This is a set of bridal inspiration boards to *kill* all brial inspiration boards. Prepared by the delectable MIchelle of Pocketful of Dreams and her brand new and ever-so-slightly fabulous colleague Vicki for your viewing delectation. It's ideas aplenty my loves, so sit back, read, relax and enjoy!
This week we are back with a bang and bringing to you a whole suite of inspiration.
Now you have to have been living under a rock to have not heard about the literary superstar of the moment 50 Shades of Grey.
Of course this is a wedding blog and we're not about to venture into the illicit world of Mr Grey, but what we are going to do is give you a whole heap of grey-hued inspiration with plenty of ideas about how you can use this cool and sophisticated shade for your own nuptials.
I've long been a lover of grey from decorating my home to planning events using this most refined of palettes. It's an incredibly chic and elegant colourway that will provide you with a cohesive design style to be infused throughout all the little details of your day. Working well with many other shades from pale and creamy whites right through to pinks, purples, yellows and even orange, there's not many colours in fact that won't work with it. What I like to call a super-neutral…
Image credits: 1. Lover.ly 2. Where and what are you 3. Couture Millinery 4. lushlight 5. Frankly Esoteric 6. The Cinderella Project 7. Walldone 8. Citified 9. Lorinangille 10. Flickr
Imagine a row of bridesmaids in pretty mismatched dresses, each different but co-ordinating in their varying tones and smokey eyes peeping out from a birdcage veil. This is where you really can recreate your own 50 shades of grey (or at least 3 or 4!) and your bridesmaids will be very happy with a range of warm to cool hues available to suit all skin tones.
A string of pearls would look fabulous to set off these grey dresses – why not mix up their individual looks with classic cream pearls, grey and even peacock pearls for interest and variety within an overall cohesive look.
Image credits: 1. Style Me Pretty 2. Style Me Pretty 3. Style Me Pretty 4. Weddings in Alabama 5. Babylicious Kids 6. Style Me Pretty
Your groom and groomsmen will be looking dapper in beautifully cut suits with matching handkerchief, maybe even a bow-tie, oh I do love a man in a bow-tie. You can really play with your textures here to add interest to your palette and the versatility of grey means it really does work for any time of the year; dress your man in a lightweight dove or blue-grey cotton suit for a Summer celebration or opt for rich, thick tweed for an Autumn or Winter wedding.
Go wild with their buttonholes and try feathers for a soft and delicate feel. And just how amazing are these concrete wedding rings below by Japanese based 22-design studio? Inspired by architecture and urban design each piece is handcrafted from cement and stainless steel; you can even have them custom-stamped with your own text…
Image credits: 1. NY Times 2. Etsy 3. Brown Dress with White Dots 4.Google 5. The Style Buff 6, 7. Knstrct 8. Style Me Pretty
Image credits: 1. The Dress Blog 2. Google 3. US Trendy 4. Anthropologie 5. lh3 6. Zsazsabellagio
The Look
The look is all about refined sophistication, I'd love to see a bride in a floaty grey hued dress with a pair of dazzling statement earings and chiffon tied shoes for a chic yet ethereal look. The beauty of grey is it's such a natural hue and a variety of different shades really sets off this palette so don't be afraid to work in different tones ranging from a very soft silvery grey right through to gun metal. The dulled gold of this ring would set off the grey tones perfectly and I love the chunkiness and unexpectedness of the stone. Finish off the look with a matte grey nail polish…
Image credits: 1. Brown Paper Designs 2. ffffound 3. Oh So Beautiful Paper 4. Martha Stewart Weddings 5. Style Me Pretty 6. Craft Gawker 7. Wedding Chicks
The Paper Suite
- Again, the beauty of grey here is the versatility of the palette; regardless of the style of wedding you are creating, shades of grey can perfectly complement your look
- Grey on grey looks so refined for your paper suite and the stark yet luxurious letterpress typography on thick gun metal grey stock would perfectly suit a minimalist, modern celebration
- If you want a slightly softer, more glamorous look, opt for gorgeous flowing calligraphy on grey stock or why not consider a sumptuous letterpress invitation on cream stock but with envelope liners featuring grey stripes or a strong geometric pattern?
