Trend - Seasonal Favors

If you're having a wedding with a seasonal theme, consider carrying it over into your favors!
Photo provided by Allison Stahl Photography

Tip - Considering Seasons

If you're having a difficult time deciding on what time of the season to have your wedding, consider things such as the weather and upcoming holidays. Both of those factors can play a vital role in hour your big day unfolds. Be sure to allow yourself enough time to first make your decision on the date then book your desired vendors well enough in advanced!

Photo courtesy of Allison Stahl Photography

Tip - Know Your Season

While many brides and groom like to get a jump start on the wedding plans by setting a date right away, there are many things to consider. We suggest deciding on a season you would ideally like to get married in, but not deciding on a steadfast date until you've scouted locations. This allows you the flexibility of getting the venue you want and possibly striking a deal if they had a cancellation or you're willing to book in their off-season (if they have one).

Photo provided by Sharpe Photographers

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to you and yours! We send you our best for a joyous holiday season. Congratulations to those getting married during the crisp winter months, like Jolene & Dave featured in this storyboard.
Photos courtesy of Beau-Coup, The Memory Journalists, White Lace Wedding, Super Weddings, Bisman Weddings.

Trend - Incorporating Seasonal Decor

With the Fall season upon us there are many seasonal elements that you can incorporate into your day. You can create a beautiful ambiance with your personal touched and Fall colors present. Fall creates an amazing natural color theme that would contribute to your wedding. Maybe sprinkle colorful Fall leaves down your ceremony aisle, or decorate the end of each row with pumpkins and gourds. Create original centerpieces with Fall leaves, twigs, berries, winter squash.

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Summer Style

We've all been getting the feeling that summer is here, with the warm weather and fires galore. with that in mind here is the run down on hot fashion trends. Consider yourself a fashionista? Work with your coordinator to make the most of these trends and to make your wedding the fashion statement everyone will remember.

Sheer layers and peekaboo accents are popping up everywhere. Both are wonderful options for table linen layering. A wonderful effect that will make sheer layers more dramatic is with theatrical lighting.Not into pinks and lavenders like some of your girlfriends? What about mixing gold and/or silver with black? Black may seem an ominous choice for a wedding, but when combined with metalics you add reflective surfaces for light to bounce off. Chargers, centerpieces, and favors all add to the drama. Add a splash of candle or theatrical light and you have a dazzeling event that not only will be glamorous and memorable it will help you express your more edgy rockin' style.Eu naturale has been upgraded to hippie chic with fringe and soft femine spring colors. Again, fringe is a wonderful way to add movement and texture. Table skirts and centerpieces in shades of lilac and teal will be seasonal without feeling like Easter.We've discussed the trend toward vivid color before. This trend is continuing and expanding. Borderline neon shades of green, orange, yellow and pink. Chartreuse, electric blue and tomato red. Ultrabright hues and explosions of color are a to work dramatic color into your special day. Flowers are, of course, the most natural choice, but why not pick one or two vivid colors for your table linens and then go with shades of white for your flowers? Summer screams for color. This would be particularly dramatic for an outdoor wedding with verdant lawns and trees providing a lovely green backdrop for pinks, oranges, yellows and blues to pop!Floral prints, both oversized and tiny are back. I didn't think the day would come, but these prints are splashy and abstract and, again, in the vivid colors of spring. Think about Monet gone punk. Punk flowers? Why not??!! White and red peonies with splashes of vivid yellow callas or spiky dahlias.The wedding industry is great about the decorative touches, feathers, beads, and all things sequin and glitter have never gone out of style. Now they are going mainstream. When used in moderation they can add texture and flair to your event.Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists, Flowers by: Blooms, Design by: Arcularius Events

Ethnic prints and safari colors are also back in fashion. This trend is not just for multicultural weddings or destination honeymoons. Think of the romantic edge that mosquito netting or draped saris can add. Gauzey fabrics worked together with ethnic prints can make a dramatic statement and express your personal style. (Take a look at Asian or Southasian weddings, there is an amazing amount of color and pattern layered together to make a very dramatic end product.)
All photos courtesy of Celebrations! Elegant Party Rentals, unless otherwise noted.

