At Branches Catering, we know how important your wedding day is to you! That is why we love to help by offering tips and ideas to assist with your wedding planning. Here are some great ideas from eleGALA.com about how to use floral arrangements and decorations to set your wedding apart from the rest!

Source: eleGALA.com

These unique and modern ideas for wedding flowers and decorations are sure to inspire your own creations.

Your wedding flowers offer ample opportunity to stretch your creative muscles and add a bit of originality to your wedding day, so don’t be afraid to design a floral scheme that bucks tradition. This list of our favorite ideas for bridal bouquets, centerpieces, colors, and other decorations is a great place to start designing a memorable decor scheme.

Play with Shape

Arrangements with a just-picked, unstructured look are replacing the tightly bound bouquet and centerpiece shapes of previous seasons. Ensure a modern, not messy, look by choosing the right flowers. Hearty blooms like roses, orchids, and amaranthus work well in looser arrangements because of the sleek shape of the individual blooms. Seeded eucalyptus will add texture without looking messy. Also consider incorporating non-floral elements like feathers, wheat, berries, and crystals to add interest and depth.

Think Pink

Believe it or not, pink is back. From bright, honeysuckle, and coral shades to classic, sophisticated blush tones, we can expect to see both in the 2011 wedding color palette. Many brides are daring to think beyond basic hot pink by incorporating the softer shades into their floral schemes with garden roses, peonies, and even mini-carnations, which offer great texture. Avoid chocolate brown (so last year!), and instead pair your brighter coral pink with tangerine and lemon yellow, while warm grays and gentle golds will complement the softer, rosey, champagne pink.

Look Beyond the Vase

Options abound beyond the basic floral vase for holding your flowers. Consider instead mixing and matching clusters of unique containers like old bottles, mason jars, vintage tins, pitchers, or milk glass to add interest and reflect your wedding theme. Some ideas: Fill watering cans with wild flowers for a garden fete, or cluster old apothecary jars with just one or two blooms in each each.

Lighten Up

Candles, always a popular choice for centerpieces, are becoming even more popular as a budget and eco-friendly enhancement to traditional floral centerpieces. Ample candlelight lends the day a romantic, organic feel, while the natural resource saves electricity and drapes the setting with an intimate glow. A large cluster of votives in the center of the table will set things aglow. Using long, rectangular tables? Fill the entire center of the table with votives, in rows, pressed tight together.

Go Green

Going green is easy when it comes to wedding flowers. Consult Mother Nature for inspiration and bring the outdoors in. Natural objects like stones, antlers, even twigs can add an organic aesthetic to your reception décor. Place in rustic containers or place amongst pillar candles for added ambiance.

Make It Personal

Further seeking to personalize their weddings, brides are using their wedding flowers to call out specific interests by incorporating unique items into bouquets and centerpieces and creating a conversation piece for guests. For instance: Bookworms can use use intricately piled leather-bound books in place of floral centerpieces, and wine lovers can use wine bottles and decanters as centerpiece holders.

Tie it Together

The hand-tied bouquet continues its reign as the most popular bouquet style as brides opt for a tailored and natural look to their wedding flowers. A fresh bunch of flowers gathered and wrapped in a wide satin ribbon or lace presents the look of simple elegance, but brides wishing to up the glam of this otherwise simple look can embellish the bouquet with brooches, pins, and crystal picks.

A Single Bloom

Using a single type of bloom is a simple, elegant, and interesting approach. The texture of one type of flower can make for incredible, consistent texture. Peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, and mums are a timeless choice for this technique, while mini-carnations and dahlias are unexpected but fun. Tulips and daffodils are stunning in spring, and lisianthus looks amazing alone because of the multiple blooms and buds on each stem.

Lose the Corsage

Modern brides are forgoing corsages and instead having the moms carry nosegays down the aisle. Besides the fact that corsages tend to conjure up memories of proms gone bad, there’s practical reason for this trend because it saves the dress – often made from fragile fabric – from pulling and tearing from the weight of the corsage.

Click here for the full article.

Branches Catering wants to help you plan your wedding on a budget! We know that wedding planning can be timely and expensive, but we want to help you make the process efficient and cost-effective. Here are some ideas from project wedding for creating beautiful, memorable centerpieces without breaking the bank.

