Lighting… At the leading edge of décor

Over the past few years the wedding industry has been transformed by cutting edge new technologies now available to professional Lighting Designers and companies. What used to be considered “ultra high-end” and out of financial reach of many, professional lighting has now become affordable and customizable to accommodate different styles and budgets.

The rapid increase in popularity is due to the way lighting transforms the look and feel of any venue regardless of style or stature. The most basic venue designs can be elevated to the level of high-end, and the most amazing spaces can be highlighted in ways that draw attention to its beautiful architecture while simultaneously lighting the event.

The simple fact that many weddings take place at night makes lighting the single most powerful visual décor element available. For newly engaged couples, it is becoming clear that if their reception is in the evening, the use of professional lighting will have a huge impact on the look of the event. Surprisingly, the basic concept that lighting is a “need” at all night events has taken many years to catch up to the wedding industry.

For as long as we can remember, lighting has played a major role in every other industry related to event design, restaurant design, even cityscapes. Lighting has always been an absolute in all of those industries, but the wedding industry has for the most part relied on the venue’s built-in lighting to create the perfect setting for your wedding. Unfortunately, many venues were built in a different era when this level of lighting was not even invented yet. The need to supplement what the venue has to offer is easy to understand once you take a few seconds to notice what makes every evening event on earth look truly amazing…. professional lighting and design!

So how do you pick what is best for your particular taste and wedding style?

First… In the same way you pick a photographer or other wedding related vendor, you need to look at images of past events, ask for advice from industry professionals such as lighting designers, and try your best to establish a budget range that the lighting designer can work with. As with any creative person, if you leave it to their imagination they can easily design well beyond your financial means, so your input and guidelines are important to us.

Second… Remember, if lighting can create the perfect setting, it’s easy to understand how the wrong lighting can destroy the same setting rendering it tacky, cheap or simply inappropriate. If your vision is a soft intimate setting, and the lighting is set up by someone that has intentions related closer to “club effects” or has no understanding of lighting design, your vision will not happen. Don’t underestimate the need for experience and lighting knowledge. Hire a professional lighting designer or company.

Third… Remember that lighting is an important part of your wedding but it is only one part. For a complete and perfect “look” to come together, all other supporting elements such as venue lighting control and candle light, even the influence of the sun all have to work together. So the goal of your lighting designer is to understand and take all factors into account and make sure one is not diminishing the effect of the other. In the end, what you see, feel and experience should be remembered as flawless, amazing and unforgettable!

Visit our lighting design blog at bostonuplights.com/Blog/ for more in-depth articles highlighting weddings throughout Boston and New England. Or visit our website at www.bostonuplights.com to see extensive images of our work at past weddings.

Paul Therrien ( Lighting Designer/ Owner ) Boston Uplights

Here with us today to share their professional opinion on the signature cocktail is the team from Our Favorite Catering Company, East Meets West! I’m so happy to have them here with lots os tips on signature cocktails, why to do them and how (recipes below!):

Boston Hearts Weddings: I’ve been seeing so many signature cocktials at weddings lately! Why do you think they continue to become more and more popular?

East Meets West: Currently, we see signature cocktails at weddings for a couple reasons:

2.) It’s personal-a signature drink can be unique to this bride and groom. Perhaps they share a favorite drink that they want to feature. Or it goes with the theme, décor, color palette of the wedding. For the caterer, a signature drink is great because it’s easier to portion when you place limitations like this. Also, if it’s a large wedding, you can premix, shake and stir and attendees get a yummy, cold beverage quickly. Think less congestion at the bar.

BHW: I totally agree that the bar is a great place to tie in the decor of the wedding! The bar menu is a good place to carry over any branding the couple has done (monogram, special fonts, personalized cocktail names etc), the bar can always have a linen that coordinates with the wedding colors on it, and even the color of the drinks themselves can tie in with the rest of the event! I also love when couples choose fun glassware for their cocktails. Is there an art to choosing the perfect glass?

EMW: We choose glassware based on the drink type, theme, and décor of wedding. Say you have an Asian-inspired wedding. We might suggest a ginger lemon martini ganished with lemongrass or a sugar rim or even candied ginger slice…this would work really well in a stemless cosmo glass. If we are doing a wedding with a vintage feel, we might do a champagne cocktail and put it in a period champagne coup as opposed to the tradition flute. You can really have a lot of fun with this! Also, bubble glasses are fun for mojitos, sangarias and punchy beverages with ice. A Tom Collins glass can give a sleek look and a mason ball jar gives a casual country feel.

East Meets West suggests doing a vodka based drink as you can mix a lot more flavors with vodka and it appeals to a broader audience. But definitely get creative, lots of flavors, colors and garnishes that one can work with!

