Take a Picture. Click Click: The Set Up

Since I knew that I wanted the faux-to booth, I had to decide how the pictures would actually be taken. Last February, I blogged about wanting a Canon Rebel for my birthday. So, I bought it myself. Happy Birthday to me! I talked to the parentals and they agree that this would be the best way to utilize it during the reception because I don't want family to be working and our photographer is a one-(wo)man show.

There are a few things that I need to take care of before I can say, "Yes, this is figured out and taken care of." First up, the tripod:

{Should it be tall and stand on the floor, like this one?}

{Or short/table size like this one?}



I am going to have props and other things that would be on the table, which is why I'm not sure what route to go. My issue with both is the opportunity for someone to bump it and it fall over. Now, I know that both have this risk attached to them. I'm just trying to think of the option that has a lesser chance. The good thing about the tall one is that I already have a friend that has offered to let me use hers!

Next up, the photo display:

I really want the people in the picture to be able to see if they are all in it to avoid lots of retakes. I'd rather them to be able to move on to new props, funny faces, or whatever instead of having to worry about whether you'll be able to see everyone in the photo! My solution has a small, flat screen TV involved. I'm hoping things don't get too complicated.

{too many wires!}

{I already have a tv we can use, it's small & perfect}

In my brain, which doesn't always translate things very nicely, sees the camera on the tripod with the small television sitting on the table next to it. There's one wire running from the camera to the tv and the image is displayed on it. Easy enough, right? Well, according to some Internet Folks, it is simple! I plan on trying this out before the wedding (Duh!) so that we don't have an mishaps/disappointments.

Since we won't have anyone behind the camera, we'll need another solution. I needed something that could not only take the picture, but I really wanted it to be able to zoom in and out. I'm not really sure how this is going to work, but I'm going to give it my all! If, for whatever reason, it won't zoom it won't be the end of world... but I really hope that it does. Cue the remote:

{The best part about this is that it's not expensive. Thanks Amazon!}

Just for fun, I'll show you some of the props that I made. I made them early because I knew if I waited I'd run out of time and end up spending too much money ordering them. Please forgive me for looking gross in these pictures.

The Non-Destination Destination Wedding: The Night Before

I know that I've mentioned how difficult it is to get in touch with vendors via Internet in Mr. O's hometown, but I don't think I've really stressed to you how bad it is! You see, it's not that we are having a Hawaiian wedding or going to Paris... it's "just" a quick 5 hour drive. However, that drive can't happen all of the time and I have reminded myself over and over that this is our wedding so we shouldn't nag Mr. O's family to run wedding related errands for us. They would in a heartbeat, but it just makes me feel bad. Plus, both Mr. O and I have talked about how we want to see (or taste/visit) vendors before we make any decision.

We've been able to handle this pretty well and it's worked out nicely because family visits include some running around for the wedding, too. Before Mr. O deployed, I ran some errands while he spent some QT with the fam and I think that they all appreciated the "alone time" (that probably included about 10+ people ... he's got a big family!) with him before he left. I'm sure the same will happen when he comes home.

Anyway, now that I'm looking into "smaller" wedding tasks -- aren't they ALL big & important?! -- the difficulty of finding things is becoming more of a challenge. For starters:

{Source}

The "Bridal Suite"/"night before the wedding lodging" -- I find the word "lodging" to sound pretty lame, but I'm just going to roll with it. Okay, here's the issue: I don't want to get ready at the church. They have rooms available, and I appreciate that, but I just want to be in a place where we can all relax and hang out. I also want to be able to have a mimosa or two in the morning while getting my hair did. As much as I love the convenience of getting ready at the church, it's never been my favorite option.

{Source}

Why this is a NDDW issue: All of the hotels in the area that have suites listed online aren't really suites. Apparently, it's a suite if it has a jacuzzi bath. This is seriously so weird to me! I imagine someone saying, "Hey, it's a regular size room but I bet if we throw some jets in that there bath everyone will think it's reallllll nice." That's probably not true, but seriously? Since when does a jacuzzi bath = suite?!

{The Rosemary Inn}

{Queen Anne Inn}

Solution: I'm was (and still am a little) looking into some B&Bs. It's the South, which means they are everywhere! It's just finding one that's pretty, close to the church, and big enough. I haven't decided if I want the night to be spent with my whole bridal party or just my seester. I think it would be very cool to have all of them there. Then, when we wake up we can enjoy some breakfast and get the day started!

