Elegant, Sophisticated Stylish Beach Wedding found Vol. 2

Yesterday I opened my mailbox and found a dvd inside from Alys dad. He actually took the time to compile a slideshow format movie of the wedding weekend with all the pictures they collected from their guests. What a great idea and I can not wait to watch it tonight. In the meantime, here are more pictures from Concept and a few bits of insight into what was truly one of the best weekends I've ever had the pleasure of planning.

Color goes a very long way at beach weddings because your environments are usually every "un-color" imaginable. If you don't infuse some color; go heavy on texture.

Aly & Mike had a Beatles inspired ceremony.  I can't wait to see the video because the toast the Aly's dear friend made was hands down the best tie into a ceremony I have ever heard.

 Got 5 more minutes of light before you head into cocktail hour? Practice your 1st dance!

 I will forever love market lighting and clear tents.

 I still have visions of this engagement ring running through my head. STUNNING.

Yes, she forgot the bouquet.  But really, do you think she could have been any happier?  I have to admit, I kind of love the excited hand wave!

We could have removed all the seats after dinner because nobody sat down again once the band got going.

 Brown eyed girl with the best lashes ever.

How sweet are the petals on this dress? I adore Monique Lhuillier

 I will forever love long tables at weddings. Why?

1. Because people love to sit at them so much more than round tables. You can easily talk to multiple people, not just the person to your left or right.

2. Because the centerpieces fill the entire table (I kind of love flowers and so does Floral Artistry).

3. They take up less space.

Get hair & makeup. You will not regret it so long as you hire REAL professionals who use quality products. Doing this will ensure that you look great pre-ceremony until the band unplugs.

Pad your wedding day prep time so that there is time to just sit and enjoy the people around you.  It's such a nice part of the experience of your wedding day.  Drink some champagne, plug in the ipod and giggle.

 The fun photos are the ones you'll cherish the most.  Key reason to LOVE your photographers so that you are totally comfortable being yourself.  When I say love, I mean like you want to have lunch with them and then drink martini's and friend them on facebook love.

A good officiant means everything.  He's the guy who will guide you through the most powerful words you'll ever speak to someone.  I kind of wish this picture was in color, the vow book I designed for Aly & Mike was so pretty.

 Details! From top left:
White Hydrangea, white roses and phalaenopsis orchids
Custom wine bottle table numbers I designed blended right into the table (I'm not a big fan of table numbers)
The blue runners and napkins allowed the flowers take center stage during the day when there was so much light.  In the evening the candlelight took on this duty.
The rock candy was Aly's super cute idea.  The tags said' "You Rock!" Thanks for coming.  This was a small hint to the blue candy bar we had later in the evening.

I wanted to keep the tables less cluttered so we made these framed chalkboards for the menu and table assignments.
The cake. YUM and gorgeous.  Who doesn't love a bunch of pretty ruffles? 

 Rush matting aisle runner. Keep it natural on the beach folks.

 Look really close...the champagne glass says Mr. (Aly's says Mrs a few photos up)

 This dress was made for this twirl.

The end. {insert giggle}
Vol 1 is here
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A Sophisticated Garden Beach Wedding on Captiva Island: Vol 2

It almost doesn't look real does it? A little bit of perfect on a November night.

 Cute little kiddies every where!

 Phalenopsis Orchids, Roses, Hydrangea and Stock amongst the floating candles.  This is one of those centerpieces that looks stunning in daylight and evening because the colors are so light (see below).

 Crystals need not be "bling".  They can be quite elegant too!

 Deck the mantle. Always deck the mantle. We continued the same arrangements from tables to here.

Isn't it amazing the difference lighting makes? I nearly always prefer some kind of floating candle over a pillar.  Mostly because the floaters allow for more reflections on the glass.
Did you see vol 1?

How much does a centerpiece cost?

I'll bet you anything that you've asked this question or are wondering this question.  I'll also bet that in one of the dozens or hundreds of blogs and magazines you've read that there was an answer to that question.  The problem with that is the answer is most likely wrong.  Pricing for everything when it comes to weddings varies drastically from location to location, even from 1 neighboring town to the next and wedding professional to the next.
To prove my point, here is a centerpiece that I asked the professionals in my wedding twitter community to give me average pricing they would expect to pay based on their experiences:

3 piece centerpiece of roses, lisianthus, mums, hydrangea and stock

The prices I received back from 20 different wedding planners and florists in the US and Canada were:
$70, $80, $450, $225, $200, $250, $150, $175, $100, $350, $400, $165, $125
The bolded costs were the most frequent answers.

