Archives for February 2015

Setting the Scene: Rentals

February 17, 2015
Wedding Planning Advice

Sometimes, the venue you’ve chosen just doesn’t have everything you need. Rental items can make a dramatic difference in the feel of the room, whether you’re focusing on large items like lounge furniture or small items like centerpiece elements. And the great thing about rentals? They can be delivered and picked up, saving you and your family time and energy! Here are a few big impact rentals that can add some pizzazz to your ceremony or reception space.

Draping

Draping (also called pipe-and-drape) is kind of a magical thing. It can hide things! Or make things look bigger! Build little enclosures! Voila! It also looks wonderful when you add in lighting. When ordering draping, be sure to measure walls or other spaces as accurately as possible, so that the rental company brings the right amount! Also, be sure to confirm that you have enough time for set up and teardown – depending on the lengths involved, set up in particular can be time consuming. If you’re lighting your draping, make sure the schedule allows for the draping going up *first*, followed by the lighting once everything is completed.

Photo courtesy of Monica Salazar Photography

Photo courtesy of Flashbox Photography

Furniture

Furniture is kind of a broad category. You may need additional tables to supplement those provided by your venue (i.e., square tables instead of round, tall cocktail tables, etc.). You might want to switch out or cover the chairs. You may also be looking at something more dramatic, like lounge furniture. This can be a wonderful touch when you have a lounge space for the evening (usually with a separate bar). It provides a wonderful area for older folks to hang out while you and your friends crank up the party. No matter what your aesthetic – rustic, vintage, elegant, contemporary – there are sure to be rental companies with options in your area.

Photo courtesy of Flashbox Photography

Photo courtesy of Joseph Mark Photography

Ceremony Altars

Outdoor ceremonies are popular here in Dallas, but occasionally you need something a little more exciting to mark out your ceremony site. Rentals range from basic wooden arches to chuppahs to more creative backdrops, like antique doors or carefully crafted word art pieces. These can really punch up the mood of your ceremony site to better match the reception.

Photo courtesy of Katie Cassidy Photography

Photo courtesy of Absolute Photography

Setting the Scene: Lighting

February 13, 2015
Wedding Planning Advice

Lighting is one of the under-appreciated aspects of event design. It’s a subtle way to change the feel of your room and can even hide bits and pieces that you don’t like very much. Let’s look at a few commonly used lighting elements for weddings, as well as the logistics of securing lighting.

Uplighting

Uplighting is usually colored lighting that is projected from floor-based units to provide a wash of light up towards the ceiling. This is a great way to bring in a color that can’t be used in florals easily (like, say, turquoise) or to provide more ambiance in the room by allowing you to shut off or dim the existing overhead lights.

Photo courtesy of Cherie Callaway Photography

Pinspotting

Pinspots are bright white lights that are narrowly focused on a single element in the room to make it shine. Pinspots are a great idea when you know that your room will be really dark, but you want your centerpieces, cake, or other decor elements to really stand out. You can do a single pinspot on each element, which lights it from one side only, or you can cross-spot, using multiple pin spots to illuminate all angles. Pinspots require a little bit more effort and time than uplighting, because they do need to be rigged from a high point in the room. Depending on your venue, this may require bringing in tall lighting trusses.

Photo courtesy of Sil Azevedo Photography

Patterns and Monograms

It’s always a fun personal touch to include your monogram or names in light, projected on the dance floor or a nearby wall. A newer trend is to use light patterns instead to evoke a different feel for your room. Say, for example, your wedding theme is fairytale forest. A hotel ballroom is very, well, indoors. Using light patterns to create vines and branches on the wall can bring that outside magic back in to your reception. Both of these lighting techniques involve the use of GOBOs, custom or pre-cut stencils that fit into spotlights.

Photo courtesy of Monica Salazar Photography

Market Lights / String Lights

If you have a more rustic or laid-back design to your wedding, you may want to consider using market lights over your ceremony, cocktail, or reception space. These create a more casual environment and have a homemade, DIY feel to them. Market lights are extremely heavy, and require support to ensure that they don’t fall on your guests. We definitely suggest working with professionals on these – but, boy, are they super cute!

Photo courtesy of The Minnericks Photographers

Chandeliers and Specialty Hanging Lights

Sometimes, you just need that extra special pop of pretty to complete your look. A single chandelier hanging in a tree or a ballroom can add just that little touch of elegance you need to bring your vision together!

Photo courtesy of Joseph Mark Photography

Where to Get It and Timing

So, thinking a little lighting might be right for you? Wondering where to start on finding these things? The best first stop is often your DJ, if you have one. Many DJs can provide uplighting, and some will also offer pinspotting or GOBO lighting. Another place to check is with your larger rental companies. Several of these offer lighting. The best one stop shop for all of your lighting, though, is an event lighting company. They’ll have multiple options in terms of style and, if they don’t have what you need, they often know who does! Be sure to build in enough set up time with your venue for getting your lighting rigged. Also, be sure that your elements to be lit (say, centerpieces) are in place before the lighting company arrives. Otherwise, your vendors are in for some serious guesswork!

A Cohesive Design

February 4, 2015
Wedding Planning Advice

When planning your wedding, you’ll be visiting several different vendors and will have to describe what you want your day to look like over and over. This is all in an effort to bring them on board with your look, feel, or theme. They need that information to be able to even give you a quote for their services, or to design something you can use to determine whether or not you want to hire them, and their designs will evolve after they’ve been hired and they have the time to better understand all of the elements of your day.

Because vendors will be taking their cues from you in these instances, creating a unified look in your décor will be determined largely by how well you (or your planner!) remember to constantly use your design as a reference. Table top décor, linens, florals, catering, specialty furniture, non-specialty furniture (like tables and chairs), cakes, entertainment… All of these things can greatly aid in communicating your theme to your guests, be it a time period, a specific color scheme, or even just a feeling.

It’s okay for your design to alter a bit while you’re planning. (Once you see all the spectacular options available to you, it’s hard to narrow it down!) Creating a visual storyboard – a collection of images representing the look you’re after – or a Pinterest board to show your vendors can be extremely helpful. Just make sure if you utilize media such as Pinterest that you don’t have a massive number of pins to scroll through in order to show what you truly like. Create a new board with the images narrowed down, and refine this board as you move through your design process. Maintaining a clear and defined style throughout your planning process will result in a wedding and celebration you and your guests won’t soon forget.

Archives for February 2015

Finding the Right Planner for You