Although February generally isn’t a busy month for weddings, the exception every year is the weekend of Valentine’s Day.  Since we don’t have any Valentine’s weddings at Wish this year, I thought I’d offer up some WishCandy that makes me think of the day!

A gorgeous bouquet in pink or red is a great way to give a nod to Valentine’s Day!

These red tulips from Branch Floral Design look so elegant!

Love the little hint of purple in this one, photographed by Erin Hearts Court:

I died over this bouquet in our “Pink is My Signature Color” post — these are coral peonies:

Olivia Leigh Photographie:

Love the touch of orange in this bouquet from the Flower Girls:

Real Simple:

The Knot:

Another from The Knot:

Of course, bouquets are the only place you can highlight the theme of your Valentine’s Day wedding.  Centerpieces are also a great way to incorporate color.  I LOVE this gorgeous carnation (I KNOW!  Carnations!!) centerpieces from Carolyne Roehm:

Speaking of carnations, they’ve made a big resurgence in the last couple of years as not only a money saver, but a really cute flower when you bunch a ton of them tightly together.

Oh, Martha…always with the trends…

Branch Floral Design:

Okay, last carnation one, I promise…from In Style Weddings:

Of course, there are lots of other flowers to use in your centerpieces, not just carnations, like the following two beauties from Dandelion Ranch:

Hostess with the Mostess:

Olivia Leigh Photographie:

Once Wed:

And the adorable centerpiece inspiration for Mrs. Green Tea of Wedding Bee:

There are other aspects of decor for your wedding, though.  Use pinks and reds to decorate your ceremony space, like Nancy Liu Chin:

Your guests:

Your stationery:

Or your feet!

A few more great hits of red and pink…how about these awesome pink lanterns, from Habitually Chic:

Eye Spy Photography:

You could also use one of our favorite ways to add a HUGE pop to your wedding decor, uplighting, photographed by Jeff Greenough:

Or what about adding some color to your food and drinks, like the girls at Hostess with the Mostess?!

Red Punch, on Inspired by This:

Cake, from Martha Stewart:

Macarons, photographed by Our Labor of Love (nice rings too!):

“Lollipops” make a great addition to a dessert table.  These are from Parents magazine, but the girls at Sweet Ladies Bakery in the DC area make amazing brownie, truffle and cheesecake lollipops!

Speaking of desserts…and my favorite DC vendors…I had THE MOST AMAZING Red Velvet Cake from Lara at Fluffy Thoughts.  And Red Velvet is, of course, perfect for a Valentine’s wedding!  (Note, this is not Fluffy Thoughts’ cake…Lara’s cake went WAY too fast for anyone to get a picture of it!  This is just an insanely delicious looking picture of red velvet cake that makes me want to eat my computer screen…)

How about some red drinks — red is one of the easiest colors to make a signature drink with!  (Have you tried finding inspiration for purple drinks?  Not easy!)  These are from Real Simple:

How about the amazing poppy on this gorgeous cake featured on Style Me Pretty?

And finally, some great pink and red clothing details.  For the bridesmaids:

Lara Swanson:

Dress from Etsy seller Parsimony:

The boys, photographed by Eye Spy Photography:

Or even the bride!

Joel Flory Photo:

The Sweetest Occasion:

What Junebug Loves:

Are you getting married on Valentine’s Day?  Will you be using pink and red?

I LOVE Winter Weddings.  The temperature is perfect for those of us (aka me) that hate the heat, it gets dark early, allowing for tons of candlelight, and if you’re lucky enough to get snow, it makes for AMAZING pictures!  Today we’re going to look at some great ideas for winter weddings.

The first question, of course, is what are you going to wear?  Well, if you’re the bride, there are lots of great options, including some gorgeous long sleeved dresses out there.  My sister wore this amazing dress, which is strapless, but has a beautiful long sleeved overcoat, from David’s Bridal, for her December wedding:

(Hmm…I wonder if she’ll let me wear it if I ever get married??)

There are also lots of gorgeous shrugs, wraps, and sweaters out there.

(Gorgeous bouquet too, right?!)

Martha Stewart Weddings:

Life on Prints via The Knot

(Yet another gorgeous winter bouquet!)

Grazier Photography:

And how cute are this bride and her bridesmaids in matching fur wraps?

