Here's a cake that we decorated with fall materials - chestnuts, mums, cranberries, roses (whole blooms and petals), boxwood and rosemary.

The Bride gave us "carte blanche" which allowed us flexibility to take advantage of some fresh and local materials. They all fit into her desired colour scheme.

Another reason why this idea works well is that the size of the cake table is not so important to the overall presentation - by having smaller-sized and a wide variety of fall materials, we simply placed the items according to the edge of the table.

No matter what season you are getting married in, brain storm about what fruit and vegetables are in season. Maybe your floral designer can incorporate those materials into your designs?

In September, I love working with grapes, since they are in season. You can buy flats from Costco at a great price (plus they are a consistent quality/shape/size when they come from the same source). Think "tablescape" of black grapes, cherry red roses and lime green orchids - super fantastic combination.

If the seasonal material is a good price, then you can fill the bottoms of vases with it, en masse, and accent the upper portions with fresh flowers.

This is part 8 of 8 - "Wedding Centerpieces" - Measurement Guidelines.
The "Wedding Centerpieces Series" was posted every Friday in August and September.

A consideration to think about when consulting with your floral designer, is the size of your Wedding Centerpieces. Much of the final measurements will depend on your table size. Also, if you are having a buffet meal, you will typically have more room on the table, vs. a fully plated meal will have more items on the table - ie, cups & saucers, bread plates, chargers, stemware etc.

The width or diameter of the centerpiece should be in proportion to your table size. The height should either be taller than 22" OR lower than 10". Anything that sits between 10" and 22" in height will block the view amongst your guests and limit their interaction with each other. As well, their view of the head table or speeches/podium may be restricted.

Today is the beginning of the fall equinox. We begin our descent into Winter and re-adjust to less daylight - (okay, technically that has been happening since the Summer equinox, for all you puritans out there). If you have had the pleasure of becoming married this summer, you may be nesting your new home, or transitioning into your new life as a couple. Or perhaps you are to be married next year, and you are at the beginning of your planning...

For me, autumn is a time for reflecting, re-focusing and at times, it feels like the natural time to re-group.

Whatever the case may be, enjoy the oranges, reds, crimsons and rusts as they surround you along your path.

Here's a quick tip for you; shop the sales areas of discount stores (and regular stores) for great deals!

I will often source items for Wedding decor and floral designs in such places as Value Village, TJ Maxx, Home Sense and Walmart. Even Ikea has further discounts available.

A few weeks ago, while at Ikea, I strolled through their "discount" area (or "as is" section) and found 12 higher quality glass dishes - exactly what I needed for a certain centerpiece design. They were only $ 3.00 each, and had no apparent damage.

When shopping, always head to the "sales" or "as is" section first!

Welcome to "Wedding Centerpieces" - part 7 of 8 - Alternate Your Wedding Centerpiece Designs for Impact.

I apologize for these photos, but they should give enough of an idea to get my point across...

In larger Wedding Reception venues, you can add a bit more interest, as well as fill more visual space (think Hotel ballroom or other high ceiling room) by alternating your Wedding Centerpiece designs. What this means is that your floral designer can use the same or similar flowers (or at least stick to your desired colour scheme) and design two different centerpeices.

In the example above, this Bride's theme was red and white. In one centerpiece design we used a low dish with all red flowers on a white linen. The second design was an Eiffel tower vase with a few stems of white dendrobien orchids and a row of red rose petals at the base.

The two designs, although quite different from each other, blended the colours the Bride wanted, and created a cohesive visual design which added interest.

Check Back next friday for part 8 of 8 - "Wedding Centerpieces" - Measurement Guidelines.
The "Wedding Centerpieces Series" is posted every Friday in August and September

Here's a few photos of fabulous flowers to consider for your fall Wedding - DAHLIAS!

Dahlias come in almost all colours - red, yellow, white, pink, purple, and orange....some have variegated edges, some are pom pom shape, big, small, and spiky or round petals. Like hydrangeas, they look their best when designed en masse - for instance you can ask your floral designer to design with only a range of pink dahlias - in all shapes, sizes and hues - this way you'll get lots of texture, but the monochromatic visual will be stunning.

