Here’s a little bit about the Almighty Kris Bryant:

When you combine Metropolitan style with Speedy Gonzales SPEED, you get WHOA! Our very own Kristopher Ashley! While other site managers are contemplating how they’ll “ever get it all done in a day”, Kris has already formulated a plan – communicated the plan – made sure that all of the “stuff” knows it’s place and is ready to execute the glamour and shine that your special day deserves! Think of him as your blessing – well disguised in Metro chic, dance club kicks and not a stitch out of place! Kris is a fantabulous dancer – so if you catch him turning the storage area into his personal dance floor; don’t be alarmed. Join him!

Kris is not only the King of chairs, lighting, tables, linens and juggling all of the balls in the air – but he’s also the Prince Charming of game-day organization! Kris is on site with you and at your beckon call. Kris is the EMT of Wedding Day jitters and the life support device that you may not see…but party assured in knowing that Kris will make sure that your wedding is SEAMLESS! Kris is beyond ready, aware and fully prepared in case Mother Nature creates an emergency.

At the end of YOUR special event – the day filled with love and photos, dances and fun… all you have to do is leave to start your new life as husband and wife! Kris will triage the tear down, clean up and (anything else possible) after you’ve partied the night away! Kris is the perfect balance of pressure and fun. Kris WORKS… and he works hard! Kris enjoys taking on all of the worries and stressors involving the unknown and the unpredictable “stuff” so that Brides can focus on what’s important – their new life. Kris also happily makes himself available at any chance to give the bride and her ladies a hug and congratulations or two!

Kris is not your average city boy. Born in Texas, Kris grew up in Kentucky and Tennessee. Kris knew that his life was bigger than his current surroundings. After chasing love to South Carolina and his degreeing in Liberal Studies at Carson-Newman College, Kris needed more. A LOT MORE. Kris spent years working in the sign industry as a project manager over multi-million dollar projects. This career took Kris all over the country. Kris picked up Vegas style with California Dreams. He can manage your site though Rocky Mountain Charm or NYC lights. Whatever your pleasure – Kris manages your event in the direction that YOU choose.

Kris has two passions. Basketball and his girls. Kris plays basketball with anyone that he meets – he’s as comfortable in the deep woods of Alabama as he is on the streets of Los Angeles! Kris has played Basketball in public courts of nearly every state in the USA! Kris is best known as Dr. Dad. His family means everything to him. Kris understands how importantyour “happily ever after” is, because it took him a long time to find his own. Kris’ other half, Shay resides in Roanoke with their two beautiful daughters, Sarah Mackenzie and Kamryn Graye.

Meet Kris…the tall lad with the LED fixture in his hand….

Despite those “colors”, we love them.  And of course want them in the wedding, standing beside you as you exchange promises with the man of your dreams.  But for some brides that shrill voice of all things proper says “Oh my gosh 1. what will people think, 2. the tat won’t match the dress, 3. the pictures will be ruined, 4. I’m blacklisting that bitch.” Or…all of the above.

I have recently been consumed with a similar style of awry, and in the midst of it all, I received this message from a very wise man: “Be in the world but not of it. This too shall pass, be the peace that passeth all understanding. Practical application: When you get triggered, breathe, then respond from the highest place possible. One day we will have to leave all of this, including our bodies, so prepare now, and use that awareness of impermanence in the moment to cut through attachment and aversion.”

You think that’s deep?  That WAS the translation. And advice I should take myself:)

But here’s the skinny from the modern wedding planner perspective. This is TWO THOUSAND AND TWELVE. It is the age of anti-etiquette.  And by that I do not mean shove meatballs in your face. I mean…do what FEELS right. And what makes everybody you love FEEL comfortable, welcome and engaged, no matter how they look or what colors they bear…or no matter if Emily Post said you must have a receiving line. It is the age where we let our bridesmaids choose what they feel comfortable wearing with a little directive such as a fabric swatch or a color palette. Read the bridal magazines.  Individuality is loud and proud. It is the age of the title of my book “This Is Not Your Mother’s Wedding, A Guide for the Divinely Modern Bride”. Divine? Yes…as a woman you have at least a spark of the divine in you (that quote, from a very wise woman I know). And being divine means being open, loving, and accepting  of those you love.