It's kind of a solution, but there are still issues. Like, the websites aren't necessarily updated and/or there aren't any pictures. Sometimes, they don't even load. What? It is 2011, right? For those that do load and show a few pictures, I can get a good idea of where I'd like to stay but I still need want to see it before I commit any kind of money. The good thing is, Mr. O is taking care of the room for after the wedding (Yay!) so we only need the room for one night.

Then, I found this place:

{Omg, The Willcox}

{Holy Cow, this is exactly what I want}

I need to breakdown some pros and cons:

Pros:

1. BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL

2. Complimentary Breakfast from 7-10 am

3. There's a pool

4. Minibar & Room Service

5. In-room Massages Available

6. Private Yoga & Training -- I mean, I don't do yoga, but it's totally still a pro!

7. There's a restaurant

8. It's pet friendly so the Seester can bring Ruby.

Con:

1. It's 30 minutes from the church (but there's champagne & limo rides for the, right?!)

2. There's only 1 con.

Take a Picture. Click. Click.

I used to love that song. For whatever reason, I remember listening to it before a basketball game. I can't say that it "pumped me up," but that's what it reminds me of. Weird. Anyway...

I am obsessed with photos (I think I've mentioned that before) and one of the things that I am soooo looking forward to is our photo booth! I, too, have jumped on the faux-to booth band wagon and I'm on it for the long run! I ah-dore them.

I must admit, this isn't necessary going to be a solo DIY project. I've recruited a trusted "faux-cle." I just made that word up, but it's my dad's bff who might as well be my uncle so it's appropriate. He's an extreme handy man and I can't wait to see our booth come to life. I just said that... "come to life." Sometimes my wedding planning happiness grosses me out, too, don't worry.

 {Source}

I never really wanted it to be an actual booth. Mostly because I want there to be opportunities to take big group shots or smaller couples shots. I know that there probably could been a few people stuffed into a booth like the one above, but I really wanted BIG groups (10 or more maybe).

Okay... enough talking. Here's some inspiration:

 {You'll find this on Google, I promise.}

This is the first inspiration picture that started the madness and it's still leading the way through the creativity path. I'm not sure what we'll put in all of the smaller frames, but we've I've considered our engagement pictures. Hm, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

{I forgot to save all the links to these. I'm a bad blogger.}

I like the idea that people can stand in front of the "wall" or behind it. However, all of the tiny frames don't make my heart happy. So this is where I combine the top picture with the bottom picture, but I don't have a picture of that because I haven't actually done it yet.

We're going to (try) to put some kind of hinged door on the back of the open frames so that if people stand in front of it there won't be big blank holes. I've seen it done with cloth, but never with actual hinged doors so this should be interesting, but I'm confident that the faux-cle can totally make it happen.

 {The awesome couches and ottomans that belong to my coordinator}

The game plan is to use some of my coordinators awesome furniture (Oh yeah, she has furniture!) in front of the wall. I'm not sure if it'll be an ottoman or couch, that's TBD.  I also want a little nook in our venue to have a lounge area like that picture up there, but that's for a whole other post.

{Amazing wallpaper from Anthrologie}

One part of the faux-to booth planning that I thought was going to be easy just... wasn't. Who would have thought wallpaper would have been difficult to find!? Seriously, I just couldn't find any (and neither could my Maid of Honor, Seester) that wasn't $100+ but we didn't give up. I seriously wanted to about the time we found some that looked like vay-jay-jays. Gag me with a spoon *hehe*. One day, while trying not to max out my credit card browsing through Anthropologie's website and I found the beautiful paper above AND it was on sale. Score!!! I ordered it, shipped it to my parent's house, and now get to wait months to apply it. I can't wait.

Questions that need to be answered: How big should the booth be? How many frame cut outs should we have? What are we going to put in the small frames? Is this thing going to weigh a ton or what?! Umm, who's going to take the pictures? <-- Yeah, I might want to answer that one soon.

Uniforms, Swords, and Arches... Oh my!

Mr. O, as you know, is in the Marines and boy does he look good in his uniform! So I am happy to announce that he will be wearing it for our wedding. Not only will he be wearing his uniform, but so will all of the groomsmen. It's funny how everyone on his side is in the Marines, even Brother O.

