Setting the Mood with Lighting - Illuminate Your Event

When first looking at a venue, it is hard to imagine how to turn this blank canvas into a masterpiece. Many details go into planning your special day and transforming your venue, and one important factor that creates a certain mood, atmosphere and vibe is lighting. Lighting seems to be overlooked, but it is an essential detail that enhances the look of your venue space. It will complete your vision and will reflect you and your fiancé’s personalities. Lighting can be used in many different ways, but all will illuminate your event space in a dramatic way.

What is more romantic and classic than candlelight? Incorporating candles into your big day can really create a warm and cozy feeling as well. Candles add an extraordinary glow to any venue that will take everyone’s breath away.

The use of patterns can really add a texture to any surface. Whether it is being used as uplighting on the walls or down the aisle, patterns add a creative and personal touch to any venue. As featured in the 25th Anniversary Edition of Chicago Style Weddings, check out the feature on page 336 at: http://www.chicagostyleweddings.com/emagazine.aspx 

   

Uplighting is a great way to enhance the details of your venue space that you appreciate, and it allows you to hide any details you do not see fit for your occasion. It can accent the architecture of the venue, as well as add a glow of the color and patterns you desire. When transforming a venue to what your vision is, uplighting is one of the most essential parts and can really bring everything together.

If you want to create different moods during your special day, do not be afraid to experiment different types of lighting at different times. Maybe you would like to create a soft and romantic atmosphere during the ceremony, and then create a fun and upbeat atmosphere during the reception.

Whatever you choose, always remember to showcase who you are as a couple, and lighting can help reflect that beautifully.


BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now)
Olivia

Picking the Perfect Wedding Date

Today we are over at Top Wedding Sites talking about how to pick your perfect wedding date. Come check it out!



http://www.topweddingsites.com/wedding-blog/wedding-planning/picking-the-perfect-wedding-date

Hi lovely brides,

It's been a very busy start to the event season. Today I am sharing some photos from a beautiful wedding we were honored to be a part of on May 29, 2011. Oliveaire provided all of the floral, decor, lighting, linen, chivari chairs and planning for this amazing couple's wedding celebration. We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we do!











Check out this great post from our friends at Foodie Registry: Modern Wedding Registry Tips

The Enchanting Varmala

It is no surprise that South Asian weddings have the grandeur of a Royal Wedding, but these trendy weddings are meticulously designed, down to every last detail. The exchanging of the garlands is an intricate part of a Hindu ceremony. A marriage is not complete unless the bride accepts her husband into her life.


Photo courtesy of R.E.M.

A traditional Varmala (or Jaimala depending on the region you are from) is made of Marigolds. But since Indian weddings have stepped into the world of modern and couture trends, brides and grooms are looking to honor the ritual of exchanging the garlands, with a stylish lei of blooms.

Here are some concepts from our design studio, giving you some out of the box ideas to:


GO SMALL: The beauty and charm of mini spray roses vs. full bloom rose can add simplicity to the competing bridal sari and sherwani.

BLING IT: Add crystal studs to add sparkles to your blooms. Embellish the garland with an antique brooch that can be saved long after the ceremony as a memory of your acceptance of marriage.


LOVE the orchids: Mokara orchids are sophisticated and elegant. Orchid garlands can keep the tradition but bring the chic element to the ritual.

STYLE IT: Garlands don’t have to just be about connecting the flowers. Include patterns into garlands that can tie in the design theme of your wedding.

Can you FAKE it?? As a designer I am torn on answering this question. And I mean about using Faux flowers to create your garlands. I am partial to fresh flowers in most design situation. However, I have seen families order beautiful and superbly designed marriage garlands from India. The main advantage of these “fake garlands” is that you can preserve your garlands whether or not the blooms you want to use will allow you to do so. Whichever you decide, these garlands are rooted deep in culture and tradition, and they are beautiful.

Whatever your choice may be in selecting your garlands, know that you are not bound by color or blooms in creating your one of a kind designer garland.

Cheers!

The wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful and the reception is going along fantastically. The MC has started to announce the people to make toasts. Oh no, what will he say? What will she bring up? How long is dad going to talk? These are some of the questions that may be going through your mind but can be handled with a little preliminary work. Toasts can be a very memorable part of the evening and you certainly don’t want it remembered as the time that the best man was too drunk or dad’s speech was 40 minutes long. Here are our tip tips, you can share with your toast-givers, to guarantee a successful toast:


Don’t make it about you
You have been asked by the bride and / or groom to give a speech about why the wedding is happening and what makes it so great. The number one key to a successful toast is to make it about the couple you are toasting. Don’t talk about you, rather keep it focused on the bride and groom.

Don’t get hammered before taking the microphone
This point seems quite obvious, but it is not. Wait until after your toast to visit the bar. Even if you are traditionally a fantastic speaker, slurring your words will certainly not impress the guests. Also, if one has had a bit too much to drink they may tend to ramble and repeat the same story, and they will not even know they are doing it.

Be clear and concisePrior to the big day decide upon three stories (Max!), and at least one good thing about both the bride and groom as individuals, and one of them as a couple, to incorporate into your toast or speech. The more these stories relate to each other the better.

Don’t get side-tracked
Stick with the pre-planned work you have done on the toast. Stay with the three stories and comments about the bride and groom. Sometimes when you are recalling memories they will lead you to more memories, which can lead to another story, and all of the sudden you are rambling and taking far too long to make a memorable toast. Since the wedding reception room is filled with family, older relatives, and close childhood friends, your toast should be PG or PG-13 rated. Steer clear of any topics that may offend.


Start preparing early
Type or write down your thoughts on the speech. By writing it down it will help you remember it better, and assist you in honing it down, and then it is quite easy to edit if needed. Also by writing it down you can practice in front of the mirror, or a loved one, to get more comfortable in delivering the speech.

Use your Speech 101 skills
All of us at one time or another in high school or college took a speech class. Now is the time to recollect and use those skills. Keep the toast short (3 minutes is a good starting point), keep it simple and keep the audience entertained. Make the guests understand why you were chosen for this special moment. Mixing in some humor and keeping it about the bride and groom is sure to be a winner.

Keep it real
The more true to yourself, the more the audience will be on your side. Some of the best speeches are two to three sentences, sharing a heartfelt congratulations and genuine wishes for full of love, because they were delivered with sincerity that you can see if their face or even hear in the sound of their voice. As long as you are comfortable in honoring the bride and groom this works best.


Have fun
Have fun but not too much fun. You want to deliver your speech fluently and clearly. You want to show emotion and sincerity and that can sometimes be difficult if you are having too much fun. It is a tradition and honor to be selected for this task, and should be given your full attention and regard.

Know that the actual purpose of giving a toast is to wish the couple happiness and blissful life ahead. Make sure you keep this in mind when you say your toast. Give your perspective of why that is the case and then you can gracefully make your exit to the bar.

Cheers!

Lighting Up Your Space

Have you seen some gorgeous event pictures recently? Take a closer look and you will probably notice that there is some type of lighting element as part of that event. New technology in the lighting field has opened the door to many possibilities for lighting that were simply not possible, or affordable, as recently has five years ago.

Today lighting your wedding reception means so much more than flipping a switch. You can put your touch in almost all lighting elements. “Lighting creates a mood” says event designer Preston Bailey, and when it is done well, lighting can make everything, including your wedding flowers, cake and guests look better. Now that you have seen the captivating pictures and have decided you want to incorporate lighting into your event, what do you do?

Find a company that specializes in lighting.
To obtain suggestions in your local area you can ask your event designer or wedding florist, many of them do their own lighting. If they do not, more than likely, they work with a lighting professional in the industry. You can also check with your contact at your reception venue, they will either offer options in-house or a recommended vendor list for lighting professionals they work with.


Learn lighting lingo
Here are some lighting terms that you will hear regularly:
Pin Spot - A focused beam of light that shines directly onto an object, like a centerpiece or wedding cake, as a highlight effect.
Color Wash - There are a few different types of light fixtures that can create a "wash," which is basically a blanket of colored light covering an entire area.
Gobos - Circular stencils that are put over a light to project a design or pattern. Popular gobo designs are monograms, dates, or any other wedding motifs.
LED - Short for light-emitting diodes, LED lights are currently popular for weddings because they use much less electricity (and don't get as hot) than regular, incandescent light bulbs. They are also available in a wireless feature so they are even more discreet.
Uplights – These are commonly LED lights that are placed around the perimeter of your venue to cast an illuminating glow around the room. Today’s technology allows for these to stay a static color all night or change as different activities occur in the room such as cake cutting, first dance and the late night dancing.