So, don’t sweat the small stuff, divinely modern bride, and don’t be so matchy matchy, it went out with pouf veils and dyeable shoes. When you look back at those pictures, you’ll see the energy that was so brilliant, the faces of those you love, and yes, that little ruby nose ring on your sister…the one who was by your side through thick and thin.  Love her for who she is and her courage to be just a little subversive in the realms of mediocrity that is… oh so overrated.

Love big, live large, and dance yo’ ass off at the wedding!

So as I got into wedding planning, there was one area that my passion was ablaze for:  flowers…lighting….textures…candles…all things AESTHETIC.  My passion was so on fire that I picked up the ins and outs of tulips, anemones, celosia, peonies, and sweet sweet gardenia in no time flat.  The accoutrements to flowers excited me just as much:textural table linens…ambient lighting…chiavari chairs…ghost chairs! And designing all the details to create one total look that reflects the style of the bride and groom and has guests swooning over all the eye candy turns me on like nobody’s business.  And the cool part is, the decor and floral is always approached form a the standpoint of a seasoned planner.  That means we see the whole picture…

Back to this weekend.  We had the pleasure of working at Nesselrod Bed & Breakfast.  It had been a while since we were there so I was quickly reminded of the lush green gardens, ivy laden trees, the elegant patio with it’s whimsical cloudy sky ceiling, and the lovely Gothic arch you can’t help but smile when you walk under.  The elegance of the staff made it even sweeter…they made every guest and every vendor feel right at home.

Back when my bride was shopping for floral designers and wedding planners, we spoke at length.  She said what many brides say…”we want everyone to be relaxed and have fun”.  It was her and her fiance’s second marriage…so this was more than just a bride and groom tying the knot…this was the celebration of a new family of six, all under 9, with all the trimmings of a first time wedding.  “Relaxed and fun” is easier said than done when the bride has to wipe runny noses and track down lost little bow ties while her makeup is being applied.  Thankfully, she saw the value of having a wedding planner to help with these little nuances and realized that she wanted a healthy helping of the talent we bring in her flowers, table linens, and beautiful mahogany chiavari chairs.  She adored the proposal I sent her chock full of cobalt hydrangea, fragrant purple stock, brilliant lavender roses, whimsical dianthus, and electric blue delphenium, anchored with deep midnight blue table linens.

But the thing that gave me that little high you get when you live out your passion in your work, is that she MEANT what she said about relaxed and fun.  She did both very well.  And it inspired my team to go to whatever length we had to to keep up her momentum of fun and relaxation.  We were hired to engage in wedding day coordination which means that I have much communication with the bride way before the wedding.  We talk about how she wants everything to unfold, how the wedding party with process, what they songs will be, when the food is served, cake is cut, toasts are made…etc, etc.  We provide a wedding day timeline so vendors know whats happening. We facilitate the rehearsal and stay throughout the wedding day.  So, at the rehearsal I got to meet everybody.  I could tell that the wedding party WANTED to be there.  There was love in the air.  There were kids running around everywhere.  I like to get up close and personal with the bridal party because I love the energy of it all and never want them to feel like they are being “ordered around”. I cut up with the sassy bridesmaid and saw love in the eyes of the maid of honor for her best friend.  Grandmother was a  little worried about whether she would remember her roles, and I took her under my wing and assured her that we have her back.  My daughter, Sarabeth, who has come down wedding fever and works regularly, took extra time with the children in the wedding (all 5 of them), demonstrating exactly what they are to do, and assuring them she would be there at showtime and keeping them amused while I handled the unfolding of the ceremony.  We put the nervous instrumentalists and the controlling officiant all at ease. When the team is happy, the bride is happy.

