We hope you enjoyed this months sunny tropical wedding ideas. To round things up here are a few of our favourite finds this month: Plum Pretty Sugar have a gorgeous range of silk robes, camis and loungewear in beautiful prints - great for bridesmaid gifts. Add a little colourful fun to your wedding accessories with this vibrant orange coral beaded headband from Bethany Lorelle. Stunning roses with a twist, they are made from paper! By Perfectly Paper.

Pics by Katie Day Photo and via Design Sponge

Why settle for boring old cake at your summer wedding, fondant melting away? How about serving snow cones? So much fun and a little unexpected. All you need is a little flavouring and a lot of shaved ice. Sure to be a hit with the kids, you can even add liqueur to the mix of some for the grown ups.

Under cover at this summer wedding by Regtis Photography, cool down with cool drinks and desserts, pics via a unique blog and the knot

It's hard enough to remain cool, calm and collected on your big day without the summer heat to content with. So here are some great ideas to beat the heat at that beach wedding.

• Go Casual. Top hat ad tails might look good on paper but its probably not the best idea for 30 oC heat. Boys ditch the jackets and go for a cool casual look with cream and white. Look for natural fabrics such as cotton.
• Swap the bouquets of flowers with parasols or fans for both you and the bridesmaids
• Keep make up to a minimum. Water based mascara and foundation are best if you have to, but a concealer and bit of bronzer is even better. Keep blotting paper handy especially during any photos.
• Drink, drink, drink - water that is. Make sure to stay hydrated.
• For an outdoor event give parasols to guests before the ceremony which can also be a wedding favour
• Wedding programs can double a fans for guests with the addition of large craft paddle pop sticks for handles {see our DIY project here}
• Opt for icy desserts rather than cake like ice cream sandwiches or even snow cones!

Every morning at around 4am Im woken up by the same thing, a big fat lump of a french bulldog plonking himself on my legs. Which would be bad enough, but then he proceeds to lick and chew his paws. Apparently this is a frenchie habit, looks like it is :)

How unbelieveably cool would these pudding cups be to make?! Kids love balloons, and we all know its especially fun to pop them, but who would have thought to dip them in chocolate first? Well the clever Bakerella did. Then filled the cups with goodies like fudge and cream - I'm putting on 10 pounds just thinking about that bit.

Today we have a beautiful tropical island wedding in the Dominican Republic to share, photographed by Jim Kennedy Photographers. Full of colour and fun the brave couple even did a 'trash the dress' shoot the day after the wedding with stunning results.

OMG how adorable are these little sheep, and the best bit is they're edible! These are cake pops, cute little bites of cake on a stick decorated with sugar pearls and licorice. Check out the tutorial on Bakerella.

Some cute new works added to our etsy shop this week, miniature toy town effects of Venice. There are SO many more photos to go through so Im sure there will be more to come.

by Flory Photo

We were so inspired by these beautiful big flowers at Adrieen and Jakes San Fransisco wedding that we thought we'd create a template for something similar. Nothing says summer like the hibiscus flower so here is a simple DIY project to create some stunning giant tropical flowers.

To start with you'll need to download our free petal template from our website here. And of course you can go really nuts and blow these up on a photocopier for even bigger blooms!

You will need:
Paper
Scissors
PVA glue
Flora wire
Floral tape




DIY Project:
Step 1. Start by printing and cutting out your petal template.

Step 2. You will need 10 sheets of A4 paper in your chosen design. Draw round the template on the front of five of these, the others will be for the opposite side.

Step 3. Glue floral wire into place on the back of your paper marked out with the template then sandwich it with your other piece of paper over the top, smooth out any lumps. Leave to dry and repeat with the other four petals.

Step 4. Once completely dry use the template you have drawn as a guide to cut out the shape of the petals. Repeat and you should have five lovely big hibiscus petals.

Step 5. To make the center of the flower, take two strips of paper about 8 x 15cms. Leave one as is and the other cut the long side to make a fringe. Roll the fringe piece around another piece of floral wire with some glue. Then wrap the un-cut strip around it, a little further down the wire.

