Instead of using gimmicky or party themed decorations, create an elegant
event by mixing elements from your home fashion.  Use fabric from your
draperies or chairs to make a custom tablecloth, or use a plain table cloth
and dress it up with a complementary wallpaper border that coordinates with
the room like we did here for this wedding shower.

Use left over wallpaper to decorate a  folding screen to place photos, place cards or gift cards. Incorporate  your  dining room color theme by designing a custom cake to match your decor. You can also incorporate your colors and style into your invitations and thank you cards so there is one unique  theme to the entire event. Create custom gift bags for your guests to hold their party favors so they will have a keepsake to remember the special occasion.  I love the canopy affect from the yellow stripe wallpaper on the ceiling.  Very effective  as it gives a tent effect but  it makes a statement all year round!

With the economy the way it is, there is a trend towards celebrating anniversaries, showers and weddings at  private homes, this can be more economical while also making the special day a more personal event.  Just remember, when you start to design and create your party, start with your interior style and colors  as a guide. This way, your main room for the event will  flow with your home environment and be cohesive with the  party style.  Doing this creates a more personal event as well as making a stamp on your style.

So create a  personalized stylish setting at home and leave your guests talking about your event for months to come.

Have fun and celebrate! Jaima

Images: S.A. Maxwell Co. Kenilworth Collection.

Consider doing something extraordinary that will stand out from typical weddings…use pattern.

Find a fabric or design you love and incorporate it into your invitations,  gift table, thank you cards and favors.   Drape the tent  or table tops with the same themed fabric and add a touch of  your
gown pattern to make it truly unique.   Here we chose a beautiful designer floral fabric and mixed it with a co-ordinate sage green lattice to finish off the tent. Dress up your table top by laying a border across the center of your table to give it individual flare.

Roses, hydrangeas, lilies, freesias and a few other various flowers filled the silver center pieces, all color coordinated to go with the designer floral tablecloth.  As the wedding was outside by a lake, it was important to create an atmosphere that made it feel like you were inside an interior designed room  with a beautiful water view. We added lots of greenery around the top of  the tent, chandeliers and table lamps with shades for dramatic  lighting, all this added to creating an elegant  atmosphere.

Each guest was lucky enough to receive a custom made tote bag,  various patterns were used and were made in the  same fabric as the table clothes. The tote was filled with local goodies and snacks  as well, each guest had a mini vase of roses wrapped with our signature printed wedding ribbon.  I think every room should have flowers so to feel at home  immediately when one arrives at the  hotel.   A  custom guest book was created by mixing various wallpaper patterns and the fabrics as well as  the sage ribbon also used on the invitation and program and  other momento’s included  throughout the pages of the book made  it a real keepsake of the entire event.

Another great idea is to make a CD of your favorite music. We labeled it in the floral pattern and wrapped each with floral wallpaper  and a signature printed ribbon, then  placed one at each persons place setting. A practical and simple gift which every one loved along with the tote bags.  For the children, clear bags  made up with shredded lime  wallpaper, a small lattice  paper  was used for the backdrop of the bag and then  fill them with candy,  tie each one  with a  bow and voila…..a lovey candy bag that is fun for the kids but also flows with the theme of the wedding.

After the wedding ceremony, hand made cones made out of  a  lattice print wallpaper and sealed with a sheer ribbon were filled with rose petals for guests to throw at the bride and groom. Very Eco friendly!  We decided to have a boat cruize for our rehearsal with a Dixie Land Band.  To keep the festivities alive, we made hats with borders on them for guests to wear which carried the floral theme through the weekend as they were placed  on the gift table to give it some interest with the custom wallpapered money/envelope box.

Every detail is important so when you select a theme and  carry it through the entire event a   beautiful story  is told at the end of  the special day. I hope some of you can use these  ideas and make your day special like mine was!  Jaima

Images via: Jaima Brown

Teal is a color that has many hues and is often associated with Tiffany & Co. and its famous little blue box.  Today’s bride is seeking less traditional colors and targeting on more festive colors to help capture their special day.

In the late 90’s Mars Candies introduced the teal m&m, this unique color continues to grow in popularity and is gaining fashion ability on the home décor circuit; this blue/green color evokes tranquility, trust, spirituality and healing.

Teal works it magic best when paired with browns, deeper yellows, gray, lime or purple.  Create you own special haven or perhaps mix it with peach, coral or pink and set a warmer more tropic atmosphere. In this modern interior,  the organic wallpaper Augustine,  from the new Aja Collection from Jaima Brown Home, offers  a rich teal background with a silver organic leaf  on top, keeping the mood serene and stylish.

Jaima Brown Home wallpaper Augustine 7733-269

It’s a color that can flow from room to room throughout a house while still  offering fresh nuances in each room.

Just as Kiki Titterud writes  about teal and green in her Trend Tuesday blog suggests “Going forward blues will emerge as the dominant color family in home décor trends. Turquoise and Teal will continue to motivate design.”

So put a little teal into your life and be “Tealrific”!

Imagesvia:sensationalcolor.com;jaimabrown.com;jimcouture.com;glamourousgowns.co.uk

The traditional french laurel leaves, often stylized into more formal acanthus leaves  flow effortlessly drawing the eye over and around the pattern.   I used them on the bodice of my dress and all over the train of the wedding dress.  Beads were specifically selected to match a custom swarovski crystal tiara.  Some crystals had clear sequins sewn over them to deflect the light and illuminate the design.

Here I was,  incorporating something old into something new…..a design mantra that I live by in design.

Look for more ideas on weddings in the future.