GSS Wedding Cake Trend :: Hand Painted Wedding Cakes

We LOVE cake (Okay, we’re OBESSESSED with it!) and we especially love beautiful designs that incorporate unique ideas.  So when we ran across Nevie-Pie Cakes while surfing the internet, our jaws dropped.  These hand painted cakes are just to die for!  Take a look at some of her beautiful creations:


Natasha, the creator of Nevie-Pie Cakes worked as a textile designer for many years and has been a lifelong baker.  After giving up on early career plans to be a dentist, Natasha began studying Illustration.  After graduating from University she fell into Textile Design.  She worked in both furnishing and fashion textiles for ten years, finally ending up as the Senior Designer in the London studio of a New York fashion textile house.  Once married and had children, she became a stay at home mother and started looking for a creative  began making cakes for the kid’s parties.  She started making more and more adventurous cakes and eventually decided that they were good enough to sell. She began to play with her strengths and experimented with painting on cakes. She was delighted when it worked, and has since started the Nevie-Pie Cakes specialist bakery to sell her work through.  Nevie-Pie Cakes is based out of Berkhamsted Hertfordshire, UK.

Pin It

GSS Wedding Inspiration Board :: Black, White & Royal Blue

Happy Monday, Lovelies!!!  We hope everyone had a great weekend!  Black and White weddings are so trendy lately and we couldn’t agree with this trend more.  We do, however, love to add a pop of color in with this chic palette.  Check out how beautiful this palette can be with the addition of Royal Blue:

Black and White Anemone Bridal Bouquet:  Image Courtesy of Q Weddings

Black, White and Royal Blue Boutonniere:  Flowers by Semia           Image Courtesy of Brian Phillips Photography

Black, White and Royal Blue Wedding Programs:  WiregrassWeddings.com             Image Courtesy of Jubilee Photography

Black, White and Royal Blue Wedding Invitations:  Eden Wedding Studio

Diamond and Blue Saphire Engagement Ring:  Diamond Ideals

Black, White and Royal Blue Wedding Reception:  Andrea Hallgren Photography

Royal Blue and White Wedding Cake:  Scrumptions            Image Courtesy of Kristin Spencer Photography

Royal Blue Bridesmaid Dress: Alfred Sung via Dessy

Black Tuxedo with Royal Blue Tie:  SmartTuxedo.com

Black, White and Royal Blue Clutches: AO3 Designs

Pin It

GSS’s Things We LOVE :: Wedding Sundae’s Handmade Details

You may or may not have noticed, but on Monday’s Teal and Yellow inspiration board, we featured a beautiful boutonniere and an escort card holder by Natacha of Wedding Sundae.  We absolutely adore her handmade wedding details and wanted to share more with you.  She can take care of almost all of your details for you- she has Save the Dates, Invitations, Programs, Menu Cards, Escort Cards, Table Numbers, Thank You Cards, Boutonnieres, Napkin Rings AND Escort Card Holders! Whew- that’s a lot!  She can custom make anything by matching the colors, theme and concept of your wedding.  Check out these gorgeous handmade details for a Peacock themed wedding (LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!):

 

 

Pin It

GSS Featured Wedding :: Caroline & Jeremy’s Vintage Farmhouse Wedding :: Kate Takes Photos

Happy Hump Day, Lovelies!!!  You’re all in for a treat today!!!  Man, our submissions just keep getting better and better!!!  Today’s fabulous featured wedding comes from Kate Miller of Kate Takes Photos, a Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas based wedding photographer.  Kate has been so sweet and accommodating to GSS and we have truly enjoyed working with her on this feature.

Caroline and Jeremy were married on June 24, 2011 at an 1800′s Texas farmhouse and their wedding was FILLED to the brim with amazing details!  (Side Note:  Remember Emily and Landry’s awesome Ranch Wedding that we featured last year? The groom of this feature, Jeremy, is the brother of Emily.  Apparently amazing wedding planning runs in their veins! Side Note 2:  Make sure you read about Jeremy’s proposal.  Sweetest. Proposal. EVER.)  Caroline was kind enough to answer a few questions for us:

How did you and Jeremy meet? We both went to Texas Christian University—we were introduced through a mutual friend and got to know each other through Disciples on Campus, University Christian Church, and the TCU Religion Department.

