Tropical Orchids

Tropical flowers can add an exotic flair to your wedding floral decor. None are so outrageously colorful as the orchid.

Orchids come in a vast array of colors and combinations of colors. Are tyour wedding colors lime green and plum? yellow and orange? pink and yellow? green and red? All of these and thousands of others are available in natural fresh orchids. Should you decide to use artificial flowers there really is no limit to the color combinations available.

Orchids are far sturdier than their delicate appearance would lead one to believe. That sturdiness is of great value when arranging and carrying these lovely blossoms on your big day.

Elegant Dinner Reception

An emerging trend in wedding reception planning is the elegant dinner party as opposed to the more traditional reception which featured dancing (and often massive alcohol consumption).

This new focus on elegance has several benefits, not the least of which is the bridal couple can afford higher quality food and can spend more time visiting with guests when the dancing/drinking portion of the reception is omitted.

An assortment of delicious appetizers and signature cocktails served during the cocktail hour prior to dinner sets the mood and keeps guests circulating. Following the cocktail hour, guests are invited into the dining room where they will be ushered to gorgeously decorated tables.

For a fun twist on the classic buffet, food stations will be distributed around the room - again, to keep guests mingling and visiting. Guests will have their choice of several types of entrees and accompaniments.

The finale of the evening will feature several dessert selections including a fabulous wedding cake.

Asian-inspired Nuptuals

No matter the language, love is international. Incorporating one's heritage or a cultural theme into a wedding celebration can personalize the festivities and lend a unique quality.

Our bridal couple is planning outdoor exchange of vows in a romantic Japanese style Friendship garden. This particular garden features a beautiful koi pond and waterfall which will provide wonderful opportunities for photography.

While neither the bride or groom is of occidental decent, the lovely location inspires an Asian flair. The lovely bride and her teenaged daughters will wear simple silk dresses made of gorgeous kimono fabric. The groom will look distinguished in his dark suit and kimono silk necktie.

To expand on this theme invitations are illustrated with the Japanese symbol for "love" on heavy cream card stock. The reception will feature a buffet of Asian-inspired delicacies as well as American favorites. Tables will be covered in Japanese print florals and decorated with simple tea light lanterns. Guests will take with them delicate origami cranes symbolizing good luck.

Remembrance

Recently, a bridal couple came to me with a touching question; how to incorporate some sort of tribute to the groom's late mother without hurting the feelings of his step-mother?
After much discussion, it was decided that the wedding day would be on the anniversary of his mother's birthday. This will be shared with the guests by adding a brief note in the wedding bulletin. To further pay tribute, a single rose, similar to the corsages for the bride's mother and the groom's step-mother, will occupy a special place on the church altar. This too, will be noted in the bulletin.

Weddings tend to bring out the sentimentality in people; this can be a lovely thing. Sensitivity to special circumstances in a hallmark of a gracious host or hostess.

"We're Registered At..."

Once upon a time, it was considered just plain tacky to mention gifts or registries in invitations. Just like modesty and good taste, this seems to be going by the wayside. One recent bridal couple this planner had the task of organizing actually wanted to include a note to guests that read "We have everything we want or need, just give us money or gas cards." - REALLY!?

The correct, and polite, way to let guests know where one is registered is still by word or mouth through a third party. With the prevalence of wedding web pages it is perfectly acceptable to include links to online registries.

In order to avoid the appearance of "tackiness" please refrain from including gift requests with invitations and holding "dollar-dances" at the reception. The exceptions being if you prefer a donation to a favorite charity or request no that no gifts be given.

Think Color!

Instead of the traditional, basic black for your groom and his men, consider color and pattern. The silk bow tie, pocket square and cuff links pictured above (from American Armadillo) bring color and whimsey to this special occasion.

The grooms men will sport button-down shirts in butter yellow and khaki trousers with navy blazers to complete the look.

Our bridal couple is using sprigs of fresh lavender tied with yellow ribbon for boutonnieres and in addition to a mix of other flowers in the corsages, bouquets and arrangements. The color scheme will be brought together with butter yellow table linens and napkins.

This soft color pallet lends itself to the bridesmaids' gowns as well. The maids wearing lavender and the maid of honor wearing butter yellow cocktail dresses by Calvin Klein.

When considering your bridal party attire, think color!

Mother of the Bride (or Groom)

AS any parent of the the bride or groom will tell you, the wedding of a child is a bittersweet occasion - even if the parents really like the intended spouse.

Very often, it is the mothers of the bride and groom who set the style tone for the guests. Long or short? A variation of the wedding colors or a neutral? Some important things to remember: This is NOT your day. This day is about the bridal couple. On this day, personal differences are set aside and personal preferences are deferred to the bride and groom.

Assuming your child is the lovely person you raised her or him to be, you will have the decision of what to wear. May we suggest a sleek, elegant dress with matching jacket such as this lovely outfit by Le Suit? The blazer offers enough coverage for even the most conservative of church ceremonies. The sleeveless sheath dress underneath flatters all figures and is a charming alternative. These style elements combined with the look of dupioni silk and a saturated color such as the Lapis shown here, make a fresh fashion statement.

At the end of the day, it's not as much about who wore what is it is about the fact that your precious child has had a lovely and heartfelt ceremony and a truly joyous celebration.