Wedding Themes

By Ashely Ferreri

 

          Within the hospitality industry there are several different sectors that fall under its umbrella; one of the more popular sections are weddings. Today, weddings are veering away from the more traditional church aspect. Now it’s all about the venues. Whether the venue is on the beach, at a barn, or in a grassy field it’s the nontraditional feel. One of the more popular trends is a themed venue.

          

         Based on an article in Bridal Guide magazine where the author, Kristen O'Gorman Klein, found the top five hottest wedding trends by looking at the Pinterest boards of women who entered to win a contest to have their dream wedding designed by David Tutera. The author saw a trend in the contestants Pinterest boards. The first trend was rustic themed weddings. Rustic themed weddings include barns as venues filled with branches, lanterns and nature inspired décor. The colors of this venue consist of natural browns, nature greens, and creams. This theme is becoming more and more popular and is similar to the vintage theme.

 

            The vintage theme is just how it sounds, old-fashioned. Within this theme couples include a lot of family heirlooms including the engagement ring, dresses, and even cars. This venue style is still nontraditional, but a hint of tradition in the sense of the hand-me-downs from generation to generation. Some couples think that the heirlooms or other antiques add to the romance of their big day. The vintage themed wedding is similar to the rustic based on the color scheme and décor items. The colors of a vintage wedding are also natural browns, nature greens, and with an addition of light pinks. Just as in rustic weddings vintage weddings use mason jars as décor to hold flowers/branches or tea lights. Since they have similar aspects people may also see a combination of the two called rustic-vintage weddings.

 

           Then there is the pure romance theme where a simple topic is taken to the extreme and very in depth perspective that captures the love between the couple. Within this theme, ceremonies had by candlelight or candle lit chandeliers at the reception, there’s a simple elegance to it that encompasses this theme. The venues and receptions were at gardens with gazebos covered in flowers or even lights. The flowers used in bouquets, centerpieces, or flooding the aisle are white and pink roses.

 

         Trends in the wedding industry are changing from generation to generation. As little girls, brides imagine what their big day will be like down to every last detail, but when they grow up it spirals several different ways. There are many outside sources that affect the way a bride wants her wedding. For example, the Internet is becoming a game changer for brides, as do television shows and movies. As generations from generations began to get married the idea and possibilities of weddings can change based on the many factors.

 

Rustic Wedding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Wedding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pure Romance Wedding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Pinterest: Friend or Foe?

Personally, I dub thee Foe. 

In a world where literally everything is at our fingertips and readily available at the click of a button, little is held back from women, newly engaged and soon to be engaged brides. As a Wedding and Event planner, I believe Pinterest is aiding a hand to ruining the wedding planning process. It isn't that I don't think the ideas of many Pins are adorable and wedding worthy, but rather that there is just too much dreaming that is taking place. I like to promise my clients a stress free (or nearly stress free) day. When a bride has arranged her entire wedding off of her Pinterest dream wedding board, almost anything can go wrong.




Pinterest is a land of pretty colors and beautiful pictures. So what do you think will happen if a bride sees 5 or 6 bouquets that she loves but then cannot pick which she prefers  Well, she is most likely either going to stress about it to the verge of tears (thank you wedding emotions) or she is going to seriously tick off her florist who will most likely be told to come up with a way to make more than 8 types of flowers look perfect combined in one.

And what if she has envisioned her wedding to be EXACTLY like the photo on Pinterest that displays an out of this world cascade of light due to the perfect combination of clouds in the sky and ratio of sun beams to bridesmaids basking in said sunbeams? She will either pester the photographer to an inch of their sanity attempting to tell them, a professional, how to do their job, or shes going to melt in a puddle of nerves because her chance to copy that once in a lifetime Pinterest shot has failed.


There are too many spots for error. Jut to clarify, I am not against Pinterest in any way. I actually am guilty of Pinning this and that. Am I saying don't copy and Idea you found? No. I am simply hoping to shed light on the probably actuality that your weddings reality on this pretty side of the world is different than the land of happy Pinning that one to many a bride has fallen privy to in Pinterest World. And if only to throw a tad bit more fuel on my fire for a position in this debate, please read the following article from Jillian Stafford, a former Pinterest Addict and submission author for BuzzMedia.com. You can read the article below, or click Here. :-)

"I heard about Pinterest at a wedding reception last year and within 24 hours, I was hooked. I had to pin everything: I grabbed every vegan recipe, organizing tip, cute outfit, inspirational quote, and makeup tutorial I could get my freshly ombre-manicured fingers on. Then, a few months later, I got engaged and suddenly it was time to add a new board.

