5 Ways to Let Flowers Inspire Wedding Colors

Brides find the online flower resource that helps them choose their wedding day color scheme.

Choosing wedding day colors is one of the biggest decisions brides will make and flowers can be the perfect inspiration. By using these simple tips for brides, she will easily navigate the zillions of wedding flowers, colors and varieties hone in on her favorite blooms and discover the perfect color combination for her day:

1. Bloom Immersion. Visit an online wholesale flower market and explore until you fall in love with the flower and color that’s perfect for your wedding. Online research is best since local markets may only carry blooms in season and with limited color options.

2. Rare Find. Are you looking for that one, distinctly different element that will make your wedding unique? Why not make your statement with a flower that’s off-the-beaten-path? How about a well-recognized wedding flower in a very rare hue such as bright yellow hydrangea or lime green rose. Or consider a limited variety such as a blue orchid? Either way your guests will be wowed by the wedding flower they never expected.

3. Venue Match. If your wedding location has a distinct color scheme then maybe it’s best to choose colors and flowers that blend in with the environment. If the ballroom has red and gold patterned carpet, go for the burgundy mini-calla lillies rather than the pink flowers that you dreamed of. No need to worry, you can order a bouquet of soft pink gerbera daisies to enjoy while you are getting ready.

4. In Season. If spring, summer, winter or autumn are words that describe your wedding, then flowers in season are just what you need for inspiration. For spring weddings Tulips are the perfect fit and you have an array of French, Novelty and Standard varieties in multiple colors to choose from. Shop wedding flowers by season and make your pick.

5. Have a favorite color? Then take a look at your flower options by color and decide if they deliver on your wedding day vision. You’ll find that if you want an all-blue wedding, your petal picks will be more limited than if you go with a red or orange color scheme.

If she’s still not sure where to start, check out wedding flowers by color and let hundreds of wedding flower photos inspire her to find the color palette that will set the tone for the wedding.

Wedding colors are the unifying feature for every wedding day detail. Letting flowers be the inspiration for finding the wedding color combo can be just the secret to distinguishing your wedding day.

The Future of Wedding Planning: Feast or Famine

Fifteen years ago, the world fell in love with JLo as a professional wedding planner. The popular 90's movie sparked a growth spurt for the profession which came to an abrupt halt two years ago when economic woes began. Today, wedding budgets are being closely scrutinized, every bride is her own wedding planning expert and there is a surplus of professional wedding planners. Brides are negotiating fees for services down to the bare minimum and demanding that coordination be included in hotel and venue packages. So caterers, florists and venues are offering in-house coordination services in order to stay competitive. It's a dismal picture for the wedding planners who appear to be dramatically reducing their fees for any chance to get business. The industry is responding quickly by mobilizing to establish and publicize a credible certification that cannot be garnered in a two hour online class. Professional organizations such as Wedding Industry Event Professionals (WIPA), Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) and Association for Wedding Professionals International (AFWPI) are leading the charge. Right now it's looking like the only feast is for the bride who is having everything her way and on a budget just so businesses can stay afloat. I challenge wedding planners to revisit their business plan and annual revenue goals, to stick to their fees and let the client go if she can't afford you. Taking a stand on getting paid for your time plus having an intergrated marketing program that showcases your value and unique brand are the new point of entry for succeeding in this profession.  We've got to establish a point of entry for the profession and say goodbye to brides who planned one wedding (their own) and decided to start a business. It takes years of experience to build a clientele and your expertise. Therefore....not everyone will be a wedding planner.

Modern Bride and Elegant Bride no more

It's devastating for our industry to learn that these two beloved bridal brands have been harvested. My best wishes go out to everyone at Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. I hope this change results in new and exciting opportunities for you all. And a special recognition goes to Antonia van der Meer, Editor in Chief of both publications, for her contributions to our industry over many years. We look forward to seeing what you create next!

