Choosing a Centerpiece

Your flowers will be a sizeable investment on your wedding day. Your guests will admire your flowers at the ceremony, but most of all at the reception. Your reception centerpiece can capture your guests’ attention, with interesting details and beautifully placed flowers. Here are some thoughts on designing trendy and creative centerpiece that will captivate your guests:

Collection of Vases

A popular design, as well as budget friendly. Using a collection of cylinder or square vases of varying heights will give the table dimension. A monochromatic color palette will give you a sleek contemporary look.

Wrapped Vases

If colored vases are not offered by your florist, choose to wrap them in eye-catching fabrics. A thick border ribbon, crystal ropes or layering with shimmer paper stock will highlight texture in an otherwise flat vase.

Sparkle

Nothing sets the mood like candles. Setting pillar candles in a mosaic candle holder, or floating candles in crystal dishes, can accessorize your table. If possible, use colored votive holders that will match your event color palette.

Potted Plants and Herbs

Beautiful and earth friendly. This aromatic display of greens can easily be incorporated into any design. The best part is that the guests can take them home to enjoy and reminisce about your wedding day.

Illumination

As it is at any event, the lights in the room will be dimmed. This is most certainly going to give you romantic ambiance. But it is a deterrent to your centerpiece. Add an illumination box that can uplight your centerpiece, from the bottom up. If your budget allows, definitely pin spot, at a minimum, your high centerpieces. After all, it is the crown jewel of the evening.


Your personal touch will brand your centerpiece. Exquisite details will certainly keep your guests raving about your flowers. We hope you will take more chances with your centerpieces, we are always inspired by out of the box design ideas.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now),
Olivia

The Cost of a Cake

The sky is truly the limit when it comes to designing your wedding cake. Gone are the days when you had white frosting on white cake with white filling. Bakeries are doing amazing things with flavors and décor when it comes to wedding cakes. Like everything other detail of your wedding day, you need to budget for the cost of your wedding cake.


Once you have booked your reception venue, ask if your cake is included. Some hotels will include a cake, baked either in house (less likely) or from a specific bakery that they work with (more likely). You should still have complete control over the style and flavor of your cake, but be sure to ask, there may be restrictions based on the size of your wedding.


Have your heart set on getting your cake from your favorite local bakery, which is not the same baker the hotel uses? Ask if you can add something to your bar or a few upgraded hors d'oeuvres in its place.

Cutting fees: Be sure to ask if your cake will be sliced for guests to take home, or served as dessert. If you would like the protocol switched you may be asked to pay a small fee (typically about $1/person) for them to do so. If you are bringing in a cake from an outside bakery you may incur a similar fee for the hotel cut your cake.


The actual cost of a cake has many variables, including your choice of cake flavor, filling flavor and frosting. Plan on paying anywhere from $4 - $15/person depending on your selections. Cake flavors range from your standard yellow or chocolate to black forest, carrot or banana. Filling choices include fresh fruit, ganache or cannoli, and that’s just a start. Fondant frosting will cost more than butter cream, and the cost will change based on your décor choices.


The best part of ordering a cake (in my humble opinion) is that you get to go taste test a few. Be sure to taste the flavors of cake and filling that you order, so that there will be no surprises on your wedding day. Bring along any photos of cakes that you like, and plan to look through the collection of photos at the bakery to make your wedding cake selections.

Enjoy this sweet task!

Special thanks to our friend Igor at The Baking Institute for providing us photos, flavor options and cake inspiration.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now),
Olivia

Wednomics - Part 1

Wednomics
Putting together a wedding budget

We all know that those with a large budget have many avenues to put together the wedding of their dreams. For those of us who don’t have a pot of gold to tap into, we need to be resourceful about where we allocate our dollars.

It is worth spending some time after you get engaged prioritizing the various elements of your big day. Do not use a cookie cutter template for putting together your day, make your day about YOU!

Over the next couple of weeks we are going to put together a few scenarios as a guideline for your planning.

This week we are going to look at a couple with a $10,000 budget, who would like to invite 100 guests to their wedding. Below you will find two sample budgets, with a few parameters for each. These are based on conservative market prices in the suburban Chicago area.

Scenario 1:
For our 1st couple, décor and partying are paramount.

