Things have changed a lot since your parents got hitched! Check out the new and improved ways modern couples are creating unique, thoroughly personal events.
By: Kristen Finello
Rule #5 Get creative with your décor.
The old way: Settling for old wedding standbys like pink or white tablecloths and floral centerpieces.
The new way: Dazzling partygoers with sophisticated, even surprising, details.
Photo Credit: Eric Craig Studios
It used to be that embellishing a ceremony or reception space meant simply choosing a color scheme for centerpieces and picking among the white, pink or maroon linens the banquet hall had on hand. Not anymore. People's tastes are more sophisticated than ever before — thanks, in part, to all those wedding-themed reality shows that have upped the creative ante.
When you're planning the color scheme, think beyond basic pastel pink or blue and try one of these chic combos: chocolate brown, beige and sky blue; grass green and white or cream; or apple green and hot pink. For your centerpieces, instead of having bunches of flowers arranged in glass vases, consider placing one or two solid-colored blooms in three small, geometric-shaped, colorful containers on each table—the look is sleek and sophisticated. Or, forgo flowers altogether. Ask your florist to fill bowls with exotic fruit, or arrange to have pillar candles of varying heights placed at the center of each table; you can scatter confetti or jelly beans around those groupings.
"Brides and grooms are also doing a lot more with lighting, which makes a huge impact," says Southerland. Ask your planner about using a gobo light (a simple apparatus on which a stencil is placed over a bulb) to project your initials onto the dance floor, or highlighting the centerpieces with "pin" lights hung from the ceiling. Spotlights placed underneath tables covered in filmy, light-colored cloths will make the tables appear as if they're floating.
Lastly, delight and entertain your guests with some unusual, special elements. For instance, ask your planner to arrange for an ice "luge" at the bar—guests will enjoy watching the bartender pour a drink down this ice "slide" in order to chill it. Or, hire living "statues"—that is, performance artists garbed in period costumes or dressed to suit a particular theme, like hula girls for a tropical wedding. Imagine guests' surprise when these statues come to life!
