Design On A Dime Series - Preston Bailey #3

Busy day, alot I want to share, but first....

Still on my Preston Bailey kick....here's another one of his ceremony designs that is simply to die for! I can't even imagine how much this couple spent on flowers!

How can us average joes replicate it? Well there's no way on a mid-sized budget that you can exactly duplicate a flower ceiling....but you could do a huge flower wall as your back drop for your altar. And using silk flowers will help cut costs even more!

It's not Preston, but it will do!

#TemptationTuesday - "Preston Bailey"

This week we're tweaking the millionaire-esque design of celeb planner Preston Bailey to suit your average joe size bank account. As always, I'll show you how you can get a champagne wedding on a beer budget! So let's get to it!

So the one word that comes to mind when I look at this design is: Drama! Talk about making a dramatic entrance! Not you...your guests! Not only do you use fabulous decor for your ceremony site to WOW your guests, but you should keep the WOW factor going when they walk into the reception site.

In the design, the guests walk passed a beautifully decorated staircase landing, then up the steps to obtain their escort cards. Here's what you can do to tweak that concept for your budget. Standard reception halls will provide a table for your escort cards, but you can increase the drama by requesting multiple tables, in various sizes and heights, and cluster them.

Coordinate whatever decor you decide on for all of the tables, but use the tables to create a multi-step process that makes your guests feel like they have "arrived". For example, at the first table, have champagne glasses waiting for your guests when they walk in. At a second table, have a selection of bite size morsels of goodness waiting. And at the final table, an escort card with their table number. I'm telling you, your guests will feel like royalty!

Next select a color palette that is bold, one that makes a statement on its own. In this case, Preston used a bright yellow. Shy away from subdued pastels, they won't do your entrance way justice. And as always with your color, stay in color! Unless it's on purpose and you want an ombre' look, make sure all your decor matches exactly. Buy everything from one manufacturer, one florist, one store, etc., so your dye lot is an exact match. Choose a color that either wakes them up, or punches them in the face. Either way, your guests are sure to smile!

For even more drama, use large statement vases for floral arrangements in the entry way. You're bound to get plenty of "oohs and aahs". We have large square vases and 24" tall glass vases to rent to you, just say the word!

I know it's like preaching to the choir, but you guys already know I'm an advocate for silk flowers! Silks are beautiful and readily available at local craft stores. There are soo many live flower looks you can achieve using silks for about 1/3 the price! So don't be afraid of the fake....embrace the fake!
Adorn the tables and escort cards with silk rose petals, just like Preston did. The local craft stores usually sell boxes of rose petals for about $9.99. Load up and use coupons!

You may not be able to replicate the hanging structure above the escort cards in this design, on your budget. But you can still use more large vases and maybe some uplighting to keep the drama going.
So as you can see, any ultra expensive design can be tweaked to fit your financial needs. It also helps to have a great decorator like us! Contact us for a quote today!

Design On A Dime Series - Preston Bailey #2

Preston Bailey out did himself with this one! OMG! Talk about a dream come true!

Okay, so what we could do here is create topiary trees for the aisle and altar; rose balls for the ceremony chairs. We can bring in the bling with gemstone garland as accents and links between the chairs that line the aisle. Not bad, right? Fantastic yet not on a fantastic budget!

Design On A Dime Series - Preston Bailey #1

Since June is the most popular wedding month, this week we'll discuss fabulous ceremony site designs. Check out celeb planner Preston Bailey's over the top designs at http://www.prestonbailey.com/wedding-ceremony/.

Us average joes may not be able to afford these amazing installations, but we can dream can't we? LOL

Let's pull some of these designs apart, and see if we can bring them down to our size and budget....

For example, this first design, all you need is an arch, some beautiful floral work and uplighting. All of which Simple Elegance has!

#TemptationTuesday - "Melon & Emerald"

This week's design is brought to you by our friends at The Knot as usual. We love taking one of their stylized designer wedding pics, and dishing the dirt on how us "average joes" can get that look for less. So let's get to it!

First, the obvious, wow, what an unconventional color scheme! Melon and Emerald! Personally, I love the melon, but green? Eh, not so much. But that's just me! But they work so well when it comes to natural elements such as wild flowers and greenery. If you decide to go with this color scheme, have your florist explore using three or four types of flowers, it will add texture and interest to this subdued pallet.

Now this designer look uses different china patterns to catch the guests' eye. In reality, your banquet hall or caterer is only going to supply you with one set of dinnerware, whatever their standard dinner plates, glasses, and flatware is. Don't fret! Add dimension to your table by using alternating the colors of the linen napkins. And if you don't have OCD like I do, LOL, you might even like to alternate the positions of the napkins; some going under the plates like shown in the picture, some laying oblong down on the table. Its up to you! Just make sure you have the banquet hall set a sample table so you can see how it comes together.