Dahlias are also good to add to mixed designs, since their petals make for additional texture and colour.

Link: http://www.taajainc.com

Are you nervous about walking down the Aisle on your Wedding day?

You're not alone - thousands of Brides all over the globe have thoughts that their nerves will take over upon approaching the aisle. Don't worry, as you can take a pro-active approach to your potential "aisle- jitters", and work with someone fabulous like Taaja.

Taaja Kayler has over 25 years of fashion and modeling experience. Her energy and enthusiasm are infectious and she can give you tips and hints on how to poise your body while taking your last steps as a single woman. Taaja can also help you walk with a bouquet.

Check out her web site at www.taajainc.com

What's That Smell....? Is the centerpiece a scenterpiece???

Be careful what types of flowers are included in the centerpiece.

Some of your guests may have allergies to highly scented blooms or pollen. Some blooms alter their scent once cut such as "astrantia major" sniff, sniff....YUCK! Casa blanca lilies (gorgeous white and big!) have a highly perfumed scent that can put some sinuses into orbit.

If this may be an issue for you or your guests, make your floral designer aware of the fact that you want to avoid any highly scented or pollen-heavy flower types. Most flowers have some scent associated with them, so it would be unwise to eliminate all blooms with scents, since you would be severely limiting your flower selection, thereby (possibly) increasing your prices due to lack of flexibility.

One more thing...you want your guests to enjoy the food you serve, so no over-powering smells need to compete with the yummy smell of your main course.

Check Back next friday for Part 7 "Wedding Centerpieces" - Height and Width of Your Centerpieces.
The "Wedding Centerpieces Series" will be posted every Friday in August and September

This photo shows the correct way to hold your bouquet for photos. The Bride is holding it right in the middle of her abdomen - not too high and not too low. This bouquet is accenting the Bride and not overpowering her or blocking the gorgeous dress. I realize that this is a cascade style bouquet, but the same holds true for a hand held or posy style bouquet. The top of the bouquet should sit just above your belly button.

If you have a good photographer, he or she will direct you accordingly and help you hold your bouquet so it looks natural (not awkward), and it should accent the overall composition of the photo, and not be the focal point.

The tricky part comes when you are walking down the aisle - processional or recessional. Many times Brides get nervous and "tighten up" - they seem to hold their body closer and bunch the bouquet up close to their chest - the bouquet ends up sitting too high against the body. It can hide the bodice of the dress and can make your photographer's job a challenge.

As technology zips along and more and more people design very fabulous elements to use in Wedding decor, it becomes easier to find no-flame options for your centerpieces. Or does it? I remember years ago when those low curved, round lights came to be - you know the ones where you clap and they turn on, or you just punch the top down (sort of like the dice bubble in the game of LIFE, but that's another blog!)...these were the bomb! No plugs necessary, just an advanced form of the flashlight.

Here's some ideas...
1. Battery powered lights - like I described above, but hide them - place in low boxes with a fabric panel on top - this allows you to satisfy any colour scheme you want. Paint comes in all colours! If you choose a fabric that is too light-weight, but is THE perfect colour, then spray some fabric stiffener on it.

Remember that battery powered lights come in other styles - votive, tea light, candelabra and much more!

2. Light boxes - these are usually found at rental companies or decor/designers' warehouses, also for rent. They come in different colours and are opaque or somewhat see-through so the light source is hidden, yet there is a nice, ambient glow.

3. Plain ol' lighting! If possible, place your guest tables under a single spot light with dramatic effect.

4. Use elements such as mirrors, crystals and beads - anything that will reflect light can pump up your glam factor.

5. LED lights - these are some of my favourite to design with. Picture a big pouff of fresh hydrangeas sitting in a nice glass dish. They look wonderful during the beginning of the evening, then "voila" the lights start to show from within the flowers, once it gets dark. The trick is to hide them well, so your guests can't see them. These LEDs come in waterproof, so there is no chance of an electrical shortage issues.

6. Glow sticks or fake ice cubes that light up - get creative with these and place them in paper bags, opaque containers or leaves.

Check back next Friday for What's That Smell ?
The "Wedding Centerpieces Series" will be posted every Friday in August and September.