By Kendra Scott, Associate Planner at Firefly Occasions Inc.

This weeks inspiration came from Raj Tents. This company makes the most amazing tents, linings and walls. What a way to completely transform your ballroom or create smaller lounge areas. This wedding is full of bright colours and intricate detailing. Definitely a wedding to remember!

Photos courtesy of:

http://www.inspirationwed.com – cake and cupcakes
http://www.kembacelebrations.com/community/blog/cultural-traditions/wedding-inspiration-indian-block-prints.php – save the date card
http://www.onewed.com/blog/savvy-scoop/2009/06/23/its-jaime-thing-spellbound-weddings-inspired-indian-culture – drinks
http://www.americanbridal.com/personalized-coffee-favors-dsws871.html – favors
http://www.rajtents.com – tents and furniture
http://www.wildflowerlinens.com – table linens and place setting

By Kendra Scott, Associate Planner at Firefly Occasions Inc.

This weeks inspiration came from a lovely gown by Vera Wang. This bridal gown is a strapless, full A-line gown with a pleated bodice, emphasis on the natural waist and a softly tucked hand painted skirt. It can be discribed as vivacious as well as uniqeuly flattering and could only be the work of Vera Wang. Available in Citrus Watercolor, Ivory or White. The opening price points range from $3,100 – $4,500.

I’ve used this one dress to create two completely different weddings. The first wedding has a beautiful simplicity to it. It feels clean but not boring. I call this wedding Citrus Breeze. The second wedding will take you into a whimsical, enchanted forest and is appropriately titled Fairy Dust.

Photos courtesy of:

Citrus Breeze
http://blushevents.blogspot.com/2008/04/happy-earth-day.html (Butterfly place setting, green and white flowers)
http://www.mnweddingminister.com/weddingblog/blog.html (Table setting with Limes in tall vases, place cards)
http://www.thepartydress.net/?p=2704 (Wedding Cake)
http://paperolive.blogspot.com/2009/08/hip-lemonade-coolers-summer-wedding.html (Citrus Drinks)
http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/06/16/lemon-yellow-wedding-by-sillapere/ (Ceremony Set-up)
http://weddings.theknot.com/Real-Weddings/33016/detailview.aspx?type=3&id=33016 (Bouquet)
http://www.declanphotography.com/gallery.php?gallery=1&tstart=3 (Flower Girl)

Fairy Dust
http://www.kissthegroom.com/?p=1827 (Fountain, path, forest set-up)
http://manolobrides.com/2009/10/26/kristen-and-todds-fairytale-affair/ (A fairy wedding Fairy flower girls )
http://www.yourweddingday.com/ywd/event-design/Fanciful-Garden.html (Table linens, table setting, cupcakes)
http://www.momentaldesigns.com (Stationary)

By Kendra Scott, Associate Planner at Firefly Occasions Inc.

For this week’s inspiration board, I decided to use Taylor Swift’s music video for Love Story as my starting point. Here is a wedding with purity, romance and old elegance. This one is the fairy tale wedding of all little girls dreams. Think lots of ivory, lace, castles and horses.
 

Photos courtesy of:

Horse: http://npclub.wordpress.com/
Car photo’s: http://masterpieceweddings.blogspot.com/2009/03/victorian-amazing.html
Victorian Stationary: http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/03/12/wedding-invitations-by-wiley-valentine-ii-2/
Table Setting: http://www.yourweddingday.com/ywd/user2/Hollywood-Glamour.html
Castle: http://www.ehow.com/how_5026466_attend-tennessee-renaissance-festival.html
Taylor Swift: http://strawberrytartmusic.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/album-fearless-taylor-swift/
Ceremony set-up: Firefly Occasions Inc.

By Kendra Scott, Associate Planner at Firefly Occasins Inc.

I think it’s really fun to take inspiration from pop culture and with the release of New Moon, the world is once again in Twilight mania. Here’s an inspiration board to show you how to take a theme and fuse it into your wedding. It’s important to remember especially with a theme like this, that you don’t want it to be cheesy, it’s not a child’s birthday party. When your guests arrive they should be able to feel it, not necessarily see it. There should be something in the mood and decor that is inspired by but not necessarily taken directly from the books/movies. I don’t want to see vampires, blood or fangs but there are definitely characteristics that can be used. If you do want something obvious, consider naming your tables after the novels: Twilight, Midnight Sun, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn etc. You could also chose to use music either from the movies or from Stephanie Myers list of songs that she felt went with specific scenes. As with any elaborate theme you want to keep the obvious connections to the smaller details.

