Howerton+Wooten Events Blog. The musings of a Maryland Wedding and Event Planner

Peacock-Inspired Blue and Green Wedding Decor

A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of planning a wedding for one of THE BEST couples.  I smile every time I think of them.

Their blue and green wedding design was inspired by the colors of a peacock.

This picture of the bridesmaids is one of my favorites.  The combination of their wedding day jewelry and their lovely saris made for pure eye candy.
 

 

Each table had its own design.  As you can see, this table's blue and green decor was accented by gold napkins and gold chairs.

Here is a closer look of the same table before the catering staff finished setting them for dinner.

 
Half of the tables were designed with lime green table linen with gold napkins.  The centerpieces for these tables were crystal trees.

The bride and groom had their peacock Cake Topper made by an artist on Etsy.  It was so cute, and it was such a fun way to showcase the inspiration for their wedding reception design.

Here is another picture of their wedding cake.

Here is a picture of the sweetheart table.  For those of you located in the DC area, you can easily tell that this wedding reception took place at the Galleria at Lafayette Centre.

Enjoy!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

(Photos: Erin Marie Photography)
 

Letterpress Coasters for Cocktails

These festive letterpress coasters (made by Cursive New York) would be great for a New Year's Eve soiree or a small "happy hour" with your bridal party.

Cheers!

Love & Soul Always, Kay 

(Photo: Cursive New York)

Links to Love This Week

 

At the end of the year, I tend to be extremely thoughtful about my life and the occurrences of the year.  So, I feel quite comfortable in saying that this blog post (by Lara Casey) is just what the doctor ordered.

One of my most beloved colleagues (from my past life) got married recently.  She was stunning.  Her groom was handsome, and her wedding was just beautiful.  Here is the link to the pictures from her wedding photographer's blog.

Beautiful (inside and out) planner Eliana is hosting a fun giveaway to celebrate the launch of her new company EllyB Events (formerly By Your Side Events).  The giveaway is open to anyone that leaves a comment on her blog.  Click here to read all the giveaway details.  Hurry!  The giveaway ends on Sunday!

My little guy loves origami, so we are trying to make the origami cranes covered in glitter that I found on the Zakka Life blog.  I am sure our kitchen floor will be quite sparkly after this project.

One of my favorite Wedding Planning friends, Laura Auer, has a wedding planning quiz that reminds me of the old Glamour or Cosmo Magazine quizzes.  If you are a bride, check it out.

Do you have any good links to share this week?

Love and Soul Always, Kay

Ideas for Making a Semi-Private Area Your Own

Last month, I had the pleasure of planning a VIP party for a Bride and Groom at the Pose Ultra Nightclub at the Gaylord National.

 

While the party was in a VIP section of the nightclub, it wasn’t in a private room.  So my team and I pulled out a few tricks to make the party special for the guests of honor.

 

If you are hosting an event (such as a rehearsal dinner or a VIP dinner or a birthday party) in a special area that is only semi-private, consider adding one of the special touches below –

1. Bring in your own chairs or cover the existing chairs.  So often we consider this option for receptions or banquets, but some restaurants may allow you to embellish their chairs with chair covers or hanging place cards or leis draped across the back.

 

2. Jazz up the tablescape.  Add colorful votives or centerpieces to the tablescape.  Consider bringing in unique napkins (and napkin rings) that represent your hip style.  A fabric store was going out of business in my neighborhood, so we purchased some gorgeous material and created our own placemats for the tables.  We complemented the color of the placements with colorful votives.

 

3. Add your own décor.  Embellish the lounge seating with some jeweled-tone throw pillows.  If you are really adventurous, consider bringing in your own throw rug.

 

4. Create striking place cards and menu cards that make the table pop.  You don’t always have to use white or ivory paper for your cards.  Consider using a bright color that pops off of the chargers.

5. Bring in your own bling.  Nothing adds class to a table like silver.  If the venue allows it, consider adding silver candelabras, silver bowls with mints or silver chop sticks for a hip sushi dinner.

 

Do you have any ideas for making a semi-private area uniquely yours?  We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

Place Cards that I Love for Weddings or Dinner with Your Friends

I love butterflies.  So this place card (found on Etsy) really makes me happy.  It is so feminine, so I think it would be a perfect touch to a dinner with your girlfriends.

Godiva’s “Couture” wedding chocolates are an elegant wedding favor.  These little candies come in the shape of miniature three-tiered wedding cakes. According to the Bride's Guide, you can attach a nametag and put one at each seat for a favor that doubles as a place card.

 

I love it when escort cards multi-task!  These champagne flutes hold the wedding escort cards and they will hold the champagne at "toast time!"

Enjoy!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Room Service Furniture and Event Rentals

Earlier last month, I was invited to stop by the Room Service Furniture and Event Rental showroom and wharehouse. 

As soon as you arrive into the showroom, you are taken into a room similar to a "decor playroom"  This room allows you to play around with the furniture, the pillows, and other accessories that will help you make the furniture decor your own.

 

Furniture like this straight back loveseat can be fitted with slipcovers of various colors.  My favorite is the pomegranate!  It has such a rich feel.

 

If you are interested in adding more variety to your furniture set-up, Room Service offers a large inventory of pillow covers for the pillow inserts.

If your party or event has a more relaxed feel, Room Service has a line of furniture made with rattan.

If you put all of the pieces of this sectional together, you can probably accommodate up to 12 party guests.

 

I thought that the lamps in their inventory were very fun.  They offer a little glam to your decor.

 

You can light up this bar with just about any color and you can put your monogram or your company logo on front.

