Carnations for a Wedding…Yes, I am serious

Brides tend to go for roses, calla lilies, and orchids when deciding on the flowers for their weddings. All of these flowers are beautiful and are wonderful in bouquets, centerpieces, and boutonnieres. But when brides are looking to cut their floral budgets instead of choosing another flower they go for smaller bouquets and centerpieces that can sometimes give the appearance of barely there flowers. If a lower cost flower had been chosen, such as the carnation, the wedding and reception could have been filled with beautiful arrangements.

Trying to convince a bride to go with carnations can be hard but when you weigh the benefits it makes it easier.

* Carnations come in a variety of colors
* Carnations are very hearty and hold up well in all types of weather
* Carnations are popular because they can be given to express all types of emotions – especially love
* Carnation blooms last a long time
* Carnations look nice singly or in a bunch
* Carnations colors can be mix and matched
* Carnations are inexpensive


Please check out these websites for great carnation centerpieces and bouquets

http://www.proflowers.com/carnations-car
http://www.teleflora.com/fresh-flowers/carnation/carnation-bouquets-79441_79442c.asp

Wedding Innovator's Design Challenge

The “Design My Wedding”: Wedding Innovator’s Challenge is a bridal event that will push the envelope on creativity, philanthropy and showmanship. The event will feature six designer showcases created by teams of the country’s finest special event industry professionals. These showcases will push the envelope on today’s trends and be voted upon by Washington, DC brides and a panel of Industry Leaders.

Saturday, February 21, 2009
10:00am - 5:00pm
The Liaison Capitol Hill
415 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, DC
creative@weddinginnovators.com
www.weddinginnovators.com

Orange - the new IT color

ORANGE! The ‘it” color this year no matter the season. Shades of orange will be seen in many weddings in 2009. Orange can be incorporated into your special day in many ways such as table linen, flowers, invitations, and my favorite, lighting. You can also include the color orange in your cake decorations, candles, signature drink, or incorporate actual oranges into your centerpiece or make a cut in an orange to use as your place card holders. The ideas are limitless.

Some great color combinations that include shades of orange are:

Orange and gold
Orange and hot pink
Orange, pink, white, and yellow
Sunset and sand dollar
Tangerine and scarlet
Pumpkin and latté
Creamsicle and celadon
Orange and silver
Orange and gray
Orange, silver, green, yellow
Orange, fuchsia, green

Let us assist you in making your day memorable, elegant, and inspiring.

Happy Planning!

Distinctively Yours Event Management in Style Magazine

Annually the Family Tree of Maryland hosts The Great Chef's Dinner and area designers donate tablescapes around the dinner's theme. This year's theme "Recipes are the Spice of Life" was depicted by over 40 designers. Distinctively Yours Event Management was one of four designers selected as Style Magazine's favorite and were showcased in the November 2008 issue. The red satin tablecover with the draped mocha zebra print was the perfect base for our table. We are very excited by this mention and hope to participate in the event next year. To check out the article http://www.baltimorestyle.com/index.php/style/party_article/p_table_talk_nov08/ .

Happy Planning!

Tips on Personalizing your Wedding

Most of us have attended our far share of wedding and what makes them the most memorable are those things that uniquely showcase the couple. Personalizing parts of your wedding will do just that.

- writing your own vows – all long as both parties are in agreement this can be a very special way to express your love for each other like only you can
- Instead of entering the ceremony with the traditional wedding march enter instead to your favorite song
- Want you close family and friends to give you away? Enter the ceremony with a single rose. As you walk down the aisle have your close friends and family each hand you a single rose. When you reach the front you will have a beautiful bouquet and your family and friends have all shared in this special moment. This is a great idea of you do not have any one to walk you down the aisle.
- Personalize the wedding party gifts. At a recent wedding the groom had a pair of Nike’s customized for each of the groomsmen.
- Memory table – Displaying pictures of deceased loved ones in a area of the reception is a nice way to honor them and your relationship with them
- Include wedding pictures of close family and friends – These pictures can be hung around the reception or added as a collage in the program. This is a way of showing your love to the ones close to you.
- Have the pattern on the wedding cake mirror the brides’ gown.
- Instead of table numbers identifying guest tables use a theme – honeymoon destination, favorite food, or favorite movie. I have even seen court cases that the couple worked on used as table identifiers.

Happy Planning!
www.DistinctivelyYoursEvents.com

Planning an outdoor event

Having an outdoor event – wedding, company picnic, or party – is a great idea but there are some things you should consider during the planning process.

Weather – Rain, snow, wind and heat are all elements that can make your event not go as well as planned. It is a good idea to rent a tent. The tent should be large enough to keep guests, tables, and dance floors away from the elements. It is also important to consider having the sides of the tent closed in. This prevents the wind from directing rain and snow under the tent covering. If it is a very hot and humid day consider having the tent air conditioned. Many tent companies can provide this service. These are just a few ways to keep your guest comfortable and enjoying your event.

Catering – Make sure the caterer is aware that the event will be held outside. This can make a difference in the type of food served and how it is presented. This also goes for the bakery if a cake is being delivered.

Bathrooms – Depending on the location of your event you may want to consider portable restrooms. I know the portable bathrooms at parks and ballgames come to mind. It does not have to be like that. There are portable restroom companies that specialize in more formal restroom options giving your guest the feeling that they are in an actual restroom.

Have something for the kids – If children are invited you may want to have an area set up especially for little ones. Renting a moon bounce or having a small wading pool available will give tikes something fun to do. What about face painting and carnival games? The kids will have wonderful memories of your event too.

Centerpieces and place settings – Always consider the items that will be placed on the table during outside events. Make sure they can withstand the weather. Glass centerpieces may not be ideal during very windy days. The wind may also blow away paper napkins, menu cards and other light items. Find a creative way to keep these items where they should be.

Parking – There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to find parking or having to park three miles from an event. Keep this in mind when deciding upon a location or consider having valet parking.

Hopefully these few suggestions will make your outside event weather proof and memorable.

Happy Planning!
http://www.distinctivelyyoursevents.com/

Interesting Wedding Venues

Every bride wants her wedding day to be unique and special. Country clubs, mansion, and hotels are the typical location for wedding receptions but there are alternatives locations that may be more in line with the couples’ personalities. There are a variety of unique venues ranging from museums to ballparks. Below are just a few possibilities

Museums
American Visionary Art Museum
Walters Art Museum
Sports Legend Museum

Tourist attractions
B & O Railroad
National Aquarium in Baltimore

Historical
Meyerhoff Courtyard

Parks
Brookside Gardens
The Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens of Baltimore

Ballparks
FedEx Fields
Camden Yards
M & T Bank Stadium

Other
Boordy Vineyards
Nixon’s Farm
Centerstage
Strathmore
Lyric Opera House
Maryland Hall for Creative Arts


Happy Planning!!