Sliding back in under the radar...

I was just over at Perfectbound where I saw this....

and it reminded me of an event that I did a couple years back. I had a bride with a really challenging color concept.... royal purple, grass green, sunshine yellow... and just a hint of coral here and there....

At first I was a little frightened by the hodge-podge of colors, but in the end- the bride's enthusiasm told us to just go for it....

When you decide to go with such a BOLD color choice, then it is important that it is done in such a way as to appear effortless and not forced- otherwise you run the risk of coming off too strong and much like a child's birthday party. Bold colors are fun, but often can loose their elegance in translation.

So our recipe for that day went something like this:


1. Hold the wedding at MOCA, a modern art museum downtown... which provided a blank canvas of white walls and steel so as to not compete with the color choices. It is very important that brides realize that their choice of venue must dictate the design- and if the design or colors are chosen first, then the venue must follow suit... there is nothing worse then walking into a ballroom that is trying to be a tropical wedding.... or walking onto a beach where the beautiful shoreline is littered with trellis and garden arches. So remember.... you want it to flow naturally and effortlessly- don't force it.

2. We shipped in really vibrant flowers- keeping it simple. Using granny smith reindeer moss, tulips, mini callas, orchids, bear grass, bells of ireland, and wire we created arrangements that weren't (as the bride said) "fluffy". Playing with submerged pieces and free-form design, we sought to bring the contemporary sculptural art from the museum into the flower arrangements as well without getting too strange for the bride's somewhat reserved taste.











3. Next, we took a space that was very open and disected it. When the ceremony, cocktails, and reception are taking place in one location it is very important that you consider the flow. Just like a fine story, an event should have a beginning, a climax, and a denouement. We acheived this by seperating the space using white sheer voile fabric, hung loosely over the exposed piping... creating a backdrop for the ceremony- adding a little lighting caused a really dramatic effect and brought in the coral... later in the evening, the fabric was tied into oversided knots to reveal the buffet, stations, and cake. We also used lighting to our advantage. Due to the fact that the guests would be able to view the galleries at their leisure during the cocktail hour and later on, we could not give the space that low lighting effect, so we had to bring in bold uplighting to shoot up the 20+ ft walls... in doing this, we were able to seperate the spaces by color and then coordinate it with the linens to further give a distinct spacial layout.








4. From here, we began adding those special little details that brought together the overall design and made it personal to the bride and groom.... having an arts and crafts table for the kiddies... serving "MOCA" covered coffee beans.... passing the food on artist palettes, having signature drinks named after the couple's hometowns, a little of the couple's personality on the napkins and program (with a quote from their fav. movie Patch Adams)... a family friend played the violin prior to the ceremony and during the processional...she walked down the aisle to "Groovy kind of Love"- gave him a drum set grooms cake, and they danced to the Beetles....

This particular design was successful in its execution because we kept in mind several things:

1. Keep it simple. Don't over design or try to be too ambitious in your design.

2. Keep in mind your timeframe. For this design, we only had a few months and we knew that we would have a very strict and limited schedule for set up and break down at the museum. Because of this, we opted to keep it basic but impactual.

3. Keep your budget in mind. Sure, we considered doing Andy Warhol-inspired floral portraits of the couple... but let's be realistic.... this was a young couple in love and the last thing we wanted was to send them off into the great big world with a mound of debt- so we kept the outline figure in mind throughout the process... they opted to have a couple of stations but mainly passed trays throughout the reception. They cut back on flowers by working with us to have minimalistic designs in mass and single groupings. They chose basic bengaline linens, but chose to keep the tables minimal and provide lounge seating and a tent for overflow. They didn't go crazy with decor or trying to fill the big space- rather, they used inexpensive lighting techniques to their advantage. This allowed them to focus their budget on a live band, the museum galleries for their guests, and the venue. I love that we were able to illustrate how a designer can help you stay within budget, not bust it.

4. Don't compete with the environment. Playing off of the art, we were able to make this crazy color scheme work. We allowed the museum to speak for itself and allowed the decor to unfold around it seamlessly. Our overall concept was to just "dress up" the space- taking a stance that if one were to go to a lavish afair, they would keep their own sense of style but just jazz it up a little... and that is what we saught to do with the space- put it in its sunday best......

Hooray for Gray!

words can not describe how utterly thrilled I am that this color has been popping up everywhere- from blogs to magazines to the runways... Perfectbound and Junebug have done a fabulous job showcasing the bridal collection's induction of grey... and I hope to sell all you skeptical brides with these delightful bouquets and bouts from Fleurish... enjoy.

Farewell Summer 07...

While the rest of the country packs away their white shoes and tucks away their bathing suits... we here in the Sunshine State continue onward with our summer days... (and presumably will well into October)... thus we are posed with the conflicting undertones of a September wedding. Navy and Persimmon seem heavy... and our leaves don't really change color here-rather, they become spotted, wilt, and die all within a matter of a week... Autumns just aren't that glamorous in North Florida- so where does that leave us? I really love subdued hues and nudes... as though we placed the event outside for the entire summer, allowing the sunshine to kiss it ever so lightly and what we are left with is a more honest representation of Florida in Fall...

On a recent visit to Perfectbound, I was thrilled to see a post on Domino's spread which uses makeup as a muse... and thus I followed suit for this palette... turning to Clinique...

Starting with a nude and sunkissed "foundation" of beautiful dresses via Bluefly

Applying a touch of "shadowing" florals (via Brownerbrown Blog)

Then sweep the reception with a "blush" of linens from Tablewraps (I love the gals at this New York- based company... they are so helpful, the linens are fairly priced, and I've never had any complications with their delivery or quality)

Finish it off with a little sweet pucker...(Pink Cake Box)

Oh Happy Blog: Now in Technicolor

Listen up brides... I understand that you LOVE Brown... you love it with blue and with green.... you love it with pink and with red and every once in a while with yellow... and I love it to- well did love it... but I have seen so many brides go into a two-color mind set (one which is almost always brown) and it saddens me... I also feel a bit guilty... you see, once upon a time I was tired of seeing so many colors thrown together half-hazardly and thus I was an advocate of the "Brown Wave" which offered a more stream-line and modern approach.... but that wave has passed and there are other options out there for the modern bride... there are innovative ways to use ALL colors and now that the days of tulle and mirror centerpieces have finally been excommunicated from our little circle... let's start a new revolution... one that is full of color and style and a little less .... well... brown.

Like Sunshine on a Cloudy Day...

I am love-love-loving yellow and grey! There is something so fresh and modern and utterly sweet about this combo. Imagine a blank white backdrop like a modern art museum... with a sea of grey and hints of yellow here and there... from drinks to food this would be so lovely! Blueprint just showcased the color duo in their Babyshower and Martha couldn't resist the temptation in her spread on Lemons- I'd love to hear any thoughts you may have on this sunshine meets gloom duo...