2013 BEST WEDDING TRENDS

Time goes by so fast! Christmas is nothing but a glitter in our minds, summer has come and gone (just kidding, it’s just a bit cold right now) and the Wedding Season is upon us. For those who decided on a Spring Wedding, you’re dealing with the last details, your theme was chosen way back. But for all of the others that will get married in 2013, maybe you’re still looking for inspiration. A few experienced bloggers have told us that there are many very interesting trends in 2013. I chose 15 of those trends that I particularity like and you can find pictures that illustrate them perfectly just by selecting the links to their boards on my Pinterest.

15. Cool Patterns & Prints

Stripes, polka dots, chevron, black & white, colours, pretty little flowers, on dresses, accessories, bouquet, tables… This trend surprises and charms us, makes us smile and most of all, distinguishes itself with loads of personality.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/lovely-romantic-prints/

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/colorful-surprising-patterns/

14. Cosy Lounge Areas

Small islands of tranquility & privacy are spreading all over venues, for animated conversations or just to catch your breath. Elegant, romantic, modern, vintage, these lounge areas show many enveloping moods.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/lounging-around/

13. Fluttering Garlands

Colorful, with paper, flowers, hearts, garlands gracefully invade ceilings, ceremonies, decor.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/hanging-around/

12. Split Personality Cakes

Modern with a pop of embellishment or bright  with all over appliques, cakes are astonishing and mouth-watering.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/2013-cake-trends/

11. Backgrounds Take the Lead

For ceremonies, pictures, cakes, backgrounds are full of creativity, they shine brightly, they glitter, they drape, they play a supporting role in the show.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/unique-backgrounds/

10. Green is this Year’s Colour: in Emerald & Mint

Green gets romantic, tender, reserved but charming with its mint tone or it exudes elegance, with its rich and sumptuous emerald version.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/fresh-mint/

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/precious-emerald/

9. Covered Centerpieces

Glass bells, birdcages, lanterns fill up with flowers, candles, surprises.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/covered-centerpieces/

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/birdcages/

8. Brilliant Paper Lanterns

Monochrome ou multicolored, small or big, round or square, paper lanterns flourish in clusters or in garlands around the bridegrooms.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/paper-lanterns/

7. Radiant Rainbow Colours

Completely out there and filled with humor, this trend is in a class of its own with its bright audacity. It puzzles with its multicolored accents that show up on bridesmaid feet and under brides’ dresses, it seduces with its flowers and its lights that brighten up tables, cakes, spaces.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/a-rainbow-wedding/

6. Enchanting LoveBirds

Two interpretations of this theme are coming back strong with a multitude of superb or delightful details. Feathers, nests, garlands, lovebirds liven up dresses, tables, halls.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/peacock-feathers/

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/love-bird-wedding/

5. Charming 20s

The roaring 20s influence is transforming events with its Great Gatsby atmosphere, its distinctive dresses, its particular hairstyles, its feathers, glitter and pearls and Art deco accents.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/the-roaring-20s/

4. Bold Flowers

Flowers are showing off bright colours, they explode in sumptuous arrangements, they fall over in cascade out of the brides hands and they turn the spotlight on peonies.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/big-bold-flowers/

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/a-cascade-of-flowers/

3. Revealing Lace

Everlasting symbol of romance, lace is forsaking simplicity for richness, it wraps tenderly heads, hands, bodies, chairs, tables, invitations, flowers.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/lace-lace-and-more-lace/

2. Elegance is back

With diamonds, draping and chandeliers, elegance is taking a unique place in the heart of the bridegrooms. It relaxes, reinventing and surrounding itself with superb elements, luxurious textures and brilliant ideas.

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/an-elegant-affair/

1. Do whatever you want!

Bridegrooms are paying no attention to trends and breaking with traditions, they are bursting with formal or outstanding ideas, they are surrounding themselves with personal and characteristic details, they are creating their wedding in their image.

BONUS: Beer for everyone!

