A quick look at what is coming our way in Spring of 2012. By looking at almost all the top designers and reading articles and blogs and magazines I saw a few trends repeating themselves in almost all the runways. Here is a quick review of what are the most common trends for spring 2012:

1. Necklines – Mostly sheer tops with round neck line. No strapless at least not for the spring season.
2. Lace - Most of the gowns contained lace specially on the top part.
3. Tiers – The two or three-tier skirt which it was very different from the big bulky skirt last year.
4. Layers of fabric – Lots and lots of volume/dimension by underlay fabrics.
5. Visible Hemlines - One of my favorite and very different.
6. Pops of color – More off-white and pastel colors
7. Lace sleeves - short or long but tight
8. Sexy slits – Long ball gowns with open slits.
9. Deep plunging V-Necklines – Very sexy, yet classy with a lot of sparkle and lace.
10. Sparkle – Yes, Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle…on the top, or bottom and/or on the lace.
11. Cap sleeves – Very common. Very creative in different sizes and shapes.

Hope you enjoy and let it be your source of inspiration.

With Love,

Ferinoosh

Pictures courtesy of the following websites and Photographer:

Photos: Kevin Sturman - Vera Wang

http://www.brides.com | http://www.christosbridal.com/ | http://inesdisanto.com |  http://www.moniquelhuillier.com | http://ulla-maija.com | http://www.marchesa.com | http://www.verawang.com/ | http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/

I believe Mother Nature is one of the most inspiring sources of colors, color combinations and decoration ideas. It is very simple to decorate when using Mother Nature as your guide.

When deciding about the colors for your wedding,  it is important to know:

• Your choice of colors has the power to set the vibe of your wedding so choose wisely.
• Use your favorite shade “tastefully” incorporate in your decorations.
• Colors used in your venue’s carpet, drapes and decorations.
• Have two different/distinct color themes.
• Natural colors of the season - use them as your source of inspiration.

Here are the top determining factors when selecting your color hues:

• Personal preference; choose colors that best reflects your personality.
• Budget; consider it since some of the off-season flowers are very pricy.
• Formality or informality of your reception plays a huge role on your decorations and colors.
• Season of your wedding; some colors are not in season and some flowers are not found in different seasons.

Focusing on the color theme early on is important to ensure you are ahead of your plans and are not wasting neither time nor money. Hope you enjoy these beautiful pictures. I chose the ones closest to the 2012 Pantone’s color of the year “Tangerine Tango”.

On August 6th, our assistant, Cindy and her fiancé Rishi, got married in the outskirts of Orange County, New York, in front of 250 guests.

Wedding Procession or Barat

Rishi arrived along with his relatives &  friends to take his wife. After a few ceremonial rituals Cindy entered the Mandap accompanied by her friends and relatives to get ready to say goodby to her parents and go to her new home.

Bride & groom both were  dressed in red and gold.

Red is for good luck; and gold is for brightness in life.

Seated under the white lavish, bold, infused and docorated Mandap with colored canopy, draped pillars. The prominent color scheme was red and gold, which was incorporated into flower arrangements and all the table set ups.

The Wedding Ceremony consist of about 23 different rituals and will normally take about two to three hours starting around 1 pm after an hour of appetizers and music.

The Mandap was decorated with displays of  white and red roses (The colors of fertility and purity) accompined with beautiful gypsophila, vintage hand crafted floral rugs and traditional 24 caret hand woven embroidered silk fabrics.

Textiles are very important in Guyanese culture. Pashmina, Kashmir shawls ,exotic, colorfull, tailormade silk Sarees in wide range of colors added more to Cindy and Rishi’s colorfull wedding.

The outdoor service was held in front of Cindy’s parent’s house. After Cindy and Rishi reaffirmed their vows in front of their guests and family they took their guests to the back yard where small arrangements and clusters flowers were scattered around the colorfull traditional Indian buffet.

Late in the day, with the party in full swing, the couple sneaked away for a few private photographs.

Their beautiful invitations were inspired by couples traditonal backgroud.

Music & Dance

Cindy & Rishi played variety of Indian and American music for their guests. A belly dancer danced the night away with their favorite Indian song.

The happy Couple

Our beautiful couple left for their honeymoon to romantic Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Congratulations and with love,

Ferinoosh

To follow my previous blog about the insider notes, here are some more questions to ask and details to check when planning your wedding:

Flowers and your venue:

Lately florist (at least most of them) provides The runner. Although we no longer have the problem of the exact length but the newest problem I am experiencing is sometimes it is left for the last minute (and I understand why) but most of the time the doors are open and either the runner is not there or they are putting it down as the guests are entering! Review the timing with both your florist and the venue manager.