The fun and relaxation continued on the wedding day. When we arrived with a van full of fragrant flowers in tow, the bridal party were HAPPY to see us and amazed that we do the decor TOO.  We felt kind of, part of the family… My crew Lindsay, my design director and Sophia, my other daughter and set up helper very adeptly set up the ceremony site and reception sites while Sarabeth kept the children engaged. I got to put shoes on little feet that kept coming off after each photo shoot and Lindsay fluffed and distributed bouquets and pinned boutonnieres right as the photographer arrived.    And then a surprise came from Mother Nature. A RAGING storm RIGHT before the ceremony.  The kind with all the trimmings: gushing rain, lightning, and fast winds.  Mother Nature chose the right bride to give this gift to. She took it all in stride.  And we all worked to make that storm seem like a ray of sunshine.  The caterer, Mickies 7th, expeditiously moved the cocktail hour under the tent so that it would be ready when guests exited the ceremony, the staff at Nesselrod provided beautiful white umbrellas and the owner very calmly removed my van from a mudslide as my wheels were spinning. Katelyn of KH Photography and her able assistant continued on like the sun was shining. Lindsay, Soph, Sarabeth, and I made the bride and bridal party feel completely at ease as the rain fell. This all made me think of the few times I have been in the care of medical professionals (3 births, no sickness, knock on wood:).  It was the bedside manner of the staff…the smiles, the eye contact, the extra mile that made me feel comfortable and “in good hands”.  At this wedding, it was “aisleside manner” that we all provided with love and care that made everyone feel taken care if no matter what they were faced with.

And when the sun made her appearance there was a collective sigh of relief and a camaraderie so strong that we all felt the love and energy during the ceremony.  The bride even chuckled as she missed a step up to meet her waiting groom.

Stacy and I have been blazing our trail through the Triangle over the last week or so.  And I don’t mean my beloved Triangle yoga pose. Triangle here means Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill…three fast growing cities of the South.  We have been touring lovely wedding venues with current and future brides in mind, delighting in yards of frilly fabric at some beautiful bridal couture houses, and talking promotions and advertising to help bump up the buzz about Caroline LaRocca Event Design amongst the belles.  Needless to say, we talked wedding with lots of folks.  We talked the talked with those who have been in the business for years, those who have worked in a variety of facets within the industry, and those who were fairly new to the game.  The unifying factor was that we all had the passion.  I have a dear friend who says “when a woman is excited about something , she never shuts up about it”.  So there was LOTS of talking going on.  And my little ears heard some interesting things…over and over.

Even though I have been in this business since 1996, I felt sorta like a newbie, talking up what I do to new people.  Unlike 1996 though , I was able to tell a lot of memorable wedding stories, brag about our appearances in Grace Ormonde’s blog, Engaging Bride, and the Knot, and show off almost a lifetime of images depicting the many creations we get to dream up and make for brides.  But there were a couple of things that especially stood out to these professionals as they listened so attentively.  Yes they loved the pictures, and yes they loved our knowledge and charm but what they really noticed was this: We are the ONLY company in the Triangle  (and I am imagining a few more places) who offer full service wedding planning packages AND full service decor and floral design AND specialty rentals like ghost chairs and hot linens.  I always thought it was cool how I started out as a wedding planner but loved the design aspect so much that I just started doing that and kept the wedding panning part because I love that too! So it became cohesive. Sure there are brides who hire us just for planning or just for decor.  But the even cooler part is whether they just hire us for one or the other OR the whole shebang, they ALL benefit.  The decor brides benefit because they get decor from a planners perspective.  They may get a little “extra” stuff with their flowers and their linens, such as a little consulting on the flow of the ballroom or extra care about the placement of certain flower designs so they are visible in certain photographs.  The planning brides gets all her planning, but she gets it done by an experienced wedding designer, so she gets extra special care when it comes to the aesthetic, designing a vision, and getting the best value on flowers and decor items.  And the ones who do planning and decor get a seamless and beautifully designed day brought to them by a well chosen team who happily work together to achieve the ultimate in wedding bliss.  They just love it when the same consultant who worked on their place cards months ago is there lighting their candles on the day of; or how the planner instinctively knows that a certain important and well loved family member has not arrived yet so she will delay the ceremony, only because she has heard so much about this beloved uncle over the last year.  And so many other little nuances.