Next to look at are the untraditional centerpieces. Through the ages, there have been one to three centerpieces on any one table. But now that family style seating is popular, you have longer tables (oblong instead of round) to decorate, so the use of multiple centerpieces just makes sense. To create interest and pockets of eye contact with your guests, make sure you do high and low centerpieces. In the design, they used multiple lanterns, floral stands, and baskets. The designers not only used flowers, but they used fruit in the centerpieces as well!

We suggest you hit the tag sale scene to look for basket stands or any elegant pieces to put flowers or fruit in. Goodwill stores may even have some items for dirt cheap as well. Clean up the items and pack them nicely for your decorator.

Rent our Lanterns for a steal of a price! We offer three different styles: Classic White, Rustic, Garden/Asian.

What catches our eye most in this designer look, are the chair garlands. Love , love, love this idea! Its natural and earthy, it has a "get ready for spring" feel, it's just all around fabulous. But if you're on a budget, that could get pricey. So perhaps only do garland on your sweetheart table. Or not on every chair, but every other. And then rent our Ivory Rose Garland at a great price!

So as you can see, it doesn't always take alot of money to achieve a magazine inspired look. All you need is an idea and a budget savvy decorator like us, Simple Elegance!

Stay tuned each week for more #TemptationTuesday designs, #ThirstyThursday tips to get that design, and #Savvy Saturday discounts to help!

Design On A Dime Series Jump Start

We're kicking off another series called, "Design On A Dime"! We'll look at the key elements of designs from celebrity planners, discover ways to bring those same elements into your design, and we'll show you how to do it on a budget you can actually afford!!!

#TemptationTuesday - "Shabby Chic, Vintage Rustic"

Ok, so this week's design is a little bit vintage and a little bit rustic. If you and your partner have mixed personalities like this, then this design will work for you! Let's look at the elements that bring out the best of both worlds.

What catches my eye initially about this design, is the delicate dining ware. The patterned china takes me back to a era not too long ago when fine china was a family's prized possession, passed down through the ages. There's always a history that seems to follow fine china. And the formal place settings are traditional with a hint of proper dining etiquette entwined. Thus the vintage feel of the design.

Yet, the fine china has been placed on a weathered wood table, and lays in the midst of a hodge podge of decor. There's no rhyme or reason for the old box other than to create height and conversational interest. Using glass bottles and the yarn balls at a wedding (instead of say just in your den at home) screams outside of the box thinking. Thus the earthy and rustic feel.

When you combine the vintage with the rustic, I only think of one thing to call it....Shabby Chic! An excellent way you can achieve this look on a dime, is to use the dining ware your reception hall provides you with. And then take your girls out shopping to tag sales! Yes, I said it! Tag sales! Tis the season for finding treasures among the trash! LMBO But seriously, once you select a color scheme, in this case purple and lime green, look for eclectic wares at local tag sales that you can place on each table. I'm sure you'll find all kinds of items like tea cups, vases, boxes etc., and for dirt cheap! The beauty of it is nothing has to match other than in color, if you even want to do that! The key is to create interest and uniqueness for every table. And you can stay on budge by scoping out tag sales.

Rent our small square glass vases and sprinkle elegant floral arrangements throughout the tables. We can also make the arrangements for you! Live or silk florals would be a stunning addition similar to the picture.

Also in this design if you look closely, are place cards in front of each place setting. This is a tedious task! Seating which people at which table is stressful enough, so actually telling them who to sit next to could cause you to have a break down! LOL but there is an "old world" style and elegance about it that captures attention. If you decide to take this task on, make sure you stay organized with lists of RSVP'd guests and table arrangements, and buy a package of place cards from the local craft store. They usually have a template to set Microsoft Word to, to make it easy to type and print.

Also keep it light and fresh with a floral backdrop for your escort cards. Check out our Temptation Tuesday and Thirsty Thursday boards on Pinterest for some examples of floral walls. Not crafty to do it yourself? Hire us!

And last but not least, the sweets for the sweet...dessert! In this design, they used dessert items that compliment the color scheme. You don't have to do it, but it would be certainly fun to try! Also, don't just have cake, mix it up a little and offer a Venetian table of dessert treats for your guests. But only if your budget allows! Reception halls tend to jack up the prices on added extras like venetian tables and chocolate fountains.

So you CAN have "shabby-chic-vintage-rustic-ness" (my new word, and I'm sticking to it) if that's what your heart desires. Like I always tell my clients, if you're going to take on DIY projects for something as huge as your wedding, whatever you do, do it with elegance. Don't go overboard with hodge or podge! Just keep it classy and stay on budget. If you can't do it, keep calm and hire a professional. We're happy to help!
Email us now at http://www.mysimpleelegance.com/#!contact/c24vq.