When choosing your colors, think about colors of the city.  Shades of grey work perfect for this, and are a great base color to add pops of brighter colors to.  Perhaps anchor the greys with a deep purple, and then to lighten up the palette, why not contrast with white, and introduce a warm color like a peach?

To really reinforce that gritty, urban edge, setting up a graffiti wall guest book would be a memorable addition.  From an art store, purchase a long, wide canvas and a few cans of spray paint in your wedding colors.  Don’t forget to buy a drop cloth to protect the floor around the canvas, and then your guests can spray their sentiments for you, graffiti-style.

Some Decor ideas to pull off your Urban Industrial event are:

- Homme/Femme Male and Female vases from CB2 really give that industrial look, and are a great way to represent you as a bride and groom

- An unexpected bridal bouquet would be to include black flowers.  You could try Black Tulips or Black Dahlias to make your bouquet look feminine yet a little edgy.

- Industrial Iron Tealight holders from CB2 would also be a great addition to your theme.  The modern boxy shape with the circle perforations and grey, antiqued finish really give that rustic element to the Urban Industrial look.

- Anything raw or exposed really contributes to the Urban Industrial look, so in addition to exposed brick walls, exposed pipes and fixtures also do the trick.  These Industrial Candleholders from Etc Ink are made from salvaged steel pipes and would be a great addition to your decor list.

- Nothing speaks urban more than a street sign.  Vintage street signs would be a great way to add texture and interest to your decor.  Think about relevant signs for a wedding, or you as a couple, instead of just random signs.  A great example of a relevant street sign would be a “One Way” sign.

- Terraniums are a great minimalist centerpiece. You could cluster them in tight groups on round tables, and line them up in straight lines along rectange tables.  The modern shape and clear glass housing a minimalist plant would definitely be a unique and memorable centerpiece display.  L Brandt Terraria has a great range to choose from.

Do you have any ideas on how to decorate for an Urban Industrial wedding?  If you do, please share in the comments!

Set amongst the backdrop of nature, your event can be set under the stars, or under the morning light.  There are so many ways that you can reinforce your Vintage Garden theme, and here are just a few ideas.

- A whimsical Garden cupcake topper, like those found at Lollipop Workshop.

- Give guests a romantic floral handkerchief as their take-home favor.  You can find beautiful vintage ones at Sadie Olive, Vintage Nelly, and Artemisia’s Closet.

- Arrange your ceremony programs in a vintage garden cart.  You can find carts at Garden Plant Stands and Hobby Lobby.

- A lovely treat for your guests would be Flower Pot Cupcakes.  Martha Stewart has a great recipe and tutorial here.  I’ve made them before, and believe me – not only will they impress your guests, but they taste delicious!

- Instead of a regular satin ring pillow, have your Ring Bearer carry your rings on a lovely tufted moss ring pillow.  You can learn how to make them at this tutorial at Once Wed, or if you aren’t very good at DIY Projects, you can purchase one similar at April Hiler Design.

There’s so many possibilities with this theme.  What would you include in a Vintage Garden theme wedding?

This was my first ever Indian Wedding experience.  Atlanta-based event planning company Kis3 Event Planning contacted us to see if we would be interested in helping coordinate this two-day wedding with their team.  I was excited to be part of it, and I learned a lot about Indian traditions.  The girls from Kis3 taught me the meaning of all the different ceremonies, and my favorite would have to be Bharat.

Bharat is the Indian tradition where the Groom rides a white horse to his Bride’s home.  His family follow him, dancing along the way – like a big, colorful parade, with drums and music and celebrating.  Then when he arrives at her home, the Bride and her family welcome in the Groom and his side of the family.  This tradition was modernized for this Houston wedding at Hotel ZaZa.  Instead of a white horse, the Groom rode in a yellow Viper, and the Houston Police Department were on hand to direct traffic while the Bharat festivities hit the streets of the Houston Museum District.

The Bride really liked bright colors, and her palette reflected that Indian flair with modern Western touches such as glass cube vases, along with the swanky Hotel Zaza ambience.

The wedding went wonderfully, capturing all the color and fun of India, but with a modern Western twist.

Don’t forget to enter to win a free engagement or anniversary shoot styled by Precious Nuptials & Destinations!  Here are the details.

We discussed compatibility as a key element in a successful destination wedding on day one of our ’20 Elements of a Successful Destination Wedding’ series. As promised, we bring to you this entertaining and fun quiz to test your compatibility to wedding away!

[To your precious nuptial :: Cheers!]

The Wonder File actually looks like a must try! I, of course, would order it in black and make it into a Precious Nuptials’ couture original. It’s a perfect wedding planning work station that you can fold right up and take with you. You’ll find slots for your inspiration pages, checklists, notes, fabric samples, receipts, check book, calculator and more. Wouldn’t this be a functional wedding planning organization station?

No doubt, it’s all in the attitude.  We can’t control the weather, but we can certainly control our reactions and overall attitudes to things we cannot control.  If you’re planning a tropical destination wedding, it’s not uncommon for the sky to open up one minute and the sun to peak through the clouds the next.  Embrace this possibility and run with it… the grown and sexy way!

Here’s a clip of Molly and Jason’s beautiful rainy day wedding from ABC’s The Bachelor ::

Tell us…

How would you like a wet, rainy wedding ceremony?  I’d totally dig it!  After all, rain on your wedding day is a sign of good luck.  [wink]

Until next time!

[Here's to your precious nuptial :: Cheers!]

