The holiday weekend approaches and somehow I find myself alone in the office, reminiscing on wedding weekends past!  Since I won’t be blogging for the rest of the weekend, I thought I’d leave you guys with part one of two from one of our favorite weddings of the Season- Sara and Trevor’s Asian fusion wedding celebration as shot by Karen Wise.  I had posted Sara’s Inspiration to Actuality with some hints of what the wedding looked like a few weeks ago, but today, I’m breaking out (almost) the whole enchilada.

Sara’s family is originally from China, and so it was very important that we incorporate a full-fledged tea ceremony into their wedding day.  The more that we thought about it, the more we felt it would be beneficial to start the day off with the tea ceremony for only their immediate families and the wedding party, then take a short break for guests to rest and change before the more traditionally “Western” ceremony later that evening at Studio 450.  We had toyed with using hotel suites for this part of the day, but ultimately decided that their home would be best, and more homey.

Sara started the day in her red Chinese wedding gown which she had custom made. Trevor, as is the custom arrived with his groomsmen in tow ready to play some games and “earn” the right to see his bride.  This is one of the most fun and awesome parts of a Chinese tea ceremony (which has different traditions from a Korean or Japanese tea ceremony).  First they guys had to “pay” to gain entry to the house and then they had to play a series of games including being fed baby food and an eating contest before Sara actually emerged to greet her groom and the tea ceremony itself would begin.  The actual tea ceremony involves many, many, many cups of tea poured and served to the bride’s parents, the groom’s parents and of course, the bride and groom itself.  I love being a part of a tea ceremony, first because it’s a very intimate ceremony, and a wonderful chance for the families and close friends to gather together in a more casual (and fun) way and see the coming together of two families.  But, secondly, I think that the concept of sharing food and drink is a universal concept and way of saying “welcome” and “thank you”, even if you aren’t a part of that culture.

After the tea ceremony was over, Karen took the couple down to the seaport for a fun little photo shoot.  Weren’t they just adorable? Coming up this afternoon, Sara and Trevor ’s western ceremony and reception.

I am still riding high off of our wedding this past Sunday at Caramoor Center for Music and Art.  Howie and Lisa came to us only about 15 weeks ago to work with them on their wedding.  This was a first for Always a Bridesmaid- not because their engagement was short, but because we’ve never worked on a rabbi’s wedding before.  Lisa is a rabbi and runs the conversion program at Central Synagogue.  This was a wedding that was just FULL of details! Fun, fabulous, details.  I wanted to share some of them with you because I hope that they inspire you!! I think that details don’t have to just add beauty to a wedding, they stand as tiny opportunities to add some more meaning to your day.

So, here we go!  As a couple, they had been to more than their fare share of weddings, and probably had a drawer full of kippah to show for it with couple’s names and wedding dates stamped on the underside.  As a couple, they are terribly witty, and rather than repeat this tradition letter for letter, they saw an opportunity for a chuckle. At a wedding with at least 20 rabbis and cantors in attendance, everyone would know what to do with their kippah right?  Well, just in case someone forgot….

Between them, as a couple, Lisa and Howie had a total of 8 loving parents and stepparents, all of whom were under the Chuppah. Along with that were nearly a dozen siblings! So, for the program, rather than the ins and outs of the ceremony, we offered “A Lineup” . Because they were only one page, we decided to place a pattern on the back, which mirrored their invitation. These were custom created by Smock with the help from Judy Paulen Designs at Bloomingdale’s.

Mayra, Rebecca and I were just in LOVE with Lisa and Howie’s Ketubah, which was designed by the same woman who created Chelsea Clinton’s ketubah (that was sheer coincidence, btw). I love this particular design for its beauty, but when I actually saw it up close I understood why it was ALSO the perfect ketubah for Chelsea’s interfaith wedding as it was written in Hebrew (as is traditional) but with English just beside it.

The couple was beyond excited for their Horah. We slated in a full 30 minutes for it. Being a summer, outdoor wedding, they kept saying “We want people to be drenched from sweat after this horah”…. So, in that spirit, we created sweatbands for people. Right before the music began, waiters from Great Performances came out onto the dancefloor with trays of wristbands that said “1. Place on wrists 2. Enjoy Horah” Clearly, it worked, because not only were people screaming like Justin Beiber had entered the tent, we had a crowd fully clad in white wristbands and out of breath when it was all over.

