Real Life Wedding Planning

If you are looking new floral ideas while you are planning your wedding, watch the new show on The Learning Channel (TLC) television network, “Flowers Uncut with Jeff Leatham”.  Jeff was the artist director for the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris an did the flowers for Eva Longoria Parker’s wedding.

Here is a clip from last week’s show in which he designed floral arrangements for a wedding with a large budget.  Notice that you will not only get ideas on floral design but also how to handle flowers.

Tonight the show doesn’t feature a wedding but you can still get wedding ideas from the fundraising event centerpieces that he designs.

Here is a clip from the show that runs tonight.  It will also be repeated later i the week.

I continue my obsession with stealing ideas from celebrity weddings with actress Ali Larter’s August 1 ceremony to Hayes MacArthur in Kennebunkport, Maine.  It was an outdoor event and, if you notice in the photo above, instead of an aisle runner, the aisle was bordered with petals from pink and purple roses.  Great idea!

Although many outdoor weddings use cloth or carpet aisle runners, as reality star Kendra Wilkinson did when she wed at the Playboy mansion, there is always the risk of someone, usually the bride, tripping on the cloth or sticking a sharp heel right through the fabric.  Other, safer, ideas to define the aisle at an outdoor wedding:

• Potted plants at the end of each row of chairs to define the walkway

• Leaves, instead of rose petals, scattered along the border for a autumn wedding

• A bow, wreath, or swag attached to the aisle seats

Take the weather into account when you chose your aisle decorations.  Petal or leaf borders will scatter in the wind and fresh flower swags can wilt quickly under a hot sun.  Work with an experienced florist for more ideas.

Don’t forget, when you select your wedding gown, a long train will be ruined if you drag it through dirt, grass, or sand.  You might want to chose a tea length dress instead, one with a hem that falls between the bottom of the knee and the bottom of the calf.

Trying to decide on a color theme for your wedding?  Think about using black and white, it’s classic, elegant and can also be a little bit edgy.   Both Fergie and Josh Duhamel and former reality show bachelorette, Jen Schefft, used these colors for their weddings this year.

Here are some ways you can use black and white in your wedding:

Reception Decor-

• Centerpieces of white roses, calla lilies, carnations, or white dendrobium orchids.  Use black vases to keep with the theme.

• Black flowers, whether tulips, roses, or calla lilies, will give the wedding a real edgy look.

• Black and white checkered dance floor (which you can get from a party rental company).

• Black linens, both tablecloths and napkins, with white china, white linens and black china, or mix it up with white tablecloths, black napkins and black china.

• White chairs or chair covers with black sashes.

• You can also incorporate an accent color of pink, lavender, or, for a very dramatic look, red, in your centerpieces or chair sashes.

Cake and Desserts-

• Wedding cake iced in white, piped with black scrolls, lace-like designs or banded with black ribbons.

• Large strawberries decorated to look like they are wearing a black tuxedos.

Favors-

• Black and white favor bags, you can even find ones that look like mini bride’s dresses and tuxedos.

Wedding attire-

• Jen Schefft wore a white Carolina Herrera wedding dress with a black bow and black peep-toe pumps.

• The train of Fergie’s white mermaid wedding dress was held with vintage black and white crystal floral brooches.

• Bridesmaids can wear black dresses with white sashes and carry white bouquets.

I found a set of interchangeable black and white simulated pearl earrings from the Jacqueline Kennedy jewelry collection at www.QVC.com.  Wear the pearl color that will stand out the most with your hair color or have some fun and wear one of each color!

Whether planning a wedding at a place of worship or a home, one of the wedding decor details you can add is front door decoration to welcome your guests.  Your florist can make an arrangement for you that blends with the colors of your wedding, many times it is a wreath of your wedding flowers.

I recently found another idea from the March 2009 issue of Traditional Home magazine.  Their article on decorating a home for a Quinceanera included a rose-filled crown door decoration made by the company Door Couture.  The company designs memorable door decorations for special occasions.  I captured photos from their website, www.doorcouture.com, below.  Their site shows additional designs. You might consider having a door decoration designed to go with the theme of your wedding or you could even design one yourself.