Decor Archives - Page 32 of 33 - Houston Wedding Blog

Favor Fave: Best in Boxes

You probably wouldn’t dream of sewing your own bridal gown or baking your own wedding cake, Houston bride (and we don’t recommend that you do!). But wedding favors are one area where a little DIY goes a long way toward creating a personal touch AND saving you money.

One of the sweetest, simplest and most enduring favor options is a beautiful box, filled with goodies and assembled with love. Whether you pack it with luscious truffles, jelly beans or other candies that coordinate with your wedding palette, breath-freshening mints, bath beads or flower seeds, a pretty, personalized favor box will show your guests that you appreciate their love, and won’t break the bank.

Worried about having time to fold, fill and fancify all those little favor boxes in the days just before your wedding? Ask your maid of honor, sibling or a dear friend if she’ll take on the task. Let her know you will consider it her wedding gift to you and your betrothed—and a most sincerely appreciated one, at that. Whomever you assign to assemble your wedding favors, make sure that person knows exactly where and when to drop them off at your reception site, especially if your venue’s staff or decor crew will need to incorporate them into dining-table place settings.

Here are a few of our favorite favor box ideas to get you inspired!
We can’t decide which paper boxes from The White Aisle we like best—they’re all so lovely. Pictured here are Cherry Blossom and Vintage Dandelion designs from their contemporary collection. The White Aisle also offers boxes in silk paper from Nepal, Jaipur paisley paper handmade in India and Thai-made, baroque-style mulberry paper, among others. Purchase them already assembled and filled with truffle pairs or candy, or assemble them yourself with whatever your heart desires!

For a great selection of cool, contemporary, super-stylish favor boxes (not to mention tins, jars and even miniature suitcases!) nobody beats Beau-coup. Our top picks? For spring and summer weddings, we love these darling polka-dot boxes…

…while autumn weddings will be well served by these seasonal leaf designs:

For sheer variety, our vote goes to Bliss Wedding Market. Gable boxes, popcorn boxes, tote boxes—they’re all here and all reasonably priced. Check out the fancy oval favor boxes in jet-black paper with white trim and black grosgrain ribbon—a perfect choice for your formal wedding reception:

Web Find: European Wedding Ideas at Classic Bride

Something about the long, warm, lazy days of summer always gets us thinking about vacation. And when we think about vacation, naturally we think about EUROPE. And when we think about Europe, we tend to get more than a little inspired about weddings with effortlessly chic continental flair (you see where this is going, right?). And when we get inspired—we just have to share our inspiration with you, dear Houston bride.

Our transatlantic daydreaming recently led us to a fabulous blogosphere find. Classic Bride, according to its own self-description, “strives to celebrate a balance between the traditions of yesterday and the modern trends of today.” Amen to that.

In striking this balance, Classic Bride has put together some simply delightful ideas for weddings with a sophisticated, yet completely down-to-Earth, European (mostly French) “je ne sais quoi.” From Paris to Provence (to England, a little bit), from fashion to favors, it’s all here. Peruse, muse, fantasize—then share your thoughts (and a link to this lovely blog) with your Houston coordinator, floral designer, stationer, caterer and/or bridal boutique. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t have the European wedding of your dreams right here at home.

Don’t Forget the Ladies’ Room (or Gents’ Either, for that Matter…)!

If you’ve ever attended a wedding, Houston bride, you know that the restroom is usually one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the venue. For starters, there’s the little matter of all that wedding-day weeping, which naturally drives makeup-wearers into the restroom for touch-ups. More than that, the restroom—particularly the ladies’ room—is typically the scene of lively conversations, sometimes even of happy reunions (there’s often so much going on at the wedding, that the ladies’ room ends up being where gals go to catch up on gossip and reconnect with old friends).

Unfortunately, the restroom is frequently one of the most overlooked areas when it comes to wedding decor and floral. If your wedding site’s restroom is going to be a central gathering point, doesn’t it deserve a proper dolling up? Don’t your guests deserve to be immersed in the beauty and grandeur of your wedding even when they step off the dance floor and into the loo?

So, please pardon our toilet talk, but here are a few fantastic ideas for giving your reception restroom(s) the attention to which they’re entitled:

Petal Project: Carry through your wedding’s floral look by placing small arrangements, even just a couple of blooms, on the restroom’s sink counter.

Wax Works: If your venue allows, place votive candles on the sink counter, or incorporate them into the mini floral arrangements. Restrooms are the perfect place to use scented candles, which should be avoided in dining areas so as not overwhelm sensitive sniffers and conflict with food scents.

Sound Scape: If it’s possible to conceal a small sound system and set up speakers discreetly, have songs from your wedding playlist playing in the restroom—at a soft, conversation-friendly volume, of course.

Touch Up Stuff: If your venue’s restroom doesn’t already provide them, you should purchase items like hair spray, hand lotion, Q-tips, breath mints and Band-Aid Blister Block, and have your planner or venue staff arrange them attractively on the restroom counter (decorative mirror trays and glass sundry jars work well for this purpose, and can be gussied up with glass stones, floral and candles). For the men’s room, set out handkerchiefs, toothpicks, breath mints and hard candies. Your guests will be grateful, we guarantee.

