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Seattle’s weather great backdrop for this green, white and black wedding

Our friend over at http://www.everylastdetailblog.com shared with us this lovely wedding (love the green accents) from the Pacific Northwest. How special that the bride speaks to the huge part that her mom played in the planning of the wedding.

“My fiancé and I live about four hours away from where I grew up and where we were planning on getting married. He works full time as an engineer and I’m a full time nursing school student. So for about four months my mom would run around and take numerous pictures of different place settings, center pieces, and all aspects of the wedding then let me choose what I liked. I literally could not have had such a wonderful perfect day without the help of my parents!” 

That’s a loving parent!

My best advice for future brides is to set aside more than enough time to plan, and to remember that no matter what when you look back on your wedding that little “miss-hap” won’t seem so enormous later, so just breathe and have fun!

Alante Photography did an amazing job capturing the emotion of the wedding. The laughter, the anticipation, and the joy all come shining through.

Resource: Everylastdetailblog.com / Photographer: Alante Photography / Reception Venue: The Edgewater Hotel / Flowers & Decor: Bella Rugosa / Invitations & Stationery: The American Wedding / Cake Baker: Sharon’s Catering and Cakes / Linens: BBJ Linen, Inc. / DJ: Affairs to Remember / Makeup Artist: Salon Maison / Bride’s Dress: Melissa Sweet / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade

Green – A Refreshing Change for a Wedding

Meg Perotti is a California wedding photographer whose work we have featured many times. In this case, we couldn’t bypass the “freshness” of green as the main color in this wedding in San Jose. It’s like that “ahhhh” feeling you get when you have an ice-cold drink on a hot, sunny day or the noticeable pop when your eyes shift from dark to light. We hope the photographs  we shared with you today resonate with you as well.

Trained in fine art photography, Meg Perotti approaches weddings in an intimate artful way, resulting in lovely images that emulate her unique personality and beauty. She states clearly on her blog that she absolutely loves what she does and if it touches your heart, she’d love to hear from you!

Wedding Themes – The Power of Yellow

Who doesn’t have spring fever? We do!

So while talking with our Dallas wedding partner, Jordan Payne of Jordan Payne Events, on what spring color energizes her; she waxed so poetic about the color yellow it inspired us to search our trusted sources for Weddings inspired by “the power of yellow!”

“I am seeing more and more clients bringing shades of yellow into their wedding and event design,” says Jordan. “Not only are there so many shades of yellow, but it is a color with so much personality!  A color that will mesh with a soft, elegant wedding or a bold, electric yellow for an over the top celebration.”

Below are some pairings of the beloved color yellow with various color combos to inspire you this spring …

Above photos courtesy of Junebugweddings.com

Photo courtesy of Keith Laverty

Photo Courtesy of Jordan Payne Events

Photo courtesy of Jordan Payne Events

Purple Reign – Inspiration from Jordan Payne Events

My office is purple, need I say more. Purple reigns true for me and, from what we see in the photos below, with our brides as well. Many thanks to our StrictlyWeddings.com Jordan Payne for sharing with us.

Fall’s Splendor as your Wedding Decor

Summer is over and it is now time to turn to fall. Trees are turning to the beautiful colors of dark orange, yellow and gold while the flowers change to deep hues of Aubergine, rusts and reds. This is a perfect time of year to host a wedding.

Follow nature and design your wedding around the deep hues, tons of texture and lovely metallic accents. Feature a color palette using more formal colors such as Aubergine and Copper or Merlot Red with Gold. Create stunning centerpieces of beautiful birch branches with leaves bursting from them.

A fall centerpiece should include texture:

• Use fresh fruit and vegetable to accent your flowers.
• Tuck beautiful cut figs, baby eggplants, squash and nuts in between the flowers.
• Use berries and classic magnolia leaves and acorns to add additional texture to a centerpiece.
• Use a fantastic white pumpkin as your container and design your centerpiece with fall colors. The pumpkin should be spilling with orchids, rust roses, dahlias and magnolia leaves.

Use fresh treated leaves to border the aisle runner. Place hurricane candles in beautiful silver lanterns down the aisle.

You can even take the fall theme into your food choices:

• Pumpkin Bisque with brunoise of pumpkin and candied toasted pumpkin seed. This can be served in a mini pumpkin atop a grapevine wreath.
• Caramel Apple Cider Martini with a thin apple slice on the edge of the glass
• Plum Champagne with Champagne and Plum Wine
• Do a fall themed lollipop station with:
  • Individual bite size caramel apples dipped in crunch nuts
  • Mini Popcorn balls with candied almonds
  • Mini warm cinnamon doughnut holes
  • Leaf shaped cookies
  • Pumpkin Cheesecake
  • Marzipan Shaped Acorns

Source: Jennifer Anderson, Photography courtesy of KingenSmith

Wedding Color Palettes – Inspirational Ideas for Planning Your Big Event

Sometimes it is hard to imagine certain color combinations together. We found these great ideas to share with our readers from Couture Cocktail Lounge, an event and wedding planning firm out of Atlanta.

Wedding color inspirations can come from your favorite color, sports team, alma mater, time of the year or season. The Color Inspiration Boards below are just a few examples to think about.

Check out all our partners in Chicago and Dallas. Just because they are in Chicago and Dallas does not mean they don’t work and travel outside of their home. With their talents and services, they can recreate any of the ideas represented on these boards.