Photos courtesy of:

http://media.photobucket.com/image/twilight%20inspired%20wedding/kdhart226/mlw%20inspiration%20pics/twilight/twilightbookWScopy.jpg – meadow wedding
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LaayJVYtK58/Sdm4N4ONP7I/AAAAAAAAB-Q/jlHvLHnaWSk/s400/gothicchic.jpg – place setting and candle/chandelier
http://media.photobucket.com/image/bella%20and%20edward%20gazebo/patticakes/ljentries/gazebo.png – gazebo
http://www.daintree-ecolodge.com.au/media/image/large/daintree-ecolodge-high-res061-800.jpg – rainforest wedding

By Annette Hoegner, LA Division Manager, Firefly Occasions Inc.

So you may not be a Go Green activist but you do care about the environment and want to take the small steps in making a big difference. You decide to start with your wedding. Not only will you be doing your part but you will be impacting all of the family and friends that will be there on your big day. The little things make a big difference so empting your wallet isn’t necessary, in fact you can spend the same or even less money on environment friendly ideas. As someone who is always looking for ways to improve my day to day living I have found some simple and easy ways to make your white wedding a Green one.

Find a Veriflorist in your area. They incorporate environmentally sustainable flowers, products, materials, and practices into all of their projects. Flowers are often an overlooked element of eco-friendly decor, and now they have made it easy for eco-conscious companies, event planners, individuals, and brides to go green in every color.

There are a few facilities popping up that are environmentally friendly throughout. One example in Orange County is The Environmental Nature Center. Facilities like these use biodegradable products and require all events that come through to abide by their rules. They provide affordable “green” products and services that can reduce environmental harm while ensuring joyous, memorable and stylish celebrations.

There are so many more easy ways to make your white wedding green and reduce your weddings carbon footprint. Tune in next week for some different tips.

By Kendra Scott, Associate Planner at Firefly Occasions Inc.

I just love this one! I saw a clip from Britney’s circus tour on T.V. this evening and set on a mission to find inspirational photo’s. This 1920’s circus theme is super cute and so unique. I’m not a fan of balloons at weddings, but the giant round balloons used in this inspiration board are perfect for the occasion. Let’s admit it, balloons and candy (when used
correctly!) are alot easier on the wallet then flowers.

Photos courtesy of:
http://culturebrat.comp=140
http://meandmyinsanity.blogspot.com200906more-wedding-fun-carnival-style.htm
http://wedding.blogdig.netarchivesarticlesAugust2009284_Must_Haves_for_the_Circus_Themed_Wedding.html
http://inbloomeventdesign.blogspot.com200907shayna-and-dans-circus-wedding.html
http://www.julianneaustin.com200906wedding-balloons.html
http://2daysintherain.blogspot.com200907circus-wedding.html

By Kendra Scott, Associate Planner at Firefly Occasions Inc.

Photos courtesy of:

http://www.strictlyweddings.com/blog/2009/08/linens-make-a-statement-set-the-tone/ (Wildflower Linen’s chair cover)
http://www.strictlyweddings.com/blog/2009/08/linens-make-a-statement-set-the-tone/ (Preston Bailey foral arches)
http://www.joycetan.net/index/projects/wedding/index.html (bridesmaids with umbrella’s)
http://www.swsmag.net/blog/2009/4/14/gia-graham-color-palette-mint-coral-and-ivory.html (melong sorbet)
http://delightbydesign.blogspot.com/2009/03/wedding-details-blush-pink.html (water jug and pink corbet)
http://www.weddingthings.com/product/purple-grapes-cupcake-wrappers/wine_theme_wedding_favors (cupcake)

By Kendra Scott, Associate Planner at Firefly Occasions Inc. 