So the fact that we do all that under one roof IS unique.  When a bride looks through our galleries on our website, facebook, pinterest, our Look Book, etc… she can be assured that ALL the design work was created by ME and my wonderful designers like Lindsay and many staffers and helpers we have…right in our own studio.  The images convey exactly the style that the bride looking at them WILL GET.  The pictures are not a gallery of design work done by other florists that we hired to do the weddings or pictures of place cards the bride gave us to set for her.  Everything was designed and crafted by or own staff, with love and care.  And when it is the wedding month of a bride who is partaking of planning and decor with us, everybody here knows her NAME.  She becomes a household word.  Her welcome bags are being filled in one room, her bouquet is being crafted in another room, a staffer is running to have her veil hem finished, and we are all awaiting FedEx with the bridesmaid dress fabric she had shipped to us to wrap their bouquets with.  We share a collective “whew” when we see the white and blue truck come up the hill.  It all always seemed second nature to me, but others are taking notice.  And the more I think about it, it IS very special.  Decor is not just about flowers in a vase that match a tablecloth.  It is about designing a space with an energy that makes people happy when they walk in a room.  It captures the essence the the bride and grooms’ personalities.  And it is achieved especially well when there is present the intimate relationship born from planning a wedding. Or a at the very least, knowing what planning a wedding is all about.

How cool am I?

Here are a few images of design done by the hands of yours truly a.k.a., wedding planner.

There’s is one facet of the formula that is tried and true.  It’s is never, ever accomplished alone.  No matter how talented, organized, articulate, intelligent, or sophisticated one may be…it is COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS that paves the path to success (whatever that may mean to you).  It’s the collaborative process…the team…the exchange of ideas that makes the blood of a business pump. And the ANGELS in your life who constantly tell you to keep the momentum.  You know who they are.

As part of our expansion, we’ll have some website updating. A few new blogs.  All that social media connectivity stuff.  And a spankin’ new section featuring our peeps.  I brag that I have never placed a wanted ad for any team members.  They have all come via serendipitous collisions.  They were all meant to be.  Read on to learn about my divine designer, artiste de fleurs…but formally, Director of Design, Lindsay Brown:

Gorgeous Lindsay phorographed by William Mahone

Paint chip hoarder. Color mixer. Seamstress legacy. Bridal magazine piler.  Flower whisperer. Lindsay Brown’s blood flows with designer paint hues and her heart beats with the kind of ideas that make even the most jaded individuals stop and say, “hmmmm”.

That’s right, those ideas come from her heart…but the coolest thing is that she has a helluva brain to match, which is the responsible party for executing those ideas with efficiency and logic.  That heart and brain combination is the signature cocktail of one hot shot event designer.  That would be Lindsay Brown.

Born in South Hampton, New York, Lindsay was infused Hampton style from day one.  That sea air coupled with a long line of crafters and seamstresses, created Lindsay’s sixth sense–STYLE.  Later, the family moved to the Blue Ridge Mountain region of Virginia.  How serendipitous.
Lindsay considered the field of espionage, studying International Relations at Queens University in Charlotte, NC.  Yes, she would have made a very hot double agent, but that’s just not where her heart was.

So off to the magical historic Williamsburg for some soul searching and ok, to be with a suitor.  But the soul wasn’t there and the suitor…let’s just say that whole move morphed into a “learning experience”.  So, with the realization, that no matter where you are physically, your passion is right inside you the whole time.  So home to Roanoke, Lindsay came.  And off to art classes.  BAM!  Happy girl! Art classes were pleasurable, blissful, and all she needed at the time.

Soon after, fashion knocked at her door.  Lindsay became a wedding dress stylist, working at two notable houses in Virginia.  She had a magical eye.  She could look at a bride and immediately visualize her dressed in her ideal wedding gown.  Lindsay knows construction, she knows style, she knows fit.  She loved the artistry and the emotion of it all.

One serendipitous day, Lindsay bumped into Caroline LaRocca Event Design.  Before it was even called that! Way back…in 2007.  Lindsay came on board with Caroline’s former company, Posh.  She wanted to be a wedding planner.  As Caroline went over logistics, spreadsheets, calendars, and rolodexes with Lindsay, her eye kept wandering towards the aroma of flowers and hot glue.  She was like Bugs Bunny floating on a stream of fragrance, straight from the office to the design studio. And her two feet firmly planted onto a rubber mat in front of a design table.  She still creates from that very spot…five years later.

From that spot…Lindsay creates.  She pulls opulent, simple, seductive, and classic ideas out of her magician’s hat.  And sometimes she goes with the flow with an idea that has already been created.  And sometimes she comes up with an idea to enhance that formerly created idea.  She’s got it all.  She can sit down with a bride and visualize that bride’s own personal style…the whole kitten kaboodle–dress to place cards to table linens to flowers.  But when the bride has her own ideas, Lindsay listens with intent, and executes with grace.  All while balancing one hot hubby and two beautiful boys, Nicholas, 2 and Evan, 1 month.

