Escort Cards are utilized to direct guests to assigned tables.  I always suggest assigning tables for your guests as it alleviates any confusion as guests walk into the reception area, and where they should sit.  You can also pair up couples or singles who might enjoy each others company and make for a more enjoyable experience for your guests.  If you need to keep certain family members on opposing sides of the room, this also comes in handy.  Escort Cards can be created in a few different ways, but there is the tent card or flat card that can be displayed on a table, hanging from a tree, crystals, or placed within a design your guests can pick these up from.

These adorable black, white and red tent escort cards were created by Invitations Ink.

Billy Ball escort Cards placed in a grass tabletop

Another way you can assign tables is to write your guests’ names on a vintage window, chalkboard, or get a custom sign made that you can display on an easel.

Place cards on the other hand assign an actual seat at a particular table.  If you and your fiance have arranged a plated meal, this is necessary, especially when meal choices are an option for guests.  The caterer’s servers can be cued to whom might be eating steak by a rhinestone colored accent on the place cards.

I don’t recommend having place cards serve dual purposes as an escort card as well as place card as these can be easily lost or misplaced.

Another great option would be to have your favor serve as a place card and additional adornment to your table design.

Hopefully this little tip helps you understand the difference between place cards and escort cards.  If you have any wedding related questions you’d like answered, feel free to email me directly, and we can answer your question right here on the blog!  Email me at :  audrey@botanicafloraldesigns.com

5 Tips to Make Your Wedding STAND out!

As wedding stylists and floral designers we see countless weddings each year.  With a keen sense of being able to forecast hot trends and what is surely out of style, we know the in’s and outs on what is hot and what is not.  No matter what your colors are, how much you spend on your wedding, or what venue you are working at, there are a few tips we’re willing to share with you on how you can make your wedding truly stand apart from being mediocre.

1.  Be sure your colors are fluidly carried throughout.  This means, from the attire your party is wearing, to the linens you choose, and the complimenting flowers, be sure you aren’t “over saturating” or making things too bland.  I see this mistake made all too often.  Sometimes brides tend to “over do” their color palatte, and saturate their colors too much throughout there wedding.  The key is getting the combinations right, and still having a classy look.

Our bride was going for a very soft, romantic look below.  The blush linens, gold accents and ivory napkins all worked beautifully!

2.  Don’t focus on the small details until the larger pieces of the puzzle are put into place.  Many brides go out and buy cute accessories online; however, they end up not fitting into the grand scheme of things in the end.  You don’t want to spend part of your budget on something that doesn’t quite fit in later down the road.  In as tempting and as cute some of these details are, I suggest holding off until your decor inspiration and florals are set in stone, then go for it and accessorize!

Here are some great birch votive holders that were used to embellish the tables and finish off the table design.  Glass would have been nice too, but this accessory was perfect for the setting and feel the bride and groom were going for.

3.  Hire vendors with original ideas.  Sure, it’s easy and profitable for me as a designer to sell the same centerpiece style to each of my clients, but do I?  No!  I want each client to have an interesting look that reflects them, and we all know you each have your own style.  Every wedding we do is a new centerpiece, new floral combinations and twists to making things you!  Sure, there are overall common themes of vintage, modern, country, etc. but each wedding has their own unique spin.

The cocktail table florals you see below are a mixture of some vintage glasses we already had in our inventory.  To make things a little more unique, for this specific bride, we also collected vintage tin cans and containers that we filled with flowers for an eclectic feel.  Each table was different and unique in itself!

4.  Have a few focal pieces.  These are pieces that will get a lot of exposure.  It can be a memorable candy display, escort card display, cake table or head table.  These big impact areas are where you splurge a little and get a lot for your money.  Your guests will remember these areas, and usually this is where a lot of your photos will be taken.

Below is an arch in progress that we created for a recent wedding.  I’m so glad our bride and groom wanted to do this look, as it was a beautiful backdrop and frame for their wedding ceremony.  After the ceremony, guests entered into the barrel room, walking under the arch.  It made such a huge impact, and really made this ceremony even more gorgeous!  If anyone is curious, this is Viansa Winery in Sonoma, a beautiful wedding location!!

5.  Remember, it’s all about you and your fiance.  Not putting any of your personality in the wedding will make it a forgetful experience.  You want your guests to feel like they are experiencing your style, and how you want to entertain.  Let them in a little on who you are as a couple… trust me, they won’t forget your wedding years down the road!

