Thursday, March 24, 2011

Anthropologie Wedding Store

I love Anthropologie! There are two main reasons: First, you can get (almost) everything pretty in there, from colorful skirts to pink crystal door knobs to frilly aprons to sweet smelling hand lotion. Second, the store is always decorated uniquely and pretty. The last time I was in there I just sat in a chair and “absorbed” all the inspirational creativity while my friend scoured all the racks of beautiful clothing. (My feet were also sore from the 7th hour of shopping with my friend. She has tons of shopping endurance.)

There is now another reason for me to love Anthropologie even more! Anthropologie now has an online wedding store called BHLDN. They sell everything from heirloom quality wedding gowns to bridesmaid and party dresses, vintage-inspired jewelry, feathered headpieces and lingerie. The brand will create some of their own signature gowns and will also feature established and up-and-coming guest designers. Retail prices for the brand range from $1,000 to $4,000 for gowns, and $200 to $600 for event dresses.

Rumor has it that by the end of the year, there will be a line of wedding decorations rolling out too, featuring everything from cake toppers to lanterns. (Catch me before I faint and hit the ground!) Once their wedding decorations are out, I will make sure I share the news with everybody!

Here are some pictures of their lovely wedding line.




Monday, March 21, 2011

Flowers by Season

Yesterday was the first official day of Spring! When I think of spring, I think of colorful blossoms of flowers. Spring is also the time where you can chose from an amazing assortment of colors in wedding flowers. For wedding flowers, you can expect the freshest and most cost-effective flowers when you chose flowers that are in season. The following is a list of flowers separated by season.

Spring Flowers – Because some of these flowers are only available in the Spring, I strongly suggest brides take advantage of this season and get some of these flowers incorporated into their wedding bouquet and/or centerpieces.

Cherry blossom
Daffodil
Hyacinth
Syringa (Lilac)
Peony
Star Gazer Lily
Sweet pea
Tulip

Summer Flowers – There is generally no shortage of flowers to choose from during the summer. This is the season to have it all – in your bouquet!

Bells of Ireland
Calla lily
Dahlia
Gardenia
Gerber Daisy
Gladiola
Delphinium
Hydrangea
Iris
Lily
Sunflower
Stephanotis
Tuberose

Fall Wedding Flowers – Don’t fret because this list is so short. There are still lots of flower combinations available. If you happen to have a fall themed wedding, you can choose wedding flowers in red, orange, and yellow to go with your wedding theme!

Aster
Chrysanthemum
Holly
Hydrangea (early fall)
Marigold

Winter Wedding Flowers – Somehow the list of winter flowers is longer than the list of fall flowers available. You might think this is weird but some varieties just do better in cooler temperatures. In addition to flowers, you might want to include berries or pinecones with your flower centerpieces just to give it a special winter touch!

Amaryllis
Bells of Ireland
Evergreen
Gardenia
Holly
Jasmine
Poinsettia
Rose
Star Gazer Lily
Star of Bethlehem

Of course, there are thousands of varieties of flowers to choose from, these are just some of the most popular and readily available for weddings. The flowers that are available pretty much year round include Baby's Breath, Calla Lily, Carnations, Freesia, Gardenia, Orchid, and Roses. Have fun when designing your wedding bouquet and decorations. You can mix and match seasonal flowers with year round flowers.

If you have your heart set on a certain flower for your bouquet, don't worry if it's not in season. Odds are they are being grown somewhere in this world and they can be imported in. The only downfall to this is that you can expect to pay at least three times as much as compared to locally grown, seasonal blooms. If budget is an issue, ask your florist for alternative blooms that can give you the similar effect and feeling. You just might find out that the flower you like has a third cousin twice removed and is grown locally in season.

All of the pictures are from The Knot. They are an excellent resource for wedding planning!







Friday, March 18, 2011

Chinese-Western Fusion Wedding

A very typical situation that I often encounter with my Chinese clients is: The bride and groom announce their engagement to their parents. The parents are so happy that they call “Uncle Wong” right away about booking his Chinese restaurant for the wedding reception. The bride and groom are less pleased about this because Chinese weddings held at Chinese restaurants are all alike and they look “tacky.”

My clients rarely win the battle of changing reception venues so they ask me for advice on designing a Chinese-Western fusion wedding. Here are some of the solutions I provide them:

1. Disregard all Chinese superstitions when decorating. This means is that you can use the colors white and blue, light candles, and have lilies or gladiolas. In case you didn’t know, all of these things are traditionally associated with death or funerals.

2. Focus on the entrance. Create a welcoming entrance. Decorate the front of the venue or doors.

3. Create a photo area. Usually a receiving line is just done at the entrance against some wall that has no decorations. Focus on this area and create a beautiful backdrop. This backdrop will be in every single picture of the couple and guests.

4. Focus on linens. Forgo the table linens and napkins that come with your dinner package. Rent luxurious table linens. This will really change the look of the room quickly.

5. Focus on the chairs. Rent chair covers and chair sashes. Or if your budget allows, rent different chairs.

6. Have centerpieces. This is often excluded because there are so many dishes on the table by the end of the night. This is a really important aspect to your wedding because it creates a visual when guests are just walking into the venue.

7. Print your own menu cards that match your wedding stationary. This is often not done because it is often printed and provided by the venue.

8. Print placecards or one card with all the guest names. Often guests are assigned to a table but not a specific seat. Placecards indicate to your guests where exactly you want them to sit.

9. Have a dance at the end of the night on a rented dance floor. This also changes the look of the room.

10. Have a sweet table at the end of the night. Once all the dinner has digested, it is nice to refuel with some sweets and to end the night on a sugar high.

I always tell my clients that our ultimate goal is to design a wedding that transforms the venue. Guests shouldn’t feel that they are at a typical wedding at “Uncle Wong’s” restaurant and guests that couldn’t make it to the wedding shouldn’t be able to tell right away where the wedding was held. Here are two pictures of two weddings I did at two Chinese restaurants in town. See if you can tell which restaurants they are!


Thursday, March 3, 2011

Radio Interview

Recently I had the honor of being invited back to the Calgary Chinese Radio Station, FM 94.7 for a radio interview. I was interview by Ms. Terry Chan on her radio show, One Family. During this interview, we chatted about upcoming 2011 wedding trends and 2010 wedding trends that are still going strong. I also provided some wedding decorating tips for newly engaged listeners. This interview will go on air on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 10:15am. It can also be streamed live from the FM 94.7 website as well. If you are interested, please tune in! I would love to hear any kind of feedback from you, just send me a message on Facebook or email me at: monica@wishahmon.com.

Thank you in advance to all of those supporting me in this exciting adventure!

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