Lindsay can talk design.  But in a land of “talkers”, this bad ass designer “walks the talk”.  Like nobody’s business.

But a girl can get a little exhausted.  To be fully available to your brides, you need to be, well, available. I’m a master at planning ahead.  I’ll drive or fly in for initial consults, vendor meetings, and of course the event.  And then there is SKYPE of course.  I would have loved to grab the red eye down to Rio, but SKYE came to the rescue recently so that I could have some face time with one of my jetsetting brides who happens to live in the land of Carnivale and thongs…

But sometimes, just sometimes, your bride wants some one on one.  The kind you can’t get with the fiance, or the mom. But the kind you can get from the one who doesn’t judge, the one who gives advice without a care that you’ll throw it back in her face, the one who can make that pesky decision for you on the bridesmaid dress that she JUST CAN’T DECIDE ON.  The one who she can pour out all the fears and wedding nightmares to without any flack.  And most of the time, this is all achieved much more efficiently (or let’s say, pleasurably)…in person.

So, what do I do?  I can’t CLONE myself.  And I can’t ALWAYS jump on the red eye.  BUT I WANT TO KEEP EXPANDING.  But I’m a control freak.  How will anyone EVER simulate the CAROLINE TOUCH.  How will they know the nuances I have so finely archived in doing what I have been doing for so long?  How will they GET weddings like I do and deliver the answers as articulately as I do. How will they have that seductive mixture of experience, humor, style, and organization?

There is only one me.  I won’t ever find all of those things in one individual.  Actually, if there were two of us, it would be somewhat terrifying.  But what I am learning at this ripe age is, LET FREAKIN’ GO!  Teach, learn, be open, delegate…. grow.  And when I allowed myself to ease into all that letting go, the solution came rushing in.  The help came rushing in.

I listened.  Ok, not my strongest virtue. But I did…to a very special person in my life.  “There are so many women (and some men) who would love to plan weddings”, he said.  “They will have qualities that will help you”, he said. ” You don’t  have to work yourself to the bone the way you do.  You have built this beautiful company since 1996 with your talent, your passion, and you have a kick ass portfolio.  Now spread the wealth. You will be happy, they will be happy…and your expansion will spread like crazy.”  Wow.  Look what happens when you listen.  Pretty cool stuff.

And here is what happened.  I got my first planner.  And I have interviewed two more.  Read on to see how it all came together with Stacy Black Becher.  Stacy is a cool chick who’s wedding I designed last year.  But she planned it with a passion and command that I had never seen in a bride before.  On some levels, she even put my planning prowess to shame (but only a few;).  She relocated from NYC to Raleigh to be a wedding planner (I know, right?).  She is a joy to work with. She’s meticulous and detail oriented like nobody’s business.  But by God don’t schedule anything when she has an appointment with her trainer.  Her “About Me” below will give you the skinny, Enjoy.:

Stacy at her own wedding with her damn fine husband, Craig

Stacy Black Becher is one of those natural born planners.  She may attend every seminar and get every certification on God’s green earth, but the fact is, she could be teaching others how it’s done with her own style comprised of wit, fierce organization, and a little bit of cheek in the mix.

A Virginia native, Stacy graduated from Duke, after which she immersed herself in the NYC life for for five years. There she was a Media Planning pro for an international company, where she got to use her razor sharp logistical skills. How auspicious is was during that time, that a hottie named Craig Becher beamed up into her life, swept her off her feet and made her his own…til death do ‘em part.  Not only did she score the man of her dreams…she got to PLAN A WEDDING.

Now there are some women who go running and screaming at the thought of all that is involved with this lofty undertaking.  Finding vendors, negotiating contracts, managing guests, booking travel, writing time lines, laying out ballrooms, picking colors, pairing wine, dealing with mothers and mothers-in-law to be, staying in budget, registering, and staying fit through it all to appear relaxed, centered, and beautiful come THE BIG DAY.  But Stacy was in her bliss doing it all.  She had the opportunity to use those innate skills for something she truly enjoyed…wedding planning.