I couldn’t forget that timid little trend, less widespread, but so laid-back and refreshing in my eyes. Beer takes on successfully a very distinguish aura, it offers itself as a gift, it flows freely making its  often forgotten fans, so happy!

http://www.pinterest.com/francemo/have-a-cold-one/

Got you interested? Come back soon, I’ll develop some of these trends, tell you why they got my attention and which ideas I find particularly creative.

If you want to know more right away, you can click on the links below and read all the references I used to base my opinion.

http://www.weddingblogs100.com/2013-wedding-trends.html

http://www.bridalguide.com/planning/wedding-reception/wedding-trends-for-2013

http://www.refinery29.com/wedding-trends

http://eventadore.com/site/2013-wedding-trends/

http://www.weddingelation.com/wedding-reception/wedding-trends-for-2013-colors-decor-theme/

http://www.societybride.com/tag/wedding-trends-2013/

http://www.bridaltweet.com/page/2013-wedding-trends

http://weddingrepublic.com/blog/2013-wedding-trends-ideas-inspiration-for-this-years-bride/

CHRISTMAS ON MY MIND

I will take a little break from weddings and cakes to share with you another one of my passions… Christmas. Here’s something that will probably change the way you see me, but what the hell: I have a 47 Santa Claus collection, that I display every year, with so much pleasure. Tacky? Noooo! They’re so cute, don’t you think?

Yeah, I’m a Christmas freak and I totally own that! When, on Halloween, the Dollorama starts to put out their Christmas decorations, I really have to dig my heels in not to buy them right away. And then I start, right at that moment, to think about centerpieces, arrangements and wreaths! It’s a sickness, I know, but a very inspiring sickness.

And what’s more, in the last few years, Christmas is having a blast. We aren’t only stuck with red, gold and green anymore. These colours are still classic, but we can now find Christmas decorations in all colours! Pink, purple, turquoise, lime green! Look how beautiful!

A big trend that is still going on this year? Feathers! Bouclair has gorgeous feathers  trees and wreaths that will modernize any Christmas decor:  www.bouclair.com/content/holidays2012/.  Actually, you can find there a multitude of beautiful and more than affordable Christmas knickknacks, from the whimsical ball to the sparkling table runner, from the shiny tinny tree to the colorful plates. My advice, wait for the week following Christmas, everything is on sale, at least 50% off. It’s really worth it!

The Dolloramas, the Dollar Max depot in Boucherville, HomeSence and Zellers are all amazing places to find all sorts of decorations, balls, ribbons, bauble, candles, at a very little price. With a little bit of imagination and less than 20$, you can dream up stunning centerpieces and sensational wreaths. That is what I’m gonna show you in the following weeks, with my own creations and the ones I found on Pinterest. Here’s a little taste, a trendy centerpiece I’ve done last year and a very classic one I did last week.

It’s a date? See you then!

ART NOUVEAU: WEDDING CAKES, Part 4

VERY TRENDY: CUPCAKES & MINI CAKES

In the last few years, one of the biggest trend in bakery has been cupcakes. Cupcakes shops have multiplied in Montreal, as everywhere. Cupcakes can be perfect interpretations of wedding romanticism, because their frosting can become a rose, a pearl, a heart, anything that represents love and the union of two people.

These are one of my favorites… what woman can resist shoes?

Cakes & Cupcakes

What is also very trendy is to create a beautiful small cake, to put it on a tall display and to surround it with cupcakes of the same colours and theme. You can go for romanticism or colour. I think it’s brilliant, since every guest gets his or hers own cupcake. And the visual impact is very interesting.

Mini Cakes

If you like the cupcake idea, but you want to be different, you can go for mini cakes, those exquisite little creations, delicate and elegant. They also can be the reflection of the wedding colours and theme.

Cakes & Mini Cakes

The visual impact is as interesting when you display a normal shape cake with all of his little reproductions. Once more, details are in fashion, be it small bows, pretty little flowers or vibrant colours.