Boston Hearts Weddings: I know sometimes choosing what to serve as a signature cocktail is tricky for the bride and groom. Are there any fun drink recipes that you’ve used at weddings recently that were a hit at the bar?

EMW: Yes of course! Below are a few recipes that have proven popular with our clients recently:

1½ oz. super premium vodka (such as Skyy or Grey Goose)
¾ oz ginger simple syrup
1 oz. limoncello
Garnish Choices: Lemon twist, blade of lemongrass, sugar rim or candied ginger
Directions
Prep: 5 minutes Serves: 1
1. In a cocktail shaker, mix vodka and ginger simple syrup.
2. Add limoncello and shake well with ice; strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish.

YUM!

Brides: What are you serving as your signature cocktail?

XO

Sadly, those things will always be true. However, there are some ways to mitigate the unknowns and make transportation just a teeny bit more fun for everyone… even guests!

1. Choose your form of transportation wisely
Are you hoping to move a large number of people from one place to another in the quickest way possible? For instance, from the hotel to the ceremony and back? Then a large bus is probably right for you. Most companies have two choices: a 30 passenger bus or a 50 passenger bus. The best thing to do is ask your transportation company what the best option is for your exact situation.

Sometimes though, the goal is a little bit different. Maybe you have a little bit of lag time between your ceremony ending and cocktail hour beginning and need a way to entertain guests? When that’s the case, we LOVE when couples hire classic Boston trolleys to take guests on a little tour of the city! Especially for guests that are in from out of town, this is a way to make that time between watching you two get married and that first glass of wine a little easier to bear. Have a l-o-t of time between? Why not hire duck boats to really show your guests a great time? This is a time for creativity people!

*trolley photo via www.historictours.com, duck boat photo via www.boston.com

2. Choose your transportation company wisely
Most any transportation company will tell you how long they’ve been in business, how many weddings they do a year, blah blah blah. But, sorry, that’s not the most important thing to know when you’re researching transportation companies. Think about it -this piece can really make or break your timeline. You need a company with drivers who are going to show up ON TIME every time, and who actually care about keeping on time. I would urge you to ask a few more (non-traditional) questions: is the transportation company on the preferred vendor list at your venue? Ask to speak with former brides to see what they have to say about the experience. When you’re hiring a limo or town car, a company who works with large corporations and high powered executives for their transportation needs are probably going to be used to demanding timelines and have a no tolerance policy for lateness. Lastly, ask yourself how you actually felt when speaking with the sales rep. As silly as it may sound, they are the face of the company – did the person make you feel more or less comfortable about your transportation needs? Did they really listen to you and try to help? Or did they seem distracted? You get the picture.

3. Pad your timeline! I repeat: PAD YOUR TIMELINE
When it comes to transportation, I always suggest leaving WAY more time than you think you need. Even in the best of circumstances, it will take a group of people at least 15 minutes to board a bus. Never mind when you have cousin Tom up in his hotel room still getting ready, and his mom insists “he’ll be right down, we can’t leave without him!”. Driving on a bus, especially in the city, just takes longer than driving in a car. Sometimes there are streets that a 50 passenger bus just can’t fit down, so the driver has to take a somewhat “scenic” route. Always ask the transportation company how long they think they need to get from point A to point B… then add more time. Trust me.

Are you using transportation during your wedding day? Have advice for other brides that wasn’t mentioned here? Let us know!

XO

Choosing the right attire for the groom is a walk in the park compared to his bride. But, the same rules still do apply. Your attire should absolutely fit your event’s ambiance and character. Break it down into these three categories: Formal, semi-formal or informal. And, just a word of advice, I would have your bride tell you what she’s thinking for formality. I have a feeling that having the choice to be informal is sounding pretty good to you right now.

Stay tuned for more ideas for your groomsmen…

Happy Weekend loves!

XO

Oh, PS. DON’T FORGET about Gilt Groupe’s wedding sale this weekend (starts today!) there’s sure to be an abundance of lovely things you just have to have! Email Alisa if you need an invite!

Yes, some things have been much easier for me, as a planner, planning my own wedding. As I like to say, all of the vendors that I’ve hired are my “work friends”… all of you have them – those people that make the work day just a little bit better – well, me too, mine just happen to be photographers, caterers and band members! So no, I didn’t have to do a lot of vendor research, or go to a lot of meetings, scouting out who I thought would be the best person for the job. However, I did have to make most of the same decisions as any bride -what is my photography style? What do I want the guest dining experience to be like? What types of flowers do I like more than any other types of flowers? What’s my budget?