As a proud member of the one percent of Pinterest users who didn’t already have a Dream Wedding board, I started a For Real Wedding board and began to explore the site’s “Weddings and Events” category. Within five minutes, it became apparent to me that I would need to locate a rustic barn surrounded by an endless field of wildflowers. According to Pinterest, that seems to be the only place people are getting married these days.

I began the search for my Rustic Bridal Barn immediately, and was shocked to learn that they aren’t readilyavailable in my area. Or any area outside of Pinterest Land, really. I was even willing to be flexible on the field of wildflowers. Undeterred, I settled on one of the squares in Savannah, Georgia.

Having found a location, it was time to focus on decor. According to Pinterest, brides are combing the shoreline for interesting pieces of driftwood and crafting their own elaborate centerpieces. I headed to the beach confident that some ready-made driftwood centerpieces would be there waiting for me to inscribe with our initials. Once again, shock and disappointment took over. I was going to need a new centerpiece plan.

By this time, my mother had joined Pinterest, and stuff got real. We met up at the fabric store after work to discuss varying shades of burlap, because every Pinterest Wedding is made of burlap. That’s why all Pinterest Wedding candles are contained in a mason jar: to avoid an unfortunate burlap fire. Confident in my mom’s position as Burlap Manager, I turned my attention to flowers.

I met with the florist to order my twee Pinterest Wedding bouquet,  showed him no less than 22 bouquets on my pin board, and requested that he artfully combine them. I required exactly eight cabbage roses and 12 peonies and absolutely no baby’s breath. I was undecided about bridesmaid bouquets, as nobody actually pinned photos of bridesmaids with traditional bouquets anymore. Instead, there was a contest among brides to see who could convince their lifelong friends to proudly carry the most ridiculous item down the aisle. I considered giving them each a kitten wearing a jaunty hat, but eventually settled on turquoise paper parasols.

Since all Pinterest Wedding photos are majestic and ethereal, I met with my photographer to discuss how we would make this happen. I planned the time of my ceremony around the sun’s schedule. I had to walk down the aisle at the exact moment when the sun would be in the ideal position to achieve what I now call the Pinterest Wedding Ethereal Lens Flare. Through some extensive Google searching, we determined that 5:00 p.m. would be the perfect time to wed. We scheduled a two-hour block of time prior to the ceremony for photos of my bridesmaids and I happily getting ready, gazing wistfully at ourselves in the mirror, and sipping our mimosas.

It might have seemed like my Pinterest Wedding was coming along nicely, but in reality the anxiety was mounting. Unable to choose between the two, I had an elegant cake surrounded by adorable gluten-free cupcakes. We had a candy buffet with a clever sign proclaiming “Love is Sweet.”  You see, every time I planned a small detail, I would see someone do it better, with more whimsy, on Pinterest.

A few weeks before my wedding date, I’d had enough of being out-twee-ed and out whimsy-ed. I developed acute bridal apathy and quit Pinterest in a huff. After going cold turkey, I realized that Pinterest only shows us the good side of weddings. It shows a glowing example of how weddings can look when everything goes as planned. In reality? It rained all day leading up to our ceremony. The rental company didn’t set up our chairs in the park because it was raining. Our getting-ready photo shoot time was spent with my bridesmaids yelling at the rental company and me obsessively checking the weather radar. The chairs arrived 20 minutes after our ceremony was scheduled to begin. The rain stopped, the sun came out for the first time that day, and we started our ceremony 45 minutes late. We walked through the mud, so our hand-painted burlap aisle runner looked like a used coffee filter by the time I got to see it, and the bottom of my dress looked like a tea bag.

But you know what? I was so overcome with joy that I did the ugly cry all the way down the aisle and through half of the ceremony. It was perfectly imperfect, and absolutely beautiful. My Pinterest Wedding turned into a Real Wedding, and it was the most wonderful day of my life."

Jillian Stafford is a yoga teacher and recovering Pinterest addict from Savannah, Georgia. You can find her on Twitter at @jillystaff. 

Happy Planning Everyone!

xoxo

Katherine

10 Things To Do Once You Are Engaged

First, a Congratulations is in order! This is not only a special and unique time in one’s life; it is also a somewhat hectic and whirlwind process. However, do not worry! The lovely interns here at Paisley Events are here to help you so that even in the moments after you say yes and the ring is slipped on to your finger it can be as stress-free as possible. You should be able to just relax and enjoy this special time and not worry about all the planning and let that to-do list get out of control.

