| You know what they say… the simplest ideas are often the best ideas. And in this case it’s true! Using fruit as an alternative to the traditional floral arrangement can give your table an unexpected punch of color that’s easy on the budget. Check out the tips and tricks below that will help you pull together a colorful centerpiece that looks good enough to eat!
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Helpful Tips:
#1: Use hard skinned fruit that can withstand being handled that doesn’t easily bruise. Green or red apples, pomegranites, tangerines, oranges, lemons, limes, or unripened pears are great choices.
#2: Fruit is buoyant and if you plan to add water to the vase your fruit may float. Pack your vase full of fruit to reduce the chance of fruit floating to the top.
#3: Pre-order your fruit from the produce department at your local grocery store so you don’t have to go to multiple stores to get all that you need.
#4: If you pre-order fruit ask if you can get the fruit without those annoying little stickers on them.
#5: To add a shine to the fruit rinse them in a bath of one part white vinegar to five parts water. Then towel dry to shine.
#6: Mix em’ up by using two types of fruit in one vase.
#7: Add a touch of food coloring to the water to infuse yet another element of color.
#8: Buy 10% more than you think you need. There’s nothing worse than getting to the last vase and having only two pieces left to work with.
#9: Have a “fruity” party with your friends to get all of these little guys prepared for your big day. Create an assembly line to remove stickers, wash the fruit and re-pack it into boxes.
#10: Purchase your fruit a day or two ahead and keep it covered in the box and out of sunlight.
#11: After the big day is over donate it to a local charity. |
Wrapping a color coordinated ribbon around the vase can add a great finishing touch. Instead of pearls you can opt for another colored ribbon to lay in yet another element of your color scheme.
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Check out how stylin’ your table will look by using black and white damask tablecloths with shiny red apples.
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We filled this three foot tall vase with pears and then tinted the water pink for that added glam factor.
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Prop your centerpiece up on something or set it on top of a mirror. Think about adding some soft candlelight to the ensemble for some added sparkle.
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Check out this combo, Maybe a little over the top, but the fusion of fresh limes with classic pearl beading is a cutie!
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Fill the fruit to the rim gals — the more the merrier!
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Red apples look fantastic with black, white and silver. |
There are so many options when going with a black and white color scheme. Here we accented the black and white with bright yellow lemons in an apothecary vase. Hello, Hollywood Glam!
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| Who knew something so simple could look sooo glammy? All I can say is Flowers must be jealous!
Send me your photos, ideas and thoughts on using fruit in your centerpieces to my email at stacey@weddingjunkie.com. I would love to feature your ideas in an upcoming blog.
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True confessions of a Wedding Junkie — I branded my wedding. Branding, marketing and the like are things I do everyday at work. So I thought why not bring my professional “expertise” (or so I like to think) to my own wedding. I know I’m not the only one out there who’s work life bleeds into personal life, right? You know what I mean… you’ve caught yourself at a cocktail party suggesting to your very best girlfriend to do a spreadsheet of the pro’s and con’s of her latest flavor of the week, right? We are corporate dweebs. But face it — you’ve got useful skills that will play right into your wedding plans – you Corporate Diva, you!
Think about it — with the products out there today that let you print at home or customize your wedding invitations, menu cards, placecards, etc. you have all the power to write and design whatever you want. AND this will let you put a consistent look and feel on everything. AND if you’re good enough, and you will be, even make it look like Collin Cowie and Oprah had a thing or two to do with your wedding decor.
Here are four simple elements you need to build your wedding brand.
1. Wedding Color Scheme
What are the colors of Target? Yes, red and white and frankly if you are reading this blog than you are a wedding junkie and so I know you want people to be able to recite on command the colors of YOUR wedding just like they can with Target (well maybe Bloomie’s would have been a better example… but who doesn;t love Target!) The good news is that it’s likely that you are already doing this one anyways — so, good job, you are a quarter of the way there!
2. Wedding Logo
Girls, seriously, nothing fancy here. Just a simple monogram will do… or something with a monogram and your names. Easy as pie.. and well if you don’t cook then it’s as easy as ordering a hot apple pie at McDonald’s.
3. Wedding Fonts
If you are printing things at home you want them to have a consist look and feel — using the same fonts help you do this. Pick two or three fonts that you always use. I chose a primary font for the bulk of the text on the things I was printing, and then I chose a secondary font for the headers, accents, etc.
4. Wedding Tag Line
Yes, Nike just “does it”, and you want to be doing something to. Our wedding tag line was “Live, Laugh, Love.” Before you laugh — I know, it wasn’t very original, but it was just so corny cute I couldn’t resist. That tag line appeared on a few things — menu cards, wedding invitations, and programs. It looked great, it got across how we feel about each other and how we live our lives. Pick a tag line that is representative of the two of you and go for it — even if it’s “Taste Great. Less Filling.”
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For most of the bride’s I talk with the single most important wedding design decision is the color scheme. Here’s what two of them had to say when I asked “how did you pick your colors?”
“I have always loved the color red. So, for me it was a no brainer that it would be a part of my colors. I went a little out there with the accent and chose a bright pink. Super cute!” – Shannon Hill, California “
It was beautiful! I have been dreaming my wedding up since I was three years old. I always pictured pink and white and that’s what I chose. ” – Susan Rogers, California
For these brides the color choices were easy — a color they loved or one they’ve dreamed up from day one. But what if your favorite color isn’t so wedding-chic? Or you spent most of your childhood playing with your brother’s Tonka trucks instead of Barbie’s? Never fear — here are a few interesting ways to get inspired.
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Look to Mother Nature.
Look at your garden, the sky, the ocean, or your neighborhood park for color inspiration. Who knows you may be inspired by some of the elements you pass by everyday. The photo to the right is an excellent example of this. Check out the color of the sky and the reddy-pink of the leaves. Isn’t that an amazing color combo? If you have a favorite flower that you want in your bouquet integrate the flower’s color as one of the colors in your scheme.
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Consider your surroundings.
Take a look at your ceremony and reception site. Are there certain color schemes in the existing decor? For instance, the wall color, flooring, chairs, etc. Don’t fight these elements – work with them. A great example of this was when I was recently working with a bride and she was concerned about the “ugly”black chairs in the reception hall. She didn’t have the cash to cover them or replace them so we incorporated a touch of black into her scheme. Instead of just a monochromatic blue on blue we integrated black as a secondary accent.
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It’s all about YOU!
If red is your favorite color, but your hair color is also the tone — you may want to avoid it as a primary color of your scheme. After all, you won’t be wearing the color, but you will be photographed next to your maids and you want to look as fantastic as possible. So I say, pick a color that compliments your skin tone.
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photo from www.ariadress.com
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