Trend Alert! Justin & Jessica Celeb Wedding Trends! Oh, How Wedding Journalists Annoy me!

So I’m flipping through the LA Times and I see that they’ve shoe-horned a  little wedding section into the paper this past Sunday.  It’s your usual assortment of articles, the charming quirky dress saleswoman at Saks, the etiquette of putting photos on Instagram, nothing that those of us who actually make our living doing this haven’t written about a hundred times.  But there was one piece that really stuck out. It was the obligatory “What’s new & hot in weddings” article.  It illustrates my whole problem with the idea of “hot wedding ideas”

Titled “Weddings from a Simpler Time,” the piece describes the “boho chic” trend, and discusses such elements as mason jar centerpieces, wildflowers, picnic tables, and popularity of the craft marketplace Etsy.

Love the boho chic mason jar look? So do we! We don’t care if it’s trendy, we want your wedding beautiful and you happy.

Um, LA Times? 2010 called and wants its wedding trend article back.  They write that “one out of every four weddings in 2011″ had this vintage type theme. Are they aware that we are approaching the end of 2012? Don’t they know editors have moved on to Roaring Twenties/ Great Gatsby weddings? Here’s my take- it’s still beautiful, whether or not it’s “popular”

Now if you read this blog, you know how I feel about trends.  Basically, they are all well and good, but I really think brides should have weddings they and their partners love, not that are dictated to them by the editors of magazines. And this article goes to show why! They often have no idea what they are talking about. The people who see the trends as they develop in the field are the designers (hint – us)! We can help you find the pieces of what’s new that fit into a look you already love to keep your wedding fresh and unique.  So this Halloween, read the magazines, just keep in mind they aren’t sent from on high.  As the LA Times demonstrates, sometimes they are the ghosts of wedding trends past! And who believes ghosts should design your wedding? No one.

Live well, and love well.

-Dinah

Nothing better than a happy couple! Exhibit A: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel

Yep – for wedding professional there is NOTHING better than the couple being happy after the wedding.  So congratulations to the planners (and judging by the grandeur of the affair – there must have been a full team) who pulled off the wedding Justin called “a magical experience.”

We’d like to think we do a fair bit of magic ourselves.  Every so often, we get confirmation that our “act” was a success.  We couldn’t resist sharing this sweet email from a recent bride we love, Gretchen.

Hi Gregory –

I just had to say THANK YOU for making my bouquet and flowers EXACTLY perfect for our wedding!! you nailed it! i will definitely write a good yelp review, and i will also pass along the pictures when i get them. (Abi Q did the photography). The attached pic is fuzzy, but

We’re so glad that our bride Gretchen loved her bouquet! A perfect Palm Springs bride!

nonetheless…thought i’d share. also, there maybe some on istagram #paulandgretchen.

Anwyay, thank you for getting my flowers TOTALLY right!!!

best,
Gretchen

Thanks for the wonderful note Gretchen! We love those Yelp! reviews, and also those on www.weddingwire.com.

Have a MAGICAL day everyone!

-Dinah

What Martha Stewart Doesn’t Want You To Know: Wedding Advice Books Exposed

I brought two wedding books to the store yesterday to add to our growing library. (Yes, My Little Flower Shop, top Palm Springs florist, is building a wedding book library)! Looking at books with our brides gives us a chance to prepare them for the inevitable moment of panic in the ‘Weddings” section at Barnes and Noble.

At any bookstore in America you’ll find glassy-eyed people in the wedding section, not knowing which way to turn. Seriously, it’s worse than the paper towel aisle at the grocery store. (What’s on sale? Is that the cheapo brand?  How may rolls in the pack? Are they Mega-Rolls?)

If you know what to expect, you won’t be discouraged by these experiences of book-overload.   So, knowing that the mountain of information you’ll face,  keep these tips in mind.

  • Wedding planning books are not required reading, and 99.9% of what’s in them probably doesn’t apply to you. (Are you inviting Norwegian royalty to your wedding? Didn’t think so).

    Reading Offbeat Bride
    Reading Offbeat Bride (Photo credit: Aron Meudt)
  •  Once you’ve got the books, (and this is the important part,) they do not need to be  followed obsessively to the letter. They are not written in stone. They were not given to us at Mount Sinai.
  • Books should be considered guidance, opinion and advice. From someone who doesn’t care if you ignore them.
  • How about looking in the library? If you find one you love, buy it. If not you’re not out $35.00 for a book you don’t need.

Bottom line? Talk to the vendors you’re working with! Their advice is the most valuable of all.  In terms of how they do weddings, and work with their clients, well, they wrote the book.

Be well, and love well.

-Dinah

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