We love colorful weddings at JPC Event Group–straight. up. love. them.  It sets the tone for a lively time; a big bright celebration of love. Here’s an inspiration board to inspire your wedding color scheme:

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When we first met Laura and Alex they were hoping to take a rustic park lodge and turn it into their dream wedding venue.  We were up for the challenge, and so it began. Concept boards were created, linen swatches were sourced, meetings and meetings and more meetings took place, and in the end, we took one person’s love of modern romance and married it to the other person’s love of rustic.

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Getting married on the beach is often enough to provide your guests with something to talk about.  The sounds of the ocean crashing, the feel of sand underneath one’s feet, and the blue sky meeting the seemingly infinite body of  water at the horizon are just a few of natures complimentary features that will add to the beach theme of a ceremony.   Being a Private Event Host near the Jersey Shore has provided me with the experience of working together with many couples that choose the beach as the place and theme for their nuptials.   For couples that are trying to add even more personal touches to their beach themed ceremonies, here are a few ideas.

Many years ago, a replacement for the unity candle was sure to emerge.  Keeping any small flame lit with the winds on the beach is both comical and challenging.   I won’t spend much time discussing the sand ceremony as there is a tremendous amount of information all over the internet regarding it’s meaning and variations.  One tip I do suggest is, as with everything, try to make it personal.  Perhaps, choose sand from the beaches where you shared special moments, choose colors representative of your favorite football teams, or more importantly include a special sand for any young children that are a part of your marriage.  Get more people involved, by having the bridal party participate and/or the parents.  Also, choose vessels that you will be proud to display in your home.

I must credit the next two ideas to a couple for whom I recently provided entertainment.  Their ceremony was packed with unique touches that were well executed and made excellent use of the beach setting.   Jessica and Rey presented their guests with an opportunity to make a wish as they all cast a seashell into the worlds wishing well, the ocean. This was set up ahead of time by attaching a seashell in a small net-like, mesh bag to the hand fans provide as the guests arrived on the beach.  There was a decorative card attached that explained what the shell was for.   At some point toward the end of the ceremony, although I think this could be done at any point, the officiant directed people to remove their shells, walk behind where the couple was standing, make a wish and toss their shells into the ocean.  You could customize this in many ways, such as selecting shells that mean something to you and/or have a special song played.

Jessica & Rey also set up a photo opp they called the Beach Ball Blitz.  Small plant hangers were pushed into the sand, and beach balls were hung on the poles (with fishing string).  The officiant was asked to present and instruct the guests on what to do.  Everyone was asked to grab a beach ball.  As the couple  began to recess, the guests tossed the beach balls over the newlywed couple.  This gave the photographer a cute and fun photo opp of the couple walking up the isle, everyone smiling, while colorful beach balls were flying through the air!

Image from elizabethannedesigns.com

Another refreshing idea is to present to your guests a signature cocktail when walking onto the beach.  Often, champagne is offered to guests as they arrive at a venue or location prior to a ceremony beginning.  Instead of champagne, consider serving up a frozen cocktail or a virgin drink that you love.  My google searches lead me to an instructional video by Lori Randall on ehow.com with excellent advice.  Even lemonade and iced teas would be a nice touch to help your guests keep cool and refreshed.  I am partial to the island drink, such as a piña colada.  Of course, in my line of work, I think music should be chosen to accompany every aspect of your day, so maybe you could ask your musicians or especially if you have a DJ to play songs like “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” and Jimmy Buffet’s “Boat Drinks”.

I’m sure there are many more creative ideas that can be incorporated into a beach themed wedding ceremony.  I invite you to share your ideas and thoughts below in the comments.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and what better way to ring in the new year then with a DIY tutorial on gold glitter heart garland.  Making this décor is so simple you will wonder why you don’t make your own garland for all the amazing parties you throw.