Of course, some details are simply there to be pretty, and, we love those too, so I’ll share a couple with you! We worked with Matthew Robbins on this wedding, who brought in 30 fabulous farm inspired tables. I’ll wait to share the full look and tablescape, but we utilized tiny silver coffee service trays as chargers, and replicated the design from the invitations on the menu cards, which were warmed up with just a sprig of pine.

And, the icing on the cake was… well, the cake itself! The incomparable Ron Ben Israel created this absolutely astounding cake. It was just amazing. Not only did it pull design elements from the invitations, but it tied in the silver details of the room along with the blue tones (the lettering was navy and silver) of the room decor. Truly delightful!

We’ve been slacking on the posts lately because, frankly, we’ve been busy little bees here at Always a Bridesmaid over the last couple of weeks.  We had a wedding on Long Island last week, a wedding at the Pratt Mansion and this weekend we are up at Caramoor, for a wedding whose details I absolutely CANNOT wait to share.

Recently, (and I mean recently, my client for this weekend was only engaged for about 15 weeks!) we were at Ron Ben Israel’s studio exploring cake options for our client’s wedding at Caramoor.  The bride loved this relatively simple cake of Ron’s featured  on the cover of Elegant Bride Magazine:

Ron explained to her though,that while this cake, designed expressly for this cover, works well on this small scale setting, this same kind of cake would vanish in the oversize tent it would be displayed on at her wedding.

His point to her made a bigger point to me that I thought I would share with you.  Sometimes Inspiration can lead to Frustration.  The same way that we always know that what we see on “reality” TV isn’t real, is the same way that not everything in a photo shoot is actually real.  What works on camera and in a photo studio is totally different than what works in real life.  And the same can be said for a lot of nuances and details in a wedding.

This is more food for thought than it is anything else.  When you see a photo shoot that makes you drool, remember that it was produced.  By that I mean it was designed to be created in close quarters, for examination under a microscope and not replicated 10, 15 or 20 times under time constraints.  By the same token, photo shoots are often designed to make an impact to a camera, which is an intimate eye, and may not be the kind of thing that in a large room, or a tent or ballroom that actually translate well to the human eye that is actually there.

Photoshoots are inspiration points, not replication points, so keep that in mind when you start working on the design and details of your event. If you  are working with a designer or a florist, trust them to interpret your inspiration points on a scale and with a degree of originality will show off you and your location.

I love sports. I love to spend Sundays watching football. I love participating in fantasy leagues. I still have VHS tapes of my favorite basketball games from the 90’s. I mean, I am sad that I am not better athlete, but watching them is high on my list of favorite things. So how excited was I when I read about an event that combines a bridal expo AND a basketball game? Very.

Brides and Basketball is a bridal show that happens at various cities RIGHT before basketball games. Want to get your groom excited about meeting wedding vendors? Buy tickets to these events and you will get free tickets to stay and watch the games. I mean, it’s a win-win situation. The stadiums open a little early and you can check out the different vendors, as well as during half-time.  I wish this was coming to a city near me!

I was looking at calligraphy styles on Laura Hooper’s website a few weeks ago when I spotted these amazing escort cards that Laura does on Spanish Tiles.    These tiles, naturally reminded me of Talavera pottery, which while a staple in  Mexico, is really evocative of  a warm, sunny vibe with a bit of Spanish flair.   I was so inspired by these that I actually got my act together enough for an inspiration board.

A few years ago, Always a Bridesmaid was invited to design a photoshoot with Latina magazine at a “Hacienda” in, of all places, Staten Island (who knew?).  Cheryl Kleinman designed this Talavera inspired cake and we created favors of Tin Ornaments for the “guests” affixed to a wall.  I just loved this lace Lela Rose dress, it reminded me of the hand embroidered linens  that we used on the table centerpiece (we placed each centerpiece  on top of a punched-tin bordered mirror) and the colorful Servilletas (oversized napkins) you see in the lower right hand corner.  No destination wedding would be complete without fabulous cocktails and snacks!  The paloma is Tequila and Grapefruit soda and it is DELICIOUS!!!   Less obvious than a Margarita, but just as tasty.  I also loved these cones of chips in the blue patterned paper. What a simple way to dress up your snacks. (image courtesy Inspiring Brides).  Finally, how great are these Talavera inspired letterpress invites from Letter Press light’s Etsy store.