The Best Wedding Planners November 8, 2011

There are so many elements that go into planning a wedding, so where’s a bride to begin? Well we’ve found three great planners that are full of worksheets, checklists, suggestions and more to help you begin your planning process!

First, The Pink Book is a wonderful wedding guide that comes with a full sized binder, 8 tabs with pockets, wedding advice from experts, and free printable schedules, vendor questionnaires, and helpful planning tools online. The Pink Book ladies are experts when it comes to weddings, so they’ve included everything you need to plan your special day.

Purchase your’s here for $24.95.

The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner is another great planning tool for brides-to-be. It’s the perfect go to guide and it’s packed full of worksheets, checklists, calendars, etiquette, and frequently asked questions. The Knot itself is a powerful resource for brides, and this planner is no exception.

Purchase your’s here for $17.99.

This next wedding planner is cute and fun. It’s by Smythson, and while it’s a little more on the pricey end, it’s worth it! It’s got 128 leaves of paper and is bound with a gorgeous fuchsia grained lambskin leather. It has tabs for ‘dress’, ‘invitations’, ‘guests and gifts’, ‘service’, ‘reception’, ‘flowers and other’, ‘going away’ and ‘honeymoon’. You’ll be able to keep up with everything in this planner, plus it’s small enough to throw in your purse and carry around with you while you’re on the go.

Purchase your’s here.

If your a bride-to-be, we hope this post has given you some ideas about great tools to use while planning your wedding. If you know a bride-to-be, any of these planners would make a great engagement gift!

Are you going to use one of these wedding planners? We’d love to hear your feedback.

How to Be a Good Southern Wedding Guest June 2, 2011

In a search for fun and useful blog posts, sometimes outside research is necessary and that is what Beth and I tell ourselves when we buy and read magazines. Allure recently had an article “How to Be a Good Wedding Guest” which got us thinking what our rules would be for southern wedding guest etiquette.

RSVP ASAP
Being a polite wedding guest begins the second your postman drops off the invitation in your mailbox. Make a decision on whether or not you are attending sooner rather than later and definitely before the “please respond by” date on the invitation.

Invitation Information
While you’re promptly filling out the response card, take the time to peruse the information available on the invitation. A big one is what is listed on the envelope: who is the invitation addressed to? If you’re single and there is no “and guest” then sadly, your date will have to stay home. Carpool with a group of friends who are also invited to the wedding. If you’re a family but the invitation is addressed to “Mr & Mrs” then that means that you will be calling a sitter because it’s a kid free wedding.  However, if the invitation says “The Smith Family” then the children are more than welcome. No matter the circumstance, it’s never okay to bring an uninvited guest to a wedding.

Dress for the Occasion

Here’s how important the invitation is: this information is also available on there. When you’re planning your wardrobe for a wedding, take note of a few things: the ceremony time, the ceremony location and the type of invitation. If the ceremony begins at 2 in the afternoon in an outdoor garden, you can skip the gowns and diamonds. However, if it doesn’t start until 7 or 8 in the evening in an elegant hotel, chances are the dress is more formal. If you’re close enough with the bride, groom or someone in the wedding party, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking what attire is required.
And remember, it’s still not okay to wear any shade of white.

Drink in Moderation
All wedding guests over the age of 21 enjoy the open bar available at many weddings. However, a drink during cocktail hour,  toasting to the bride and grooms new happy life or a glass of your favorite spirit is perfectly appropriate, there is certainly a limit on drinks if you want to be a gracious guest. Know your limits and appreciate them- there is no table dancing, drunken toast giving or, worst of all, getting sick at weddings, southern or otherwise.

Following these little guidelines will help ease stress of the bride on her special day and help you to do what you came there to do- Have fun!

xoxo,

Raquel

Get creative with your invitations November 29, 2010

Choosing your wedding invitations provides an opportunity for you and your soon-to-be spouse to express your personality as a couple. The people on your guest list already know you, so they will appreciate receiving invitations that express who you are.

By varying such features as color and style of your basic invitation design, its accents, and the font style you use for your wording, you can create a multitude of combinations that will give you more options for making the invitations truly your own. Textures will also play a part in the design, and you’ll want to decide whether to use raised or flat lettering or choose smooth or textured design elements in your basic invitation or create texture through added design accents.