Wedding Flowers that Beat the Heat

Photo courtesy Blooming Gallery

Doesn’t matter what the calendar says—summer is officially here. With today’s temperature looking to top 90 degrees, and the rest of the week, month and entire season likely to bring more of the same, it’s time to think about wedding flowers that can endure Houston’s notorious heat without a petal out of place.

If you’re planning a Houston wedding in the next few months, you’ll want to make sure you choose heat- and humidity-resistant blooms, particularly if any part of your wedding is scheduled to take place outdoors.

Among the heartiest, and loveliest, hot-weather floral picks, the intricate orchid is an enduring favorite. Despite their delicate, exotic appearance, orchids are extraordinarily well suited to maintaining their dewy appearance in even the steamiest weather conditions. Whether you choose clusters of six-petal dendrobiums or showy, dewy cymbidiums, you can’t go wrong with these sturdy plants in your bouquet or centerpieces. And for grooms and groomsmen, a single cymbidium makes a dashing boutonniere!

Photo by D. Jones Photography, courtesy Events in Bloom

The elegant, attenuated calla lily is another great summer wedding bloom. Choose mini callas in intense, vibrant shades—choices typically include gold, hot pink, scarlet and purplish-black—and have your floral provider create a simple, unadorned, hand-tied nosegay, or an ornate, jewel-accented bouquet.

Photo courtesy alovelymorning.blogspot.com

For centerpieces, you might try forgoing cut floral altogether. Succulent arrangements can be a stunning modern alternative to traditional tabletop floral. Succulents come in almost as many shapes and colors as cut flowers, but unlike conventional wedding flowers, they retain moisture in their leaves and stems, and can stand up to intense summer heat. Your floral vendor can create arrangements using floral foam and/or colored stones, bits of glass or other textured pieces for anchoring and additional color. Or use potted succulents that can double as guest favors when your celebration comes to a close.

Indian Wedding Trends Part II

The scene at House of Blues’ Foundation Room was, itself, a showcase of Indian wedding wonders, at the April 15 National Association of Catering Executives’ wedding trends luncheon. Guests got a traditional, and fragrant, Indian welcome, complete with sandalwood, rose water and kumkum (lime-treated turmeric powder), followed by plenty of time to peruse tables laid with ornate linens, spectacular mandaps (the traditional Indian-wedding canopy structure), and ornate brides’ and grooms’ outfits, all assembled in a space turned out in shades of copper, bronze, turquoise, pink and gold—magnificent!

(Photos by D. Jones Photography)

No Indian wedding would be complete without sweets and entertainment, and in these departments the NACE event did not disappoint. Guests dug into cardamom-infused wedding cake with fresh mango filling, refreshing lassi drinks and traditional Indian sweets, while enjoying live bhangra music (if bhangra doesn’t make you dance, nothing will!) and dhol drumming.

In the midst of all this spectacle and beauty, keynote speaker Radhika Day, publisher of Weddings in Houston, shared her input on hot, emerging and enduring Indian wedding trends. Here’s the scoop:

Groom’s Arrival:

The modern groom arrives in an expensive convertible, though the true traditionalist might still choose to arrive on a horse, or even an elephant or camel. At least one innovative groom arrived at his wedding on a Segway!

Ceremony:

Reform Hindu—or arya samaj—weddings are very popular. Since many brides and grooms belong to different communities from India, the arya samaj ceremony serves to satisfy both sets of families. Also, both Hindus and non-Hindus can marry in this ceremony without converting. Convenient!

Attire:

Couples today bring a mix of western and Indian elements to the wedding since many have grown up here in the U.S. Many couples are choosing to wear traditional attire for the ceremony and an ethnic outfit with a western twist for the reception.

Decor:

There is a great deal of emphasis on the decor at upscale Indian weddings. Elaborate and colorful tents and backdrops that transport guests to the grandeur of a bygone era are not uncommon.

Entertainment:

The modern Indian wedding has been greatly influenced by Bollywood and it’s not unusual for couples to bring in Indian entertainment groups to perform and get the crowds moving. Live musicians such as dhol players at the baraat, and DJs, bands and professional dancers at the reception, are not uncommon.

Wedding Planners:

Every Indian family has older traditional relatives who actually guide the wedding couple on religious rituals and expectations. What couples need a planner for is to keep the crowds organized and to coordinate the many vendors involved in the wedding. Many young couples do not necessarily seek out an Indian wedding planner but look for someone who will help tie eastern and western elements together.

Food:

Often, the Indian wedding guest list includes a mix of Indian and non-Indian guests. Expect large, overflowing multi-cuisine buffets and multiple food stations with many dishes (yum!). Since the traditional Indian wedding involves so many events with the same guest list, most families like to vary the cuisine at the different events. A wedding cake—though not an Indian tradition—usually is part of the reception, and is served in addition to Indian desserts and sweets. Often the cake flavors, fillings and decoration will have an Indian twist. And, for drinks, signature cocktails using mango or litchi are quite popular. Bottoms up!

Special thanks to Steve Lee, Ky Signature, Luxe Studios, Studio Capture, J. Cogliandro for allowing the use of their beautiful images in the Experience the Mystique of India presentation.