Scholarship Entry: My Simple Details

We have a new scholarship entry to reveal. . . Vicki Grafton from My Simple Details.

(click on the board to view larger image or click here .)

Photo Credits for the board:
First Row: Taylor Creative Inc., Jose Villa, Heather Waraksa/ Second Row: Centric Photography, The Time Photography, ART Design/ Third Row: Jose Villa, Carla Ten Eyck/Fourth Row: Jon Jensen Photography, Karen Wise Photography/ Fifth Row: Crystal Leigh Miller photographer, Wendy Maclaurin Richardson Photography, Henry & Masci Photography/ Sixth Row: Raw Photo Design, Oh How Charming/ Seventh Row: Lisa Lefkowitz, Alders Photography, Elizabeth Messina/ Eight Row: Christian Oth Studios, Tine Pine Press, Christian Oth Studios/ Ninth Row: Henry & Masci Photography, Christian Oth Studios/ Tenth Row: Docuvitae Photography, Tallant House cake/ Eleventh Row: MET Chandelier by Lobmeyr, Sharon Pappas Photography/ Twelfth Row: Myrtle & Marjoram, Stephanie Fay Photography, Jose Villa/ Thirteenth Row: Squire Fox Photography/Milly Design Studio, Jose Villa, Pieces Inc./ Fourteenth Row: Tom Dixon Design, ART Design/ Fifteenth Row: Missy Cochran, High Style Deco

Description of some of the event details:

Guests arrive at a sprawling farm with resident horses in the nearby fields. Slightly curved rows formed of antique wooden and metal-framed chairs. Various sizes crystal chandeliers and modern silver gazing balls are hung in nearby trees. Off white pashminas are neatly folded and staked in antique farm crates with a simple calligraphy note “wrap yourself in luxury”. Off to the side bales of hay creates a natural farm feel and provide extra seating with various shades of white cashmere blankets lightly draped over them.

Programs are made from rough edged cotton paper with beautiful and timeless calligraphy. Half the programs have a brown spotted pheasant feather tied with a thin brown leather cord, while the other half have a beautiful white feather tied with soft off white silk ribbon.

Cocktails are served in an open grass area with various groupings of modern white sofas and arm chairs with metal brads and tufting. A mix of mirrored tables and distressed wooden tables are scattered with the seating. Various shapes and sizes of silver mercury candles holders, vases and silver urns filled with overflowing white and cream flowers are placed on the various wood tables while antique wooden box containers of overflowing white flowers are placed on the mirrored tables. The bars and food display tables are exposed antique farm tables and stacked railroad ties to create a cascading table for a unique display. An old wooden cart and wagon wheels add some extra element to the space.

Wooden escort cards are set out on a large farm table and in a display box full of light colored hay. Various sized silver lanterns with white candles line the path leading from the cocktail area to the reception. For the reception, a large barn with weathered wood floors and exposed wood walls creates a rustic backdrop as metal framed and mirror top tables reflect the various crystal chandeliers hanging from above. Clear acrylic chairs with white velvet cushions allow the warm wood color of the barn floor to show through. Large dramatic arrangements of white floral with orchids and feathers draw eyes up, and low arrangement of antique wooden boxes overflow with white floral. Simple natural linen napkins are placed on white porcelain plates make a simple table scape with natural cotton menu cards tied to napkin with twine.

The large white dance floor contrasts the worn wood floors and has an showpiece modern chandelier hanging above. A lounge area has white drapes to soften the walls and silver globes to add sparkle and shine. Faux white fur rug are used to ground the lounge space.

The groom and groomsmen have boutonnières crafted from feathers of local birds like pheasant. The bride has a stunning hairpiece of feathers and jewels. The bride also has a faux fur shawl in a soft brown with jewel closure to keep her warm.

We will be accepting entries until midnight on December 3rd. Please send them directly to julie@wedding360llc.com. Keep the creativity coming!

Scholarship Entry: Confero Productions

Today, we are very enthusiastic to share with you the design interpretation of our 'Opposites' back story from Christopher Reed of Confero Productions in Alabama. We encourage you to share your feedback with us by leaving comments for this post!