In the midst of vendor selection, Stacy came in contact with Caroline LaRocca Event Design one spring day in New York City to talk flowers and decor.  She had already met with some other event designers but she wanted to give this one a chance.  She very meticulously interviewed Caroline, decided to employ her services, and therein began the journey of her wedding design.

Caroline has a unique concept in that her company offers planning and event design.  It’s a lovely mixture, because even if you don’t use them for planning bit hire them for decor, you get a planner’s perspective on everything having to do with design.  So, needles to say, Stacy and Caroline were the perfect balance.  Stacy GOT the logistics of everything, the flow, the intangibles that breathe life into a wedding. The things that make guests say, “THAT was a well run wedding, and it LOOKED gorgeous”.  Caroline was blown away at Stacy’s attention to detail, understanding of logistics, sensitivity to timeliness, patience, and overall planning ability.

Of course, the event went off without a hitch.  When it was all said and done, Caroline and Stacy continued to see each other in NYC, and Stacy assisted with some of Caroline’s weddings.  But “assisting” was not where Stacy’s talents shined.  She was ready for big time.

Caroline had been receiving a growing demand in The Carolinas and made the decision for a full out expansion in that area.  Would Stacy really leave the concrete jungle to be the planner extraordinaire for Caroline LaRocca Event Design in the sultry South?  Make that a big fat YES.  Stacy, Craig, and their two practice children, poodles Lily and Zoe are now proud homeowners in the city that grows at light speed, Raleigh, NC.  Stacy is ablaze with wedding passion…helping brides in the Triad and beyond from running and screaming at the thought of wedding planning.

Stacy’s got their back.

Choose from our selections or create a custom piece…
[Click here to download PDF brochure]

Miniatures are available in volume for corporate orders, just ask.
Please place your order by Friday February 10 to receive free shipping within the Roanoke Valley. Orders received after February 10 will be charged a $7 delivery fee within the Roanoke Valley.

Email or contact us for your order details and questions to info@carolinelarocca.com
or call 540.521.1088 for assistance

The fashions, colors, destinations, decor, entertainment, and exclusive elements that will make your 2012 wedding a spectacular success you and your guests will remember for a lifetime.

Download PDF – Fabulous Forecast Wedding Trends

Fashion
Three L’s: long sleeves, lace, and ladylike. Vampires and Royals are the trends in 2012 with sleeves and lace on the wedding dress. Alfred Angelo has done a knock-off of Twilight’s lead character, Bella Cullen’s, Breaking Dawn wedding gown by Carolina Herrera, and there are Kate Middleton-inspired looks everywhere, like Monique Lhullier’s Spring Collection.

A return to formal ladylike elements like hats and gloves are making a comeback. A headpiece by JNH Designs is a yummy way to complete the wedding ensemble with vintage style.
JNH Designs, nicole.hillsd@aol.com

Colors
Colors for spring and early summer 2012 will be: Yellow in all shades, especially canary. Other colors will include Tiffany blue, hyacinth, ink/ midnight blue, grass, orangeade, poppy, geranium, and honey. Ivory and white bridal parties are in (a la Kardashians).

Jewelry
Grandmother’s pearls remain timeless, but brides will be donning less traditional bridal jewelry in 2012. Think investment pieces that have a life beyond the big day like a gorgeous Todd Reed set that offer a personalized and unexpected edge to the long white dress and the Stella & Dot necklace lends high style to a simple cut frock. The year will also feature more rose gold wedding bands and raw diamonds.
www.toddreed.com
www.stelladot.com/carolinelarocca

Colored shoes, jeweled bouquets, unmatched bridesmaids dresses and other delights
Personal style overshadows tradition more than ever. Brides are escaping what “you have to do” and replacing it with what they “want to do”. Etiquette? Whatever feels right is the answer, just as long as it makes sense and everyone involved is comfortable. There are no rules except to reflect and enhance the personal style of the couple getting married, and to stay true to their wedding dreams and desires. The information and opinion overload from family members, friends, and even the industry can be overwhelming and can stress a bride out in no time. Stay focused on your desires and stay healthy by eating nutritious foods and moving your body everyday!
Photo by William Mahone
www.insightphotos.biz

Professional Makeup
How many times have you heard, ”All you have left are the pictures”? Well, darling, besides memories, it’s true. So make sure everyone in your wedding party is photo ready with a professional make up session, and without question for the bride. Everyday makeup just doesn’t have the impact to stand up to the camera. Additionally, a makeup artist has the talent and training to hide blemishes, uneven skin tone, and bring out the most beautiful you with techniques learned from experience.

