In the Clutch of Time: Silky and fabulous. Roomy enough to keep all your baubles without toting along heavy luggage. {Murwati; $25}

The Edge of Ruffle: This reasonable cake plate will elevate the cake to a standing ovation. A simple ruffled edge adds class with flirty appeal. {Williams Sonoma; $53}

Fluffy Fleurs: Peonies are naturally ruffled and have layers of soft petals. The Parrot tulip is another flower that replicates the look of layered fabrics. {Brian Adams Photographics}

Flirty Femme: Allow your bridesmaids to look fabulously fresh in a layered look. Choose dresses that will flatter your girls’ figure and wallet. {J Crew; $70}

Bridal Bliss: Beaded lace bodice provides structure and contrast to the free flowing ruffled skirt. {Watters; $1350}

Pretty in Petals: Bedeck the backs of the chairs for added flair. A variety of textures and colors will sure to make your reception incredible. {Chameleon Chairs}

Step by Step: T-strap with sky high 5 inch heel is accented with a feathery flower. {Badgley Mischka; 215}

Layered Cake: White  chocolate layers the sides of the cake, creating a rough edge. The rolled chocolate flakes are bunched together to create a bouquet of ruffles. {Nicky Grant}

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1. Clean and Water: Remove any leaves that are going to be submerged in water. This will make your water last longer (ie. cleaner) and your flowers look look clean. Cut stems at angle and put in water immediately.
2. Cut, Refresh, Repeat: It can be tedious, but it will help prolong the life of your flowers. If you don’t have time to change the water, use an opaque vase, to disguise the murky water. Use warm water for everything. Except hydrangeas, they require hot tap water. Tulips don’t need fresh water, so no special treatment for them.
3. Special Stems: Hydrangeas or lilacs are woody and need lots of exposure to the water. Split the stems several inches up from the bottom to expose the white inner part of the stem to the water. For bulbs, tubers and iris, score the bottom of the stem. Also for tulips, use a needle and prick the throat of the tulip to prevent it from growing.
4. Same Colors: Buy flowers that are the from the same color palette for an easy and chic arrangement.
5. No Crowding Please: When using a larger vase or wide mouth bowl, it may require using a large quantity of flowers, but all you need is scotch tape. Create a grid on the top so your flowers will sit in its own section. No crowding!
6. In Your Hands: Hold the flowers in your hand. It is easier to rearrange then placing them in the vase. Once you are satisfied, tie with some string and place in your chosen vessel.
7. Wilt-free: Try not to place your flowers in front of a warm sunny window. The heat will stress your flowers and cause them to wilt.

Do you have any more tips or tricks? Please share!

(Tulips: Podesta Baldocchi; Calla Lilies: Gifford’s Flowers)

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2) Tip Top: Flowers line the neckline of this simple, yet striking strapless dress. Organza flows gently from the natural waistline and creates a breezy look made for any happy go-lucky bride. (Manuel Mota; ~$1700)

3) Blooming Bud: This dress is perfect for all the pomp and circumstance that goes with a wedding. The pleated tulle columns have rows of organza flowers that naturally bloom from the dress. The empire silhouette paired with a strapless neckline makes this ultimate feminine frock. (Pattis; $1500-$3000)

4) Miss Capulet: This romantic sleeveless illusion dress is made with soft lace. The delicate shoulder straps connect to the lace empire bodice with sweetheart neckline. Lace flowers highlight the outer layers and hem of the organza skirt. (Rina de Montella; $1500-$3000)

5) Flutter On By: Embroidered flowers grace the biased cut bodice, while the directional fabric accentuates the natural curves of a body and exudes sexiness. The skirt flares a bit, allowing movement, as the sheath silhouette limits your mobility. (Reva Mivasagar; $3000+)

6) Enchanted Garden: The lace flowers are delicately beaded and are scattered throughout the dress. The re-embroidered lace and duchess silk satin strapless gown feature a chapel train. A bustle will keep the dress from gathering too much earth while the bride is sashaying around the garden. (Watters; $2500)

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When you think of the word budget, what do you think of? Cheap? Plastic? Generic? For example, when I see carnations, I gag. Well, not really, but I do think of cheap. But there are ways to rework the overused carnations and other elements such as tissue paper and doilies into easy and impressive accents. What do carnations, tissue papers and doilies have in common? They are all cheap, overworked and unappreciated. There are ways to trim the budget by using these overused and stale decoration ideas in a new and chic manner.

Carnation Overkill

Carnations are grown all over the world, including counties such as “The Iraq”, Kenya, India, Turkey and  China. Being available year round and coming in a variety of shades (about 10,000 different varieties) makes this a commonly filler flower in bouquets. If it is kept properly hydrated, it will remain fresh and fragrant for about three weeks. The key to carnations: use in bulk.