Ceremony at a suburban public park:
Permits - $100
Officiant - $250
Chairs (100 chairs at $2.50 each) - $250*
Personal flowers - $500*
Assuming 4 attendants on each side, 4 parents and 2 grandparents
Ceremony total: $1,100

Cocktail Reception at a banquet hall:
Heavy appetizers for 100 people at $20/person - $2,000*^
Open bar for 100 people for 4 hours - $2,800*^
DJ for 4 hours - $800
Centerpieces (10 dining tables, candles on 10 highboys) - $1,000*
Wedding cake - $600*
Reception Total: $7,200
*Tax – 10% ($715)
^Service Charge – 18% ($720)
Grand total: $9,735


Scenario 2:
For our second couple it is important for them to serve their guests a sit-down meal. They will be having their ceremony and reception at a country club. Their wedding will be held on a Friday evening to further reduce the cost.


Officiant - $250
Personal flowers - $500*
Assuming 4 attendants on each side, 4 parents and 2 grandparents
Passed Hors d’ouevres $8/person - $800 *^
Main course of chicken piccata $25.50/person - $2,550*^
House Bar package for 100 people for 4 hours - $2,500*^
Wedding cake - $600*^
DJ for 4 hours - $800
Total: $8,000

*Tax – 10% ($695)
^Service Charge – 18% ($1,161)
Grand Total: $9,856

As you can see, the costs add up quickly. It's important to be realistic about what you can afford, and what your expectations are accordingly.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now),
Olivia

Cultural Traditions to Copy

Today Adel Domingo will be bringing us some tips on cultural traditions you may want to incorporate into your wedding celebration. Take it away Adel...“

Tradition simply means that we need to end what began well and continue what is worth continuing.” Jose Bergamin, Spanish writer and poet

When we are invited to weddings, we usually witness what you and I would consider traditional or common to our culture or family, especially in the country you are currently living. We are occasionally invited, or have access, to other cultures’ weddings in the U.S. or North America with its diverse population. It is a privilege and an honor, whether it is a cultural tradition or a unique family ritual, when we are able to participate at these events. If you’re the type of couple who is unsure what traditions you want to use for your own wedding, or you are open to trying something different, here are just a few that you can borrow:

In the Indian or Pakistani culture, the bride’s family covers and surrounds their home with hundreds of stringed lights of different colors to announce the big event the day before the wedding ceremony. This occasion is called a Mehndi, and the families are joyful in song and even dance. The bride’s hands and feet are painted with henna with intricate patterns. Her family waits on her while she has to let the henna dry overnight. In North America, it is similar to the rehearsal dinner in pre-celebration and feeling of preparation to the big day. It is also a good opportunity to meet each other’s families and friends.


The color red is used with significance in several cultures. It symbolizes love, joy, and prosperity in China, so red envelopes are used for gifts, a red gown is always worn by the bride and invitations are either red or have a touch of red in their design. Indian brides usually wear red saris on their wedding day. In the western culture, a red rose symbolizes love and is widely used for weddings especially around Valentine’s Day. If you’re not the traditional bride, why not change to a red dress at the wedding reception?

A traditional custom in the Philippine Islands is to have a veil drape over the bride and groom to symbolize unity. It is followed by a white cord or lasso loosely over the veil and around the couple’s necks and is a symbol of their bond. An older version is a part of the bride’s veil is pinned or draped over the groom. You might get away with this if you plan to have a long veil. However if you have a very short veil, you may want to try the cord. The modern version you can use is the “God’s Knot” or a cord of three strands. It is three strands or cords of different colors attached to a brass or metal ring; purple for the groom, gold for God, and white for the bride. After the vows, the groom holds onto the brass ring while the bride braids the cords together because marriage takes three to make it strong; God, the bride and groom.


from Martha Stewart

If you do not want the usual three or four-tiered wedding cake, why not try have a traditional French croquembouche. It is a towering cone made up of small crème puffs filled with pastry cream and surrounded by threads of caramelized sugar. This yummy tower of crunchy goodness is usually served at christenings and weddings. Instead of cutting a cake, you can each pull a cream puff from the tower and feed each other to celebrate and symbolize their new life together.

Speaking of sweets, an Irish honeymoon traditionally lasted for a month. In fact, honeymoon translated in Irish as “the month of honey” or “mi na meala.” They isolated themselves for a month drinking honeyed wine, just in case their families try to separate them, especially if they eloped. In modern times, the honeymoon is a time for the newlyweds to get to know each other more, usually at a tropical hotel resort, and to finally relax from what seemed to be an endless amount of wedding planning and celebration. Instead of the usual one week, why not take a month off? Two weeks of island romance and another two to enjoy your new home together. This may be my favorite of all the customs to borrow and a concept to be rekindled every 10th anniversary!