How long have you been together? 2.5 years

How did Jeremy propose?  One day in early 2009, several of our friends were planning an evening at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.  By the time we left TCU, however, all but two of our group had cancelled. Who was left? You guessed it: Me and Jeremy. We decided to go anyway, just the two of us. Jeremy loves photography, so, of course, he brought his camera. In one of the halls of the museum that looks out over the reflection pool is a piece of art created from THOUSANDS of pieces of green, cellophane-wrapped hard candies. You can take the candy as a memento or as a snack, and the museum replenishes it intermittently. Jeremy took a great photo of me that day–a photo which later graced his nightstand. We had an incredible time laughing, talking, enjoying the art and each other’s company. We have come to call this our first “pseudo-date.”

A few pseudo-dates and a few regular dates later, we are in December 2010, completely in love. Unfortunately we are also in two states separated by 1,700 miles, since he was starting a masters program in Berkeley, and I was finishing up at TCU in Fort Worth, TX. Anxious for December 20, when we were to meet at SFO airport, I was trying to make it through the last couple weeks of class.

Over Thanksgiving, my best friend, Sarah Parker, asked me if we could go to the Modern on her next day off, which happened to be the next Thursday. I said we could go between my classes since I have a four hour break. We headed to the
museum, and I was excited for a girls’ afternoon. We stopped and talked about a few of our favorite pieces, but Sarah did not linger long at any of them. Then, we turned a corner. There, by the windows, standing where I am standing in the picture from 22 months earlier is Jeremy (wearing my favorite shirt of his!).

I stood there in shock for a moment, confused at how he was there. He was supposed to be in Berkeley. He was supposed to be cramming in research for his term papers. He had just texted me on Tuesday that I should make three weeks go by faster. Tricky. When I was convinced I was not hallucinating, I asked him what he was doing here. He responded, “I think you know why I’m here.”

Getting down on one knee, he told me he loves me and that I make him smile like nobody else can. Then he said I would find a special present hidden among the green candies. I started eyeing every pocket and dent in the sea of green, looking for a spot that looked like it had been messed with. Realizing how long this task would really take, I turned back to Jeremy and pleaded, “You have GOT to be kidding me!” He laughed, said “Yes,” pulled the perfect ring from his pocket, and asked if we could be married.

I think you can guess my answer. :)

What sold you on your wedding venue? It was outdoors. Jeremy and I really wanted an outdoor wedding, and our venue had a beautiful grove of trees, which was perfect for the ceremony and had a great pavilion for our casual, fun reception.

Your dress is gorgeous (seriously, we’re obsessed with it!), where did you get it and how did you know it was “the one”? I’ll be honest. The one thing I HAD dreamed about was the dress. For the few months prior to the proposal, I had my suspicions and I started scouting dresses. I love the vintage, Audrey Hepburn look. With my figure, higher necklines are more flattering and more comfortable, so I knew I wanted a bateau neck. My back is one of my favorite parts of my body, so I wanted to show that off. And, I knew I wanted a tea-length dress, for many reasons (the TX heat in June, my inability to dance in a long dress, etc.) SO,
this dress was perfect. I found it on UniqueVintage.com, and ordered it right away (I mean within a week of the proposal!). When it came in, I found that dress sizes have changed DRAMATICALY since the 50s, so I had MAJOR alterations done (lowering the V in the back, adding the lace at the waist, letting out EVERY seam allowance) at Margo West Bridal Alterations in Dallas.

I absolutely love it. It is truly one-of-a-kind. Plus, the lace we added was salvaged from my aunt’s graduation dress slip (I wore thedress for the rehearsal dinner)! Hooray for repurposing!

What was your “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”? I had multiple “something olds:” my dress (and the lace), my veil (tulle was taken from a hat that belonged to my great-grandmother), vintage pearl necklace.

“something new:” my fabulous purple shoes! (from Anthropologie).

“something borrowed:” I wore my mother’s pearl earings.

“something blue:” I carried a baby blue hankie.

How did you choose your wedding color palette? Purple is (and always has been) my favorite color, plus it is the school color for TCU. Green is Jeremy’s favorite color, and we both liked the combination of moss
green with purple and lavender. We added some pale blue with vintage glass jars and some cranberry/pink with my dad’s zinnias and the gladiolas in the ceremony just to add some brightness.