Mistake No. 3 :: Having unrealistic budget expectations

Roadblock tip :: Know your maximum budget before hand and research your options. Come to terms with your findings.  It’s far better to plan a beautiful destination wedding for twelve verses building a logistical nightmare for fifty.

It’s true that planning a destination wedding can be less costly, but this doesn’t mean that you build Romanian gala on a $5,000 budget.  It’s not uncommon to have couples with destination wedding visions that are not parallel with their overall budget.  This is part not knowing and part media hype.  If you don’t know how far your dollar will stretch, it’s okay to ask.  We do advise you to do a little preliminary research.  Sure, it may not be the best idea to plan a destination wedding and manage your entire group’s travel itineraries yourself.  However, it’s okay to use the world wide web to get a general idea on travel demographics of your destination prior to enlisting help.  Just to be clear… We didn’t say planning a destination wedding on a $5,000 budget is unrealistic.  We’re simply saying, parallel your expectations.

Mistake No. 4 :: Scaling back on guest inclusions

Roadblock tip :: Be gracious to your guests!  They’ll love your for it and the overall experience will be that more memorable.

If you’re planning a destination wedding, you should include a portion of your budget to “Guest Inclusions.”  Although not many destination wedding couples are able to pay for their guest travel and accommodations, there are other areas of opportunity to treat your guests graciously.  If there’s ever an opportunity to practice good hosting skills, it’s at a destination wedding.  Many of your guests will make great sacrifices to attend.  Be gracious to them!  If you need to scale anything back, consider cutting down on your overall guest list to add room on your bottom line.

To be continued…

[To your precious nuptial :: Cheers!]

]]> http://preciousnuptials.com/blog/2010/01/12/5-destination-wedding-decision-making-mistakes-part-two/feed/ 0 http://preciousnuptials.com/blog/2009/12/31/5-destination-wedding-decision-making-mistakes-part-one/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-destination-wedding-decision-making-mistakes-part-one http://preciousnuptials.com/blog/2009/12/31/5-destination-wedding-decision-making-mistakes-part-one/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:00:05 +0000 precious http://preciousnuptials.com/blog/?p=953

Mistake No. 1 :: Committing to a destination wedding prior to dating the idea of a destination wedding

Roadblock Tip :: Research and discuss the idea prior to making a decision.

Just as compatibility is necessary in the couple’s decision to marry, a couple’s compatibility is also necessary when planning a destination wedding.  We suggest putting a little effort into the consideration process.  In addition to discussing the idea as a couple, you should also discuss the idea with your parents and other close relatives and/or loved ones.  An uncompromisable attendance of an important family member could serve as a decision breaker for some.  Know this ahead of time!

You will find a host of online information to assist you with key decision making factors.  We’ve included a few reads for you to begin your journey:

• Destination Bride :: Is a destination wedding right for you?
• About.com :: Is a destination wedding right for you? – 8 Pros and Cons of a Destination Wedding
• DW101: Is a destination wedding right for me? [Miss Sea Breeze of Wedding Bee's prior life as Miss Purple]
• Be sure to take our fun compatibility quiz along the way.
  

Mistake No. 2 :: Choosing the destination wedding location prematurely

“Let’s get married in Paris!” says Joe Loversfield.  “That would be awesome!” says Moneyless Melinda. {or vice versa}

Roadblock Tip :: Begin choosing your location with well though out ideas.  Include location features, benefits and expense details (wedding, couple’s travel(s), guests travel) that you would like to consider.  These ideas can then be matched with location possibilities for your to review further.  Your list of possible locations will be more beneficial that the list of locations you have at the top of your head.

We don’t like being the bearer of bad news.  However, it is absolutely necessary to properly outline your wedding budget prior to making any other wedding related decisions (destination wedding or not).  This goes much deeper than having a magical figure floating around in your head.  Hearing that you have about $XYZ to spend is such a huge pet peeve of mine.  This is not Let’s Make a Deal.  I’m not Monty Hall.  Nor am I Wayne Brady.  We only work with fact based figures.  This is the only way to successfully know what you’re up against.

Aside from the need to know your actual financial wedding parameters and sources from which these funds will derive from, you will also need to know if your destination wedding location will offer a cohesive fit.  In other words, prematurely setting your sights on Paris, France when you should realistically move towards it’s Canadian counterpart Paris, Ontario will save you anguish in the end.

To be continued…

[To your precious nuptial :: Cheers!]

There’s no denying the fact that there is a growing number of engaged couples choosing to host a destination wedding.  Why is this?  The elevated sense of the value of a dollar has couples becoming breaking the creative mold while seeking more bang for their buck.  Along with this factor, as echo boomers begin to plan their weddings, they too are seeking to break a mold of their own:  the mold of their baby booming parents.

We can’t help but notice that as the number of destination weddings are on a rise, so are the decision making mistakes.  To help you grasp a smooth start to your destination wedding planning adventure, we’ll outline a five pitfalls to avoid in the road.  Join us tomorrow as we begin this two day series.

[To your precious nuptial :: Cheers!]

Tripit is an online solution to housing the many travel confirmations, driving instructions and supporting details of travel that serves as an awesome resource to assist in a smooth flowing process.

A Destination Wedding Must…

If you’re planning a destination wedding or have a large amount of guest attending from out of town, Tripit is an awesome resource to composing and sharing the details of each scheduled event.  You may include maps with turn by turn directions, images and real time weather stats.

VIEW A DETAILED SAMPLE ITINERARY HERE and don’t forget to SIGN UP for your free account!

[To your precious nuptial :: Cheers!]

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