Posts

For those of you planning a fall wedding, I wanted to share some unique color palette ideas that I just love! Experiment with different color schemes and inspiration photos to find your perfect pairing! Happy Wedding Wednesday!

Image courtesy of Stephanie William's Photography

image courtesy of Theknot.com

image courtesy of Theknot.com

Happy Wedding Wednesday! A fun element to add to your wedding reception or ceremony is video projection! Projection technology has come a long way throughout the years! Three -dimensional projections are more popular on the outside of large buildings where the images are truly more effective. Top end lighting companies use super bright projectors and their own custom software to project any image onto a building. On the inside, the same effect applies in place of the old gobos that we saw five to ten years ago. Today a much sharper image with endless possibilities is available!  While this is very cool, keep in mind it may not be the best option for the budget-sensitive bride.

Note: Beware of too much moving light. This will over stimulate the senses and lose the effect of a wedding, giving way to a club environment.

If you’re getting married at night time, a custom wedding isle with images of what appear to be live flowers, along with your names or whatever else you desire becomes a reality with video projection. The same thing can be done with the dance floor or ceiling. Moving clouds with the moon and stars would be as realistic as sitting outside star -gazing!

Snowflake projection

Dance floor monogram projection by Shumaker PDT in Lancaster, PA. Click for their website and more wedding lighting photos! (Wedding by Planned Perfection)

Continuing on with our current “flower theme” for Wedding Wednesday, I wanted to talk about roses.

Roses are the most romantic flower known to man and with examples like these, it’s easy to see why. The first two photos are of the Yellow Finess Rose. This demonstrates a light summer rose full of fresh citrus-like colors. Try these in a lovely arrangement with limes and lemons, or a bright Granny Smith apple or green hypericum berries as an accent.

The second rose known as “High and Yellow” would be a knock out with yellow gerbera daisies and a simple green filler like salal.

The bottom photo is chocolate roses that look good enough to eat! These work well with softer shades of yellow. Download a color palette app to choose proper compliments to your floral design, but most of all, have fun!

Don’t be afraid to ask your florist to fly in different varieties from another reputable vendor like Virgin Farms. It’s important to do your homework when flying in product from anywhere. The last thing you want is a box full of moldy product. Just to keep in mind: A reputable florist knows when they’ve received product that is not up to standards and they have the means to rectify the problem, whereas your best friends’ sister in law might not.

Yellow Finess Rose

"High and Yellow" Roses

Chocolate Roses

Use your noggin when viewing wedding websites. I’m always poking around on various sites just to see what other people put out there for wedding ideas. I’ve implemented some, I’ve been inspired by others that spawn into yet another idea, and then there are some ideas that I just sit back and ask, “What were you thinking?”

Think through every idea you see and dissect it from beginning to end. Instead of getting caught up in the photograph, think about and test out the logistics of the ideas. I’ll give you a few examples of what I’m talking about:

Idea: Instead of place cards, hand out a bottle of lemonade or any other natural fruit juice with your guest name and table number tied onto the neck of the bottle on a cute little leaf shaped card. Place a fun bendable straw into each bottle and line them up on your place card table for guests to enjoy. The photo that suggests this idea looks absolutely adorable!

Problems: Who wants to drink a warm bottle of anything?  Assuming you’d use this idea when it’s warm outside to act as a thirst quencher for your guests you must consider this; If you pre-chill these bottles, some poor soul has to pull them out of the ice, wipe them down, insert straws and then place them in alphabetical order on the place card table. Certainly after all of this time and handling, the bottles will be far from cold. Also, how do you stop bugs from flying into them if it’s an outdoor wedding? Will it be easy for your guests to see their names on rows of bottles?

Idea: A crepe layered wedding cake or a fruit marzipan wedding cake or better yet a wedding cake with an exterior of cookies.

Problem: Try this out on a smaller version at home and see what happens when you cut the cake.  It’s a bloody mess that looks awful when presented to your guests!

I’m by no means trying to to shoot down every idea out there. It’s simply a matter of thinking about how realistic some of these items really are. Before you get your heart set on anything, be sure to think it through!

