Oliveaire Design Studio Showcase: Raghavan & Desai Event: University Club

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now),

Olivia

Pardesi Wedding: Modern Peacock Art

This is event was like a modern art gallery, the abstract lines of the centerpieces distinguished just that. With the flaring peacock feathers from the center of their floral arrangements, to the round fish bowls lighted up to enhance the round hanging floral orbs from the stage! This room grabbed the attention and essence in the simplicity of the Bride & Groom. A completed look with lighting, linens, and beautiful florals to make this room come to life! Stay tuned for more! 

Great Rehearsal Expectation

The bridal showers and bachelor(ette) parties are over, and that fake bouquet created with all the bows from your shower gifts is ready to be used.. It is now the day of the wedding rehearsal, which officially starts the festivities leading up to the big day, The wedding party will be very excited, all are happy to see each other, and the bride and groom are feeling the anxiety of reaching the finish line.

Why the anxiety? There are many, many reasons. They might be leaving the home, or family, they have been a comfortable part of all their lives. More likely, the planning of the wedding activities, with their hundreds of details which had to be finished by the rehearsal day, may have finally caught up with them. Finally, making that unofficial walk the down the aisle, to practice their vows with all eyes on them, would make anybody feel butterflies.

The rehearsal ceremony is usually a one-hour window where the Officiant and wedding coordinator, or church coordinator, guide you thru what to expect on your wedding day. That person, who leads you through it, expects the wedding party to be there on time, and to finish on time. It is usually held at the location of the actual ceremony whether it is a church, temple, hotel, or on a beach.

Often this is the first time that members of the wedding party will first meet each other. In this instance not only the bride and groom are feeling anxious. Imagine the Maid of Honor or Best Man is all of a sudden being escorted down the aisle by somebody they just met, and will be expected to partner up in a formal setting in the next few days. Not only that, you have to be civil and pleasant, whether he or she is nice, or has a challenging personality.

Why go thru a rehearsal? It is to relieve the exact feeling you have felt all this time you were planning your wedding. By the end of the rehearsal the couple usually starts to let go of anxiety as they feel a great sense of support, seeing all their family and friends together. When the bride walks down the aisle once or twice, the groom fumbles thru the vows, when they figure out the ring bearer may not be too crazy about walking down the aisle, or the couple hears the laughter of their loved ones, or even of each other; they feel a huge relief off their shoulders. It is also when the tears start flowing for the parents or guardians, or most often, the bride.

The rehearsal is also the time to turn over the marriage license and church fees to the Officiant, so don’t forget them! Be sure to leave the unity candle and whatever is needed to the church or ceremony location, prior to the actual day.  Musicians might check the timing of their music, especially if they are family or friends of the couple. The readers will check the volume and speed of their voice when reading. Sometimes, it is when the ladies of the wedding party wear the actual shoes they will be wearing for the official day to break them in. Do not be upset if everybody cannot make it. Your groomsman from California may have a delayed flight, or the flower girl may still be recovering from a cold. Your wedding coordinator or a bridesmaid can show them what to do on the actual day.

Now that the couple has finished seeing a preview of their big day, they can finally, along with their wedding party and close family and friends, start the celebration at the well-deserved rehearsal dinner.

The rehearsal, or pre-nuptial, dinner is usually hosted by the groom’s parents, but anybody can host it, even the bride and groom. Its mood and setting is usually the opposite of the formal reception. It can be at the couple’s favorite pizza place, the church hall, or someone’s backyard. The dress code is relaxed and the food and drinks are lively. It is a perfect time for all to hang out with the couple and there is no real schedule. Your out-of-town guests are sometimes invited to show appreciation for their efforts and expense to be there for our big day. The couple at this time usually acknowledges all who were involved, and shows their gratitude by presenting gifts. This is also a nice time for the couple to publicly thanking the important people in their lives, and again will begin to relieve more of their anxiety. The rehearsal dinner is essential to a wedding if you want your big day to be less stressful and chaotic.

What type of gifts should a couple give those who were so instrumental in planning their big day? That is another blog topic, stay tuned!

