Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/106151
EXTRAS EXTRAORDINARY AFTER MENTALLY PERUSING LAST YEAR'S NUPTIALS, FIVE LOCAL WEDDING EXPERTS REPORT THE BLISSFUL DETAILS THEY ADORED. EVENT DESIGN, PLANNING AND CREATIVE SERVICES STEPHEN KARLISCH AND STEVE WRUBEL STEPHANIE QUADRI BRIDAL STYLIST STEVE WRUBEL • Instead of neutral or dyed to match, many brides opted for colored shoes (i.e., cobalt blue or lilac) or booties for winter weddings. • Rather than putting bridesmaids in the same dress, I recommended choosing individual styles to suit personal taste or figures. • Monochromatic bouquets. • A fresh detail: brides in gloves — lace or leather, whatever works best with the dress. • Locally made items were the preferred guest gifts for destination weddings — baked goods, books on the city or local wine. • Wearing feathers, headbands, brooches, fascinators or pins instead of a traditional veil. Patti Flowers Design Studio FASHION DESIGN KIMBERLY SCHLEGEL WHITMAN AUTHOR OF WEDDING INSPIRATION • I think it's important to emphasize and embellish the back of the bridesmaids' dresses. They spend much of the ceremony with their backs to the guests. • Using the couple's new monogram on the carpet leading the way from the ceremony to the reception. (Don't use the new monogram until after the ceremony!) • Small cheesecake balls holding a note inviting guests to the dance floor after dinner. This way, they could have a little something sweet without having to wait for the cake to be cut. • Modeling the cake after the gown. The bride provides a sample of the lace or materials to the cake designer and lets him or her remake it in icing. • Giving little wedding-party members a "task." It was my son's idea to ring a bell at my sister's wedding, and it kept him busy with a project during his walk down the aisle. It also hushed the crowd and set the tone for the bride's entrance. (We told him that the groom had M&Ms in his pocket, and he was to trade the bell for the M&Ms, and it worked!) • I had a bride wear custom cowboy boots with her initials inlaid in Tiffany blue — a clever twist to the "something blue" maxim. • The ringbearer carried the rings atop a monogrammed silk pillow inside a monogrammed silver box. It will be handed down through generations of this family — each subsequent wedding date will be engraved on the side of the box. • One groom's favorite place was Dickey's Barbeque, so his cake was made to look like a large yellow Dickey's cup. • I have redesigned the mother's or grandmother's wedding gown for the bride to wear to the rehearsal dinner, or later at the reception. • Given that so many brides are changing into party dresses for their receptions, I designed a wedding gown with an easily detachable skirt, leaving a short, fun bubble hem. • Make your exit as memorable as your entrance! I had a bride and groom leave in a helicopter. LARRY SENGBUSH • I like alternative seating arrangements and changing the basics. Moving the band from against a wall to floating in the room — as the anchor to a banquette — makes the space feel full, plus gives guests an interesting place to rest their eyes. • We all get tired of plain glass or silver vases. A unique floral container can provide a more organic look. • Elaborate floral design is expensive. So use it twice! We did a slight design modification to candelabras originally used as aisle markers. We added rose-petal shades and placed them on dining tables at the reception. • In a big room, my signature element is dividing a space into thirds so that each section has something special. For instance, I'll arrange a "Todd" bar in the middle, then a band and dance floor in another and a fantastic cake display in the remaining third. This layout ensures every table in the room is in the "special" section. • Add details that matter. I love monograms! PATTI FLOWERS DONNA NEWMAN REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY GIBBS SMITH TODD FISCUS Todd Events This short tulle design from Reem Acra illustrates Patti Flowers' idea of "long-to-short." SARA FAY EGAN JACKSON DURHAM FLORAL/EVENT DESIGN ALYSSA ANDREW PHOTOGRAPHY DONNA NEWMAN REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY GIBBS SMITH STEPHEN KARLISCH AND STEVE WRUBEL STEPHEN KARLISCH AMY ADAMS WAS SWEPT OFF HER FEET. • Have a live-event artist paint the wedding while it is happening. It's something fun for guests to watch and a keepsake for the bride and groom. • After an Austin wedding, the bride and groom left in a departure car with their photographer and drove to the State Capitol to take pictures with the night skyline. This could happen in any city with your favorite monument. • If you have a lot of children attending or are looking for the perfect flower girl or ringbearer gift, have a custom coloring book made with a story about the bride and groom. This can keep kids occupied at the ceremony or reception. • If the groom would like a themed cake but the bride does not want it in the reception area, try passing the groom's dessert rather than having it on display. For an avid hunter, we made mini red velvet cake-ball pops that looked like deer and passed them on trays with the words "Joe's Other 'Dear.'" • Instead of a typical video montage at the rehearsal dinner, make large framed photo boards that match the party's decor. For a Mexican-themed rehearsal dinner, we created a fun photo wall with banderas and milagros. FEBRUARY | PAGE 26 | 2013