TIPS | SEASONAL FALL FLOWERS

From pumpkin spice lattes to cozy neutral boots, how could you not fall for Fall? It's packed with seasonal treasures for the stomach, the closet and the home. But, Fall offers so much more than Thanksgiving dinner and sweater weather. It’s the season that brings us some of the most unique shapes and romantic shades of the year.

FLORAL| Sax Romney

FLORAL| Kate Foley Designs

PHOTOGRAPHY | Lauren Peele Photography

Shopping Seasonally is a great way to add a touch of nature without breaking your budget. Use Fall's sophisticated red and vibrant yellows to capture the warmth and beauty of the season. Pair these shades with romantic lighting and you've got a truly magical experience for guests to enjoy. But, with so many options, we know it can get a little complicated. So, check out our cheat sheet to effortless Fall florals below. 

Pro Tip 1: In-Season Is The Best Season: No bride wants to find out the flowers she's been dreaming of since childhood aren't available for her big day. Skip the disappointment (and cost!) by selecting flowers that are in season.  Picking out of season flowers could mean paying upwards of 50% more and totally blowing your budget. 

The Go To Flowers for Fall [in order of appearance] are: 

• Camellias - known for their soft and round shape these delicate flowers are beautifully paired with other flowers
• Hydrangeas -these bushy and festive flowers are an excellent accent to any bouquet.
• Delphiniums - This country flower adds the perfect  height to any arrangement. it's elegant stem, speckled with vibrant color helps pull any piece to completion. 
• Sunflowers - A classic and whimsical flower, bursting with color, these beauties will add a touch of unexpected 'WOW'. 
• If you're looking for fun shapes and a classic look: Orchids, Cala Lillies & Billy Ball's are what's going to set your arrangements apart. 

Pro Tip 2: Focus on a Hue...or Two...or Four - If you're having trouble finding a place to start with your floral selection, trying picking a singular color OR if you're feeling bold, pick a bunch of colors in both neutral and bold shades.

FLORALS | Bloom Colorfully

Pro Tip #3: Use Every Flower in Every Way - Let no flower go wasted. Bring those bright oranges and inspiring reds into centerpieces, boutonnieres, and your ceremony space. Throw in some pumpkins or candles, and you'll blow your guests away with all that Autumn charm.

FLORAL | CHLOE & MINT PHOTOGRAPHERS | JESSICA LYNNE STUDIOS

Pro Tip #4: Dabble Beyond Flowers - Arguably the best part of Fall weddings is that you can incorporate aspects of nature beyond flowers. Consider lining your aisle with crisp, ombre leaves and acorns or using a wood stump as a cake stand.

STYLING + PHOTOGRAPHY | Harmony Hilderbrand

Fall weddings are some of our absolute favorites! We can't wait to show you more of these flowers in action in some of the weddings we have lined up this fall season! <3

CHECK OUT OUR FALL FLORAL WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

TIPS | SAVING MONEY ON FLORALS

Summer is here, and we’re ready to talk flowers! This week we’re sharing some advice on saving money on your wedding flowers. Everyone planning a wedding knows how expensive a beautiful bouquet can be, but they don’t have to! Here are four tips on how to get the best bang for your budget.

Stay In Season

This tip is tried and true. If you want peonies in the dead of winter, you're going to be paying a pretty penny. Ask your florist for recommendations on flowers that fit your season and aesthetic.

Photo by Avery Earl.

DIY Does NOT Mean Easy

I always say you can DIY anything, just not everything. Flowers are something that I am very hesitant to encourage brides to do themselves for a few major reasons.

You must do a test run! This is non-negotiable! Give yourself the opportunity to try floral arranging a few months ahead of time and determine if it’s really something you feel you can tackle the week of your wedding. You might find that you love it, and making centerpieces is calming! You might also find that it’s not your thing and doing 20 centerpieces and ten bouquets two days before your wedding is more stress than it’s worth. Either way, you’ll feel good about your decision!

Flowers are perishable. IE. You can’t do them more than a day or two ahead of time. So on top of your family coming into town, last minute appointments, rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, etc. you’ve got to find time to arrange flowers.

You have to buy much more than just blooms. In pretty much every wedding, we use pins, ribbons, shears, floral tape, wire, foam, vases, etc. It’s not that these things are complicated or challenging to track down, but these things can add up if you have to buy everything at once!

Photo by A Sea of Love.

Be Upfront With Your Budget

When you meet with a potential florist for the first time, come with a number in mind. Nothing is worse than a client coming in with all of these gorgeous inspiration photos, not knowing what they want to spend, and receiving a proposal from their florist that is way way WAY more than they wanted to spend. Flowers can be beautiful on any budget (seriously)! And there is absolutely no need to feel embarrassed by yours. Say it confidently and ask your florist for any expertise they can offer to maximize it!

Hire A Florist You Trust

If you hire a florist you trust, you can give them your color scheme, style, and budget and let them work their magic! If you trust your vendors, your wedding day will be stress-free because you know you've got a team working to make your day magical!

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

Another piece of advice we like to give is if you want floral arrangements for tables, but don't want to spend the extra cash... use the bridesmaids' bouquets! Set some pretty vases on the tables, bars, or anything you want to decorate and ask the girls to place their flowers in the vases when the ceremony and pictures are done. Two birds, one stone! And honestly, no one will even notice.

A budget and a creative florist will make all your floral dreams come true!

TIPS | REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

Most girls have a Pinterest, whether it's for DIY home ideas, clothing, or our personal favorite, weddings! On the other hand, most girls have also found that the pictures they quickly fell in love with on Pinterest, are often out of their wedding budget. 

