That was the question Mary Kate asked me in her request. She is having her reception at a microbrewery’s tasting room (or an art gallery, but I used the brewery for this board), and she wanted ideas for how to make her white and gold color scheme more casual. Since she’s using colors that definitely evoke a more formal feel, I would recommend that she use less formal materials. Serving this microbrewery’s beer instead of champagne is a start. Also, use cotton and grosgrain instead of satin. Wear a short or simple dress, possibly with a birdcage veil. Serve cupcakes instead of cake. Use funky handwriting instead of embellished calligraphy. For flowers, I would go with white (callas are a good option), and I would avoid overly frilly blooms like peonies. I would also incorporate kraft paper to dress things down (how about gold ink on kraft paper envelopes?). I also love word bubbles as part of your RSVP card. I hope this is helpful, and that if you decide to go with the art gallery, you’ll be able to shape this to fit that venue.
Mood: playful, dressed down elegance
Palette: white, gold, kraft-paper brown
{click image to enlarge}
Top row from left: image from Satisfaction Mag, kraft box, bouquet and ring pillow both from MS
Row 2: ribbon from Ribbons Galore, cupcakes via Oh Happy Day, chalkboard sign from Dee Merz, favor boxes from MS
Row 3: mini fries from Callahan Catering, lanterns, seating cards via Flickr, dress via Shiny Squirrel
Row 4: photo from Jessica Claire, RSVP by Hello! Lucky, photo from Cappy Hotchkiss, flowers from Cole Creates
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Love this one.
This is great–it feels casual but it’s still really elegant.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! Your photos have really helped me find more of a balance between elegance and playfulness. (And to think, I came across your post when I was referring a friend here!)
Great ideas! Casual but still really lovely and elegant. I especially love the mini fries. We served them at the cocktail hour at my wedding. They were a huge hit : )
And how about these sparkelling cider bottles for a non-alcoholic beverage. The bride did a great DIY…http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/user/page.aspx?username=mtolympusgirl