The difference 2 seats makes

Making the best of your budget.  How to stretch a dollar to get what you really want.  Have you thought about how many seats to place in each row at your wedding ceremony?  Have you thought about how many seats to place at each table at your wedding reception?  No? Well let me show you a little something that could potentially make a big difference to you.
Let's say you have 150 confirmed guests at your wedding. You have $175 budgeted for your aisle runner and $4,350 budgeted for your tabletops (flowers, details, and linen).  What difference does 2 seats make?

The Ceremony

On each side of the aisle you'll need 75 seats. With 6 seats to a row you'd need a 75 foot aisle runner.  By increasing the number of seats by just 2 seats per row, you would only need a 50 foot aisle runner.  Which means you could upgrade from a basic aisle runner to that patterned runner and matching vow book you were just dying to have!

The Reception

SouthernLiving.com

You have the option to have 8 or 10 seats per table. With 8 seats, you would have 19 tables to dress.  By increasing by just 2 seats per table, you now only have to dress 15 tables.  That means your per table budget goes from $230 to $290.  Imagine the difference in the centerpieces, details and linens $60 per table makes! It could mean adding those peonies that you were just dying to have or upgrading the linens from the basic that are included by your venue to the seersucker linens you really really wanted.

Best Wedding Sites Magazine

Last month we introduced you to the new Style Me Pretty E-Glossy, and this month we would like to introduce you to another digital magazine; Best Wedding Sites.  We are especially thrilled to have one of our photo shoots featured (see pages 24-25). This photo shoot was a big step out of the norm for me- very whimsical.  Thanks to Ashley Brockinton, Signature Florals, and Marina Village Resort for being our partners in this collaborative project. Just click the cover to read the digital!

Are you loving the digital magazines?  We are.  And I will personally love them more when I get my hands on an ipad!

The New Years Bride Series Vol 3.

 

Like I said- it was cold.  So we did have to put the sidewalls down.  The best thing we did was make sure that we had walls with "windows" for the portion of the reception that was during daylight.  Another option is to get a clear tent, but since we had a lighting feature that evening, we decided the white top would be best.

 

The tablescapes consisted of bamboo folding chairs, espresso pintuck linens, ivory pintuck napkins, hydrangea, and candles in cylinders of sand and starfish.

 

For the U-shaped head table we simply trimmed the outer edge of the tables with low candles, small hydrangea arrangements, and starfish.  In the intersecting corners were 2 large cylinders that tied into the tablescape design on the guest tables.

 

Here's a closeup of the corner pieces on the head table. Sand, starfish, shells, and sand dollars.

I designed the menu cards to fit appropriately on the tables considering the amount of room we were going to have.  The pintuck napkins were too busy for a menu card, so the menus had to have a place on the table.

Did you miss the 2 previous New Years Bride posts? Here they are: Vol 2 Vol 1

Candles are hot. Just a reminder.

I hear it every single day, "I want candles everywhere" "Can we have more candles?" " I really like that romantic candle lit glow"

Guess what. I like it too. Me, produce a wedding without candles? Unfathomable. However, I do find it necessary to remind you that candles bring fire into the mix. Fire produces heat. Heat and crowds don't mix so well. Particularly in July after eating beef. Throw in some non LED lighting and you've got an a/c catastrophe on your hands. So, with that said...
✵Perhaps ask your lighting designer if LED perimeter lighting is a possible substitution for sometimes standard par lights.
✵Fall in love with battery powered tealights in frosted votives if you really really must have 40 candles on each dinner table.