I love the color of the bridesmaids dresses for winter as well.  Grey can be SO pretty!

Speaking of bridesmaids, there are some great options out there for winter weddings.  Ice blue, a pretty green, red, black, or the aforementioned grey are all great colors for winter.

Michael Bambino Photography:

Jennifer Lindberg Weddings:

Altura Studio:

Perfect Bound:

(How much do I LOVE the grey tights?!)

Shelby Leigh Photography:

Of course, guests need to stay warm too — here’s my friend Coralie and I at a friend’s winter wedding.  I LOVE that green wrap!!

Speaking of Karen’s wedding, look at the gorgeous centerpieces she and her mom came up with:

Centerpieces are a great way to bring the season into your wedding.

Amy Martin Photography:

Can you tell how much I love cranberries as decor?  LOVE this centerpiece photographed by the Weibners:

Martha Stewart Weddings:

And how cute would this be as a centerpiece, from Paper Source!?

Yes, that’s made of PAPER!!!

Centerpieces aren’t the only decor at your wedding, though.  Here are some other great winter touches:

Martha:

More Martha:

(I love the idea of blankets used as decor!)

More cranberries!

Erik Ekroth Photography:

Snippet and Ink:

OMG, how GORGEOUS is this curtain of HAND FREAKING MADE snowflakes from Bugs and Fishes?  How beautiful would this be over windows at your reception venue?

Of course, having your wedding right before Christmas is great if you’re looking to save on decor — a lot of places, such as churches, hotels, and historic venues, are already decorated for you!  (Again, my friend Karen’s wedding):

And finally, we can’t forget about gorgeous winter bouquets, like this one photographed by our friend Kate Headley:

LOVE this bouquet from the Carolina Herrera Spring show:

Jeff Reeder Photography:

A Bryan Photo:

Are you having a winter wedding?  What colors are you using for the season?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated unless denoted by a link to another wedding on this blog.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

There are plenty of aisles that need no decoration at all.  A gorgeous church or synagogue, a beautiful ceremony setting amongst the trees, or a scenic beach doesn’t have to have flowers or candles to make it perfect — it already is! However, even amazing locations like these can be spruced up by some great aisle decor.  Below are some great ideas for decorating your walk down the aisle.

First up we have pew decor — you don’t have to use boring pew bows, we promise!

Martha Stewart Weddings:

I think buckets are a really cute idea:

But these flower baskets are great too!

Outdoors, you have even more options!  You can decorate your chairs or benches in a variety of ways.

Sherman Chu Photography:

Love Life Images:

More buckets!

More Martha:

Rather than decorating the chairs or pews, you can decorate the aisle as well:

Laurel McConnell Photography:

I LOVE decorated aisles like that!  Rose petals can go a long way, but you have to use lots of them, like this:

(Photo from Sedona Bride:)

Martha Stewart Weddings:

More great aisle decorations that can go on the ground.

Emilie Sommer:

Millie Holloman Photography:

Shepherd’s Hooks are also a great and easy way to decorate your aisle, like these next few pictures from The Knot:

Shepherd’s Hooks are so versatile!  They can hold flowers in vases or jars:

Pomanders:

Genevieve Leiper from Danielle & Ryan’s wedding:

Lanterns:

Or even these adorable chandeliers, photographed by Jasmine Star:

How are you decorating your aisle?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

Red, to me, is just one of those colors that works year-round.  Of course it’s perfect in Winter, for Christmas and Valentine’s Day weddings, but it’s also perfect paired with brown for the fall, paired with other bright colors for the summer or red tulips for the spring!  Here are some great red bouquets that are suitable for all seasons!

Amity Mason Photography:

Amy Squires Photography:

April Joy Events:

Here are some reds that would work well for fall…

Halo Photographic:

Better Homes and Gardens:

Brides Magazine:

Winter…

Love Life Images:

Better Homes and Gardens:

Spring…

Better Homes and Gardens:

Emilie Photography:

And Summer…

Better Homes and Gardens:

In Style Weddings:

Kimberly Brooke Photography:

Cake and Pictures:

One of the things I like about red is how it can be paired with different colors to give off a completely different feel for different settings, seasons, and feelings.  For example, red and purple seem regal together…

Jasmine Star Photography:

Red and Pink equal playful and fun (and are perfect for a Valentine’s Day wedding)

Both pictures from Better Homes and Gardens:

and Red and White are sweet and romantic…

Of course, no discussion of red bouquets can be had without discussing the ultimate in romantic red flowers, the rose.  Roses are traditional, but they’re also great because they come in so many different varieties, giving your floral designer a great deal of flexibility.

