An often irreverent look at weddings from an industry insider
Maybe it’s the season, but I am suddenly mad about green. A pretty place to start to pick the colors for your wedding is to choose a base of one or two related greens, then add cream and an accent color for pop. You can almost not go wrong. This works especially well if you are planning an outdoor wedding.
For more inspiration, go to COLOURlovers and type green into the search box.
Last weekend was busy, busy. I wanted to share with you some shots from Friday night’s rehearsal dinner.
The goal was to have a casual country feel to the event. It was held in a beautiful location, the carriage house at Belle Meade Plantation. I know you wouldn’t think that using burlap for the table clothes would work for anything but in this setting it was spot on. Combined with the black chairs and black napkins it looked easy yet elegant. What do you think?
Vicki at Branching Out, along with the mother of the groom gathered a massive assortment of blue glass bottles and rustic lanterns. The vases were filled with simple individual stems to evoke a very ‘wildflower’ look and the lanterns withstood the strong breezes to add a bit of candle light. It was just perfect.
I particularly liked the use of mason jars for water glasses. I completed the look to give everyone a casual vibe to enjoy the late spring evening before the more formal events of the next day.
I don’t know if it’s all the politics I have been watching lately or the fact that the wedding is less than two weeks away, but I decided to pull together as many of the details of the up coming event in Crawford.
Yes, that’s right Crawford, TX is the site chosen by the couple. The First couple will be hosting an outdoor tented wedding at their home in Crawford. “I was raised in Texas and it just felt right,” Bush, 26, said of holding the festivities in the Lone Star State rather than the White House, according to The Washington Post, citing the upcoming issue of Vogue.
The 200 guests will attend an outdoor ceremony at 7:30 to avoid the Texas heat, then will retire to a seated dinner and dancing under the tent.
“It means a lot to Henry and me to be outdoors,” she’s quoted as saying. “We wanted something organic and low key.”
In keeping with the outdoor, Texas, organic theme, hotter than hot designer Lela Rose is creating knee length crinkle silk chiffon dresses. The 14 “house party” dresses are dotted with a hand done rosette and an antique silver sash. Each of the dresses will be a different color inspired by Texas wild flowers ranging from bluebonnet blue to a shade of Indian Paint Brush red. For Jenna’s twin, maid of honor Barbara, Rose has designed a moonstone blue silk shimmer soft long gown with a fluted open back. It will have the same sash as the “house party” to tie it all together.
The bride will wear a custom gown by Oscar de la Renta, long a favorite of not just Jenna but a slew of White House residents before her. Miss Bush describes the gown as a very structured organza gown with embroidery and a bit of matte beading and a bit of a train.
No news of what Mrs. Bush will wear. It is said that she and Jenna have done all the planning on the wedding themselves rather than hire a wedding planner.
The engagement ring features a round diamond, an heirloom of her fiancé Henry Hager’s family, and two sapphires.
Are you having a candy buffet at your wedding reception? I think they are a lovely idea and I just ran across Candy Warehouse. What is cool about this site is that you can shop by color. Pink and orange wedding? No problem.
The secret to having a gorgeous candy buffet is for it to look abundant, like Willy Wonka set it up himself. Uh, ya…that can get pricey. Here’s a few tricks that might help.
Take a cue from the pros that do gift baskets, use fill on the large containers. Those pretty tall glass cylinders hold a heck of a lot of jelly beans but not if you take a smaller, shorter glass cylinder and place it inside, upside down first. Then you only need candy to fill around and above it. Unless you have 300 people at your wedding they would never have reached the bottom anyway.
If you are using baskets fill the bottom 1/2 with leftover Easter grass then put a piece of cardboard that you have cut to fit and wrapped to match on top before you add the candy. Remember, you are going for the look of abundance, not the real thing.