Of all of the trends I’ve seen up until now in wedding cakes, I must say that the cupcakes & mini cakes are the ones that really charmed me the most. I love the idea of individual portions and the many shapes and details made me, more than once, gasp “Oh my God!”.

You can find all of these little wonders on my boards, http://pinterest.com/francemo, in “Delicious Cupcakes” and “Gorgeous Mini Cakes”, with their links to their own websites. You’ll also find many other beautiful examples!

Can you believe that I’m only halfway done with the kinds of wedding cakes I want to show you? I’m amazed at the quantity of ideas that I found on that subject and if, like me,  your appetite is still unsatisfied, my next post will fulfil you plenty!

To be continued…

ART NOUVEAU: WEDDING CAKE, Part 3

BOLD COLOURS & A DASH OF WHIMSY

If you want to get away from convention and make a big impression, you can choose a wedding cake with bold colours or a surprising shape or with unique decorations. And when you go that way, that is where the master bakers creativity really take flight!

Bright Colours

A few years ago, it was uncommon to see wedding cakes in bright colours like fuchsia, orange, red or yellow. Even if it’s so beautiful!

You wouldn’t have dared combining such a bold colour as fuchsia with orange (trendy!) or…

… lime green (surprising!) or …

…black (modern!) or even…

… purple (brilliant!).

And who would have thought to add some lime green as a third colour (inspired!).

Because lime green was usually used as an accent colour, never with beautiful hues as purple, like these.

Purple was more often classic or romantic, it would go with white or pale pink. By combining it to pops of bright colours, like red, you make it vibrant!

Blue were more reserved, in pastels or navy. They never took the beautiful shade of turquoise and they never dared to mingle with fuchsia or lilac.

These days, there’s no limits to colours combinations, you can go all out,  be daring, you can stun and have a blast, and the results are simply breathtaking!

Unusual Shapes

It’s not only the colours that have evolved, the cake shapes also became innovative, unusual and so creative!

A Blast of Shapes, Colours & Ideas

It is now the new normal to play with colours and shapes and to dare to be different. There’s no limit to whimsical, cakes have become the reflexion of the bridegroom’s personality. Innovation is in, for everyone’s pleasure!

Here’s my favorite! This cake shows its creator’s sense of humor and it’s the perfect conclusion to this whirlwind of colours and shapes!

You can find all these cakes, and more like them, on my Pinterest boards at http://pinterest.com/francemo, with the links to their own websites.

And I’m not done surprising you with gorgeous wedding cakes… my addiction to them led me to discover real treasures of creativity…

To be continued…

A VERY SPECIAL WEDDING: Part 3

AT LAST, THE RIGHT DIRECTION!

At last, I found the basis for my concept, my whole theme. Forget about rustic or wood, and go for elegance, transparency and organic. And all of a sudden, everything settles in my head, it becomes clear, logical, aesthetic.

My starting point is still my little square green and orange arrangements, in which I will add a little bit of yellow, an element of surprise that will set off the other 2 colours.

These arrangements are now at the head table. I got my inspiration from these 2 pictures:

Instead of 2 rows, I will only have one and I will alternate the greenery and gerberas arrangements with candles in orange-colored water, also in square vases. In the middle, 2 rectangular vases, filled with grass and 2 gerberas, a little bit like this picture.

On each side, 5 square vases alternating arrangements and candles, all of it on a row of square mirrors. So, green and orange, an organic texture, with the grass, the leaves, the moss and a lot of luminosity with the candles, the water et the mirrors. I continue with that theme for the round tables, but I adapt it to fit the shape and the space. I give my own spin to one of the very popular trend. A rond mirror, 3 circular vases of different heights, submerged flowers and floating candles.