Rising star artist Christin Burdette styles wedding parties all over the East Coast and can remain throughout the day to keep you looking fresh and fabulous.
www.christinburdette.me
Photo by William Mahone
www.insightphotos.biz

Destination Weddings
Whether it is a dreamy Venetian castle like Villa Foscarini Cornaro in Italy, a luxury Virginia mountain retreat like Primland, or a gentile estate in the South with Jefferson cups and magnolias, destination weddings are growing by leaps and bounds. When the wedding magically morphs into a festive getaway for your nearest and dearest, it becomes more of a memory. Nobody likes goodbyes, so why not spread the celebration over a few days away from home, and party with your posse all weekend long?
www.primland.com
www.villafoscarini.com

Decor
2012 brides don’t just hire the local florist. Wedding day decor has morphed into an experience that encompasses much more than fresh flowers. Customized table linens, ambient lighting, lounge areas, and complete room transformations have taken the place of the table centerpiece of days gone by. The fact is this does not have to mean extravagant. With so many decor options, brides can choose to invest in certain elements to make a statement, such as a luxe table linen with a very simple centerpiece. This still makes an impact on the tablescape without breaking the bank. Brides will also opt to invest in a single high impact focal point, balanced with simple less expensive elements. *Birdcage is an exclusive design by www.carolinelarocca.com
Photo by William Mahone
www.insightphotos.biz

Interactive Elements
Guests can expect more than the first dance and the bouquet toss to engage them at the wedding reception these days. Photo booth rental is at an all time high and will only grow over 2012. Guests get to dress up, let loose, cut up and engage in some serious bonding at the photo booth. Weddings, after all are MEANT to be fun!
www.i-entertainment.net

Foods
More sit down dinners with fewer guests, but with longer and more elaborate cocktail hours and midnight snacks served while people are dancing. Snacks will include mini PB&Js, sliders, cookies and milk, and freshly popped corn. We see a lot of creative packaging at the cocktail hour as well like as dim sum served in mini-Chinese take out containers.

Reception Entertainment
More and more brides are going for bands and DJs. The DJ plays when the band breaks, and the atmosphere morphs from elegant to clubby with club music and unique mixes.

Creative Lighting
Ambient and mood lighting is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. Creative lighting has been in fashion now for at least ten years in the wedding industry, but almost never a line item on the budget worksheets and checklist you see in so many publications, and often a surprise to brides. That changes now. Nothing impacts a room like ambient lighting. Without it, you are stuck with institutional room lighting, or if you are in a tent no lighting. Let there be ambient light!

What’s out:

• Signature drinks. Who wants to be forced to drink a concoction called an “I’m Yours,” when all they really want is a Grey Goose and tonic?
• Table names. It’s as difficult to find the “Machu Picchu table” in a ballroom of 36 tables in dim lighting as it is to find the actual pre-Columbian Incan site. It’s much easier and simpler to find Table 12.
• Matchy-Matchy colors. No more bridesmaids dresses matching tablecloths or specific colors for the event. More brides are going with colors and styles that make the most sense in their chosen venue—i.e. if the carpet is burgundy and green swirl, no more pink and purple stripe tablecloths and flowers.
• Bridal party head tables. But darling, tables are definitely in.

So, as the expedient, intelligent, Divinely Modern Bride that you are, why not get a a little step up on the planning before he even asks?  I tell all my wedding planning clients, “Don’t do ANYTHING until you meet with me!”  Not because I’m a control freak (I am but it doesn’t apply here), but because with 20 years of wedding planning experience, my job is to find you the perfect style, the perfect blend of wedding professionals who have a symbiotic relationship to bring you the most cost effective and customized event that reflects you 110%.  The industry pressures brides to act now, buy this, order those, reserve these NOW or it will be too late!  And the industry is really good at it.  So brides sometimes end up hiring a photographer who is sub par only because he is on the venue’s list and they feel compelled to make a quick decision.  I have seen it happen! I have seen lost deposits on dresses because it wasn’t just the right one, double charges because the the bride didn’t realize that the DJ could have offered the same lighting package that she hired another vendor for, and disgruntled guests because there was not enough attention devoted to a realistic time line and they ended up waiting forever for the doors to the ballroom to open long after the cocktail food ran out.

