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January 26, 2010
This years bridal showcase was full of inspiration, creative ideas, and vendors who have cutting edge ideas and a willingness to make the impossible - possible. There were so many wonderful flower centerpiece ideas for the spring / summer, using bright bold colors paired with muted pastels makes a bold statement. Try a DIY project for centerpiece ideas - add in a vintage broach or some costume jewelry to add some individual spice to the theme. Another fun idea is to have a black and white photo framed with you and your fiance holding a number so guests will identify their table while getting another glimpse of your personalities.
2010 is shaping up to be another fun year in wedding & reception themes - be bold, silly, sexy or something in between, but most importantly show your individual style!
Try mixing things up, using burgundy, pinks, greens, and blues for a truly unique style. Ribbon can be used to tie everything together, from wreaths, trees, to mantle decorations. Using large ribbon makes everything look elegant and gives it an eye catching pop.
Don't limit yourself to just you family/living room - by decorating other rooms in the house with some type of Holiday vibe will give your guests and family a warm happy feeling no matter where they are in your home.
Another fun Holiday decorating idea is to hang different glass ornaments from your chandeliers in your home, its easy and beautiful!
Happy Holidays Everyone!!
With Thanksgiving around the corner I began thinking about all the things I was thankful for - but paused and wondered why I am not thankful more often. After really digging into this question the only answer I can come up with is that our lives are too busy to actually stop and smell the proverbial roses.
We each run a unbelievable pace everyday just to keep up, in that total madness we let the important things pass us by while trying to meet corporate deadlines. What happened to the slower pace, the lazy days of summer? It seems to me as wonderful as the information highway is, there have also been some consequences with our appreciation for the little things being one of the causalities.
Having a family and being in a family used to be a badge of honor, and now the "ME" factor has taken over our lives, dictating our time, and initiating behavior that is just sad.
For myself, I am going to try to slow down - enjoy the scenery while remembering that life is all about the journey not the destination.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Worked with Ms. Ivy to produce a wedding - 2 days worth of hard work to put all the elements in place. I doubt people understand the amount of time and work that goes into making a wedding / reception a design success. Every element is carefully planned out and then implemented in the space.
We hung fabric, crystals, chandeliers, set table, lounge areas, bars.. it wan an unbelievable effort that took 5 individuals just on the design team. Even as a planner myself I was amazed with the amount of teamwork involved in creating a high end reception. Basically you are creating a feeling, a moment in time that guests will never forget.
I was so inspired and so ready to put my ideas into action, lucky for me I have a wonderful bride with a 2010 wedding that I can weave some magic in.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Managing your time is often one of the most difficult things to learn. Many of us overfill our days and end up going in every direction and getting frustrated with the whole situation. The idea of scheduling your time seems easy enough, we all have day planners, outlook, phones with reminders... yet we still find ourselves pushing each minute to the very limits.
I find there are two main reasons, the first is our inability to say NO - we live in this feel good society that would rather say yes upfront and then stress for weeks trying to figure out how to get out of the situation or how to do it as quickly as possible so we aren't late for another appointment. The second reason is we each go through "Wonder Women or Super Man" phases where we actually believe that the 24 hours in a day applies to everyone else and not us.
The solution - there is no magic pill and most of us can't afford a personal assistant so as we are looking at our day we should allow for the unknowns that pop up everyday and give ourselves realistic goals.
The Wedding Affair Showcase last weekend was a blast, met a ton of new vendors and saw many that I had already met. Anyone thinking of hosting a party or if your choosing a site should take a look at the Whitehead Manor in Charlotte NC. They have done a wonderful job of creating a real feeling of Southern Charm right in the heart of Charlotte. The grounds are beautiful and can easily be used for a small wedding or a 400+ wedding. Several vendors that I would recommend checking out are Erin who creates stunning candy buffets for parties and weddings, her site is www.eladesign.net. Another great vendor was Photo Edge - his photo booth was a huge hit and so much fun.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I am loving the bedazzled pumpkin look for fall events. It is so simple, just take a corsage pins and push them into the pumpkin - you instantly transform your pumpkin into a divakin. Try using different color pumpkins to mix it up. Another great idea is to use mini pumpkins as candle holders - easy and cute for a big statement.
If your looking for something with flowers, try taking a large pumpkin, mums, water tubes and a screwdriver. Use the screwdriver to burrow out about 20 holes all around the pumpkin, insert your water tubes and then put your individual mum stems into the tubes. You instantly have a beautiful centerpiece for your fall gatherings.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Inspiration and design can come from anywhere at anytime - you just have to be ready to take it in and let the ideas flow. Sometimes the best ideas come when you least expect them.. like on a road trip, at the grocery store or even while watching your favorite movie.
One thing I absolutely adore is getting together with other creative people and playing off of each others strengths - the ideas that come out of these sessions are always fabulous and fresh. My florist and I put together an entire wedding parties flowers this week + created a table scape that is going to be fabulous.
The hardest part is having the ability to harness all the ideas that may come to you, it can be overwhelming when you are bouncing from one idea to another like a kid that has had too much candy on a trampoline.... it takes focus and for me the best way to stay on task is to outline my project so I know what I still need to do and what has already been done, a lot like a formal writing outline.
Everyone has their own methods - there is no one way, just try out different things to you find one that totally meshes with who you are!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Charleston trip where I was supposed to catch inspiration for my upcoming projects... well I ended up catching a cold. Still managed to get out some and find some interesting fabric and patterns. Charleston is always wonderful, wish I would have felt better.... but its hard to be miserable in such a beautiful place. Signed a new bride - can't wait to start the design fase of this project, I have tons of ideas. Wedding and reception site are fabulous - the trasformaiton should be seamless.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Confession:
On Friday September11, I was to meet a wedding planner group at Dean & Deluca.... well as I waited and walked around, I did not see any other members of the group. Feeling like I had a sign on my face that said, "hello I'm lost and have no idea where I am supposed to be" I just sat quietly at one of the tables hoping someone familiar would come in. Waiting over 30 minutes I finally went out to my car totally confused- as I drove out of the complex I drove right by Dean & Deluca II, literally 100 yards away ( duh who knew there would be two of them on the same block).
And yes, the group was in that establishment -- I hate when that happens. Just another example how sometimes the best laid plans get turned upside down.
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