blue. But, we do love using coral on its own with similar shades.

Go for a romantic look with crates of ripe peaches, coral menus and pink blooms. You can tone the colors down with a white tablecloth and dinnerware as the base. For opulent chair decor that still looks fresh, go for a floral arrangement with pops of coral and fuchsia. A ribbon parade will add some vibrancy to your send-off.

If coral will be the main color in your wedding decor, then go a few shades lighter when thinking of your bouquet. This will balance the colors out and ensure that the variety of flowers on display doesn’t become overwhelming. Bridesmaid dresses with teal statement necklaces are perfect for this trend. Likewise, a coral tie with a blue shirt for the groom is a look made for midsummer style.

A simple white cake can be elevated with a single flower.

These bright beauties are all the reason that you need to show off your shoes.

For a truly useful gift for your bridesmaids, a silk robe meets the criteria. Monogrammed coral robes will serve as a lovely reminder of the day and your ladies can wear them during the pre-wedding prep.

Cushioned love hearts as props have a wonderful effect in photographs. Coral combined with wooden details is very reminiscent of the seaside. Use mini blocks of wood to create beachy table numbers.

Photo one: stylemepretty.com; Photo two: anouschkarokebrand.com; Photo three: bryanruppphotography.com; Photo four:  ryanpricephoto.com; Photo five: nadiameli.com; Photo six: spottswoodphotography.com; Photo seven: fabyoubliss.com; Photo eight: artistrieco.com; Photo nine: etsy.com; Photo ten: ourlaboroflove.com; Photo eleven: elisabricker.com

Even with a small guest-list it is still a great idea to think about ways to include any children that will be at your wedding. You can plan in advance to ensure that the little ones will be kept occupied and tear-free on the day. We’ve picked out 10 of our favorite ideas to keep the kids happy.

1. Milk and Cookies

Who doesn’t love freshly baked cookies with an ice-cold glass of milk? Children certainly do! Serving up mini cookies and milk shooters is not only a great treat but can also be used for a toast when the grown-ups are sipping on champagne.

2. Bubbles Galore 

Who says destination weddings need to be tropical? For their destination wedding, Kristyn and Roger chose to forego the typical sun and sand destinations of the Caribbean in favor of Ireland’s lush green countryside. Set on the grounds of the bucolic country estate of Ballyvolane House and filled with tons of personal and intimate touches, we think their wedding just might be one of the dreamiest we’ve ever seen!

A huge thank you to Pawel Bebenca for sharing the photos with us today!

Kristyn, 33 & Roger, 31

Fermoy, Ireland

Wedding Date: April 22, 2014

Number of Guests: 27

Wedding Cost:  $38,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: In the woods at Ballyvolane House

Wedding Reception Location: In the marquee at Ballyvolane House

Why did you have an intimate wedding? 

We wanted to enjoy our guests as well as our wedding. We have both been to many weddings where we hardly saw the bride and groom, or where the bride and groom were so busy talking with people they didn’t get a chance to enjoy their wedding. We didn’t want to plan a wedding for everyone else, we wanted to plan a special day for us and invite our family and close friends to share it. We both felt that many weddings lose the impact that they should have for the bride and groom, because the day has turned into a huge production for all those attending.

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

We toyed with the idea of having an intimate wedding in the US, but we were concerned that we would not be able to keep the guest list down. We took the wedding international knowing that many people would not be able to attend.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list? 

Yes. There is the fear that you will leave someone out, or hurt feelings. There is also that inevitable list that will come from the parents which was the toughest for me. You want to respect people, but at the same time you want to help them understand the wedding day that you and your spouse have envisioned. We ended up sending out more invitations than we had anticipated.

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

Our guest list ended up being larger than we anticipated which we struggled with. My best advice would be to express the type of wedding you two are creating, explain it TOGETHER with each other’s parents, explain the difference between a wedding announcement and a wedding invitation, and then ask your parents for their guest lists. Be upfront in the beginning; don’t pussyfoot around it because talking about it after they give you a list is much more difficult than doing it before.

What were the highlights of the ceremony? 

We loved everything about our ceremony. We wanted our wedding to be about love & family. We asked Roger’s dad to become ordained and marry us and the entire bridal party was made up of our siblings and their spouses. My dad participated in our hand fasting ceremony and I wrote the ceremony and all of our vows. It was really important to us to have vows that weren’t cookie cutter. Roger’s brother introduced our ring warming ceremony. We personalized our whole ceremony, so it spoke about who we are as a couple and gave our guests a glimpse of our personalities. Roger and I also wrote personal vows to one another that we shared for the first time at our ceremony. Having your spouse write something from their heart, and share it with you in front of everyone is a beautiful moment in and of itself.

What were the highlights of the reception? 

We handmade and wrote each person a personalized thank you card. We both took the time to write in each card and had them placed at our reception table. We did a seated dinner at one long intimate table. The guests were seated and given time to sip their wine and read our notes before we made our entrance. It really set the tone, and gave us the opportunity to thank them for coming all the way to Ireland. We asked our parents and siblings to bring their favorite picture from their wedding day and used them at our reception. We also asked our parents to bring pictures from our grandparents’ wedding days as well. We wanted to emphasize love, family and how important they are in our life together. We didn’t do a traditional champagne toast; we did Grasshoppers which was a lot of fun. We loved our band!! Since our wedding was so small, it was very important to us that everyone dance. We really took the time to find a fantastic band that didn’t really need a lot of direction from us.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding? 