I think it is the best way of sharing and bringing together all of your wedding ideas and thoughts into one central location.  Not only will it help keep you on track of your overall vision, but it will help you share with your vendors the overall look you want.  You can create one for invitations, one for flowers, cakes, etc.  Photos are just such a great way of communicating what you are looking for.

Here’s one I recently pulled together:

I think you can see the idea here with purple and metallics being the main thread throughout.

A great resource I love to use is Style Me Pretty’s Inspiration Board Creation center.  It is really quick to set-up an account, and you can create an inspiration board in minutes, either uploading your own images, and or using images from their database.

It’s a lot of fun, and you can get some great ideas!

Hope you enjoy this helpful tip!  So, are you a bride?  Do you already use inspiration boards?  Are you considering?  If you create one, send one on over to me, and it just might get published here on the blog!

Whether you are doing a head table for you and your bridal party, or a simple sweetheart table for just the bride and groom, you’ll want to put some thought into the decor and design you will use for this feature table.

Though it is nice to be able and re-use or re-purpose the bridal bouquet and bridesmaid bouquets, it’s also nice to add a little more finishing touches to this table to make it look beautiful!

Short arrangements always work best so that guests can see you and your bridal party.  Make sure your florals are complimenting to the rest of your decor and centerpieces.  If you plan on using a floral piece from your arch at the ceremony, be sure to have additional pieces if your table is large, and make sure your designer knows that this will be used for the head table following the ceremony.  You’ll want to be sure he-she designs something that will fit on the table, and will be easily removed and transported to the reception.  I always suggest incorporating plenty of candlelight to add some lighting as your evening progresses.

When it comes to table design styles, we’ve done various options of head tables:

Standard Head Table: where the bridal party typically faces guests

King’s Table : where the bridal party, sometimes including parent’s join around a large rectangular table.  This is also a great option if most of your bridal party has significant others that may feel left out if you are using a traditional head table

Sweetheart Table: for just the bride and groom

Upgraded linens and upgraded rentals are also a great way to have your table stand apart from guest tables.  A subtle variation in linens or a beautiful laced overlay as you see in the photos here are add a touch of elegance to your special table.

What will you be using for your head table at your wedding?  I’d love to hear!

]]> http://botanicafloraldesigns.com/blog/head-table-flowers-sweetheart-table-flowers/feed 2 http://botanicafloraldesigns.com/blog/congratulations http://botanicafloraldesigns.com/blog/congratulations#comments Sat, 01 Jan 2011 15:29:33 +0000 admin http://botanicafloraldesigns.com/blog/?p=1984 Photograph courtesy of: Sarah Maren Photography

Centerpiece Design: Botanica Floral Designs

For those of you who entered into this 2011 year as a freshly engaged woman, I’d like to extend my congratulations to you!  Your path to the altar will be one of the most enjoyable experiences of your life.  Celebrate and embrace being engaged {after all, we only get to use the word fiance for so long}, enjoy your time with family and all the fun that goes into planning your very special day.

I invite you to browse the ideas on our blog, read the posts for helpful tips, and visit our website to see how we can help you bring your wedding together for that polished, elegant and romantic look you that you so desire!

Be sure to sign up to be a part of our Bridal Club where you can get insider trade secrets and tips only available to club members.

Check out our Website to view our work more extensively.

Email us to set-up your personal Consultation to hear how we can not only create the most gorgeous flowers for your wedding, but how we can offer some design ideas and vendor referrals to make your wedding all things lovely.

So, today’s post is on trends, and I have definitely noticed a flower trend this year and last year.  What might it be?  Oh, the “yellow ball thingies!”  I get asked what are these flowers are all the time, and I guess we should all know what they are by now, so I’ll introduce you to Craspedia {crass-PEE-dee-a} a.k.a Billy Balls.  I think these little blooms have won the hearts of many tying the knot and looking for something a little different to incorporate into their decor.

These small, spherical flowers are native to New Zealand and Australia.  They are typically available Spring through Fall, and are perfect for a boutonniere or a “pop” of color to your centerpieces.

These are some recent boutonnieres we created for a wedding, don’t you just love!

And, a little different look for a spring wedding below:

Photo Courtesy: Carmen Salazar Photography

We used the Craspedia as escort cards, attaching guests names and table numbers to assigned seats.