It’s easy to get carried away with numerous ideas for reception décor.  It is important to narrow your thoughts down to one theme and stick with it. Clean lines and repetition of form is the key to making a statement with your table design. This isn’t to say that you can’t have alternating heights of centerpieces. It is saying, however, to consider simplicity/consistency and ease of conversation amongst your guests when selecting your table centerpieces. There must be a focal point so elements don’t fight with each other and look cluttered. One more hint: Other than flowers, think twice before you implement any other living thing in your table centerpieces.

Bridal shows can easily turn into a circus...vendors trying to "out-do" one another and information overload!

Think about the last bridal show you attended. Wedding shows have become sensory overload for many of those involved. The average bride leaves the show with their head spinning and the fallout is even worse. Unfortunately, some of these shows have become such fierce competition to gain your attention that the sole purpose of the show has been forgotten, which is the reality of your wedding.  It’s turned into a lot of glitz and glam, which is not realistic at all for most brides. Big flat screen TV’s, tons of lighting, illuminated furniture and aggressive car salesman approaches to gain your business.

You have to stay focused and realize that this is like going to a car show where the most expensive vehicles are out there in hopes that one person will come along and purchase that six figure car. The “car salesman” is selling you on a lot of expensive pre-fabricated extras. Let’s just say, the sizzle without the steak.

Make a list before you go to the show with your top five needs in order of importance to you and try to stay focused on those vendors.  Once you’ve accomplished your mission, then you can move on to the extras. Don’t be fooled by pushy sales techniques, flashing lights, and expensive set-ups.

The vendors shouldn’t be focused on what they want you to buy, rather what’s important for making your day uniquely yours.

Sweetheart Table image courtesy of intimateweddings.com

There are several decisions you will have to make regarding your wedding reception and one involves the seating arrangements. If you’re thinking about going with the traditional idea of a head table, it may be something you will want to reconsider. For one, the thought of a head table is enough to make your bridal party run away! Think about it, what fun is it for a guy to sit at a table full of people he doesn’t know, only to watch his lovely girlfriend on display at a head table? Also, consider the room a head table takes up compared to a sweetheart table or a standard sixty inch round table.

Some couples may feel isolated at a sweetheart table so another option can be the bride and groom sitting at a regular table with their maid of honor, best man, and their significant others. Parents of the bride and groom could also be included at this table.

There are several ways to handle the seating dilemma! These resources about seating can also help…

http://ezinearticles.com/?Sweetheart-Table-Or-Head-Table-For-Your-Reception?&id=4160213

http://www.dailyweddingplanningtip.com/featured/sweetheart-tables-yes-or-no/

image courtesy of marthastewart.com

So, the holidays are coming and inevitably you are going to be hosting lots of dinner guests and get-togethers. Here is a simple game plan to help you pull off the perfect event that will keep you sane and impress your guests…

1. Keep the menu simple. Have a list of each food item you plan to serve in the order which you are serving it.

2. Once you’ve made your food choices, start to plan the actual event. There’s so much more to it besides cooking the food.

3. Making a time line is critical to any good event so you’ll know when to put the meat in the oven, when to serve the salad, what time dinner is being served and when you want them to leave!

4. Make sure you have the correct serving pieces for your selected menu (platters and vegetables bowls with serving spoons and forks for each) and tag each piece with a sticky note. Think about the space on your table, or counter top for buffets. Actually, lay out the serving pieces ahead of time.

5. The key is visualizing the entire event (stay positive here) from start to finish. This way, you’ll have a dress rehearsal in your head ahead of time and won’t be nearly as jittery the night of the big dinner.

6. Don’t forget about glassware for cocktails, water with dinner and wine with dinner.

7. Make a list of the plates you’ll need (Hors d’oeuvre plates, salad plates, dinner plates and dessert plates) along with a flatware list. Take a full inventory a week ahead, giving yourself plenty of time to go out and purchase any missing items. Something to wipe you mouth on after dinner would be nice too, including hors d’oeuvres  napkins and back ups for dessert.

8. Create a centerpiece. A nice vase with some flowers is simple and easy. An array of beautiful candles with varying heights is lovely, too. If you’re adventurous, pack a vase with some colorful fruits and veggies (like cranberries!) add water and a floating candle and be done with it!

9. Have a clean up plan ready too. Think about where to stack all of the dishes so when your Mother-in-law enters your kitchen you can say, “oh just place those plates to the left of the sink, I have a system in place for later”.