Do you have any advice for bride and grooms that are in the planning process?

  1. RECRUIT HELPERS! Especially if you do everything DYI, like we did, helpers are invaluable. My mother is a school teacher, so we both had the few weeks prior to the wedding off, and we worked tirelessly for those
    few weeks.
  2. Do things according to your strengths—Jeremy, who is very artistic, drew our invitations, save-the-dates and painted the signs for the reception, etc. I am more artsy-craftsy, so I put the invitations together, made napkins, etc. But, be sure to do some things together, as well. It makes the whole process more fun.
  3. Don’t take things too seriously. You will forget things the day of—we forgot to put out the 15 pounds of grapes we bought! Oops! But, remember that while the little things are wonderful and create an amazing atmosphere, they are not really what the day is all about.

What song did you dance to for your first dance? “The Very Thought of You” by Billie Holiday.

What was your favorite part of your big day? Really, the whole day was wonderful. Even setting up was fun! Our whole wedding party helped, along with our families, and we had a great time. The ceremony was
beautiful, with many meaningful words and actions, and the reception was a blast! That being said, my favorite moment:

We served communion during our ceremony, so after a friend of mine sang a few songs, everything was quiet. Jeremy and I really had a special moment to ourselves when we could just be together. Even though everyone was still there, it felt like a very private moment. To make the perfect moment more surreal, a cool breeze came through (blessed relief!) and two cardinals started calling back and forth in the trees.

 

Vendors:

Venue: 1899 Farmhouse, Princeton, TX

Dress: UniqueVintage.com

Cake: Jeremy’s mother made the “wedding cake” and various friends and family members baked the rest of the tasty treats on our dessert bar. (My mother made upwards of 600 cookies!)

Floral: We bought the flowers from 7th Street Flower Market in Fort Worth, and our good friend Anna Ross did the arrangements and bouquets.

Linens: provided by 1899 Farmhouse

Catering: DIY

DJ/Band: 1899 Farmhouse provided basic sound equipment, and we had a friend manage an iTunes playlist we created

Videographer: n/a

Invitations/Wedding Stationery: DIY

Event Planner: n/a

Thank you so much, Kate, for sharing this amazing wedding with us!  Please stop by her website and show her some love!  And thank you, Caroline, for taking your time to answer our questions!  We wish you and Jeremy a lifetime full of love, laughter, and happiness!!!  May every day be better than the last!

If you have an engagement, wedding, day after, or anniversary session that you would like featured- Please send it to us at submissions@groomsoldseparately.com.  We HEART submissions!

Pin It

GSS Wedding Inspiration Board :: Teal & Yellow with Black Accents

Happy Monday, Lovelies!!! We hope you had a fabulous weekend.  Today’s inspiration board color palette was suggested to us by a loyal reader!  We LOVE your suggestions!  So, today we’re featuring the gorgeous color palette of Teal and Yellow with Black accents.  These colors are so bright and lively and we just love how well they compliment each other.  This wedding color palette would be perfect for any season of the year and any wedding location!  We absolutely adore this color palette!

If you have a theme or color combination you’d like to see featured on Groom Sold Separately, send it to us at tamra@groomsoldseparately.com!


Teal and Yellow Boutonniere:  Wedding Sundae

Teal and Yellow Place Setting:  Champagne Wedding Events          Image Courtesy of Deyla Huss Photography

Teal and Yellow Escort Card Holder:  Wedding Sundae

Teal Bridesmaid Dress:  Alfred Sung via Dessy

Yellow Bridesmaid Dress:  Alfred Sung via Dessy

Teal, Yellow and Black Wedding Invitations:  Beacon Lane

Teal and Yellow Tablescape:  Champagne Wedding Events          Image Courtesy of Deyla Huss Photography

Teal, Yellow and Black Lounge Decor: Image Courtesy of All Things Chic

 

Pin It

GSS’s things We LOVE :: Beyond White’s Whimiscal Window Pane Wedding Seating Charts

Last year we showed you an awesome idea for your wedding reception seating chart using a repurposed window pane.  (You can see that post by clicking here.)  This can easily be recreated for your own wedding.  Just find an old window pane at your local junk yard (or a new one at a home improvement store (think Home Depot or Lowe’s) and roughing it up with sandpaper to look old) and a paint marker from Hobby Lobby or Michael’s.  Then, in your best handwriting, write the table numbers followed by the guests to be seated at that table on each window pane.  Voila!  You have a fabulous wedding reception seating chart!  However, if love the look but would rather leave the dirty work up to an expert- Beyond White has you covered!