Also remember to negotiate covering for the stage or riser, regardless if you are using one or not, make sure they bring enough fabric to cover underneath the ceremony section.

Pictue Curtesy of Harpers Bazzar On-line Magazine

According to Wikipedia “Imagination is the ability of forming mental images, sensations and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses.”

Last year we have lost a true visionary, master of imagination, Alexander McQueen. I thought of writing this blog when I visited his work at the Met Museum. What is important about his work is the degree of his imagination. In my line of work we all have to have that “degree” and it is the most important key to our success.

There are a few key concepts that I’ve learned and love about design concept especially Alexander’s work and I always recommend them to my fellow planners and my brides and use it when I design a wedding:

Environmental Inspirations – I am a true believer in learning about and from your surroundings. Nature is your best source to learn about flowers, colors, combinations and it gives you many decorating inspirations. The other day I was walking in East Village with a good friend of mine. We saw this very old red door. The fact that in the middle of this very chic, hip and modern neighborhood, there was this very old stressed red door was fascinating. As strange as this may sound, they complimented each other and the combination was absolutely breathtaking.

Think of an antique or old wood country stressed and chipped table for your place cards with a couple of Swarovski crystal candle holders or antique cookie dish or an old tiara with a new modern veil. How about your grandmother’s antique brooch on your wedding dress or on your hair! Isn’t that the same concept?

Mix and Match of the cultures – Take what’s good from others and if you don’t want to use it in the same exact way, think of how you can incorporate it into yours. One of my favorite things to incorporate into my American weddings is to serve the tea “English Style” or instead of just serving coffee serve it “Gourmet style” like Italian’s do! I love to use “Feng shui ” to set up the ballroom and I love to be able to talk some of my brides into fashionable “English Hats”.

Image by Dan Kitwood/Getty

Ensemble – Overdress of panels from a nineteenth-century Japanese silk screen; underdress of oyster shells; neckpiece of silver and Tahiti pearls
Neckpiece by Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen courtesy of Perles de Tahiti. Dress courtesy of Alexander McQueen
Photograph © Sølve Sundsbø / Art + Commerce

J’adore Couture - Armani Prive – Eastern influence

Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) 2011 Getty Images

Take what’s important and embellish it – One of my favorite works of Alexander is the Pantsuit. It is low, very low in the back because he believed the tail bone is one of the sexiest parts of the body! If you think your smile is that special part than smile all night, if you think your legs are your special thing, then maybe you wear a slightly shorter wedding dress or consider those cocktail wedding dresses. If your arms are “it” considers halter-top wedding dress.

Face the good, the bad and the ugly – Nothing is always good, bad and necessarily ugly but you have to able to handle all aspects of your wedding. Things may go wrong, but you need to learn you can enjoy without ruining your night. If you can make that into a good or funny thing, more to you!! In one of my weddings during the FOB speech the microphone went out. Instead of panicking, the bride got up and said that this was the part that she did not want her groom to hear and that was when her father was saying “He really did not want to let her go” and she is “still a little girl”. Everybody laughed and by that time the microphone was already fixed! Alexander saw the dark and the ugly but instead he made a shoe, a hat and a dress from it and brought the attention into a different direction!

Emphasize on one thing and build around that – We all know this concept. Sometimes I buy a brooch and design my whole outfit around that or a scarf or shoe. It’s the same concept with your wedding? Sometimes one piece can be the center of attention and you can build around that. Maybe is your cake table, or like most of the weddings it’s your place card table or your bridal table. The same with your wedding dress, make up or hair. Maybe it’s this pair of earrings that will be “the” center and you can build the rest around it?

Make a statement – Last but not least, believe that what you are wearing, your dress, your make up, your ballroom decorations, the flowers you picked are all the best and show it. I often get asked what if there is another wedding in the venue and the main concern is “I don’t want to see another bride”. Well unfortunately sometimes venues have other ballrooms and they need to rent them. I always tell my bride, no matter how many other brides, you should know that this is your day, you look beautiful, walk tall and make a statement and show that to everyone.

When I meet with a bride I take them to the ballroom and I ask them to close their eyes and just listen, see if the ballroom is talking to you. Imagine yourself in it and tell me how you see yourself! I want them to imagine themselves in that ballroom, dancing, laughing and being happy.

Having an extraordinary event requires strong power of imagination, as a wedding designer, I can see things that others can’t see, think of things that others can’t think and make things possible that others can’t do.

