Monthly Archives: December 2010

Floral Sculptures in the New York Public Library (Best of 2010)

December 31, 2010

This post wraps up our “Best of” re-posts for 2010. Have a safe and Happy New Year and I’ll be back with new posts next week!

Last Monday was the end of Bridal Fashion week in New York. There were tons of parties and events in the Big Apple going on throughout the day and into the night.

We teamed up with the Knot to create a dramatic statement for their Monday night gala. We created a set of three floral sculptures for the main entrance of the New York Public Library, and was happily surprised to see both tourists and New Yorkers trying to get a peek at the installation.

I wanted to share a few pictures of the installation. We had a beautiful bride along with “his” and “hers” poodles.

New York City has so many amazing landmarks. Which one is your favorite? Tell me all about your last visit or post any pictures of yourself at your favorite landmark on our Facebook page.

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FAQs: How do I use candles without getting wax everywhere? (Best of 2010)

December 30, 2010

The short answer: I don’t use real candles. For the long answer, keep reading…

The one thing almost 100% of my clients love is candlelight. A beautifully candlelit room can immediately evoke the feeling of romance.

I think it reminds us of looking up into the magic and mystery of the skies. Also, the biggest advantage of using candles is that everyone looks GREAT.

However, I have had so many accidents with the casualties of wax that I used to panic every time a client told me they loved candles.

Here are a few of my casualties with different types of candles:

  • If votive candles are not placed properly, they could burn a leaf or flowers and start a small fire. (However, these are safest to have if placed strategically.)
  • If they are pillar candles, watch out for the tablecloths.
  • If they are tall taper candles (these are the worst) you could have wax all over the flowers, glasses, tablecloths, and, in one case, spilling all over my client’s tux.
  • If they are used outdoors, FORGET IT. Most likely they are going to blow out.

And forget about the promise of “dripless” candles, because once there is any kind of vent (air conditioner or any draft) these dripless candles become a blobby mess of wax.

My solution for using candles is to use LED or battery operated candles. (Of course, this is only my opinion based off my experience with clients. If you want to use real candles, there’s no fool-proof solution to the wax problem. There may be tips and techniques people can share below, but mostly it’s a lot of hoping for the best.)

It might not seem as romantic as seeing the live flickering flames, but the overall effect is very much the same.

Here’s a battery operated votive. In the candle holder, you can hardly tell the difference.

This kind of votive has three different lighting options: flickering, flashing and solid.

This tall taper candle uses standard double A batteries. (I got these from Paradise Candles in Pennsylvania.)

On a few occasions, my clients didn’t even realize they weren’t real candles until I mentioned it to them.

When using these types of candles, it’s also important to explain to your clients that large events are not the same controlled environment as their homes.

Now please tell me, how do YOU decorate with candles without making a mess? And if you could share some secrets on how to get rid of unwanted wax, that’s great too.

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Candles: Are they worth the wax trouble? (Best of 2010)

December 29, 2010

Candles bring a certain ambience that just can’t be reproduced with other types of lighting. Here are a few of my favorite ways to decorate with candles:

Everyone loves candles but how do you avoid those messy wax accidents in your design? Find out in tomorrow’s post…

But first, I have a question for you. There are basically three kinds of candle shapes:

  • Votive (small tea lights in small glass containers)
  • Pillar candles (chunky, sometimes squat shaped candles of various sizes)
  • Tapers (tall, thin candles of varying heights)

Do you prefer votives, pillars, or tapers and why?

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FAQs: Should I go with my chairs & tables covered or naked? (Best of 2010)

December 28, 2010

I still wonder, even today, why it is that most venues have the worst tablecloths and the ugliest chairs. At times, the tablecloths do not even go all the way to the floor.

They’re usually in the most basic colors (think white), and the chairs are soiled or just plain ugly.

When I first started, I had such a difficult time convincing my clients that a great part of creating a gorgeous table is the cloth and chairs.

I find in most of Europe they are still committed to using just a plain white cloth, which of course is considered “elegant” (but I have a better word for it: “boring”).

Even if you like white tablecloths, there are many different shades of white and white fabrics or details to make it exciting.

In fact, a great tablecloth or a fun chair cover could be a great area to create a dramatic statement.

Thank god that in most countries there are great rental businesses of tablecloths and chair covers.

However, I know it can still be a bit of a challenge to convince our clients they need to pay additional fees for the rental or purchase of these items.

Here are a few suggestions to make it more cost effective for your clients:

  • Use the venue’s basic tablecloth and just rent an overlay. Overlays tend to be less costly than a full cloth.
  • Use the venue’s cloth and create a runner out of fabric or flowers–also less costly than the full cloth.

Example of a chair cap

  • Use a chair cap instead of a full chair cover. As you walk into the room, it will create a great visual statement.
  • Decorate each chair with flowers or some other detail. (Personally, I am over using ribbon bows.)
  • For those of you on a very tight budget, I suggest finding the right paper pattern to create a fun table.

So yes, I do prefer covering my chairs and creating fun tablecloths. I always find this creates an overall more romantic and soft look.

However, a few folks could think this is too much… so please tell me. What do you think, NAKED OR COVERED?

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What’s In or Out? Color Trends (Best of 2010)

December 27, 2010

For this week between Christmas and New Year’s, I thought it’d be great to re-post some of the most popular blog posts from 2010.

I’ll post one each day and resume normal blogging on Monday, January 3rd. Have a great New Year all!

Today’s post is all about Color Trends from 2010. From this survey, we deemed that purple was the hot trend for 2010. What will it be next year? Will it be honeysuckle as Pantone suggests?

Okay folks, you are all absolutely right. In last week’s blog about what types of orchids are in or out, it was a trick question. Orchids are the most requested flowers in any region of the world I’ve worked in, and the most loved one is the wonderful purple vanda. In other words, they are ALWAYS in.

Now, onto today’s topic. What colors are in or out for 2010? Colors have a pretty interesting life span. I’m always intrigued to see which colors go in and out of fashion in the event industry.

Looking back through the decades, I can remember in the eighties when everything was white. If you gave a party and your event was not white, folks thought you had bad taste. In the nineties, I remember struggling with my clients to convince them it was okay to use jewel tones (or any color for that matter).

Today, I constantly reassure my clients that it’s their event and they can pretty much have any color they like, period. My job is to make it work. I had a client tell me she likes yellow but she didn’t want to use it because it was so last year.

Here are three color choices for you. Let me know which of these (if any) are the most requested from your clients. I definitely have one color my clients are constantly requesting. (We’ll compare notes next week.)

Pink

Blue

Purple

I also want to mention a new color palette tool I’m launching next week. I don’t want to be a tease, but I wanted to create something that could help you and your clients create color stories for your next important event. I’ll share the link with everyone on the blog once it’s launched on the site.

UPDATE: Just for you, my dear blog readers, I have a sneak peek of my color palette game ready for you to check out.

Click here to find your next event’s color palette: WHAT’S YOUR COLOR STORY?

Now tell me, which of the colors above are considered to be “IN” for this season?

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