Are you having a red bouquet?  What kinds of flowers are you using?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

These days, brides aren’t just limited to white or red roses for their bouquets (okay, not that they ever were, but stick with me here…)  Not only can you get flowers from all over the world, but you don’t even have to use flowers for your bouquet at all if you don’t want to!  You can do whatever you want, whether it’s having each bridesmaid carry a bouquet that matches her personality or favorite color, or even not having them carry a bouquet at all.

At my sister’s wedding, rather than have her bridesmaids carry bouquets, we carried beautiful lanterns down the aisle — it was SO pretty!  Well, until one of them dripped wax on my dad’s tux.  But still…the point is, do whatever you want — have fun with it!  Here are a few of my favorite “unusual” bouquets.

Millie Holloman Photography:

David Stark Design:

In Style Weddings:

A New Leaf:

How cute are these bouquets?!  The bride’s is made of Christmas ornaments, and the bridesmaids are…felt?

O.M.G.  I LOVE these flowers! I want a candy striped wedding, now!

Feathers are very popular in bouquets right now — in fact, I just did a peacock themed wedding that I’ll be blogging as soon as I get the pictures!

Kate Triano:

The Knot:

Another popular trend in flowers is adding unusual items like succulents, fruits or vegetables.

LOVE this cabbage and peacock bouquet, photographed by Olivia Leigh:

How adorable would this strawberry bouquet be for a summer picnic wedding?

Like I mentioned before, a cute idea can be to have different bouquets for your bridesmaids — your girls aren’t all the same, why give them the same bouquet?!

In addition to their different bouquets, how totally rock star are these ladies?!

Are you having a traditional bouquet?  Or will you do something unusual?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

Blue flowers can be very difficult to find sometimes.  One of my favorite naturally blue flowers is hydrangea.  Hydrangea is a nice accent to any bouquet, and can be found in a wide variety of colors — for blues, they can be deep, almost indigo, or they can be very pale!  They can wilt very quickly, though, so make sure you keep them in water as long as possible.

Love Life Images:

Blooms Design Studio, Duck, NC, featured on The Knot:

Bouquets of Austin:

e Leigh Photography:

Berghaus Flowers, Cleveland, OH:

Walter Knoll Florist:

Jana Curcio Photography:

Of course, hydrangea aren’t the only blue flowers…just the easiest to find.  I think the problem with a lot of blue flowers is that you don’t necessarily know the exact shade you’re going to get from the grower, so it can be a tricky proposition if you’re dying for a specific blue.  Sometimes what you had hoped would be blue turns out almost purple.

Martha Stewart Weddings:

Block Island Wedding Flowers:

Here are a few more pretty blue bouquets from Better Homes and Gardens:

A few other flowers that can be beautiful in blue are Irises:

Every Blooming Thing:

Tweedia:

The Aspen Branch:

Grape Hyacinths:

Sandra Meyer Floral Designer:

And, um…these other flowers!  Who knows what the heck these things are?

Moda Botanica Floral Design:

Devers Design Group:

Kim Fisher Designs (Based in my favorite town, Wilmington, NC!)

LOVE this bouquet:

Finally, if you just can’t seem to find blue flowers that you like, there are some really great non-floral options to get that color you need on Etsy!

Flowersinbeads:

Expressions Floral Shop:

Paper Platypus:

Princess Lasertron:

Really Bad Kitty:

Are you having a blue bouquet at your wedding?  Will you go with real flowers or something else?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

Oh, Steel Magnolias…how I love thee.  What a great chick flick, full of powerful women…and pink!  And while you don’t want your church to look as if it’s been “hosed down in Pepto Bismol,” pink is indeed the signature color for many a wedding celebration.  The thing with pink is that it can be paired with almost any color.  Pink & Brown was the big trend a few years ago.  Pink & Red are hot around Valentine’s Day.  Hot pink & Black are a very modern look, and Pink & Green just scream preppy.  Below are some great pink bouquets to inspire you!

