Positively in the Pink

 

Krista and Danny

Oct. 19, 2012

 

 

I now dedicate my blog postings to real life event clients like Krista and Danny who take a "less traveled" road where they must make their expectations fit their determined budget. While in this couples' case, it was a cause, not a necessity.

We all realize that weddings today aren't just frivolous celebrations only centered on brides and grooms. It is HOW you spend your allotted or budgeted dollars that makes the difference.

I started working with Krista and Danny almost 18 months ago when they were considering a vacation rental home for their wedding weekend. At that point in time, they were targeting Februray or March of 2013. Krista found out her grandmother was seriously ill and they decided to move up the date to Oct. 19, 2012. More than anything, Krista wanted her grandmother to share in the planning with her.

The couple exhausted a wide range of locations for their ceremony and reception. At one time they even considered holding it at a new home they just purchased in Clearwater. But the ocean was their first and foremost backdrop for their ceremony. Sand was not an option. And there had to be a sensible back-up plan for an indoor space in case of rain (and it wasn't holding it in the same space as the reception.)

Krista and Danny decided on the rooftop of the Clearwater Beach Hyatt for the nuptials. They booked rooms at the hotel for getting ready and got a great deal on hotel amenities. Since they still wanted to use outside catering and their own alcohol, they chose the Clearwater Community Center just north of the hotel on the intercoastal waterway.

The reasonable cost of the center afforded them the opportunity to do a number of upgraded decor options including wall draping and uplights. They were considerate of vendors by paying for extended set-up and breakdown time.

Krista and Danny loved the idea of having a super chic cocktail hour outdoors with lounge furnishings and high top tables along the grassy area facing the water. Then as dusk set in, they wanted the guests to be ushered into a completely different club-style environment complete with silver chiavari chairs, shimmering silver organza overlays, and dots of hot pink, purple, and apple green.

A nurse, by profession, it was apparent that Krista had a definite knack for knowing how to put decor together. She texted, emailed, and called me whenever she had immediate questions. She took my advice in hiring Xydex Event Services for the lighting and draping. While I made other recommendations for services, she did her own research to come up with bundled "deals" for renting ceremony and reception chairs/tables. She also purchased the overlays and had her florist provide the orchid stems for our in-house trio of glass cylinders.

 

 



Krista and Danny's wedding was full of small and practical details in the form of signage, sunglasses at the cerermony, special favors of bath salts, napkin rings, and even a signature gobo dance floor monogram.

 

 We were happy to embellish with in-house platinum and hot pink fabrics plus our new collection of white table top lanterns.

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Krista kicked around the idea of renting lounge furnishings for her outdoor cocktail area. She decided to purchase faux leather futons and cocktail tables from Walmart that she planned to re-sell on Ebay later. Danny's family put it all together early in the afternoon. High top cocktail tables were provided by Signature Events who also did all chivari chairs.

 

We furnished our popular white cube pieces for the draped front hallway and around the dance floor later in the evening. We are certain their investment of draping the entire entry area of the Clearwater Community Center was a novel one . . . .hiding some less than attractive brochure rack, windows looking into a fitness center, etc.

 

 

 

An example of how ceremony items can be re-used at the reception. The silk pomodors Krista purchased for the ceremony aisle were placed by event coordinator, Bradley to decorate the buffet and cake tables.

 

 

The couple decided to only cover three wall sections of the reception room, leaving the natural light to filter in on the north entry side. This was a great move as guests could still view the water and the tall palm tree foliage that was part of the Clearwater landscape.

 

Our in-house trio of glass cylinders were filled with sparkling crystals, LED lights and orchid stems. Krista even constructed a clever table number holder in her colors of white, hot pink, and green.

 

 

We loved the option to embellish other important tables with our satin fabrics and unique table top decor that include chrome vases with tropical silk flowers.

 

The ceremony back drop that included two potted branched plants from Delma's Florals was placed behind the sweetheart table for the reception. Krista purchased two crystal lamps for this table as well.

 

 

Sparkle was a big part of their reception, so we added some elements on the buffet along the front of the buffet.

 

 

After the formalities, Krista and Danny were able to enjoy party time on the dance floor.

 

Event Planning, Design Implementation, Coordination, and Catering:

Catering By Robert / Event Concepts . FL

 

Signature Event Rentals

 

Delma's Florist

 

A Better Cheesecake

 

Draping and Uplighting: Xydex Event Services

 

 

Autumn in the Air

 

Carra and Derek: September 1, 2012

The Palmetto Club

 

 

We were delighted to work with Carra and her mom, Michelle, over the course of a year to help plan and design a "fall-ish" event in a facility that had a completely different color scheme than the browns, oranges, and dark yellows she was envisioning. Armed with lots of DIY ideas, Carra laid out her desires to our event designer, Ashley, who quickly responded with her knowledge of the facility and how fall tones could easily be incorporated into the venue's blueish tones.

 

 

The biggest plus for the Palmetto Club is its outdoor setting on its expansive back lawn. This makes practically andy color combination perfect when facing the building itself.

 

 

The second factor that Ashley reminded Carra and Michelle of was that the ballroom had several mustard colored wall seams on the perimeter walls which brought out the gold tones in the blue and gold carpeting. Once lights were dimmed, the lighter colors created the mystic surrounding the reception area. The blue just seemed to disappear.

