Graceful Brides

Floral Design

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:50:00 -0400

Yesterday I was asked by a mother of a bride who I could recommend for beautiful wedding florals. In my experience, I have worked with many florists, but two women came to mind above the rest. Not only do they create awesome arrangements, but they can help you in the overall design and style of your wedding.

The first floral designer is Sakhon N. owner of Sakhon designs. Her work takes on an earthy elegance. She can be credited with creating all the arrangements seen at the Masonic Temple during Sac Fashion Week. Here is just one example of her work. Contact her at sakhon@sakhondesign.com for more information about her services.

The second designer is Audrey with Botanica Floral and Events. Her designs have been seen multiple times at Grace Vineyards and their beauty is undeniable. Below I have featured one of her website photos of her work. More photos of her creations can be found at the following link, www.botanicaevents.com.

For great ideas and glorious design, contact Sakhon or Audrey today!

Chocolate fountains at weddings area such a great addition....

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:10:03 -0400

Chocolate fountains at weddings area such a great addition. Fountains are engaging to guests, they just love dipping tasty morsels into the decadent chocolate. And what says romance more than chocolate?

The down side of chocolate fountains is that they are a pain for your wedding party or yourself to set up. I would highly recommend hiring a chocolate fountain company such as Get Chocolate owned by the lovely, Regina Collins. Her and her chocolate ladies do a truly wonderful job.

These photos were taken at the Mimi and Co. event.

I was recently able to attend Mimi and Company’s pink and...

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:37:00 -0400

American pie

Great chair cover

Elegant

The peppermint candies are a great touch

Feels like home

Great use of different flower pots

I was recently able to attend Mimi and Company’s pink and black launch party at the Sacramento Grand Ballroom. For those not familiar with Mimi and Co., they are a couture linen company with beautiful designs for weddings in the Sacramento area. And they sure know how to throw an exciting event.

In this post, I have featured some of their glamorous table designs that they had on display. Click on the photos to get a better look. These were great inspirations especially the cute country style designs, which would be perfect for a venue like Grace Vineyards.

Lovely garden wedding

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:25:59 -0400

Lovely garden wedding

Backless dresses

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:20:37 -0400

Backless dresses:

Show a little back.

This was one of my favorite weddings at Grace Vineyards. The...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:23:00 -0400

This was one of my favorite weddings at Grace Vineyards. The weather was perfect and the couple was so incredibly cute. Mariea Rummel captured all the beauty of the day with her images featured in this video. Take a look!

Growing into the wedding trends for this year

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:31:42 -0500

The wedding season is fast approaching! Do you have your flowers picked out yet? If you do not, I have some suggestions for you, my graceful brides!

First, real flower pedals are so classically romantic I almost feel you cannot have a wedding without them. They are so elegant as part of your centerpieces or flowing down your ceremony aisle. I recently came across a company that does freeze dried eco-friendly flower pedals. Take a look at the array of colors they have at Flyboy Naturals.

A growing trend in garden wedding floral this year is wild flowers. More inexpensive than more formal buds, wild flowers add to your vintage or country glamor wedding themes. Below is an example I found on A Couple Party Gals blog:

Or here is an example of some wild flower groomsmen suit pins:

Dear Lavender Lovers,

I want to encourage you all to include a little lavender on your wedding day. Lavender can be easily included in your floral table centerpieces or in mason jars around your ceremony gazebo. The best part is that it casts a wonderful scent for your guests to enjoy in your ceremony or reception areas.

Last but definitely not least…

Succulents are popping up all over the wedding scene. These plants are replacing greenery in many bridal floral designs. They give basic flowers a modern look without the danger of wilting half way through your sunny wedding ceremony. Here are just some ways they can be used.

With all Twilight thoughts aside, consider the concept to invite...

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:38:33 -0500

With all Twilight thoughts aside, consider the concept to invite your guests to wear all white to an all white wedding. Look how the red pops because of the contrast. For this all white wedding idea, the bride may consider wearing a different color rather than white. Oh my gosh, I said it! But especially with how non-traditional many brides are these days, why not?

One of the most beautiful wedding dresses I have come across was ivory with an all over modern red floral print. The bride had actually made her wedding dress herself adding the beauty of one of a kind. I encourage you brides to maybe go a little non-traditional and take a look at the ivory, peach, and rose colors that wedding dresses look gorgeous in.

Adorable bridal party shot!!

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:12:55 -0500

Adorable bridal party shot!!

A wine cork board that I created for the Grace Wine Club. A...

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:20:00 -0500

A wine cork board that I created for the Grace Wine Club. A great idea is to create wedding directional signs to lead your guests to your ceremony area using the same technique to spell out Wedding.

My Pinterest

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:14:24 -0500

My Pinterest:

Follow me on Pinterest for more awesome ideas!

Creating a Wedding Website on The Knot

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:01:32 -0500

Creating a Wedding Website on The Knot:

In the mail I received a Save the Date from an engaged friend. On the bottom of the stationary she placed a web address to her wedding website. What a great idea! Creating a wedding website allows your guests to hear directly from you the story of how the two of you met, where you are going on your honeymoon, and much more!

Incorporating Wine into your Vineyard Wedding

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:29:00 -0500

Hello Ladies,

I recently have been doing research on ways to incorporate wine touches into wedding decor. In my research, I came across on Etsy personalized wine cork place card holders. Spark your interest, check them out!