Therefore here is a list of the top 10 things you should do as soon as you get engaged.

1. Get A Manicure

You have this new sparking, absolutely stunning accessory adorning your left hand now, and its guaranteed to attract a lot of attention here in the near future. Whether it is from the attention of all of those around (“Oh, let me see that ring!”) or the numerous pictures to be taken in the near future, it is important that your hand looks just as nice. You would not want to embarrass yourself with chipped, and unpolished nails. Therefore you should get a manicure, regardless if it is from a professional or an at-home polish, to make sure that your hands and nails are in tip-top shape.

2. Settle On A Budget

You need to decide upon a budget and rather early on. Whether it’s you, your fiancé, his parents or yours, it needs to not only be discussed, but finalized to the last cent in order to maintain positive relations with everyone. No one wants to feel pressured or uneasy with all the planning, and having a clear, set budget is one way of decreasing potential tension that is sure to ensue.

3. Sign Up For Sale Alerts

There are so many details that go in to a wedding, from the accessories to the honeymoon packages. However it is important to keep in mind that all things go on sale! So make sure that you sign up for any alerts that might be of use so that you can save as much money as possible.

4. Insure Your Ring

Make Sure You Do This! God forbid anything ever happen to that now precious accessory, but accidents do happen and because of that this is a necessity! If your fiancé has not done it already, make sure this is done immediately. The jeweler where it was purchased should refer you to certified insurers. Also, make sure to ask the jeweler for an appraisal slip because this will be used to determine its value. Your fiancé spent a lot of time and money picking out the perfect ring; therefore you shouldn’t risk any potential damages or loosing it. I cannot stress this enough, make sure you get your ring insured!

5. Sign Up For Pinterest

As you can probably tell from most of the other posts, Pinterest is a huge source of inspiration! It has pictures and ideas from everything from food and fitness to wedding and décor. It is by far the biggest resource for wedding ideas. Everything from your dream dress, to DIY favors, to mouth-watering cakes and everything in between can be found. It is by far a great tool and can be considered a brides best friend!

6. Have ‘The Money Talk’ With Your Fiancé

The wedding budget conversation is not the only money centered conversation necessary. You are creating a family now and you two will also need to hash out all the logistics that come along with merging bank accounts. The saying “what’s yours is mine” is not as simple as it sounds.

7. Sign Up For Trunk Show Alerts

Everyone dreams up their perfect dress for their wedding day. Whether it’s princess-like ball gown or a sleek and elegant evening gown, your checkbook will thank you for signing up for local trunk shows. By following your local bridal boutique on Facebook and referring to a regional bridal magazine for a list of the designer trunk shows in your area, you will be able to go, see and touch all the most recent designer gowns – straight off the runway.

8. Choose A Diet Plan & Start It

It is common for brides to want to look their absolute best on their wedding day. Not only do they want to look great in all the pictures that will forever be timeless reminders of the day that they said “I do”, they also want to feel their absolute best. To do this however, many plan to lose weight. Keep in mind; the worst thing to do is to wait until the last minute and crash diet. Therefore you should start as soon as possible. If you plan on dieting you need to pick an appropriate and well-fitting plan and make sure to stick with it! This is the best way to not only achieve your ultimate goal, but to look and feel your best.

9. Pick A Location

The location – city and venue – is the most important decision you will make in the wedding planning process. Everyone will have an opinion about where you should get married and where the reception should be held. Therefore it is important to get this discussion started as soon as possible.

10. Hire A Planner

It does not matter how great of a planner you are or that you are extremely Type-A and organized. The wedding planning process is hectic and a job in itself. Very few people have the time and patience necessary for such a grueling process. Which is why you should leave it to the professionals, like those here at Paisley Events! J You want your wedding day to be relaxing and stress-free. Without a planner you are almost guaranteed to be stressed and worried about all the details on your big day instead of focusing on the more important things at hand. Hiring a professional who does this for a living, allows them to worry about the details not only throughout the planning process, but on the day of as well. Trust me, it will be money well spent!

I hope this helps and makes the beginning stages of the engagement and wedding planning process as easy as possible! Once again, Congratulations! This is a very special time so make sure you stop and enjoy the moment!

xox Lauren