This last week was a busy one for Megan and I! We spent four days in Tampa, Florida for a conference which is put on by ISES, The International Special Event Society. Can I just say, AWESOME!!!!!
We went to meetings and presentations on all sorts of event production related topics. I attended sessions on floral design, general trends and directions that the event industry is headed, lighting, as well as some on the more nuts and bolts aspects of the business. I feel like my head is going to explode with all the new stuff! :)
This was from a class on doing simple things with flowers that don't necessarily require a florist. This is something we do a lot! We really got some terrific ideas for simple centerpieces, decor, aisle runners, etc. This was an herb wreath that was tied to the bride's chair with a pretty ribbon. The wreathes smelled divine! The little table was done with a "vintage romantic" theme. Lots of silver mercury glass, roses, ranunculus, mums, candles. It was lovely! The main speaker was Ian Prosser who had an entire alphabet of letters behind his name! He also had an absolutely delightful accent and a terrific sense of humor. Just listening to him was so entertaining!
This class titled "Four Weddings and a Budget", discussed four wedding schemes with very expensive tables, where they showed how the table could be done more economically. What was most interesting about this class was that the floral arrangements really drove the cost of the tables up! They showed one table where the centerpiece alone was $1200!!!!! Not thinking we are going to see a lot of those at Aberdeen Manor!
This class was on having hard goods on hand that could be reused and repurposed. We have accumulated quite an inventory at Aberdeen Manor. It was fun to see some new and fresh ways of using some of the things we already have!
So what were some of the trends and directions that weddings are headed this year? Well, according to
Pantone--the world renown gurus of color--the color of the year is
TANGERINE TANGO! If I had to describe it, I guess I would call it a deep red orange. Now since orange is probably my least favorite color, I'm sure you can guess how excited I was about this news! Fortunately though, it's actually a pretty orange (I never thought I would say that about any orange!) and with the right accent colors it could be gorgeous!
Last year the "color of the year" was
honeysuckle, which was actually a sort of dark pinky mauve. We will probably start seeing more of it in weddings this year and next. It takes us a while in Indiana for these things to filter in from the coasts! :)
Silver continues to hold firm as the metallic accent of choice, however gold is beginning to make a comeback. And of course, bling, crystals, sparkly things, are all still huge in weddings.
The three big trends in weddings that we heard lots of talk about?
First, the romantic, blingy, vintage theme is huge. Lots of lace and ruffles, lush linens, extravagant centerpieces and florals with lots of hydrangea, roses, garden flowers, tons of candles. soft colors or even all neutrals.
Another popular theme, was the country/shabby chic direction. Antiques, wildflowers, milk glass, mason jars, handpainted signs, homemade jam for favors, you get the idea.
The third trend we saw mentioned quite a bit, was Urban Sleek. Lots of clean lines, minimal fuss, sharp contrasting color palettes, really, totally opposite to the other two trends!
Of course the one thing we all agreed on was that when it comes to weddings, there are no rules! And the trends and themes of weddings all get mixed and matched on a regular basis. What is important is that all the elements hang together. So you might be shooting for an urban sleek sort of wedding, but you love the "bling" so maybe you would have circles of faceted ribbon around the sleek cylinder vases on your tables.
Another hot trend is the David Austin garden roses. SO beautiful! And they smell awesome!!
Take a closer look at the one in the center--that's called Green Eyes. They are amazing!
It's so different! Here's an even closer look:
Isn't that an interesting look? Can you see it in a very modern bouquet? Or mixed with other flowers in a country bouquet? I thought at first they had somehow stuck a green Trix in the middle of a white rose!
When push comes to shove, you go with what you love, and somehow it all ends up working together. That's what's so much fun about weddings and being in "the biz"! We get to play with all these themes and colors, designs and ideas--I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!!
There is so much more to talk about, but I'm concerned that all these photos are going to stop up the download, so I'm going to stop for now and see if this works. I'll write more about the conference tomorrow! As if all of these fabulous sessions weren't enough, they had a huge trade show!! OH MY!!!! So there's lots more to report! Stay tuned!