Here’s a little bit about Beyond White from their Etsy store:  You can mix or match styles to create a unique and useful art installment for your wedding and reception.  Menus, programs, and signs are available.  Have another idea?  Great!  I love working with couples to create something special. 

I really enjoy creating such unique pieces of art for your wedding day. I will go to great lengths to make each and every person absolutely satisfied. I pride myself on providing exceptional service and being totally available to my customers. If you have ideas but aren’t sure how to execute them, or perhaps want to adjust designs to accommodate your needs, please let me know.

Take a look at some of their fabulous creations!

 

Pin It

GSS Wedding Inspiration Board :: It’s a Nice Day for A… WHITE Wedding!

It was suggested to me that I make the inspiration board for this week an all White wedding.  I have to be honest, I used to shudder at the thought of an ALL White wedding.  I mean, should Bridesmaids wear the same color as the Bride? Wouldn’t that be a HUGE wedding faux pas?  Many Brides think this way.  They want to be the only gal in White at her wedding- which is totally understandable.  But if you’re a bride who thinks outside the box and doesn’t mind letting your ladies wear White as well, your wedding could be an absolute showstopper.  An all White wedding looks so elegant, clean, sophisticated, classy AND sexy and is perfect for any season of the year!  After making this inspiration board, even though I LOVE color- just a little bit or a lot…  I think I’ve been persuaded to the White side!  What’s your opinion of having an all White wedding?

 

White Wedding Reception: Image Courtesy of  R.E. Photo Designs

White Bridal Hair Fascinator:  Gracylu Originals              Image Courtesy of KG Photography

White Men’s Suit:  Dolce & Gabbana

White Bridesmaids Dresses:  WeddingDresses.com

White Wedding Ceremony:   Tapestry Floral              Image Courtesy of Suzy Clement Photography

White Bridal Bouquet:  JL Designs

White Chandlier and Mirror:  Brocade Home

White Letterpress Wedding Invitations:  Atlas & Campbell

White Wedding Cake:  Truli Confectionary Arts             Image Courtesy of Anastassios Mentis Photography

 

Pin It

GSS’s Things We LOVE :: DIY Bubble Wedding Favors!

In case you can’t tell, we LOVE LOVE LOVE all things DIY- Especially when it comes to weddings! Check out these super fun DIY Bubble Favors we found over at Hostess With the Mostess.  They were created for a little girl’s birthday, but of course, can be modified to fit a wedding.  Here is the tutorial on how to make them along with the downloadable template for the labels:

BUBBLE TIN PARTY FAVORS

Materials:
6” Tin Containers, found at Specialty Bottle
Pipe Cleaners, found at Michael’sHobby Lobby or the craft department at Wal-Mart
Bubble Solution, found at any party store or Wal-Mart
Raffia, found at Michael’s or Hobby Lobby
Full Sheet Label Paper, found at Office Depot
Computer / Color Printer
Paper Cutter

Instructions:
1.
Download and print out the template for the bubble labels and trim just under and above the pink lines (so that the lines show) and horizontally at the end of the pink lines.

2. Adhere to the tins using as light of a tough as possible so you don’t leave fingerprints.

3. To create the pipe cleaner wands, shape the top of the wand into a circle, then twist the end around the handle.

4. Measure your raffia to about 18.” Holding the pipe cleaner in place, wrap the raffia around the wand and the tin, tying in a bow at the front.

