I’ll be posting about Julia and Chris’ gorgeous wedding soon, but now that the newlyweds are back from their honeymoon, they’re trying to make room in their house by clearing it of all wedding stuff.  Julia got these great branches at the sadly closed Smith & Hawken, and there are two to each centerpiece.

They come with the tall vase, two branches, black sand and river rocks to hold them up, plus the candles and icicles you see in the picture.  She’s looking for $500 for everything (5 Centerpieces total) (the branches were $30 each just by themselves!) but is willing to take the best offer.  These are REALLY popular, so definitely email her soon!  Pictures (and hints to how awesome their wedding was) below:

The first two photos are from the amazing Liz Hough, the second two are from one of our awesome assistants!  As you can see, the branches were spray painted silver, but you can paint them another color if that works better for you.

You can email Julia or Rebecca (me) for more info!

::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!  Only the first photo in this post is from an event that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  I’ve given credit to the designers where I can.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

I’ve been collecting photographs of lanterns for a long time now!  This seems to be one of those decor trends that never quite expired.  Unfortunately it’s not the cheapest way to decorate a reception space but it sure is a beautiful one!

Photo: Sabine Scherer

If you’re not familiar, paper lanterns are made of a lightweight wire frame and covered in a light, translucent paper.  They come in all makes and models but the standard is a basketball-sized white version.  These are just so gorgeous in abundance:

Even when you don’t have a huge budget for a ton of lanterns, they can still jazz up a plain reception space.  This is a high school gymnasium (see how the basketball hoop is covered in satin?):

Whoever designed this event got pretty funky!  I like the combination of the round lanterns, the cone-shaped lights, and the twinkly string lights:

This wedding used lanterns only over the dance floor, giving the tent a beautiful focal point and also giving this spot a feeling of abundance (without going overboard).  Can you imagine what their cake cutting photos would have looked like if the photographer got low to the ground and shot upwards with the lanterns in the back?  ::swoon::

Lanterns can even be incorporated into a centerpiece.  Who said they needed to hang from the ceiling?

This creative wedding used them to dress up a tree!  Minty green and ‘Pepto pink’ are a little past their prime in trendiness but this was all the rage circa 2006:

Even standard white lanterns can look extra special when lit with a colored bulb or contrasted against a colored uplight.  In this case we have a pink uplight against the wall, round pink lanterns with white lights inside, and white cylindrical lanterns with white lights inside!  What a gorgeous statement for your bar and lounge space.  This scrumptious event was designed by David Beahm Design:

If the solid-colored lanterns aren’t your style, how about these funky ones?  I’m not sure where Ariella Chezar found these beautiful pieces but I love the photo just the same:

The same awesome lanterns by the same awesome designer, strung in a different space (must be the same event, right?):

This is an older image (2005 maybe?) but I could still stare at it for hours.  I love the combination of the natural-colored linens and chairs, the subdued but elegant and luscious centerpieces, the great natural trees with tables scattered between, and the strung canopy of lights.  Are these white paper bags??

I’m the worst about photo credits and have had some of these photos for a very long time.  If you know where they came from (or if they’re yours) please let me know!

Here in the DC area, Frost Lighting and Capital Decor are two wonderful companies who can install gorgeous lanterns like these.  There are a few other options but we always recommend these two.

Do you plan on having paper lanterns or another type of decoration for your reception?

I recently attended an open house hosted by Partyland Flowers & Event Decor at the Ritz Carlton Tyson’s Corner.  The lead designer at Partyland, Sachi Sood, showcased some of her beautiful linens, floral designs, event props, and mandaps.  Take a look at her gorgeous work:

Partyland is one of the few vendors in the area that offers mandaps.  These are just a few of their designs:

Sachi showed off several beautiful centerpieces:

This gold tree accented with clusters of peach roses was simply stunning:

I especially loved the extraordinary beaded detail on the edges of her linens:

This beautiful peacock blue wedding cake was on display:

Even if you’re not planning an Indian wedding, Sachi’s floral designs and decor pieces can work for any style event!  Give her a call today & schedule your appointment!

Check out these lovely decorative trees!  Did you see our post on making your own manzanita trees?  This gets you the same effect and will save you from making them yourself.  Plus they’ve been used at a wedding already so they’re recycled and eco-friendly!

Laura, the bride, is asking $70 for each tree.  There are two available that can be sold together or separately.  I think these make a perfect piece to hold place cards, wish cards (like you see in the second photo), or small mounted family photos.  They can even be left blank as an accent piece…they’re pretty just as-is!

If you’re interested in one or both of these trees, email Laura (the bride).  Better hurry, though — these are going to go quickly!

Here’s a new one…have you thought about decorating the elevator at your venue?  If your site requires guests to use an elevator, this is the perfect way to attract your guests and keep them entertained.  This would be great at venues like Top of the Town, the Newseum, the Sheraton National, or even the Fairmont’s lower-level ballroom.  Your guests will know exactly where they’re supposed to go to find the party!

This example is for a corporate environment but it would be great for weddings too.  You can use any graphic like a monogram, logo, or even a photograph!  They go up quickly and peel off with no damage to the surface.  You can even decorate the inside of the elevator door for the ride.  What about a collage of family photos your guests see when the doors close?

To get more information or place an order, email Barbra Dennison at Surface Media.

If you’ve opened a bridal magazine or read a blog in the past year, you’ve probably seen a manzanita tree.  These are scraggly branches that lend themselves well to hanging things like votives, photographs, or cards.  Here’s one of the most famous examples of their use:

Thanks to Wedding Chicks, we now have easy pictorial DIY instructions explaining how to get the branch to stand by itself.  It also explains how to make the branch into a ‘Wishing Tree’ where your guests can leave their message of hope for you and your new hubs.  Click here for the full instructions.

If you decide to make one of these for yourself, be sure to send us a photo and we’ll post it on the blog!

Did you know DaVinci’s Florist has a blog?  Neither did we!  We’ve worked with them on quite a few occasions (here, here, here) and are always impressed.

They’ve posted some amazing photos of their work that are simply stunning.  Check these out:

For more, go check out their blog right now!

We have 98 fans that are perfect for an outdoor wedding! These fans are a great way for summer wedding guests to beat the heat. Paired with a glass or bottle of water your guests will definitely appreciate your thoughtfulness and remember your ceremony for all the right reasons.

The bamboo (or palm) fans are handwoven and are a solid piece – not collapsible. Finished with a loop they are beautifully displayed with a wedding-coordinated ribbon and hung from the back of the ceremony chairs.

Being handmade the fans come in a variety of sizes. The largest fan is 12″ across by 14″ high and the smallest fan is 9″ across by 10″ high. The majority of the fans are an average 10″ by 12″.

Most of the fans have ribbon attached at the loop in light blue, light mint green, white, and pale yellow. When I worked with Jenny and Sean this summer my job was super easy – the ribbon was already attached so I was able to mix the colors and hang the fans from the ceremony chairs in minutes flat. It is very easy to replace the ribbons to match you wedding or to use them as you like!

As you can see, they were an elegant addition to the ceremony!

We are asking $40 for the box of 98 fans. They can be picked up in Alexandria (near Shirlington) or I can meet you in Arlington, DC, or Alexandria.