Archives for June 2017

Why People Love These 5 Flowers in Their Wedding

June 29, 2017

You have hired a florist, you have decided a budget, but you still haven’t figured out what your wedding flowers are gonna be. We don’t blame you; it can get overwhelming with thousands of varieties to choose from. Scented or unscented? Popular or rare? Colorful? White?

We rounded up age-old favorite wedding blooms that are most popular among brides just for you.

1. Rose:

If there is any flower that has been the metaphor for beauty, emotion, and passion among the romantics of this world throughout the ages, it’s this one. The rose is also perhaps the only flower that has 3,000 varieties available year round all over the world – most of them are surprisingly inexpensive. You can choose the classic garden roses that are lusciously scented, or you can choose spray roses, that are faintly scented and look very “garden-grown”. There are unscented roses, as well, if you’re not really interested in luxurious, heavy fragrances.

2. Lily of the Valley:

It is said that the Norse goddess of springtime, Ostara, gifted this flower to humans. A cluster of bell-shaped florets, Lily of the Valley, is revered as the “ladder to heaven” among bloom enthusiasts. As the story suggests, this flower is available in abundance in the spring time; it is available throughout the year but it’s most affordable in the spring. Other than the popular white variety, this flower also comes in a rare blush-pink shade.

3. Tulips:

Native of Persia and most popularly associated with the Netherlands, tulips are “happy” flowers. Though yellow is not the only color available. Tulips are grown in a variety of colors, ranging from cream and white to vibrant hues like – pink, peach, red, magenta, and purple. The most popular choices are French tulips. They are large, tapered with extra-long stems and comparatively expensive. Parrot tulips have intense colors and ruffled petals that speak of passion. Then there are the Dutch tulips, that you most commonly see in your neighborhood flower shops.

4. Hydrangeas:

One of the most loved flowers. Interestingly, hydrangeas have been a symbol of “vanity” since the Victorian ages. If you’re looking for colorful blooms of the unscented variety, these flowers are the perfect choice. You can fill out your wedding bouquet or use a few sprigs of this bloom to create charming boutonnieres. Hydrangeas are available throughout the year in shades of white, pink, blue, green, and burgundy.

5. Stephanotis:

If traditional is the way to go for you, Stephanotis are your wedding blooms. Why? The literal Victorian meaning being “marital bliss”. Royal families have been known for choosing this flower for boutonnieres as Stephanotis is considered perfect for formal weddings. It is a moderately priced flower with a mild fragrance and available year round.

4 Reasons Why You Should Choose a Blank Canvas Wedding Venue in Dallas

June 22, 2017

For those who love letting their creativity flow a little bit more than the rest, how about a versatile blank canvas wedding venue?

What’s a blank canvas venue?

Just what you’d expect from a blank canvas, a clean wedding venue comes with bare-minimum of installations and a huge space to cater to any wedding theme you can think of. For example, The Empire Room in Dallas is a blank canvas venue in an urban industrial setup. There have been ceremonies where the bride chose to dress the venue up with rich fabrics, making it look very palatial, while on the other hand, some choose to leave the space open and clean which also makes for some breathtaking photographs.

That’s the fun of choosing a blank canvas – you can do as you please and create a theme that’s just yours.

Here’s why we think a clean and bare wedding venue is the next best thing, after Oreos.

Every Theme and Design Seem to be Complementary

This is no joke. Whether you choose a wedding theme that’s all about pink-and-peach-and-girly or a monochrome one with just one statement piece – for example, a colorful cake. The blank space of the venue beautifully offsets the ambience.

Extra Guests Never Hurt

This is one of the biggest benefits of a blank big space venue; even if a couple of dozen unexpected guests decide to turn up at your wedding, it won’t get crowded. The expansive venue allows you to be more flexible with the number of guests and their seating arrangements.

The Sprawling Seating Plan

Often, wedding venues in Dallas are so restricted that you cannot plan a spread-out seating plan for your 200 guests. The result, everything is jam-packed. Fortunately, a blank venue comes with acres of open space that allows you to use a seating arrangement as extravagant as you desire.

A Special Corner for Everyone

If your wedding party includes children, as well as, your aged grandparents, an open space wedding venue will allow you to arrange special entertainment options just for them. You can assign a couple of corners to be set up for the children as well as anyone who would appreciate a cozy nook. You can provide couches, recliners, soft blankets, lots of pillows, portable DVD player, or other easy-to-carry entertainment options. If the space is open, close it off with some curtains and voila! You got yourself a comfy cave.

How to make Your Wedding special for Kids

June 15, 2017

Sometimes, it’s not only two people who are getting united; it’s also their shared children. Your wedding can be just as important for your children and stepchildren as it is for you and your love. Believe it or not, there’s more to a kids-friendly wedding than a spacious blank canvas venue. And while some children are naturally outgoing, some might be a little shy or even nervous.

Here are some tips for you to make sure that these extra special guests enjoy the wedding as much as you do.

Arrange a Private Celebration

Quality time is something you can never have enough of. It is always a good idea to organize some kind of picnic, outing, or dinner with just the immediate family – you, your hubby, and the children. Before the madness starts, that’s the wedding preparation, it’s essential for you to let the kids know that they are the most important part of this celebration. Spend some private time with them and encourage them to ask any questions they may have or any concerns that may be bothering them.