From Christopher:

It was so much fun to take on the challenge of the opposites tablescape. I've seen many reruns of Green Acres, so I found it very exciting to design based on this concept. I am from Alabama, so creating a vision of southern chic is second nature to me. To complete my tablescape design, I created a mock-up bridal bouquet and boutonnière. Personally, I think Eva would have wanted something soft and flowing such as a cascade of cymbidium orchids with white feather accents, but to stay true to the mix of styles, we produced something a bit more natural!

Tablescape Description from Christopher : Providing an exceptional balance of southern hospitality and urban modernity, this tablescape proves to be a marriage of country elements with city style.
Set against the skyline of a whirlwind city, candlelight floating on tall aqua marine tapers glows in unison with custom lighting that envelopes the space in a cool soft glow. Spanning the length of the table, glass cubes house floating cymbidium orchids and sunflower centers while feather orbs rest on the edge of the cubes. Two tall glass cylinders are center to the tables focal. One houses green foliage submerged in water capped with a single feather orb. The other gives way to a cascade of white cymbidium stems nestled beside the second feather orb. Such focal height plays parley to the personal cakes plated neatly on gleaming white dinnerware sitting on cowhide placemats. Our personal flowers bring a true outdoor element to the hard lines of this display. For the not so traditional bridal bouquet, a moss rope is shaped into two circular forms adorned with sunflower centers, single orchid blooms, lily grass and montbretia pods. The groom’s boutonniere echoed the natural feel with another single orchid bloom, feathers and foliage.

A wedding is a true testament to the style and personality of a couple. As a designer, the challenge of opposites is always welcome because at the end of the day, it is our job to blend the two styles in a way the bride and groom never thought possible. Such elements as moss roping, sunflowers, cowhide placemats, feather orbs and natural green foliage reflects country living at it’s best. The sleek glass table, clean lines, and location of a city loft give our couple the comfort of city life. I hope you have enjoyed my interpretation of the opposites challenge. I feel that Oliver and Lisa would have been very happy to leave “Hootersville” to spend an evening at our stylish tablescape.

Credits:

Color Scheme : Aqua Marine Blue, Spring Green & White

Inspiration : South meets City, true simplicity and sensibility. A marriage of textures, shapes, and colors.

Location : The Phoenix Lofts, Birmingham AL

Concept & Design : Christopher Confero

Contributing Vendors :

Photography: Arden Photography

Floral : Hothouse Design Studio

Lighting : AG Lighting

Stationery : Sonia Davis Designs for Inviting Company

Cakes : Olexa’s Catering

Table, Table Setting & Glassware : Crate and Barrel

Concept 2 –

Location : Jones Valley Urban Farm, Birmingham AL

Concept & Design : Christopher Confero

Contributing Vendors :

Photography: Arden Photography

Floral : Hothouse Design Studio

Lighting : AG Lighting

Stationery : Sonia Davis Designs for Inviting Company

Catering : Olexa’s Catering

Win a scholarship!

Wedding 360 is offering 1 scholarship for The Academy for Planners + Designers, which is worth $975! We are going to challenge your creativity!

Here is the challenge:

Using the back story, by Gloria Wong Design, create a visual and written design model to be portrayed:

a) in words, and

b) with a story/concept board, or through a photo of a personally designed tablescape.*

*submitted in jpeg format only to Julie@wedding360llc.com

The Rules:

1) Applicants for the scholarship must have owned their own wedding design or floral design business for at least one year, but not more than 5 years; website or blog address must be submitted with entry.

2) Submissions will be accepted beginning Thursday, November 19th, and will be due by midnight Thursday, December 3rd; each entry will be posted on the Wedding 360 blog, so our readers can offer comments.

3) A winner will be selected based on the following:

-Connection with the design concept

-Uniqueness, creativity

-Innovative use of materials

Are you ready?! Here is the back story from our fabulous designer Gloria Wong of Gloria Wong Design:

"I would like to see how our TAPD Scholarship applicants develop a design concept for opposites. I'm always getting couples with different tastes and it's up to me to meld the two together. I thought of the show Green Acres from the 1960s. Here's the premise of the show: Successful New York lawyer Oliver Wendell Douglas gives up the rat race to fulfill his dream: living the life of the traditional American farmer. Fighting the move to rural life is his glamorous, boa-wearing, city-loving wife, Lisa. Our spin on this is that a farm-owner proposes to his glamorous socialite girlfriend. They are complete opposites. He likes the simple rural country life. She likes the lavish uptown city life. They wish to blend their personalities and styles for their wedding. How do you meld these two lifestyles into a tasteful event?'