Step 6. Gather your petals together and place them around the centerpiece securing with your floral tape and continue to wrap it down the gathered stems.

You can make your own hibiscus hybrids if you like and add another row of petals. And smaller versions can be done without the wire so there is no need for making the backs. Have fun and experiment with different patterned paper and sizes!

Yup at it again, another shop and another blog :)
My DIY wedding blog and printable stationery shop 'i do' it yourself have been such hits that I've now launched iDIY junior, offering DIY printable files for baby showers, christenings and kids parties and a fun blog to boot. Above is our first design, a super cute ice block or popsicle party invitation.

Visit the iDIY junior blog or head over to the party shop.

Go tropo with loads of colour and fun for your beach wedding decorations!

Try a stunning tropical fruit centerpiece like this one from Martha Stewart. Melons, pineapples, and other tropical fruit are set in a carved out log with orchids and citrus leaves. This beach theme cake topper is so cute! Handmade from clay by Anna Crafts its also lovely to keep long after the wedding. Colourful cake and parasols perfect for photo props, both by Jason Angelini Photography. Pretty rainbow paper hearts by MGM Art Supplies. For wedding favors how about these funky felt gift bags from Elegant Weddings or totally adorable swimsuit cookies, by The Flour Pot! And of course the humble cocktail umbrella which we've already shown you some great decorating ideas for.

Here are a couple more great ideas for those cute little cocktail umbrellas! Take a look at this lamp shape project from Craft Tutorials. If your not keen on using them as actual lamp shades, balls of cocktail umbrellas will still make great decorations to hang around the venue. Or you could try centerpieces, with this step by step from CraftStylish.

Pic Via Hostess with the Mostess

This is a simple and colourful idea for place or escort cards at your summer wedding. Just cut strips of colourful paper and write the guests names on. Open the cocktail umbrellas and wrap the strip around the toothpick handle then glue into place. You can display the open umbrellas on plates or stick them into a colourful fruit like a lime. For escort cards place the umbrellas into a block of florists foam and cover with sand.

If you are feeling a little more adventurous you can even make your own cocktail umbrellas! Check out this great tutorial on Martha Stewart.

By Classic Cakes

Perfect for a summer birthday party is a sandcastle cake! You can use a few different sized circle sponges as the base and make easy turrets for your castle using empty ice cream cones.

But how to make sand icing? Brown sugar! You can use either caramel frosting or mix up equal parts of chocolate and vanilla frosting to create the sand colour, then sprinkle with a good dose of brown sugar and even crushed bikies. Yum!

To kick things off on our new blog - our first children's party invitation! This is great for a summer pool party, designed in the shape of a popsicle. And today we're going to look at a quick and fun way to make it look like a bites been taken out of your invite.

All you will need is a scalloped paper punch. These come in various sizes from lots of different manufacurers - we've used a Fiskars 2" squeeze punch. And its SO simple, just punch a corner off the invitation and the scalloped edge will look like a big bite mark!

Our printable DIY popsicle invitation is available from the iDIY junior etsy shop.

Last month I was inspired by one of my favourite Aussie mags Donna Hay with its colourful popsicle story. Which got us thinking, popsicles are great for a summer wedding - but how about using them as wedding programs? So this month we have a new design - printable popsicle programs! Which also double as fans, great if you're having an outdoor wedding.

The file is supplied as an editable PDF so you can type in your wording yourself and print at home. Once printed, just neatly cut round the design and fold in half. Place some double sided sticky tape around the edges on the back, then using more tape on both sides, stick your tongue depressor to the center of one of the pages. Close the card and press firmly to seal.
You can decorate your paddle fans with additional details such as ribbon or shells.

Available from our etsy shop

An arbor, arch or canopy is a popular choice at beach weddings. It helps to define the space and acts as a beautiful focal point for the ceremony to take place under.  Hiring a basic frame is probably the easiest way to go, especially if its a destination wedding. But the decoration can turn the ordinary to the extrordinatry and really make a personal style statement! Here are a few gorgeous ideas to get you thinking...