Be surrealist, fearless and ultimately find your place of serenity and peace. Only on that stage you are able to think straight, make the right choices and pick the right options. Remember the time when Channel came up with the custom corset and tailored Jackets? Everybody thought she was crazy. That’s what I call the power of imagination. So start imagining!

With love,

So I have decided to put a list together for some of our newer wedding planners and brides who would like to plan their own wedding. Although this list may not work with all the venues, it is a good reference to have. If anything, at least you know what you are or you are not getting from the venue.

When booking a venue, especially if it is a hotel, there are a few things you should consider and ask:

After I finish my somewhat extensive presentation, I always ask the bride and groom if they have any questions. Most of the time they reply “I have already answered all of their questions during my presentation” and “they can’t think of anything else.” Then I start again: “Did you ask me for coat check or parking?” or “How many chefs and carvers and how much?” Do you know if I have hidden charges and what they are?”  So I just opened a whole new door for them and that is to ask questions and pay attention to all the details: The hidden questions that no one else wants you to ask.

If you are a bride or if you just got into this business, there are quite a few details you should know which makes a huge difference in your planning and will save you money in a long run. We all know the obvious things, but details are what makes or breaks the wedding; I am here to share some of them with you and will continue in a few blog series.

Things that we miss most of the time

Put it in writing

Starting with the venue, don’t just concentrate on the ballroom. Look at all the areas that come with your ballroom.

Ask for a map of the hallways, sections and side rooms you will get with your package. You’ll be surprised at some of the limitations and/or additions you have.  From the bathrooms, to coat check to ceremony room and pre-ceremony room to back yard, outdoor and hallways: know exactly what areas will be yours to decorate.

Walk around your ballroom and note everything you see and make it a point that these need to be fixed before your wedding or you will need a 10% to 15% discount in case it’s not repaired or fixed.

Ask what is the procedure to inform the guests of the exact location of your ballroom.  Do they use signs, arrows, TV monitors or a guest concierge? It is important for the venue to have plans for this and remember if you don’t ask, you don’t get it.

Most of the times venues have storage of “left over’s”. This is what all the other weddings left behind. If possible ask your catering manager if you can see what they have and how you can use them for all the areas that are not associated directly with your wedding like the second closest bathroom or the alternative hallway to your ballroom. This will help to save on the places you like to decorate but don’t want to spend money.

With a venue with a few ballrooms, ask all the important questions such as the % of occupancy during the time of your wedding. Most hotels have a record of previous years and some repeat groups who always book during that time.

It is good for both the venue and the wedding party to have only one event at one time if the price is right. So sometime it’s better to ask how much more you have to pay to insure the room next to you is not rented to some other events and if that is not negotiable or possible, I recommend either choose a slower season that is almost guaranteed there will not be other groups or do more research on other venues. I remember during one of my friend’s wedding; we had to walk through metal detectors because there was a UN conference booked in the other ballroom.

Another very important question to ask is not only about any future construction on the venue but also all the areas around your venue. Most of the time venues know about constructions, street fairs, street closures etc….about a year or two ahead of time.

It is very important that you spend less money on renting items such as chair, napkins, tablecloths, etc unless it’s an empty catering hall.  If you have to go through a huge rental, I strongly recommend choosing another venue. The right venue is the one that you picked not for the price but only and only because you saw yourself getting married there and it delivers your vision. Remember too much change is “wrong”.

Ask if they have a special carpet (red or white) or flower arrangements at the entrance door or a presenter to stand at the door to let people in. First impression is everything.

Rooms

If possible see the bridal suite and put the exact room number into your contract or at least put “equal or higher level” in case if the hotel had to change your room the last minute. Always make sure your bridal suite has at least two or three bedrooms since it gets crazy the morning of your wedding.

If your venue is a hotel, walk the floors; pick a specific floor for your guests. Pick a floor with rooms with the best view and least amount of noise. It is always better to put the guests on the same floor or if possible rent the entire wing. It seems guests likes it more and works much better with room service and room deliveries. Make sure you ask if there is going to be any future construction that might block the view of the rooms.

Last but not least make sure you negotiate a room for your groom since most of the hotels do not provide that.

Wedding package

If the menu is included in the contract confirm there is a clause that mentions you have the right to use the newer version of the menu when it comes out or keep the same even if it has been discontinued.

