A living, breathing, growing wedding reception

Gone are the days of single bloom flowers hanging in mason jars and vintage bottles to give that delicate whimsical feel, today we are talking about a floral explosion where more is more à la "Grandiflora's Celebrations" style!

Last year we saw many a couple forging their DYI skills and creating beautiful mood lighting installations to hang above their tables, now we are beginning to see more floral based ceiling installations. These floral murals are looking to be a huge trend this coming Spring/Summer which falls in line with the opulent, luxurious and OTT wedding styling starting to creep in.

Cascading waterfalls of bracken fern, hydrangeas and berries spilling down across a long decadently styled banquet table as if from a scene of the Mad Hatter's tea party or the Secret Garden.

Nature is being injected into reception styling instead of relying heavily on furnishings to dress the room. Miniature moss covered gardens, hanging napenthe trail, maiden ferns and terrariums filled with succulents or various meat eating plants in a green house.

An enchanted garden party of full and fluffy floral arrangements bursting with colour in baskets, birdcages or wicker lanterns filled to overflowing or even using a sculptural piece as a major prop and basis for your floral installation.

Whatever you choose whether it be bold clouds of colour, swirling trails of ferns, creeping vines or just lots and lots of flowers...SUSPEND IT!!! for a dramatic focal point and a unique reception.

Image courtesy of Grandiflora Celebrations and Amini Concepts and photography by Andrew Lehmann and Stewart Ross Photography.

Real Wedding - Jo + Jason

With a breathtaking backdrop of the ocean and a clear marquee perched on top of the sand dunes not even torrential rain could dampen this wedding...

New twist on Vintage trend

Vintage styling has always been a popular theme in wedding trends in recent years. Lately we are beginning to see new ideas emerge as vintage style really comes into its own.

Here are the new trends in vintage we see happening over the next 12 months.

Mix 'n' match table shapes and sizes, chairs, linens and vessels.

Keep colors organic and natural, think shades of charcoal, lavender, silver peony, oyster and shell.

Grey is definitely the new black for 2011 while navy blue and deep colors such as honeysuckle are also making waves this year.

We will continue to see the use of fashionable props such as birdcages, typewriters, books, and old window frames in amongst more of a warm, comfortable home like feel.

Say goodbye bunting and polka dots and hello to all things lace, crocheted and cross stitched.

Keep furnishings simple with large wooden banquet style tables, stools, benches or even old cinema chairs.

Ceramic jugs and large pitchers filled with flowers fresh from the garden or glass jars or bottles with individual flower stems can tie in with that mismatched and simple feel.

Popular sites for vintage events are warehouses, barns, estates or farms, art galleries and of course vineyards and be sure to check out Vintage Wares (www.vintagewares.com.au) and the Fancy Tea Company (www.fancytea.com.au) for some fabulous vintage inspiration.

Thank you Studio Sixty (www.studio60.com.au) for these amazing images and

Amini Concepts (www.aminiconcepts.com/blog), , Epic Empire (www.epicempire.com.au), Bouquet Boutique (www.bouquetboutique.com.au) and Lightspace (www.lightspace.net.au) for providing the beautiful styling, furnishings, flowers and venue.

Partial Planning - Jen + Jeff

Last year we showed you Jen's vision board. After 12 months of vigorous planning, the arrival of little Lucy and many coffee meetings on racecourse road, Jen's wedding vision came to fruition. Jen enlisted the partial planning services of white+white early in the planning process to ensure the process was seamless and stress free.

The partial planning service has become very popular amongst Brides who want to plan their own wedding however just need a little assistance with venue selection, vendor referrals or other wedding elements such as stationary, flowers, RSVP management, entertainment, styling, wedding day coordination.

Here are some great images from the day by Milque Photography.

Real Weddings - Cindi + David

‎1920's Shanghai infused with Western traditions was the underlying style theme for Cindi + David's Wedding. David is a professional drum player, Cindi favourite colours are red and turquoise and both love cats. So we tried to incorporate all these loves into the day as well. Set in the beautiful countryside in Samford, Cindi + David's wedding day included traditional Chinese door games, tea ceremony, a western ceremony followed by a sit down reception.

Styling by Hollie Noonan and photography by Lara Luz (all the way from Melbourne). The amazing stationary was from Invitation Station, flowers from Bouquet Boutique and and the Dress by George Wu. Fun couple, great day!

Real Wedding - Mel + Dave

I love this vintage inspired wedding I coordinated last year.

Mel, the beautiful Bride styled the wedding herself. From the colourful balloon bouquets, retro school chairs, playful bunting, heart shaped cushions to the fun games at the riverside ceremony.

Colourful lanterns, long banquet tables with fresh seasonal flowers, vintage plates, the photo booth, vodka bar, vespa bike, the yummy lolly buffet and the cute cupcake cake were all part of the fun wedding vibe at this cool urban warehouse home to Blue Sky Coffee.

The amazing photographer behind these fabulous shots was Rachel Thurston who came all the way from LA. http://www.rachelthurston.com/. The funky stationary was designed by one of Mel's bridemaids Rachel. rachlee80@optusnet.com.au.

Mel and Dave's wedding was so much fun. I wish I could do this wedding over and over again.