Group your containers close together and use lifts under them to add height at various levels. You can either wrap sturdy boxes in pretty fabric to match or drape all your lifts in tablecloths like caterers do. That helps with the look too. (Next time you are at a catered buffet sneak a look under the linen. You are likely to find such unlovely things as dish racks and milk crates)
Add some large things like Lollis and ribbon candy to expand the look. You won’t by any means need one of these for every guest, think of them as accents.
Use your guest containers as a part of the display.
If you happen to order any PixiStix or Sour Patch Kids you can always send me your leftovers. Teehee
Check this out.
That is the Monumental Affairs Design Center.
“Located at Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, this newly designed boutique offers a unique location for anyone — from the newest bride-to-be, to the most seasoned Washington DC event planner — to make the necessary selections of china, linen, floral arrangements, invitations, entertainment and more for their catered affair, in one convenient location. The rich décor of the room showcases the most current linen styles and china patterns, in a colorful and inviting setting”.
Well, it about time! Why should you have to run all over town to put together the pieces of your wedding? A meeting at the linen vendor, followed by one at the rental firm, followed by one at the florist … but wait, will the flowers work with the linen? Back to the linen rental. Oh hell…I give up!
I have seen a couple of enterprises like this start up in the last few years. There is a lovely one in Marquette, MI of all places called the Wedding Emporium.
What a concept, event and wedding planning in one relaxed comfortable place. Shouldn’t it have always been this way? I mean, aren’t you busy enough without spending hours every week traipsing from appointment to appointment?
Is it just me or is anybody else getting bored with the hand tied bouquet trend? 
When they first came on the scene they were a refreshing change from the more contrived bouquets of the 80’s. It seems that in recent years everyone has forgotten there are other styles of bouquets.
Depending on your unique body type and the cut of your gown there may be better options. So here is a brief overview of some of the different bouquet styles.
Presentation: Think beauty queen. Designed to be held in the crook of the arm they have longer stems and often a more relaxed feel. These can have the look and feel of having just left the garden or the sleek simplicity of a few simple calla lilies.
Cascades: Long and tear drop shaped they can help elongate your overall look. Either loose and flowing or tight and symmetrical depending on the style of you wedding. 
Posy: These can actually encompass any round bouquet done in a holder. What makes them different from a hand tied is that the stems are cut and stuck in a holder with floral foam. Not only are you losing the weight and girth of the stems but your blooms will stay fresh longer thanks to the water filled foam.
Pomander: A round ball of flowers suspended on a handle or ribbon. Carried in front it provides a spot of color them slip it over your wrist when you need both hands. A fresh and clever alternative to the same old thing.
Now there is a bride with a handle on things!
I wasn’t sure if everyone had caught this.
Last month Martha Stewart posted photos of the MS prop library on her blog. You know how much I love to dig around in the back rooms of the décor rental vendors I know. I just can’t imagine the untold inspiration one could find knocking around in a place like this for a few hours (Days? Weeks?).
Huge thanks to Jordan at Oh Happy Day for pointing this out. Not really a wedding blog, Oh Happy Day is still packed with wonderful style inspiration. Now that’s something you can certainly use for the wedding and beyond.
I get a ton of inquires about DIY centerpieces. Some of the easiest and my favorites are the ones made of bare branches. The possibilities are seemingly endless. They run the gambit from simple branches from flowering trees like cherry or crab apple to elaborate confections dripping with orchids, crystals and candles.
Here are a few to get your creative synapses firing.
The first group I took at The Special Event in Atlanta. Granted these are a little over the top.
The Wedding Luncheon, 2. IMG_0156, 3. The Wedding Luncheon, 4. IMG_0157
These are from Lifia & Alex’s bio on the Knot.
This really simple one came from the Japanese Wedding Favors website.
This one is from Floral Rush in Los Angeles
To get you started on your own creations here are some helpful links.
Nettle Hollow has some how to’s along with being a source for all things twig.
Ethereal Décor has a few how to’s and is a source for the crystals.
The blog Twigs and String has some helpful how I did mine type notes.
Now that you are inspired…send in your designs to share with the class.
