Merry Christmas from Amour Amour

Merry Christmas everyone!
A sneak peek at our take on 'Rustic Elegance'.
We had a wonderful Christmas day which was spent with both of our beautiful families. Lots of laughter, food, thoughtful gifts and plenty of champagne!

Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.

A Christmas Wedding

A Christmas wedding in Sydney is simply stunning; sunny days, long evenings thanks to daylight savings and with so many waterside venues to take advantage of the balmy nights many couples opt for a December dates.

One of the sweetest ideas I have seen which is elegant and classic enough for a wedding whilst acknowledging the Christmas season is the wedding of Shen-Tel Lee and Bobby Ting at Sydney's Westin Hotel.

The table centrepieces were gold trees trimmed with gold, silver, glass and crystal trinkets which turned the ballroom into a twinkling fairyland.

At the end of the evening guests were invited to take the decorations home to hang on their own Christmas trees, a yearly reminder of the couples beautiful day.

Photography by Sugarlove Pictures and also featured in Real Wedding Magazine.

Rustic Glamour- A stylish juxtoposition

Lately I have been completely enamoured with the concept of 'Rustic Glamour'. To me it seems inherently Australian; elegance and glamour against the rustic and sometimes remote landscape.
So, despite my husband's scoffing that such a juxtoposition just wouldn't work, I have persevered and styled Christmas in our new home in just this way. And even The Husband had to admit that he does quite like it. (Details and hopefully some pics to come!) This of course got me thinking about how gorgeous a wedding would look styled in this way.

Rustic Glamour is surprisingly easy to achieve;
- Hessian (or Burlap as it is known in other parts of the world) is a coarsely woven fabric and has been used above as the tablecloth.
- Silver cutlery and accoutrements. Resist the urge to polish the silver, a little tarnishing will add to the charm of this look.
- If your florals are more formal, go for a collection of glass cannisters and jars however wildflowers and greenery can look amazing against a crystal vase.
- Pressed linen napkins are a must, and if the hessian tablecloth is too much for you, use it as a runner against a white linen tablecloth.

Image Credit: Sunday Suppers. Photography by Karen Mordchai

Monday's Muse: Lydia Hearst

Lydia Hearst, socialite, model and heiress in layers of tulle, delicate lace and beading. It's making me want to play dress-ups!

Images by Gomollion & Leupold from here via This is Glamorous

rubyandjoy: Summer Flowers

Welcome to the first guest-post by the gorgeous Nicola of Ruby & Joy. Nicola shares her tips for what's in bloom over the Australian Summer.

Hello! I’m so truly excited to be writing a guest post for Amour Amour, I have a celebratory cup of gorgeous geisha tea sitting with me. Yes, we like to go all out at rubyandjoy.

Tips for bouquets on a hot day
If you’re planning on getting married in the Summer months of December to February, it’s fairly safe to say you’re hoping you won’t get a 40+ degree day. Those hot summer days will make more than your groom melt in his suit, your flowers will feel the heat too. To help them last through the day follow these easy tips;
- As soon as your bouquets are deliver ed (and if the stems are free), pop them straight into a centimeter or two of water and leave them there as long as possible before drying them off and heading out into the furnace.
- Be sure to ask the photographer to get a few snaps of the bouquet before the ceremony.
- Then think cool. I’m yet to scientifically prove this helps, but heck. If it takes your mind of the heat, it can only be a good thing.

Summer Blooms
At the moment there are so many gorgeous blooms in season it’s easy to choose something to work with.
* Peonies, with their fluffy and full heads in shades of burgundy, pink and white are available from mid November through to Christmas, and are every bride’s favourite!
* Take advantage of the bushy Hydrangeas while they are in season. The gorgeous blues, purples and whites are a fresh and romantic look
* Beautiful Garden roses and David Austen roses
* Loads of beautiful Succulents, Calla Lilies in pinks, burgundy and white
* Persimmons on branches
* Casablanca lilies, hanging Amaranthus, Kale and great bundles of bushy Oak foliage and gorgeous Loquat berries.
* Gardenias are available in abundance and have a heavenly scent
* Figs on branches look incredible and make a statement, especially if paired with a real contrast like fluffy Peonies.
* Christmas bush is everywhere for those who love the festive season.
* And Celosia, you probably don't know it but ask your florist!

Fluffy Peonies and Calla Lillies

Hydrangeas and figs create a unique combination whilst flowers of a similar colours create a textured and harmonious effect.

Colours & Themes
There are so many colours and themes that look gorgeous at this time of year. My favourite will always be keeping it simple, modern, and going a little crazy with colour. Especially as we come into summer. Bright flowers look fantastic, especially if they clash a little.
As we move into December Dahlias are becoming available, with their bushy blooms and vibrant colours, they’re perfect for a relaxed and bright theme.