Source: project wedding

Don’t let the stunning details of your wedding break the bank. Get these elegant centerpieces without spending a fortune. (expert advice)

No doubt that in planning your wedding, you’ve spent a bundle on a sumptuous feast, a great band, and the honeymoon of your dreams. And though you want your wedding photos to look like those in magazines, you’re probably also looking for ways to save money without sacrificing good taste (and without anyone noticing). Is that even possible? Absolutely! Spend your money where it counts most (like on your gown!). The savings will come in handy when you put together your own simple yet elegant centerpieces.

The best centerpieces are those that draw the eye to the beauty of the entire table. When arranging your table displays, remember that size matters! Your centerpiece shouldn’t be too obvious or overpower the place settings. Think of it as putting together an outfit. For the best results, everything on your table should complement everything else. (Tip: Decorate using an odd number of items.)

Here are some great ideas for glamorous, low-cost table decorations. Before making your decision, consider the style of your reception, the time of day or night, the season, and the mood you wish to set.

Theme Wedding

If your wedding has a theme, it can be lots of fun to use items associated with it for your centerpiece. For example, if you are getting married at the beach, you can fill a big, round fishbowl halfway with sand and beautiful shells. If your reception is close to the winter holidays, you may like a big, white bowl filled with silver and/or gold ornaments. And if your wedding is on New Year’s Eve, a container of sparkly wands, pinwheels, noisemakers, and festive blowouts will allow your guests to ring in your new life and the New Year when the time is right!

Sentimental Savvy

For a personal touch (and to make your folks cry), think nostalgia! Choose two medium-sized silver or gold picture frames for each table. Put a picture of you when you were a child in one and a picture of your new husband as a child in the other. Next, set up the frames facing away from one another, and then behind the frames and around the bottom, place greens, sparkly garlands, loose ribbon, or a topiary to hide the backs of the frames and to complete this sweet ensemble. You may also arrange 3-5 frames in a cluster and then fill them with your favorite family photos. This will encourage your guests to mingle as they walk around to view all the pictures!

Edible Centerpieces

Here’s a choice that will also tease your guests and make them drool! Fill a clear decanter with assorted candies or chocolates wrapped in silver or gold (or your favorite colored) paper. As the night progresses, your guests will enjoy the design and can snack on this centerpiece as temptation becomes too much to bear!

Another new choice in centerpieces is cupcakes! Simply use a small cake tier, place it in the center of the table, and fill each level with cupcakes topped with your choice of white or colored frosting and sprinkled with sparkling sugar. Maybe the baker in your family will offer to make them as a wedding gift to you. This simple and delicious idea will be a big hit with your guests. I mean, who doesn’t like cupcakes?!

The Natural Look

In keeping with a more natural or “green” scheme, wildflowers are a great choice. Simply gather bunches of dried flowers and various stems and leaves, and then hang them over the edges of wide baskets or arrange them in odd-shaped jars, old water pitchers, or kettles. To add some shimmer, try spraying silver or gold spray paint on some of the branches or leaves (or pinecones, if in season).

Citrus is also a nice organic choice. Just fill a large, clear bowl with one type of fruit (usually lemons, limes, or oranges) and coordinate your place cards, china, or glassware in the same color as your fruit selection. To add a little more detail to this clever choice, wrap each lemon, lime, or orange with the same color ribbon, tying a small, tight bow on each.

You can also arrange a single fruit choice in tall, square, or cylindrical clear glass vases. For an extra boost, insert some long-stemmed greens or flowers in the center.

Another way of displaying your fruit choice is by slicing it up!  Fill tall, clear vases with lots of quarter-inch slices of lemons or limes, add water, and you’re done! This look can be changed up by using shorter vases and topping off each with a fresh flower. This option not only looks sophisticated, but it gives off a great aroma!

Fresh-Cut Flowers

Although a little more expensive, the simplest and most elegant décor usually involves fresh-cut flowers. The best thing about flowers is that there are so many types, sizes, and colors, and there are just as many ways to display your favorite ones. For example, you may choose yellow roses for your spring wedding, lilies for a black-and-white evening affair, or daisies for a relaxed afternoon soiree.

