So Many Colors, Too Many Choices: How to Pick Colors for Your Wedding

Sometimes couples are surprised by what they assumed would be a somewhat simple decision being harder than they expected - deciding what their colors will be for their wedding! It can be hard. The colors you choose can impact the formality of the wedding, the overall atmosphere conveyed by the tablescapes and decor, and the implementation of a theme. Brides and grooms may disagree on what color scheme to choose. On top of that, if some of the parents are paying for the wedding, they may feel that they should have some veto power, or at least a vote.

But let's set all of that aside for the moment, and talk about a few ways you can find inspiration for your color scheme, aside from just looking in bridal magazines.



1. Look in your closet

There is probably a prevailing color, or a a tone that is prominent. This can be a launching point for selecting your scheme. If this was one of our client's closets, we would recommend looking at guavas, persimmons, corals, and possibly watermelon with accents of brown.



2. An absolutely mesmerizing scarf.

At An Amazing Affair, we have a huge lot of scarves - from the '60's through today - with all tones, shades, patterns and colors. It is a box of inspiration that we add to frequently. If you see a scarf that catches your eye, it can serve as your color swatch as you design your entire wedding! We have had brides that then use the inspirational scarf as the wrap on their bridal bouquet instead of ribbon. Such a nice touch.



These three Liberty of London Scarves give you an idea of how a scarf can give you inspiration for a main color, a complementary color and an accent color that all work together (that you may not notice otherwise).


3. Go to the paint store!

While working with a Santa Barbara bride several years ago, she and her fiance had reached a mental block in regards to what color scheme to use. He wanted more vibrant colors, she was a fan of more muted, earthy tones. Looking in magazines did not seem to work. Looking in the scarf box nearly led to a..... let's say a heated debate. A trip to a gown store was system overload for the groom. I looked at the two of them and said, "Get in your car and follow me." I took them to the Home Depot. (Needless to say - they were confused in the parking lot!)

We went inside and went straight to the paint department. I asked them to pick at least three combination cards (one of the cards with a main color, an accent color, and the trim color). It was so cute - they asked if they could look together or if it had to be separately! I told them either way was fine, and stepped out of their way. It was so heartwarming to see them start to chat over the paint chips, and ask each other's opinion, and select several cards - together.



Paint experts know what will work as an ensemble of color. If it works in a beautiful interior, it will work in your wedding. The groom may also be more comfortable discussing colors in the comfort of the hardware store.




4. Hit the Art Museum

This may seem obvious, but if you are having a mental block regarding color scheme, head to an art museum or gallery. See what catches your eye. The cool thing is if one particular piece really gets your attention, you can often purchase a postcard or small copy of the artwork in the gift shop and have that as your inspiration centerpiece throughout the planning process.



One of our clients then had the artwork at the wedding as part of the reception table decor. While the Impressionist genre naturally offers a lot of inspiration, look at other types of artwork as well. you might be surprised at what will touch your heart, and your eyes.


5. Nature

This one is a no brainer. Head out to a botanical garden or a local nursery, and see what nature has to offer. Forests, hiking paths through canyons or meadows, and parks are all options. Another great place to go is near a body of water - the colors and reflections near any water is incredible. Just get outside!

It is best if you can actually go out and visit in person rather than just search galleries online. When you are searching for inspiration, your best bet is to engage as many of your senses as possible.



Hopefully, if you are facing a mental block regarding your color scheme one of these ideas will help you make a decision. With most of these ideas, you can incorporate a fun date with your fiance as you do your research.

Contact us at An Amazing Affair via email at bridgetanndooney@anamazingaffair.com or give us a call at 310.909.6769 for further assistance and even more color ideas.

Bridget Ann Dooney
Certified Bridal Consultant
An Amazing Affair

Kids at the wedding? Or no kids at the wedding?

Romantic visions of girls with charming dresses with bows and sashes being chased across a lush green lawn by tuxedoed boys, bow ties askew, with gorgeous grown ups looking on holding champagne flutes and knowing grins on their faces.....that is the dream of kids at your wedding.  And this moment might happen.  Other moments might happen too - a child crying right during the exchange of vows, and no one beyond the first two rows can here you.  Toddlers and young children taking over the dance floor.  Temper tantrums.  Tipsy teens (inadvertently, of course).  Sugar crazies followed by sleeping sugar slumps. And, this is tough to say but true, spotlight stealers.  