An Eclectic Wedding Reception

{Hot Trend Alert} This is more than stepping outside the box, it's more like ripping the box apart and making your own shape out of it. And I am loving the idea of doing this for so many reasons.
Consider how beautiful museums are. Nothing matches in there. Yet, it still looks phenomenal. Mostly because the spacing is right, the lighting is right, and there's a foundation (walls) that keeps some form of unity.
There is so much that you can do if you move in this direction; and, even better, your costs can seriously plummet! For instance. Let's say you have 75 guests at your wedding. How about doing 5 or 6 completely different tables? Totally different centerpieces, some floral, some not. Different linens, some textured, some flat. Different chairs; all the same at each table, but different from one table to the next.
How to use this to cut costs: Let's say you love Ghost chairs, but can't afford the price tag 60 times over? Fine, do it at two tables of 6. Then, have two tables of 10 with less expensive bamboo chairs. Next two, tables of 8, standard chairs with slip covers. Then finally a couple tables with chivari's.
I would suggest that you stick to complimentary colors if you do go this route. One thing, I really think you'll need to go all the way to pull this off. No toe dipping; Jump in the water.
The possibilities are so endless its ridiculous.

Elegant & Modern Wedding Centerpieces & Tablescapes

{Cheap but Chic alert} Big centerpieces are fabulous in the right conditions. I adore and love to design centerpieces with tons of flowers, and candles, and heights. However, this isn't always the best look for certain reception rooms or to evoke a specific ambiance. Also, a limited design budget can be a reason for deciding to go with a chic less is more design.
A modern, simple, yet elegant centerpiece with a great linen selection can make all the difference in either case. For instance, this centerpiece is a fantastic example of making the best of a room that should not be over filled, or a budget that restricts. 3 perfect white starfish, on a beautiful green linen, gold chargers, chocolate colored napkins. Total cost for this table: about $40.
Obviously, there's more that you can add to this to complete and/or add to the look. Some design options would increase the costs slightly, and some could also be free- it's a matter of thinking outside the box.
I know that I've just scared some of you. Worried that it doesn't look "wedding" enough because there aren't any flowers? Easy fix. Go ahead and get 2 or 3 big lush arrangements for your reception room and place them in various focal points around the room, just not on the dinner tables. Also, my biggest design pet peeve: Don't stick your wedding cake in a corner! Use it for decor, not just dessert. Make it a focal point- it screams wedding. One last big dollar saver for you on this fantastic Monday: If you're ordering those 2 or 3 floral arrangements, use them at your ceremony site, then have your wedding planner move them into the reception room for that "wedding" look. Very important- let your florist know this is your plan so that they can design arrangements that can be moved. I adore double duty.

Black & White and read all overShopping inspiration

Today Michelle and I headed out to see if we could find a special table for Gwyneth Bride. We call her Gwyneth because she is so G. Paltrow its crazy. We adore her and her going to be off the charts gorgeous wedding. Back to shopping- I nearly had a meltdown when I got to my favorite shop because I realized I left my wallet at home. Ugh. Anyway, I was inspired by this months issue of Unveiled (I adore this magazine, its a must read). This issue is completely unique because its all about Black & White. Go get it.
So of course, I walk into the shop, and I find all this neat black and white that would be fantastic for a fun shower or bridesmaids luncheon. Best part- nothing over $4 a piece. Love that. These pieces might find their way onto a tablescape I'm doing next week.
While we didn't find the perfect table for Gwyenth bride, we did find these very cool 2.5 foot lanterns. These would be great at the beginning of a ceremony aisle with pillar candles inside and surrounded by big bushy peonies. Then we walked around the corner and found these monsters! I MUST HAVE THEM. Michelle is 5 foot, so you can see- these are big beyond big. I swear I could hear my poor abandoned wallet screaming, "come get me, I will buy them for you!". Michelle saved me by pulling me out of the shop with a Starbucks card. By the way, the new Tzao Vanilla Roobos latte is so good.