Photos courtesy of:

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/02/28/dear-abby-14/ (bridesmaid dress) http://mymodernvintagewedding.blogspot.com/2009/05/shes-going-to-kill-me-over-dusty-roses.html  (roses)
http://www.creative-bride.com/EB1025PK-pink-wedding-favor-boxes.htm (favour box)
http://www.swsmag.net/storage/karentranromance.jpg  (lace overlay)
http://www.herecomestheguide.com/blog/detail/new-wedding-professionals-november-2008/ (Wildflower Linen’s chair coverand centerpeices)

We are so excited to announce that Firefly Occasions was named the 2008 Canadian Wedding Industry Awards Winner for Best Ceremony Decor! For more information on the Canadian Wedding Industry Awards, visit their website: www.theweddingawards.ca.

front page image thumbnail by kevindooley

May 15, 2009

With the economic downturn wedding budgets are being slashed and that is creating wedding envy in brides when they see the over the top weddings in bridal magazines according to Ciara Daykin of Firefly Occasions, a wedding planner in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

“I have brides and grooms come to me and tell me that they are really upset because the weddings in the magazine seem so amazing and they actually have a bit of wedding envy as they don’t think that their budget will afford them the opportunity for that wedding magazine look,” says Daykin

But Daykin has a cure for wedding envy. “There are 3 places where you can really make a difference in your wedding décor. Lighting, centerpieces and table linens. Renting lighting for your wedding is actually quite inexpensive and it changes the look of the whole room,” says Daykin, “that’s quite often the look that so many brides and grooms love in the magazines.”

And don’t forget candlelight says Ciara, “It may seem like a no brainer but you’d be surprised how many brides forget the power of candlelight on their décor.”

And what about the wedding centerpieces? Ciara Daykin stated that “tall centerpieces made of inorganic materials can give you the WOW factor with your guests but can cost significantly less than using flowers.” Daykin mentioned using items such as feathers and branches. “A Manzanita branch spray painted light blue with seashells hanging from it can be stunning for a beach wedding.”

Ciara also suggests that wedding décor doesn’t have to be all matched as was so popular in the past. “At Firefly Occasions we encourage our brides and grooms to think outside of the box. Mixing up the style of table linens can give you a total wedding magazine look, just stick in the same color palette,” says the Calgary wedding planner, “I love using a variety of table cloth styles and opposite centerpieces to give the room a Bohemian chic look.” And by adopting this type of look a bridal couple can pull items from their home and their parent’s homes. “If the tables don’t have to match you can get really creative, pull in your Mom’s vintage silver tea set for one centerpiece, your Grandmother’s silver candlesticks for another, and then fill in the gaps with mint julep cups filled with small inexpensive flowers.”

Ciara Daykin of Firefly Occasions really stressed that what makes a wedding magazine worthy wedding is that, “the couple’s personality shines through in all their wedding details and that the wedding is unique to them.”

Firefly Occasions specializes in taking weddings from cookie cutter to couture and assisting brides and grooms with infusing their personalities into the wedding details. This team of wedding planners and event designs is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada but will travel internationally for their clients. View ideas for weddings at http://www.fireflyoccasions.com

Ciara Daykin is the owner and CEO of Firefly Occasions Inc., a wedding and event planning company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ciara is the publisher/ editor of “Beautiful Brides” a bi-weekly ezine for brides which offers industry insider tips and tricks to planning a fabulous wedding and is subscribed to by over 7500 individuals. Ciara is an expert in planning haute couture weddings that reflect the couple’s personality and style but still fit into their budget.

Ciara also coaches other wedding planners, is a sought after speaker in her industry, has had her articles published in books, magazines and online, and is a well-known social networking personality. Ciara is a personality on the blog SheandHePlanWeddings.com, with her husband Simon Daykin. They provide readers with a she said, he said perspective on weddings. Ciara also consulted designer Nancy Gale of Jamah.com on the creation of a bridal line of handbags and “The Ciara” handbag is named in her honor.

http://www.fireflyoccasions.com

We used to offer lighting packages to our couples, then we said “screw it, everyone should have lighting”…so now we include a lighting package in all of our programs. Lighting makes such a huge difference in the look and feel of the room. We found people were sacrificing this to save money. I don’t agree with this, it’s like buying knock off ketchup, you can still put it on the burger, but that burger just isn’t as good. Lighting plays a huge part in all our events and I honestly feel that the events are better for having it.

Now that’s some good atmosphere

Lighting can completely change the atmosphere in a room. Don’t believe me? Go into your bedroom, take out those harsh white lights and replace them with red bulbs, now wait for your fiancé to get home and take her into the bedroom. See? It works. Having lights on dimmers is great, but I feel that changing up the color of the lights can be key in creating your perfect atmosphere. You can match the light color with your wedding colors or go in another direction and use the lights to contrast the colors you and your fiancé have chosen. You can also use the lighting to show off great parts of the room you are in. Any stone work or accent pieces look even better when lit. I like to use a lot of up lighting at my events, it’s relatively inexpensive and the effect is outstanding.