Absolutely, your own children and your fiance's children should be there and when it is right for the kids, be a part of the proceedings.  But how do you decide on other people bringing their children?  If you do decide to have "No Kids", at what age are they able to come?  How do you address this in invitations and addressing of invitations?  And, worst of all, how do you handle it if you are having a "No Kids" wedding and someone shows up with their kids?  Argh.  

First of all, let me assure you that this is a choice that you and your fiance can make confidently and based on your desires entirely.  Do not allow anyone else to pressure you one way or the other.  The two of you need to decide privately, and then stand behind your decision.  In all likelihood, you will be spending somewhere between $25,000 to $40,000 (if not more) on this ceremonial life changing event.  You get to decide, and either decision is fine.  Your 6 year old nephew will have no lasting impact on his life one way or the other if he attends your wedding or not.  And the new parents that just cannot imagine leaving Junior or Junette with a sitter at just 9 months old - they will either get a sitter and thank you later, or they can stay home and you and your love will still get married and have an awesome time.

Second, if you dream of being surrounded by lovely children like an Estee Lauder perfume advertisement, you can do that too!!  You run the risk of having people get upset that children are there.  Too bad!  This is one issue where, as mentioned above, you and your fiance decide to suit yourselves.  So, your Uncle Herbert might leave the reception early because of all the young hooligans, or you may hear chatter that the kids are interfering with the dancing.  Oh well.  If you have the feeling and photos and ambiance you want, then that is all that matters.

So, here are some thoughts to consider while making the decision:

1.  Wedding days are long - even for adults.  

2.  The time of day and your venue may help make the decision.  An outdoor daytime wedding will handle the presence of children with less impact on other guests than a formal evening with dinner and dancing in a banquet hall. 

3.  Guests want to hear the vows and the ceremony (usually!).  Babies and children can interfere with this in a significant way.  Work with your wedding coordinator to have a separate room or area with a video feed so that parents that need to leave with a crying child can still watch the proceedings without ruining it for other guests.  Let your guests know that you have set up this special lounge for them.  

4.  If you are having your wedding at a hotel or a banquet facility, arrange a daycare room, and provide a Red Cross Certified babysitter for your guests to use as needed.  This can be a godsend for the parents of babies and toddlers, especially if they are traveling from out of town and have to bring their kids with them on the trip.

5.  If you are not having children at the wedding, include information regarding babysitting services in your area to your out of town guests.  Many hotels have recommended and approved sitters that will come right to the hotel.  Or www.care.com and www.sittercity.com have built good reputations for having skilled and reliable sitter services.

There really isn't a right or wrong answer regarding this issue.  Make your own choice.  Remember, as W. C. Fields said, "Never work with children or animals".  However, I believe he did both!

Let me know if you have any questions, or additional ideas on this issue!

Encore Brides. Really?

Really?  The phrase for people getting married that have been married before is now an "encore bride and groom"  or an "encore wedding".  I am not so sure this is an accurate use of the word encore.  Are they suggesting that someone who has been married and (for the most part) are now divorced are being requested by the audience to get married again because they did such a great job on the first one?  Surely, (and yes - this writer is an "encore bride") that is not the case in my life! And doesn't an encore suggest that the same characters who performed that evening would come out again to perform again?  Wouldn't "encore" be a more appropriate word to use to describe a vow renewal?  Then, at least, the same cast of characters would be involved. Regardless of the accuracy of the term, there are an awful lot of encore weddings going on.  And many people have strong ideas about how they should be.  Should the bride wear a full, white gown?  Should there be bridesmaids and ushers?  What elements of a first wedding are now deemed wrong for the second?  Or the third?  Or, if you are going Elizabeth Taylor style - the seventh? This is a mystery to me.  If two people are in love, and they want to celebrate their union and new life with a wedding, why should they diminish the event just because they married the wrong person (and yes, they may have been the wrong person for the other as well) in the past?  In many ways, I almost feel that the second, or third, or seventh wedding should be grander than the first!  You are boldly proclaiming that you believe in the institution of marriage and the ritual of a wedding in spite of any previous experiences!   Of course, some people may say that I feel this way because I plan weddings, and that I just want people to spend more money on their next wedding.  This is not quite true.  When I looked at my third husband, and we were planning our wedding, I told him that I love him more than I have loved anyone else in my lifetime.  I did not want to dilute our wedding plans, or wear less of a bridal gown, or have fewer flowers than I did at my first wedding. I am more excited and confident entering into this relationship, and wanted to show our friends and family this feeling through our celebration. Some of my clients that are encore brides do want a smaller, or more subdued wedding because they realized that all of the extravagance was not really their style, or it did not make they day or the marriage more successful.  That is fine too! The beauty of it all is we live in a time when you can plan the wedding of your dreams, the day you desire, whether you have been married before or not.  Just let yourself create a memory for you and your groom that suits your style.

