Decorating for a wedding close to the holidays can be difficult. You can’t ignore that everyone is in the full holiday spirit but you also don’t want your wedding to feel like just another holiday party. How do you decorate in that middle ground? This year West Elm stores are decked out in the perfect holiday décor so take some notes.

classy with a touch of holiday spirit

Steer clear of the obvious red, white, green and blue holiday color palettes and choose something neutral. Decorate in shades of cream, metallic and glitter. Try mixing paper flowers made from newsprint or book pages with silver plates and a shimmery table runner.

And these glittery XOs play perfectly into a loving wedding theme. Simply cover some wooden letters in glue and glitter than hang from ribbons for the perfect reception decoration.

Online shopping while bored at the office can be very tempting. But I’ve learned from first-hand experience that it is an easy way to spend entirely too much of my hard earned money on things I’m not even sure I really want. So I’ve taken to online window shopping for wedding dresses. They are beautiful and tempting but so far I’ve been able to hold back on actually purchasing one – this is how I force myself into self control. So while this can be not so fun for me some time, it really can come in handy for those of you actual bride-to-bes! And this short little wedding dress is divine.

short and sweet

I love its simplicity and detailing that hints at traditional lace but isn’t actually. Also, I’d like to point out it comes styled with a bridal headband, proving that it’s not just me that is obsessed. Plus it looks good on her, right?

Update: Remember this short wedding dress I was lusting after but couldn’t find? Guess what, I found it! And surprise – it’s sold on Etsy, of course. I swear even when I’m not trying, Etsy holds everything that I want. Thanks to Once Wed for posting a wedding featuring this dress, giving me the opportunity to finally hunt it down on englishdept’s Etsy page. Is it too soon to buy a dress for my rehearsal dinner? Does it have to be fiancé then dress?

I like to surround myself with inspirations, as you probably read earlier with my need for an inspiration board. When surfing the internet, I download pictures I find inspiring and save them in a folder on my desktop. Does anyone else do this? I like to look at pretty dresses, shoes, and especially interior designs. When flipping through these images the other day, I came across this dress and I know exactly why I chose it in the first place.

my dream outfit

It is perfect. I love the detailed top and flowing skirt. The ribbon accentuates her small waist. I also have a thing for short white wedding dresses. Her heels remain neutral but add a different pop of color. And that hair piece, perfection. I would walk down the aisle tomorrow in this outfit, who needs a groom with a dress like that?

The problem with my inspiration photo folder is that I have a full file of perfect but no idea where they came from. Anyone recognize this dress? If yes, please share!

If you’re hoping for a more classic wedding, consider polka dot wedding invitations. At Modern Girl, we’ve taken the classic and timeless polka dot design and paired it with a more modern layout to create the perfect whimsical wedding invitations.

Summer may have just been kicked off, but it’s the perfect time to start mailing out fall wedding invitations. These polka dot wedding invitations in espresso are the perfect style for your classical fall wedding, especially once paired with the other autumnal color tones in your wedding details.

Polka Dots Invites in Espresso

These Modern Girl Invitations are polka dot perfection! A polka dot themed wedding also leaves your options open because there are so many polka dot wedding detail designs to choose from. Like theses adorable polka dot hair pieces and this polka dot inspired wedding cake.

polka dot hair piece