At first Mr. O wasn't sure if he wanted the GM to be in tuxes or their uniforms, but I begged showed him a few pictures to try to sway him. Lucky for me, he gave in.

 

I'm not exactly sure where I got this. Whoops!

one of my faves.

I think this is funny.

Not only do I get to see my love and all of his besties in their uniforms, but I also get to walk through a sword arch with my (by then) husband! I have to say that I really love all the of the traditions involved in a military wedding.

{source}

{The little tap on the bum is a part of the tradition, too. It's their way of welcoming me.}

Lastly, I get to use the sword! According to tradition, 

"At a wedding, an officer, passes his sword and presents it to his bride, by laying the sword over his left forearm, cutting edge away from the body, hilt towards the bride. The bride takes the sword and cuts the wedding cake, with the groom's right hand resting over hers on the sword's hilt and with his left arm free to place around his bride."

{Um, FUN!}

All of these Marine touches will not only make me swoon over pictures, but it's a nice way to recognize and appreciate the lifestyle that Mr. O has enjoyed (and continuese to enjoy) so much and a lifestyle that I will be coming a part of. Semper Fi!

I'll take you to the Candy Shop...

Funny story: Mr. O thinks it's hilarious to sing this song randomly, but not in rap form. More like Steve Carell style. Needless to say, it's hilarious.

{source}

As much as I would love to talk about all of the songs that Mr. O likes to randomly start belting out (trust me, it's a lot) that's not why I started this post. This is all about the Candy Buffet! At first, I called it a "Candy Bar," but people got confused because they thought I was talking about chocolate.

When the wedding planning first started, the day after we got engaged (hehe, jk... kind of), I started looking in magazines, blogs, etc... You know, the norm. Well, I love candy and so does Mr. O. I don't eat it all the time but that's only because I don't let myself buy it. If I have candy around I usually devour it. You can tell why I fell in love with the idea of the Candy Buffet.

{source}

I wanted something that people could take home as favors but it wouldn't just be thrown in a drawer (or in the trash - sad!). I like the idea of people snacking on it on their way home or whatever their hearts desire. I also love the cute, old fashioned candy dishes. Growing up, my family and I would go to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg about once a year and all of the candy shops have them. They are adorable! Must. Have. Candy. Dishes.

The way that I plan to tie it into the wedding reception is a little different than the "wedding norm," in my opinion. As much as I love the color coordinated candy buffets, I don't think they are for us. It would limit our options too much and we don't want to do that.

{Adorable, but not for us.}

So, we are embracing the colorful awesome-ness of an assortment of goodies! We are even incorporating some homemade treats from Mr. O's mom and some of my family members -- my mom, aunt, and great gma spend days before Christmas making delish candy). My inspiration ranges, but here are some things that make me swoon.

{Just imagine candy in them. Source.}

{Love. Source.}

{My absolute favorite. The mosquito net!}

This mosquito net photo makes me all types of 11 year old "I love Andrew Keegan" giddy!

{source}

The Good STDs: The Arrival

I like to think that I just have a good sense of humor instead of saying I'm immature. C'mon you can't pretend that you don't find it hilarious when wedding obsessed brides call their Save the Dates "STDs".

I'm happy to say that the Save the Dates have made it safely to their destination. Some a little more beat up than others, but they made it! I guess that's the risk you take when you send them postcard style. To be honest, I assumed that this would happen but it doesn't break my heart. Now, if the invites arrive and are torn I'll definitely be a little sad.

Like I said before, we were lucky enough to have Mr. O's sister take our Engagement Pictures, which was amazing. It saved us money and the pictures were great! I, initially, planned on using only one of the pictures but that changed after I talked to Mr. O about it. When I was designing them (Whoop! Whoop!) I made several different drafts and then emailed them to him so that he could help me narrow down which one to use. His response, "Use them all and then everyone can trade them like Pokemon cards." I'm not kidding, he really said that. So, I did. It made narrowing it down a lot easier and I loved them all equally.

Since Mr. O isn't stateside, I sent him all 4 cards in a care package so he could see how they turned out. Next thing I know, he's passed them out to his buddies! I bet those guys never thought they'd get a Save the Date in Afghanistan. One of his GM, Mr. J, even has his hanging up. Adorable!