What does this mean to you?  You have to do some homework.  Now, I am not condoning a price war; let me be very clear.  There are price differences for very good reasons.  In this example of flowers you have to consider the reputation and experience of the vendor and the level of service that you receive with it.  Some vendors will just drop off the centerpieces to a corner of a room and that is all that is included, you must set and return the rentals yourself.  Others may deliver, set up, strike, and provide a full sample mock up prior to your wedding.  All these things should be considered.
So when you're working on your budget, keep this all in mind. You get what you pay for.  You just have to know what you're paying for!

Above Centerpiece by Signature Florals

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

A Savannah bride gets married in Bonita Springs

And she did it on Derby day. Well, when the horses are running- everything stops. This includes her wedding. Savannah bride and her wedding party refused to leave the suite at the Hyatt Coconut Point until the Kentucky Derby was over. It was quite funny to be honest. Thankfully, the ceremony still started on time. Here are a few photos I took during the day.

How beautiful was my Savannah bride? I absolutely adored her wedding dress which was perfect for the beach ceremony.

Guests left their shoes behind and walked down to the wedding site au natural. This was perfectly appropriate because they had a very informal ceremony. In fact, all the guests stood during the short ceremony. We only had a few seats for the parents and grandparents.
How stunning were these centerpieces from Signature Florals? The white dendrobium centerpieces were striking against the cool blue water in the celebration vases. I chose a champagne crinkle taffeta linen to make sure the room kept a less bold feel.
A special treat for the guests; tableside service. Each guest selected all 3 of their courses at their seat. Confession: I loved not having to track chicken/beef/fish responses.
Oh the reception room was pretty. The club at Raptor Bay was the perfect compliment to her sophisticated dinner party.
Another beautiful cake by Daniella at Ellas cakes in Naples. The sash looked so real in person. I caught a few people trying to touch it, trying to test it out!
Here's to another great wedding!

I can't say enough about a detailed floral proposal

{Quick post} When you've put so much effort into making every detail count for your wedding, the last thing you want is to arrive on your wedding day and see personal flowers and/or centerpieces that are disappointing. The best way to ensure that this doesn't happen to you is to clarify your expectations.
With your deposit ready, request a detailed written proposal from your floral designer that includes all the flowers and ribbons that have been selected, acceptable alternates, the shapes, sizes and counts of everything, and if possible- sketches.
Schedule a mock-up of your centerpieces well advance of the wedding. Some florists include this in your cost, others may charge a mock up fee.
Lastly, request to come view the flowers the day prior to your wedding (or send your planner).

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.

Calling all brides!

As you know, we're gearing up for our 2008 blog showcase and we're off to a great start. The Planners & Wedding designers across the country are ready to start creating a showcase piece based on what you envision, and we have a list of amazing photographers a mile long ready to photograph! Much to my surprise, we're short on brides!
The process is easy- your showcase planner/designer will contact you and let you know what showcase piece they'd like to create for you. Then all you have to do is give her/him your thoughts/ideas on what you'd like to see.

"Oh, you're doing a place setting? Great! I'd love to see something really contemporary, with greens, whites and golds. Oh, and I love the look of glass. Love, love, love glass. And my favorite flower is a rose, if that helps at all."

Easy right? Then you and your showcase planner/designer and the photographer will get together to photograph you, your planner/designer, and the showcase piece. All the submitted showcases will be featured on the blog in August.
That's it! Nothing but fun wedding inspiration. Free of charge, full of smiles. If you have a photographer or planner you'd like to work with, send me an email and I'll see if I can get you matched up!
Here's the list of cities we for sure need participants from (but we're not limiting to these!):

Boston, MA
Captiva Island, FL
Conneticut
Denver, CO
Ft Myers, FL
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Naples, FL
New York, NY
Newport, RI
Sanibel Island, FL
St. Louis, MO

A really unique & beautiful wedding

I very rarely post about any weddings other than the ones I design & plan, but this one is too good to pass up. I found this featured wedding on the Southern Weddings Magazine blog (which happens to be one of my new fave reads). It takes place at one of my other favorites: the Wynn in Las Vegas.
Things I adore about this wedding...
````The bridesmaids have completely different dresses on and it looks awesome.
````I count at least 4 different centerpieces.
````A mix of long and round tables.
````Hello- did you see the chuppah and the arches leading to it? GORGEOUS.
You can see more photos at:
Victor Sizemore's Blog
Victors quite the talented photographer!
and
Southern Weddings Blog

It's been a funny day

Today Michelle and I had to run some errands. Little did we know we'd be cracking up the whole morning.

1. Warning: If you're at the grocery store buying key limes, don't pick up the bag by the wrong end. Key limes roll fast and furious.
2. Yeah, we absolutely had to take a picture of ourselves in front of this:

3. For those who can't make up their minds about what wine to have. The bottle that pleases all palettes (and the planet):