Pop Goes The Color – Wedding Gown Crinolines

We’re getting close to summer (even tho the cool spring weather is trying to hang on) which makes us think of bursts of color and with many of our brides that could be incorporated in several ways. So, here’s an idea we found that may fuel your thinking … think about adding a little zing under your wedding dress …just a pop of color! How? Throw your crinoline in the wash with a little bit of RIT Dye (they have a really “sweet” website; wish I had something to go dye). This could be a DIY (do it yourself) project or you may send it off to someone to custom dye it for you.

Just another way to add that “personal style” to your wedding ensemble.

Photo source: itsajamiething.com

Wedding Color Inspiration: Pink and Gold

Hello readers, this is Jacqueline Weppner from Merci New York, a styling service for the busy city bride. I’m delighted to be back on StrictlyWeddings.com, discussing the hottest trends in wedding style and fashion.

Today we’re talking pink. And not just the ho-hum girly variety, but the overwhelming resurgence of lush blush pink with hints of metallic. It’s certainly become one of the most popular wedding day palettes for the fashionista bride; and if executed correctly, it can remain one of the freshest as well.

With a decided nod to the nostalgia of the 1940s and 1950s, a blush and gold palette suggests the sass and glamour of old Hollywood, yet it remains firmly nestled in a playful femininity suitable for any wedding day style. It lends itself to soft décor and tiny retro touches (think hints of tulle and a darling birdcage veil, as seen in my inspiration board above)… and it will always encourage a soft, polished calm.

Need more inspiration? Here are some tips and tricks to create a blush and gold look that is elegant without being stuffy:

• Pretty paper: Get thee to Ceci. The luxe bespoke stationer Ceci New York has NYC and all the country swarming for her gorgeous creations. And if custom designs are not in your budget, her ready-to-buy line sports a handful of pink and gold options that are equally divine, such as the Versaille and Antoinette suites.
• Inspiring cakes: Call up our favorite Manhattan confectionary master, the lovely Ruth Drennan, for a custom-made cake. Ruth’s designs are absolutely ethereal and wonderfully inspired, it’s no wonder they’ve found themselves on the pages of countless wedding magazines.
• Blushing beauty: Be sure to provide your stylist with a compact of NARS blush in Orgasm for the big day (considering she doesn’t already have it on hand, of course)! As you may know, this shade has won countless beauty awards for being the best blush on the market. Suitable for literally all complexions, it gives a pretty, yet subtle flush to your cheeks and lasts long into the night.
• Luscious gowns: Hands down, the most confectionery crème-de-la-crème of the blush-gown set hail from Vera Wang’s Spring 2010 collection.  Truly, you’ll look no further.
• Retro Accessories: In this department, famed milliner Philip Treacy is your go-to guy. I adore his sculptural bow headpiece. This exquisite finishing touch is a striking alternative to a traditional veil on your big day. How decidedly retro would it be in your get-away photos?

Inspiration board photo credits: From top: Meringue cake, Jean Tsai {pointe shoes, portrait}, Sarah Maingot {tulle, teapot, mirror images}, Anna Williams {cupcake papers}, favors, candles.

Wedding Color Combinations

There are a few things to remember about your wedding color combinations.

Keep it simple
Choosing too many colors will make your wedding seem unorganized and leave your guests wondering what look you were striving for; limit your color choices to no more than three colors so your wedding will be streamlined and elegant.

Be decisive
Take as much time as you need to choose your wedding colors, but once you’ve made a decision-stick with it.

Use colors liberally
Whichever colors you choose, be sure to repeat them throughout your wedding-in your invitations, in your wedding party attire, in your floral and centerpiece decorations, your cake, your linens … everywhere!

1. Shades
   Orange is one of my favorite colors, especially for a wedding. It’s bright hue can liven up a room and is reminiscent of youth, sun and energy. But you probably don’t want orange as your only wedding color. What I’d do is start with a shade of orange, such as pumpkin or tangerine, then add peach, peach-orange or peach-yellow. The effect is bright, energetic and classy.
2. Blending Browns
   As with the example above, stand-alone brown might not be the go-to color choice for many brides, but when done properly it can be elegant and chic. Consider choosing dark espresso and pairing it with latte or cream (I am getting thirsty, here). Set off against a backdrop of sparkling lights, candles and a hint of gold this color combination is stylishly romantic and promises to give your guests something to remember.
3. Eclectic Eggplant
   Eggplant burst onto the wedding color combination scene a few years, but trend-setting brides make adjustments with each year. The key is to choose colors that have the same undertones. This helps ensure your colors don’t clash.
4. Orange and well … anything
   It is true. Orange really is *the* IT color for 2009. For spring or summer weddings pair bright orange with aqua or turquoise to create a tropical feel. Autumn brides can use deep orange paired with cream, light gold, plum or brown, while winter brides could choose deep navy, charcoal or purple.

The bottomline is basically this … it’s okay to step away from the pastels and into the brilliant jewel colors. Color is embraced. All we suggest is that you work with your wedding planner or someone with experience to create a color scheme that is elegant and carries through with all your wedding details.

A Few Online Resources:

Color Studio by Brides (image shown here)

Exclusively Weddings – Wedding Color Themes

The Knot – Wedding Color Combos from real weddings (this site can be overwhelming, but they do have some good photo examples of colors in use.)

Or search Google for “Wedding Color Themes” and you’ll get any number of articles. You’ll just have to weed through the less helpful to find the pearl of wisdom you’re looking for.