So, while I feel passionately about hiring a wedding planner and designer, here are a few tips to get you started, just in case you want go commando with your own bad self…

1. Be flexible with your date. For some reason brides place their weddings RIGHT AFTER graduation, or two months before their brother’s wedding, or the DAY AFTER her fiance is discharged from serving our fine country.  WHY??!!!!  Why bring on more stress? Choose a date that gives you enough time to plan (preferably about a year), and that’s not crowded with other major life events. Once you choose a month, give yourself a few date options that month so if you find the venue of your dreams, there will be more chance of availability if you are flexible.

2. Say yes to the dress. But not until you choose a venue. Dress shopping is so much more effective when you can visualize yourself in the dress on the wedding day.  If you fall in love with a charming mountain winery, you may want to rock a vintage style antique lace sheath, but if you choose the grand ballroom of the Grand Plaza, you’ll be channeling Princes Diana with beads and a cathedral train.

3. Ask efficient questions. When you meet with professionals, you’ll most likely get a sales pitch, and then a close.  But it turns me on more than anything when brides ask challenging questions! It gives me a chance to shine as the professional that I am…and all your potential professionals should be up to this!  The right questions at the inception of planning prevents disappointment later on! Ask the band how many breaks they take and how often, and if they expect a meal and what they charge for overtime.  Ask the venue how late your guests can stay.  Ask the caterer if you can have leftover food wrapped up or if health code regulations prevent them from doing this.  Ask the venue if you are responsible for trash removal and clean up. Ask the venue if they place out place cards or if you need to designate someone for that.  Ask the photographer if they bring an assistant, what time they arrive, and how late they stay and when you will receive your proofs. Ask the makeup artist how long she takes to complete each face. Ask the florist if they will be pinning on boutonnieres and corsages or if you need to designate someone for that. And once you get the answers you want, put it all in writing!  Most importantly, assume nothing! I have no empathy for brides who feel slighted because a vendor did not meet their assumptions. It’s YOUR responsibility to ask for what you want.

4. For the DIY Bride. You are so resourceful, you Divinely Modern Bride! You are taking advantage of the numerous do-it-yourself tips and info for today’s frugal bride.  That is awesome.  But here’s a little advice: Think it through and be realistic about exactly what you can do.  DIY takes A LOT of preparation and help.  As wedding designer, I have had brides say that some friends are coming to string lights in the tent at 4pm, to save money. Ok, so I’m there delivering wedding flowers with my crew and two friends show up.  They ask the venue owner and one of my crew members how the bride wants them hung.  No idea. No one was told.  Then they ask for a ladder.  Then they ask for some extension cords. Another bride said, I want to provide all the table votives and candles to save money.  So someone shows up two hours before the reception with two shopping bags and drops them in the ballroom.  I happen to find them.  It takes one of my crew members ONE HOUR AND A HALF to UNWRAP and place and light all the candles in the right places.  So please dear bride, if you are going to do it yourself, think about designating the right people for the right jobs.  I promise you, you will have no time to do any decor yourself on the wedding day, so those that you designate must be given the proper information and the proper tools, WAY in advance.

5. Don’t scrimp on makeup and hair. It pains me to look at wedding pictures and seeing two bridesmaids with great makeup and two others with pasty complexions and frizzy blowouts, and knowing these photos are memories for a lifetime.  Invest in a trip to the spa on the day of the wedding.  It’s the BEST gift you can give your bridesmaids, trust me, it’s so much better than a monogram necklace or  pair of garnet earrings. It’s girl fun, it’s a happy memory, it’s camaraderie, and it’s an excuse to drink champagne.  Top it off by having your photographer come out and shoot you and your BFF’s in spa robes…how often do you get a shot of the girls all together in their bliss!

6. Stay positive.  Keep it real. Don’t stress. Stay true to your desires. Laugh a lot. Let your beauty shine through.