*Bride’s Binder via Russell & Hazel

I’ve found the best way for me to plan my own wedding has been to treat myself as a client. If you are unable, for whatever reason, to hire a planner for yourself, I suggest you do the same – here are some tips:

1. Start with a solid budget.
Always start by knowing the bottom line number you want to spend. There are many budgeting tools available online (for instance, on theknot.com), use something like this as a guide, but not as your bible. Most couples have one or two areas that are just hands down the most important thing, photography, the band, whatever. It’s okay to put more of a percentage of your budget towards those things, as long as you find somewhere else that you don’t mind scrimping a bit. Adjust the budget formula to fit your wedding, don’t adjust your wedding to fit the formula.

2. Look for your vendors in good places.
Googling “Boston Wedding Photographers” is a place to start, but maybe not a “good place”. Choosing from 100,000 links is overwhelming for anyone. There are so many better ways to find your vendors. One of the main reasons we started this blog was so that every bride, planner-less or not, could have access to information on some of the most solid vendors working in Boston today. Disclaimer: this is NOT to say that there aren’t many vendors who are not on Our Favorite Vendor list who aren’t wonderful, and great at their jobs. But, Our Favorite Vendors truly are some of our favorites, vendors that we have worked with succsessfully several times, vendors that we as planners trust. Our Favorite Vendors list would be a good place to find vendor recommendations. Another great resource is the vendors you’ve already hired – ask your vendors for recommendations – vendors will not recommend another vendor that they haven’t had a good experience working with in the past.

3. Hire the vendor that you love the most.
Yes, it’s important to hire the caterer that can give you the menu that you want, the florist who’s style is a good match for your look, and the cinematographer that fits into your budget. However, it’s JUST as important to hire the vendor that you trust, and that you really like on a personal level. It’s very likely that you will be working with these people for a year or more, and you will be trusting them to handle hundreds of tiny details for you – you need to feel comfortable with your vendors, you need to like them and you need to trust them. While it’s a rather extreme case for me, I think this is the biggest thing that has made planning my wedding easier. I trust my vendors to “do the right thing” at every step of the process. Yes, I do have more knowledge about my vendors and how they work than many brides might, but the overall idea is the same – I like them, I trust them, they like me, so I know they will do their best work for me.

4. Ask for help when you need it.
There will be times when you just come to a roadblock. A detail you just can’t make a decision on, a piece of the puzzle that you just can’t make fit. It’s okay to ask for help! Ask for advice from your vendors! A detail that seems really hard to figure out for you might be an easy answer for the right person, and if not, they will tell you. Know what your resources are when you get stuck. Yes, there have been times when I’ve felt stuck while planning my wedding, and I turn to Linnea and Megan, the ladies I work with for help. Not to shamelessly plug our business, but did you know that most times clients don’t hire us to help with planning their entire wedding? Sometimes brides come to us who just need help finding one certain vendor – we can help with that! Or sometimes they just need a little bit of guidance on how to pull all their decor ideas together into one cohesive look – we can help with that too! Sometimes brides just want to sit down for a couple of hours and iron out some details – we love to do that! Bottom line is, it can’t hurt to ask. If a vendor can’t help you the way you need help, they will tell you. They won’t be mad at you for asking -most likely (if they’re anything like me), they will feel badly if they can’t help.

Overall, the biggest tip I can give you is just to have fun! Planning your wedding is supposed to be fun. End of story. If you get to a point where you’re not having fun anymore, put down your binder and step away from the planning for a minute. Think about what is stressing you out and think about what would make this particular piece of planning easier. I tend to get stressed when I stop looking at everything as small pieces that need to fit together, and instead think of the wedding as this big huge thing that needs to be accomplished. I think that happens to everyone at some point. When it does, step back and remember it’s all just little pieces and there is a plan for, and someone that can help with every part.

Brides – what’s the best decision you’ve made in the planning process? I’m sure there’s another bride reading right now who would love your tips! Do you have questions for me or for other brides? Let’s hear them!

Vendors – what’s your best tip for a bride just starting the planning process? What’s something you wish every bride knew?

Let’s start a discussion people!

XO

Our favorite stylist to the stars, Alisa Kapinos Goldberg is back today with the inside scoop on how to dress your bridesmaids. LOVE her ideas!

One of the biggest trends I’ve been seeing is the transformation in bridesmaid dresses. For as long as anyone can remember, bridesmaids were the bride’s army, her sacred entourage, her Xanax, her first line of defense. Even with such high rankings, bridesmaids were always required to wear the wedding uniform – match in color, match in style. The bridesmaids have finally risen in retaliation and demanded a revolutionary change: bridesmaid to bridesbabe.

Get creative here; ask your bridesmaids if they have any ideas. Just because matchy-matchy has been the norm for so long, doesn’t mean that it’s a tradition that can’t be broken. Your bridesmaids are your troops, they’re your buffer and most importantly, your best friends. You are the most important one that day, but make your girls your beautiful accessory and I promise you, they’ll thank you later.

