Décor for Your Reception

One of the most important features of your reception is the décor.  This sets the mood whether your wedding style is lush New York City or  mountaintop resort style.  Selecting the correct elements will highlight your theme as well as take it above and beyond your wildest dreams.  Unusual, elegant chairs or centerpieces that are the most über elite, will “wow” your guests and make your room “pop.”  Or, setting up a lounge area with leather seats and lighted tables for the cocktail area will create a relaxed, yet elegant feeling.

Wondering where you can find such fabulous items?  Start scouring flea markets, estate sales or boutique consignment shops.  If you don’t have the time or necessarily want to keep all these décor items, then renting them is the next best thing.  A luxurious rental company will have everything you need to create your look and set the right tone.  They will take care of everything from delivery, setting it up and taking it all down afterwards. 

Have fun!  Let your imagination go wild!

photo courtesy of Cort Events

Wedding of Priscilla + Insoo - October 15, 2011

I had the pleasure of planning and coordinating Priscilla's + Insoo's wedding this past weekend. After all the rain we had been having in our area, Saturday turned out to be a gorgeous, beautiful sunny day.

Even though the wedding was in the fall, Priscilla wanted a sort of "Valentine's" theme. Her colors were red and white.

For her favors, she had already purchased conversation hearts, so I provided red organza bags to fill with the hearts.

Priscilla + Insoo are Korean and the sweetest couple. They had a local Korean restaurant cater the food and there was plenty to go around. They were expecting around 350 guests.

Based on Priscilla's idea for her centerpieces, I used clear Deco Beads in a cylinder vase, a red submersible LED light to make it really "pop," and a red rose. It looked pretty cool. For some of the other centerpieces, I used clear rocks that Priscilla had purchased, the red LED light and a red rose. I filled the vase with water and added floating candles. We used white tablecloths with a red runner placed down the middle of each guest table.

A few weeks prior to the wedding, Priscilla had mentioned she wanted to have a game played during the reception, but she wanted it to be a surprise. She didn't want to know what game I chose. I searched the Internet for ideas and chose the one of having the guests spontaneously get up and sing a line or two from a song with the word "love" in it. Whenever the bride and groom heard the word "love" they would have to kiss. Well, on the day of the wedding, shortly before the reception began, I found out that in the Korean culture, they do not show PDA (public display of affection). I thought, "Uh, oh. What am I going to do if they won't kiss or the guests won't even get up to sing?" I did have a back-up game, but I wanted to see if this one would work. So, I felt I had to give a heads up to Priscilla so she wouldn't be totally taken offguard. I didn't tell her what the guests had to do, but I did tell her that it would involve her having to kiss her husband. At first, she was a little shy and embarrassed, but was accepting of it. When it was time for the game, I had the MC start things off by singing a song himself. They kissed. The guests seemed to really enjoy it. So, someone else got up and sang. They kissed. Quite a few guests got up and sang and really started getting into it. Everyone was laughing and clapping. One person even sang the Barney song. It was a riot. I think it really made the reception fun and got the guests really involved. I have a feeling, this is one they will remember for a long time.

I loved working with Priscilla + Insoo. They are now enjoying their honeymoon in Aruba!

Congratulations!

::sources::
Caterer - Dong-A Asian Market
Florist - Joy Park
Wedding Cake - Korean Bakery
Photographer - Studio Moment Event Photography
Hair/Makeup - E Jung

Calling all brides!

It's that time of year again to don your running shoes and attend the famous Filene's Basement "Running of the Brides."

Our local one will take place this Friday, October 14 at Filene's Basement, Mazza Gallerie, 5300 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, D.C. from 8AM - 9PM. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted. All sales are final.

Below are some helpful tips directly from Filene's Basement.

The key to being successful at the Running of the Brides® is knowing what to expect. When the doors open at 8:00am, brides and their helpers rush to the racks, grab wedding gowns and immediately start trying them on. After this initial frenzy the real sale begins, when helpers roam the floor to trade sizes, colors and designers with the other teams. Once you get in the flow of this unique event, it will all make sense. Here are a few guidelines that will help make your experience at the ROTB more successful and fun.

Before You Go

1. Recruit your team and assign jobs.
2. Create team unity by wearing something matching—for example hats, t-shirts or headbands.
This will also help you find each other in the crowd.
3. Tear out pages from bridal magazines, or print styles from on-line wedding gown sites to
show your team what you’re looking for.

The Day of the Sale

1. Dress smart—wear a sports bra or swim suit so you can change in and out of gowns
anywhere in the store.
2. Leave your handbag at home or pack light for the day.
3. Please, don’t wear make-up. White shows everything.
4. The sale starts at 8:00am, so if you want to be one of the first through the doors, plan
on arriving well before then.
5. Not everyone wants to deal with the 8:00am rush. Starting around 11:00am you’ll see
dresses going back on the racks and the scene will be calmer.

Be considerate. Once you decide you don’t like a dress, put it back on the rack. It just might be someone else’s dream dress.

Happy shopping. If any brides-to-be are reading my blog and you attend this event, please send me your experiences and photos. I will post them on the blog.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

If you are looking for a great charity to sponsor or support, I suggest Brides Against Breast Cancer. You can donate money and even your wedding gown. Find out how you can donate your gown directly on their website at: www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.org.

Or, have a Pink Envelope wedding reception. Visit Brides Against Breast Cancer for details.

Looking for a unique favor for your guests? Consider making a pink envelope donation on behalf of your guests. Go to the Brides Against Breast Cancer website to read all about it.

If you would rather participate physically, then run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. In our local area, the race will take place on Sunday, October 23 in Hunt Valley, MD. Call 410.433.RACE(7233) for more information. For the schedule of where and when other races will take place in your area, go to their website at: ww5.komen.org.

Think Pink!