Whimsical Centerpieces: Carnations are bunched together in a vase wrapped in aspidistra leaves. Silver wire is tied to give it a modern feel.

Bed of Roses Carnations: Carnations are always better in masses. This is a great way to display your escort cards, a aisle runner or a centerpiece. Floral foam are found in a variety of shapes and sizes. This project can be made weeks in advance, just remember to follow the last step.

• Fill a sink or large bowl with cool water, and mix with floral food, following label instructions. Submerge the foam water for 1 hour, then place on a tray.
• Cut flower stems about 1 inch from the head. Starting from the middle of the foam, insert the cut stems into the form, clustering the blooms close together.
• To use this arrangement as a centerpiece, set it on a tray or plate. Every 4 days, place your arrangement in a sink and water it from above; let it drain. Your arrangement should last for up to 2 weeks in a cool, humid location.

Kiss me Carnation: Pomander or “kissing ball” are an easy way to add elevation and excitement to a table urchase floral foam balls in the size of your choice (available at any floral supply store or online), flowers (sturdy flowers so they don’t get crushed) and wire.

• To prepare the ball for hanging, wrap wire around the diameter of the ball, then wrap it again but in the opposite direction to divide the ball into quarters. Twist the ends of the wire into a small loop (you’ll slip the ribbon through this loop later to hang the ball).
  
• Soak the foam in water.
• Trim the stems of the flowers at an angle, leaving an inch or so beneath the head. Insert flowers. If the stems of your chosen flowers are strong enough, you can insert them into the ball as is. Insert the flowers in a straight line, creating a ring around the ball. Then cover each half of the ball with flowers, overlapping the petals slightly and making sure to fill in all the gaps.
• Slip ribbon through the loop you created at the top of the ball.

Tissue Paper Tension

The gift bag stuffed with tissue paper is ever present at every birthday, wedding or any event that has presents. Tissue paper is the go-to when you are in a rush or don’t want to wrap a present. The key to tissue paper: using non-standard colors and creating texture.

Cute as a Button: With a little creativity, wrapping up favors can look cute and fresh. Pair tissue paper with parchment paper and tie ribbon. This person used personalized buttons to top each gift, a gift within a gift. Cute! Tissue paper comes in a variety of colors, patterns and textures. Find one that fits your budget and needs. Don’t forget to price compare! (Indigo Bunting)

Ring around the Paper: Similar to the bed of carnations or kissing ball, tightly packing tissue paper creates a huge impact when bunched in masses. Elizabeth’s simple directions will show you the steps in creating this gorgeous wreath you can use year round. (Elizabeth Anne Designs)

Gorgeous Garland: Need something to drape down the aisle or hang from the trees? Try this simple project that is easy to create but has a huge wow factor without being pretentious. Who would have thought they are made out of coffee filters and tissue paper. Both items are recyclable and are whisper thin, allowing light trickle through. Perfect for an outdoor garden party or indoor shower. (Pam Garrison)

• Gather tissue paper, coffee filters, fabric and other paper materials and cut into similar sizes.
  
• Tie a knot about 6 inches from the one end of the string.
  
• Punch a hole in the middle of the circles or use a needle to feed the string through the whole. For each section, be sure to tie off with a knot so the paper packets are held in the same area.
  
• Repeat

Dated Doilies

Doilies are reminiscent of a age gone by. Dust would collect as they were used to protect the furniture. If you reuse your grandmother’s doilies for these projects, she might get offended. The key to doilies: using them in alternative methods will break the stuffy/dusty doily stereotype.

High Flyin’ Flags: To incorporate a non-grandmaesque doily decoration, just colored doilies to create a stringed garland. This project is super easy and will bring you back to your drink in no time. Fold doilies of various sizes and colors in half. Use twine, ribbon or string and glue the doilies. Hang and drink. (Martha Stewart)

Illuminate Me: Using luminaries automatically adds romance and creates an intimate space. The candlelight really adds depth to the party. Follow these simple instructions to add doilies to the paper lanterns to create a display worth gushing about. (Martha Stewart)

Paper Runner: This project calls for cloth doilies, but paper doilies are fine as well. The openwork and spaces of the doilies allow the table cloth underneath to shine through. Adding different textures (unlike the picture) will help mix it up. Use metal chargers or burlap runners to help contrast with the traditionally feminine doilies. (Martha Stewart).

What do you think? Do you still hate carnations? Or will you give them a chance?

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1) Design wise, my main focus was on the reception. Since the group was small (14 guests), we were able to do one intimate rectangular table. The table runners (turquoise) and cotton napkins (lime green) were ordered from Table Cloths Factory.They were the most affordable in the colors I wanted. Tealights were placed down the center of the runner along the length of the table. Since the ceremony was just before sunset, most of the reception would be in the dark. By providing mood lighting with the tealights and the warmness of the candle light worked well with the cool Caribbean night.

