Wedding Ideas & Tips

I love the way a bride looks with a flower in her hair whether it’s a sophisticated stem pinned into an updo or a casual bud tucked behind the ear. I barely decided on my own hair style in time for my wedding and after changing my stylist at the last minute (2 days before the wedding to be exact,) I had no time to pick out a hair accessory.

Thank goodness for my friend Ashley who not only made all of the bridesmaid jewelry, but thought to take an extra boutonniere and use it as the inspiration behind the ultimate DIY.

It was long ago decided that Tom’s groomsmen wouldn’t wear boutonnieres but we decided to stick with tradition when it came to our fathers. Both my dad and Tom’s dad wore beautiful gardenia boutonnieres made from a single fragrant bloom. Our florist, X-quisite Flowers & Events, was kind enough to send a third boutonniere on the day of the wedding for good measure. Gardenias are super soft and even the slightest handling can leave an impression on their pure white petals.

That extra boutonniere came in handy after the ceremony when my veil was removed and we were getting ready for the reception. Ashley worked her magic and with a little luck and a few bobby pins secured the spare boutonniere in place to make the most beautiful hair accessory I could have asked for. The single flower was the perfect size and the pure white gardenia couldn’t have looked more beautiful if we planned for it months in advance.

I ended up wearing the flower in my hair all night long and love the way it looks in our photographs. I spent weeks searching for the perfect veil and that only lasted 50 minutes! The flower was much more my style–simple, elegant and totally spontaneous.

I think the trick with all DIY is to keep things simple and inject meaning wherever you can. I ended up saving the gardenia and keep it in a special place to remind myself of our wedding day but also of my father, my best friend Ashley, my mom who requested the gardenia in the first place (so she had something sweet to smell on my father’s lapel whenever she cozied up to him on the dance floor!) and most of all, the unexpected moments throughout our wedding that made the night so memorable. I’m also grateful that I had wonderful vendors whose extra touches made all the difference!

To see more little details from our wedding, including our fabulous wedding vendors, click here.