Fall color predictions

Obviously I'm making up for not updating in a month :)

My predictions for hot fall colors are as follows:

Opal and Black

Summery orange and Bronze

Deep green and Cream

Gold and Plum

I will post pictures of color swatches tomorrow!

Unique reception receptions

An historic building, such as:

• An old church
  
• Castle
  
• Home/estate
  

A renovated warehouse

• It does not have to be industrial! 
  

A vineyard or winery

Your local country club

• No, you normally do NOT have to be a member
  

A renovated barn

Anywhere with a manicured, rolling lawn

The following link from Catering St. Louis provides perfect examples of some of my favorite St. Louis venues

http://www.cateringstlouis.com/weddings/weddings.php

Keeping cool at outdoor weddings

If you are having an outdoor wedding this summer, you will need some stylish ways to help keep your guests cool.  Here are some of my favorite ideas:

Provide a non-alcoholic punch bar, with colors centering on your color scheme

And for the drinkers of the group, an ice-louge with top shelf spirits will them refreshed

Create a light and airy tent over your guests for the ceremony using silks or cottons

Custom-made hand fans can add an elegant touch to any outdoor wedding

Avoid creating excess heat from bright lighting by using candles and soft lighting

To keep your guests comfortable, provide flip-flops for them to dance the night away in

Keep lots of ice-cold bottled water around the ceremony and reception sites

Table shapes

I feel like the standard 80" round is getting dated.  While it will always be a classic and can never be replaced, there are many other options available!

Square tables which hold 12 people are great for a smaller function.  It creates a more intimate seating arrangement and does not constrict the guests form talking to people only on their left and right as a standard round can do.

A venue filled with smaller square tables is just beautiful.  If your reception was to be held in a large, renovated greenhouse with lights strung from the ceiling and your tables decorated with timeless centerpieces, think about how classic your reception would be with intimate square tables, versus large rounds.

Long rectangular tables with bench seating-style.  While many may think this is only useful for an outdoor wedding, that is simply not the case.  Perfect for a venue which is an odd shape, bench seating creates a more 'family like' atmosphere than the traditional round creates.

There are so many fun style options you can come up with when using this type of table.

Picture centerpieces which alternate in size and shape, going the full length of the table.   Your colors can gradually change with each centerpiece.  It creates such a pretty image, doesn't it?

Hello all, I apologize for not updating!  I promise to have a new post before this holiday weekend is over!

Flowers

I am newly in LOVE with big, open flowers being used to compose bouquets.  Alone, or combined with smaller and not yet fully bloomed flowers, they look fabulous!  Below is a brides bouquet, composed of various rose types and peonies.  The contrast of a smooth rose to a ruffled peony give it so much depth!

Above is a cabbage rose.  It's such a unique and fun flower to use on your Big Day.

My other current obsession is flowers being displayed in water, as see in the picture at the top of this site.  I've seen pictures of people only partially submerging the flower(s), but that seems pointless.  You can also float a little candle or two on top of the flower(s).  This looks especially gorgeous for an evening wedding with a few other tea lights placed around the centerpiece.  Be sure to check with your florist to make sure the flowers won't rot, swell, or fall apart after sitting in water for an extended period of time.

Colors

Steel grey.

While not a color that comes to mind for a spring wedding, it is one of the seasons hottest trends. And I, for one, am so excited about it!

Think about a beautiful, deep, brushed silver being paired with a light rose or brilliant aqua.

Black and a bright (NOT circus) color.

I know, I know.  Black is not for a spring or summer wedding.  But I think it is!  Picture your 'maids in long, silky black dresses with a spring green or girly pink sash. Or, if their dresses aren't designed to have a sash, you can have them wear shoes that match the ribbon on their bright bouquets.  SO many possibilities!

A color I am very sad to see go out of vogue: deep chocolate brown.

I've always pictured my wedding to be Tiffany blue and deep brown...even my high school graduation party invites were those colors!  So while this color won't be seen much this wedding season, I think that brown will still be a fabulous color trend for the fall and early winter months.