2) I choose the napkins to be a different color than the runners, so you had the pop of color. Since we did not ordering additional flowers for the reception, the green napkins were part of the design. The name cards were created in PowerPoint, then cut individually and glued to a blue cardstock. For cake table banner, this process was the same, but an additional green circle was added behind the blue cardstock. Although, it was not pictured here, a little sweet with a personalized “O” for the couples’ last name was added to the top of each napkin.

3) Again being budget friendly, we did not rent chairs or rent/buy chair covers. By using what is available and ordering chair sashes (which are cheaper than chair covers), it really dressed up a simple plastic chair. The chair sash was also from Table Cloths Factory (in turquoise).

4)The Tissue Poms strike back! I’ve said in one of my earlier posts that I love these poms. To save time, I used the poms from the bridal shower, “depuffed” 40 of them and packed them in my carry on. The night before (after the rehearsal dinner), I enlisted the group to “puff” them out. I was quite pleased with the results. In addition, the restaurant wanted us to leave them (Yay!! No tear down) for another party. The roof of the recption area was pretty high. By using the poms, they brought the roof closer to the party. Thus, creating a more personal space.

Reviews: Being on an island that is 9 miles by 3 miles, we were limited in some of our options. Everything has to be shipped to the island, making costs on everyday items expensive. We did what we could with our budget and try to expand the dollar by bring most of our décor with us on the plane.

Overall, the wedding was a complete success. The ceremony was personal, funny and moving in all the right moments. At the end of the ceremony, a lovely song dedicated to the couple was sung by the group, in perfect harmony with the breeze. The food all week was beyond amazing. Fresh seafood is my favorite!! Most importantly, all the persons involved were unbelievably kind and helpful in assisting me in my endeavors.

And the Mother of the Groom has a surprise song for the Bride and Groom. The musical talent sang “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz and an impromptu jam session started. *Notice the name cards on the ukulele players. Cute!

Beach: Trunk Bay was the gorgeous beach where the ceremony was held. I did not obtain the evening/event permit, but the Mother of the groom did. There is a small fee to use the beach after the beach closes. This worked out well, as the day users had to leave at 4:30 pm, thus, making the beach empty and open for all of our festivities. The beach was very clean and had covered pavilions which were used for pictures while the rain came down.

Cake: St John Cakes was our cake vendor. They weren’t responsive at the beginning, due to an email problem. However, it was confirmed we would use their services, but then their fax machine didn’t work. They said they would not bring the cake (although it was already paid for) until the contract was given to them. We finally coordinated a PHYSICAL time/place to meet up with them to give them a contract. I am not sure if that is the way the island does it, but it was stressful when we were having trouble contacting them while on the island. In the end, the Chocolate Ganache with Madagascar vanilla filling and frosting was delicious. Cake decorations were from another vendor.

Cake Decorations: I found a cute little vendor, Through the Woods, on Etsy. If you do not know about Etsy, shame on you! It is a fabulous way to find homemade arts, crafts and goods for reasonable prices. It is a good way to support up and coming artists, local artists (search local Etsy) and incorporate a bit of style into any event. I ordered the cupcake medallions (sweet favor on top of each napkin), cake topper and the fondant circles. I was very pleased with all items. My only concern for future orders is the packing/shipping of the medallions (all other items were perfect). These fragile will sweets were jumbled a bit, but packing them in foil or something that cushions the bumping postal ride will help loosing some of the lovely little dots.

bridesmaids and reception table centerpieces: mini green hydrangeas, cymbidium orchids and hypericum berries

Flowers: Ali from East End Flower Shop in St Thomas, was an absolute doll. She was able to ease my worries about the flowers. As much as I love destination weddings, I prefer to see things in person, especially flowers. Through our many email conversations, I was able to convey the look I wanted. Her local flower expertise was very useful when choosing flowers in season that flowers that fit our color and budget. I highly recommend this little shop on St Thomas.

Reception: The reception was held at the Fish Trap Restaurant in St John. Lisa and her husband are the owners of the Fish Trap and Lisa was my main contact. She is so fabulous! She was able to provide everything I needed at a moment’s notice. I am so grateful for her help and assistance. She knew what to expect for a party and made sure our group had their every request fulfilled. Not to mention, but most importantly, the food. O.M.G. The food was amaaaazing. It was an open menu, so the guests were able to order anything off of their extensive and very fresh and local menu. Just like Pavlov’s dogs, my mouth still waters at the thought of my dinner.

Music: We use a speaker system for iPods and use an iPod preloaded with all our favorite songs. It was loud enough to have background music for dinner and music for a bit of dancing.

Villa: Everyone stayed at Chateau Margot, a private villa in the mountains of St John. It was a fabulous place to stay, however I would have preferred a option that was closer to town, as taxis and driving got to be bothersome.

That is it, mon! Hope you enjoyed the whirlwind review.

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