Your Wedding Advice - StrictlyWeddings.com Blog

Wedding Receptions | Candlelight and Centerpieces from Simple to Sublime

We’ve seen some amazing wedding reception photos over the years. It never fails to amaze us how candlelight transforms a large space into something romantic and intimate.

Below are examples from our StrictlyWeddings.com partners and others. These centerpieces are turned into statements and works of art – from over the top to simple elegance. Marvelous ideas for our fabulous brides.

Photography: www.insideweddings.com, Nancy Aidee Photography, Edmonson Weddings, DFW Events, Kehoe Designs

Wedding Colors – Elegance and Drama in Red, White and Black

Who says weddings should be “Pretty and Pink?” When this bride and groom began making plans for their March wedding, visions of “Blush and Bashful” were not part of the conversation. “Drama! Glitz! Glamour! Passion!” exclaimed the bride-to-be at the couple’s first meeting with DFW Events in-house Designer, Nelson Robinson, who quickly seized upon one word that seem to say it all: RED!

For her own gown, the bride found the perfect “princess dress” in a bejeweled soft white satin Kenneth Pool. It featured a strapless neckline softened by a flutter of pleated organza and mermaid silhouette. The entire gown was opulently embellished with silver and gold bullion, Austrian crystals and caviar beds. She gowned her attendants in black satin, ideally suited to showcase eye popping red bouquets.

The magnificent wedding cake replicated the bride’s gown and was topped with a glittering marzipan M (the first letter of the groom’s last name). Ornate mirrored stands supported the massive bouquets of white lilies and cascading orchids embellished with crystals tear drop votives. Stands of crystal beads extended from the ceiling. Diamantes encrusted the cake knife and server.

Luxurious red was integrated into almost every glamorous feature. An embroidered canopy hung over the expansive head tabled swathed in red linens where the bride and groom were seated on a tufted red brocade love seat. Guests danced away the evening on the red Lucite dance floor flanked by curved red silk sofas festooned with throw pillows. The band played in front of a red backdrop screen decorated with a distinctive AM monogrammed designed especially for the occasion. The monogram was repeated on the wall behind the cakes as well as the napkins and menu cards. The entire ballroom glowed red with a dramatic wash of lights.

Photography by Karlish Photography

Featured Wedding – A Chance Meet at the Beach

Web & I met on a half-blind date, half-wing person type of situation. I was vacationing on Kauai with my family. My parents rented a house in Haena and we were constantly either at the beach or doing the usual tourist activities, such as hiking, scuba, snorkling, etc. My older sister, Ali, and I had meet a couple of “local” boys at the beach and one, really liking my sister, invited her to see the sunset that evening. Ali wanted me to come along, so he said he’d bring a friend. Thus, we met at sunset on Ke’e Beach, which is at the end of the road on Kauai’s North Shore. (I should mention that I did catch the bouquet at my friend’s wedding not even a month before…). Now we live in Hawaii.

I choose a peacock theme because the colors in the peacock’s feather are constantly changing; however; they remain a gorgeous palette of harmonious hues.

As far as vendors, everything fell perfectly into place. Our wedding planner, Allison of DFW Events, was recommended by a friend. She in turn pointed us towards Thisbe Grace, our photographer. We choose Mimi’s Garden and the Camp House (Dallas Arboretum) because of both there proximities and/or use of water. The Garden with its man-made waterfalls and the Camp House due to the beautiful view overlooking White Rock Lake. Gill’s was one of the pre-selected choices for the Dallas Arboretum and after meeting Steve, the owner, and tasting the food, I was sold. Ryan with Lights Dallas was another Allison choice and we could not have been happier with the sound and music. I always wanted a string quartet to play during the ceremony, specifically ” All You Need Is Love” as we walked out Man & Wife, and Dallas String Quartet played perfectly!

The Couple:  Lauren Pingree & Web Godinez
Wedding Gown – Stanley Korshak Bridal Salon
Photography – Thisbe Grace Photography
Designers & Coordinators – DFW Events
Flowers – The Wildflower
Location – The Dallas Arboretum
Hair/Makeup – Mo Bowers
Lighting – Beyond

Vintage, Lace and Chandelier Visions

Our Dallas Wedding Planner partner, DFW Events shared this fun wedding with us from their blog.