A single red rose standing alone in a tall, clear vase surrounded by a handful of rose petals around the base is the statement of the uncomplicated and sophisticated bride. Change the rose to a gardenia for a less formal look, or replace the vases with old, water-filled champagne bottles to add antique charm.

For a more creative and romantic look, circle 5-10 flowered teacups and saucers in the center of your table. Then fill each teacup with water and add your choice of flower to sit on top. In the center of the grouping, simply add a small vase full of the same flower, and fin! A great way to get your family more involved (if you dare) is to ask aunts, cousins, and grandparents to lend you their china teacups. The variety of patterns will provide much to talk about!

For the full article, click here.

The perfect wedding dress should make the bride feel like a princess on her wedding day! That said,  Branches Catering found a great compilation of designers to keep in mind when searching for the dress of your dreams! We hope this helps you find “the dress” for your wonderful wedding day!

Source: eleGALA.com

We teamed up with Stylist Beth Chapman of The White Dress by the Shore to compile a list of eight wedding gown designers, both new and old, doing amazing things in the world of bridal fashion.

Marchesa

A household name in the world of fashion, designer Georgina Chapman just brought her beloved couture to bridal this past year. Known for her meticulously crafted gowns boasting intricate details, Chapman’s new line has all of that and more. She embraces floral appliqués, flirty ruffles, soft feathers, and long, flowing chiffon fit for a goddess. Every gown screams high fashion while remaining wearable.

Ivy & Aster

Ivy & Aster’s refreshing, quirky personality and soft, ethereal designs have landed them a spot among the elite in the world of couture bridal fashion. This designing duo has shared a lifelong friendship and brings a personal touch to the design and distribution of their gowns by cultivating strong connections with its brides, fans, and shops through social media, sharing with them a line that gives a down-to-earth personality to tiered tulle skirts, simple silk chiffon, and ruched sweetheart bodices.

Lilly Pulitzer

This iconic designer exemplifies the preppy lifestyle and has taken that landmark look to bridal. You’ll notice classic Lilly P prints in white on white or characteristic colors, like pink, hiding under an ivory lace overlay. The line offers a variety of styles that suit many types of weddings, from casual to elegant, while also offering options for showers, luncheons, and rehearsal dinners. You can expect to see short, lace dresses with capped sleeves, gowns sporting big satin bows, and a sheer boatneck or two.

Sarah Seven

Whimsical fairy princess fashion is one way to describe the designs of Portland, Oregon–based, Sarah Seven. Delicate fabrics like Swiss dot tulle, blossoming ruffles, and gently pleated waistlines characterize her 2011 spring collection. With a focus on the feminine, Sarah Seven finds inspiration in vintage designs but gives everything a modern look. She uses all-natural fabrics, like silk, wool, and cotton voile. To top off her seemingly flawless profile, five percent of all sales go to charity.

Claire Pettibone

Each season, Claire Pettibone delivers a collection comprised of couture gowns that push the bridal fashion boundaries. Her continuing collection features styles like Chantilly, Cherry Blossom, and Kristene, which can be seen on the pages – and often covers – of major wedding publications. The newest collection, Spirit of the Night, is wildly ethereal and opulent with sparkling, floral embellishments, illusion necklines, romantic sheaths, and blouson sleeves.

Monique Lhuillier

This red-carpet regular is known for much more than dressing the stars. Her bridal line is one of the most unique and exciting, yet it consistently provides very wearable designs, from short and playful dresses to full-skirted ball gowns and the sheaths in between. Her embellishments are often lavish, but many of her designs let the fabric speak for itself. This season, crystal-embellished keyhole necklines, tufted skirts, and elegant corsets grace the Lhuillier runway.

Modern Trousseau

Stylists say that almost every bride could find a gown to love in the Modern Trousseau collection. Manufactured in Connecticut, this line has made a name for itself all over the world. Each design, though remaining fresh, seems to invoke the inner-child who dreamed of looking like a princess on her wedding day. Classic silhouettes incorporate textured lace, full tulle skirts, and satin belts or bows. Don’t overlook Modern Trousseau accessories. Their belts, boleros, and veils make for stylish additions to almost any gown.

