Wedding Recap: Our Cake!

Chicago had it's first snow of the season today, and this event is making me nostalgic for my winter wedding! It's hard to believe that our 2 year anniversary is quickly approaching! I have yet to share pictures of our lovely wedding cake, and decided it was high time to do so, in case any other winter brides are looking for inspiration.

My husband and I knew we wanted a traditional round cake, though square was our second choice, and even that minor detail was a tough decision! We met with Dottie Lovely, aka "The Cake Lady," and she helped turn my vision of a winter-themed cake into reality. I loved that she used snowflakes and pearls, while combining the gorgeous silver, blue, and white flowers we had in our wedding.

I could not have been happier with the final result, but the best part was that the cake tasted amazing! We chose buttercream because it tastes far superior to fondant, and had layers of red velvet, marble, and carrot cake, so there was something to please everyone.

And on to the best part: Cutting the cake!

All photos by Seth Kammueller

A Winter Wonderland!

When I think back to my first post, one of my goals was to inspire others to see the beauty in a winter wedding. So, when I came across this winter wedding on Style Me Pretty, I was so stunned by the gorgeous couple and backdrop that it literally took my breath away!

I adore the details in their table settings, particularly their vintage style menus, the silver ornaments hanging from the chairs, and the seasonal centerpieces, which are actually quite similar to my own (though I'm still partial to mine!). In fact, our centerpieces also had touches of white, silver and green for some holiday flair!

And don't get me started on the bride's accessories. The faux fur jacket from Anthropologie is cruelty free and gorgeous (snag it on sale now here), and I love the bride's chic bracelet! But most of all, this couple seems completely crazy in love and happy. This wedding totally made my day. 

 All inspiration boards courtesy of Style Me Pretty

Wellies Under Your Dress?

Ok, this might sound crazy, but I'm considering getting a pair of Hunter boots to wear under my wedding dress while outside. Although I bought a pair of navy heels, I realized that satin peep toes might not be the most practical shoe to wear outside for traveling and pictures during the middle of winter in New England.  As I want to take photos outside and don't want my nice heels ruined by the mud or snow, and need a new pair of rain boots anyways, I thought, why not get a pair to wear under my dress? I think it could make for some cute pictures as well, and I love that Hunters are available in a plethora of adorable colors (though I would probably order traditional navy ones to match my colors).

Even better, I found cute shiny boots and white ones to go with your dress! The colorful shiny ones would also be great for bridesmaids to wear as well, particularly if it happens to rain on your wedding day. As the Boy Scouts say, always be prepared!

I though maybe this was a weird idea (and perhaps it still is), but I felt that I could validate my craziness if I found other brides who wore these at their wedding. To my surprise, I did a quick google search, and found another bride who had the same thought as I!

So what do you think? Am I totally crazy? Or is this practical footwear for me as a winter bride to keep my dancing shoes clean and pretty?

A Winter Bouquet

In my search for the perfect winter bouquet to compliment my white and silver color palette (also including touches of navy), I recently stumbled across a couple of examples that I adore.

This first picture is my absolute favorite. Including metallic pine cones in the mix is just brilliant. I've always loved peonies and know I want to include them in my bouquet, and I love how they are mixed here with ivory roses.  I was never sure about mixing ivory and white flowers before, but I have to say, this has assuaged by fears. Lastly, in case you're wondering what those little grey/silver balls are, they are called silver brunia, and I am now obsessed with them as well. Who would of thought that you could actually find silver flowers to include in your bouquet?

Another lovely winter bouquet below also features silver brunia.  I think the green is very pretty as well, and love the little pieces of crystal bling scattered throughout! It's not really my style, but I do think this would go well with a snowflake themed wedding.

Winter Decorations

Although I love flowers, I also like the idea of nontraditional wedding decorations and centerpieces, especially for winter or fall weddings. There's something about flowers that just feel too summery to me. If you're worried about wanting centerpieces that smell good without having traditional flowers, consider other options, such as cinnamon, lavender, and eucalyptus.

The other bonus is that everything featured here is DIY, and considerably cheaper than purchasing flowers, and, in my opinion, still look fantastic. I have found two great websites for DIY decorations: Nettleton Hollow, based in Brooklyn, and an online store called Save On Crafts. I'm obsessed with all of these great natural, winter wedding ideas, and know that branches will be the focal point of my centerpieces!

Clockwise from top: lavender, Texas tallow berry, mitsumata branches, silver leaves, sierra red manzanita wreathe, cinnamon.