The Daily Bride

~ Ask Ali ~

Welcome to Ask Ali!

February 01st, 2008

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Some fun and new trends in wedding décor!

Here are some musings about some fun and affordable ideas to dress up your wedding!

Candlelight is a wonderful way to dress up a reception location and add ambiance and romance. It will add a glow and shimmer to the room. For an added touch, add floating candles to taller cylinder vases filled with water and float or swirl a rose or calla lily inside the vase.

Carnations are BACK! No longer is it the flower you pick up last minute at the grocery store for your grandmother or a corsage from prom. Carnation can be purchased in various colors and when bunched together tightly can make a statement for your bridesmaids, a place card table piece or even adorable centerpieces.

Flower girls don’t always have to carry baskets and drop flower petals anymore. A bride could make cute wands for them with flowing ribbons they could carry as they walk down the aisle. You can even purchase cute “fairy wings” for the flower girls to wear at a local costume shop.

You need not spend a ton of money decorating the doors or entrance to your ceremony or your reception area. Buy ribbon at your local party shop and create big bows with flowing ribbons to add to the doors or maybe railings to the entrance. The flowing ribbons will for sure say “Celebration Starts Here!”

Less is more! For flowers, chose one element for your centerpieces. A gorgeous centerpiece of all white tulips makes quite a statement. Maybe even wrap the vase with a pretty bow in another signature color to add a pop of color to the tulips. It is so easy, even your bridesmaids or friends can put the centerpieces together for you.

Using natural elements (fruits and vegetables) in centerpieces is a very fun way to make your centerpieces stand out and offer a different perspective to what your guests see at all the weddings they attend. You could use lemons and limes or even plums inside of the vases to add a pop of color. I just recently did a wedding where the centerpieces were filled with fall leaves, small ceramic frogs and moss as the base. Add a sprig of rosemary into the fold of your napkin which symbolizes remembrance, loyalty and reflection.

Another fun way to dress up your flower vases is to search out old containers and vases from antique stores in your town. And who says they need to match? If they are all different you can even place different flowers in each vase and your wedding become a garden of flowers!

If you can’t afford specialty linens, think about using affordable chair ties as a table runner to add a pop of color. Or, consider bringing in specialty linens just for your head table and cake table. This also can add a pop of color and help these tables stand out.

Some brides and grooms have lately been placing pictures of their parents and grandparents on their own wedding day on the place card table. Make sure to make little notes that say who everyone is and their wedding date.

Furniture and lounge areas are IN! Hit your local IKEA or Crate and Barrel and create a cocktail area for after dinner for guests to enjoy their coffee and wedding cake.

About Ali:

Ali is a certified Professional Bridal Consultant™ with the Association of Bridal Consultants. She is actively involved in the Chicago chapter and regularly participates in various wedding and bridal conferences. She is a member of ISES (International Special Event Society), National Association of Women Business Owners, Women in Catering and Weddings Beautiful Worldwide, a division of National Bridal Service.

To find out more about Ali and her services go to www.engagingeventsbyali.com