 

In all honesty, Carra was not a big fan of fresh flowers. She and her mom were perfectly willing to invest in quality silk florals for bouquets, wedding flower corsages, and guest table centerpieces. So vibrant oranges, yellows, and brown became the focus of the celebration.

 

We loved Carra's choice in making the color of white a structured part of the wedding attire. From the attendant heels, to the men's formalwear, it was a lovely diversion popping with touches of brown in handkerschiefs and traditional neckties.

 

 

 

Carra and her mom spent a great deal of time researching vintage elements that would fit in with their wedding at a more formalized event venue.  What they found was that it was the small details that mattered. Custom signage was a big part of what they added.

 

 

 
Catering By Robert's wedding and rehearsal coordinator, Kent Billiter, kept the pergola fabrics centered on neutral and strong colors of gold and brown to create a bold contrast to the white back side of the clubhouse .
 



 

 

 

It was important to both Carra and Derek for guests to have lots to keep them busy during the reception. They hired a cigar rolling team from DeLite Entertainment to provide custom smokes. They also focused on "take-away" favors at each guest place setting saying thank you, and Carra's mom's wine-making talents through a custom labeled wine.



 

 

Elsewhere in the clubhouse, the dark brown, white, and rust colors with a touch of spicy pink created a focal point for the traditional long head table. Our custom designed "sails'" provided a backdrop for the main table.

 

 

Carra and Michelle furnished high grade brown and burnt orange hygrandea clusters that were inserted into our in-house eiffel tower centerpieces. Neutral linen cloths were highlighted with a trop of runners: two orange with a chocolate brown in the middle.

 

 Our buffet was draped in antique gold and dark brown accented with rust. The carpeting started looking like "fallen leaves" in contrast to the fall-like elements throughout.

 

Carra created some unique DIY pieces include a wired card box for the gift table.

 

 

 

Of course, the cake design reflected the orange and brown details Carra and Derek chose for their wedding.

 

 

Of course, party time was important and here is the happy couple relaxing after the formalities were over.

 

Many kudos to Blue Lane Photography, for capturing many of the images for Carra and Derek's celebration.

Wicked Wedding

In a blast from the past, I thought a Halloween wedding celebration in Ybor City might raise some spirits around here this week.

Janel and Roc in many ways, were not our typical bride and groom. They planned their wedding with us almost two years in advance, attended over 10 open houses and bridal show tastings, and took the design elements of their special day to a whole new level.. Why not their wedding date was  October 31st!

 

This lengthy planning time was a plus for the couple who started out desiring an almost complete vegetarian menu. But all said and done, they added several meat and seafood items to their feast because of the many food items they sampled along the way.

 

When they couldn't decide on one color, they decided to do eight! Black was a base color used for the table cloths.  The couple  took advantage of the holiday and the historic location (a rennovated cigar factory) to give the wedding and reception a Mid-Summer's Night Dream spin. The groom and his men were dressed like gangsters. The bride wore white with a black damask touch and her maids came attired as Geisha girls.

 

Guests were encouraged to dress for the occasion and the couple provided many dress-up and make items for those less prepared.

 

Every element of Janel and Roc's wedding incorporated a fun, yet gothic element all in good taste. We applaud Limelight Photography for capturing the uniqueness of this event with their creative eye.

 

SURREAL CEREMONY
 

 

 

The second floor of the Lions Eye Institute was the backdrop for the both the wedding and reception. A smaller meeting room accommodated the 150+ guests in attendance. We are so sad that Lions Eye is no longer allowing outside events in this space.

 

 

 

 

 

THE DARK SIDE OF THE GARDEN?

 

 

 

Florist Pam Verschere of Flowers by Pam created a menagerie of  colorful bouquets and ceremony trappings fit for bride and her attendants.

 

 

 

 

 

Pam created a whimsical ceiling spray of lights and vines above the dance floor. Each guest and accent table had a different centerpiece which ranged from mossy natural plants to vibrant tall orchids and Bells of Ireland. Daisies. hydrangea, and various shades of Calla Lilies also made the mix.

 

 

DELIRIOUS DETAILS

 

 

. These items were strategically placed by our staff throughout the event. Over the course of the 24-month planning period, Janel collected a variety of signature Hallowed Eve memorbillia ranging from ceramic skeletons to a variety of gargoyles given to guests as their favors.

 

 

Each place setting a sequence of napkin colors with a picture of the bride and groom tucked inside.

 

 

 

A CAST OF CHARACTERS

 

 

 

 

Janel and Roc's celebration attracted a wide variety of characters of all ages.

 

 

 FOOD FRIGHT

 

The food was just as colorful as everything and everyone at the wedding. Our staff spent over an hour designing the a delightful cheese and fruit display featuring mini vegetable and pimpkin carvings and vibrant daisies.   

 

 

 

The event ended on a sweet note with a huge assortment of candies in all of the wedding colors.

 

 

 

 

The "ghastly" wedding cake was full of dead-heads and was topped with a special cake topper personally selected by the bride and groom.

 

 

 

MASKED AT MIDNIGHT

 

Masks were handed out to everyone at the stroke of midnight for a fine farewell to the bride and groom. We hope you enjoyed this tribute to Hallowed Matrimony!

 

 

Planning, Coordination, Decor, Catering: Catering By Robert/Event Concepts. FL,

Ashley Davis Allred, Kent Billiter, Christy Stalnaker Monaco, designers

 

Florist: Flowers By Pam

 

Photography: Step into The Limelight