Create A Whole New World

Lighting has come a long way over the years, gone is the simple bulb. We now have lights that can re-create water, smoke effects and spell out your name on the wall or dance floor. I was at an event last week in Los Angeles and they had used multiple “water” effect lights to create the feeling of being inside a water filled cave. I love this effect, if you couple it with a fountain it really pulls the feeling of the water cave together. I also like using Gobo’s. This is a piece of steel with the couples monogram cut into it. We set up a light and project the monogram onto a wall or onto the dance floor. It’s really classy and the photos look great. They also have the big programmable lights you can put outside the venue and create a full red carpet effect for the guests as they arrive.

Sometimes You Need It To See

One of my favorite venues has 25 foot high ceilings, only 2 little chandeliers provide the light. As soon as the sun goes down, man it’s freakin’ dark in there. Sure we added light to the tables via candles, but it was still super dark. I mean night club dark. With our lighting package, we still had the look of the chandeliers, they were glowing, and we still had the glow of the candle light on the tables. But with our lights, people could actually see what they were doing and weren’t running into stuff. I even had some of the staff thank me afterwards. We didn’t flood the place with light by any means, but there was enough light to see while keeping the perfect mood.

Simon’s Gutsy Groom Advice

If possible ALWAYS try to include some extra lighting in your wedding program. If you choose our services, we’ll include it and discount any additional lighting we suggest. It sets a great mood in the room, it can completely transform a space, it certainly gives that WOW factor, (why do you think rockstars use so damn much of it???) and sometimes you just need I to be able to find your way around. But don’t let any of your guests know this. Everything you do has a reason, sure, but they don’t need to know that. I did a wedding last winter where we changed the lighting from one area to the next, in the dining area we had brighter lighting while in the lounge area we had a lower brightness to create that nightclub feel for our couple.

A word of caution…you can’t just throw your lighting around all willy nilly, there has to be a method to the madness. I always place the lighting with purpose, be it to illuminate a specific detail in the space or to light up a “dead” area in the corner. If I need to create a space within a space, I’ll use my lights to block out the space and create a whole new atmosphere in the same room.

One last thing, just because the DJ has lights DOES NOT mean those are all the lights you need. His lights will be focused on the dance floor and the dance floor alone. Talk to your planner or event designer and have them design a lighting package that works for you and your venue.

Click here to contact Gutsy Groom in regards to lighting programs and event design services.

Here is a video from my time at the Your Wedding Day Magazine Party at the Ebell Club of Los Angeles. See the different themed rooms for wedding ideas you can apply to your wedding such as Marie Antoinette, a Turkish Palace, and a hoping nightclub.

Don’t forget that YouTube now supports HD and that’s what this video is shot in so be sure to click the HD button to see this video in full quality.

Do you have wedding envy??

When you look at pictures in magazines are you worried that your wedding won’t look as good as the ones gracing the pages of your fav bridal mag??

Well, I’m going to give you 3 insider tricks for getting the wedding magazine look at your wedding but on your budget:

1. Lighting- Lighting can instantly change a room and it’s just so simple and low cost to do. We bring in ground lighting that shines up on the walls and changes the color of the room. It adds atmosphere and is completely stunning. Putting colored gels in the lighting fixture will bring your wedding color to life. And don’t forget about candlelight. It may seem like a no brainer but you’d be surprised how many brides forget the power of candlelight on their décor
2. Tall Centerpieces- If you don’t feel that your wedding has a WOW factor then go for tall centerpieces. And they don’t have to kill your budget. Eiffel tower vases or pilsner vases are nice and tall and fun to work with. You don’t have to use all flowers. Try using feathers or curly willow to fill up the vase. There are also lots of greens that look very luxurious but are more low cost than actual blooms
3. Great Linens- Your guests are spending the majority of your wedding at their table so I’d suggest putting your bridal bucks towards great linens. Yes chair covers are great but if you get a table linen that compliments the venues current chairs you can save on chair covers and still have a really sleek look.

Ciara’s Bridal Advice

Regardless of your budget it’s important not to fight the venue’s current décor. Short of painting the walls you have to work with what’s already there. So with each element of your décor make sure that it’s going to suit the room. By following this simple rule you can have a much more polished look.

