061416-southern-wedding-party-confetti.jpg

wedding blog + planning guide for creative weddings | inspiration for DIY Brides

Brenda's Wedding Blog is your online resource for planning your dream elegant wedding. Helping you find the "wow" in weddings.

Wedding Centerpieces with an Unexpected Fruit . . . Pomegranates

When it comes to fruit - there are so many ways to use it . . . in smoothies, in salads, in desserts, in cocktails . . . but how about in your wedding centerpieces? Susan of Bloomin Couture in San Francisco, CA is joining me today with the most gorgeous floral arrangement that incorporates fruit - pomegranates in particular for this one.

The prettiest of wedding centerpieces with mint, geraniums, peonies, dahlias, and the unexpected addition of fruit - pomegranates,. Come see all the details on adding fruit to your wedding day from Bloomin Couture on Brenda’s Wedding Blog www.brenda…

Susan loves using things from the garden and in this floral arrangement, she has incorporated mint and geraniums as the greenery that blend into a lush tumble. There’s also peonies and dahlias - two flowers which I personally love for weddings as their petals are beyond dreamy. When it comes to incorporating the pomegranates, Susan likes to leave them on the branch for an organic feel. If they should need to be reinforced, she tapes a wooden food skewer to the branch to make it stronger.

And, if you plan to incorporate pomegranates into your wedding day - I have a pomegranate themed wedding invitation, pomegranate place cards and pomegranate dessert tags in my Festive Fetti shop. Plus, I can always create additional pieces like a menu, thank you cards, and more to coordinate with your wedding.

Glitter embellished pomegranate wedding invitation from Festive Fetti. As seen on Brenda’s Wedding Blog post that’s all about wedding centerpieces with an unexpected fruit - pomegranates. See more at www.brendasweddingblog.com

Will you be incorporating pomegranates into your wedding day? Don’t forget that you can even carry the pomegranate theme throughout your celebration right into the food - either with the appetizers or the main meal and of course, you don’t want to forget about creating some pomegranate infused drinks for your guests.

Blooming Couture offers bespoke, made to order floral arrangements for residential, dinner parties, mitzvahs and weddings. You can see more from Susan on her website and join her on Instagram.

Festive Fetti is your go-to shop for adding festive fun to your celebrations and holidays. Choose from many different confetti themes (which are great for table scatter), invitations, party signs and printables for your next event. PS: Custom designs are always welcome so you have the perfect design for your very own occasion.

Photographs of the Pomegranate Wedding Collection from Festive Fetti are courtesy of Kismis Ink Photography - as seen in Bridal Guide Magazine.

Dragonfly Gift Ideas and Free Gift Tags

Today’s post starts with a little background story before I share all about Dragonfly Gift Ideas. Did you know dragonflies are often associated with joy and happiness due to their positive meaning? story continues below

Brenda's Wedding Blog may have received payment, trade and/or products. However, I only promote products I love and want to share with you. All opinions stated are my own. This post contains referral links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

Natural Beauties Dragonfly Necklace from Waxing Poetic for Bridesmaids Gifts and Mother of the Bride and/or Groom. Click to Download your Free Dragonfly Thank You Gift Tags. As seen on Brenda's Wedding Blog www.brendasweddingblog.com #jewelrydesign …

the story continues . . .
In many cultures, dragonflies are considered a symbol of good luck. I love knowing this as I have always loved them and my daughter had gifted me with a dragonfly necklace that I would wear everyday. One day the chain broke from my dragonfly charm and I honestly felt lost without it. That was until I was able to find the perfect replacement - this gorgeous Natural Beauties Dragonfly Necklace from Waxing Poetic. I now have a very special dragonfly necklace that I can wear daily again.

Pretty Dragonfly Necklace made from recycled silver and precious metals from Waxing Poetic. Makes the perfect bridesmaids gift or gift for the mother of the bride or groom. As seen on Brenda's Wedding Blog www.brendasweddingblog.com #jewelrydesign #…

Call me crazy, but I honestly feel more energized wearing my dragonfly as “The Spirit of the Dragonfly” is said to remind us that anything is possible.

Along with this dragonfly necklace, Waxing Poetic also has many other beautiful pieces to choose from are made from recycled silver and precious metals. Their quality jewelry designs makes the perfect gifts for bridesmaids and of course the mom of the bride or groom.

Free Printable Dragonfly Thank You Gift Tags. The prettiest way to add the finishing touch to your gift package. Pairs perfectly with the dragonfly necklace from Waxing Poetic - come see the full review on Brenda's Wedding Blog www.brendasweddingblo…

Don’t forget to add the finishing touch to your Waxing Poetic jewelry box with these dragonfly thank you gift tags that you can download below, for free.

