2011 Color of the Year-is this trend part of YOUR story?

Pantone, the leading global authority on color, has declared that ‘honeysuckle’ is the color of the year for 2011!  According to Pantone’s press release, they describe honeysuckle as follows:

Energizing Honeysuckle Lifts Spirits and Imparts Confidence to Meet Life’s Ongoing Challenges.  Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor.

A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”

For those wondering what color honeysuckle is, as you can see in the picture below, this is an exceptionally vibrant red-based pink shade.  I did an online search and the honeysuckle flower has long been associated with happiness. Last year’s ‘it’ color, turquoise, appeared in everything from wall paint to nail polish.  Just as Turquoise enveloped the design world last year, from scarves and bar stools to product packaging and websites, expect to see Honeysuckle popping up vibrantly not only in fashion but also home décor, print ads and web design.  I am sure we will see this color in everything from table linens to bridesmaid dresses as well.

The question is....Is Honeysuckle for you?  I think trends are fabulous, but only follow them if they speak to who you are, and the experience you are trying to create.   Read below for some more clues, and decide for yourself if this fits into your grand scheme for your day....

Eiseman continues, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar.

Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”
Honeysuckle is guaranteed to produce a healthy glow when worn by both men and women. It’s a striking, eye-catching hue that works well for day and night in women’s apparel, accessories and cosmetics.

If  Honeysuckle is for you, here are some ideas and inspiration for your big day:


Honeysuckle color used as a subtle color palette and design element, soft, feminine, elegant, but relevant and fresh.

Honeysuckle color used as a bold color palette and design element, bold, brave, rich, and beautiful. Dessert Table by Amy Atlas.

How to Shop For Your Wedding Gown; Bridal Gown Shopping Tips & Tricks | Wedding Planning, Ideas & Etiquette | Bridal Guide Magazine

Recently The Bridal Guide blog featured an article about how to shop for your wedding gown.. It includes everything you need to know. Except....how to choose the right one.

Before you head out the door to your local bridal shops, consider a few things:

What time of day is your ceremony?
Where will your ceremony be held? Examples; church, garden, beach, indoor venue, outdoor venue?
Has a storyboard, colorstory or design theme been created for your day?

These are just a few questions that you will need to ask yourself, or discuss with your Designer/Planner before you plan your day of shopping. And preferably, you should take your Designer/Planner with you to shop. He or she will be a neutral third party when you are surrounded by friends, family, or just your Mom, who can't stop crying at the sight of you in a wedding gown.

 

An objective person who can keep in mind all of the elements and considerations of the day you are planning. This is the MOST important thing to do when you go wedding gown shopping! If you loose your perspective, and make an impulsive purchase because the gown is so gorgeous, you may have to rethink and perhaps even reschedule, repurchase, or redesign your entire day around this dress.

This may seem like an extreme statement, but if you order a dress without considering the appropriateness for the ceremony, the style, the weather and terrain, or the formality, the time of day or venue....then everything starts to change. Unfortunately, you could end up with a lot of elements that just don't make sense, don't fit together, and need to be changed.

 

 A good bridal consultant in a reputable bridal shop can help you choose the dress that fits your body, and flatters your figure, but only you and your Personal Designer/Professional Bridal Consultant can choose a dress that best suites the overall story of YOUR DAY.  So before you rush out to purchase the dress you saw in the latest Bridal Magazine, secure your design, venue and date first.  Then your perfect dress will reveal itself to you as if it has just been waiting for you all of your life.  Then, you and your Mom, (or your closest friend) can cry together at the gorgeous, and fabulously perfect day that you are creating.

See what Colin Cowie, famous wedding planner, has to say about choosing your dress.

"Take my advice, don't rush out and buy your wedding gown until you're sure of the time, date and location of where your wedding will take place and the appropriate level of formality"

Colin Cowie's wedding tips
How to Shop For Your Wedding Gown; Bridal Gown Shopping Tips & Tricks | Wedding Planning, Ideas & Etiquette | Bridal Guide Magazine

How to PICK a flower...a conscious choice

bokehlicious
 
When I was16 or so, enjoying a laid-back Saturday at home,  Mom came to find me. "Come with me", she says, "I need your help for a spring project."  I immediately started complaining. It was the middle of winter, and still chilly outside, even though we lived in New Mexico, and winter was short-lived and fairly mild. I knew better than to argue with her when she was on a mission, and she had "that look" on her face.

I followed her outside to the front yard and she handed me a strange tool I had never seen before.  She also had a bucket full of flower bulbs, I knew what those were.  She took the bucket, aimed it at the yard and with one swing, threw all of the bulbs into the air.  They landed helter-skelter all over the yard, my guess was around 75-100 bulbs.  I looked at her like she was CRAZY!  She just smiled and said, "well, let's get started!"  She took her tool and plunged it into the hard frozen ground and with one swift move, gave it a twist and pulled out a plug of dirt.  Then she dropped a bulb in, and pushed the plug of dirt back in on top, and patted it flat. 

