Wedding Blog

I love brainstorming with my brides on their table decor. It is so much fun bringing out their personality and style to achieve a unique look for their wedding.

Now more than ever, brides are asking me how to get the look they like without breaking the bank. Here are some tips for stunning, but cost-effective table decorations.

• Use the standard linen that comes with your wedding package, and enhance it with a table runner. Usually, the included linen is a white poly-cotton blend (yawn), but renting a room full of specialty linens can be hundreds or thousands of dollars! Create a great look by renting chair sashes. They typically rent for under $2.00 each, but the splash of color can make a real difference in the room.
   
• Use a glass vase filled with water and float a single bloom in it. Simple and chic!
   
• Put a potted orchid on each table. This is also Eco-friendly.
   
• Morning and early afternoon weddings lend themselves to more casual decor. Consider decorating with fresh fruits and vegetables.
   
• Candles make beautiful table decor. There are many resources on the Internet where you can purchase glass containers of varying sizes and shapes. Mix and match styles and float the candles. They will add sparkle and romance to any room. If you want to be eco-friendly, make sure the candles are made of soy!
   

For more ideas on wedding decor, click here.

Don’t forget, I am always looking for input from creative brides and grooms. Send me an email with your wedding ideas at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Happy Planning!

I talk with many couples about making their weddings eco-friendly. Most of them don’t think they can manage a completely “green” wedding, but they want to make some environmentally conscious wedding decisions. I think the wedding menu can be a great place to make some eco-friendly choices. Here are my favorite eco-friendly menu ideas:

1. Choose a vegetarian or vegan menu. If you don’t want to go vegetarian all the way, choose menus where vegetables are the main feature with a small amount of protein (and make sure that protein is organic and cruelty-free).
2. Do an organic wine bar. Consider hiring a sommelier who can educate your guests on organic wines from various regions.
3. Use an organic liquor like Square One, or Tru. A really fun idea would be to setup a juice bar (organic fruit, of course) and have a bartender squeeze fresh juice to mix with the liquor.
4. Go utensiless! No forks, no knives, no spoons… no use of detergents or hot water to clean them. Choose a salad bouquet which can be eaten without a fork as the start of your meal.
   
5. A more simple approach is to have a plated meal. Buffets produce a lot of food-waste. If the food is prepared and served based on the actual number of guests, it alleviates the need to make the extra food that is needed on the buffet. You will also have fewer dirty dishes which reduces the amount of hot water and detergent needed to clean them.
   
6. Serve a locally-grown desert. Consider organic fruit that is native to your state. Like bite size pineapple upside down cakes, miniature peach cobblers served in espresso cups, Orange Julius served in a shot glass, blueberry parfait with finely diced toppings like native walnuts. Ask your catering manager for some fun, local ideas.
7. Serve fair or shade-grown coffee and tea. Not sure what that means? These are coffees and teas that are grown in the shade which requires less chemicals and fertilizer than coffee grown in the sun. Also, farmers don’t have to cut down trees to grow the shade-grown coffee. Plantations that practice fair-trade use laborers who are paid fair wages.

You can find more information on green weddings by clicking here. If you have information or questions on eco-friendly weddings, please post here or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Happy Planning!