At last, I know what I’m doing and I know it’s gonna be beautiful! But I need to find the elements. I left for my third shopping outing, my head filled with those superb images. I found the tallest vase at the Dollorama, for only 2$. I didn’t want it to be too high, to interfere with the guests field of vision and this one is perfect! I have a feeling that it will be a bit more difficult to find the other 2 heights. Continuing with my mission, I laid my hand on a gorgeous spray of orange flowers at Homesense, that will be beautiful in the tall vases. As I was picking up the rectangular vases at JYSK, my eyes caught a package of cylindrical shooter glasses… Great idea, glasses as vases, and 6 for only $5,99! With that new idea, I ran back to the glasses aisle at Homesense, but found nothing there. No more luck at Stokes.  But on the way, I picked up my 8 beautiful orange gerberas and my cute little grass balls at Z’Axe and came back home, my hands filled with my purchases and very proud of myself. I then went to the Ikea’s web site to discover the perfect height glasses to complete my trio. 6 glasses for $9,99! Here you go, my centerpieces are settled. All I have to do now is test the flower, the candles and the garnish I want to add to them.

LIME GREEN & BUBBLE GUM PINK, SO PRETTY

Bubble gum pink and lime green are very punchy colour often used for kids theme, which may make you hesitant to use it for your own wedding. But forget about your hesitation! Those two colours will bring impact and dynamism to your decor and they are so pretty!

Here’s a few beautiful examples to prove my point.

I myself had the pleasure to combine those two colours that I particularly love. My starting point? I fell in love with a super cute basket found at Homesence ($5,99) and here’s where inspiration got me.

I bought all the flowers at Dollorama ($1), with the wooden candle holders ($2), the mat ($1),the small plastic bowl (3 for 1$), I found the flower tea ligh (4 for 2$) at the overwhelming  shambles “Du Dollard” in Brossard, the fuchsia ($4,99) and the green candle holder ($5,99) at Bouclair and finally the green bottle ($1) at Marché des Valeurs.

And for my own pleasure, I created a few table numbers that would go so well in a green and pink wedding decor.

FLOWERS, Part 2

For the ceremony, I decided to line the aisle with 4 long vase arrangements. I found some beautiful tropical flowers, fuchsia and orange, at the Dollorama. I added colored sand, bamboos, tulle and foliage, to create superb arrangements, in all modesty.

On the other hand, I had to really spend a lot of time looking for nice roses and petals. Because, cheap roses, like the ones you find at the Dollorama, are really ugly and tacky. So I took my time, I search everywhere to find the best quality/ price. I finally found the best  place,  www.efavormart.com , which had all kinds of beautiful flowers at a very reasonable price. I also ordered an aisle runner, round mirrors and candles, so that the delivery price was worth it. It’s always a bit nerve-racking to get a web order, because you haven’t seen the merchandise and sometimes there can be bad surprises.

In this case, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the flowers (I had a bad surprise with the rest of the shipping, but that is another post). I was able to create a lovely bouquet for the bridegroom table, which couldn’t have looked better, even with fresh flowers, in my opinion.

I used the rose blossoms in my centerpieces and in several little arrangements for the gift table.

I also used them in my tulle concoction behind the bride and groom and all around the room.

For the rose petals, I shopped around and found http://www.petalgarden.com/, a really good website. They have a great selection and even a tool that can help to calculate how much petals you need, according to your needs, be it for a complete aisle or only on the centerpieces. You then can order a sample pack of 84 colour samples, for only $5. That way you can see the colours and choose the perfect ones. The prices are really good, with many bargains and the delivery is quick. The result was really pretty. I sprinkled most of it in the aisle and the rest on the tables.

My total budget for flowers and petals for the ceremony and reception: $145. For the following: 4 aisles arrangements, 12 centerpieces, 4 bouquets, 5 littles arrangements for the gift table, the central point of my tulle drape, two columns and a 30 feet aisle. Pretty good, no? Just the bridal bouquet can cost up to $150. Obviously, I couldn’t have done all of this with fresh flowers. I would have had to compromise my vision, while in this case I didn’t and the results were superb. So this is my argument in favor of artificial flowers. It is quite possible to create very beautiful things for a very reasonable budget!