We did a fantastic Friday wedding last year on 08-08-08.  It was one of the hottest days of the summer.  The entire event was held at The Ranche in Fish Creek Park.  This is a great venue for a wedding with plenty of great photo spots and the food is out of this world.  We set up the interior space plantation style, with long guest tables and a long head table with a length of feathers on the front to tie it into the guest table centerpieces

Elaine and Stu wanted something a little different, they didn’t want speeches or a dance or much in the way of a traditional wedding.  So we did something we had never done before, without telling any of the guests we flipped the day.  We started with the couple greeting their guests in tradtional Korean outfits and we got right into dinner…I heard guests whispering “Did I miss the ceremony?’.  It was great!

You can see Elaine here, greeting the couples guests

After dinner was served and in the middle of dessert we snuck the couple out and they changed into their wedding dress and tux, we then had the head table quietly get up and leave.  All of a sudden the guests looked up from dessert and the head table was EMPTY.

We announced that the ceremony would now take place and to please make their way outside, we provided candles to each of the guests as the exited the dinner

Stu walked down the aisle to the Star Wars theme played by a string quartet while Elaine opted for Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”

As the sun set the couple were married surrounded by friends, family and candle light

As they kissed the first kiss, the guests lit 42 inch sparklers off their candles as Elaine and Stu came back down the aisle

We even got the Bride and Groom in on the action

After the ceremony we had the staff bring out special coffees and cocktails out onto the lawn.  As the sun set (and the temperature went down) the lighting we had brought into the venue really created a wonderfully romantic atmosphere

The couple wanted their cupcakes and to eat it too, so they opted to have a cupcake tree with a real cake topper for them to cut. 

After everything was taken care of it was time to really let the fun begin, out came the scotch, and cigars

One of the most fun couples I have ever had the pleasure of working with, I mean…everyone should have a masked Mexican wrestler at their wedding

Elaine and Stu were nice enough to take us to lunch at their Korean BBQ restaurant located at 17 – 7400 Macleod TR SE.  I can say it was some of the best food I have ever tasted and the place has amazing decor and atmosphere, but don’t take my work for it, this is a quick blurp from a Calgary food critic…

“Make it a point to visit “Koreana BBQ” when you have a hankering for tasty Korean BBQ or Japanese food with a Korean touch. With friendly service, extremely generous portions and a modern setting, you won’t be disappointed.”

You can call to make reservations at 403-452-1020, I highly suggest you do.

You can read the entire review here  http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/life-style/food/like-a-bulgogi-virgin-2900/

Last November in the frigid weather we went up to the Rimrock Hotel In Banff for an amazing winter wedding.  After we passed the interviews with the private security team (yup, 6 private security officers guarded our couple all weekend) we packed up the truck and headed out into the mountains.  When we arrived, the ski hills were closed and it was -42 C.  We wanted to incorporate the fantastic views of the mountains by bringing the outside in, but create a warm atmosphere for the guests and our couple.

The ceremony room was 70 feet long and we lined the aisle with willow branches in vases and large pillar candles, each housed in the own hurricane vase.

We brought in a faux fireplace for the couple to be married in front of and lined the fireplace and windows with approx 200 candles

In the corners of the room we placed two beautiful willow trees that were lit with twinkle lights

In the cocktail area we brought in an old school photo booth that was so much fun, the guests left their photos for the couple to add to their wedding day scrap book.  We also added two winter trees with all the guests name cards attached to crystal orniments

We brought in Firefly Occasions’ signature custom trees for the reception, keeping with the theme of bringing the outside in doors, we lit the trees in the couples color of purple

We used the same chairs from the ceremony but added an eggplant sash with a single diamond pin to hold it in place.  The centre pieces were provided by Willowhaven and we altrernated the heights on the tables, we used clear vases so the guests view wasn’t impeaded in any way

We brought in the willow trees from the ceremony and flanked the head table with them.  We also added two of our trees to create a nice backdrop behind the head table, great for photos

During dinner we kept a 3rd of the room closed off with a collapsable wall.  After the dinner was over the couple left the dinner area, with no explanation to the guests.  I took the couple into the closed off area were we set up a lounge and a 13 piece band

As the couple took to the dancefloor for their first dance, we had the hotel staff pull back the wall to reveal the lounge area, the band and another bar area.  The trick was to have the band play a longer intro to the first dance so the guests could hear the music but not see the couple.  About 20 seconds into the intro, the wall came back, and the couple were revealed to a flurry of flashes