Board#235: Perfectly Pink

Photos from top left; Peony Bouquet & Bridesmaids | Caroline Chan, Pink Stationery | Rebecca Wood, Astilbe centrepiece | Jose Villa, Pink flower girl | Caroline Tran, Cake | FrenchBlue, Groom | Polly Alexandre

Board#231: Au Revoir 2012

I know I kinda disappeared without so much of a Merry Christmas... the few months leading up to Christmas are always crazy busy for me, and once that last job goes out the door I all but collapse!! This year I made sure it was a bit earlier than usual so I could actually saviour a bit of the Christmas spirit before it all disappeared in a huff of wrapping paper!! And it's been lovely being unplugged to be honest... it doesn't happen often throughout the year, but I think it's important, not to mention good for the soul! I'll still be a bit sporadic over the next couple of weeks whilst my husband is off work and we enjoy this summer weather, but I'll be doing plenty behind the scenes with the blog and magazine, which is only a few weeks off launching!

I'm not going to do a big long post about 2012... requires too much thinking, and since this is my 'downtime' that ain't happening right now :-), and to be honest I'm already focused on 2013! BUT I will say that the highlight of our year personally was having puppy Charlie invade enhance our lives! She has turned me into a complete mushball (and I was already bad!), and I'm still wondering when I'll stop feeling guilty at leaving her home when I merely pop down the road for an hour!! It's certainly been a learning curve having a puppy... and especially one as high maintenance, and high energy as this one, but she has the loveliest, cheekiest nature and we just love her to bits!

I surprised my husband with a fabulous trip to Queenstown earlier in the year... he'd never been to the South Island, so that was a highlight. We then had close friends over from the US, and did a bit of a road trip around the North Island which was so fun, and then he surprised the heck out of me with a weekend in Melbourne for my birthday (where the poor thing was sick the whole time!), so that's just a smidgen of the fun things we've done this year. I've loved being in the wedding community, both in New Zealand, and internationally with all the fabulous connections I've made around the world through the blog and the magazine. It's truly such a supportive community and I'm so thankful for the lovely friendships I've made. And most of all I'm thankful for each and every one of you who continue to read the blog on a daily basis, follow on facebook, pinterest and instagram and encourage me to keep trucking along.

I have a feeling 2013 is going to be simply fabulous!!! I'm so excited about the Magnolia Rouge magazine launch in just a few weeks... not to mention the new look blog which I've been stalling on a bit over the past month or so!! Nearly there I promise!

So for now it's a very big Happy New Year to you all!! Here's hoping 2013 brings you much success, fun and most importantly happiness! xo

Photos from top left; Gold sequin jacket | Vicky Starz, Bunting | Toast, Fuchsia Cushions | Polly Wreford, Letters | Persephones Box, Macarons | Sugar & Cloth, Gold Cake | Yael Cakes (photo by Jen Huang), Table setting | Eddie Ross, Bride | Ali Harper

Board#228: Dusky Rose

Happy Friday!! How are your Christmas preparations going? I hope for your sake far better than mine... which are completely non-existent at this point!! I am in the thick of getting several jobs out the door and I've given myself a deadline of next Friday so the week after can be free of stress and I can concentrate on getting my Christmas on. I'm going to steal my nieces for a couple of days and do some fun things!! At some point I'd better start making a list of presents I need to buy... the hubs is asking me to make my own list of 10 items (I don't get all ten, just so he has choices!!) and I truly don't know where to start! What's on your wish list?

Photos from top left; Bride | Stephanie Williams, Truffles | Martha Stewart, Invitation | Ruby & Willow, Cake | Kristyn Hogan, Bride | Stephanie Williams, Buttons & Bobbin | Jose Villa, Bridesmaids | via Southern Weddings Mag, Shoes | Aaron Delesie

Board#221: Rose Gold

A wee bit of pretty to start the day!! 

Photos from top left; Bouquet | via Green Wedding Shoes, Couple | Scott Andrew, Gold Dress | Crush cul de sac, Bride with gold mirror | Elizabeth Messina, Fringed dress | Annabel Tollman, Hair flower | Caroline Tran

Board#206: Icing on the Cake

Ugh, it's been one of those Mondays!! Feel like I took one step forward and about ten back!! Here's hoping for a better rest of week!!