Tip - Plan For Heat

Most fall and winter brides (maybe even spring) have a "backup" plan for outdoor ceremony just in case of rain. But for those summer brides, how about a backup plan for the heat wave. Maybe it's taking the ceremony indoors or making sure your guests have plenty of water to keep them hydrated. Provide them fans to help them keep cool. Remember in those summer months the temps can reach dangerous levels.

Tip provided by Dynamite Weddings
Photo courtesy of Sharpe Photographers

Backyard Wedding

Brides and grooms to be are always looking for the ideal venue for their dream wedding. What about an intimate backyard wedding? You may have or know someone who has the perfect backyard for your big day. What better way to save money and incorporate beautiful outdoor elements this summer? Stephanie & Ron's wedding is a perfect example of an informal, ideal, comfortable, intimate wedding. Their vision came to fruition on May 17th, 2008. As the guests entered through the garden gate, adorned with a hydrangea and calla lily heart shaped wreath, they were greeted with lemonade and enjoyed a “pre-social” of appetizers and chilled fresh fruit. As guests mingled, they were asked to write their wish for the couple and to hang the note card by pretty ribbons from the Wish Tree.

Stephanie and Ron wanted an informal feel to their wedding, so the 80 guests stood through the ceremony and encircled the couple as they exchanged their vows. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the guests were asked to make a private wish for themselves as a stunning Monarch butterfly release took place.

Centerpieces were in keeping with the garden theme by using galvanized tubs and Mason jars to hold flowers of rust hued astromerias, calla lilies, orange gladiola blooms and gerbera daisies. The arrangements nestled on a bed of moss with polished stones for accent. Orange “glads” were a favorite of the bride’s grandmother, so individually wrapped orange gladiola bulbs (freshly dug from the fields in Wisconsin) were given as favors. Garden pathways were lined with candles in varying sizes of Mason jars. The wedding cake was definitely another show stopping focal point. Stephanie worked with the baker by providing the wedding invitation, so that a pearlescent vine and leaf pattern could be replicated onto the cake. A few colorful silk butterflies were added as accents to this piece of art.

As the evening grew darker, the setting twinkled with candlelight and guests thoroughly enjoyed dancing under the stars and celebrating all the many wishes bestowed upon the newlyweds.

Coordinator: Lora Ward, A Day to Remember
Photographer: Allison Stahl Photography
Caterer: All Seasons All Reasons Fine Catering
Florist: Katie Edwards w/Ambience Floral Design
Bakery: Ettore's
DJ: Brian Gibson w/Encore Entertainment
Garden Accent Lighting - STL (Sacramento Theatrical Lighting)
Invitations: Kendra Pfeiffer-Wershing w/Pfeiffer Event Planning
Butterflies: Swallowtail Farms
Officiant: Honorable Talmadge Jones

Ignite the Flame - Summertime

Now that the weather is heating up, why not spend some time outside with your honey. You don't have to leave the house to have a date night. Silence your phones, PDAs, pagers and shut off the TV. Relax in the backyard with this beautiful weather and enjoy the warm evenings with a BBQ, glass of wine and maybe your own campfire. You can buy a movable, personal fire pit for your backyard and bring the camp to you. Share your week's stories, talk about plans for the future, just relax and enjoy this summer time warmth and the uninterrupted time with your honey.

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Inspiration Boards - Dynamite Site!

Today I stumbled on Snippet & Ink, a blog focused on daily inspiration boards. These awesome daily inspiration boards are designed with mood and palette in mind. Inspirations are arranged by themes, seasons, colors, etc. with weekly Real Weddings mingled in to share additional insight. This is definitely a Dynamite Site!