Image Credits: Dahlias by Denise Fasanello

Blooms on a budget
If you’re looking to keep the budget to a minimum with your flowers, try asking your florist for smaller bouquets, and keep them simple with one or two types of bloom. You could even work entirely with foliage which looks fresh and fantastic in summer, as well as limiting wilting.
Stay away from orchids and blooms that need to be hand wired such as frangipanis and gardenias as the labour that goes into these bouquets will boost the price.

Green foliage and branches make the white hydrangeas pop creating a decidedly summery look.

Weather worries
Keep in mind that due to the weather being decidedly difficult at this time of year the blooms you request may become unavailable.
If there’s a week of rain or a week of heat, my hair will not behave. But it can also cause major difficulties for the growers, their suppliers, and in turn the florists.
Most florists will be able to substitute with a similar bloom if this happens and your flowers will still look gorgeous. This is why it’s best at your first consultation to not only tell your florist what you love, but what you don’t love, to make sure you love your floral look.

International Floral Trends
In regards to international trends, we’re seeing a much more relaxed style. Lots of different blooms, lots of colours and textures, all arranged in a deconstructed hand held way. This creates a gorgeous wild flower feel, and can be used in every kind of ceremony, from black tie through to casual.

Make sure to keep your colours warm or cool, this will keep it from looking too messy. Be sure to use a gorgeous ribbon which compliments the bouquets.

On your tables, use every kind of vessel you can find, milk bottles, old glass jars, bowls, jugs. Fill them with a profusion of blooms and you’ll have a stunning French vintage theme at your fingertips. If you’re wanting it to remain classic, keep all the blooms white. Otherwise, go crazy with the colour, the more the better!

Image Credit: Max Wanger via A Cup of Jo

I’ve been trying to think of a cool tag line to finish this super informative post with, and so far all I’ve come up with is ‘spilling tea is not only messy but hot too’. So as that’s seems to be the best for now, I shall leave you with this insightful piece of wisdom, and wish you the loveliest week possible!
Nicola x
rubyandjoy.com.au

Images by rubyandjoy (unless otherwise credited)

Monday's Muse: Dustjacket Attic, The NieNie Dialogues & Karnas Has

This Monday's Muse is a little different. Given I have been M.I.A for a few weeks I thought it would be fitting I share with you just a couple of the fabulous bloggers who have been keeping me sane and inspiring me as I grabbed snatches of R&R!

Karnas Hus
I have zero idea what the lovely author is saying (The Swedish language not being one I can speak or read) but I likey her pics. alot.

The NieNie Dialogues
It's good for the soul. If you are one of the few people left on the planet who don't know Stephanie and her family read about their journey here...
Stephanie is brave, inspiring and a beautiful person.

DustJacket Attic
One of my favourite blogs ever, Ms. DJA has the most beautiful images on the whole www!

Images via Dust Jacket Attic.
Photographers Leda and St Jacques took this editorial for Elle Canada Jan 2010. The model is Crystal Renn.

Oh! And I have those fake eyeashes. They are Shu Umera and are seriously amazing.

Happy reading!

Oh Summer Brides

I can sympathise with you! Where oh where have the last 4 or 5 weeks gone? Just like a bride adding the finishing touches to her big day, I have been swallowed into an abyss... or so some of my lovely blog friends* told me when they dropped concerned emails my way!
Rather than planning a wedding which would have been both more fun and much more stressful, my days have been spent at work and moving house, oh, and at the odd Chrissie party!!

The work bit-
Well, don't pity me too much, most of this part was mostly spent at after-hours work functions. Definitely fun after the first few and definitely fun when the champagne is flowing which like anything that is well, work, can get exhausting.
You can see what I was up to here.
(A wee bit of sympathy would be nice though as I did have some fairly major pre-Chrissie pitches which caused some early mornings and late nights. Thankfully only one more week to go).

The moving bit-
Boring, so I won't labour this one however we moved into a gorgeous semi with a deck and yard where we can fully enjoy the Sydney summer. I also have my own study which I am so, so thrilled about. My very own little space for 'Amour Amour'! When I've finished (started!) it I will post some pics.
One of my favourite features of the house is the super long hallway where we have been able to hang some of our favourite pics from the wedding. I was going for the arty look rather than the obsessed bride. I tried to choose some of the less "wedding-y ones" but that were still meaningful.

These are the photos we chose;

And some fairly average pics (taken on my iphone) of how they look;

The Christmas party-bit
Fun, oh so fun. In addition to the fun I also got some great entertaining and decorating ideas for both large and small events which I look forward to sharing with you!

The Christmas bit-
Well as you can tell it is definitely the silly season! My husband and I are so excited to be hosting our first family Christmas for 10 people, the decorating details of which I also can't wait to share with you.

Of course whilst I have been working and moving and reading every Christmas themed magazine issue around the wedding world has of course been turning. Pop back for a post on what has been happening!

* Thank you to all the wonderful readers and fellow bloggers who sent concerned emails my way. You absolutely made me the happiest blogger-on-hiatus in the world.

My wedding images by Sugarlove Pictures. Summer wedding from here via here.