{Sorry for the oddly shaped/bad picture. You can thank my iPhone.}

I used Catprint.com to print them for a little more than nothing. The beauty of that is they have a "Postcard" setting in their templates. That made it easy because I didn't have to pick what kind of paper to use. That's the part that I think is the hardest. After I printed them it was easy peasy! I just had to get everyone's address and make a pretty little label. I chose the label route becaue my handwriting is atrocious.

{Professional iPhone picture}

Oh, what's that you see? Beautiful stamps? Oh-em-gee. Let me just say that I have no preference as far as stamps go. At first, I was doing some stamp research to see if I could get them personalized and stuff like that. Then, I was thinking, "Why in the heck am I going to waste  budget money on stamps that no one really cares about?!" So, off to the Post Office I went for some "Postcard Stamps" - I love that they are cheaper! The lady working the desk turned around with these babies and you would have thought she handed me a $100. I was so excited! See, if you don't "care" then it'll work out... at least that's what I keep telling myself.

{Aren't they purdy?! Professional iPhone picture}

Funny side story: While I was adding all of these to the cards a guy was filling out his mailing slip and said, "Wedding invitations?" I told him they were the Save the Dates. He responded, "I knew with how pretty those stamps were it had to be for something special." Thank you stranger for making my day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRETTY LADY!!

It is my mom's birthday!!! She's so cool it's ridiculous.... she's also really pretty. I guess I get all of my qualities from her. haha -- I literally just made myself giggle. If you know her - tell her happy birthday. If you don't, tell her anywayyyyyy!

{Get it girllllll - My mom being awesome.}

{My mom & I at our fave restaurant ever!}

Love your face, Momma.  

Easy as Pie

... but it's cake. Wedding cake to be more specific.

When I met Mr. O's parents for the first time he and I made the trip to South Carolina. The O Crew live right off of this long, hilly road. Well, the one thing that stuck out in my mind was a bright pink sign. It read, "Jennifer's Cakes" and it intrigued me. We tried to stop on our way back, but the shop was closed. Oh well, why do we need a cake anyways?

{How cute is this cottage? It's even "sweeter" on the inside. Professional iPhone picture.}

It wasn't until Mr. O proposed that I revisited the idea of stopping in to see what was happening inside that little bakery cottage.  Let me say this: The area where The O Crew is from isn't necessary hip to the idea of the Internet. This statement isn't even about Jennifer's Cakes (I, eventually, found her on Facebook) but it's been really hard to find ANY vendor by Google searching. I digress...

Once I found her, we talked back and forth via email and set up time to talk about wedding cake right before Mr. O left. I'm pretty specific about what I want with a lot of the plans that have been made and this is no exception. Mr. O and I walked in with my binder in hand and tried some cake. I'm not really a baked goods eater - Lets be real for a second: I love me some cake, but I love to bake it more than I love to eat it. So, this was Mr. O's job - Was it good enough to be our wedding cake (because apparently there's a difference between regular bday cake and wedding cake... jk I KNOW there's a difference)?

{Love the tower of flowers, but we want icing. Source}

{Love the square tiers, but we think fondant is gross. Source}

We talked about what I liked, what we didn't like, what I invisioned, and she gave her input. Mr. O's requirement was simple: Did it taste good? The meeting was awesome and very friendly. She understood exactly what I wanted and that was that. She filled out a form for the two of us to have so we were all on the same page and then said, "Whenever you get a chance can you give me a swatch of the color green that you want?" Bam! I whip out my wallet and grab my trusty swatches that I'd been carrying around since I first started planning & let her cut a piece off. Mr. O and Jennifer thought it was hilarious! What can I say, I'm prepared.

This wasn't our only cake appt, but we'll just say it was the best one. We really like the idea of using a more local vendor, too! Did I mention that she has some amazing property and is allowing us to take some wedding photos on it? Oh I didn't? Well, I'll talk about that later.

Tweets, Pokes, and Status Updates

The beautiful world of social media is one that I'm very familiar with. I have a Facebook, Twitter, and FourSquare account. I've participated in Meetups, have a Flickr account, I've been blogging since I was in middle school and was cool enough to have MySpace. Oh yeah, I said it, MySpace.