Photos from top left; Cake | Claire Mossong, Couple | Jose Villa, Shoes | Tec Petaja, Mini Cake | Claire Mossong, Pink dresses, Blue striped suit | Davina & Daniel, Table setting | by Saipua via Once Wed

Board#202: Bare Beauty

Welcome to a new shiny week people!! There is something about Monday that just makes you feel everything starts over fresh again isn't there? A bit like a clean slate every seven days. Gotta love that. I must say with the miserable rainy Sunday we had, I managed to get quite a bit done so this week I already feel a teeny bit ahead of the game! 

I've had this board sitting around for over 6 months now!! It was originally intended for a {MAG}rouge shoot but it never eventuated and I realised I haven't really posted a true wintery board this season, so thought I'd bring it out. Aren't the tones in this gorgeously romantic?

Photos from top left; Building in Snow | Camilla Engman, Couple | Rensche Mari, Astible Centrepiece | Jose Villa, Candelabra | All the Beautiful Things,  Placesetting | Braedon Flynn, Pink tumbler | Avery House,  Silver Cake stand | Rinne Allen, Bride in trees | Anna Page

Poppies & Peaches

Happy Anzac day to my fellow New Zealanders!! I actually completely forgot it was a public holiday until about 5pm last night when hubs told me he was heading out for drinks on a Tuesday night (not a regular occurence for someone who's up before 5am every morning). So yay bonus... day at home with both him and Charlie (read 'phew I can hand over the puppy reins for a bit!!'). So as it's Poppy Day thought I'd highlight the prettiness that is these beauties... aren't they just delightful? They have such a whimsical nature to them. Add some lovely fresh peaches or apricots to the mix and I think it makes for a gorgeous wedding tablescape.

I think we'll be off to the beach soon to wear one hyper little Charlie out!! Even the vet said to me yesterday 'is she always like this'? No thank goodness, but when the witching hour arrives... more than once a day, she's quite the handful! Enjoy the pretty!

Field of Poppies, Tablesetting | Paper Poppies | Tablesetting

Board#184: Peonies & Pickups

I don't know about you but I have such a thing for pickup trucks... you've probably figured out by now that I'm quite the rustic girl at heart, so anything like this really floats my boat! I'd love one parked in a corner of my property... preferably with a mass of pretty blooms in buckets as a permanent fixture too!! (Not sure what the hubs would have to say about that however :-).

Right I'm off to take Charlie to the beach to make the most of this amazing autumn weather we're having!! Have a fabulous day xo

Photos from top left; Pickup truck with flowers | Lisa Lefkowitz, Bride & Blue Pickup truck | Aaron Delesie, Pink Peonies, Flowers in bucket | Loreta Blog, Green Pickup truck | Jose Villa, Bridesmaids | Jill Thomas

A colour story - Red, Pink & Teal

Annnnnnd we're back!! Sorry things have been a little quiet around here... fallout from the magazine release you could call it!! And a wee thing called Charlie that came into our lives last week. If you follow me on Instagram (rubywillow) or Facebook you've probably seen this gorgeous gal over the past few days and you might want to be prepared for an onslaught of puppy pics!! We've spent the weekend getting to know her, lots of playing, lots of cuddling, and getting in on the training early!! Mostly she's been very good... except for getting hyperactive last night and knocking over a freshly made cup of herbal tea... thankfully not on herself! But after 10 minutes of whining she made it through the whole night without much of a whimper so I'm very proud of her!! Today will be interesting thought as it's a miserable rainy day and of course we can't go and frolic on the lawn so indoor games it is!

I wanted to share with you the colour story from our recent issue that I worked on. For this one I set up a little dinner for two in my back yard. I absolutely love doing these and if time allowed I'd do one once a week, but they're always far more time consuming that I estimate them to be! But I do have fun with them. And of course I just love the colours in this one! And those mints were so good... confession: I went through about three packets before I eventually did the shoot!! Addictive!

Board#171: Coral Crush

I've always been a big fan of coral or orange shades, especially when it's used with an array of differing tones, and a teeny touch of gold thrown in doesn't go amiss.

Photos; Dresses | Jose Villa, Cocktails | via Style Me Pretty, Shoes | , Jose Villa, Headpiece | Lo Boheme, Couple & Orange Truck | Abi Q Photo , Orange invite | Linea Carta, Cake | Aaron Delesie, Melon | source, Escort Buttons | Caroline Tran via Style Me Pretty, Sweet Tea Invite | Ruby & Willow

Board#167: Cocoa & Blush

Pink and Chocolate Brown was such a huge thing a few years back... in fact I used them in my own wedding, but in the past few years you haven't seen so much of it. That's not to say it isn't still just as lovely and I think used with this palest of pinks as it is here, is super pretty! I think it's a colour palette that works with a lot of different style weddings, from rustic to elegant, to modern and anything in between.

