Unique Wedding via Flickr: GrandVelasRivieraMaya
Tips For Brides About Using Pinterest for Stress-Free Wedding Planning
As we discussed in a previous blog post about Pinterest (www.pinterest.com), this virtual pinboard is a great way for brides- and grooms-to-be to collect wedding style ideas all in one place, organize your thoughts, learn wedding tips and trends, and share your wedding planning with those you love. To that end, here are a few more tips for using Pinterest to help gather creative wedding ideas and plan your ideal wedding: Read more…
Kids Wedding Menu
If you think that kids’ menus at weddings consist of just chicken fingers and mini pizzas, think again. Today’s kids actually enjoy more adventurous foods in their everyday lives, so they’re perfectly happy with most of the items on your fine cuisine wedding menu. Perhaps with the exception of the raw seafood bar, and of course with parental supervision over kids’ food allergies. (Which is why we suggest placing food ID cards by each of your cocktail party menu items and carving stations.)
Here are some of the top trends in kids’ wedding menu choices:
- Sushi. Since many parents prefer cooked sushi choices over raw for their kids, arrange with your wedding caterer to provide displays of cooked-item sushi choices.
- Crab cakes, salmon cakes, lobster cakes, cod cakes…in sizes big enough to require two bites, not small balls posing choking hazards for kids.
- Hummus and pita bread
- Pastas with classic or creative sauces
- Meatballs
- Sliders, either as burgers or pulled pork, and we’ve seen requests for veggie burger sliders for the kids’ choices as well as the adults.
- Macaroni and cheese is always a hit with kids.
- Mashed potato and mashed sweet potato bars let kids create their own creamy ‘sundaes’ with their choices of toppings.
- Chicken tenders with a trio of kid-friendly sauces.
- French fries cut in spiral styles or with unique flavors.
- Mini pizzas topped with a variety of combinations, from four-cheese to vegetables to tiny bits of sausage.
- Crudites and cooked vegetables served with fun flair at cocktail party stations.
- Fruits cut into kid-friendly shapes, such as smiles, stars, and cartoon characters. Read more…
Wedding Reception Centerpiece
The top floral designers create masterpieces for reception ballroom guest tables, and there’s a new wedding design trend calling for floral arrangements on additional tables, such as the place card table, the family wedding photo table, the gift table, entryway tables and in the restrooms. Wedding venues are being transformed into flower-filled dream settings for our New Jersey and New York City wedding couples, with the highest levels of artistry and design. Read more…
Wedding Lighting
The top trend in wedding venue lighting is colorful washes of hued light, perhaps a pink hue during daytime weddings, and a warmer blue or purple wash of color during the evening hours. The entertainers will light their stage with vibrantly-colored lighting and effects, and the dance floor is often lit with gobo lights in patterns that stay put more often than nightclub-style moving patterns that can dizzy some older guests. Read more…
Winter Wedding Flowers
With winter weddings picking up in popularity among our New Jersey wedding couples, we see our wedding venue decorated in beautiful wintry splendor. A top wedding trend we’ve noticed is that the cold months don’t limit the types of flowers and greenery used in wedding décor. In fact, we’re seeing a beautiful array of winter-season flowers, and creative use of lighting and color to make a winter wedding gorgeous in a wedding ballroom.
A key to your wedding planning ideas is using flowers that are in-season, plentiful and lower-priced so that you can incorporate more of them in your wedding décor. Our top New Jersey floral designers suggest the following seasonal flowers for winter months: Read more…
Wedding Programs
Several years ago, brides and grooms looking to plan a budget wedding cut out many of the prettiest details from their day, thinking that would be a smart strategy. They soon regretted not having these extra-special wedding décor ideas and sentimental pieces. Now, wedding couples are back to including such items as wedding programs in their ceremony plans. Read more…
Wedding etiquettemay have relaxed in some areas, but the long-held ‘rules’ still hold true with invitations. On this blog, we talked about giving guests a +1, and now we’re focusing on the art, and etiquette, of addressing your invitations.
