Heidi and Dan's Wedding

Heidi and Dan married in traditional roman catholic ceremony with all of their closest friends and family in attendance. Heidi and her bridesmaids started their day by getting their hair done at the salon and then heading to the hotel for makeup. Heidi's gown had a classic look and was stunning- it fit her like a glove! Her bridesmaids wore blue gowns to match the wedding's ivory, dark blue, and pink color scheme. Heidi chose her mom to act as her "Mother of Honor" instead of having a maid or matron of honor and you could tell that she and her mom had a great and special bond. You could see the excitement on Dan's face as his gorgeous bride made her way down the aisle. After they were officially a married couple, they recessed down the aisle through a fun ribbon wand sendoff before heading over to the country club for pictures with their bridal party. They used the sprawling grounds to take some beautiful photos! Meanwhile, we were adding the finishing touches to their picture perfect country club reception! They wanted everything to be very elegant and traditional, and they definitely achieved that look! Tables were topped with gold organza overlays and candle centerpieces were placed on top of mirrors with rose petals scattered around. This, along with the lighting provided by the DJ, added a warm, elegant look to the room. Guests found their table assignments on tented cards and were asked to sign a signature frame guestbook. In between eating and dancing, guests enjoyed a photobooth provided by the DJ. The new Mr and Mrs cut into their beautiful cake that was topped with their new last name initial before the last hour of dancing and this group got to cut loose to the tunes spun by DJ Corrado! 

Congratulations Heidi and Dan!

Ceremony: St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church

Reception: Laurel Creek Country Club

Photography and Videography: Faith West

Entertainment: A1 Entertainment

Florist: MaryJane's Flowers 

Cake: L&M Bakery

Hair: Christian Wayne Robert Salon

Makeup: Cheekadee

Coordinators: Becky, Melanie, and Annemarie

Alternatives to Floral Centerpieces

When it comes to choosing centerpieces for your reception, there are a number of things to consider- your budget, theme and color palettes, time of year, the look and feel you want to achieve, etc. Although floral centerpieces tend to be the norm, if that's not something you want, don't worry, you can still have beautiful centerpieces that complement your reception. 

Candles are a nice option. They can be very budget friendly and there are a number of different ways to use them. A very simple, but elegant option is to float a few candles in a shallow bowl of water- for a little something extra, add some river rocks or colored marbles/gems to the bottom of the bowl. Or you can cluster a few vases and float once candle in each, making your centerpiece a bit larger and more substantial on the table. You can also bring it out out a bit more by surrounding the vases with some votives. For a twist  on this, lanterns are always nice as well. 

Monica and Dennis' Wedding
Photo courtesy of Candid Moments Photography

Sarah and Chris' Wedding
Photo courtesy of Jubilee Weddings

If you want a bit more impact, take candles of different sizes and heights and use them to make an arrangement. They don't have to "match". In fact, an assortment of shapes and sizes will add depth and interest to the look of the table. But, if you want a more uniform approach to the candles, consider using an assortment of candleholders for impact.

Jessica and John's Wedding
Photo courtesy of Cliff Mautner

Melissa and Carl's Wedding
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Childress Photography

Pam and Scott's Wedding
Photo courtesy of Studio K

For a Spring or Fall wedding, I think branches are a wonderful centerpiece option. Like candles, there are a number of different ways to use them. For the spring you could use flowering branches to add a little bit of color and show off the beauty of the season. But, if you want to stay away from flowers altogether, use natural branches, Manzanita and curly willow are great options, and "plant" them in a pot or use a cool vase to show them off. To anchor them, you could also fill the vase or container with rocks, marbles or even moss. You can also hang votive candles and/or beaded garlands for some extra impact. For a fall wedding, consider adding leaves to your branches and "planting" them in a vintage crate- you could even surround the base with some small pumpkins, scattered leaves and votives. 

Jennifer and Eddy's Wedding
Photo courtesy of Justin & Mary Photography

Brooke and Sean's Wedding
Photo courtesy of Brenda Carpenter Photography

When it comes to non-floral centerpieces, it never hurts to think outside of the box! Fruit can also make for a very interesting option. Different colored apples in vases varying in size could make a wonderful centerpiece. Or perhaps a low bowl filled with brightly colored fruits, perfect for a summer wedding.

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For a fall wedding, there are so many beautiful options. You can do an arrangement of pumpkins and gourds on a cake stand or in a low bowl or vase. You could also do a couple small bales of hay and incorporate some leaves, pumpkins or gourds. Wheat and other grains could make a perfect fall inspired centerpiece.

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For a summer, beach or destination wedding, it is always fun to incorporate shells, starfish, sand dollars and other staples of the beach. Consider vases filled with sand and topped with a floating candle. Or a cake stand with an arrangement or different sized shells. 

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For a winter wedding, or even a more formal reception, filling different sized vases or containers with glass balls, ornaments or beads can be very dramatic. You can even top a few with a floating candle and add votives around the cluster of vases for a bigger impact. This way you can play up your color palette and add to the overall look and feel of your reception.

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The sky really is the limit when it comes to the centerpieces for your reception. Regardless of your budget, the time of year and your color palette, you can have incredible centerpieces that are a perfect fit for the vision of your wedding!

-Becky

Wedding Tip Wednesday

Fall is officially upon us, so for today's Wedding Tip Wednesday, I thought I'd look for fall-like centerpieces. Below are pictures from Once Wed and I really like the rustic, fall feel to them. There is a tutorial here if you are interested in replicating them. Or you can just use these pictures for inspiration! I love that the cylinder vases are wrapped in ribbon and yarn. If you'd still like some sort of flower in the centerpiece and want some color added as well, you could add some lovely fall flowers. And even if you can't find a piece of wood to go underneath, I think you could just go without and it would still look amazing! Its easy to forget that you don't always need flowers for your centerpieces, dressed up candles and even regular candles can look just as stunning. 

Ginny and Keith's Wedding

Aldie Mansion was the location for Ginny and Keith's beautiful ceremony and reception. Natalie Pagano came to the hotel to do all of the girl's hair and Drop Dead Gorgeous came to do everyone's makeup. It was so humid this day, but everyone's hair and makeup stayed in place and looked great! They were married in front of the oak tree on Aldie's grounds and the ceremony was officiated by The Wedding Pastor, Andy Mahaney. Kenneth Stillman Video was there to capture the day on video. Whimsical Welcomes created the florals and incorporated a lot of great candlelight into the reception centerpieces. There were also a lot of damask touches throughout the wedding. The programs, table runners and a lot of the candles had a damask motif. The reception looked fantastic and the dancefloor monogram provided by Synergetic Sounds and Lighting, really added to the room. Matt and Ed from Synergetic also DJ'ed the evening and got everyone on their feet. The couple chose a photobooth as their favors and also used the photos for their guestbook. Thanks to Extreme Photobooth for providing this! Check out the pictures below given to us by Jennifer Childress Photography. Jenn did a great job getting all of the details that Ginny worked so hard on!

Congratulations Ginny and Keith!