what I love: ombre!

There are so many things to love about ombre that I don't even know where to begin. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what ombre is, the simplest definition is a shaded effect of color which can be applied to nearly anything. Many people immediately think of ombre fabric. Like this dress features: 

 But the fact of the matter is ombre can be applied to so very many different things! And when you're talking ombre at weddings, you're talking beautiful. Just take a gander at the various ombre items available at our beck and call!

One of my favorite applications of ombre is on a wedding cake. The best purveyor of ombre wedding cakes - hands down? Maggie Austin. And for all of you local DC brides, you're in luck cause her homebase is right here in the District!

photo credit: Maggie Austin Cake

 I know you just fell in love; no need to lie to yourself.

Looking for a gorgeous ombre shift dress, are you? I have the perfect one thanks to Alice and Olivia.

photo credit: a blond and a brunette

And for those of you who are looking for just a pop of ombre, you can't get much better than these gorgeous and (incredibly) unique earrings!

That's leather fringe dip-dyed in a fabulous purple. I know, I know. You just fell in love again.

You didn't think I was going to leave out the original wedding ombre, courtesy of Gwen Stefani. What a gorgeous rebel she is.

Finally, I did in fact leave the best for last - a little wedding DIY ombre project that is oh so simple and, more importantly, oh so undeniably beautiful.

photo credit: Once Wed

What are those? Ombre napkins you see! That's right. You can't get more chic than that. What's better? they're ridiculously inexpensive to pull off. Check out all the instructions over here at Once Wed!

There's no denying that what I love this week is absolutely ombre. You don't have to say a word. I know you love it too!

what I love: plum and charcoal!

Yep, that's right! You heard it here first! Plum and charcoal - no not the actual fruit nor fire starter! I'm thinking colors here, people! As the summer begins to fade away and the sky begins to darken earlier and earlier, I can't help but think with darker, even more gorgeous colors! One of my absolute favorite (and unexpected) color combinations is plum and charcoal! Check out a few examples of just how perfectly those colors work together!

Look at that gorgeous bouquet and can I ignore that adorable ring bearer's pillow?! (I think not!)

Photo Credit: Stephanie Williams

 This adorable save the date is fully customizable over at Wedding Chicks! I adore them for lots of gorgeous DIY stuff!

image credit: Wedding Chicks

These gray bridesmaid's dresses and beautiful purple bouquet are screaming out to me. What are they screaming you ask? Pretty sure it's, "you want us for your next wedding!"

Photo Credit: Project Wedding

 Finally, given that last week's post was all about how much I love monograms, I had to toss one in for good measure. Again, I can thank Wedding Chicks for this beauty! Thank you Wedding Chicks!

image credit: Wedding Chicks

So it's absolutely official. What I love this week is definitely plum and charcoal! What do you say? Do you love it too?

what I love: spring inspiration!

I have a special treat for everyone this week. I don't know about the rest of the US but here on the East Coast we had a lucky break from the cold winter, and spring arrived!!! Because of this lucky break and fortunate warm weather, I have decided that what I love this week is SPRING!!

So on to your treat: I've selected a couple of my favorite spring inspirations from all over the wedding blogosphere, and here they are!

Flower and Mint Ice Cubes!

  Thanks to Dog N'Bird. What a tasty idea for an outdoor garden wedding. Cocktail hour, anyone?

Adorable lil' birdie DIY nests - like these!

 Thanks to PolkaDotBride! How cute would these look nesting as the cake topper on your wedding day?

And finally... how gorgeous is this brooch bouquet??

 I can only dream of carrying such a beautiful bouquet down the aisle to my one and only. You can get one of your own as well - if you check out Fantasy Floral Designs! Thank you Ruffled for such a great tip at such an apropos time!

Hope you enjoy what I'm in love with this week - spring!

what i love: tangerine

Photo Credit: Style Me Pretty

Many of us out there think that as soon as the summer sun has begun to set, we can no longer include bright colors in our color schemes. Au contraire! Tangerine is a fabulous color that, due to its warm tone, works amazingly well in all spring, summer and FALL color schemes - and it's beautiful to boot!

It can be incorporated in little details - just like in the perfect wedding featured above, or it can even take center stage as your bridal bouquet! Don't forget that you can pair it with any beautiful neutral in order to complement nearly any wedding theme or ambiance!

What do you think? Do you love, love tangerine?

Photo credit: Martha Stewart Weddings