Photos; House | Kurt Boomer via Grey Likes Weddings, Flowers in Vintage Tin | via Once Wed, Bridesmaids | Polly Alexandre, Confetti image |  Lisa Devlin via Ruffled, Pale Pink Hydrangeas | Polly Alexandre, Wreath | unknown source, Cake | Sweet Cakes by Rebecca, photo by Megan Clouse, Bride & Bridesmaids | Caroline Tran, Flowers in Pot, Paper Bag Menu | Tec Petaja via Once Wed

Pretty Pink Bridal Session by Forever Photography

Good morning, good morning!! Did you have a nice weekend? I know it's Tuesday already but I took a while to get going yesterday. We had {MAG}rouge bootcamp at mine all weekend... like really ALL weekend! Four girls... all set up with computers in my dining room, and we barely left the room! My husband was a saint, putting up with raucous cackling through out the day... and even doing housework around us!! (yep he's a keeper!!). I'm getting very excited to share the big reveal with you... this time next week!! Eeeeeekkk!
In the meantime we're kickstarting the week with a huge dose of pretty today!! This gorgeous bridal session was sent it by Jerry & Jona Blackwell from Forever Photography. It took place at Rachel Ashwell's B&B The Prairie. Doesn't it just look perfectly girly and ladylike?

 

 

 

 

Bride: Sharon Chin (Owns Sharon Nicole Photography), Venue | The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell, Hair & Makeup | Flawless by Jordan Temple, Dress | Monique Lhuillier, Shoes | Christian Louboutin & Badgely Mischka, Jewelry | Tiffany&Co., Flowers | Special Arrangements

Intimate Vintage Wedding by Carmen & Ingo Photography

I'm thrilled to have Carmen & Ingo on the blog again today. They are absolute gems and I love that I get to chat to these amazing people from around the globe through writing this blog. You may remember them from this amazing shoot they did down in Oamaru when they were traveling around New Zealand earlier in the year. And since that post, they have booked two weddings from clients who saw that feature on Magnolia Rouge... which thrills me to bits!! Firstly a lovely couple living in Holland - (funnily enough we also share the surname Holland too!), and secondly the wedding of a fellow wedding blogger... I'm very excited about that one, but more about that closer to the time!!

Marisa & Marko are from the USA and Germany respectfully, and Marisa perused wedding blogs in the lead up to their big day, soaking up as much inspiration as she could. And looking at all the beautiful elements she's infused into the design, I'd say she did a great job! All assisted by wedding planner Doreen Winking. I love that they had a gorgeous photo board to involve all the family members who were unable to be there on the day.

Thanks so much to Carmen & Ingo for sharing their lovely work with us again, and best of luck to the happy couple!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Planner | Doreen Winking Weddings, Flowers | Blumen Julia Hörl, Cupcakes | Wir machen Cupcakes, Location | Herrenhaus Aying, DJ | Rob James Perkins, Stationery | Elsje Designs, Hair | Sarah Woodward, Make=up | Brautzauber Katharina Michel, Dress | La Sposa

French Kiss Shoot from Vela Images

Get ready for an eye full of loveliness!!! This prettiest of shoots was captured by Greta from Vela Images with gorgeous dresses and headpieces from Natalie Chan. They were kind enough to ask both Judit and I to provide a few stationery and food props for it. Isn't it just divine? Greta shares details of the shoot below...

This was such a fun little shoot to do. We wanted to be a little more daring and different with a vintage theme. Most of the vintage weddings we work on are very beautiful and traditional, which we of course love but we thought it would be fun to try a not so traditional vintage wedding theme but to still retain beautiful and feminine vintage elements. So after watching the movie "Bright Young Things" we decided to use this as our inspiration. "Bright Young Things" is a movie about young and carefree London aristocrats and bohemians, as well as society in general, in the late 1920s through the early 1940s. It was written and directed by Stephen Fry and is so visually rich in 1920 to 1940's vintage glamour.

Rather than a long gown we opted for a knee length cocktail dress from Natalie Chan which is very feminine with lots of girly detail so our bride would still stand out from the crowd and feel special on her wedding day. Rather than a veil or traditional wedding headpiece we choose a matching pink 1940's style bow and button head piece and a fur stole. We wanted our flowers to be dramatic but still very pretty so we went for a mixture of bright and light pink shade blooms that would tie in with the dress but would also make a statement.

