Results for centerpieces Tag

low floral wedding centerpiece

ARE DREAM WEDDINGS A REALITY AGAIN?

(Image via Preston Bailey) Everyone knows summertime is big wedding season, but I’m also very busy with all of my fall and winter brides, who are in the middle of intently planning their own upcoming weddings. With the bad economy the last two years, many of my brides requested understated designs. They wanted elegance but [...]

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Preston Bailey Tulips & Pansies Flowers Floral

VILLAGECARE’S TULIPS & PANSIES: THE HEADDRESS AFFAIR

What a night! Yesterday evening my team and I had the privilege of once again participating in the annual Tulips & Pansies fundraiser for VillageCare, a wonderful nonprofit organization serving older adults, people living with HIV/AIDS and those in need of medical and rehabilitation services. The annual benefit includes a silent auction as well as [...]

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planning the perfect wedding

THE SECRET FORMULA FOR CREATING A MEMORABLE WEDDING OR EVENT

(Image via becca.peterson26) No matter how carefully I plan and design my weddings and events, something always goes wrong. It’s inevitable. However, some things are very much IN your control. Here’s my list of the 10 things that can and should be perfect at every wedding and event: 1. Wedding and Event Invitations. On this, I [...]

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Royal Wedding Flowers Centerpieces Design Decor

MY ROYAL WEDDING RECAP

(image via Iker Merodio) What a morning! Did you watch the Royal Wedding? I couldn’t resist! I had such fun on Twitter live tweeting with my fellow bloggers and tweeters! I must admit that with all the hype surrounding the Royal Wedding, I was afraid it might not live up to our expectations. Fortunately, I [...]

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wedding and event planning design inspiration

My Top Tips for Finding Inspiration

(Image via Cimexus) The weather here in New York appears to have finally turned a corner. It’s gorgeous outside. I love the warm weather and the way the city comes alive on nice days. Everyone lingers outdoors and there’s a festive, practically jubilant mood. But it can wreck havoc on your schedule: it’s almost impossible [...]

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Easter Table Setting Decorations

MY RECIPE FOR A MAGICAL EASTER CELEBRATION

Happy Easter! I love this holiday. When I was a child in Panama I always received a new suit for Easter; it was the one time each year that I got a brand new outfit. I wanted to look good, because all of the colorful church ladies wore extraordinary hats and outfits to our Baptist [...]

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Table Element6

Decorating for St. Patrick’s Day

Today, I was a guest on NYC’s fabulous 24-hour newschannel, NY1 and we talked all about decorating for St. Patrick’s Day. Instead of going for the typical symbols of leprechauns and green beer, I wanted to offer a table setting for a sophisticated celebration with a twist. Here is the final St. Patty’s day table: [...]

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goldfish, bowl, my top 10 worst mistakes

Common Mistakes: My 10 All Time Worst Mistakes

I have often been asked what my worst mistakes are. Being in the industry for over 30 years, I could write a book called Preston’s Screw Ups. However, in the hope that you do not make the same mistakes, here are my 10 all time worst mistakes going from bad to worse. 10. I think [...]

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taper candles, decorations

FAQs: How do I use candles without getting wax everywhere? (Best of 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 [...]

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celebrations, floral arrangements, table setting, chairs, tablecloths, candles,white, small centerpieces

Candles: Are they worth the wax trouble? (Best of 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 [...]

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Chair covers, floral centerpieces,orchids, pink,purple, shiny fabric, table setting, celebration, napkins holders, name cards

FAQs: Should I go with my chairs & tables covered or naked? (Best of 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, [...]

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Celebrations, Table Design, Event Design, Floral Centerpieces

Merry Christmas Eve!

I gave a friend a Christmas wreath 10 years ago and she kept it with great care and brings it out every year. I love re-inventing the wheel for Christmas, but nothing beats tradition. What is one (or more) Christmas decor element you have kept for the past 5 years (or longer) that has become [...]

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Christmas, celebrations, candy centerpieces, candy balls, ribbons, beads,table settings, draping, green, red, striped candy

Holiday Table Inspiration

We created these holiday tables for a segment I just did on the Today Show all about using candy and wrapping paper as decor items. I wanted to share some behind the scenes images of the tables as well as a few tips. These candy towers were made using peppermint candies (the small mints, as [...]

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Frequently Asked Questions: How do you secure those gravity defying centerpieces?

Floral Centerpieces (Photo via). Okay, I think it’s confession time. Around 1995, I did an amazing wedding in New York. My client was over-the-moon happy and, as in some cases, she invited me to be a guest for her event. (Though all of us in the event business can probably understand how exhausting installing an [...]

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Event design,celebrations,floral centerpieces, candles, tablecloths, chandeliers, tulips, white, gold, green,decoration

Centerpiece Inspiration: Defying Gravity

What could be more dramatic than a centerpiece that’s almost 6 feet tall? For your inspiration, here are a few of my favorite gravity-defying centerpieces: How do we keep these centerpieces from falling? The answer to that will need to wait for tomorrow… But tell me, which do you prefer? Tall or low centerpieces?

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Common Mistakes: Centerpieces Table

Common Mistakes: Centerpieces

I wanted to start a new series of blog posts called Common Mistakes. I’ve found that what being an “expert” means is making 30 years worth of mistakes and learning from them. Everyone will make a mistake now and then (of course, we’re only human) and the thing you have to do is try to [...]

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Looking Back: Centerpieces Candles

Looking Back: Centerpieces

The most important thing, for me, about centerpieces is that they need to provide a sense of drama. I think of creating a centerpiece like creating a piece of art on a table.  Centerpieces fit into two categories: low & high. For low centerpieces, I always like using a profusion of flowers. Use flowers that [...]

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Party, Book, Lauers

On Throwing Parties

It’s a new year (a new decade!) and it’s time to talk about one of my favorite subjects: parties. I LOVE throwing parties (can you tell?). I often entertain at home with friends and family, but once or twice a year I enjoy having a BIG blow out party. Right now, I’m hard at work designing [...]

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Sunflower Pie Table

Holiday DIY: Pie of Roses

Yesterday we talked about some great ways you can decorate your home last minute. However, if you have some extra time on your hands and want to make something special I have a beautiful DIY for you to try. It’s blissfully simple, but something you’ll have to make the day of or the day before [...]

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Paper Christmas Runner

Holiday Inspiration Photo: Paper Christmas Decorations

It’s the week of Christmas. You’ve wrapped all the presents and now you have all this extra gift wrapping paper left. What to do? How about incorporating some of that paper into décor for your house? You’ll be surprised at how versatile gift wrapping paper can be (unless, of course, you chose that Sponge Bob [...]

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