Wedding Decor from a non-wedding source

I try very hard to include unique details in each of the weddings I design. Many times that means finding pieces that aren't labeled "wedding" and placing them in a strategic places.
One of my favorite places to go for inspiration is Homegoods. I made a stop there today as I'm planning a dinner party that is going to allow me to truly step outside the box. During my visit I found all these items that I easily found use for, whether it be wedding decor related, or wedding planning related; even wedding gift related.
I found all these fantastic inspiration books on the end cap (love the red clearance sticker!). I picked up a few Williams-Sonoma books for the library. They 're great for finding menu ideas when you're looking to kick your wedding menu up a notch.
These all make great and inexpensive gifts for your bridesmaids. I confess to buying one of each for myself. The iStand has to be the coolest under $10 gift I've come across in ages. The monogrammed book of note sheets is sitting on my desk right now, and the cute little journal is in my bag, ready for jotting down ideas I get while I'm out and about.roll in my purse.
I adore all these details I found. The album is perfect for collecting written well wishes at the cocktail hour and then inserting all the digital prints your guests send you after the wedding. The 3 lanterns would make a perfect escort card display centerpiece at any kind of outdoor celebration. I found 6 of these beautiful green vases throughout the store. I can just see them filled with big bushy Peonies or Hydrangeas. And this board- so perfect I bought it. The frame on it is gorgeous and the corkboard makes it perfect for a seating chart (cover with giftwrap, wallpaper or fabric first).
Look at this collection of chairs! I can just see this eclectic mix at a massive rehearsal dinner or bridal luncheon table.

Before & After: From Idea to RealityP.S. I Can't draw

Today I'm cleaning out my office (ugh) and I find some old drawings and photos. It's amazing what they eventually developed into:
This:
Became:

This:

Became:


This:
Became:

This:
Became:
Obviously we made some changes...but it's neat to see what developed huh?

An Engagement Story

An extremely private surprise wedding proposal at Lighthouse beach on Sanibel Island. A groom wanted to bring his girlfriend out to the beach for a sunset walk and happen upon a beautiful table in the middle of undisturbed nature at its finest. Hidden under the table, a bottle of champagne and 2 flutes in their steady sticks and a cd playing Jon McLaughlin’s Perfect. And on the table he would place the let’s just say, “Hard to miss” engagement ring. The groom would tell his girlfriend to walk up to the table to smell the flowers and he’d take a photo. While she smelled the roses, she finds the ring. Behind her he took a knee. She turns around and, well, there’ll be a wedding to plan…

Showcase #7 Last but certainly not least!

From: LaKendra Kennedy of Affairs with Elegance



"I love to entertain especially during the holidays. My design is for a Christmas holiday table setting. All items are from things I already owned. The white plates and flatware are my everyday items. The place card holders are from Pier One and were purchased last year at the end of the season."

From Nikki of Special Occassions by Nikki


Hot pink and tangerine, a popular color combo this past summer!

Showcase #6.5 How cool is this?

From: Mark Kingsdorf, The Queen of Hearts


"These images are representative of an Afro-centric wedding reception.
Items of note are the traditional cloth runner of gold, black and red which accent the long hardwood tables for family style service."

Additionally I chose to include harvest items such as corn, nuts, vegetables and fruit all accented by a collection of candles. Other important elements of the tables are the inclusion of handcrafted items such as the hand made serving containers, ceramic napkin rings and the carved wooden animals used as place card holders…"

For those who don't know Mark Kingsdorf, he's one of the most well knowledged wedding planners there is. Mark is my go-to guy for Wedding Etiquette, catering questions, and a constant source of laughter. The man is ridiculously funny.

Showcase #6 "Ummmm cookies...."

From: Michelle Tortuya of Charning Events

"Here is my favor entry for your showcase. I am in love with Cakesters by Oreo - soooo good. And i'm a number one fan of edible favors. To top it all off, I think the Black/White wedding color combo. is so elegant, and this treat would go so well with that scheme!"



So, I put two cakesters in a cellophane bag, wrapped with ribbon and a black/white tag with a monogram. Yummy!"



From : Danielle at Oh Happy Blog! (One of my favorite reads by the way)

"A friend of mine was having a bridal shower earlier this month. Many of the members of her bridal party are mothers or well into their marital bliss... as she is the baby in her family. She wanted to share in this special occasion with EVERYONE and didn't want to leave any of her loved ones out due to their lack of a babysitter... so she asked if I would come in and save the day. She was having a "Midsummers Night" theme to her wedding and so we created this "fairy tea" tablescape for the younger guests to indulge on cookies and punch at the shower...



