Effective Event Lighting

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One of the most powerful ways to change the look of a room or create ambience for your wedding is with the effective use of lighting.
You can use lighting to wash the walls with color or project a pattern. You can use up light to define a space or use pin spots to highlight your centerpieces and cake. Then of course the use of a monogrammed gobo on the dance floor is always beautiful.

Soft Pink Lit Walls

Soft Pink Lit Walls

Pin Spots Light up A Garden Wedding

Pin Spots Light up A Garden Wedding

Patterns Wash the Walls. Pin Spot on Cake

Patterns Wash the Walls. Pin Spot on Cake

You can expect custom lighting to cost in the neighborhood of 5 to 10% of your budget. That may seem like a lot but there aren’t many other things that will give the power to transform a space the way great lighting can.
Click through the images to see the sources.

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Greening The Real American Wedding

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A few months ago I set up a blog for a recent client/long time friend. When I went in today to tweak a thing or two I caught up on my reading.

I had always known that Kellie was one of the greenest caterers around. Still, I was tickled green to see that she is posting about it.

The Main Event Blog

The Main Event Blog

To all my about to be bride readers; take a look at some of the wonderful ways that your vendors can incorporate a green attitude into what they do for your wedding. To my readers in the industry; Kellie is a shining example of how all the little choices you make everyday, really do make a difference.

Check out Kellie’s blog for The Main Event, while you are there, check out her gorgeous cakes.

Keep up the great work Kellie.

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Tented Weddings

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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

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Size Matters: The Rise of The Small Wedding

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I just read an interesting press release on the annual survey, “What’s On Brides Minds’” conducted by Infosurv, Inc. for David’s Bridal. According to the survey results, 75% of brides-to-be now have to adjust their budget because of the current economic climate. One of the ways there are making that adjustment is by reducing the guest list. According to the same survey 45% are going this route.

Intimate Backyard Wedding

Intimate Backyard Wedding

For a lot of reasons, having a smaller more intimate wedding is a good thing. Rather than your wedding becoming a major production on the scale of a stage show, it becomes a small celebration with those that are closest to you. It lowers the nerve quotient and ups the meaning factor in one fell swoop.

A recent post on IntimateWeddings.com lists 10 reasons to have a smaller more intimate wedding. Every reason is a good one, but my favorite is #7

You get to spend time with your guests. How many weddings have made you feel like a stranger fulfilling a social obligation? Small weddings aren’t like that. When the guest list is small, the bride and groom can spend time with each of their guests, making them feel welcome.

Like I have been saying for a while, the weddings you see on TV aren’t the Real American Wedding, they are the anomaly. It is time that the wedding media got back to reality and started showing brides that they can have a wonderful, touching, meaning full wedding with out taking out a second mortgage.

Image courtesy of Cottages and Castles Vacation Rentals

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Feather Bouquet

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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.

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NO Open Flames

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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.

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Cupcake Wedding Cakes ~sigh~

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Cupcake wedding cakes aren’t exactly new. Here is the picture that started the whole trend back in the mid nineties. It was from a real wedding layout in Westchester Weddings. I bet I did some variation on that set up at least a dozen times.

Cupcake Wedding Cake

Cupcake Wedding Cake

Since then every baker worth their sugar has started doing cupcake weddings. They can be kitsch or elegant, fun or restrained but always delicious.

They can also be a budget friendly DIY option if you dress them out yourself and build your own stand.

Just order plain cupcakes in wonderful flavors from a local bakery to pick up the day before your wedding. You can top them with candies or fruit or edible flowers like pansies. If you are feeing industrious, simple sugar flowers can be made in advance to top them. Be sure to allow enough time for set-up on the day of your wedding. The best idea is to have a friend set it up for you just before the ceremony. Give them a picture of what you want it to look like and all they will have to do is set the little goodies on the stand.

Poppy Cupcake, Cherry Cupcake, Beach Cupcake

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Yellow & Black Wedding

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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


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