How does this relate to my wedding? Well, I've been wondering how "connected" I'll be on the day of our wedding. Will I be updating my Facebook Status? Checking in when I arrive at the church? Tweeting about how nervous I am that I'm going to fall on my face walking down the aisle? I really don't know.

{source}

I do know that, once the ceremony starts, I don't want our vows to be exchanged by reading them off of our smart phones or iPads (Hopefully by the wedding I'll OWN a iPad). I want it to be a special, between Mr. O and I, lovey dovey, disgustingly cute ceremony.

{Isn't this cute? source}

With that said, I told you how I'm completely photo motivated. So that presents another issue. How do we handle those guests that want to get some great pictures throughout the ceremony? I have no problem with people taking pictures (and actually look forward to seeing what people can capture), but I'm worried about someone stepping right in front our photog as she's about to capture the best picture! I'm completely guilty of trying to get a picture of THE kiss or of the bride walking down the aisle with her dad and I apologize right now if I've ever screwed up a professional picture. Honestly, I didn't even think about it. I know, how terrible of me! It just didn't cross my mind that I was going to be in the way until I read a post from Offbeat Bride.

I'm not nearly as bad as the guy behind the officiant, but I may have leaned into the aisle to get a good photo, maybe. That, my friends, will no longer be happening. I have a greater appreciation and, hopefully, our ceremony will be as "unplugged" as possible.

A Callus Builds Character: Invites Part II

I mentioned last time that I did some "serious trial and error" when trying to figure out the best process for the invitations. When I say serious, I mean serious! I, initially, bought some pretty big poster board-like paper and was going to do pocketfolds. Well, the craft demons stopped me in my tracks not long after I started.

{Thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?!"}

First of all, pocketfolds are difficult. Yes, there are some great tutorials out there but they just weren't cutting it for me. I think there are a few reason for this: 1) I'm crafty, but I also want it to be as easy as possible (read: I'm lazy) 2) When there is so much cutting, attaching, etc... I start to get anal about wanting straight lines and when it comes to a pocketfold I just couldn't get it perfect, which drove me insane.

These problems weren't all my fault. For example, my bestie (BM Coach), was in town and we decided to tackle this project. Well, we bought the poster board stuff and then proceeded to run into a brick wall. No, not a real one, but a "this paper isn't cut straight to begin with," wall. We had intended on using the outside edge of the poster board as a guide to assure that our other cuts were straight. Turns out, that wasn't going to work. Seriously!? Someone please tell me a instance when they bought poster board and every single piece was cut at an angle. Yeah, that would happen to me.

 {Off by a lot. Ugh!}

At this point, I decided that pocketfolds weren't going to be in our wedding future so I moved on. Since then, I've ordered the correct cardstock (it's cut straight, yay!) and have working diligently on our new style of invites. It's going great and I love them!

Flower Power: Part Uno

First of all, I love flowers. I don't think I can really express how much I love them. I don't know when my love for them started, but it started and hasn't stopped. They smell amazing, they look awesome, and you can't deny that they don't cheer up a room. Okay... I'm going a little overboard. Sorry.

 

{I'm not sure where I got all of these photos because I did a random Google search long ago.} 

Flowers also mean a lot to me. Not just because they're pretty, but because of all my great memories associated with them. When I was growing up my grandma always loved tiger lilies and I've carried that love on with me after she passed away. She even told me a story once about how her and my gpa, whom I never had the pleasure of meeting, had planted some outside their house. Then, after he passed away and she moved into a new house, the lilies just bloomed right outside her door. 

They also mean a lot because throughout our relationship Mr. O has gone above and beyond by sending me flowers -- lots of flowers. Just a little way of saying that he loves me and misses me. Once, when we first started dating & he was away, he sent me flowers. The card said "I miss you." - Not signed. Nothing else. Just three happy (kinda sad) words. This was the first time that he'd ever said he missed me. Small victories! He's so awesome and thoughtful that it's out of control, but a nice bouquet always makes me think of him. 

When I was searching for a florist, way back in February or March, Mr. O named a few local shops that he knew of and we decided to stop in while we were visiting his family. I barely had any inspiration of what I wanted and the things that I thought I wanted I no longer want (shocking). Well, when I walked in with my little binder (that has tripled in size since then) they were so rude! Total Pretty Women on Rodeo Drive moment. 

 

I mean, I wasn't wearing that outfit but now that we're on the topic, have you seen the Toddlers and Tiaras latest controversy??  Whoa, we are way in left field! We were talking about flowers, right?!