Wedding Invitations
- The number one rule of wedding invitation etiquette is that it’s a Don’t to print out guests’ names and addresses on labels. Guests are not impressed when they see labels on the formal invitation envelopes, so be sure to hand-write yours out. Read more…
Welcome Baskets
When out-of-town guests arrive for your wedding weekend, welcome them with a wonderful basket of treats. Some of the top wedding trends for welcome baskets include:
- Starting with a stylish gift bag, such as an eco-friendly tote with a print design, one that can be used again and again, instead of paper gift bags.
- Provide several bottles of water, each encircled with your personalized wedding logo, as well as bottles of iced tea (one sweetened, one unsweetened,) or several sodas. A new wedding trend is choosing a retro soda, such as a root beer or ginger beer, orange soda or other unique taste.
- Provide a bottle of wine, and have the hotel put wine glasses and a bottle opener in each guest’s room. Read more…
More brides and grooms are incorporating green wedding decisions into their big day, so that their big day is kind to the environment, and reflects the couple’s values. Many of our green wedding couples have planned garden wedding ceremonies and celebrations, choosing to marry outdoors in garden splendor, which is a top wedding trend for 2012.
Green Wedding Trends
In addition to eco-responsibility, some green wedding trends actually save on your wedding budget, which you’ll see in our list of the Top 10 Green Wedding Trends:
- Ordering locally-grown flowers. A recent survey by TheWeddingReport.com showed that flowers were the #1 area of interest of green-minded brides and grooms, at 62%, since locally-grown flowers most often cost less than imported wedding flowers. A lower carbon footprint is another benefit of choosing local flowers.
- Choosing a local wedding venue. When guests and vendors don’t have to fly or drive long distances to your wedding location, a tremendous amount of energy is saved, not to mention money saved by a shorter trip to attend your day. Included in this is the trend of one-location weddings, marrying at the same venue where your wedding reception will take place. You’ll only have one locale to decorate, and you may not need to spend a lot on additional décor when the site’s natural garden wedding décor or ballroom setting are so beautiful. Green wedding couples love to choose already-gorgeous wedding locations to create the setting for their dream wedding. Read more…
What will be the hottest wedding colors of spring and summer 2011? We checked out the fashion runways and the bridal industry’s latest color trend reports, and we see a bright future for you. Also, an earthtoned one. The hot wedding colors of the upcoming wedding seasons may be in one or the other color family – bold and vibrant, or calm and sunwashed neutrals – or a stylish blend of hues from each palette.
Wedding Colors
To inspire you, here are some of the trends in wedding colors that you can build into your bridesmaid dress choices, wedding flowers, décor, linens, invitations, and all other details of your big day:
Brights:
Tangerine, hot pink, apple green, celadon, coral, cherry red, vibrant violet, daisy yellow, fuchsia, and especially vivid aquamarine (the #1 wedding color of 2010, according to the Pantone® color report for the bridal industry)
Earthtones:
In a range of hues, the hot earthy neutrals of spring and summer are: slate gray, taupe, light brown, chocolate brown, sage to medium green, and metallic silver, bronze, copper and gold. Chocolate brown was a popular wedding trend a few years ago and is now making a big comeback, especially when paired with a vibrant color such as aquamarine.
Jewel tones:
In spring and summer, rich, deep jewel tones are smart wedding color accents, and in fall and winter they become the larger part of the color motif, with lights, brights or metallics as their accents. For spring and summer 2011 overall, the hot jewel-tones are: sapphire blue, emerald green, royal blue, peacock blue, teal, currant and ruby red.
What about pastels? A soft rose pink has made the list of top wedding color choices for this spring and summer, but it’s quite alone in the trends as last season’s lavenders and baby blues fade back, awaiting next year’s trend possibilities.
Do you have to abide by this color trends list? No, you can design your wedding to feature your favorite colors in any combination you wish, and our event specialists can help you create perfectly color-coordinated décor all around our establishment.
Best,
Michael Mahle, Director of Communications, Pleasantdale Château
