Reception Centerpieces

Every bride & groom wants the room where the reception will be held after their wedding to be spectacular and to really have a WOW factor. We recently had a wedding where the bride gave the artist friend of hers full reign to be really creative. We were in the height of spring flowers, which means lots of blooming trees were available (yes, trees!). This creative artist found someone who would give her apple tree branches that were in full bloom ~ as you can see, it was a gorgeous display of springtime, coupled with magnificent forsythia branches!

The takeaway message is to make sure you use flowers that are in season at the time of your wedding. It will cost you a LOT less and will create beautiful displays with lots of WOW factor!

Happy planning ~

Love,

Victoria

DIY Flowers

It's wedding season, there are weddings everywhere! They sure are happy occasions, made even happier when the new Mr. and Mrs. have stayed within their budget. One of the trends that I'm seeing is DIY (do it yourself) flowers.

Personally, I would much rather entrust this special occasion to a reputable florist who will work within my bride's budget ~ I had a bride who insisted on doing her own reception flowers in order to save money, and was totally panicked the day before the wedding when she realized that she didn't have time to make arrangements for the reception.

It's just not worth it, dear brides, to try to save money in this area, unless your most favorite aunt happens to be a hobby florist and wants more than anything to share her talent with you on your wedding day. If that's the case, make sure to send her to http://www.fiftyflowers.com/ for the nicest and freshest varieties around. Great customer service, too!

Otherwise, allow us to recommend some of our favorite and trusted florists to you ~

Love,

Victoria

The Black Horse Inn, Warrenton, Virginia

We recently assisted at a wedding at The Black Horse Inn located in Warrenton, Virginia ~ it's a beautifully bucolic setting with horses grazing in the corral and gently rolling hills surrounding the venue. The reception/event site is a separate building that can hold up to 200 guests, and only being a 45 minute drive from Washington, DC, it's a beautiful alternative to the big city wedding. The staff was wonderful and really helped to ensure everything went perfectly.

Urban, suburban, rural ~ give some thought to where you'd like to celebrate your big day!

Happy Tuesday with love,

Victoria

Happy Memorial Day ~ Military Discount!

Hello, Everyone ~

Happy Memorial Day! This is such a special day for our country, a day to remember all of those who have served our country and continue to selflessly serve today.

A special shout out and thank you to my Dad, retired National Guard; and, my brother who served in the Navy. You make me proud!

Our contribution to the cause is that A Splash of Elegance offers a 10% discount on all wedding-related packages to our active military clients. If you're serving today, let us hear from you so we can give you a shout of thanks!

Enjoy the holiday!

Love,

Victoria

Have Fun with a Groom's Cake!

Happy Friday, everyone ~ let's talk cake ... the groom's cake to be exact! Yes, this wonderful gem is reappearing at weddings everywhere. After a hiatus of several years, groom's cakes are making a comeback ~ it's a fun way for Mr. Groom to let his personality shine through on your big day!

Offering a groom’s cake is also a wonderful way to add variety for your guests during the reception, as the groom's cake tends to be more informal and varied in flavor. Some wonderful choices might be a cheesecake or perhaps even a tiramisu dessert. Because it’s a “less serious” than the wedding cake, it’s not confined by wedding tradition protocol. Some couples choose to serve their groom's cake at the rehearsal dinner, while others save it for the wedding reception as an alternative to the wedding cake.

The groom's cake can either be chosen by the bride or groom, but some grooms like to make their choice without their bride’s knowledge. What fun! Adding their own personal flare to the design makes a groom’s cake even more special. I recently saw one in the shape of a baseball cap, reflecting the hat that the groom had worn for years ~ complete with his favorite team's insignia.

However you choose present your groom’s cake, make sure that it reflects Mr. Groom’s personality and taste ~ that’s the fun of it!

Love,

Victoria

Hot Trends

One of the hot trends for 2009 is more off-peak weddings. Off peak means mornings, afternoons, Fridays and Sundays ~it's a great way to save money, and get the venue you want if it's already booked at a peak time. In today's economy, it's all about saving money, and this is a great way to have a unique wedding and save a lot of money in the process. Don't be afraid to be creative in your timing. Your family loves you and will show up regardless of the day and/or time of your wedding.

Today's tip ~ think outside the box!

Love,

Victoria

Man vs. Woman or Woman vs. Man ??

I get a lot of etiquette questions, so will share some of them here ~ today's question comes up a lot, and we don't give it much thought unless we're going to a wedding, and then it comes up a LOT! Who's name goes first, the man's or the woman's? Very simply, the woman's name always goes first. We like to think it's all about being the bride, but sorry ladies, it's actually all about the men. Yes, when a man is born and for the remainder of his life, his first name is never removed from his last name. So, here are some examples of correctly writing names:

Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
Susan and John Smith

Mrs. Susan Smith

Mr. John Smith

And, for you ladies who are mothers of the groom? When you're preparing your invitations for the Rehearsal Dinner, please don't insist that your son's name goes first on the invitation ~ it's just not the correct thing to do ~ it's my job to make you look perfect, so ...

Here's to making you look fabulous!

Love,

Victoria

May Weddings

Wedding Season '09 is off to a great start! We celebrated a gorgeous wedding two weeks ago at Regency at Dominion Valley ~ what a beautiful venue for Jen and Steve's wedding. Regency has a beautiful outdoor amphitheater, which makes for a beautiful wedding venue. (Sorry, was too busy working to snap!)

I thought they were so creative with the place cards ~ they were set on grass (yes, real grass!) with beautiful pink flowers outlining the grass. It was a beautiful presentation. It's so much fun to allow yourself to shine through your wedding, and this couple really did! Congrats!