Top Ten Reasons to hire a Wedding Coordinator

Here are our Top Ten Reasons why you should hire a wedding coordinator soon after your engagement!

1.  TIME

      Planning, shopping, comparing, deciding, tasting, reviewing, negotiating, creating, listing, writing, calling, driving, finding, reference checking, inviting, placating.....it all takes an enormous amount of time.  If you and your fiancé both work, the challenges of the time organizing a wedding can be daunting.  Whether it is a large or small wedding, many of the tasks involved take the same amount of time to complete.

2.  MONEY

    Weddings - especially in the Los Angeles area - are expensive.  Many brides and grooms have to eliminate whole elements of their dream wedding because they cannot afford to "have it all".  At An Amazing Affair, we have relationships with local talent and vendors for your wedding at the BEST price.  This allows you to have the wedding you desire without sacrificing what you want.   Many of our clients make up the difference in hiring us in their flower bill alone.

3.  SANITY

    We all have our family and friends to rely on during the entire wedding process.  However, there are times when it is wonderful to have an unbiased third party confidant to help with tough decisions, offer honest advice, and to be a liaison if tensions arise among the wedding party or families.

4.  DREAMS TO REALITY
     Do you have visions of fairy lights suspended over on open courtyard?  Personalized Photos for place card holders? Transforming a "banquet hall" into a magnificent woodland grotto?  AND - do you want it to look lush and beautiful rather than like a prom hall from the '80's?  We sit with brides and grooms and actually make sketches of their visions.  We then work with our talented production and lighting specialists to turn your vision into reality.

5.  ALL THE EXTRAS

    Did you want an Engagement Party, but never got around to pulling it off in time?  Did you think about writing a special letter to each bridesmaid to give her at the rehearsal dinner but forgot?  At An Amazing Affair, in addition to all of the "regular" wedding coordination services, we have thought of the sentimental extras that add depth and emotion to your engagement and wedding.  

6.  MESSAGE DELIVERY

    With our full services, we offer a 30 minute phone consultation with the Maid of Honor and the Best Man.  During this consultation, we let them know the responsibilities of the position, as well as delivering any requests and wishes regarding Bachelor and Bachelorette parties.  

7.  DO-IT-YOURSELF or LET-US-DO-IT-ALL

    At An Amazing Affair, we work with DIY brides and grooms as well as clients who wouldn't know a glue gun from a Bedazzler!  It is a misconception that DIY brides do not need a coordinator! 

8.  ENJOY THE WEDDING - ONE AND ALL!

     While your friends and family may offer to help with the day of the wedding, why not let everyone have the day off and just enjoy the moments, enjoy the time with you, relax into the ceremony and reception.  Let An Amazing Affair do the heavy lifting.

9.  DECISIONS

     Theme or no theme?  Kids or no kids?  Large party or small?  Buffet or family style or sit down dinner?  Open bar?  Wording on the invitations?  Daytime or evening?  Religious or secular?  DJ or band?  Champagne toast?  Favors or a candy bar?  Photo booth?  Lighting specialist?  Fascinator or veil?  We will give you the information you need to make the right decision for you and your family.

10.  PERSONALIZATION

    Yes, personalization.  Believe it or not, oftentimes more of your personality and your fiancé’s personality will shine through the rehearsal, ceremony, cocktail hour and reception when you turn over the planning to us.  Make the day your own......let us help.

 www.anamazingaffair.com