Ah, yes... So they were rude to me & acted like they didn't have time to talk. Unless, of course, I wanted to pay the $25 fee for a "formal meeting." I mentioned this was over a year out from my wedding, right? Mind you, they were doing nothing when I walked in. Sitting. That's it. Why in the heck would I pay $25 for a meeting that was 9 times out of 10.. okay 10 times out of 10... not going to mean squat by the time the wedding came around. I left feeling sad. 

{source}

Mr. O took me to the next place. Still feeling discouraged, I walked in and met one of the happiest florists I've ever come in contact with. This lady was so darn nice to me! That's all I wanted. Someone to be nice to me, humor me. I'm really that easy to please. Not only did she greet me with a smile but she went into full blown wedding talk! She was even nice enough to go to the back to grab some stems as examples NUMEROUS times. Sealed.the.deal. I knew that some way, some how I wanted to use them for our wedding.

{Yay! So exciting! Source}

About a month ago, I went to visit Mr. O's family and was able to meet with this lovely little lady again. She was just as chatty and happy as she was when I met her the first time. This time was the more formal meeting and it was free. Yeah, eat that Meanies. Mr. O's sister went with me and was such a big help! I would have forgotten to ask about 5,000 questions had she not reminded me. I left feeling really good about what we talked about. Ahh, it's so nice to feel progress happening.

After I spend the floral budget at Happy Floral Shop* I have an itch to walk into Meanie Floral Shop* and say, "Big mistake. Big. Huge."

*Did you really think that was the actual name of the floral shop? No, it's not. 

Do-it-yourself ADHD

I tend to change my mind, a lot. Just pay attention closely and you'll notice I change my mind about 62 times every 5 seconds, not to mention the 62 projects that I have going at the same time.... and the 62 I plan to start "tomorrow." One thing that I can say about all of these projects is that my main motivation is the pictures that I want to see after the wedding. It might be weird, but I'm more photo motivated than real life motivated when it comes to the wedding (besides the part where I get to marry Mr. O).

This addition of DIY ADHD has to do with the little ones in our wedding. I talked about what I wanted them to carry in the previous post and I mentioned that I didn't love the FG basket. Actually, I find it really fugly (after a few days to think about it). What I really want is an awesome pomander for her to carry that magically dispenses petals. Cue the creative brain. First, I ventured to the wonderful world of Weddingbee Boards to see if anyone has ever seen a "pomander basket." The answer was something like, "No but that sounds cute..." but I did get some suggestions on how to execute it.

{See! Adorable picture.}

{Another adorable little girl w/ a pomander via Weddingbee Classifieds - these are fake flowers!}

I headed to Michaels to get a styrofoam ball and I walked out with over $100 worth of merchandise. I feel a pattern evolving. When Mr. O gets back I'm making him go to the store with my list to avoid any overindulging in craft supplies! I digress...

I purchased the 8'' ball. I was a little afraid that it was going to be too big thatswhatshesaid but then I remembered I made a pomander (reception decoration say whhhattt) a while back and it turned out perfect size.

{personal photo - I know you were wondering who the professional photographer was.}

Then I decided to dig into the project (pun totally intended). Now, I like to think I'm crafty but what you're about to see is mildly embarrassing. Below is my first attempt to scoop out the "bowl."

{Yes, that is a screw driver. Yes, this was a fail.}

I'm really not sure what I was thinking. It probably had something to do with my DIYADHD (I hear they're prescribing stuff for that soon), but at the time it sounded brilliant. I'll just stab the screw driver in there... it'll be great. Um, no. While I was working really hard stabbing and not making any progress I was brainstorming what else I could use. Then, I had my "ah ha" moment.

{I tried to find an ice cream scoop, but apparently we only have very large spoons}

This method of spooning *hehe* worked much better than screwing?? That set up way too easily. Anyways, I ended up with styrofoam all over the place, but I was okay with it because I think it's going to work!

{It looks pretty ugly here, but I promise there's some nice bowl action going on.}

I want to use real flowers, but after seeing the 2nd inspiration photo I'm thinking that fake flowers could give me the same look I want (read: cheaper). I also ordered the petals from Oriental Trading Company that will be concealed in this puppy. I'll test those out and follow up afterwards.