We worked side by side for a few hours, and when we were done, I finally asked her what kind of bulbs they were.  "Tulips", she said, but you won't know what color until Spring.  

A few months passed and the sun became warmer with each passing week, then small sprouts started to show in the yard.  I had all but forgotten our cold Saturday planting, until one glorious day, I rounded the corner coming home from school one day, and caught my breath as I  saw the sea of yellow that swallowed the yard.  They were standing at attention like singular green soldiers with glorious yellow heads.  It was truly a spectacle, and the traffic past our house for the next few weeks thrilled my mother.  The small town had never seen anything like this, and I was just so proud of our work.
That's truly when I realized that my heritage would be...GO BIG OR GO HOME.  She was not looking for attention, she wanted to give as much pleasure to as many people as she could with her ideas, and her efforts.  She has continued to do just that, even in assisted living, her potted flower garden at her back patio is still so important to her because not only does she enjoy it, but it gives other people so much joy.

Tulips hold a special place in my heart, and when I add them to my decor, it is because this memory of a day with Mom makes me happy, it makes me smile.

What flower holds a special place in your heart?  Will you choose it for your event for this reason?  Flowers are beautiful, but we often choose them for their color, not because they evoke a certain emotion, or special memory.  A flower, or combination of flowers can act as a unique and creative element at your wedding or event, please share your stories and memories of your favorite flower. I would love to read them!

Designing an Experience

You may have noticed that my design theory is centered around "feelings".  Design is about emotion & Style is about a feeling.  If this is true, then Fabulous Events = Experiences.  Bottom line here is that a gorgeous dress, personal vows, soft candlelight, the freshest flowers, perfect timing, delicious food, a kickin' band, etc, etc, are all essential elements of any good event.  But what pushes any wedding, or celebration into the realm of an "Absolutely Phenomenal Occasion"?  As Disney himself discovered so many years ago....it's all about the EXPERIENCE.

I recently had the happiest occasion to visit Disneyland.  My favorite five year old really wanted to see her favorite princesses in real life.  So, we booked a room at the Disneyland Hotel and planned the ultimate Disney vacation.

The room was simply beautiful, tastefully designed and full of lovely little touches to make your stay especially comfortable.  As I started to explore, my attention was soon drawn to the details throughout the room and even into the vanity and shower area of the bath.  The sconces were Mickey's hands, the lamps a unique sculpture of Mickey's ears in a matte silver finish, the pictures were copies of vintage photos of the parks and of Walt Disney himself.  The large piece of art that hung over the huge king size bed was the famous castle.  As a bonus, which the truly tickled my littlest Princess, the bedside lamp played a lovely bedtime lullaby as the lights twinkled in the castle above, and Tinkerbell's light could be seen "flying" through the night sky above.  The point is...it was not CHEESY at all!  This room was designed for the kid in all of us, a design that kids could love, but a room where adults could still feel comfortable and all grown up, with a little whimsy hanging over their heads.

Our experience began perfectly in this room.  We were prepared to be immersed in fun, happiness and to remember that this was a place full of magic.

Will your guests be immersed in your celebration?  Will it be full of elements that tell them who you are, and how you feel?  Or just another wedding with all of the same things everyone else's wedding had?

Will it be an EXPERIENCE?

Mickey Sconce

More on DESIGNING YOUR  EXPERIENCE later. 

Vintage Disney

Mickey Ears Lamp

I hope you have a weekend full of MAGIC!

Pure Magic

Elegant Baby Shower

Pink and blue are traditional colors for baby showers, but design is about YOU, not tradition.  This beautiful baby shower design is elegant and sophisticated, and no pink or blue in sight.   This sleek table design using metals and black glass elements is such a refreshing change and could be accomplished using an assortment of metal containers.  Love the mix of traditional yellow roses with the tall smooth lines of the calla lilies.

See the full post here:

 

























Bethenny Frankel Baby Shower - Bethenny Frankel Baby Shower Pics - House Beautiful: "Black, Silver, and Yellow            Porcelain Truro Platinum vases and Manhattan Platinum dinner plate  from Michael Wainwright. John Rocha Black Cut red-wine glass and Colleen accent plate from Waterford. Crystal Whisky double old-fashioned glasses in Eldor from Moser. Silverplate Something Duckie bank from Reed & Barton."

Simply chic wedding

I love flowers...any kind, any color, any shape, they all offer something unique and naturally beautiful. Flowers are such an essential element of every wedding, or are they?  One of my favorite blogs is authored by the beautiful Azar from The Principal Planner in Montreal, Canada, and in this post she describes a bride who does not want flowers at her wedding or reception...actually she does not want flowers anywhere!  What a GORGEOUS design Azar gave this bride.  For this look, even I would give up flowers. What do you think?  How important are the flowers for your wedding?  Traditional bouquets and centerpieces, or fabulous "outside of the box" elements that speak to the simply chic bride?!  I would still miss the unmistakable scent of a room full of fresh flowers.

photo credit: davinaplusdaniel.com

Principal Planner: C+C's simply chic wedding