I will be the first one to admit that I am a fan of the classics. Feed me steak frites any night of the week, followed by vanilla cake topped off with vanilla buttercream icing. My cocktail of choice is always a glass of Cabernet (very original), and nothing makes me happier than a bouquet of white roses. So, for all you classic brides out there…don’t try to be something you are not! Be classic in every sense of the word. If you are true to yourself, the result is always beautiful.

Throughout my career, my classic side has managed to mesh quite well with my other side…the side that I would call my eclectic or funky side. When you are a wedding planner, you need to find numerous sources of inspiration. In order to find these sources and use them succesfully, you need to find out what inspires you. I would give the same advice to all of my brides. Dig deep…dig REALLY deep and find what excites you. Only then will you start to see magical things happen during your planning process. Nothing excites me more than a carefully thought out color palette. If you are trying to make your wedding stand out from the crowd, think COLOR! And this is where you brides, even the classic brides, need to think ”outside the rainbow”.

The sky is the limit with color palettes, and today I am going to share with you two of my favorite unconventional color palettes. The first is lavender and red. This combination went down in my book as a favorite color palette after working with a couple who were trying to tie in the bride’s Chinese heritage with her favorite color, lavender. We managed to bring red and lavender together in a way that was so beautiful. Red sashes with homemade silk flowers were tied around bridesmaides lavender chiffon dresses, bouquets of purple hydrangea, red roses, lavender spray roses, and fresia were the center of attention at every table, personalized chocolate bar wedding favors were wrapped in lavender paper and tied with red string, and red velvet mini cupcakes were the stand out display at the sweet table.

My second favoirte unconventional color palette is turquoise and fuschia. Most commonly thought of as a beach wedding palette, this beautiful combination is certainly not limited to the beach. One of my favorite weddings that I worked on that incorporated this color palette was a June backyard wedding. Banners of fuschia flags hung over the bar and sweet table spelling out “how sweet it is”, pitchers of sangria were surrounded by turquoise stained glass tumblers, a beautiful white wedding cake was filled with fresh rasberries and cream and decorated ever so elegantly with turquoise fondant, and fuschia parasols doubled up as sun shades and wedding favors.

As always, I will leave you with some photos from my inspiration boards. Enjoy!

Happy Planning!

Sarah

As I look out my office window, I see a steady fall of sleet, ice and rain. Yes, it is a bleak and miserable day, and all I can say is…thank goodness I love what I do! Seriously. I am immersing myself in spring time decor and all I am thinking about is the luscious smell of lily of the valley, the simplistic beauty of a bouquet of pink tulips tied with grosgrain ribbon, and the elegance of clusters of terra cotta pots filled with white lilacs in the center of each table. Spring is a time of renewal, warmth and cleansing. The definition of the verb “spring” is to “move or jump suddenly upward or forward”. I feel as though this perfectly describes this magical season. Flowers bloom, rain showers cleanse the earth, and there is an overall feeling of hope. What better time of the year to get married and start your life as husband and wife?! Not to mention, the flowers…my favorite season for flowers. I am firm believer in keeping any spring flower arrangement simple, clean and elegant. Let the blooms speak for themselves, and always think outside the box!

For all you spring brides out there seeking some inspiration during this slushy mess of day, I have written down some of my favorite ways to use spring flowers in your decor. One of these ideas is to incorporate the beauty of the blooms in your guest favors. If your centerpieces are clustered terra cotta pots filled with spring blooms, have each of your guests take one home at the end of the night. Rather than a candy bar, have a flower bar! Arranged pre-packaged flowers in silver pots similar to a flower market, and make these the guest favors. Or have guests make their own bouquets to take home. Another element I love to incorporate are branch arrangements. Balance out bowls of peonies with tall cherry blossoms centerpieces. Another idea is to have a tall branch arrangements at the guest book table and rather than guests writing in a book, have them write a note on pieces of paper that have been laid out with strings attached. Have your guests hang their wishes and notes to you on branches. Rather than your typical escort card, use small pots of moss with the guests name and table number and have this double up as a guest favor.

As always, I am full of fun ideas and I more than happy to share the photos that excite me. Enjoy!

Happy planning!

Sarah 

Well, New Years Day has come and gone. 2012 is here, and lists of New Years resolution are in the hearts and minds of many of you. I have never been one to make such a list, that is up until a few years ago. I write my list down and keep it in my bedside table to read every morning when I wake up. A great way to start the day! One of the items on my list is to embrace my inner child as I work on the design details of some of our weddings. I always encourage our brides and grooms to bring as many personal ideas to the table when we sit down for our planning and design meetings, and when they do, some very magical things begin to happen. I especially love when couples incorporate childhood memories. This can be as simple as a color palette, as touching as the fabric of a childhood dress being used as the material for a ring cushion, and as cute as a childhood red flyer wagon used as a carrier for parasols for a hot summer wedding. For me, it is very simply the color pink. For years I tried to fight my love of this energetic and passionate color because I thought it was too “girly”, but after years of being in the event industry, I quickly realized not only is the color hot and chic, there are endless possibilities of color combinations. I especially like it with combined with a simple color palette of taupe and white. It is truly a versatile color that can bring a pop to any event if used correctly.

As you can imagine, my inspiration board is currently an explosion of pink in every different shade. Here are some images that hopefully will tickle you pink, and please take note of my favorite…mini pink cupcake ice cream cones. I mean seriously, can it get any better than that?!

Happy planning!

- Sarah

In my experience, the winter is a time that people often shy away from life. Whether it is the holidays winding down, the winter blues for some, the hibernating as though we were bears for others, of just the general notion that spring through fall is the best time of year to plan a substantial event. This time of year brings great joys and, unfortunately, extreme cold. Being a native Canadian, the winter has never phased me. I find my inner child when I wake up in the morning and look out my window to a fresh snow fall. I am filled with joy and excitement when I hear we are going to be getting enough snow to build an igloo, and am even more thrilled by the cup of hot cocoa topped with roasted marshmallows that follows. Thankfully this wonderful region we live in allows me to enjoy the wonders of winter. This is a time of year to celebrate the magic, to be fearless and to think outside the box as we head into final planning stages for our winter events. My inspiration boards have been filled with color palettes that compliment winter’s whites, silvers and sky blues (staying away from the traditional red and white), guest favors that incorporate the coziness of a winter culinary delight such as a lemon souffle served in personalized ramekins, mini cappuccino’s featuring cinnamon dusted donuts on a stick, individual servings of Chef Heidi’s Black Truffled Creamy Mac and Cheese (to die for delicious), sweet tables filled with Chef’s Handmade Hazelnut Truffles, mini Apple Spice Cupcakes topped with sinfully delicious Dolce de Leche icing, a donut bar paired with a hot cocoa station, and the list continues. There is a reason the song you are hearing most on the radio these days has the line “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. How could it not be with endless possibilities of culinary delights?!

So, my friends, my advice to you is this…embrace the magic of this season. Be fearless! Make a snow angel! When March rolls around and we are still in the midst of winter, check back here and I will surely find a way to brighten your spirits with other inspirational ideas for events and entertaining alike.

I leave you today with some images from my inspiration board. When the cold really sets in, look to these for some warmth.

Happy planning!

-Sarah