We were a part of everything that entire day and we really were able to enjoy ourselves. We didn’t miss a thing that transpired. We were able to participate and party right along with everyone else. Our favorite part was our seated dinner; it really felt like we were at home having a family meal. We all ate, talked, drank and enjoyed the intimacy that one long table created.

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

Besides keeping it small, it is the little things that make it intimate. We took a lot of time to create a wedding invitation that would set the tone of our wedding, as well as share a little bit of our hearts with our guests. We had a lot of information to share for a destination wedding and we did not want a website. We really wanted to keep it intimate in that regard as well. Roger’s mother addressed all of our invitations with her beautiful calligraphy. We had ties/bowties hand made for everyone in the bridal party and Roger’s aunt stitched their sweetheart’s nicknames on the back with a clover. All the ladies in the bridal party were given rose gold four-leaf clover necklaces with their sweetheart’s names engraved on the back. We had a close friend of Roger’s make our guestbook. We made our own programs and included photo strips that we had made of our adventures as a couple.We made each guest a welcome bag and really took the time to fill it with personalized mementos. Some of the items in the bag were wooden ornaments in the shape of Ireland with a special saying engraved from us, my godmother graciously embroidered a monogram that I drew onto fleece blankets, a wish bracelet and little bags of sleepyhead (which Roger’s brother-in-law is the co-founder and owner of). We included our family as much as possible, and having them help with a lot of the little touches really made it more meaningful.

The most intimate part of our whole wedding was that we made each other’s wedding bands.  We met Stephanie at Get Hitched Give Hope and won a bid on a ring making session at a silent auction.  Roger had decided that he wanted us to have matching wedding bands. We worked with Stephanie on a conceptual design, picked the metal and then had an 8 hour work day where we each had the most amazing experience creating a one of a kind wedding band for one another.

Vendors:

Photography: Pawel Bebenca

Videography: Lukas Jamroz- Diga Video Wedding Videographer 

Wedding Dress: Calla Bridal

Venue: Ballyvolane House

Invitations: Melissa Meek of One little M

Veil: Sheila Bobeldijk of Sibo Designs

Cakes: Touch of Magic

Rose Gold Four-Leaf Clover Necklaces: Starlette Bjoux

Wedding Earrings: Swarovski Crystal

Groom’s Suit: Duchess Clothier

Wedding Shoes: Nordstrom

Reception Band: Bentley Boys

Custom Ties: Tux & Tulle

Garter Set: Contessa Garters 

Cake Toppers: Prince Whitaker

Wish Bracelets: madebydina  

Sky Lanterns: Sky Orbs

Wedding Bands: With These Rings  

Makeup Artist Hair & Makeup: UpStyle Junkie & Mobile and Mobile Make-up Artists

Ceremony Music: Justin Grounds

Flowers: Sakura

Knowing that most of the groom’s family living in United States wouldn’t be able to make it to their wedding in Sweden, Judith and Billy chose to limit their guest list to close family and friends only. Surrounded by their nearest and dearest, the couple kept things personal and intimate on their big day with a sweet church ceremony and a family barn reception filled with lots of love, laughter, and many happy tears.

A huge thanks to E. Ribant photography for sharing their special day with us!

Judith, 20 & Billy, 24

Linköping, Sweden 

Wedding Date: August 3, 2013

Number of Guests: 70

Wedding Cost: $ 8,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Kaga church, Linköping Sweden

Wedding Reception Location: The bride’s grandparent’s farm where she grew up in Linköping, Sweden

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

When we started planning our wedding, we wrote down everyone we knew on our guest list, but the groom’s family lives in America and it wasn’t possible for everyone to travel and be a part of our wedding. So then we decided that we wanted to have a smaller wedding and only invite friends and family that really matter. And since only a few of the groom’s closest family members and friends were able to come, we did the same on the bride’s side.

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

We did everything on our own because we were very specific with the style of wedding we wanted. We wanted to keep it intimate and personal and that took a lot of time and effort.

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list?

When we started to cut down our guest list, we started putting people in A,B,C groups:

A- they had to be invited
B- they are good friends, so wherever there is room they will be invited
C- people we didn’t know so well, but if someone declines, we can add them to the list

Using this system made things a lot easier.

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

Some people were expecting to be invited and we had to explain to them that we were only inviting a few people. We also had to tell people that they couldn’t bring a date unless we knew the partner.

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

We knew our officiant so he made the ceremony personal and exactly how we wanted it. Also, standing there and realizing that we were actually getting married was a pretty cool feeling.

What were the highlights of the reception?

We had so much fun at our reception; it was honestly the most enjoyable wedding I’ve ever been at. And I’m not just saying that! We had many beautiful and funny speeches so we went from crying to laughing the whole time.

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding?

Firstly, we really knew everyone who was there, so we were able to talk to all the guests. And it was great not having that awkward feeling of having to talk to my uncle’s cousin that I haven’t seen since I was 4. Everyone that was there loves us and we love them; everyone wanted to make it the best day for us and wanted to be involved, helping out or doing something fun at the wedding.

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

I think having an intimate wedding allows you to have more fun with all the people that are there, because they are your favorite people. And you don’t have to worry about some weirdo, like a friend’s date, trying to ruin your wedding or making the day more about them. You can trust the people you have there because everyone truly cares for you.

Vendors:

Photography: E. Ribant photography – based in Michigan.

Flowers: The bride’s aunt made the centerpieces and the bouquet.

Groom’s Attire: Top Man

Bride’s Attire: Hand made dress by her cousin Klara.

Cake: Sweet tooth by Zyna

Hair: Studio L2