Heather Cunningham and Dustin Maddux tied the knot at Arlington Hall at Dallas’ Lee Park. The bride, Heather, is extremely creative and had a distinct design scheme for her wedding. The ceremony and reception were absolutely gorgeous with great attention to detail. Her vintage, lace and chandelier visions made her wedding just a dream! We could not have asked for a more perfect weather day in Dallas, and I would venture to say nor a more perfect wedding for our bride and groom!

Ceremony/Reception: Arlington Hall at Lee Park
String Quartet: Stradivarius String Quartet
Photographer: Edmonson Photography
Videographer: Larry Causey
Band: Limelight
Guitarist: Justin Cash
Décor: DFW Events, 214-505-9142
Florist: Rusty Glenn
Lighting/Ceremony Sound: Beyond
Cakes: Frosted Art
Hair: Sonia Trevino
Makeup: Mayra Rams-Sanabria
Get-a-Way Car: Blue Diamond Limo
Coordination: DFW Events, 214-505-9142

A Dodger Wedding

DFW Events, one of our Dallas Preferred Wedding Vendors, shared this wedding with us for our fans:

On December 4, 2010, high school sweethearts Ellen Melson and Clayton Kershaw became husband and wife in Dallas, Texas. The couple met at Highland Park High Shool and continued to date as Ellen pursued her degree at Texas A&M and Clayton was recruited to play professional baseball for the LA Dodgers. What a FUN, full of energy, and perfect wedding!

Photos by Edmondson Photography.

DFW Events – Wedding at Rough Creek Lodge

On October 2, 2010, one of our StrictlyWeddings.com partners, DFW Events, traveled to Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose, Texas to celebrate and coordinate the nuptials uniting Molly McDonough and Brett Long. The couple attended SMU, though they did not know one another… Brett’s college roommate introduced the two post-college. They celebrated their wedding day exactly three years after their first date on October 2, 2007. It was such an honor for DFW Events to be a part of the wedding weekend, especially for Alison Baker, who served as Molly’s Matron of Honor (Molly and Alison were college and post-college roommates!). Enjoy the pictures below courtesy of Edmonson Photography…. we begin with a few snapshots from Molly’s bridal session.

Molly did a great job thinking through the styling of her portraits… she wanted a rustic, but elegant setting that captured the theme of her wedding from the very beginning. The settings above were the perfect spots, accompanied by the touches of elegance, making for a beautiful backdrop on this beautiful bride…

Following the ceremony, guests were invited back to the main lodge for a seated dinner… Molly is amazingly talented and created her menus on her own! There were TONS of amazing details throughout the entire reception … the menus are just a small taste of the inventive, stylish touches Molly added.

Vendors:
Ceremony/Reception: Rough Creek Lodge
String Quartet: Gyros String Quartet
Band: The Project
Photographer: Edmonson Weddings
Florist: Garden Gate
Videographer: Imagique
Cakes: Dallas Affaires
Linens: BBJ Linens
Specialty Lighting: Beyond
Photo Booth: DC Photo Booths
Hair/Makeup: Mo Bowers
Transportation: Glen Rose Transit
Coordination: DFW Events, 214-505-9142

Featured Weddings: Elle & Brent

At first glance, Ellen “Elle” Warren and Brent Harman are every bit the modern couple: he is the president and CEO of a successful barbeque brand, Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse, and she is the co-owner of a high-end bridal salon, Warren Barrón Bridal. But their relationship, along with their March Dallas wedding, was spotted with details that made for a perfect combination of old and new.

The couple’s first meeting, a blind date coordinated by their shared banker, lasted twelve hours and was a virtual culinary tour of Dallas starting with lunch at Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse  and ending with stops at Fearing’s and Charlie Palmer. Their courtship lasted a year and a half, and Brent planned for a proposal that played off of one of his favorite dates with Elle – an evening where bad weather and a craving for dancing led the two to Elle’s boutique to dance to music played by an antique record player until three in the morning.

The day of their proposal, the couple planned on watching the Cowboy’s game with some friends at a bar, but thanks to some creative genius and a little fibbing from Brent, they ended up back at Elle’s boutique. The original site of their impromptu evening of dancing was set up with flowers and champagne. After she said “yes,” Elle opened a sealed letter that Brent had written years before, meant for his one true love to open on such an occasion.

