spring

Welcome, Spring!

The bright yellow heads of daffodils dotting the green landscape signify the beginning of Spring in my little corner of the world.  Since Spring made her official debut today, a darling daffodil arrangement marks this special occasion on Koru Wedding Style! 

There is so much to love about this sweet daffodil arrangement, starting with the main stars: gorgeous yellow daffodils.  But would this arrangement be as special without the limes, the burlap & the ribbon?  I think not.  This combination is pure Spring perfection.

Spring Brides, let these daffodils inspire you.  They would be ideal cocktail table centerpieces or fabulous reception centerpieces set on a burlap runner.  Or get creative & switch the burlap for lace & match the ribbon to your wedding colors.  Not planning a wedding?  How about a using these as a cheery Easter decoration?  Wherever your imagination takes you, it will be just lovely.  

What signifies the beginning of Spring to you?  A date on the calendar or something like the sighting of your first daffodil or robin?

Photo via

Koru Kate Finds: Carnation Glory

I've said it before & I'll say it again: I like carnations.  Carnations come in a gorgeous rainbow of colors, don't cost a fortune & easily last from getting ready to the last dance- yup, I'm a fan.  I did lots & lots of research on chic carnation arrangements when I was planning my wedding.  Almost one year later, I'm pleased to run across new wedding inspiration for carnation-lovers.  Today's post is dedicated to those Brides who share the carnation love with me.

The Carnation Topiaries would look beautiful in any color to match your wedding decor:

  Image via Luxe Finds

I can envision these pretties lining the aisle, decorating cocktail tables or, with a few at varying heights, serving as a reception centerpiece.

This Carnation Cake would add a simple, sweet look to any wedding reception:

Image via Luxe Finds

I believe this cake would look quite lovely in any carnation shade.  Plus add more tiers, square tiers &/or a patterned linen for more pizazz!

For more fabulous carnation inspiration, please visit Luxe Finds.

What do you think about using carnations for a wedding? Yes or no?

Cocktail Hour

Our cutie Flower Girl enjoys a treat during CH

The Bride chats with friends at CH

The Bride & Her Bestie/Bridesmaid at CH

Our family's table full of food & drinks at CH!
(All Photos by Friends)

Thrilled! RZ & I walked into our Cocktail Hour in the Manhattan Ballroom & we were thrilled. Candles flickered in the floor-to-ceiling windows with views of downtown Manhattan & the Statue of Liberty. Small arrangements of tightly clustered white carnations & bear grass-wrapped bases decorated the cocktail tables covered in striped ivory linens. Jazz standards wafted through the air courtesy of The Love Jones Band piano player on the grand piano.

Oh, there's more! Our beloved raw bar (done by special request as it's our favorite), our pasta station & our cheese & fruit station. Our colorful martini bar. Waiters & waitresses offering trays of cleverly-displayed hors d'oeuvres.

&, best of all, our family & friends. Eating. Drinking. Talking. Laughing. It was a dream come true.

I knew instantly that RZ's idea to enjoy a mini, private Cocktail Hour was beyond brilliant. We were happy, relaxed & full. We mixed & mingled as we pleased without a care. We didn't have to worry about getting food, balancing a plate & drink or being caught with food in our mouths which was quite priceless. We worked the room, giving hugs & accepting congratulations. It was our version of an informal, fun Receiving Line as we got the chance to chat with almost every guest. Such a fun time!

I could hardly believe the evening was young & it was just going to get better & better!

Cocktails for Two

I don't have any photos of our private Cocktail Hour
Instead, here's a blurry favorite of us with the taxi
(Photo by friend)

RZ & I didn't want to miss our Cocktail Hour & we designed our wedding day carefully to make sure not one lobster bisque, lamb chop or mac & cheese was served without us. We had fallen behind when our ceremony started late but we caught up during our photo session. Sure enough, our vintage taxi delivered us to the Hyatt on the Hudson minutes before the start of our Cocktail Hour.

Then the plan went haywire!

"Let's go to the Bridal Suite & relax," RZ suggested. I panicked. This wasn't part of the plan, the minute-by-minute schedule that Eileen was managing for us. Then I realized we hadn't spent one second alone since getting married a few hours ago. Screw the schedule. I agreed.

Best. Decision. EVER.

We were greeted at the Bridal Suite by our butler, Daniel, who had wisely set up a private Cocktail Hour for us. Yes, our butler! Let me just say the Hyatt rocks! The delish spread included two or more of each of the passed & station hors d'oeuvres. Daniel confirmed that we had the drinks & food we wanted before leaving us in peace.

I look back at that quiet half hour we stole as pure perfection. I hugged my Groom, telling him how handsome he was & how happy I was to be his wife. He said similar things to melt my heart. Then we sat down & relaxed. We toasted our wonderful wedding & enjoyed the delicious food. We reflected on the wedding thus far, talking about this & that. We felt so blessed that everything had been so wonderful &, quite honestly, we were amazed that we had so much more to look forward to at the Reception.

Sufficiently refueled & rejuvenated, we clasped hands as husband & wife & left the Bridal Suite to join our fabulous guests at our Cocktail Hour in the Manhattan Ballroom Foyer. Cheers!

DIY Project #3: K & R

Painted K, Naked R

My final DIY wedding project was our initials, K & R. Because RZ & I branded everything from the spot in the sand where he proposed to our wedding invitations with our initials, I wanted to continue the theme at our wedding reception. I picked out the perfect spot for our initials on a site visit at Hyatt on the Hudson: our guest book table. The guest book table would be against the wall & the letters would add a bit of height & personality. After the wedding, we could hang the letters in our home as a wedding memento. Now all I needed was to complete the project!

K & R in Progress

This DIY project was the quickest & easiest. I bought two wooden letters, one ampersand, two bottles of ivory paint & one bottle of mocha paint at AC Moore. I briefly considered painting the ampersand purple because I had added touches of purple, like the bridesmaid dresses, throughout the celebration. In the end, I went with mocha for the simple reason that it would look best in our living room when the wedding was said & done. I took my supplies home & painted the K & R with about five coats of paint over a period of a few days. I applied the final coat of paint the night before the wedding :-)

The snag was the guest book table wasn't placed against the wall as the catering manager had told me. I went through three catering managers at Hyatt on the Hudson &, unfortunately, the second one who led me on a site tour may not have known everything about the cocktail hour set-up. It never occurred to me to confirm the guest book table placement with my third, final & best Hyatt contact. At our wedding, the guest book table was placed in an excellent position near the ballroom entrance- just not against a wall. I hadn't bought letters that could stand on their own so the initials were awkwardly propped up somehow on the table. For a fleeting moment as I entered the ballroom & noticed the table, I considered putting on my wedding planner hat & trying to fix the problem, then realized it wasn't a big deal. At all.

K & R in our home today

For the record, as you can see above, our initials look just right on our living room wall!