Good luck!

Registration for TWU is officially OPEN!

We are very excited to announce that registration for The Wedding University is officially open. If you are a newly engaged couple planning your wedding, and would like to learn from some of the very best experts in the San Francisco Bay Area wedding industry, you definitely don't want to miss this event! This will be held once again at the fabulous Four Seasons Silicon Valley, on January 31, 2010.

Please visit our website for more details, including an agenda of the day.

To see photos from our past Wedding University, please click here!

Speaker Bio: Sean Low

Just this year, Sean Low has taken over the wedding industry by storm and became one of the most recognizable figure! If you are in the wedding industry, and you have not heard of Sean Low, please stop what you are doing right this minute and take these immediate actions:

1. Follow Sean on Twitter
2. Subscribe to Sean's blog

Sean Low is the Founder and President of The Business of Being Creative, a consulting firm focused on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative. He has stayed under the radar for quite some time, as the force behind Preston Bailey Design's empire, to create the successful business it is today. Now, Sean has come out on his own and is available to consult those of us in the creative business, from wedding planners to invitation designers to bloggers. Artists and designers can be extremely talented at their crafts, but may not necessarily have the skills it takes to build and grow a business profitably. That's where Sean's expertise comes in--his extensive experience working for artists like Preston, Marcy Blum, Michelle Rago, Sylvia Weinstock, and Style Me Pretty has allowed him to thoroughly understand what it takes to merge art + business together to create a sounding, successful empire! Through his work with such talented people, Sean has discovered his own creative passion: thinking about creative businesses – how they run, how to make them run better, helping them know who they are and then be the best at what they do.

We are SO excited that Sean will be teaching at The Academy for Planners + Designers (TAPD) in March. Earlier this year, Sean spoke at a WIPA event in San Francisco, where he talked about pricing from the top down, and that planners should get rid of 'packages', amongst other topics. Since he had a broad audience that day, he couldn't get too deep into such topics, but we still walked away with lots to think about for our own businesses. We also heard him speak again at Engage!09 :: The Encore last month, and his presentation stirred up some pretty interesting conversation amongst the audience! He is a fabulous presenter, with so much knowledge and wisdom to offer, and we really are very fortunate to have him teach at our event next year.

We have asked Sean to really get into the nitty gritties at TAPD, on topics tailored specifically towards wedding planners, event designers, and floral designers. In addition, Sean will offer a limited number of 1 on 1 sessions for Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Please email us at jubilee@wedding360llc.com to inquire. To reserve a slot for Sean's 1 on 1 session, you must be a registered attendee of TAPD. The cost is $500 per 1 hour session.

Room Blocks for TAPD Attendees

We have secured exceptional rates at both The St. Regis and The Palace Hotel for our TAPD attendees! Both are Starwood properties, and within a 3 minute walk from one another.

The Palace Hotel recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and is a San Francisco landmark. Local historical tour groups can be seen inside the hotel daily, touring the beautiful Garden Court with its stained glass dome and Austrian crystal chandeliers. They are offering a great rate of $175 per night for TAPD attendees!

The St. Regis is the opposite of The Palace in that it is one of the newest luxury hotels in San Francisco. Though located in a historical building, it has a modern aesthetic to it--one that is welcoming and inviting! They are offering a highly discounted rate of $280 per night for TAPD attendees!

This will be a great opportunity for those of you from other parts of the country to experience San Francisco at its best. Once you have registered for TAPD, you will receive an email with special links to reserve your rooms at these hotels. We look forward to seeing you in March!

New book by Tara Guerard

We are so excited for Tara Guerard's new book to be out after the first of the year! Each attendee at The Academy for Planners + Designers will be gifted their very own copy of this incredibly beautiful and inspirational book, and we will try to schedule a time for Tara to do a book signing!

We have so much great stuff in store for our attendees! Can't wait!