Inspiration Board for Events!

Good morning readers! Today I wanted to write a quick post about design inspiration for events and a great online tool (that is free!) that will help you organize your ideas. When you start musing about all the creative elements you want to incorporate into an event, it is important to start big and then narrow down. Brainstorm all your craziest ideas- good or not so good- and jot them all down. You never know which ideas you will tweak, tone down (or up!) and utilize in your event. This is just as true for a small house party or shower as it is for a large wedding or party. Let the brainstorming begin!

This past Sunday I did a Sweet 16 party for a darling young girl at her family's cotton gin. Needless to say, a cotton gin is a bare canvas to work with. I took some notes and asked some questions about her favorite colors, what resources were available for me to use, and the theme she wanted. Then I set to work on the research phase of the event. I searched online, listed every crazy idea I could think of, and even looked up interior design/clothing trends that were on theme. The result: I had a whole folder of pictures I saved from various websites, and now I needed to make sense of them all.

So, I did what we usually do for inspiration board compilation and went to www.bighugelabs.com  to their mosaic maker. This is a free tool in which you can upload anywhere from 4 to 36 photos and arrange them in a mosaic grid. Check out the inspiration boad for this Country Couture Sweet 16:

Note how I sprinkled linen swatches of the color scheme to incorporate pops of color and texture. I narrowed all my ideas down to 12 photos. Some of these pictures were from past events of ours and some were found from simply googling ideas I had. Some showcased the actual rentals I ordered for the event and some served as simply ideas to offer the client. Either way, it is a great way to organize your ideas and see them come together.

So, if you are planning to incorporate a good bit of design in your next event and need ways to compile your ideas and creativity, use the Mosaic Maker at www.bighugelabs.com! And, if you want help designing and executing your next over the top, fab event, call the Buterflies! :) Stay tuned for pictures from the actual event!

Eventfully yours,
Addie

Viking Lord meets Southern Damsel

How do wedding planners help clients decide on the theme of their wedding? They listen to what they like to do, see, where they live, hobbies, etc. and help them design their wedding around the things that are important in their lives. Take for instant one of our brides who is a Southern Girl by birth (loves Magnolia trees and Cameos) feel in love with a Viking Reenactor. He gave her a leather bracelet, silver ring and the key to his heart. So we combined the two into one event. Here is how!

FLOWERS: Using green moss, trees with white flowers cascading (Gardenias which look very similar to Magnolia blooms) out of a tree trunk and using black lava rocks as one centerpiece. The groom is from Iceland and they have one beach that is nothing but black lava rocks and the other side of the country is a beautiful lush green landscape. Another way is we are using the Viking braid (this is the braid that is on the bride's leather bracelet and silver ring) by using the design on the outside of the wooden boxes that will hold green wheat grass and flowers. These are the lower centerpieces for the reception centerpieces.

The brides bridal bouquet will be tied with ivory ribbon secured by a baby blue cameo to match the blue cameo she is wearing on her dress.

Karin Woodward of Haute Horticulture is also making a floral swan like this one from Preston Bailey's Celebration book for one of the food tables because the Yellow Billed "Whooper" Swan is a tourist attraction in Iceland.

The florist is making a floral shield with this crest design (the same design for the groom's cake) and we are going to use it as the centerpiece on the fireplace.  The groom is also making a wooden shield with his crest to go under a glass piece as the centerpiece for the guest book table.

VENUE: They booked the Teton Trek Exhibit at The Memphis Zoo. Great lodge/log cabin interior, huge rock fireplace, rustic furniture, giant waterfall, and Timber Wolves to make you feel you stepped into an Icelandic lodge. They will get married in front of the Giant Giser (Old Faithful) because they have tons of gisers in Iceland. They actually have one place over their that is called The Blue Lagoon which is fed by hot steamy gisers.

CAKE: One side of the bride's cake will be a lace design and the other half separated by a white fondant ribbon (cake is a baby blue fondant) will be the Viking braid going around the edge of the tiers. The grooms cake will be a replica of his Viking shield.

INVITATIONS: Baby blue card stock with ivory wax seal of the blue cameo at the top of the card. The header of the invitation will be the Viking braid and the wax seal on top of the braid. Each piece of the invitation set (i.e., rsvp card, thank yous) will incorporate the braid and cameo in different directions so that each card is different but using the same idea.

CATERING: All I'm going to say is that I'm glad they decided not to do "Blood Pudding," but stick with a more Southern menu!

I can't wait to see all the pieces of this wedding come together. I will post some of the pictures after the wedding.

How To Add Personality To Your Wedding- Part One!