We really enjoyed being creative with this shoot and we hope it inspires some of your lovely brides to experiment with colour and different vintage styles. This theme would work very well for a glamorous evening cocktail wedding. You could even ask guests to dress in 1920 to 1940's style attire.

 

 

 

Photography | Greta Kenyon from Vela Images, Dress & Head piece | Dress and head piece - Natalie Chan, Cakes and macaroons | Judit Meron Artisan Cakes, Stationery | Ruby & Willow, Styling and flowers | Melissa Greenough 

Board#158: Blush & Noir

Many of you will know that I'm not the biggest fan of black and white, however I can't deny that paired with a touch of subtle colour, it's ever so chic! The full bouquet of ruffly white blooms is pure heaven!! What colour would you pair with black and white?

Photos from top left; Tablesetting | Wedding Style Guide, Suit & Tie | Christine Meintjes via Wedding Chicks, Bouquet | Martha Stewart Weddings

2nd row; Cupcakes | unknown, Cake from Sweet Cakes by Rebecca | photo by Megan Clouse, Anemone Centrepiece by Floral Elements | photo Connie Chung, Pink ring cushion | Stephanie Williams

Board#155: Garden Soiree

So I need your opinions on a colour decision I'm trying to make! Head over to my facebook page and leave a comment letting me know which option you like... I'd appreciate it ever so much :-)
I quite fancy myself a little garden soiree like this. I love this dirty olive green with the softness of the pink and I especially love that gorgeous floppy sunhat... a must have for the upcoming summer I think! I think jugs of Pimms and croquet on the lawn are a must to go with this little shindig!

Photos from top left;Centrepiece | unknown source, Model with sunhat | Elizabeth Messina, Flower on Place setting | unknown source

2nd row; Ranunculus boutonniere | unknown source

3rd row; Model | Stephanie Williams for Rue, Tie | General Knot & Co, Shoes | via Style Me Pretty

Board#154: Vintage Sorbet

Morning lovelies!! I felt like something a bit bright and spring like today, and I think these muted sorbet colours are just the trick! I have a crazy busy week ahead getting jobs out and trying to work my way through my to-do list. I sat down and wrote it last night... breaking it up between home,  garden, business (split into blog, current jobs, letterpress, special project, special project 2, & accounts) and personal well being. Phew I have 94 things on that list! Daunting to say the least. Hopefully I can cross at least 5 of those items off today. Wish me luck!

Photos from top left; Bride & Groom | Josh Goleman, Drinks | Martha Stewart Weddings, Dress Model | Mandy Lynne

2nd row; Couple | Simply Bloom, Cake | Amanda Basteen, Bunting | Stephanie Williams

3rd row; Shoes | Jagger Photography, Bridal Party | Sally Dixon

Board#153: Desert Candy

Another day of rain!! Spring around here seems to be all about rain... gotta say I'm kinda fed up with it! After a rainy winter we'll all craving sunny days and whilst it's warmed up the rain hasn't disappeared!
This board was completely inspired by this amazing shoot from Simply Bloom, styled beautifully by Jen from Green Wedding Shoes. I love the idea of using these pretty sorbet colours in the desert as a change from the more earthy colours you'd usually expect to see. And hello cute teepee... don't we all want one of them in our garden? I know I do! I love this pink paired with the warm caramel tones. Head over and check out more stunning shots from this shoot here.

Photos from top left; Teepee in the Desert | Simply Bloom, Glassine favour bags | Sunday Suppers, Brides in sand | Erin hearts Court

2nd row; Gold Lanterns | Jose Villa, Invitation | Ruby & Willow

3rd row; Ring shot | Jose Villa, Macarons | via Green Wedding Shoes, Model with floral crown | Simply Bloom, Invitation | Ruby & Willow

Pretty pink & teal...

Remember earlier in the week when I said I wanted to pick pretty flowers from my garden? Well I don't have that many flowers yet but I do have this little tree which is chocka block full of these amazing pink blooms. It's soooo pretty I just had to chop a branch off and take a few photos!! It may not smell like the sweet flowers I wanted but it certainly looks just as good! I hope you have an inspiring weekend xo

Flowers for the day...

My dream is to have flowers like this in my garden to pick...

{Photo; Loreta Blog}