- Alternatively, if you are creating a more lighthearted and relaxed wedding then a hand illustrated style with white writing allows for a playful yet inimitably stylish look to set the tone for your day.
- Add a final flash of grey to your stationery with finishing touches such as steel coloured bakers twine or twisted cord.
Image credits: 1. Art with Nature 2. Style Me Pretty 3. Style Me Pretty 4. Grey Loves Weddings 5. Style Me Pretty 6. Style Me Pretty 7. Style Me Pretty 8.Lover.ly
- Simple pale blooms work best, enhanced with beautiful grey berries and grey-hued foliage. Consider using silver brunia, eucalyptus or lambs ear
- Succulents and airplants are a great way of getting a subtle grey tone into your bouquet and buttonholes
- Think about the vessels you are using too, from concrete to steel, keep in mind ways of adding subtle colour to an otherwise neutral palette
- And why not try paper or fabric flowers? The perfect way of ensuring you can capture the right grey for your colour scheme and done right they can look just as pretty as the real thing.
Image credits: 1. Cunning and Company 2. Say Yes To Hoboken 3. Ritzybee 4. Style Me Pretty 5. Style Me Pretty 6. Etsy
- For a really eye-catching and unusual design touch try a tablerunner made from oyster shells sat atop a delicate french grey linen tablecloth – perhaps this is one for your main or top table only!
- Concrete votive holders add a touch of edgy chic
- Or why not house church candles in pretty steel lanterns for an alternative table centrepiece
- Place settings need only a dash of beautiful grey paper to look divine
- If you like the idea of escort cards, why not attach a hand-scripted label to antique cutlery?
- If you're more of a table plan kind of girl you could paint up an old window in french grey and use glass pen to write down all the details
Image credits: 1. Grey Goose 2. Bride To Be 3. Oh Beautiful Beer 4. So Cute Things 5. Etsy 6. Style Me Pretty 7. Mignon Kitchen Co 8. Lover.ly 9. Style Me Pretty
Food and Drink
You want to add subtle hints of grey throughout the day so continue the style throughout your food choices too:
- Serve oyster canapes washed down with grey goose champagne cocktails and Blanco Diablo beer for the boys
- Cakes and cupcakes in soft shades of grey are crying out for a little texture like these beautiful examples above, perfect for these cute Owl cake toppers.
- Earl grey flavoured marshmallows and macarons would be a nice touch and don't forget the co-ordinating paper napkins and stripey straws.
Image credits: 1. Cart-dropitmodern 2. Etsy 3. The Knotty Bride 4. Style Me Pretty 5. Style Me Pretty 6. Bridal Musings 7. Snippet and Ink
Decor and Details
- A geometric fabric pattern would make a perfect backdrop for a photobooth or dessert table
- Fill the space with paper lanterns, pom-poms or these giant Geronimo balloons
- Old furniture painted up in the coolest shade of grey makes great bases for things like your table plan, dessert station or guestbook. Plus it's something you can add to your new marital home afterwards too.
- The backrop above was actually for this couple's ceremony, made from wood and painted with chalkboard paint, it's also a great idea for an alternative guestbook
- Pretty mercury glass lanterns work so well with this scheme and if you have a totally blank canvas space then soft grey linen drapes would be the perfect finishing touch for it.
Michelle and Vicki xx
Creative Event Designers
Pocketful of Dreams
You can find more inspiration from Michelle and Vicki via Twitter on @pocketfuldreams and @POD_Vicki, and also via Facebook, Pinterest and the Pocketful of Dreams Wedding Blog. Also take a peek at lots more lovely bridal inspiration boards here on Love My Dress or here on Pinterest.