We went wild at the local JUSTICE for GIRLS and Target- buying dress-up jewelry and lipglosses... the overall result was so positive - the bridal party was able to relax and enjoy themselves without the worry of rushing home to relieve the sitter... I suppose that I chose to share this because too often I am confronted with brides that do not take the demands of parenthood into account... if it is known that children will be a part of the wedding- be sure to put aside funds to keep them busy ... this will ensure that your guests stay well into the evening and enjoy themselves to the fullest."

Let's pretend I had the spoon in the right place.

I just read Sarah Dennis' blog, Toast and Tables, and learned that the place setting on my breakfast table below was all kinds of wrong. Oops.
Check out what it should have looked like: Toast & Tables. I printed out her little chart there so I'll never do that again.
I read some of her archives- she's got a great blog!

Wedding Showcase #1

I am so thrilled about these! And honestly, I didn't realize so many people read this blog. I guess I'll keep it up; thanks everyone.

Enjoy just looking, post a comment, and/or send me an email if you want more info from the creators. I've gotten mucho grande feedback on this project, so there are many more great photos to come. I hope the showcase brings you some inspiration.

From Misty at Forever Weddings in California:

This is a tabletop Misty did for a recent bridal show. She's re-doing her office at the moment and is planning on sending another photo later this month.

From Vane at Brooklyn Bride:

"I did lavender sachets as favors...I've actually been meaning to try these out for a while as gifts for my bridesmaids, but your showcase gave me the push I needed to get my sewing machine out and start crackin. The fabric was from a napkin I bought on sale at Anthropologie, originally $4.00, I got it for $1.95! (note: 1 napkin made 8 sachets for me) The lavender I've had sitting in my closet for MONTHS since my cousin came back from Provence with 2 bags for me, but I'm sure you could find online as well. I would use them in sets of 3 tied with a pretty ribbon and place at each placesetting...your whole venue will smell like the south of France!"

From me:

I thought I would pull together a pre-wedding breakfast or brunch table. Perhaps something for you and the girls as you wait to get your hair & make-up done. A couple things I want to point out- it doesn't have to be dark to use candles. They always look pretty. Don't be afraid to use a few colors, but don't go overboard. Three is usually a good visual. If something looks flat, layer it for dimension. The napkins looked dreadful just laying there, so I added a tiny bloom set on top of each and it was a 100% improvement. Everything came out of my house except the scones & flowers. The table turned out so pretty that I emailed a couple nearby gals over for coffee tomorrow morning. I'll probably have to replace the scones though. I couldn't help myself.

Wedding showcase: By you.

I had the best idea this afternoon as I was catching up on all my favorite blogs. Half the reason I love to read blogs is for the pictures. I find them very inspiring. Inspiration boards I DO love. But how much fun would it be to show a bunch of tabletops, welcome bags, or favors that you come up with yourself? Let's do it! But you'll have to give me until Friday to post mine, because it'll take me that long to do one and my current to do list is ridiculous.

Here's the info:
1. You don't have to go out and buy everything. Feel free to get creative with stuff you have and save a few bucks.
2. No copycats. Going to West Elm and taking a photo and then just changing the colors won't fly. The whole point is to be creative. Be inspired by- but don't copy. Don't be scared to try. Go way over the top- or don't. I'm always pleasantly surprised by how awesome simple can be on occassion.
3. It doesn't have to be "wedding". Yes, this is a wedding blog, BUT, there is more to getting married than the wedding. There are lots of dinners, showers, parties, etc. So a tabletop or favor for something like that would be fine!
4. No winners. This is a showcase- I'll post every one that comes in. If you can send a few shots of your designs, I might make a board out of it. But 1 or 2 photos (jpeg please) would be fine too.
5. You can do one in each category (tabletop, welcome bag, or favor) or you can do two, or just one- whatever you like. Just be prepared for a rash of questions if everyone loves what you came up with- I might email you for a resource list.
6. In your email, tell me a bit about whats in it and why (if applicable) and if you are a bride, wedding pro, or...

I'll post pictures thru the month of September. Oh I am very excited! My email address is over on the left sidebar. Email me if you have any questions.