Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Choosing Colours: Winter Wedding

Over the next few posts, we've decided to continue our education on colour. Today, we will be starting a new series which will be focused on seasonal events, beginning with winter weddings. When it comes to winter, most people think of ice and snow. Colour schemes of blue, silver and white are very common. However, there are other options that also have that wintry feel without going the way of Christmas with green and red.Personally, when I think of winter colours I think of pastel tones. Colours like light pink, mint green, light blue-green, lavender and of course ice blue. There are of course other pastel tones like light orange and light yellow however, these colours evoke spring because of their warm orientations on the colour wheel. Pink is also a warm colour but it is an exception to this rule because it reminds us of the cherry candy canes and peppermints of Christmas time. When you use these colours with white and silver and sometimes pale gold tones they begin to take on a frosted look. Almost as if they were left outside and ice has begun to form on them. This is especially the case when you include glittery accents throughout the event.

Picture a mostly white bouquet, with tiny blossoms in pink and white roses subtly dipped in pale-pink glitter. Pretty right? Perhaps even, a room with soft white and silver draping, throw in a few mint green crystal accents. Wouldn't that be a winter wonderland?
Although I always prefer colour, there is always the option of an all-white winter wedding. This can be equally as beautiful. When choosing an all-white wedding you have to be careful. A completely white event could easily become cold or boring, but the key to avoiding this is by incorporating different textures.
If you imagine for a second an all-white curtain backdrop. If you use the same fabric hung in the same way throughout, it sounds like it could be plain right? Well take that same backdrop, maybe add a section of ruched (gathered) satin in the centre, add some hanging crystal strands, a couple of tiny snowflakes and a couple of fabric swags. Immediately, that plain backdrop has become multi-dimensional and much more interesting. This same formula works for flowers. Rather than have a bouquet of a singular type of flower such as a rose, add hydrangea or calla lilies. Instantly the variety of textures becomes a completely different experience. For those of you who like simple, this might not apply to you. Just remember that things can be simple but not everything should be the same. I know it's cliche but, variety IS the spice of life.
I hope that some of you out there find this post helpful.
- Rob

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Choosing Colours

You now have your key vendors booked for your wedding, and it is time to think about dresses for you and your bridesmaids. I always think it is best to take just a few people shopping; your mom, maid of honour or just a couple members of the wedding party. It is important that everyone recognizes that this is your special day and its your choice. It is also common for bridal party members to not like what they are asked to wear, but being asked to be in someones wedding is an honour. A friend or relative needs to support the decision of the bride.
Once you have chosen your core colour ask for a swatch of fabric. Usually you will receive a few threads of fabric stapled to a business card. This is impossible to share with all of your vendors, so the solution is to head to your local paint store. Your paint store will have paint chips to match your color that you can take to the vendors who require a sample.
Now let's go back to school and learn about pairing up complimentary colours. You may remember the colour wheel from art class. There is definitely an equation when it comes to putting the right colours together.


Primary colours are red, yellow and blue:


Secondary Colours are purple, green and orange:
Tertiary colours are blue-purple, blue-green, yellow-green, yellow-orange, red-purple, red-orange:

Any of these combinations or shades of these combinations look great.


My favourites are monochromatic. An example of this is taking the colour red and adding black to the red to make it darker, or taking white to the red to make it lighter. You can do this to any colour.

Another colour grouping that works well is analogous. This is colours that run side by side on the colour wheel like; blue, blue-green, green or yellow, yellow-orange, orange.


As long as you think about the compliments of colour you will succeed. A variety of shades adds depth, interest and warmth to your wedding.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Saturday January 8th, 2010

I wanted to take a new direction with the blog this year. Of course we will always show pictures of what we have been up to but we wanted to give tips and advice that will help you to plan the perfect event. If you have just been engaged you may have visited the Wedding Dreams Bridal show this last weekend. Before you meltdown and go into overload over all that you must do, I want you to figure out a budget for each item you need and stick to it. Do homework and be reasonable with your expectations. Book your key professionals first; reception venue, ceremony location, photographer, DJ, dress, decorator and florist. Do not worry about every detail, make sure you have those things booked. During the months before the wedding work on the details. Remember to breathe. Enjoy. -Lynne

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Happy New Year

Special Events and Flowers was extremely busy the last day of 2010. We had numerous halls to decorate and four weddings. Happy New year! Enjoy. -Lynne