“My two colors are blush and bashful, two very different shades of pink — one is much deeper than the other“:

Photo: A Pair of Photographers

For some reason, pink just says “June Wedding” to me.  I have no idea why — maybe because peonies are perfect for June?  I love peonies…they smell and look amazing!

Photograph: Eleise Theuer:

Florist: Foxgloves & Ivy

Of course, other pink flowers are great too!  We have roses:

Florist: Whimsy Floral:

Tulips:

Florist: Flowers on Orchard Lane:

Lillies and Orchids:

Photo: Jennifer Angeloro:

SOTA Weddings:

Mary Tuttle’s Flowers:

Gerbera Daisies:

Photo: Jessica Strickland Photography:

Hydrangea:

Or, um…these other flowers that I don’t know the names of.  I see orchids, roses, freesia, ranunculus, button mums, berries, and maybe dahlias too in the next couple photos.

Photo: Rebecca Davidson:

Barbara Banks Photography:

Flowers: Cranes Creations:

(You know I have to include at least one Martha in each issue of “Wish Candy”!)

Are these camellias?  In the words of Rachel Zoe, “I Die”
::correction!  these are coral peonies.  thanks Gerry!::

Opalia Flowers:

Seasons: A Floral Design Studio:

And, of course, in my book you can never go wrong with feathers, like these hot pink ones from Yvonne Event Floral and Decor:

Is pink your signature color?  How will you be incorporating it into your bouquet?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

I love fall.  The cooler air, pumpkin flavored things, new school supplies, the Steelers.  So, although we already did a series a while back on fall weddings, this post is for the color most people think of when they think of fall: Orange!

The thing about orange, though, is that it doesn’t have to be a fall color, and it doesn’t (and, really, unless it’s Halloween, shouldn’t) have to be paired with black for that spooky look.  Here are some great shots of one of my favorite colors, orange!

Bouquets are a great way to incorporate orange into your wedding.  Orange calla lilies are GORGEOUS!

Becker:

Dahlias are one of my absolute favorite flowers:

Stella Alesi Photography:

Orange can look really pretty with many other colors too, like pink (which is decidedly UN-fall like!)

Amy Squires:

It’s also pretty with green:

Yellow:

Or Purple:

Nicole Green Photography:

Orange isn’t only for bouquets.  It’s also gorgeous in centerpieces:

Notice the use of orange ribbon, which really ties the theme together.  Orange can be used in other cute ways for centerpieces as well.

Jessamyn Harris Photography:

Eclectic Images:

Stacey Ilyse Photography:

Of course, in the DC area, there are two huge (but hugely conflicting) ways that orange is incorporated into weddings:

See Meredith & Howard’s wedding for more UVA orange & blue wedding ideas!

Of course, with grads from all over the country in this area, you could just as easily have a UT Vols cake:

A Florida Gator cake topper:

Or even a Clemson ring pillow:

There are more ways to use orange in your wedding as well, even if it’s not your alma mater’s color.

Julia Newman Photography:

Heather Saunders Photography:

E Photography:

LOVE this invitation from Wedding Paper Divas:

Pen Carlson Photography:

GORGEOUS cake from Mark Joseph Cakes:

And finally, one of my favorite orange details, and a sneak peak of an upcoming wedding of ours, photographed by local photographer Hope Reynolds:

Are you using orange for your wedding?  What are you pairing it with?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

An entire movie was dedicated to the idea that, with most bridesmaids dresses, you can not “wear it again.”  For whatever reason, something about most bridesmaids dresses, there is just no chance you’re wearing it again.  (If that’s true, you should donate it to a great cause!  Hitched in DC does a great drive every year.)  However, there are some wonderful, thoughtful brides out there who won’t make you wear this:

There are many options these days for bridesmaids dresses. From allowing girls to wear different cuts in the same color and fabric, to having them wear different shades, to just letting them wear whatever they desire.  This wedding featured bridesmaids in deep purple dresses of their choosing:

Or have your Maid of Honor stand out in a dress of a different color, as in this wedding photographed by Chris Baltazar:

How cool is this bride?  Clearly she said “Ladies, pick a green dress.  Yes, just green,  any green is fine.  Yes, really.”  I love her for that

Two things I love about these dresses; the different colored sashes and the adorable petticoats peeking out under the hem:

More petticoat goodness:

Okay, these girls?  This is just hot!  I absolutely love the pencil skirts with the sleeveless white tops and wide sashes.  I have no idea how the bride thought of this, but it is genius!

