Trending Right Now

OK, Here's what's trending this very minute...September 27th, 2010.

Top 10 Trends:

1. Shorter, Tea Length Dresses

(For the winter, use a heavy silk dress and throw over a bolero or even an overcoat.

2. Comfort in your Reception Site

(Make people feel comfortable at your reception. Instead of pews, hardback chairs or just standing; consider hay bales with big quilts or even blankets on the ground. Indoors, try some couches, large pillows and comfy chairs. Your guests will appreciate the vibe of being in a living room hanging with their friends.)

3. Dinner Focused Reception

(Instead of a huge dancefloor, loud music and a buffet consider an intimate dinner. Think "dinner party" To achieve this level of comfort, order starter plates to get guests munching and chatting from the get-go and choose a dinner menu of the meat-and-potatoes variety. Have the meal served family-style so that all the food, wine, and iced tea or lemonade is set in the middle of the table for guests to help themselves, just like they’d do at their own homes. Do it this way and you’ll encourage conversation and create a more intimate atmosphere.)

4. Classic White Cakes

(Forget cupcakes wedding cakes and candy bars the classic tiered wedding cake is back. Also, forget the oh so perfected fondant.....Classic BUTTERCREAM is also back!

5. Textural Centerpieces

(Your very tall, smooth centerpieces haven fallen to low-textured centerpieces. Instead of roses and calla lilies try crisp autums foliage or snow covered evergreen. To add extra texture, wrap your bouquets with lace.)

6. Turn-Table DJ's

(And I'm not talking about the old ipod with speakers. Let an authentic turn-table Dj mix music specifically tailored to the liking of your guests.)

7. Souped up Photo Booth

(OH yeah, the photo booth isn't going anywhere just add some props. Line your background with fabric that matches your color scheme and throw some hats, sunglasses and boas for fun photo.)

8 Themed Engagement Photo Shoots

(From Mad Men to Breakfast at Tiffany's, figure out your personality and make sure it shows in your photos.)

9. Wedding Videos

(Talk to your videographer about using short wedding Super 8 wedding videos for that grainy, vintage look.)

10. A Grand Exit

(So, let's not have a firework show but something other than birdseed is always a fun alternative. Think: paper airplanes, ticker tape, sparklers.)

Not so ordinary Bridal Party Gifts...

As they say, "to each is own." So WHY brides do you feel the need to put every one of your bridesmaids in the same jewelry or shoes. If you sit back and really think about it their personalities are as different as the temperature outside from day to day. Take some time and be thoughtful. Those days of "matchy matchy" are SOOOOOO over. You choose them b/c they hold a special place in you and your fiances lives, (either by choice or marriage, haha) give them the freedom to at least express their own personality in your wedding.

Here's some Things I LOVE and they're all off of a website that makes me smile:) ETSY.com:

The custome made clutch for your fashionista.

For the Betty Homemaker of your group.

For the ever old fashioned one, an engraved hankie.

And Finally, for the ecclectic one of the group a designed comb.

Wedding Trends- Color Report for 2011

Too excited for the new color trends for 2011. Let's just get into it:

Rich Jewel Toned Hues: The deeper the color, the more luxurious the feeling is conveyed for the event. Recently, we attended a wedding where the bridesmaids wore hunter green that was accented by ivory. From customer sales trends we also see an increase in requests for deep plum, eggplant, sapphire blue and deep, ruby-red. All can be complimented with warm accents of ivory.

Purple. Purple is the new blue. Throughout history purple has been associated with richness and royalty. While deep plum has seems to be the seasonal favorite for 2010 fall brides, this trend is still continuing to be popular for 2011 weddings which are being planned. Customers are purchasing lavender accents for their upcoming spring and summer weddings and we bet all shades of purple will remain popular for the remainder of the 2011 year.

Tangerine, Warm Oranges, Gold & Mocha. Tangerine is a lovely warm color that can be used throughout the summer and fall. Spice it up with complementary colors of taupe, golds, mocha and creams. For spring affairs, oranges in the form of creamsicle, coral, apricot, and salmon also work very well.

Black and white. There has been an increase of black weddings on the rise. Black is very formal and stylish - think black tie events. But at the same time it can be made vintage when you add elegant patterns such as damask accented with modern, saturated colors such as fuchsia or Tiffany blue and add touches of crystal for added sparkle. In regard to bridesmaid's attire, many brides feel that black dresses can be used again for events - lessening the burden of expenses on the bridesmaids.