Check out this sample of DIY Waterfront Wedding

Inspiration board courtesy of Snippet & Ink

Ignite the Flame - Spring is Here

This winter did you get in the habit of going to bed in your flannel pajamas with thick fuzzy socks, and stop shaving for 5-7 days at a time? Did an ideal date become reheated soup and a big glass of red wine followed by a movie which you watched on separate couches cocooned by several blankets?

Well guess what ladies, Spring is here! It’s time to break out the shave gel, invest in a new razor and dig the spaghetti strap nighty out of your drawer. No more reheated soup and dates on separate couches. It is time for exploration hikes in the afternoon and cool breeze barbecues at night with beer and margaritas. It’s time to plant a couple’s garden, planting some flowers or veggies that you picked out together and can watch grow and enjoy for seasons to come.
Spring is the compromising season for all…cool nights with some rainy days for those that love winter and fall and warm sun with longer daylight for those Summer bugs. No matter what season you prefer no one can ignore the blooming buds, fresh air and induction into the new year. So splurge for a pedi and break out those flip flops. Tell your honey to break out the BBQ and sunblock. It is time for you and your new husband to bask in the sunlight instead of the couch, explore new places and move into this fresh new season with a bright appreciation for your time together as husband and wife.

Spring doesn’t just bring out the sappiness in flowers…obviously.

Cloud Nine - Spring Cleaning

Now that Spring is here, are you anxious to purge all the old stuff collected as individuals and start building a décor with new items bought together?
Is your new husband refusing to let go of the baseball cards he never trades, the football jersey he can’t fit into, the Nintendo that serves as a shelf for his new Wii,etc.?

First, let me remind you “Don’t throw stones in a glass house”. Make sure that while you’re reprimanding him for his old ways that you’re not harboring some old things that you should be letting go of. Could you be holding onto any incomplete scrapbooks, CDs you haven’t heard since the decade they were released, clothes it’s time to accept will never fit again?

Once you determine that, talk about a way to compromise on the things that really affect the space you share. Maybe sell him on the idea of taking his old Nintendo and games into a game trade store to see what they’re worth. Sometimes they’ll give him at least a credit to use in store towards stuff for the Wii. If the jersey and baseball cards aren’t valuable enough to him to frame and hang in the office then maybe ask him about selling them on eBay so some other fan can relish in owning it and he can reap the rewards.

There’s always a way to find a compromise that he’ll appreciate, just make sure you’re not filling the space he cleans with a stack of style magazines or figurines. Always look for compromise and make sure you stay true to what you’re asking. Maybe it’s time to sell those too small or too big clothes and outdated CDs yourself. You can take the money you both got, combine it and buy something new for your home together.


Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Ignite the Flame - Share the Warmth, Share Your Time

With spring just around the corner, what better way to spend some time with the one you love than outside in the beautiful sunshine (Ladies, remember to wear your sunblock!). Pack a picnic for two and head out to your favorite grassy knoll. Or, take an hour or so out of your day and go on a nice long walk in a local park or other quiet area. If you are up for an adventure, plan a day hike on a trail you’ve never visited before.
Regardless of which activity you choose to share with your partner, take full advantage of your alone time together. Take this opportunity to learn something new about your best friend and love of your life. Often it is the little moments in life that become the most significant in our memory.

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Spring Fever

Yes, it’s true. Spring is HERE and I can hardly stand it any longer! I can feel it! I have the urge to clean pretty much anything I can; the garage, my closet, the home office…even the bathroom has a deep cleaning coming to it! I want to tear out the carpet and paint the walls! This bear is officially coming out of hibernation and ready to enter the world of activity. This winter has seemed longer than others for some reason…I am definitely ready for a change!

Along with the cleaning bug, I also have the urge to spend as much time outside as possible! For all you readers who are also outdoor enthusiasts, Weekend Sherpa is a weekly newsletter you can subscribe to that recommends the best adventure outings in Northern California. Whether you like to bike, hike, or just relax in the sun, Weekend Sherpa offers many options that appeal to all types of activity level.