Anne Barge

Anne Barge has been designing wedding gowns for years, but her most recent collection is making a splash with sophisticated, vintage designs for the modern bride. The collection includes a 1950s-style ball gown inspired by the dress originally worn by Jacqueline Onassis on her wedding day. It features smooth silk taffeta, a natural waist accented by a ruched belt, and a ball gown skirt of light-catching pleats embellished with large taffeta flowers. The chapel train that follows this gown down the aisle is truly fit for royalty.

For more tips on planning your wedding, click here.

Planning a wedding is no easy task, so choosing credible, knowledgeable vendors can be extremely stressful. You want a picture-perfect wedding so you deserve the perfect pictures to remember it by. Branches Catering wants to help you select the best photographer for your wedding using these tips provided by eleGALA.com! Read carefully and choose wisely! And remember, memories are made in a moment, but photos last a lifetime!

Source: eleGALA.com

Consider this advice on hiring the right wedding photographer before signing on the dotted line.

Many brides are comfortable with such priorities as reception site or catering selection, but may not be as familiar with the process of hiring the right wedding photographer. Wedding photography is one of the most important aspects of your day; consider these important tips before making your choice.

Find the Right Wedding Photography Pro

The Selection Process

Start by compiling a list of potential photographers and commence the meet and greet. Browsing through our list of Preferred Local Wedding Photographers is a great way to start. When meeting with potential photographers, you’ll need to consider the following.

Chemistry

Brides often underestimate the importance of the photographer’s personality, yet this person will end up being a very personal guest at your most important event. Evaluate carefully whether you feel comfortable with this person. Some of the most beautiful moments happen behind the scenes – while the bride is dressing, while the couple steals a kiss – and you should feel comfortable inviting the photographer to capture these moments. First find a wedding photographer you like as a person, then evaluate the artistic criteria.

Review the Portfolio

Seasoned wedding photographers have what is called a “book,” which is a portfolio of their best work. Evaluating a photographer’s portfolio depends on your own stylistic and artistic preferences. His or her work should match your tastes and style. Make sure the images speak to you and reflect your personal visions for your wedding day. Look for crisp images, thoughtful composition, and good lighting. Also ask to see the shots from a complete wedding, that way you can see it all – not just the highlights – and you will have a better feel for his or her ability to capture your day.

Questions to Ask

Before hiring your wedding photographer, make sure you have answered these important questions.

Who will be taking the pictures?

Make sure that the photographer whose portfolio you review will be the actual person who takes the pictures at your wedding. The person whose name is on the contract should be the same person you met with. Some contracts claim the studio’s right to send any staff photographer to your wedding. Do not sign if you do not agree with this policy.

What is the photographer’s primary style?

Make sure your photographer knows exactly what you want. Do you want mostly journalistic style or formal poses? Many photographers claim to do both, but in reality, most are better at one or the other, so make sure you know his or her strengths and background to ensure you get the wedding photos you want.

Do you shoot mostly in color, black and white, or both?

While some images call for color, other moments are best captured in black and white. Your photographer should have experience with both and be able to customize to meet your needs.

What’s included?

Photographers often offer package prices or hourly options. If you choose a package, make sure you know what is included. Will you get a disc of the images or will you have to purchase them from a site where the photographer hosts them? Is an album included? If you go with someone hourly, ask the same questions so you know how much it will cost to actually obtain your images.

Are you familiar with the location?

Your photographer should be familiar with the ceremony and reception site so that he or she can quickly and efficiently capture the best shots.

Who are your references?

Call each reference and ask whether or not the person was satisfied with the overall experience and received the desired photos.

Working Together

Once you have found the wedding photographer with the skill set, style, vision, and personality to suit your needs, you must schedule follow-up meetings to discuss specifics and plan your wedding photography. Together you will decide how many hours your photographer will spend at your wedding, your overall vision, and specific photo suggestions.

Plan Your Album

Define and articulate your expectations and desires. You should discuss everything with your photographer prior to the wedding to ensure you get the wedding album you envision. Visualize in advance what your wedding photos will look like. Consider whether you foresee black and white or color. Do you prefer a soft touch or crisp sharp images? Do you like matte or glossy finish? With or without borders? You get the picture. Our list of creative wedding pictures is a good starting point in determining the photos you want in your album.

