1. Colors. Brides are choosing darker and deeper colors for their winter weddings. We suggest that brides use copper and gold tones instead of using the traditional pewters and classic silvers to pull off a beautiful fall wedding. In Winter, expect to see navy, cranberry, and hunter green in reception ballrooms as well.
2. Flowers. Natural is the way to go now, with varying wildflowers in casually tied bunches. Bongiornos.net says that many brides are choosing flowers that have a “just picked” look rather than a formal bouquet. Using herbs in your bouquets and centerpieces provides a comfortable atmosphere as well as a sweet fragrance. Regardless of the season, having your guests blow bubbles or throw rose petals rather than rice as you are leaving the church and/or reception hall makes for a more romantic look.
3. Rehearsal Dinners. Rehearsal dinners have become much more laid back, and many feature a festive theme to make it even more casual. Options include a Hawaiian Luau, a Southern Barbeque, or a Fifties Party.
4. Children: Attire and Children’s Tables. Flower girls are wearing fairy wings and carrying wands. Still popular are little handbags, flower baskets, ballerina dresses with tutu-like skirts, and A-line dresses. Most ring bearers are still seen in the traditional tux. Having a kid’s table at your reception can really keep children occupied during toasts and those important first two dances. Give the children coloring books, games, or even goodie bags to keep them busy.
5. Personal Touches. Couples are not just handing out matchbooks and candy anymore. Everything from personalized CDs to bottles of wine with the wedding date and a picture of the couple inscribed on the label are being dispensed at the wedding’s conclusion. Wine glasses, mugs, bath salts, and candles are very popular favor choices as well. Some couples are using calligraphy and colorful paper as place cards at the reception. Remember, almost anything can be printed or monogrammed these days, so be creative.
6. Many couples are using the entire weekend of their wedding to celebrate by starting on Friday and running through Sunday. This way you are able to spend more time with distant relatives and friends. Couples are heading everywhere this fall. Any location that lets you and your guests take advantage of a view and the season is a great place for a winter wedding. For winter weddings it’s best to select cozy surroundings. Cottages, bed-and-breakfast inns….
7. Photography. Key word: Candid. Talk to your photographer and ask them to simply walk around with their camera taking shots of everything and anything they see. Posed pictures are always great, but candid pictures “capture the moment.”
8. Escorts down the aisle. With the diverse combinations of families these days, it is hard to figure out how to handle the issue of escorts. Both father and stepfather or mother and father are now escorting brides (one on each arm) down the aisle to incorporate more than one loved one. Brides are asking grandparents and siblings to take on this responsibility, as well their dogs. This is your chance to honor someone who you admire, who is a loyal friend or an individual who has had an impact on your life, no matter his or her gender or species.
9. Have fun! This is a trend that never goes out of style. Make sure you make your wedding day a special one. The best way to ensure the day is one you will enjoy is to employ the services of a professional wedding planner, allowing you to hand over all your tasks (not to mention stress!) to someone else on your wedding day. Instead, use the time to take a long bath, a walk, or get much needed massage. Whatever it takes to relax and keep a smile on your face, do it. This is a day you don’t want to spend wrapped up in mindless details! Remember why you are there in the first place and have a great time!

Bridesmaids & Wedding attendants can wear colors that reflect those of the season.

Your flowers should keep with the fall color-scheme. You could have a wonderfully rich bouquet of not just red, orange or rust-colored roses, but you could also include deep colors of Gerber Daisies, Dahlias, Mums, Apricot Lilies, Rust/Burgundy hydrangea and Chrysanthemums. You can also include fall leaves, berries, or even miniature pinecones!
Flower girls can wear wreaths of these flowers and leaves in their hair. Instead of your flower girl dropping petals, they could drop leaves.

Flowers:  Many types of flowers are more abundant during the spring. Spring blooming flowers such as: rainbow tulips, daffodils, irises, narcissus, lily-of-the-valley, pussy willows, hyacinths, crocus, forsythia, daisies, Easter lilies and of course the beautiful rose.  New trends for flowers: floral balls instead of bouquets for bridesmaids or flower girls.  Bouquets are small, compact with simple elegance, all one type of flower, and tied loosely with a beautiful ribbon or two different shades of ribbon.

Themes:  If your wedding is near Easter, you could use chocolate bunnies or eggs in mini baskets with ribbon for favors.  Easter-egg feather tree centrepieces, fabulous floral (3-5 tiers) wedding cakes, using various shades of green mosses, votive candles and low succulent plants.  Butterflies-either live releases after ceremony-or seen as a decorative element on purses, on hair jewelry and printed on wedding invitations.  You can use heart-shaped wedding rice, it’s biodegradable, safe for animals and not slippery. Divide rice into tiny bags and pass out to guests as they leave the ceremony.  You can take a plain white purse and glue on, flat silk flowers or butterflies.  Scatter spring-colored jellybeans or pastel mints on each table instead of the typical metallic confetti. For an evening reception, light the way for guests with wedding luminaries.

Colors:  The colors of spring flowers always seem to influence the color trends.  This year will be no different, as lilac/lavender, daisy or light yellow, lime green, ivory & white, celadon, icy blue/periwinkle, light pink and gold are hot colors for weddings and for bridesmaids dresses.  Metallic shine continues to be popular; especially since most bridesmaid dresses are already satin.  Some designers are also getting bolder; using the bright sherbet colors of mango and raspberry, which should carry right through into summer.