First let’s go over what you will need.  A whopping four materials…

• Gold glitter paper (purchased at Michael’s Arts & Crafts) you will need multiple pieces depending on the amount of garland you want to make.
• Heart shaped paper punch (purchased at Michaels)
• Clear fishing line
• Hot glue gun

Step 1: Punch as many hearts out of the gold paper as possible.  Your hand WILL cramp.

Step 2: Turn on your hot glue gun. Cut about a 6 foot strand of the fishing line.  Lay two hearts, gold faced down. Leaving about 1 foot empty at the top of the fishing line, with your hot glue gun put a straight line down the center, then press the fishing line into the hot glue.

Step 3: Place a hot glue dot on top left and right corner of the heart and press the other gold glitter heart cut out on top.

Step 4: Repeat steps 2 & 3 as many times as needed.  Hearts should be placed about 6 inches apart until the full strand is filled.

Your results will be the talk of all the parties.  The best part is, you can create this garland with any shape, texture or print!

We incorporated our heart garland into a neon inspired wedding photo shoot.  Photos taken by A Girl and A Camera.  Check it out here!

Here at WeddingWire, we’re always looking for the top wedding trends from around the country. So every week, we’ll ask a group of vendors from all over the U.S. the same question and share their (often very different!) answers.

This week, we asked wedding planners from around the country: What is the hot color scheme in your neck of the woods at the moment? Why do you think this color scheme is so popular right now? What season and/or type of venue do you think this type of color palette would work best in?

Katie Hess of Seize the Day Events in Green Bay, Wisconsin: “Neutral and natural palettes featuring colors like burlap, golds, and champagnes. Brides are moving toward more eco-friendly, natural, and personal weddings – nothing fake or plastic. This color scheme would fit in well in a garden, on a beach, or at a home on the lake.” Read Full Article

Stephanie and Jim Miller celebrated their marriage in elegant garden party style at The Buhl Mansion outside of Pittsburgh.  Despite the sweltering July heat wave in full force, it was a day filled with love, joy and laughter!

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Brides are often advised to not buy their wedding gown until they book their venue, to be inspired by the look and feel of the wedding day space before selecting their dress.  Angela and Reggie took that concept a step (or nine) further and designed every aspect of their wedding day around their venue, the historic Ebell of Los Angeles.

They incorporated the antique gilded ceiling into gold vintage chairs; the floral accents in the chandeliers and frescoes sparked floral creativity in the royal tones of pinks and purples; the grandeur of the tall ceiling and arched windows were mirrored in the ceremony canopy and the embroidered, curtained train of the bride’s gown.  Flowers were displayed on pillars that paralleled the architectural pillars throughout the ballroom.

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Here is some inspiration for brides that are not feeling those white garden chairs or the not so unique chivari chairs.  Mix it up with some benches and have your guests slide a little closer to get to know each other.

First Row: Vue Photography/ Second Row: Richard Israel Photography/ Third Row: SugarLove / Fourth Row: Sarah Yates, Viera Photographics/ Fifth Row: Jose Vila, Caroline Tran

At Val & Andy’s Valentine’s Day wedding in NYC, we built this beautiful ribbon wall to serve as a backdrop for the wedding ceremony:

(photo by Kelly Guenther Wedding Photojournalism)

The first step, obviously, is to buy a ton of ribbon.  In this case, it would be hanging from a pipe that was 12′ off the ground.  We wanted to span a 16′ distance with ribbons that were 2-3″ wide, so we did the math and purchased yards upon yards of satin and grosgrain ribbon:

(all the remaining photos were taken by my cell phone)

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When planning your wedding, you’ll naturally look to wedding magazines and blogs to find inspiration for color themes, decor ideas and centerpiece ideas.  I often recommend bringing all those elements – linens, centerpieces, chairs, china, etc – to the venue for a sneak peak, a preview, so the vision can be realized in the very room its to be assembled on the wedding day.

Here are five table top designs that were assembled to inspire couples still in the planning stages of their big day.  Perhaps this will inspire you, too!!

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