Plenty of colour! Use bright colourful tulle to decorate. Pic unknown and via Mermaid Weddings.

Classic - all white

Say it with shells. Large clam shells line the aisle while strings of delicate Capiz shells hang from the canopy. Pic Sandals Resorts

Crazy with craft! This arbor was covered in handmade paper flowers, pin wheels and even kites! Photo by Ashley Rose Photography Or for something a little more simple just mark the space with some tropical flowers like these Birds of Paradise. Pic via Aloha Island Weddings

This bright and beautiful design hints at a summer on the beach with it's multi coloured pinstripe and floral motif. The perfect tropical combination for a colourful wedding. Shown here in predominantly green but available in any colour of your choice.

Starting from just $15, visit the 'i do' it yourself shop for more information

Welcome to 'i do' it yourselfs new blog iDIY Jr! Due to the overwhelming success of our printable wedding stationery 'i do' it yourself is now offering DIY PRINTABLE files for baby showers, christenings and kids parties!

Orange Juice - Georges Chakra, Mark Fast and Sass and Bide

Plenty of purple - Elie Saab, Alex Perry and Novissima

Citrus brights - Christopher Kane, Louise Grey, Elie Saab, Mary Katranzatou

Late last year the catwalks of London, New York and Paris exploded with bold prints and bright colours seen in the spring/summer collections. And even though last months autumn/winter shows included quite a gothic feel, many were still bursting with pattern and crazy colour combinations.

So how has this filtered through to bridal fashion? The last few months has seen the launch of many collections featuring bold injections of colour. Whether its a mass of dainty florals or a single bold flower, there is certainly plenty of colour to walk down the aisle with.

Jorge Terra, Raimon Bundo and Hannibal Laguna (via Fashion Bride's Weblog)

Elizabeth BHKDN and Robert Abi Nader (via Fashion Bride's Weblog)

By classic cakes

Perfect for a summer birthday party is a sandcastle cake! You can use a few different sized circle sponges as the base and make easy turrets for your castle using empty ice cream cones.

But how to make sand icing? Brown sugar! You can use either caramel frosting or mix up equal parts of chocolate and vanilla frosting to create the sand colour, then sprinkle with a good dose of brown sugar and even crushed bikies. Yum!

Beach romance with candle light

There's no doubt that candle light is super romantic and this month Moonlight and Whimsy are giving readers a chance to add a little romance with a great competition.

Last month we showed you a great DIY wedding project using Moonlight and Whimsy's cute lightboxes {click here to see the project.} This month they are running a competition to win a $25 gift voucher for their lovely online wedding shop. All you need to do is sketch out an idea of how you would dress up their lightboxes. Click here to visit the Moonlight and Whimsy blog to enter the comp. Good luck!

New to our online wedding stationery shop - and just in time for this months tropical theme - our popular beach party boarding pass design now has lots of matching products. From save the date postcards to passport covers and luggage tag place cards. With a bright and colourful palm tree design, files start at just $15.

Available from the 'i do' it yourself online shop.

Summer might be over here in Aussie but thats no reason not to brighten things up a bit this month while we take a look at a tropical wedding. Full of fun and colour, great ideas for a destination wedding or just a beach near home.

Credits: Step into the sun for a beautiful beach wedding, (pic via We Heart It.) Palm fronds and little drink umbrellas will come in handy for DIY wedding projects (pic via With this Ring). Outdoor entertaining is a must pic via Squidoo. Parasols make perfect photo props as well as pretty sun protection, pic unknown. Tropicana wedding invitation by 'i do' it yourself.

Palm trees, sand and sunset, what could be a more romantic setting? Instead of bouquets for bridesmaids use parasols, via Amorology Weddings! Fruity drinks and cocktails are a must.

Colour palette: Orange, blue, pink and green