Assess Your Site
If you're planning an evening reception, make sure to visit your site at least once when it's dark outside. Look around the room and see where the fixed lighting is focused. Lights that illuminate the walls, windows, and ceiling can draw attention away from the center of the room -- and you want to keep everyone's eyes on the tables, dance floor, and each other. Ask if the site has dimmers for their overhead lights or if their florescent lighting can be turned off. Also, make sure there won't be any service doors kept open, which could flood the space with light and ruin the effect.

Use Color
As well as the multiple colors in your wedding gown think outside your wedding palette when you use colored lights. Try to incorporate colors that you have incorporated in your centerpieces to keep consistency throughout the event. Your own wedding outfit, table linen and backdrops are other features to look to when thinking of colors choices for your event.

Choose the Right Lights
It is always important to keep in mind the layout of your reception venue. High ceilings versus low ceilings will dramatically change how the lighting will enhance the room. Pin spotting in a room with high ceilings can really accentuate your floral centerpieces and finally, gobos can be fun with monograms on the dance floor or patterns on the wall. Work with your lighting designer to figure out which type of lighting fits your budget.

No matter what lighting you chose know that lighting puts your other elements on steroids. If you spend $25,000 on flowers, and $10,000 on lighting done properly, it will look like you spent $75,000 on flowers. Again the sky is the limit on lighting and it is only going to get better with time.

Styling Your Mehndi

Today's Blog is brought to you by Senior Event Architect Mahvish Bhatty. She hass a wealth of experience planning South Asian Wedding events and is sharing some of her best tips with you today:

Mehndi is an event prior to the Wedding Ceremony and usually takes place a day before as a pre-party. Mehndi night is considered to be a fun night and filled with dance performances by family/friends and dancing the night away. This is the most vibrant and lively event which is part of the wedding weekend for most South Asian countries.

Styling your Mehndi should be the most exciting portion of your wedding planning. I have seen many couples go simple with Mehndi nights and some have gone all out to show the true culture and colors of the night. For starters, make sure to incorporate Mehndi colors into the event which are yellow, orange, light pink, all shades of green, and you can even throw purple to create a vibrant ambiance.


Music is the most important aspect for a Mehndi Night so keep a budget for a good DJ who will work with your friends and families for dance performances and also provide music for open floor dancing. If you do not have a budget for a DJ then you will need to assign an individual either family or friend to play the music through the sound system that you rent or the venue provides. However, going cheap on this aspect might not provide the full benefit of a Mehndi night.


Let’s talk about décor: I already mentioned some of the colors to incorporate. No, you don’t need to have full flower bouquets on each table as a center piece; you can save that for the actual wedding reception. But what you should do is get colored linens for the tables and ties for the chair covers. The colors listed above would be ideal for the Mehndi night or you can choose colors according to your clothing style. For center pieces you can use decorative lanterns that bring a traditional look or you can have a candle tree that holds votive candles that are in vibrant Mehndi colors. Center pieces can be kept simple but should reflect a traditional feel since Mehndi is a cultural event.


The stage however, should be done nicely. This will be the focal point for the bride & groom. Most décor vendors have a decorative wooden swing where the couple will sit during the Mehndi ceremony and watch their family and friends perform dances for them. I have also seen some couples get a colorful fabric Mandap which definitely sets the style for the Mehndi, which I would recommend, as it makes the room appear elegant and full of vibrant colors.


Lastly, to add finishing touches, rent lounge furniture with vibrantly colored pillows. You can arrange these furniture pieces around the dance floor so during the dance performances your guests can move away from their tables and sit closer to the dance floor. Add this as part of your design creates a fun ambiance that is full of energy.

Choosing the right design studio is of course the way to go, as they provide brilliant décor ideas and their team arrives on the day of your Mehndi to setup the room. These ideas will definitely style up your Mehndi and a night you will always remember!