Styling, Design & Photography by Brenda of Brenda's Wedding Blog and Festive Fetti

Win Handmade Will You Be My Bridesmaid Gift Box Card Sets with Confetti

Calling every Bride to Be - it’s your chance to Enter To Win 9 Handmade Will You Be My Bridesmaid Gift Box Card Sets. Surprise your bridesmaids with the prettiest silver gift box. Inside each box is a lovely hand painted will you be my bridesmaid card by Diane of Starglow Studios. Each card also has a handmade paper flower and it sits atop matching Festive Fetti confetti.

Enter to Win Handmade Will You Be My Bridesmaid Gift Card Sets with Confetti

To enter, simply complete the following form and then see below for more details:

Giveaway Entry Details:

1. Complete the form above
2. Follow all 3 of the following Instagram Accounts
@weddingsites
@festivefetti
@diane_starglowstudios

3. Bonus Entry: Please share in the comments, what is one part of the wedding planning process you are most looking forward to.

It's super simple and easy to enter. Good Luck. Open to residents in the USA. Giveaway Ends on Friday March 2nd, 2018 at 11:59 pm est. Winner announced on Monday March 5th. Retail Value: $175.

Enter to Win 9 Handmade Will You Be My Bridesmaid Gift Card Sets with Confetti
Say I Do with Fresh Cut Wholesale Flowers for Weddings and Events

Brenda's Wedding Blog may have received payment, trade and/or products. However, I only promote products I love and want to share with you. All opinions stated are my own.

With engagement season upon us, it’s time to start planning engagement parties, bridal showers, and weddings. Plus, all the fun events in between and after the I Do’s. Of course, fresh cut flowers are always a must-have for the party decor and even the bride’s (along with the bridesmaids) bouquets.

Having fresh cut flowers at wholesale pricing for your color dreams to go wild would be great, right?

Say I Do with Fresh Cut Wholesale Flowers for Weddings and Events
Well, at Wholesale Flowers, this is possible. Wholesale Flowers specializes in delivering premium fresh cut flowers in bulk direct from farms around the world, right to your door. Their the perfect choice for party planners, wedding stylists and DIY brides. You can choose from
- bulk roses
- fresh cut hydrangeas
- DIY flowers for special events
- single variety hand tied bouquets
Hand-tied Sunflower Bouquet from Wholesale Flowers

I’m rather partial to the sunflower bouquet myself as sunflowers were my wedding flower, with hydrangeas.

I was thrilled when my own roses from Wholesale Flowers arrived and couldn’t believe how large they became just hours after being placed in water. The fullest roses I’ve likely ever seen. You can DIY your very own rose arrangement, or add in the floral greens of your choice and maybe even a few other blooms of your choice.
DIY your own rose floral arrangement with wholesale flowers

Do you have a favorite go-to-bloom when creating your own floral arrangements?

A few perks that you will love to know about the fresh cut Wholesale Flowers:

1. These fresh cut flowers last longer than those that have been sitting in a warehouse for days

2. The middleman is eliminated to ensure you get your flowers ASAP, with minimal refrigeration, storage and at the best price

3. The flowers are sourced direct from farms in Holland and South America

4. WholesaleFlowers.net supports local flower farming communities - every bloom has been harvested at a Veriflora and Rain Forest Alliance certified farms

So, are ready to be creative and find the perfect colors of fresh cut flowers for your next event? Please share in the comments your favorite flower colors.

Instagram Hashtags Go Where? Caption or First Comment?

Are you asking yourself this Instagram Hashtag questions lately?


Where do my Instagram Hashtags go?
Should we only use 5 hashtags?
Wait, hashtags have to go into the caption and NOT the first comment?
Or, is it the first comment and NOT the caption?

Before you give up and say that Instagram is out to get you - let me share a few insights. There's lots of "tricks" and "rules" circulating around but these so called "rules" have not come directly from Instagram. Take a moment and think about the following (continued after image).

Are you asking yourself these Instagram Hashtag questions lately? - Where do my Instagram Hashtags go? - Should we only use 5 hashtags? - Wait, Instagram hashtags have to go into the caption and NOT the first comment? - Or, is it the first…

• If we had a hashtag limit under 30, Instagram wouldn't let us post all 30 that we have, right?
• If we couldn't post hashtags in the first comment, Instagram would likely not accept them, right?

Please, just do you and keep sharing what you love and what you want to have your audience see (and what they want to see). And, please be sure to use those hashtags. Just make sure they are targeted hashtags for the ultimate reach of your post.

And, be sure to check your Instagram analytics as you can see insights into each post to know how many are finding you from hashtags.

If you're a creative pro - wedding vendor or party stylist - please click here to join my Facebook Group. It's all about networking and building a community where we learn and take action with business tips and tricks that will give you results (and be fun in the process).

Other Social Media Marketing Posts you might enjoy . . .