Here is the link…

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CorkeyCreations

A bride from last year had a great idea to display table seating arrangements. She used an old vintage frame and with wood glue, glued wine corks in a patterned design. She then tacked her table cards with the guests names on the cork board. It was very cute and perfect for the vineyard setting.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86907399/custom-wine-cork-board-for-wedding

Another idea I wanted to share comes from a bride getting married this September. In her centerpieces she will be using wooden wine boxes to stack her floral on each table. Now your probably wondering, how do you find wooden wines boxes? I would start by asking around at COSCO or BevMo, where they buy and sell huge amounts of wine. Larger wineries also keep these boxes on hand and may have extras if you ask nicely :) Fine dining restaurants accrue unneeded wine boxes as well.

The following link is a blog that I felt beautifully featured using wine boxes for floral.

http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/11/real-parties-winery-inspired-event/

Hello Brides, A bride recently asked me what kind of floral our...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:21:38 -0500

Hello Brides,

A bride recently asked me what kind of floral our catering service, Fresh and Quick Catering, uses to decorate the hors d’oeuvres and buffet tables. To avoid clashing with any your wedding colors the floral we use is simply creamy white with natural green leaves. I have attached a photo of the buffet set up to give you all a better idea.

Ruffled Blog

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:42:16 -0500

Ruffled Blog:

I came across this blog just this morning and fell in love with the rustic feel of the weddings and ideas they feature. If you need a little inspiration, this is a good place to look.

Shepard Hooks

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:14:00 -0500

Shepard hooks are a great and easy wedding decoration for your ceremony area. They look perfect in an outdoor garden setting. They can frame your guest entrance or place one on the end of each row of ceremony chairs. Now, whatever shall you hang from them?

That is the fun part. You can play around with different ideas and keep your wedding theme in mind. Using them to hang floral is very classic while flower balls hung with colored ribbons are always a fun way to show your personality. Strings of diamonds add elegance. Chinese lanterns can add hot pops of color. Baskets full of lavender give the air a sweet smell. I personally love hanging lanturns with LED lights on each and lighting them after dark. It’s very romantic :)

Finding Your Color Palette

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:19:00 -0500

Finding a color palette for your wedding is not an easy job. Let’s face it ladies, there are too many colors to choose from! As I was researching different wedding colors, I came across this beautiful blog that visually features different color palettes. If you are on the fence about your colors or you are trying to imagine the way they are going look on your wedding day, take a gander at this link.

www.theperfectpalette.com

When choosing your colors keep in mind if your venue is indoor or outdoor. If it is outdoors, try to bring colors found in nature into your color palette. Explore those light greens, blues, and sunset hues.

You should also consider the season in which you are getting married. The following are some of my favorite palettes from www.theperfectpalette.com. I have organized them according to wedding seasons.

Spring Wedding

Summer Wedding

Fall Wedding

Wedding Timeline

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:20:00 -0500

Most of you are probably in the process of forming your wedding timeline. I was able to find a great sample of an evening wedding timeline by Nina Callaway on about.com. I have edited some parts of her original format. Please note this is a sample and you may have to change parts to suite your event. Also, starting with this outline it is a good idea to then fill in your wedding party, vendor and guest arrival times.

4:30 Ceremony

5 pm: Cocktail Hour You can take pictures during this time, mingle with the guests, or just enjoy a little time to yourselves! Most people use this time to take formal photographs.

6 pm: Dinner An announcement should be made that dinner is starting. Guests move to the room where dinner will be served and are seated.

6:10 pm: Bridal Party and Couple announced

6:15 pm: Welcome Typically the bride’s father welcomes everyone to the wedding reception and thanks them for coming. You can also, if you wish say a blessing over the meal now.

6:30 pm: Dinner

7:30 pm: Toasts Best Man makes his toast. If the Maid of Honor is making a toast, she follows.

7:45 pm: First Dance The band leader or DJ announces the couple. They can dance the entire song by themselves, or have the DJ invite the rest of the bridal party up for the second half of the song.

7:50 pm Dancing Begins

8:15 pm: Cake Cutting Cake served with coffee and/or champagne

8:30 pm: Bride and Groom ThanksAlthough not required, it is very nice for the couple to say thank you to everyone, and especially to their parents.

8:40 pm: Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Dances

8:50 pm: Dancing Continues Some older guests will leave after cake is served so be sure that you’ve had a chance to visit with them beforehand.

9:30 pm: Bouquet Toss and/or Garter Toss If you do both, typically the people who caught them dance together

9:45 pm: Last Call for Alcohol

9:55 pm: Last DanceThe DJ should invite everyone to the floor for a last dance together. Choose a fun and upbeat song so that everything ends on a high note.

10pm Farewell Have the DJ ask everyone to the front steps so they can send you off in style!

Wedding Checklist

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:55:49 -0500

Wedding Checklist:

Need a dependable, non-complicated wedding checklist? This free downloadable checklist is one of the best I have come across and touches on many details that are easy to forget. The best part is if you are getting married at Grace Vineyards many of your reception needs are already checked off!

The Knot Magazine

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:03:47 -0500

The Knot Magazine:

The newest issue of The Knot Magazine is full of beauty and bright ideas. I downloaded it to my kindle fire and it is available for ipad as well. I encourage all brides of this year to grab a copy.