Pantone Spring 2013

 

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Pantone recently released their prediction for Spring 2013 color trends.  We love the Monaco Blue and Grayed Jade color palette, what colors would you use at your wedding or event?

Sandals Honeymoon Registry

Sandals recently announced that they had launched a honeymoon registry so that friends and family could donate to the cost of your honeymoon.  Honeymoon registries have been a huge trend over the past few years.  With couples getting married later and already having a lot of the basics they need for their homes and people watching their dollars a little more closely, honeymoon registries are a great way to upgrade your honeymoon.

To book your luxury included vacation at Sandals, contact us through our contact page, call us at 703-888-8728 or email us at info@asplashofelegance.com and we will have our personal Sandals Representative call you directly to discuss your Sandals honeymoon or vacation!

2011 Ceremony and Reception Trends

• More couples are choosing the same location to have their ceremony and reception, up almost 10% over 2010
• Couples are choosing more unique locations for their wedding ceremonies ~ a courthouse, private residence, or wedding chapel
• More couples are holding their wedding reception at a private residence or restaurant
• Food stations are more in demand than ever before
• While other dessert options are popping up, wedding cake is still most popular at 83% demand
• Photo booths are the "in" rental
• The couple is contributing more to ceremony and reception costs
• Couples are looking for their venue closer to their wedding date
• Couples are also inviting less guests ~ 144 compared to 152 in the 2010 study
• Couples are getting married closer to home

Happy Planning,

Victoria Wagner

President/CEO

A Splash of Elegance Event Planning, Inc.

Wedding Trends: Pinterest

Have you checked out Pinterest?  Pinterest is a fun new website that lets you create an online inspiration board for your wedding or event.  When you find an image you like on any website, you click "Pin It" from your saved browser bookmarks and it is automatically added to your boards.  How fun!  Have you created any boards on Pinterest?

Happy Pinning!

Julie Daniel, Splash Consultant

Hot New Wedding Trend: Individual Desserts

We love this fun new trend of individual desserts.  They add a homemade touch to a wedding or event.

This Rainbow Cake In a Jar would be great for a child's birthday party:

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Ice cream on a stick:

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Buttery Blondies with Butterscotch Icing:

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Peach Cobbler:

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We think guest will love these individual desserts!

Happy Planning!

A Few Favorite Etsy Shops

Have you visited Etsy.com yet?  Etsy is an online marketplace of hand made goods.  You can find some beautiful and unique items for your wedding or event.  Here are a few of our favorite Etsy shops and finds!

Blue Envelope

Blue envelope sells these fun mason jar and burlap wedding invitations.

Washi Tape

We love Washi Tape-  buy a few rolls in your wedding colors to add some flair to your DIY wedding projects!

Pom Love

Poms are a huge wedding trend at the moment.  Buy them on Etsy or make them yourself with this Martha Stewart Tutorial.

Animal place cards from Cuddle Creature.

Have you found any fun Etsy shops?

Hot New Wedding Trend: Food Trucks

One of the latest crazes in the wedding industry is bringing in Food Trucks to cater at wedding receptions.  These aren't your little hot dog carts you see all over DC, Food Trucks are gourmet kitchens on wheels that can drive to your event and provide the food for your guests for the evening.  For a couple looking to have an out-of-the-box reception that guests will love and remember for years, this is it.  Want to have a latin flair at your wedding?  Check out District Taco, DC Empanadas or SOL Mexican Grill.  For the best of the Chesapeake, try Feelin' Crabby or Red Hook Lobster Pound.  Want something sweet?  Try Solar Crepes or Pleasant Pops.  For the full list of DC Food Trucks check out Food Truck Fiesta, an online resource that shows a real time map of where the DC Food Trucks are should you get a hankering for a taco or crepe and can't wait for your wedding.

District Taco Food Truck. Source.

Interested in having a Food Truck Wedding Reception or Event?  We know some great DC, Maryland and Virginia venues that are very Food Truck friendly; email us at info@asplashofelegance.com to start planning your party!

Interview with Bits of Bliss on Green Weddings

A Splash of Elegance owner, Victoria Wagner was recently interviewed by Bits of Bliss, the blog of West Belmont Place.

Here is an excerpt from the interview, for the full interview please visit their blog by clicking here.

"As an eco-friendly venue, we were interested in interviewing a wedding planner with experience in coordinating green weddings – a lifestyle trend that has transferred over into events and weddings. We interviewed Victoria Wagner, owner and planner at A Splash of Elegance and President of the Virginia Association of Bridal Consultants about green weddings. Here’s what Victoria had to say about planning green weddings in the DC area:

What are the top trends in green weddings?

[Victoria]: Re- purposing wedding gowns is a huge trend right now. Brides are remaking their mother’s and grandmother’s dress to restore it and remake the dress with a modern flair. Brides are bringing designs to consignment shops and asking them to create their dress from several scraps of dresses. Boutiques are reselling couture designers gowns – which is less expensive and gives the dress a second life while keeping the designer label."

Stop by Bits of Bliss for the rest of the interview!

Royal Wedding Trend Predictions

The wedding of William and Kate this past Friday certainly will have an impact for years to come on the bridal industry here in the U.S. and around the world.  Here are our predictions for trends in the bridal industry as a result of the Royal Wedding.

Headpieces
One of the most visually interesting parts of the wedding were the hats and fascinators donned by the female guests.  The British certainly are experts when it comes to hats and we would not be surprised to see headpieces become more and more of a part of everyday and bridal fashion here in the United States.   Jane Taylor is a popular English milliner whose designs were worn by many of the Royal Wedding guests.  She has a bridal line of beautiful fascinators and birdcage headpieces:

Jane Taylor Millinery

We can also expect to see women wearing hats more and more at daytime weddings.  What was your favorite hat or fascinator of the day?

Church Bells

The sound of the bells ringing in the air as Kate stepped out of her car added to the ambiance of the day. While brides before might not have even thought twice about having church bells at their ceremony, they now may be looking for a church that has bells..

Trees

We loved the look of the trees in Westminster Abbey; they can add so much color and visual interest in a room.  We predict trees will become more and more popular in ceremony and reception decor.  A fun idea would be to plant a tree that was used in a couple's wedding decor in the yard of their new home.

Lace and Sleeves

One of the most anticipated aspects of the wedding was Kate's wedding dress.  We think it was breathtaking and knockoffs were surely being designing as soon as she stepped out of the car.  While wedding dresses up until this point have had less and less fabric and have been showing more and more skin, designers will start producing more classic and timeless dresses that include lace and sleeves.  

Classic Cars

One of the biggest surprises of the Royal Wedding was Will and Kate's exit in an antique Aston Martin.  Couples may want something different than the normal limousine; a classic car is a fun and unique was to exit your reception.

What are your predictions for trends we can see in the bridal industry due to the Royal Wedding?

Julie Daniel, Splash Consultant

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

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