5. Fill the tins about half full with the bubble solution (can be found at any party stores).

Pin It

GSS Featured Wedding :: Kristin & Cody’s Elegant Summer Texas Wedding :: Krystle Akin Photography

Happy Hump Day, Lovelies!!!  Today’s featured wedding comes from Krystle of Krystle Akin Photography. She is an East Texas based wedding photographer.  Krystle has been so accommodating to GSS on this feature.  Thank you!  Kristin and Cody were married in The Woodlands, Texas on July 23, 2011.  Kristin was kind enough to answer a few questions for us:

How did you and Cody meet?  We are both Texas A&M graduates, so we had several mutual friends. I was having a girls’ night, he was having a guys’ night, my friends knew his friends & his friends knew my friends. :)   We met up at a Wade Bowen Concert (another Texas country event) and that’s where our story began!

How long have you been together?  We met in January 2010, began dating shortly after…He proposed 11 months later in December. We have been together 1 year, 7 months and married 2 months, Sept 23.

How did Cody propose?  I’m a teacher so during my Christmas break I went to visit him because we were in a long distance relationship until we were married (3 hours away from each other). He had just bought a house (our house now)… he didn’t have cable yet so needless to say we were trying to entertain ourselves. He had plans to propose the following day but he couldn’t wait another day. We were sitting on the couch, he asked “how do you picture me proposing to you.” I said that I didn’t want anything fancy or anything that would cause attention; I told him “I want you to propose when you felt like you have never loved me more than that very minute. Make sure I look cute though when you ask me! Haha!” One hour later, we were playing hangman on a dry erase board (trying to keep ourselves entertained) and it was “the final hangman” and it read “Look in the cabinet above the desk.” I still had no idea what was going on… looked in the cabinet, saw a ring box, turned around, and he was on one knee. He then said “Kris, I have never loved you more than I do right now. Will you marry me?”  I said yes and then we BOTH jumped up and down, over and over!

P.S.- I was wearing his flannel pajamas, a tank top, a leopard headband, and NO MAKE-UP. I thought he didn’t pay attention to the fact that I told him that I wanted to look cute but he said “To me, that’s when you are the cutest.”

What sold you on your wedding venue?  I am from Palestine (east Texas) and he is from Nederland (southeast Texas) so we knew that we wanted to choose a location that was an equal distance for both families/friends to travel. We fell in love with the church, Robb Chapel at The Woodlands United Methodist Church at first sight. The only criteria I had for the church is that it had one center aisle that opened up to two double doors.  The reception at Woodlands Resort was an easy choice as well. Since we were making people travel, we wanted our reception to be traditional but yet with a FUN twist- basically a celebration/party for all of our guests! Plus it was beautiful once the sunset and you could see the pond outside the glass room. So it had an indoor/outdoor feel but air conditioned!

Your dress is gorgeous, where did you get it and how did you know it was “the one”?  I loved my dress!! It was by the designer Watters and we found it at Brickhouse Bridal of The Woodlands. I actually picked out the sash first but knew I wanted a dress that was fitting and simple so that way the sash would stand out. It would have been the first dress I tried on but my mom made me try on a poofy, Cinderella dress first. Yuck! Not for me! Otherwise, it would have been the first and last dress I tried on.  From the second I put the dress on; I loved it and could picture myself wearing it on my big day!!

How did you choose your wedding color palette?  EASY! My favorite color is purple, so we did various shades of purple.

What song did you dance to for your first dance?  We are HUGE Texas Country fans so of course… One Woman by Randy Rogers Band.

Do you have any advice for bride and grooms that are in the planning process?  Have fun! Do not stress!! It goes by too fast!

What was your favorite part of your big day?  Seeing Cody’s face when I walked down the aisle.

Vendors:

Venue: Woodlands United Methodist  (ceremony) & Woodlands Resort (reception)

Dress:  Watters (designer) purchased from  Brickhouse Bridal of the Woodlands

Cake: Woodlands Resort

Floral: The Blooming Idea

Linens: Woodlands Resort

Catering: Woodlands Resort

DJ/Band: Casey Brown of Palestine, TX (AMAZING)

Invitations/Wedding Stationery: David’s Bridal

Thank you so much, Krystle, for sharing this amazing wedding with us!  Please stop by Krystle Akin Photography’s website and blog and show her some love!  And thank you, Kristin, for taking your time to answer our questions!  We wish you and Cody a lifetime full of love, laughter, and happiness!!!  May every day be better than the last!

If you have an engagement, wedding, day after, or anniversary session that you would like featured- Please send it to us at submissions@groomsoldseparately.com.  We HEART submissions!

Pin It