Spring tends to be the time of year when colors make a splash and the winter ‘blues’ fade. Choose a pastel pink, yellow or blue for your colors. Have your bridesmaids wear soft pink, yellow, lilac or blue gowns. These pastel colors look fabulous on almost every type of girl. Use pastel colored flowers in their bouquets.

Give your guests flower seeds for favors. Many online wedding vendors carry handmade paper cards with seeds imbedded in them. Guests can plant the seeds at the appropriate time of year and always remember your special day.

Use flower shaped candles as favors. Many craft stores offer floating candles in a variety of shapes such as: roses, sunflowers, daisies, carnations or butterflies.

Sprinkle multi-colored rose petals on your wedding cake or on the tables for a festive spring look. You can buy silk or real petals in bulk and fill the tables with color. Fill in between the dishes and glasses with different colored flowers and greens, or pastel Jordan almonds. You could also add a large dish of colorful, fresh fruit to each table. Your guests would love a bite of fresh strawberries, peaches, kiwi, or watermelon.

See you at the show

SANTA MONICA, CA–(MARKET WIRE)–Mar 11, 2009 — Hanna Hartnell, known for designing the most daring and glamorous bridal gowns, had a design epiphany as she was creating a collection for the new generation of recessionista brides. Hartnell’s Double Dare Gown allows brides to wear their wedding gown many times beyond their wedding day. For an avowed “greenie,” this revelation had a double impact — not only would the gown she was creating be cost effective — but it was recyclable as well!

Here’s how it works — by simplifying the sensuous elegance inherent to her gowns, she found that the sophisticated construction allowed her to line the gowns in the same silk as the gown itself — but with a different divine color the dress becomes a reversible wedding gown! Available in four different designs, a well placed side slit gives a peek at the gown’s secret life to be lived at some future date… a guest at another’s wedding, a dressy night on the honeymoon or a slow dance on their anniversary. A glorious flower pin made of both colors pulls everything together perfectly on each side.

There are over ninety colors to choose from, so a bride can have her best color… after ivory of course — waiting in the wings to be worn at the right moment. Hanna’s choice of fabric has always been earth friendly — preferring to work with natural silk that’s not only sustainable, but processed by a clean technology.

With a greatly extended life span, the Double Dare Gown is also a sign of the times for those looking for ever-wiser ways to spend the dollar. Not only is this collection priced to fit more modest budgets ($1,200-$1,800), there’s no need to buy an additional gown for the next dressy occasion. What’s more — if you want to cut your gown to dinner length, they’ll be happy to do it for you at Hartnell. What could be Greener or more Financially Sustainable than a reusable, recycled and reduced wedding gown?

Hanna Hartnell’s glamorous history includes creating stunning gowns for Red Carpet galas, White House events and even gowns for the Oscar trophy girls. The exclusive collection of made-to-order bridal and mother of the bride gowns can be found at Hanna’s Santa Monica Studio/Salon. Last year she and her studio were awarded Santa Monica’s Sustainable Business Award from the city’s Chamber of Commerce for Greening her design studio. Great ideas often spring from challenging circumstances — and the Double Dare Gown double dares either fate or fortune to stand in the way of beauty and elegance. http://www.hannahartnell.com

Did you know that the average wedding requires 250 hours or more to plan? Planning successful weddings is a wedding consultant’s job.  They can save you money, time and stress by providing knowledge and expertise.  You don’t need to waste your valuable time learning how to read an event order, negotiating contracts, or creating room diagrams.  Wedding consultants already know how to do all that and more. They are your Party Planner, Stage Manager, Financial Advisor, Vendor Broker, and Therapist.  Just in case that isn’t enough to convince you, here are some other Frequently Asked Questions when deciding whether to hire a professional consultant or not. 

The Church/venue has an on-site coordinator, isn’t that enough?

An outside professional wedding consultant works for you, representing your best interests. This goes well beyond just being there on your wedding day to set up tables. They are there to answer questions, assist in shopping, recommending vendors, scheduling appointments, and making sure that all the elements of your wedding are exactly how you dreamed they would be. They are there when problems arise on your big day and are prepared to handle anything. An on-site coordinator works for the venue, not for you. They are paid salary by the venue and often make a commission by upselling you. They are most concerned with making sure the event follows the venue’s rules and timeline. They are there to make sure things are set up and delivered but they usually do not stick around from start to finish. Another drawback to relying on just the onsite coordinator is that they often are working more than one event at a time which takes their attention away from you.

I have a friend/relative that said they will coordinate my wedding day.  Is that okay?

Your wedding is something you’ve dreamed of since you were young. If it’s a close relative, they may also have envisioned this day as well.  A friend/relative may feel that they have a right to decide what is best for your wedding instead of doing it your way. In this situation, feelings can get hurt if you try to speak up for yourself. A professional consultant knows when to speak up for you, and doesn’t mind being the one to step in and tell “Aunt Sally” that the favors she thinks are adorable are tacky. Your friend or family member should be free to enjoy your wedding day with you.

Aren’t wedding consultants expensive?

Hiring a professional consultant is actually more affordable than you think.  Not only does a professional consultant allow you to have a stress-free day, they can save you hundreds of dollars. It is their job to establish quality relationships with all the vendors, and because of this they may be able to get you discounts and deals. They also know some of the best ways to save you money which can offset the price of their fee.

Stay tuned for helpful tips and trends in the wedding and event industry. Feel free to contact us for a free consultation and personalized quote at 727-463-7673 or email events@bellaroseevents.com.