Include them in the Vows

If the children are not super shy, you can make them your junior bridesmaids or groomsmen. The idea is to honor them publicly and show them that they will always be a big part of your life. Make their participation formal by sharing a special dance with them, or including them in a “special family vows” session before or after you exchange vows with your love.

Exchange rings

Another cool way to include them is to gift them an engraved necklace or any other piece of jewelry, when you exchange rings with your partner. It symbolizes the union of all your loved ones together.

Hand in hand

A truly emotional way to include them would be to ask them if they’d like to walk you down the aisle. Granted, everybody in the ceremony would be bawling happy tears, but hey, it will be beautiful.

Choose a Blank Canvas Wedding Venue

There is one thing that kids love more than napping – huge open spaces (you thought it was an iPhone, didn’t you?). It’s no wonder that The Empire Room gets to organize so many children-friendly ceremonies. The blank canvas wedding venue in Dallas is perfect for letting your creativity flow; you can even enlist the help of your children to come up with creative ideas – it gives them a sense of importance and accomplishment.

Kids only Spot

It is easy for the adults to enjoy the festivities when there is drinking, dancing, and dining all night. Plan ahead for your kids and step kids so that they don’t feel left out in the wedding. The Empire Room loves to create a unique and cozy corner for kids so they can have a fun time on their own. You can provide games, coloring book, photo props, make-your-own-sundae stall, and other fun activities for them there.

Don’t forget to ask the DJ to play a few of the children’s favorite songs. Also, it will be a great idea to have their favorite foods on your wedding caterer’s list. You can also go a step further and invite your children’s and step children’s best buds to the wedding. This way they will never feel “alone” during the event in case there are not a lot of same-age children around.

This all takes just a few hours of planning, but it will make the ceremony so much more memorable for all your children. Have them join you in all the steps of the planning and preparing as well, like cake tasting and dress fittings. Ask for their opinions and make them feel that it’s not just the ceremony they’re a part of; they are in for the ride of your lifetime.

15 Chic Ideas for your “Something Blue”

June 8, 2017

The Katie Jane Photo

We are the first to say that traditions are comforting and familiar. But they can also be so passé.

We are a stickler for innovation, so if you’re tired of the same old “something blue” it’s time to be rebellious and find your own blue charm that’s creative, quirky, and YOU.

A Sapphire Engagement Ring

What’s better than a something blue that was a gift from your hubby. If you’re still trying to close in on your perfect engagement ring, choose this royally loved stone. A sapphire ring is what Prince William chose for Kate Middleton.

Groom in Blue

Got one quirky groom? You can ask him to wear dark blue pants or a blue bow on his way to the altar – that way he will be your someone blue.

Ditching the White

Okay, so these are some controversial waters we stepped in, but hear us out. If you are not totally sold on a traditional white wedding dress, more power to you. There’s nothing more picturesque than a beautiful glowing Dallas bride in color. You can opt for a spring or floral themed dress with a little blue detail, or you can choose a unicolor dress in your favorite hue that has a little blue flower sewn in. Picture-perfect!

A Somewhat Blue Monogram

If you’re not keen on using blue in your accessories, you can ask your dressmaker to sew an embroidered label with your monogram into the inside lining of your gown. Then you have your blue and it will stay with you forever.

It’s Blooming Blue

You can opt for a blue bridal bouquet that offsets the white in your dress perfectly. The wedding florists in Dallas are especially equipped to provide the bluest blooms you can find anywhere: blue hyacinths, blue privet berry, blue hydrangea, blue delphinium, purple lilac, seeded eucalyptus – the possibilities are endless.

The Hanky Charm

Care to carry some of that old world magic with you? Steal (or borrow) a handkerchief from your grandmother or your best friend, embroider your bridal monogram on it in a beautiful blue, and carry it with you on your perfect day.

Wield your Power

If you are an embroideress, or embroiderer and love the idea of personalizing your wedding gown with your own hands, you can embroider a meaningful phrase – that means a lot to both of you – inside your dress lining.

Something Borrowed

Borrow an antique piece of blue-hued jewelry from your mother or grandmother; it could be a brooch, a hairpin, or even a bracelet. You can choose to wear it or pin it to your bouquet.

Peek-a- boo

Get an antique blue ribbon, get someone to ink your hubby’s name on it in beautiful calligraphy, and sew it inside the hem of your wedding gown.

The Blue Feet

Instead of opting for matching shoes, how about going for a pair of sexy lace-trimmed blue stilettos? Oh, the genius of it!

Parade in Blue

Let go of the cliché pink and peach dressing options for your bridesmaids. Dress them in different colors of blue instead.

Darlings in Blue

Love your little nieces and nephews to death? Since they are probably going to be your flower girls and ring bearer, dress the little angels in pretty blue hues. You cannot get a cuter ‘something blue’ than that.

Arrive in Style

How about a vintage blue car for you and your bridesmaids? Go stylish and decorate the car with complementing blue colored flower-garlands.

Daddy in Blue

We saved the tear-jerker for last. Dress up your dad in stylish blue suit and have him as your something blue as he walks you down that aisle.

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