The details of your event can also be customized, and the wording can generally be modified to fit your personal tone. Inner and outer envelopes will often already come in coordinating colors with liners to match, though you can further personalize these by choosing different color combinations and save yourself a great deal of time by having your name and return address printed on the outer envelope.

Other components you may decide to use to further personalize your wedding invitations are reception cards, thank-you cards, multi-purpose cards, menu cards, place cards, escort cards, and programs. Choosing the right combination of items can help make your wedding invitations—like your wedding—distinctly yours.

Now is the time to let your creativity run free. As you plan your special day, allow yourself the luxury of choosing just the right invitation design, adding just the right accents and assembling all the right accessories to make your wedding invitations uniquely you.

Want more invitation design inspiration? Check out Mrs. Post Stationery in Memphis, Tennessee.

Summer Glow in the Garden! June 28, 2010

We recently had the pleasure of designing a chic outdoor wedding at The Dixon. As much as we LOVE pink (as documented in my past two blog posts), we were excited to work with a client who wanted to mix it up and use orange, brown, green, champagne and copper. The end result was a beautiful glowing wedding in the heart of the Dixon Gardens. Check out the pictures, snapped by Annabella of Asian Bees Photography!

The centerpieces inside varied from low, sprawling clusters of bouquets and candles on clean, champagne satin linens…

… to intricate, twisted branches reaching towards the ceiling. The branches extend from gorgeous flower wreaths saturated with color. Karin Woodward with Haute Horticulture never ceases to amaze us with her gorgeous floral designs. Check out the orchids winding through the vase! For this alternate table look we added a sheer linen overlay over the classic champagne satin we used on the other look. We had to special order this overlay from Mosaic. The gold chivari chairs set off the elegant feel of the room!

Karin awes again with her creative orchid bubbles floating among her branchy outdoor arrangements. Love!

Here is the arrangement from a distance. Romantically dramatic with the height, yet organically quaint with the moss covered pot!

A view of the outdoor cigar lounge. Outside we traded the elegant champagne linens and gold chairs for brilliant pops of orange and mahogany brown chairs. I love how the orange looks in contrast to the beautiful green trees in the backdrop.

Another luxurious, hand-rolled cigar bar!

Little details in the catering display. These unique upside-down cups of petals elevate the glass platform for the food display. CFY provided their couture catering, fabulous as always!

Three romantic brass chandeliers hung down the center of the clear-top tent ceiling. The orange fabric swagging draws the eye skyward and creates a lavish frame for the dance floor.

Here is a closeup! Again, love the orange against the trees!

The whole view of the tent. The band, Party Planet, rocked the house and got the guests dancing in spite  of the Memphis June heat.

A cocktail table outside with a sneak peek of the orange and white lounge area.

The orange and white lounge area provided a swanky and comfortable place for guests to chill out by the dance floor. LOVE this leather furniture from Mahaffey Tent and Party Rentals!

Unexpected and fabulous centerpieces for the long tables in the tent. The contrast of the bright flowers and cool moss mirrors the overall scene of the orange decor against the green trees.

My ABSOLUTE favorite detail- the hand-strung flower chandelier by Haute Horticulture! This hung over the dance floor and was a favorite of the guests.

Here is a closeup! Absolutely beautiful work by the florist.

Thanks for reading! As always, we hope you are inspired by our designs. This event was a blast and we are so lucky to have wonderful clients who let us play!

- Thank you to Social Butterflies for this fabulous guest post! Please visit www.sb-events.com to see more of their work!

Tent Lighting November 7, 2008

Use Flattering Hues

Golden and amber tones allow you and your guests to look their best.  Warm colors, such as gold, flatter everyone and highlight decor beautifully.  Shades of pink are also complimentary, especially for weddings.  You can use these shades to color an entire space while offering a sense of warmth and comfort.

Light to Enhance

To highlight centerpieces and food displays, try a technique called pin-spotting, in which a tightly focused light makes decorative touches shine.  Gobo lights – a special projector with an etched metal template – can be used to shine a pretty pattern across the walls, such as a couple’s monogram or company logo.

Gorgeous light isn’t only for reception or party space, like the main tent.  Hallways and courtyards can and should be embellished, too.  If your event is a subdued one, you may choose to illuminate these areas to complement your reception lighting and decor.  If you opt for a funkier vibe, however, you can change the colors and moods of each area.