Of course whatever color you select for your wedding will be beautiful. Remember, this is your once in a lifetime event, so let your heart and color inspiration inspire your wedding, rather than the current trends in the market today.

Fine China, Old Fashioned?

You ask some bride to be's this question and they'll look at you like you have 3 heads. "Skip on the fine China, NO WAY." Of course, this probably is the same woman who you've never seen cook a day in her entire life. Let's be real though, woman just don't cook and entertain as they used to. The woman's place back in the old days was in the home; taking care of the children, cooking, and cleaning. It might have been useful to have an extremely nice set of china to bring out for all of your guests or to simply impress. But...Let me ask you a question...How many people do you know who have received a whole expensive set of fine china for wedding gifts and it hasn't come out of their curio cabinet?

I'm here to offer you an alternative to fine china and thats HOLIDAY WARE. Everyone knows that even the person who hardly ever entertains will most likely one day or another entertain around the holidays, whether that be Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years. What an exciting time to have holiday ware! Check out these pieces that might work for a fine china alternative.

I ACTUALLY DID THIS, oh yeah....Even though I do LOVE to entertain I registered for the fitz and floyd town and country set...AND LOVE IT! Here's a few pictures!!!!

Where's my Winter Weather Brides?

Who doesn't love the crisp air nipping at your toes, or the thought of hot chocolate and spiced cider to warm your soul. Don't you just feel like people are nicer around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Are you a bride who's having your wedding in the winter months. GREAT IDEA! You wanna know why; b/c there are so many great items to decorate with.

Having your wedding around Christmas time? Take advantage of your venues Decorations (trees, twinkle lights and poinsettias) Or instead of flowers how about bare branches like the picture above. (Decorate them with a candle underneath and let the glow illuminate through.)

Also, think "season" when you are thinking about your favors. I'm a huge fan of coffee beans, hot chocolate packets or spiced tea and cider. You can also serve all of these at your reception or cocktail hour! OOOOOOHHHHH I can't wait for the Cooler Months!

Derby Wedding???

You don't have to be from the South to enjoy a Derby Wedding. If you love horses, big hats, mint juleps or just want a fun theme for a great outdoor wedding, let's take it to the derby!

Here area some great ideas to put into place for your Derby Wedding.

Horses: How about a horse grooms cake or horseshoe. You can run this them through your save the date, invites, and programs. For a fun twist, give horseshoe cuff links as groomsmen gifts.

Mint Juleps: The signature drink of the day: bourbon, mint and sugar all crushed together in a silver cup. No alcohol; how about some cool mint iced tea.

Derby Hats: Steeped in Southern Tradition, if there's one thing the Derby is known for besides the horses it the HATS!! Now of course the bride probably wouldn't wear a hat but encourage your guests to. These would make for some wonderful pics.

Favors: Send your guest home with their silver cups from the julep; they might want to have juleps time and time again and will surely always be a reminder of the great time they had at your Derby Wedding.

Flowers: Decorate with every kind of rose you can find; traditionally red. Roses aren't that expensive depending on the time of year. Of course here in NC, roses are in season in May. Don't forget you can get roses in bulk from places like Sam's and Walmart.

Whether your wedding is the first Saturday in May, or at another time of the year, using the Kentucky Derby as your inspiration will help you to create a wedding that is gracious, lovely, and utterly charming. You can't really ask for more than that in a wedding theme!

Ideas for January-February Weddings

I find that the time in between Christmas and Spring can sometimes be difficult to figure out how to decorate and in general what color schemes to go with. Let's tackle these together and find some fantastic-unique ideas to incorporate into your January-February wedding.

January: When we think of January here in NC we typically think of Winter using blues, whites and possibly silvers. Let's drift from the winter blues and think of January as a very romantic, cuddly time of the year. Let's think dim lights, candles, strung lanterns and vintage colors:

Tangelo, Cameo, and Gold

Beautiful with this color scheme would be a very vintage dress like this dress from Casablanca:

February: OK, girls....We all know that every woman thinks about Valentines Day when they think of February. Let's drift away from the traditional Valentines Day colors and think about these ideas for your perfect February wedding!

Deep Purples, Blacks and Reds.

These colors make for a very sultry, dramatic effect. Perfect for a romantic February wedding.