New York Magazine: Winter/Spring Weddings Edition

The go-to guide for many NYC couples as the prepare for their wedding, the New York Magazine Weddings winter/spring edition is out in print and online now. Each designer was given a month and asked to design a bridal bouquet. I got February....love the deep purple tones! A mix of black calla lilies, purple anemones, sweet peas and hot pink mini phaleonopsis orchids and purple clematis make up the bouquet. (Unfortunately you can't see it from this angle but I used the most beautiful ombre ribbon to tie the bouquet, sigh.)

Photo Courtesy of Danny Kim for new York Magazine

 Some of my own little iphone shots taken while making the bouquet.

Tis' the Engagement Season

As the holidays rapidly approach the "big question" will be poppin' right along with those celebratory champagne corks.

According to Liene Stevens of Think Splendid "Thanksgiving kicks off engagement season in the United States (the most marriage proposals occur between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day) and many couples will officially start their wedding planning."

We want to hear your story! If you get engaged this upcoming holiday season be sure to share your story with us! Did it go off without a hitch? Was it public or private? Well planned or spontaneous?

However it goes down, we want to know about it!

gardenmis via etsy

Wedding Wednesday: Rain Plan

We hoped for sunny skies for last weekend's wedding in Bridgehampton but unfortunately mother nature didn't cooperate and we were forced to go for "plan B", the often dreaded rain plan.

What I realized is that while moving a beach ceremony indoors isn't ideal, the alternative of being caught in a downpour would be much less desirable. In our case the decision was made by a group of seasoned pros who knew that it was better to have a well thought out indoor plan than a chaotic last minute outdoor ceremony with the threat of rain literally looming overhead. And that's just how it happened. The final decision had been made, the stage had been set and as the bride arrived to take her walk down the aisle the rain began to fall outside.

My advice is to hope for the best but to realize that the alternative is definitely not the worst. A rain plan is just that, a plan. It should be well thought out and understood as a real possibility. The decor should be adaptable and your designer should be able to make a few changes for it to appear seamless. Your guests will never know that changes were made at the last minute and you will be just as happy walking down the aisle...even if it is "plan B".

WEDDING TIPS: When should I book my floral designer?

We have discussed it before but the wedding planning process can be a daunting one. Knowing when to meet with and book your vendors is part of the challenge. Here's my advice and a bit from my friend and NYC wedding and event planner, Roey Mizrahi of Mizrahi Events.

Here are a few questions you may be asking yourself.

• When/how should you choose your floral designer? 
• When should you have your first consultation? 
• How long will it take to receive the first draft of a proposal? 
• How many revisions will be made before the final design? 
• When should you see a sample? 

The time table for choosing wedding vendors can be based largely on how early you begin the planning process but according to Roey, "based on the average year-long engagement, the florist, photographer and band should be researched and interviewed about 8 months before the wedding". I couldn't agree more with Roey as she points out that "interviewing floral designers allows clients to find a designer that no only matches their aesthetic and accommodates their budget but truly honors, and most importantly understands their vision".

A few more tips to on booking your florist:

• Already know of a designer with work that you love? Call them first and schedule a meeting.
• Don't know where to start? Ask around and get referrals. 
• Do some research and choose your top three to schedule a time to meet.

After you have scheduled your meetings gather inspiration so you can share what love, hate and everything in between with your potential designer. You should receive a first draft of a proposal within 7-10 days of your meeting. A follow-up conversation with one or two round of revisions and you should have a well defined creative vision to base your decision on.

Samples and fine tuning of the design will follow. Some designers require a signed proposal before the presentation of samples or will charge for it. In my case, when I charge for a sample (which is rare because I typically have a signed contract before that) I will deduct the cost from the invoice once the contract is signed.

You should be fairly confident that you are going to choose a designer before wanting to see a sample. You want your vendors to be straight forward with you in terms of pricing and delvierables so try not to "shop around" with no intention of choosing that designer. Nothing is worse than presenting a detailed sample to have your ideas taken somewhere else to be produced!

A good designer will present you with a portfolio and initial proposal to give you a true sense of their talent. Choose based on talent, creativity and experience BUT in the end, choose someone you TRUST. All the creativity in the world won't matter on the day of your wedding if you can't be confident that they will deliver on all of their promises.

Choosing Wedding Colors

With so many choices how do you know what wedding colors to choose? Should you choose based on season, on trend, on what you love or what someone else tells you that you should love?

My answer will always be to choose what you love. Yes, it can be cool to be on trend with the color of the year (the choice for 2012 is lovely by the way) and it is nice to choose something that suits the season. However, if you don't love the "it" color or if your chosen wedding date doesn't match your favorite season should you be committed to settling for something that is less than perfect for you? I say absolutely not!

Choose combinations of color that you love, that reflect your own personal style. Keep in mind that there are different ways to bring in accents of color. The color palette can have subtle or even slightly more drastic changes from one element of your wedding design to the next. I agree that there should be some consistency throughout, but this doesn't mean you won't have an opportunity to creatively weave your chosen color palette throughout the entire design.

Still unsure of what direction to go? Check out Design Seeds where Jessica creates amazing color palettes that will surely give you the inspiration that you are looking for.


Leave a comment and share some of your favorite color palettes!

Wedding Party hosted by The Wedding Library

If you are planning a wedding then The Wedding Party hosted by The Wedding Library with Martha Stewart Weddings is an event that should not be missed!

It's coming up this Sunday, January 29th so hurry to get your tickets here along with all the information you need.

See you there!