At the TSE Wedding Luncheon we were treated to hearing wedding design tips from Darcy Miller, editor of Martha Stewart Weddings. She spoke about innovative and cost-effective ways to transform weddings. She said that today's top trend in weddings is personalization. Guests should leave weddings with a distinct feeling of who's wedding they just attended. Here are some cute and on-trend ideas to incorporate personality into your wedding:

1) Colors! Don't think that just because it is a formal occasion you need to shy away from your favorite bold colors. Use them loud and proud! To keep it more traditional, use a black, chocolate, silver (gray) or gold "base" color as a neutral for your palette, whichever you prefer. Then add your complimentary colors, starting with a main color accent and then adding from there as you choose. Your color choices should reflect the mood and personality of you and your event! Guests will have vibrant memories of your big day. Also, don't be afraid to play around and mix and match different shades of your favorite color!

2) Monograms! With this idea you can incorporate your personality through colors, fonts, AND design. More traditional? Use block letters or a formal script. More trendy? Create a custom creation of your initials. If you need help graphically designing your monogram, go to www.etsy.com and request for graphic artists to bid to do your design! You can use your monogram in endless ways: a lighting gobo on your dancefloor, on your invitations and place cards, napkin rings, flower petal designs under acrylic bars, cupcake toppers and wrappers, drink stirrers... get creative! Below are two examples of a client of ours who used her monogram in a variety of cute ways.

3) Photos and Silhouettes! These are great ways to personalize weddings. Print a variety of your favorite photos of you and the groom from different stages of life; baby pictures, teen years, family photos, photos from throughout your dating years, and engagement photos. Display them in intricate and stylish frame displays around your church and reception, or incorporate as centerpieces. You can wrap ribbons around your centerpiece vases and secure photos over the ribbons. You can tie lockets onto bouquets to display pictures of relatives, pets or you as a couple. You can create photo confetti by going to http://www.photofetti.com to sprinkle anywhere you please. For a more traditional look, you can send in a photo of you and your groom's profiles and have them made into victorian-style silhouettes at http://www.artfulheirlooms.com/silhouettes.html. You can use these in endless ways as well. You could even send this to your cake chef and have him or her print it on fondant!

Chic Table Decor

We are always on the lookout for innovative, over-the-top table designs. We think the possibilities are endless and with the 9 components of table design, the sky's the limit! That's why we were delighted to take a look at the table top design competition on display at TSE trade show. Check out the beautiful set ups, and use them for inspiration on designing your event!

Of course, being in New Orleans there had to be a Mardi Gras colored table. Love the incorporation of the peacock feathers and the nod to (but not blatant use of) the Fleur de Leif on the linen cap. The custom table cap is a great backdrop for the pop of the gold silverware and chargers. Gold, purple and green are such decadent colors!

This is a fabulous example of an Asian-inspired table top. Love the details of the teapot and saki bottles with cups. Colors are obviously important to play with when designing table tops, but fun, on theme accents add the finishing touches. The square black sushi plates tie it all together and the origami-style folded napkins add detail and pattern.

This beach inspired table was gorgeous. The designers used real drift wood from their beach home in Florida. Any elements from nature you can find in your own backyard will help keep prices down. Love the use of dramatic height and the white candles nested throughout the wood arrangement. The neutral shell and sand palette is on trend with the monochromatic look that is hot right now. It also looks so fresh and organic and is a nod to the go green movement, while still feeling elegant and over-the-top.

This burgundy, white and black damask table was hands down our favorite. The serpentine shape of the high bar totally stood out among the row of round tables. The custom table cap was the perfect amount of damask and the black and white accents really drew us in. Love the crinkle satin napkins folded like roses with rhinestone ties to hold them together. The tall chivari chairs were dressed in layered skirts and ties to add to the luxe feel of the table. Crystals hung from the candelabras and the entire color scheme was elegant yet modern. This was the winner of the table to competition!

Can't wait to bring new party ideas home to Memphis!

Elegant yet trendy...Posh!

Well we can tell the Recession has hit the industry at this year's tradeshow. Three years ago in L.A. there seemed to be endless vendors. This year, the show was much smaller, although some of our favs were back and looked great! Despite the smaller size, we still found some great ideas to bring home to our clients.

So many choices!

We loved all the great new lines of designer linens and chair covers. New colors, textures, fabrics and shapes jumped out at us and we are excited to put them to use. There were also lots of cool new vendors offering party activities and entertainment! Can't wait to see them all in action with our clients and introduce these new trends to the Memphis party scene. Get ready Midsouth, the Butterflies are poised for yet another year of creative, trend setting design and innovative party ideas! Check out some of the stuff we loved:

Bedazzle my Bon Bons! Super yummy chocolates and lollypops with extra glam

Loved this frame as a photo op at receptions

So many new textures, styles, and chair covers!

Loved the whimsical feel of these lamps

Stay tuned for more tips, ideas and trends from The Butterflies...