If you need to rent furniture for your reception or party, give Heidi at Room Service a call at (301) 772-7772.  I am sure that she can help you out with what you need.

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

Product Love: Wild Hibiscus

 

My girl, Letetia, at Simply Beautiful Concepts, introduced me to a new product that is such a fun food item -- or shall I flower?  It's called Wild Hibiscus, and it's actually an edible flower in syrup.

Wild Hibiscus was "discovered" by accident at a lively Australian dinner party in 1998, when a group of tipsy friends playfully dunked a crimson wildflower into a champagne flute.

The flowers are so sweet, and they look gorgeous on top of a cupcake or in the bottom of a cocktail.  Which would be the perfect touch for a bridal shower champagne toast.

I also think they would be a fun addition to a birthday cake or a summer salad.

Check them out.  If you have already discovered them, let me know what you think.

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

 

 

(Photos: WildHisbiscus.com)

A Fun Idea For The Moose Head At Your Wedding Reception

I love the look and feel of a rustic wedding.  The colors are typically quite warm and the overall feel can be quite comforting to your wedding guests.

I especially love how the Moose Head or the Buffalo Head makes a room feel as if it is the center of a "log cabin."

But what do you do when your venue has a moose head, and "rustic" touches are not a part of your wedding design?

Well, you have two options.  You can hide it with beautiful draping or you can simply embrace it.

 

A bride and her mom were not thrilled with the idea of a moose head and a buffalo head hanging in the ballroom of their wedding reception.

When we asked the venue if they could take them down for the day, the answer was a definite "no."

 

So I recommended that they "embrace" the two heads instead of trying to hide them.

 

And that is what we did! The guests loved it, and I must say that looking at photos of the Buffalo Bride and the Moose Groom makes me smile every time!

 

What have you done to embrace a potential eye sore!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Two Incredible Give-Aways!

Couture Boudoir Contest

Critsey Rowe is having a contest to celebrate her new Couture Boudoir website.  Boudoir is the hottest photography trend for brides AND married ladies (like me!).

 

The winner will receive a luxurious Couture Boudoir session to include a Custom Designed Couture Boudoir Album with the session photos.  The session includes a fabulous Hair and Makeup Stylist to create different looks throughout the shoot and many wardrobe changes.  The winner will also receive a $100 lingerie gift card and a 4-day, 3-night stay for two at one of the Couture Boudoir tour locations: New York; Chicago; San Francisco; Puerto Rico; South Beach; Germany; Italy; London; and Paris.

 

To enter this contest, you must submit a short story about you and your guy, along with two photos of yourself (along with the necessary name, location and phone number) to Critsey Rowe at critsey {at} critseyrowe dot com.  The contest ends on December 15, 2008, and the winner will be announced on the Couture Boudoir website.

 

 

 

The Ultimate Wedding Giveaway

Janie Medley at The Bride's Cafe (and  Janie Medley Flora Design), Maria Cooke with Ritzy Bee Events, William Gaff of humanstory. Kristin Shortt of I Do Originals, Rene Maleski of Magnet Street Weddings and photographer, Elise Theuer, have teamed up to offer one very lucky bride some really amazing services – flowers, photography, documentary, a gorgeous aisle runner, custom invitations,  AND wedding day coordination – Oh my!

A give-away like that has to be called THE ultimate wedding giveaway!

 

Here are the rules.....if you are getting married in the Richmond, VA/Tidewater/DC/MD area between the months of April and December 2009, they would love to hear from you!  Simply e-mail the following information to Janie {at} jmflora dot com by midnight December 31, 2008.

1. Couple's Name.
2. Wedding Date.
3. Venue (are ceremony and reception at the same location).
4. Number of attendees in your bridal party.
5. Number of guests.
6. "Wedding Theme".
7. Tell Janie in 75 words or less why you think you should be chosen and please include a "couple photo" that they can feature when they announce the winner.

The couple will be announced on January 26, 2009 (my sister’s birthday, so it is definitely a great day for good news!)  For more information check out the Bride's Cafe.

 

Good luck and enjoy!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

(Photo: Couture Boudoir Photography by Critsey Rowe)

Lord of the Rings Inspiration For a Wedding

Earlier this year, we were tasked with designing a wedding for a couple that loved the Rivendell scenes from the movie, "Lord of the Rings."  We used scenes from the movie to capture the look and feel for the wedding.

{Movie Inspiration}

 

{At the reception}

The chandeliers were wrapped and draped in ivy garland.

The centerpieces were Manzanita branches embellished with small crystals, orchids and a sage-colored ribbon wrapped around the bottom.

 

{Movie Inspiration}

 

I loved the intertwining vines over Mr. Frodo's bed.

{At the wedding}

 

{At the reception}

 

 

{Movie Inspiration}

I am sure that all of you LOR buffs are going to tell me that this was a pretty important Rivendell scene.

{At the wedding}

The sweetheart table included many natural elements including two tree stumps that were stained to complement the color of the chiviari chairs.  The table and the tree stumps were surrounded by pale yellow petals and river rocks.

 

The wedding cake was a very pale yellow with dogwood branches and blooms.  Similar to the decor with the tree stumps, the bottom of the wedding cake was surrounded by orchids, votives and river rocks.

 

 

As you can see, we had fun carrying out the inspiration for this wedding.  I have to give much props to my design partner, Charlena Edge at Creative Edge Floral Design.  Charlena is a wedding industry newbie with an amazing talent and a wonderful spirit -- I truly enjoyed working with her on this wedding desing project.

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

(Lord of the Rings Pics: Lord of the Ring Web Site and Wedding Photos: Studio Marais Wedding Photography)