Plan the wedding day photography from beginning to end. Try to visit the location with your photographer to preview the site. This will help determine lighting conditions, photo locations, and alternatives in case of inclement weather.

Let the photographer know the sequence of activities and who, what, when, and where you want to photograph. Your photographer is not a mind reader and will not inherently know who your Aunt Tilly is and the importance of capturing a photo of the two of you.

Get Everything in Writing

To avoid any confusion, all of the details that you have painstakingly discussed should be in writing. Read the contract carefully, especially the fine print.

For the full article, click here.

Balancing a career, family and your social life can be difficult enough, so throwing a wedding into the mix can be quite overwhelming. Branches Catering found some great tips on eleGALA.com to help you stay sane while managing wedding-planning, your career and your personal life.

Source: eleGALA.com

Ensure your professional life doesn’t suffer while you’re in wedding-planning mode…

Planning a wedding is essentially a full-time job, and if you’re already a busy professional, guess what? Your workweek doubled the moment you said “yes,” and the delicate balance between your professional and personal lives is in danger of collapsing. So how can you juggle your career and your wedding without losing your sanity?

Your Daily Planner is Your Best Friend

Getting organized is the best way to avoid missteps and their accompanying headaches. Appointment books or electronic planners are literally the bottom line when it comes to organizing your work and personal life. There it is, right in front of you, a complete visualization of your day, week, or month. Use iCloud or your Google account to sync all your calendars so when you enter an appointment in your phone, it automatically shows up on your computer and tablet. You can also color code all of your entries so you can easily differentiate between work and wedding.

Stay Organized

If you have a method of organization that works at work, use it for your wedding. Take control of your all checklists with an organizational system you can stick to. Google Docs is great because you can access it from any computer, Smart Phone, of tablet, but if you aren’t a tablet toting, spreadsheet-loving bride then an old-fashioned three-ring binder will definitely work.

Divide and Conquer

Surfing the ’net for bouquet ideas while on the phone with an important client is generally a bad idea. Instead, segment your day into times when you are solely focused on work and solely focused on the wedding; letting one intrude on the other can slow you down. Designate your lunch hour for calling vendors or 30 minutes in the afternoon to look for dress ideas. If you’re taking time out of your workday, plan ahead to arrive early or stay late to make up for any lost time.

Maximize Free Time

You’ve got a lot on your plate, so what was once “free time” may now have to be used more productively. Try to swipe some items from your to-do list after hours. Instead of vegging on the couch during Grey’s Anatomy, use this time to multitask. An easy chore like addressing save-the-dates or organizing your Pinterest boards can be done in your pjs without missing any of the action on TV.

Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate

Your fiancé is your greatest untapped resource; divide wedding-planning tasks evenly between the two of you. (It’s his wedding, too, you know.) Then delegate even further. Accept help from anyone who offers, especially bridesmaids. Give small tasks to immediate family members or bridal attendants (key word is small – don’t turn former friends into resentful full-time wedding planners).

Hire a Wedding Planner

Sure, we know you can do it all on your own, but do you really want to? Lower your stress level by hiring a professional wedding planner. If you don’t want to give it all up, consider talking to a professional about how they can help with the parts that feel overwhelming. Most wedding planners offer a whole slue of services from décor design to simple day-of coordination, so you can pick and choose what services suit your needs.

Take a Break

Kicking up your heels as your task list exponentially expands may sound a tad indulgent, but allowing yourself some time to rejuvenate is essential to avoid burnout. Some downtime will even make you more efficient. Have you ever tried going for a morning run without a good night’s sleep the night before? The same applies here. What activities comprised your freetime before the career versus wedding juggling act seized your soul? Reading? Hiking? Painting? Don’t let those activities slip; take that time to yourself and enjoy the relaxation that comes with doing something that you enjoy.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask

So you’ve organized, compartmentalized, multitasked, delegated, and rejuvenated, but you still find that there just aren’t enough hours in the day, and your work is suffering. Don’t ignore the problem and hope it goes unnoticed. Schedule a meeting with your boss to discuss your situation. Avoid blanket complaints about being too busy and unfounded requests for time off. Instead, present the problem and possible solutions. Explain the job duties that are suffering, and share with your boss ideas for how you can accomplish them more efficiently.

For the full article, click here.