Wedding colors, flowers, and more for summer 2013

Let’s talk about summer’s hottest colors for weddings. Coral is one of the hottest wedding colors for 2013.  Pair it with teal for two beautiful pops of cosmopolitan color or pair it with some softer colors for that classic summer look such as grey, beige, yellow and pale blue.   This year, the softer the look, the more popular it has become.  Pair a pretty lilac with silver or grey or a berry pink with a mint green for that outdoor summer feeling all around.  If the lighter colors are not your thing, I’d check out hot pink and tangerine tango, which is a pretty bright orange that I love. I’m personally pretty excited about this color combo as I’m really into bright colors that pop. 

The other hot trend I’m seeing is mixing and matching of more than just two colors or even using a rainbow of colors.  And when I say rainbow, I do mean like the actual rainbow.  This has been a hot new trend that is allowing each bridesmaid to wear what she looks best in as well as allow the bride to choose all of her favorite flowers.

Speaking of flowers, I love the peonies and hydrangea that have been peaking this year as well as the hanging amaranthus and lisianthus pairings I’m seeing. Know what else is still hot this year?  Feathers and Fur!  That’s right, I said fur.  Feathers have been hot for several years and I still love using them when the event calls for it.  But fur is a brand new one for me and I can’t wait to use it, though I probably won’t use it until the fall.

Two other hot trends that have been picking up speed for years and are finally a must have for every bride are event lighting and a lounge area.  Though I’ve been helping brides add these items to their budgets for years, today, I’m hearing more and more brides say, “I gotta have it, help me figure out how to make it work.”

On my next blog, we’ll chat a little bit about how to save money in other areas so that you can have what you really want whether it be lighting, a lounge area, a certain out of season flower, or that killer dress.

Ta ta for now my beautiful brides....

Ta ta for now beautiful brides…..

Why to light your event. Reposted but even more true than it was back then!

Lighting for weddings

What can lighting do for your event?


Event lighting is a growing trend in New York and Chicago events according to Sarah Pease of Brilliant Event Planning out of New York City. Clients are spending their budgets on “music, floral, lighting, and food”. I’ve started to see this trend here in the D/FW metroplex as well. Some clients are just doing a little bit of pin-spotting on their centerpieces and cakes and some are opting for all out room washes with gobos that highlight the couple’s monogram as well as themes such as trees on the walls or beautiful swirls or snowflakes.

So, what is “lighting” anyways? Well, to start, there are room washes that light up the entire room with a certain color. Why do a room wash? There is nothing worse than stark house lighting on everyone’s head. Color wash takes away the harshness of house lighting and replaces it with a mood or feeling of relaxation and fun. Imagine taking the unkind white lights out of the equation and replacing it with one or two of your wedding colors. Our favorite lighting color is 100% magenta washed with a little bit of blue. This stunning look makes everyone look good, the food looks great and the guests are ready to party. There’s no harder way to get people on the dance floor than with cruel house lights shining on them highlighting their every move. Replacing this with a color wash gets everyone on the dance floor and in my book that is a successful event.

What about pin-spots? Pin spots are a great way to highlight the design and décor that you have worked so hard on to make perfect. You should always budget pin spots into your floral design. You can also uplight each individual centerpiece with centerpiece uplighting. These neat little devices fit underneath your centerpieces and light up the water and takes your décor to the next level. I suggest doing both centerpiece uplights and pin spots on your tall centerpieces at the very least. I would also suggest pin spotting your cake. Shed some light on the items you’ve spent a lot of time deciding on so that they don’t get lost. You’ve taken the time to make these items perfect. So, take the time to make sure they are seen.

What is a gobo? A gobo is a light fixture that sends light to your dance floor or walls in the shape of your monogram or other fun shapes such as trees, snowflakes, swirls, or words. For instance, if you’re theme is Hollywood, you can do a gobo that has the Hollywood sign projected right onto your dance floor or on one of your walls. The most popular gobos are monograms on the dance floor. Gobos add so much to your event’s décor that everyone will be talking about it for weeks to come.

So, to light or not to light? That is the question. Well, if you want an event that is out of the ordinary, lighting is definitely for you. If you want an event that is chic and unique, lighting is definitely for you. Don’t forget about lighting when you are creating your wedding budget. Whether it is a little bit of pin spotting for your cake and centerpieces or a full on room wash with gobos and centerpiece uplights, lighting is definitely for you.