Elle was perhaps uniquely suited to find the perfect wedding dress because of her experience in the industry, previously working for top gown designers Ulla-Maija and Angel Sanchez and then opening her own Dallas bridal boutique with friend Cecilia Flores-Barrón in 2006. She chose an Elizabeth Fillmore gown and accented the ensemble with a black birdcage veil from Leah C., “something borrowed” diamond earrings from William Noble, a Meridith Griffin for Elizabeth Fillmore necklace and Chanel shoes. Not to be outdone by his bride, Brent wore a Balenciaga suit with an Alexander McQueen shirt.

Dean Fearing, a close family friend of the groom, opened up his restaurant Fearing’s at The Ritz-Carlton for the couple’s reception and personally created a menu and unique wedding cake for the affair. The rest of the details for the couple’s intimate wedding (the 60-person guest list included mostly family and close friends) were made easy by Alison Baker of DFW Events.

Photographer/Studio: John Derryberry Photography

Flowers: Bella Floral

Hair & Makeup: Sonia Trevino Wedding Stylist (hair) & Mayra Rams-Sanabria of My Fabulous Faces (makeup)

Wedding Reception Decor – Ritzy, Bold, Lush

One of our new partners, DFW Events, has established an outstanding reputation for designing spectacular weddings, social affairs and transforming spaces. They do a wonderful job of taking the bride and groom’s wildest dreams and watch them come to life! We wanted to showcase some of the spaces that they have transformed. We love the romance of the space, the colors and textures, everything that makes them one of our top three luxury wedding planners in Dallas / Fort Worth.

A Red Wedding – Drama! Glitz! Glamour! – Amanda Alexander & Matt McMurphy

Red! Red! Red! Who says weddings should be “Pretty and Pink” …certainly not Amanda Alexander. When she and fiancé Matt McMurphy began making plans for their March 3, 2009 wedding, visions of “Blush and Bashful” never entered Amanda’s mind. “Drama! Glitz! Glamour! Passion!” exclaimed the bride-to-be at the couple’s first meeting with DFW Events in-house Designer, Nelson Robinson, who quickly seized upon one word that seem to say it all: RED!

After their initial meeting, Nelson presented Amanda with a detailed sketch that illustrated her ideas. “He captured Amanda’s dream to perfection,” recalls Mindy Rives of DFW Events, who coordinated Amanda and Matt’s wedding. Amanda took one look at Nelson’s rendering and said, “That’s it!”

Nelson joined forces with Junior Villanueva at the Garden Gate and together they made Amanda’s ideas become reality.  The beautifully dramatic locals of Christ the King Catholic Church and The Ritz-Carlton Dallas were the backdrops for their elaborate plans.

For her own gown, Amanda found the perfect “princess dress” in a bejeweled soft white satin Kenneth Pool. It featured a strapless neckline softened by a flutter of pleated organza and mermaid silhouette. The entire gown was opulently embellished with silver and gold bullion, Austrian crystals and caviar beds.  A gown fit for a princess! She gowned her attendants in black satin, ideally suited to showcase eye popping red bouquets.

After the formal ceremony, Amanda and Matt’s guests were treated to a sumptuous five course seated dinner where the couple’s characteristically singular attention was focused on the menu.

Amanda and her design team considered every detail. The Ritz pastry chef, Morgan Wilson, created a magnificent wedding cake that replicated Amanda’s gown and was topped with a glittering marzipan M. Ornate mirrored stands supported the massive bouquets of white lilies and cascading orchids embellished with crystals tear drop votives. Stands of crystal beads extended from the ceiling. Diamantes encrusted the cake knife and server.

Luxurious red was integrated into almost every glamorous feature. An embroidered canopy hung over the expansive head tabled swathed in red linens where the bride and groom were seated on a tufted red brocade love seat. Guests danced away the evening on the red Lucite dance floor flanked by curved red silk sofas festooned with throw pillows. The band, Bullet Proof Brass, played in front of a red backdrop screen decorated with a distinctive AM monogrammed designed especially for the occasion. The monogram was repeated on the wall behind the cakes as well as the napkins and menu cards. The entire ballroom glowed red with a dramatic wash of lights.

By the time the couple made their late night getaway in a stunning vintage white Rolls Royce, every guest’s eyes glittered with the sparkle of Amanda and Matt’s perfect evening.

Source: Nina Nichols Austin Weddings

Photography by Karlish Photography