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now),

Olivia

Pulling a Room Together: Enhancing Your Event With Linens!

The feeling of glitz, glamour, luxuriousness and elegance can all be brought to life with the use of linens on your wedding day.   From the wide selection of fabrics, colors, and patterns to choose from, there will be something that matches the tone you are trying to set.  There are many different ways linens can be used to enhance your venue in a whimsical and romantic way.  Here are some helpful tips of advice on what linens would be a perfect match and how to incorporate them on your wedding day. 

Finding Your Perfect Linen
1. Research: When searching for inspiration for your lavish linens, be sure to research everything from colors to the material. Every aspect is important and everything will determine the look and feel of your venue space. Always consider what you have envisioned and get advice from the experts and from your family and friends. Both will help you come up with what would be perfect for the atmosphere you are trying to portray. 

2. Color Considerations:Even though bright colors are trending this year, the use of ivories and whites for table clothes and chair covers are more popular than ever. Here are a few reasons as to why you should consider ivory or white for your linen choices.
· Plain and simple, white and ivory are the easiest to decorate with because it matches just about everything.  It is very good against splashes of colors from your table napkins and your centerpieces.
· White and Ivory also look absolutely breathtaking with up lighting because it will somewhat turn the color of your room without blending into the backdrop. Either of these two colors shimmers against the lighting.
· If you are looking to save money and you are lucky enough to have this, most venues can only provide white or ivory linens when it is a part of their wedding package.

Even though there are many different benefits to having white and ivory linens, the use of colored linens can also look just as magnificent. It may be a little more tough to mix and match and get the lighting right, but we have seen some exquisite venue spaces with colored linens before. Be creative and follow your heart on what you believe fits your personality and your vision.

3. Other Ways to Use Fabric Besides a Table Cover
Chair Covers: The use of fabric to cover a chair can turn a fabulous chair into a spectacular piece of art that flows with the scenery. Sure we have seen couples choose to use the venues chairs without a cover or order specialty chairs that match the décor, but the use of a cover and possibly a wrap around of another color, really pulls the whole room together.
Backdrop: A very unique way of incorporating fabrics into your wedding day is by using a backdrop made of all linen. Although this might be an expensive way to incorporate linens because of all the yards it will require, you could use this backdrop at both the ceremony and the reception. The below picture shows a backdrop that we did in the past that incorporates two different colors and if you look close enough you will see that it has elements of crystal curtains throughout.
Aisle: Flowing fabric aisles definitely gives off a romantic and flowing feel to a ceremony space. Although it may be tough to keep everyone off of it before you walk down the aisle, it will be well worth it. We have seen some beautiful aisles that are made of linen and are topped with flower pedals going all the way down to the alter or the Mandap. Below is a picture from one of the weddings we did the décor for that has a breathtaking fabric aisle with floral elements. 

Mandap and Stage: At Oliveaire we specialize in South Asian weddings. With the above picture, you can see a gorgeous fabric Mandap made out of all linens with a hint of floral elements. The stage is also covered with a beautiful soft white fabric. This luxurious way of decorating a Mandap looks absolutely romantic and the lighting brings out the beautiful pink color.

4. Steps You Should Take
1. Research information and size of tables, chairs and other measurements where you might be incorporating linens. This information includes if your venue space provides linens or areas close to you that can provide you the linens you want.
2. Find out Costs. Call around to many different places and compare costs on the amount of fabric you will need and their services to deliver and possibly set up.
3. Consider the costs and envision the best possible outcomes that stay within your budget.
4. Before ordering, make sure this fabric brings to life the look and feel you have been dreaming about.
5. Once you are sure, make an order with the company and make sure before your big day that they will be ready on time and that they have everything you ordered.

Linen simply adds pure elegance and pulls your dream décor all together.   When choosing your extraordinary linens, make sure to gain as much knowledge as possible, brainstorm and get advice from your close family and friends.  Having all of this information can only help and it will make choosing a lot easier and a lot more fun.  Follow your vision and nothing can go wrong!   

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now),

Olivia