Martha Stewart Weddings: Opalescent colors

Perfect Wedding Color Palette: Opalescent

Bridesmaid Dresses

Bridesmaid dresses don't need to look like, well, bridesmaid dresses. Pick out frocks in your palette that have potential for an afterlife and feature exquisite details -- oversize ruffles or allover pleating, perhaps? -- and your attendants will rejoice. From left: Strapless organdy dress (#2514), Vivian Diamond for Dessy Collection; coral necklace, de Vera; 50mm ribbon (#10000, color #31), Mokuba New York. "Nice" flower girl dress, Pip-Squeak Chapeau Etc.; 9mm ribbon (#10000, color #31), Mokuba New York. Silk gazar dress, Luisa Beccaria. "Galette" dress,J.Crew. Crinkle silk chiffon gown (G561C),Amsale. "Orchard" strapless dress, 57 Grand; stone necklace with pendant, Monet, Macy's.

Martha Stewart Weddings: Green Calligraphy Stationary Ideas

A relaxed and festive handwritten script was used to create each element of this stationery wardrobe, then reproduced in two shades of green ink using inexpensive offset printing; this strategy is a great way to achieve a handmade look for less money. The matchbox and program bear monograms in the same style of calligraphy. The favor cone, filled with sweets, is inscribed with an old Irish toast. Green ribbon is threaded through the place card, invitation, and program, then tied in bows.

Return to Stationery Themes

From Martha Stewart Weddings, Spring 2003 | Subscribe and Save 32%!

DIY Wedding Banner from Martha Stewart Weddings

Templates for Wedding Decorations

Just Married Sign

Decorate an entryway with a blooming branch, regardless of the time of year. Here, a leafless dogwood limb provides the base for a Just Married sign and gardenia blossoms that have been wired.

Download the Clip A

Martha Stewart Weddings DIY: Custom Banners

Why save the traditional Just Married sign for your car-aided exit? Hang it up at your reception and you'll get more time to enjoy its message. Better yet, spell out your sentiments letter-by-letter using our alphabet template.

Each character is encircled by a different border, a whimsical take on the old-fashioned look of vintage typewriter keys. Print the 3-inch-diameter designs on standard paper and cut or punch them out; make two small slits near the top, just inside the decorative border, and weave a 1/4-inch ribbon through. For streamers, ribbons are a more polished alternative to crepe paper; the pre-pleated ribbon used to make these swags comes in various widths.

Download the Alphabet template in PDF format.

Printable Directions

Letters A through F

Letters G through L

Letters M through R

Letters S through X

Letters Y and Z

Ampersand

Letter A

Letter B

Letter C

Letter D

Letter E

Letter F

Letter G

Letter H

Letter I

Letter J

Letter K

Letter L

Letter M

Letter N

Letter O

Letter P

Letter Q

Letter R

Letter S

Letter T

Letter U

Letter V

Letter W

Letter X

Letter Y

Letter Z

Martha Stewart Weddings DIY: Announcement Flags

Download the PDF file, and print onto medium-weight 11-by-17-inch paper. (If your home printer won't use that size of paper, most copy shops will be able to print it for you; simply put the file on a disc or a thumb drive and take it to one.)

Cut the paper into a triangle by cutting from the corners of one end to the center of the opposite end (use a paper trimmer or a craft knife and a metal yardstick or long straightedge).

Paint a 1/2-inch dowel white or whatever color you want. The paint will seal the wood to avoid splinters and will provide a washable surface, as well as create a polished look. We used an 18-inch-long dowel, but most lumberyards sell dowels up to 48 inches long, which would make a very tall flag.

Attach the wide end of the flag to the dowel with double-sided tape, and tie on a ribbon bow.

Vest, shirt, bow tie, and shorts from Crewcuts by J.Crew.