Tented Weddings

Having your wedding in a tent in your parent’s backyard has long been a tradition in Great Britain; but in the states tents are thought of as a Plan B for bad weather. Bah humbug. I think tented weddings are some of the most beautiful you will ever see.

Tented Wedding Brunch

Tented Wedding Brunch

Using a tent you create the environment from the ground up. You aren’t stuck with ugly carpet in the wrong color or walls so ugly you want to hide them. Take a look at some of the tented weddings I found on Carnival Marquees Hire website. Yes, they are in the UK but don’t let that stop you. There are plenty of tent suppliers in the US. Check with your local rental firms or better yet your event planner/designer. The really top notch companies ship all over the country.

Tented Wedding with Dramatic Lighting

Tented Wedding with Dramatic Lighting

It won’t necessarily be less expensive than hiring a hotel or country club since you do have to bring in literally everything from the floor to the ceiling. It may, however make for a great excuse to limit your guest list which does help the budget. “Oh we just could not imagine having our wedding anywhere but in the yard I grew up in. Sadly that does restrict the number of guests the location will hold.” HeeHee. Now you don’t have to invite that obnoxious receptionist at work or you Aunt’s extended family. Tres cool

Just look at how gorgeous your site will look as your guests arrive.

Wedding Reception Tent Lights Up The Night

Wedding Reception Tent Lights Up The Night

Feather Bouquet

This gorgeous bouquet was all dressed up for the holidays without a touch of red.

Feather and Crystal Bouquet

Feather and Crystal Bouquet

A few weeks ago Friend of the Dish, Vicki Sanders of Branching Out Event Florists did the décor for this wintery wedding in a vintage downtown Nashville manse. The ball room was decked out in shades of white taken to dramatic heights with feathers and all things sparkly. From the white calla lily bouquet with crystal centers and an explosion of white feathers to the lighted feather centerpieces the look was elegent and edgy at the same time.

Feather and Candle Wedding Decor

Feather and Candle Wedding Decor


Mantle Decor for December Wedding

Mantle Decor for December Wedding

One of the great things about doing weddings is seeing how happy you have made that one young lady on such a special day. The two conical trees flanking the fireplace belonged to the venue and were originally on the mantle. Well the bride just hated, I mean really hated them. Until she saw where we had moved them and how we had garnished them liberally with cream colored roses. After the ceremony we went back and added white ostrich plume to them.

NO Open Flames

What to do if you can’t use candles?

Everyone looks better in candle light. The room seems to sparkle as the light dances on faces and walls. Sadly, more and more venues are going to a “No open flames” policy. What is a girl to do?

There are some alternatives. Tops on the list is lighting. Bathe the walls in soft gold or peach uplights. These two pretty examples come from Romance Lighting.

Warm Peach Event Lighting for a Wedding

Warm Peach Event Lighting for a Wedding

Pretty Lighting for a Wedding Ceremony

Pretty Lighting for a Wedding Ceremony

Still have a desire for gorgeous candelabrum? Well it will look pretty stupid without candles. How about this…

Candleabra as Flower Centerpiece for Wedding

Candelabra as Flower Centerpiece for Wedding

Add some sparkles and they will pick up the lighting, especially if you have your lighting team add pin spots on your centerpieces. It will end up giving you the feeling of flickering light.

Yellow & Black Wedding

When I think of this color combination it always speaks to me of a clean and elegant look. I love how some of these images also lean more towards the country casual style. Either way, the look is fresh and cheery, and never muddy.

black-yellow wedding collage

black-yellow wedding collage


Escort Card Alternatives

Sometimes I get tired of seeing the same old set-up for escort cards: lovely cards surrounding elaborate floral centerpiece. Why not do something a little different with either the display or the ‘card’ itself.

The first three are cards but displayed in an interesting way.

The next three are unique items used as escort cards and the last three are full on favors. I just think that idea is wicked cool.

All of them are very DIYable. OK, so maybe not that last one is a little trickier than the rest. I promise you it is doable, I did about 100 for a bride once. They were time consuming and tedious, but doable none the less.

Wedding DIY Bonanza

If like me you are a fan of gorgeous wedding DIY, then this is the week for you. Abby over at Style Me Pretty is posting wonderful DIY projects submitted by her reader all week. It’s only Tuesday and there are already several that I love, love love.

My favorite so far is the apothecary jar table numbers.

Apothocary Jar Table Numbers
Apothecary Jar Table Numbers

Here is a tip, see if you can rent the jars before you go out and buy them all. It will save you money and you won’t have to worry about what to do with them when the wedding is over.

Do checkout Abby’s blog and if you are a crafty bride looking for some great DIY projects. Be sure to check out her DIY archives.

Fruit Centerpieces for Flower Friday

I love the way fruit adds to centerpieces. In the fall it gives a feeling of bountiful harvests and in spring a touch of joyous exuberance.
A couple of these are pretty elaborate, and some are simple enough to do it yourself.
Fruit and Candle Centerpiece

Fruit and Candle Centerpiece

Autumn Centerpiece with FruitI

Autumn Centerpiece with Fruit

Spring Centerpiece with Asparagus and Artichokes
Centerpiece with KumQuats and Dahlias

Centerpiece with KumQuats and Dahlias

In all honesty, not much is easier than a footed bowl filled with a variety of seasonal fruit with a few blooms and a couple of leaves tucked in to hide any hole. Sometimes nature at its simplest is all you need.

More Candle Centerpieces

With the long nights of winter rapidly approaching I am longing for the warm glow of candlelight. Candle centerpieces can be a wonderful way to decorate your wedding. If you have read Wedding Dish for very long, however, then you know I am on a personal mission to stamp out bad ones. So let’s look at some great ones and see what sets them apart.

Sparkling Winter Candle Centerpiece
Sparkling Winter Candle Centerpiece
Candle Centerpiece with Orchids

Candle Centerpiece with Orchids

Blue and White Candle Centerpiece

Blue and White Candle Centerpiece

What makes these arrangements special are three factors:

  • Variation in height and shape.
  • Abundance
  • The “sparkle” factor.

These were all done using glass containers and candle holders. The light reflects and twinkles off the shiny glass. One of them has the added shine of iridescent snow, sparkling snow flake and silver balls.

A single floating candle in a low bowl surrounded by rose petals will never have this kind of impact. For that matter neither will a grouping of pillar candle, even if you use a ton of them.

Which leads us to the question of where the heck do you get all that glass and what do you do with it after your wedding? Here is the simple answer: rent it. Check with your florist and your rental company, both should have a nice selection. When your event is over, they take it all back. Easy and usually a lot less expensive than buying. While you are at it, they will most likely have a few bits of silver to add to the mix to bump the shine quotient. How about adding a silver sugar bowl filled with 3 roses cut short? Be creative and think outside the box.

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