This week, we have some tips and tricks to educate brides on the price tag of a pinterest wedding and how to have realistic expectations for your budget, because really... who doesn't have at least some sort of budget for their wedding!? People all around the world see the same images and fall in love with the same ideas, without any knowledge of where that venue is or how much that gown truly costs. Here are a few things to keep in mind! 

That venue doesn't always look that perfect at your budget.

Those drapes with twinkle lights are not always so perfectly placed, and in fact, the cost of the venue might not even include them. Having a venue add drapes and lighting can cost up to thousands of dollars extra! The additional costs at a wedding venue, for example, upgrading the color of the reception chairs from a black chair to a nicer white chair, can quickly add up and surpass your budget, so make sure you know what you want and if the venue includes those little details in their rental price. 

Photo courtesy of Nessa K Photography found on Pinterest.

That "discount bridal dresses" caption might be paired with a designer dress picture.

Pinterest can be deceiving at times... you can't always trust the caption that goes with the picture! Personally, I have about a million (okay, maybe not quite THAT many) dresses pinned for ideas when my time comes around, many of which have "cheap wedding dresses" as the caption. After doing some digging, I've found that most of the dresses, which I have imagined myself walking down the aisle in, are accompanied by a not-so-cheap top dollar price tag! Take those pictures and use them as inspiration for your own wedding gown, shop around, and find similar styles at local shops that are within your budget. 

Sometimes, we have to go to the professionals for help.

DIY this, DIY that. Yes! Don't get me wrong, you can save quite a bit of money doing things yourself, but if you're anything like me, there are just some things you gotta know when to turn to the pros. One of the most common examples this wedding season is calligraphy.  Welcome signs, menus, invitations, you name it and it's being done this season! I know my handwriting isn't the best, let alone trying my hand at calligraphy! So if your budget allows, find a professional from your area and spend the extra change to get that sign so perfectly written everyone will think it's printed! We highly recommend Ellie and Ace, and you can learn more about them here!

Photo courtesy of Ellie and Ace.

All in all, some of the best advice I have, is pick what is most important to you, and splurge on those things. For some brides it will be florals, for others it will be the photographer, and for me personally, the cake! Pinterest should be used for ideas to help get those creative juices flowing. Make your wedding your very own at a budget that won't break the bank! 

TIPS | PRIVATE LAST DANCE SONG SELECTIONS

Picture it: You take one final sip of champagne with your stunning bridal bouquet in your hand as you savor the most beautiful wedding you could have ever imagined. Your family and friends are gathering to send you off, all hearts in attendance are bursting with love and well wishes, but before you are whisked off into your newly wedded bliss, you have one final private dance as the cherry on top of this picture perfect wedding day! 

When picking the perfect final song for your last dance, keep in mind this one important question: Does this song speak to us as a couple? Even if the song that you chose is not the song that was playing during your first kiss or first dance, listen to various songs together and wait to come across that perfect one that really captures your hearts and speaks to your connection. Whether your style as a couple is modern, traditional, or a bit more eclectic and hip, we have put together a love filled list of 20 last dance song suggestions to help you show off those fierce wedding shoes and close the evening on the right note (pun intended!).

Photo | A Sea of Love

1. It Had to Be You – Tony Bennett
2. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
3. What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
4. Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
5. Come Away With Me – Norah Jones
6. Beautiful – Mariah Carey ft. Miguel
7. La Vie en Rose – Edith Piaf
8. Love on Top – Beyonce
9. Until The End of Time – Justin Timberlake
10. You and I (Nobody in the World) – John Legend
11. Kygo – Firestone
12. Marry Me – Train
13. Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sherran
14. Sugar – Maroon 5
15. Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
16. Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay
17. My Love – Paul McCartney
18. Like A Star – Corinne Bailey Rae
19. Your Love is King – Sade
20. Love Never Felt So Good – Michael Jackson & Justin Timberlake 

Comment, share, and like this post to let us know your favorites from the list and any favorites that we may not have included! As always, thank you for reading and have a wonderful week from your wedding planning friends at Celebrate Colorfully!

NON-TRADITIONAL DFW WEDDING VENUES

Happy Wednesday! If you are one of those couples that are looking to have a ceremony somewhere that is a little out of the box and are having some trouble finding a venue, we hope this helps spark some ideas! 

If you are in the DFW area, there are many unique places to have your wedding but to start, you have to think about what the venue would mean to you.

1. Is there a place that holds a certain significance for you as a couple?

 For example, the spot where you first met, had your first kiss, exchanged your first "I love you" or a spot simply spent a lot of time. Reflect on that location. Is it your alma matter? A spot by White Rock Lake or Katy Trail? Was it on a hike through Grapevine Lake or in a field somewhere?

2. Is there a certain hobby you share that could involve a potential venue?

We recently coordinated a wedding at House of Blues, a venue that celebrated their love for music, and it turned out to be an incredibly beautiful and unique wedding(read all about it here!!).  Some other hobby-related venues could include: a baseball stadium, golf course, library, a race track, campground, a museum or art gallery, a brewery, a coffee house, an amusement park, or perhaps a comic book store?

3. If you are looking for an outdoor location but something that is not your typical Fort Worth Botanical Garden or Dallas Arboretum, try a historical site.

The DFW area has a long list of interesting historical buildings, museums, and parks that provide the perfect scenic backdrop for your ceremony. 

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Now that we got you thinking, here are three examples of wedding venues around Dallas that coincide with some venues previously suggested.

• Hall of State
  

Photos by Southern Wedding

• Fort Worth Water Gardens

Photos by: My Creative Touch Events

• Thistle Hill House Museum

Photo by: Story Board Wedding