As we digest this sad news, it's important to consider that today's bride may ultimately be driving this change. Maybe she is telling us that there have been too many ways for her to get information. With major bridal media brands leaving the market, the bride's information sources narrow to two categories: 1) The monolith bridal brands such as The Knot and BRIDES which are all-inclusive resources and 2) the zillions of blogs, mini-sites and niche publications that focus on a specific area of interest. Maybe today's bride wants fewer resources or at least resources that are blaringly distinct from one another so that she knows where to go and find what she wants. Would streamlining the options for the bride be such a bad thing for our industry? The influx of new bridal media certainly hasn't made it easy (or affordable) to market to brides and attain significant share of voice.

As we mourn our friends at Modern Bride and Elegant Bride, let us remember that our bride may be leading a change here. And wedding professionals, it just may be because she wants to reach you easier and faster, and in one spot.

New Technology for Wedding Photography

The buzz is humming but no one knows exactly what the hullaballoo is about. It's a top secret project by an established company involving new digital distribution for weddding photos. That's all we know today but I understand that the launch is coming soon. Stay tuned!

Visit www.iWeddingDownload.com and enter you email address if you want to be the first to hear.

The Knot Hits the Silver Screen

The upcoming wedding movie, Bride Wars coming to the big screen on January 9th will put the number one wedding brand, The Knot, in front of even more brides-to-be. In the movie Bride Wars, things turn ugly between best friends (played by Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway) when their wedding plans conflict. As wedding professionals who service brides don’t miss the opportunity to view the film and reconnect with your target audience. Originally posted January 7, 2009

Destination Weddings are Fastest Growing Niche

Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine unveiled the results of their latest bride survey this week. Contrary to the wedding budget cuts covered by the press in recent weeks, the good news is that brides planning a destination wedding are actually increasing spending!! Check out a few highlights from the survey.
Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Spending is Up! While the traditional wedding budget has decreased in recent months, destination wedding spending has increased 4% from $19,800 in 2006 to $20,600 in 2009.
Destination Couples Utilize Travel Resources! Travel websites garner 71% of brides planning a destination nuptials while 63% use http://www.destinationweddingmag.com/ website to find the spot.
Location, Weather and Cost are Top Choices! As most destination weddings are outdoor affairs, weather is the most important factor, prioritized by 91% of couples, followed by cost (88%) and availability of packages (80%).
Older, Educated and Finanically Secure! The destination bride is an average age of 33 while the U.S average is 28. And she’s smart – 70% have graduated college and average household income is $110,000.
Couple who choose destination weddings love to travel and want the freedom to have their wedding, their way. The increased spending is an indication that destination weddings are surpassing traditional celebrations. By 2009, the destination wedding market will be valued at $16 Billion – an increase of nearly 50% in the last 3 years!
A big thanks to the Editors at Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine for sharing this exciting news!

For more statistics, email lisa@theweddington.com

Get Married Announces a New National Magazine

Are bridal magazines still the fastest growing category on newsstands today? Get Married obviously thinks so and announced today that their magazine “offers a fresh perspective to wedding planning in a free, glossy publication”. Get Married will be the only multi-channeled wedding planning resource with platforms in print, online and on television every weekday. The Get Married team describes the step as “making it the most comprehensive and integrated wedding resource” available today. Get Married magazine is scheduled to publish its first issue October 2009. The format is described as a ”new shopping & trend guide for the savvy bride” and the first several issues will be distributed to approximately 300,000 brides. This third platform brings a tactile and fresh experience to a new generation of brides who aspire to discover new inspirations on TV, online and in print. “Get Married magazine rounds out our truly integrated approach to wedding planning, and will continue to capture the excitement of brides who watch, surf and read their way through designing every moment of their wedding celebration,” said Stacie Francombe, founder and president of Get Married and GetMarried.com.
Editorial submissions will be accepted until August 16, 2009 and ideas should be submitted to Executive Editor, Stephanie.Davis@GetMarried.com .
Limited advertising opportunities are initially available in the 8″ x 10.5″ publication. Advertising deadline is September 1, 2009. For more information about advertising, contact MagSales@GetMarried.com or call 877.848.0331.
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