Lost In Translation... Venue

Firstly, it is important that I state that I love drawing inspiration from the past- but that is where it must stop.... inspiration. You don't want your wedding looking like your grandmother's living room any more than you want it to look like those "dated" weddings of tulle and mirror centerpieces. So let's examine a few rules that I have for creating a vintage- err- timeless affair.


Rule ONE: Don't make it LOOK like something, make it BE something....


This is an important one. You see, I completely agree that you need a VISION and a COHESIVE THREAD.... but sometimes we can take this a little too literal and the party looks over styled and like a kid in a costume. You don't want it to resemble a Hollywood Glamour Feel- you want it to emulate that feeling on its own.... One of the easiest ways to fall into this catagory is by bad venue choice. If you want a lavishly grand event, then opt for a lavishly grand environment. Go for Architecturely Interesting Spaces. In truth, your money is better spent in finding a space that sets the tone rather than trying to make another space into your ideal setting. Dressing up a banquet hall in hundreds of flowers doesn't make it have a "garden feel".... slapping a few palms into a museum doesn't make it tropical.... embrace the space you are in and make sure that every decision you make is indicative of the overall vision you have.
Find beautiful spaces that will not need so much to enhance them. Rather than look at their price tag and think - Oh no, but what about everything else? - Think... well in reality there won't be as much "something else's" because I won't need to bring in all the other "stuff"... A gorgeous space will be gorgeous for decades to come- it is my firm belief that some of these "platinum, over the top affairs" will seem a little dated in the coming years. Your space needs to make you feel something... and that something should be the same feeling that you are trying to acheive with the overall design. (This is the ceremony site of my upcomming nuptuals.... we chose the oak for so many reasons- this massive tree makes you feel as though you are in the prescence of something so much greater than you- something that has sustained so much and something that you want to understand. We are going for a warm, approachable, but still very moving event. I think that this tree hits all of our marks.)