Are Wedding Menu Cards Necessary?

Posted by Tabitha on Mar 21, 2011 in wedding planning | 0 comments

Photo from Project Weddings

Menu cards are not only a nice touch and a great way to personalize your wedding, but they are extremely helpful at assisting your guests with food allergies to quickly identify foods that may aggravate their allergies, if not cost them a trip to the emergency room.

Even if you are having a buffet-style wedding reception, menu cards are extremely beneficial for this reason—to help guests avoid the foods they are allergic too. Think about it. Traditionally, buffets offer an assortment of food items, including shellfish, creamy pasta dishes, or special sauces, soups, all of which may contain ingredients that aggravate food sensitivities.

Are wedding menu cards necessary?

No. However, it is an extremely nice courtesy to extend to your wedding guests, specifically if you are not allowing them to make menu selections when they RSVP. If cost is a factor, then consider only doing a menu card per guest table in lieu of one at each place setting.

Trust me, menu cards are a hit with guests, especially if you are having a buffet and your wedding guests may not have the slightest idea of how to discern what is in what. Of course, those table menu cards will also get their palates excited as they wait in anticipation for their turn to go through the buffet.

FYI: The most common food allergies that people have are towards cow’s milk, shellfish, nuts, gluten, and soy.

Happy Planning!

Inspired by Black Calla Lily Bouquets

Posted by Tabitha on Mar 14, 2011 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Photo from Project Weddings; Designed by JL Designs; Photo Credit: Ryan Philips

These black bridal bouquets are luxurious. Made with black calla lilies, which actually look like a dark burgundy (sometimes dark purple) and adorn with black feathers, a brooch, and black rhinestones, how much more luxe can a bride ask for concerning her wedding bouquet?

Photo from W-Wedding Flowers

Marriage Proposals – Make It Special + Memorable

Posted by Tabitha on Mar 11, 2011 in wedding planning | 0 comments

This evening while commuting back home from my college teaching gig, I chatted with my grandmother who I love and adore with all of my heart. We talk about a lot of things, but tonight we got on the topic of marriage and for the first time she told me about when my grandfather proposed to her decades ago.

Surprisingly, I never knew all of the details, but she was able to recall every single detail of  that day when he proposed to her. What stood out to me as I listened to her, was the excitement I could hear in her voice over the phone as she remembered and recalled that very special moment in her life. My grandmother is in her late seventies and if my grandfather were still here with us (he passed away in 2004), they would have been married for over fifty years.

The fact that my grandmother remembered the details of her proposal as if it had just happen yesterday, including how my grandfather asked for her hand in marriage beforehand, to the way he genuinely and lovingly expressed to her that he wanted to marry and start a family with her (they had seven children, including twins), and how she felt at the moment was such a beautiful story for me to hear. In fact, it was pure joy in my soul. Clearly, I’m in love with being in love.

What’s my point?

I want to remind you guys who are thinking about popping the question to make sure it is a very special moment for the both you, a moment that you will someday share with your grandchildren and maybe even great-grandchildren. Ask yourself, will she (as well as you) feel just as excited 30, 40, 50, or even 60 years from now when she recalls and shares with her grandchildren how you proposed to her?

Get Inspired!

Photo Credit: Ron Bowen Photography

Bridal Looks: City Chic

Posted by Tabitha on Mar 9, 2011 in bridal gowns | 0 comments

Sophisticated. Elegant. Just Fabulous.

I first blogged about the 2011 “City Collection” by Pronovias last summer in this post. If you’re in love with and searching for a chic cocktail length wedding gown, you may want to check out this collection.

Fantasy Destinations – A New Blog Series

Posted by Tabitha on Mar 9, 2011 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

I think it is wise for people to travel to some place they have not been at least once a year if possible. You know to just get out and see the world, even if you begin in your own country or state for that matter. Getting a change of scenery does us much good from time to time, even if it means solo travel.

If I could travel as my full time job, immerse myself into different cultures on a regular basis, and write about those destinations for publications, please know that there are not that many places I would hesitate to travel too, especially if it involves beautiful people and rich culture, majestic scenery, and of course, pristine beaches would be icing on the cake for me.

I actually spend quite of bit of time researching destinations, usually those that are less popularized. As a result, my list of places to travel is growing. Out of my curiosity, infatuation with unique travel destinations, and a strong desire to travel extensively all over the world, I have decided to start a new blog series called Fantasy Destinations.

In this series, I will share with you great places for honeymoon destinations that have peaked my interest and left me with the feeling of wanting to just pack up my suitcase on any given day and leave everything behind. Does this sound like? If so, please subscribe to my blog to get the skinny on my first featured fantasy destination this Friday.

Photo from Africa Travel Resource

Acrylic Wedding Tables

Posted by Tabitha on Mar 5, 2011 in event design | 2 comments

Acrylic wedding tables…can you say très chic?

Photo from Room Service Rentals

I first felt in love with the use of acrylic tables for wedding and event designs last spring when I was invited to attend a professional event for destination wedding planners in Vero Beach, FL.

Featured below are photos from that event of what started out as a poolside reception for us at Costa d’Este Resort designed by the awarding designer, Fé Domenech and her team from The Event Firm International.

Photo from PS Photography

An alternative to full acrylic wedding tables and a less expensive option is to use acrylic table boxes as featured below to create the illusion of a clear wedding table. These are also great because you can place rose petals, wedding flowers, and the like inside of the acrylic boxes as table decorations.

Photo from Dann Event Hire

If you like the look of clear acrylic tables, but wish to only incorporate a few of them, consider using them for your head table and open bar table design. Just imagine how glamorous the clear acrylic table box would look with colorful linens in lieu of the white linens (as in the picture above) in addition to the right lighting. Fabulous, I tell you!

Photo from Kool Party Rentals

I would love to see some of you North Carolina brides incorporating acrylic tables or table boxes into your event design, especially if you are planning a destination wedding here in our coastal region or a chic wedding in the Raleigh-Durham area. Get Inspired!

Serpentine Wedding Tables

Posted by Tabitha on Mar 4, 2011 in event design, featured | 0 comments

Serpentine tables are most commonly used for buffet and open bar displays at weddings. However, they can be used sparingly as part of your wedding design for seating.

Photo from Wedding Style Magazine

If you choose to use serpentine tables for seating your wedding guests, I strongly suggest that you apply the “less is more” approach. In other words, it’s is not a good idea logistically speaking to use solely serpentine tables, especially if you do not have adequate space.

Even more, your event design will look better if you mix in different tables. In essence, serpentine guest tables should only be used as a focal point to create some contrast and interest inside your event space. It should not take up the entire space.

Photo from Enchanting Events

Of course, serpentine tables work very well for head tables and you can shape them a number of ways, including arranging them into semi-circle guest tables.

This look designed by Colin Cowie for Oprah’s 50th birthday a several years back would work beautifully for an intimate wedding reception, as well. So, what do you think about using serpentine wedding tables as part of your event design?