Couples are now more contemporary and do not always marry somebody in their own culture or religion; however, this does not stop them from mixing, not borrowing, their own traditions to honor their own ancestries and beliefs. This compromise is an indication of a good marriage.

Most traditions or rituals are sacred or well-respected by its culture or country so use them with care when you incorporate them in your own ceremony or reception, which of course is meaningful in itself.

Hope you found some inspiration in the planning of your own celebration.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now,)
Olivia

Top Wedding Sites

Hi everyone,

We are guest bloggers over at Top Wedding Sites today. Come check out our blog on changing your look during your wedding day.

http://www.topweddingsites.com/wedding-blog/wedding-attire/more-than-one-wedding-gown

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now),
Olivia

Do I Need a Wedding Planner?

You’ve just gotten engaged, the euphoria of the moment is now in the past, and all you can think about is the big event. Where will we have the ceremony? Where will we have the reception? What type of flowers do I want? What colors do I want? Invitations, place cards, meal service, and the list goes on and on. Now you say to yourself, do I need a planner? While I cannot answer that question, because it will ultimately be up to you to decide this, I will cover some reasons why you may need one, as well as the benefits to hiring a wedding planner.

So the first question to ask is what is a planner? A planner is a specialist who plans weddings, or assists in the planning of weddings on a professional basis. You may hear this person called a planner, consultant, coordinator, etc., for the purpose of this blog we’re going to use the term “Planner,” but know this can be interchangeable. This person is part advocate, consultant, advisor, confidant, friend, counselor and a whole lot of other things. A professional wedding planner has a wealth of creative ideas and avenues to contacts in the wedding vendor world. Here are the top five reasons you may need a planner, and how they can help plan your special day:


1 – You and your fiancé both work full-time jobs and simply don’t have enough time to plan all the details for this special event.
A wedding planner’s schedule is very flexible, they should be available to meet with you based upon your schedule. Weekends, evenings, holidays it simply doesn’t matter. A planner’s job is to obtain the details of your event and put all the wheels in motion.

2 – You’re way behind on your checklist and schedule.
A wedding planner can step in at this point and get you back on schedule. A good wedding planner will know what needs to be done, and knows the ‘who’s’ and how's’ to make it all happen.


3 – You can envision your wedding but you have no idea how to make that vision a reality.
A wedding planner is very creative and imaginative, and knows where to find all those unique and dazzling touches to transform your wedding into an absolute fantasy. Their wealth of knowledge, and relationships with vendors in all categories, ease the transition from dream to reality.

4 – You’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and generally wishing you had decided to elope.
Everyday wedding planners organize details and transform visions to reality. They will arrange the endless details, organize logistics, communicate with the large number of vendors and service providers, arrange your schedule and timeline and control your budget to ensure a smooth event.


5 – You can’t envision your wedding
This may not be something you have thought about since you were little. You may have no idea where to start, or even what is available in the market. Sit down with a planner and give them your likes and dislikes. They will have many questions for you, and by answering them to the best of your ability you will give the planner an idea of what you want, and will use their creativity to wow your guests.

There are many other reasons that you may be asking if you need a planner for your wedding. In a recent survey conducted by SuperWeddings.com and the International Institute of Weddings, 72% of recently married brides who did not use a wedding coordinator for their weddings said that based on their experience, if they could do it over again, they would indeed hire a wedding coordinator to assist with the planning process, or at least to be on hand to supervise the wedding day itself. Make an appointment and visit a few planners and see how they can make your day more enjoyable. There is no re-wind in real life, especially when it comes to a monumental occasion like your wedding day. After all, you only get one shot at the biggest day of your life, only one chance to make it amazing, why gamble with disappointment?

Wedding Trends for 2011

It’s the time of year when all of us in the business begin to predict what the biggest trends in weddings will be for the year.

There is no denying that the most anticipated wedding of 2011is the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. This celebration will affect the wedding trends of 2011, and based on past royal weddings, probably weddings for many years to come. What will Kate wear? What will the color scheme be? What will the design elements be? These are some of the questions that the public and wedding industry professionals are all asking. This is to be a fairy-tale wedding in real-life.