I love the idea of skirts for bridesmaids!  Talk about something you can wear again!  Here are some more skirted bridesmaids. Photo by Brian Wedge Photography:

Another great new trend is patterned bridesmaids dresses, like these black and white dresses from Ann Taylor, shot by Union Photography:

Photography by Eleise Theuer:

Or these patterned dresses from Anthropologie, photographed by Ann Wade Parrish:

Anthropologie seems to be a popular choice for patterned dresses — look at these cute candy striped dresses from the shop (Photo: Stacey Kane):

Speaking of Red and White, how adorable are these Betsey Johnson dresses?! (Photo: Our Labor of Love):

I really like the trend of “shades” from the same color — shades of blue, shades of green.  It not only allows the ladies to pick the color they like but also creates a great palate to work from!

Or you could go with the same dress in completely different colors, like these brides…

Dresses by Calypso; Photography by Paul Johnson:

Or, make it different with accessories, like the shoes…

Amelia Lyon Photography:

Necklaces…

Shawls:

(Photo: Eleise Theuer):

Or Jackets, like these from Banana Republic (Photo: Jonathan Canlas):

How are you dressing your bridesmaids?  Are you doing anything different from the “norm”?

Some couples have “their song,” whether it’s the first song they danced to, a song that particularly speaks to them, or a song they’ve always dreamed of having for their first dance.  This post is for, you know…everyone else.

“Crazy Love,” by Van Morrison, has been covered by tons of artists.  One of my favorites is this version from the tearjerker, Phenomenon, sung by Aaron Neville.

Al Green made many a woman swoon back in the day…Lord knows his songs still do it for me, especially “Let’s Stay Together.”

Country music seems to be a love it or hate it kind of music — I personally love it.  (People always seem surprised when they hear that about me…I have no idea why?)  The one thing you can’t deny about country music artists is that they can do a GREAT first dance song.

“When You Say Nothing At All”, Alison Krauss:

“Then”, Brad Paisley (Colleen and Ali used this as their first dance…there were definitely tears!)

“When I Said I Do”, Clint Black

Of course, if you’re not a country fan, you could always go to your favorite decade for a great song.

80’s: “More Than This” Roxy Music:

70’s: “You Are My Shining Star,” The Manhattans:

60’s: “For Once In My Life,” Stevie Wonder:

Or you could go with one of the true classics, either sung by an early, classic artist, such as Tony Bennett:

Sarah Vaughn:

or Sam Cooke:

Or you can go with a great remake of a classic tune.

“Love Me Tender,” a beautiful remake by Norah Jones and Adam Levine:

Michael Buble, “Quando, Quando, Quando” (This was Rama and Neel’s first dance song):

Or even Smash Mouth, who covered the Monkee’s “I’m a Believer,” which I think is an adorable first dance song!  (Plus the little kids at your wedding will go crazy for it if they’ve seen Shrek!)

Speaking of upbeat songs, if you would rather dance to a fast song, there are some great options out there.

“All I Want is You,” by Barry Louis Polisar (from the Juno soundtrack)

“1,2,3,4″, The Plain White T’s (This is my favorite song right now.  I’m dying for one of my couples to use it!)

Of course, you could go for something a little silly, like a song from my favorite movie, The Little Mermaid:

Or Robert and Amy’s first dance song, from Everybody Loves Raymond:

There are also some great indie and popular songs that are just perfect for a first dance.

One of my favorites is “The Luckiest,” by Ben Folds:

Jack Johnson’s “Better Together”

“Lucky,” by Jason Mraz and Cobie Callait, which was Rob and Maya’s first dance song:

“Yellow,” by Coldplay (this song is also great if you have a string quartet for your ceremony!)

Or, from Meredith and Howard’s wedding (and one of my favorite singers), “You Are The Best Thing,” Ray LaMontagne:

Finally, my favorite first dance song, one that doesn’t often get used because people hear the first few words and think “I may not always love you?  That’s not a good first dance song!”  But trust me, listen to the rest of the lyrics and you’ll agree with Paul McCartney, who has often called it the greatest love song ever written.

God Only Knows, The Beach Boys:

Have you picked your first dance song yet?  What are you using?