Love it! How are you dressing your bridesmaids? You all know how my maid’s dresses were chosen… I’ll have two ladies by my side on the big day, and they will be wearing the same color in styles that suit them. I can’t wait!

XO

PS. Don’t forget to check out Alisa’s website to see lots of her work (and a few celeb photos!).

As a bride, you have an overwhelming number of decisions to make for that one day to be as memorable as possible. I know, I’ve been there myself. One of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing the style you want to incorporate into your big day. Your bridesmaid dresses, your groom and groomsmens’ attire and of course, yourself… the big dress decision!

I hope this little checklist of things to think about will help with your decision. With so many opinions flying around that salon and with so many choices, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the process. Choosing a dress should be one of the best experiences of your life, something you can look back on in the years to come and smile. Happy choosing!

Thanks, Alisa! Stay tuned for many more articles from Alisa in the future!

XO

Today we are taking a look behind the scenes with Our Favorite Cake Designer, Jenny’s Wedding Cakes. Jenny does some of the most gorgeous work you’ll ever see… Read on below to see Jenny’s take on hiring a cake designer, how to develop the design for your cake, and, my favorite – what her dream cake would look like!

Boston Hearts Weddings: What is the process behind creating a cake design for a client?
Jenny’s Wedding Cakes: When I meet with my clients the first thing I do is ask about the whole wedding including all the details of the reception to get a feel for their style. From there I ask if they have any ideas for cake styles. At this point sometimes they have pictures to show me of certain colors, fabrics, dresses, flowers,plates, etc. We then go through lots of my pictures to get some ideas together. I draw sketches while they are looking at my portfolio, to create a cake all their own based on what we have just talked about and what they point out to me from my pictures. Once we have a few sketches we can alter the design as the rest of the planning process comes together.

BHW: What are the most important things for a bride to look for in their cake designer?
JWC: I think that trust is crutial in finding a cake designer, as well as all their other wedding professionals. You want to make sure your designer has come highly recommended, and you want to feel comfortable with whom you have chosen. I think the industry is large enough so that no one has to work with anyone who is not friendly!! Make sure you are working with a contract, I can’t tell you how many phone calls I’ve gotten from frantic brides weeks before thier wedding because their baker has backed out!!!

BHW: What are some trends you’re seeing in the cake world for 2010?
JWC: There are some really exciting trends coming out this year! Colors are bold, like teals, more oranges like last year, and blues. I am seeing lots of peacock feathers, along with all the colors of the feathers themselves. We are also seeing lots of metallic (gold and silver especially) and sparkles, gems, and glitter. On the opposite side of the spectrum, romantic, highly textured cakes are still very popular. We also do a lot of very flowy, unstructured and natural looks with hand-made sugar flowers. We are doing a lot of cake table designs, meaning a wedding cake placed in the center of a buffet talbe with lots of antique pedestals and other interesting vintage cake plates filled with cupcakes, petit fours, and smaller cakes placed around to create a lavish and dramatic effect. Grooms cakes are getting more and more popular each year too!

BHW: If you could design your dream cake, what would it look like?
JWC: Ah! My dream cake, I’d have to have several I think! I do gravitate to more of the delicate designs, soft colors and very fluffy sugar flowers. One of my favorite cakes was just a light greenish-yellow fondant cake with a sugar bamboo border and large white magnolias all made out of sugar. I had designed the cake after seeing a Martin Johnson Heade exhibit at the MFA and came back inspired by his paintings of Brazilian plants, flowers and birds. I also love really highly textured cakes in white, maybe covered with sugar roses, stephanotis or dogwood.

BHW: What should a client do to prepare for a meeting with you to talk about cake design?
JWC: Some of my clients come with inspiration and some don’t, either way is fine with me! The most important thing is that they feel comfortable coming here and we try to make the whole process fun and stress free!! I never want anyone to feel like they are un-prepared. Some brides don’t really know what they like till they come here and see a cake in my portfolio. A wedding date and location is really all they need, oh, and an empty stomach for tasting our samples!

To see more of Jenny’s work, visit her website and blog!

XO

We have such a treat today. Our Favorite Makeup Artist, Joanne from Joya beauty is here to share some of her tips for making your skin as beautiful and radiant as it can be on your wedding day. My takeaway… start early, and take care of yourself!

*Photos via Joya beauty

Here are some proven techniques to help prepare your skin and emerge from your pre-wedding hibernation glowing and picture perfect for your Big Day:

Schedule your makeup consultation early in the planning process. A professional makeup application will showcase your well earned beautiful skin for many years to come.

Thank you Joanne! Such great advice, right? What are you doing to prep for the big day?

XO

*Photo via Style Me Pretty

Lucky for you, I’m not the only one who’s nuts for this trend right now. Hop on over to some of my favorite reads and see what I’m talking about!

Happy, happy weekend everyone! Stay warm and cozy!!

XO