Our team of planners, with a combined 50 years of experience, have done some research on the growing trends. Here is what we are predicting, based on what we are hearing from clients and other professionals, as the 2011 wedding trends:

Most popular months:
June is no longer the month when most brides wed, it has been replaced by May, July, September and October. Couples are booking their event close to their wedding day, and gravitating towards long weekends or holidays.

Themes & Decor:
‘Green’ weddings have been a growing trend in the industry, but this year’s events will go beyond green and become naturalistic. Natural fibers, textures and colors will replace shiny glitz. As far as event décor is concerned, chocolate brown and natural woods will be the stars of the show. Accents of orange, gold and cream will give a modern, sophisticated palette for your events.

Reduce, reuse, recycle are on your minds. Couples are becoming more and more environmentally sensitive in their planning with vintage dresses, recycled paper invites, and using food and floral from local producers.

Food & Drink:
Food & drink have always been trendy with many different cultures and cuisines being introduced each year. Keeping with the growing ‘Green’ trend food trends will continue to move toward locally grown comfort foods. A new sense of shared community will be exemplified by venues and caterers partnerships with boutique brands, artisanal purveyors, and local distilleries. Cold weather trends include spiked hot chocolate and miniature spiced doughnuts with warm weather treats featuring white lychee sangria with lemon sorbet pops.


Venues:
Although hotels will always be popular, and the most requested venue sites, the search continues for unique venue locations. Topping the list are Estates, old warehouses and art galleries. Private bars and unique, private hidden places that offer exclusive handcrafted cocktails and secret back bars are becoming more popular for events.

Invitations:
Invitations are taking on new life, becoming much more creative in the electronic sense. Letterpress still stands out, but over-the-top electronic in the form of video is replacing it. The “Green” trend will carry over to invitations and paper as well. Couples will explore online wedding invitation and save-the-date options, as well as 100% recycled paper. With a decline in excess, there is an increase in giving back. Donation cards to a charity close to the couple and gift bags with a cause will become more prevalent in 2011.

Colors:
Pantone has announced the color of the year which is “Honeysuckle”. The color is a blend of pinks and can be mixed with soft creamy yellows and pair it with robin’s egg blue.


Honeysuckle shows up on the catwalk of Badgley-Mischka for their spring 2011 collection modeled during Fashion Week in New York. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson)

Other colors that also look to be popular in 2011, based upon the catwalks in New York and Paris, are slightly muted fuchsia, aqua, teal, apple green, loganberry (magenta and wine together) and light citrus yellow with light avocado tones as a neutral for the spring and summer of 2011. Also, grey has replaced black as the new neutral for weddings. Pairing grey with vibrant hues will be sure to make those colors pop. And while grey remains the talk of the town for 2011, Prince William’s upcoming royal wedding has put navy, sapphire, and royal blue back on the map

The folks over at OneWed put together their predictions as well and we could not agree more with these predictions:

Sophisticated Elegance Returns
According to the team over at OneWed “It’s back to basics with elegant, sophisticated style in 2011. Wedding decor will be understated with modern design elements trumping DIY touches. Scripted calligraphy, custom monograms and classic wedding cakes embody this trend. Brides will wear pearls and grooms will ditch the Converse in favor of more tasteful wedding day kicks.” In addition, be prepared for luxurious textures, “Textured linens, embroidered and beaded chair covers, and branch-like centerpieces will captivate wedding guests.”


Gowns:
Big Ball Gowns are Back. Again, according to OneWed “Wedding dress designers draped, ruched, and layered clouds of tulle, power netting and chiffon to fashion whimsical wedding dresses with limitless volume. What is going to be the outcome? Fairytale-inspired bridal style and whimsical wedding dresses for 2011 I Dos.” One shoulder gowns, sheer and peekaboo necklines will gain attention by allowing brides to be fashionistas with flair.

Ethnic Influences, Cultural Wedding Details
”Whether it’s a religious wedding ceremony ritual, traditional wedding day garb, cultural cuisine infused throughout the reception dinner, or wedding decor with bold, ethnic prints, you can’t help but embrace the unique cultures and ethnicities of couples in 2011.”

The important thing to remember is these are only the forecasted trends for 2011. If this isn’t your idea of the perfect event, be bold and adventurous and create your own trend.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now),
Olivia