And, in wedding centerpieces:

Photo Courtesy: Carmen Salazar Photography

What’s your take, do you like Craspedia?

The same concept can be done for wedding centerpieces, where you have multiple vases that each guest can take home with them.  It’s a fun reminder of the fun you had at the event!

These photos were kindly captured by Kristy Huston with Kristy Huston Photography.  Kristy’s work is simply amazing, she captures details with a fresh and innovative light.  Check out her website!

Florals you see above include:  ’Milva’ roses, scabiosa pods, fiddlehead ferns, ‘Flame’ miniature calla lilies, amaranthus and mokara orange orchids.

From design templates where you can create a customized inspiration board, to hundreds and thousands of photos for you to browse through, there’s nothing like keeping the pulse of what the latest wedding trends are then right here on the internet.  And, a bonus, you’ll discover new bridal vendors, budget-friendly wedding ideas and free give-a-ways for your own wedding!

Here are a few of my favorite blogs to follow, I think you’ll love them too, so add them to your Google reader or RSS:

Green Wedding Shoes

Style Me Pretty

100 Layer Cake

The Inspired Bride

Ruffled

Snippet and Ink

Junebug Weddings

Ritzy Bee

I know we are all “on the go” type people… I’ve added an app on my iphone so I can catch up with any down time during the day.  If I need a little inspiration or want to see what other weeding ideas are becoming more trendy, I’ll check in and see the many talents of my peers!

Do some research and find a few blogs to follow for a little wedding inspiration for your own wedding.  There are budget wedding blogs, DIY wedding blogs, luxury wedding blogs, wedding planing blogs, and much more!

Personally, I have found that brides who follow blogs are much more confident in their overall decor, they have a more personalized wedding experience and their photos to die for!

What’s your favorite wedding blog?  Any suggestions you’d like to share with me?

Photo By: Allison Stahl Photography

1.  What colors are really available?

There are some gorgeous color trends out there right now, but what you may not be thinking of is how these colors you commit to may not coordinate with your flowers.  You’ve got to see the big picture first.  How will the bridesmaid gowns tie in with your flowers?  Your linens?  And your ultimate vision that you are piecing together?  Instead of making a bunch of separate decisions, think of the grand scheme and how it is all going to come together.

I also see many brides come to me with inspiration photos of flowers which have been edited by a photographer with computer software.  The flowers are tinted with shades which aren’t true to their natural color, and sure, they look cool in photos, but they are totally unrealistic.  That’s fine if you like the look, just be open minded that you are seeing an edited photo.  You’ve got to talk with a professional designer who knows what they are doing and can help you coordinate your flowers with the other pieces of the puzzle you have already selected.  Show them swatches and other items you have chosen to find the best match.  And, keep in mind that saying your color is plum doesn’t cut it.  Bring in a swatch or color chip to show your designer the exact shade you are looking for.

2.  Is your budget realistic?

Unfortunately there is a lot of mis-information out on the market regarding how much you should budget for flowers.  Magazines and wedding shows are partly to blame, but my suggestion is to always talk with a professional who is going to meet your needs to get you accurate pricing for what it is that you are looking for.  Your style might be more expensive based on a number of items.  I always compare it to purchasing a home and getting the upgraded granite, crown moulding and finishes…..  What is it that you are looking for?  It will have a direct effect on how much your flowers are going to cost.  Along with this, you should express any concerns with your budget upfront so that your designer can offer realistic options.

3.  Is what you are asking for available?

Let’s face it, we are dealing with Mother Nature, plants and flowers are dependent on weather, worldwide trade and availability.  Are you looking for red roses the week or two after Valentine’s Day?  This is when supply is very limited.  Are you wanting peonies in September? Chances are, not going to happen. Unfortunately there are letdowns, and you need to be working with someone who is smart enough not to promise you something you can’t have.

4.  Can your designer do the job?

Don’t just meet with four florists to meet with them.  Narrow down your search by finding the right people to match your needs.  Do you like their work?  Will they deliver?  Does their work look good, clean and professional?  Most importantly, do you feel comfortable with them and can you trust that they will do what you are asking them to do?

5.  Do your flowers fit your personality and theme?

Ultimately, you want your decor to tie all together.  Whether you are having a Spring wedding tented-event or a Fall inspired candlelit reception, your personality, style and wedding day decor should be easily recognizeable and YOU!