Small soirees
For intimate weddings of 25 guests or less, focus on socializing. Taylor of Dekora Event Design recently used metallic-leather ottomans, sofas and banquettes to create a lounge-like feel. A scattering of Moroccan pillows will also do the trick.
If serving a sit-down dinner, use elegant place-card holders to denote seating and small, minimalist floral displays (such as a single bloom in a clear glass orb) to decorate each place setting. For the centre of the table, choose simple, graphic flower arrangements over large, elaborate ones. Pearson suggests submerging single orchids or delicate sprays of cherry blossoms in beautiful transparent vases.
And what about guests as decor? Pearson says yes. She recently organized a wedding in which all of the guests were asked to wear white, producing a stunning overall effect.
Maxfield champagne bucket (containing floral arrangement), $99 at Pottery Barn (www.potterybarn.ca). Flowers by Poppies (416-538-2497).
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Large affairs
This year, say goodbye to head tables, says Kim Raddysh of Vancouver's Wedding Design Studio (www.weddingdesignstudio.com). Raddysh recently took on clients who wanted to ensconce themselves with their guests, so she is creating a large centre table for 60 people with smaller satellite tables orbiting the edges of the room.
Bigger tables mean bigger centrepieces, though. As an eco-friendly option, Marilyn Pearson of the Garden Wedding Company in Vancouver (www.thegardenweddingcompany.com) suggests what she calls a “landscape centrepiece” – a potted three-foot-tall tree, say, with flowers cascading down the trunk and spreading out toward the edges of the table.
Since cocktail receptions are trendier than full meals, Gail Taylor of Vancouver's Dekora Event Design recommends tall glass- or mirror-topped tables (without linens) for grazing. Mix and match sizes and heights to be ahead of the trend, she adds.
If going the buffet route, anchor the table with tall candelabras at either end and make sure the required accessories (warming dishes, lots of serving utensils) are in place. As an alternative to candle light, Raddysh proposes gobo lights – spotlights featuring cut-metal plates that cast images or patterns onto walls, floors and ceilings.
Outdoor extravaganzas
When staging a wedding outdoors, take theme, style and palette cues from the surroundings. At a recent beach wedding, for instance, Pearson used sand-coloured chairs that faded into the landscape, leaving the focus on the scenery.
In terms of structure, tents are practical, but canopies and pergolas are sexy. Not long ago, Taylor created an elegant canopy by suspending gauzy chiffon over bamboo poles. Underneath, she arranged several special-order four-foot-square futons sporting ivory slipcovers so guests could perch and sip their drinks.
Alternatively, create social pods on lawns and terraces with fountains, portable bars or a mixture of woven-fibre furniture. (Taylor is a fan of Dedon's covered Orbit chair offering room for two or three.) For the actual ceremony, create rows of seating with funky lightweight stacking chairs that can be easily cleared away once the I Dos are said.
Finally, illuminate nighttime party spaces with classic paper lanterns or, more elaborately, large balloon lights. Raddysh likes to borrow a trick from the film industry and use light balls to either line a pathway or hang high in a tent. These lights are generally six to 12 feet in diameter and are available through Atomic2 Lighting (www.atomic2.com).
