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We at Paperwhites are taking a breather from weddings for today. It’s easy to get wrapped up in lace and tulle. The pretty shoes and dresses fill your imagination. You get lost in dreaming of honeymoons. But today we are lifting our eyes an looking outward to see one of the most beautiful sites of all. We call it “home.”

So much of what we love is right here. All the grace and elegance and beauty we talk about is a reflection of the world around us. Today, lift your eyes up from the dreaming and planning to see the lovely world around you. Or at least take a look at the things we love about home.

There’s lots more! For sources and more North Carolina love, check out our board on Pinterest here.

Red Gingham is tricky.  One step to one side of the line and you have Country Cutesy (think Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island”), but just on the other side of the line is this.  There are certainly elements of country and elements of cute, but the overall look is polished and sophisticated.

I think there are a couple of keys that make this work.  First is choosing a bold and elegant flower like the one in the picture below.  The texture and shape is anything but cutesy.  The second is to pair the pattern with a deep, grounded beige, like in the brown burlap napkins or in the tags on the favor jars.  The overall impact is very homey, fun, and welcoming.

Pinterest, like brown paper packages tied up with string, is one of our favorite things.
Check out the sources and more Red Gingham ideas HERE.

I was looking around on Pinterest the other day and spotted the prettiest little necklace.  A sweet bow, made of gold, with this pink glow to it.  The “oooh, pretty! ” went off in my head and I clicked on…only to see that same gold again on a shoe.  And again on a very glam ring. And again and everywhere!

Rose gold is making a comeback in a big way.  I can’t remember the last time I spotted so much of it.  The warm glow is certainly gold, but there’s a bit of copper, a bit of bronze to it.   Just that little extra color makes it special and different and just right for you (or your wedding party?).  Unique, beautiful and warm. Perfect to liven up a dull winter day.

You can find the Pinterest board and our sources for these (so pretty!) images here.

Have I mentioned purple lately?  No?  Then let me tell you…purple is VERY in.  The lovely thing is that it never really goes out, so your wedding has that wonderful timelessness about it.  It’s flattering to most everyone, pretty in all seasons and easy to coordinate.

This particular palette is one of my favorites lately (Now hush.  I know I say that a lot.).  I love the sweetness, the blush of springtime, the combination.  I can see these colors working their way into my own wardrobe come March, starting with those amazing earrings.

Check out some more swoonworthy aubergine and coral pieces, as well as sources, on our Pinterest board.

Happy Monday!  I hope the weekend was filled with friends, fun, family, food, fall, and football (or whatever combination of those things appeals to you). Fall was big on my mind here.  Apple festivals, art fairs, beef stew and biscuits.  I’m watching the trees for the first signs of color change.  My favorite?  The 150 year old oak in my back yard.

Gazing at it this weekend reminded me of a quote I heard somewhere. “Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts who decided to stand their ground.”  Acorns & oaks is an apt metaphor for a wedding and a marriage. The brown and green are beautiful together, but the symbol is what really grabs me here.  The idea of something small growing into something massive, strong and lasting is everything a wedding is about.  The theme reminds us that no matter how important the wedding is, the most important part is that it’s the start of something much bigger.

Our collection of sources and images for this theme have grown…check them out at Pinterest.

I’ve been seeing birds everywhere.  Not in a “should immediately seek help” kind of way, but in a “wow!  I didn’t realize that motif was so awesome” way.  What a great theme, both sweet and sophisticated. To amp up the sophistication and tone down the potential twee-ness of it, keep the color palette rich and pared down.  Black and deep yellow do the trick nicely.  They offer an elegant counterpoint to the whimsy of the birds.

Lovebirds paired for life.  Is there a more appropriate undercurrent?

For more great ideas for you and your Lovebird, as well as sources, check out our board on Pinterest!

One of the things we love to see most at weddings are the touches that really give a sense of place.  We are (naturally) drawn to the South, drawn to the sights and sounds and smells.  One small touch is all it takes. In this case, that one small touch is cotton.

Once we first spotted an example, we started seeing it everywhere!  The soft white fluff looks amazing in a bouquet or on it’s own.  A non-floral element to add to a groom’s lapel.  Stems adding height and texture to a centerpiece.  That combination of wood and puff adds more than visual interest.  That nuance adds that elusive sense of place and holds everything we love about the South–family, friends, hospitality, memory.

See more “cotton pickin” inspiration on our Cotton Trendspotting Pinterest Pinboard

Photo by Ashley Baber

I can’t believe that September is winding down!  The stores are chock full of Halloween kit and will soon be bursting with Christmas.  Makes me think of…yes, you guessed it…Christmas Weddings!  (These days it seems that most things make me think of weddings.)

Sure, Christmas is amazing in green and red, beautiful in gold and white, elegant in navy and silver.  I love all those combinations, but if you wanted something cool and brisk and a little unexpected you should check out this palette!  It’s the visual equivalent of your first Altoid–a breath of fresh air.

Want some more briskness as well as our sources?  Check out some of our other Candy Cane ideas on our Pinterest Board.

Around May 1st, I start aching to hit the pool.  I love the feeling of cool water and warm sun and that part of late spring that feels so much like summer. What a great time to plan a wedding! 

Pool blues and whites are *everywhere* right now.  A nod toward the little blue box with the word “Tiffany” stamped on it here, light blue tinted glass there.  Clean, clear, crisp colors that look great on just about any bridesmaid.   There is a definite cache to this palette. It isn’t the sweet, twee pastel blue of early spring, so it has a bit more sophistication and elegance.  We’re talking more saturated, bolder, brighter colors here.  Refreshing as a dip in the pool.

For sources and a swimming pool full of other examples, check out our Pinterest Board

As I write this blog, I’ve found new perspectives on things I never thought I would even have reason to reconsider.  But consider baby’s breath.  I remember Baby’s Breath from 20 years ago.  It was filler, just there to inexpensively fill out a corsage.  I recall asking the florist to leave it out of a bouquet.  And then I forgot about it…until a few days ago.

I wonder, though, if the issue was a matter of quantity.  In those corsages and bouquets, there was one little, cheap twig in the background playing second fiddle to the carnations or roses.  But what I started seeing the other day were huge, tangled clouds of these delicate little stems with these darling little flowers taking center stage.  I saw huge orbs of it spilling out of galvanized buckets, dressing the ends of pews, woven in hair.  Still inexpensive, but in these quantities it became impressive and lovely.  Check out the link below to our Pinterest board—you’ll see what I mean.  And I’m pretty sure your mind will be changed, too.

See more of our Baby’s Breath Floral Inspiration on Pinterest

Credits for photo used above:
Melissa Schollaert Photography – melissaschollaertphotography.com
Dottie B Florist – dottiebflorist.com
To Doers Planning – todoers.com