More details to put into your contract

• Power drops for the photographer, videographer and the band
• Power drops in your bridal suite (trust me you need them with all the hair dryers and straitners etc…)
• Steamer, hangers, barstools, bottle water etc… for the bridal suite
• Stage, stage cover and dance floor
• Make sure you see the dance floor and put the exact color and condition in your contract. Sometimes you are surprised with the “older dance floor”.
• Serving Plates and Silverware: Check and note the plates, silverware and their colors. Sometimes Venus changes their serving plates, colors or other stuff without prior notice and if you were planning your colors around them there will be a problem. Also put it into your contract in case the venue purchases any new items such as new staging, dance floors, dishes, silverware and table cloth/napkins, you have the first choice to decide if you are going to use them for your wedding.

• White glove service, Champagne up-on arrival and “In-room gift delivery” are the least costly things for both you and the venue and most impressive things to add to your wedding.
• In non-union or five star venues, I would ask for the colors and condition of the wait staff’s uniforms and make a note into your contract.

Some more details to negotiate

Another thing to negotiate is the food for the day of your wedding at your bridal suite. Most of the times hotel will send a light continental breakfast, finger food or tea sandwiches but it is only one time a day. Negotiate breakfast and lunch as well as a private hospitality suite for the bridal party and the families before the guest arrival. This helps everybody to relax and get ready for the wedding.

If you are planning to change your wedding dress negotiate a changing room (this is a small room close to your ballroom) since sometimes getting to your bridal suite takes a long time especially if you have to take elevators or go from a one wing to another.

Power of smell

Make sure either the venue or your florist delivers flowers to your bridal suite. Nothing puts you in a good mood more than the sense of smell especially if they are the same as the ones you picked as your wedding flowers. In most of the five and six star hotels you will have a personal concierge and maid in your room. Make sure you note that on your contract because sometimes hotels fail to mention that to you or they put it up-on availability.

Negotiate and meet with a dedicated mater’d or a Capitan for your wedding. A day before your wedding walk the floor to make sure everything is set the way you wanted it. It is almost impossible to make last minute changes without reoccurring charges.

Steaming and ironing of the napkins, table cloths, curtains and buffet tables skirting are a must. This seems to be one of the most common things that the planners and brides forget and trust me it makes a huge difference.

Time line – diagram – menus and last minutes changes

Although I always tell my brides nothing goes 100% based on your time line but it is very important to make sure the band, mater’d and the venue know there is a reason for every timing you have lined up.  If there are any suggestions or changes, they should let you know at least a month in advance

If you agreed to the diagram all the set ups should be “as per diagram” and nothing should and can be changed. From the size of the stage for the band or DJ to the dance floor size and location, tables, stations and all the other miscellaneous set ups.

Look at all the albums especially the most recent one in the catering office to see different set ups, colors and decorations. This can be a very good reference for your set up.

Your other vendors & vendor to vendor relations

Meet with all of your vendors to walk the space, get some ideas from them and share yours. Treat all of your vendors with respect, since they are the ones who will make your dream day come true. Negotiate vendor meals. Do not and I repeat do not ever give them something other than what all the other guests are eating. That is totally wrong. The best rate would be half of your per person prices since they don’t eat your wedding cake and don’t drink alcohol. Make a point that you expect your vendors to be treated well and fed at a specific time and not at the end of the night.

The good deed

Always make arrangements for the left over’s: if the venue does it it’s great but if not contract the local charities, closest hospital or shelter to your venue and see if they can use your left over flowers and food.

To be continued.

With love,

Ferinoosh

Pictures courtesy of IstockPhoto

Below is my list of the trends for 2011 that amazed me! These are the things that I have heard of, saw or tried myself.

Unexpected Ingredients – One of the biggest trends in the city is “Vegetable Dessert”. It did not sound very inviting to me at first but once I tried Beet Macaroon! I loved it. You would never think you are eating a vegetable.

Mixing the cultures - Try Mexican/Italian Pasta or Persian Ghorme Sabzi Pizza and to top it all remember Chef Daniel’s French Twist on Traditional American Thanksgiving Dinner last year?

Be Different – Have you tried ABC Kitchen’s Sunny side up pizza?Or in another restaurant I saw “Specially Hand Cut” steak tartar? Or Pernod Flip cocktail which has lemon, eggs and nutmeg in it? Talking about being different, try Elixir G. This new ginger mix tastes awesome in your drink and adds a bit of spice to it.

Themed Menus – Another new thing that I have seen is the “idea” of themed menus. I know ABC Kitchen, the new restaurant in NYC has a theme which is Sustainability! Bar Pleiades themed menus are based on Chef’s four muses:  la tradition, la saison, la potager and la voyage or Jean-Georges Vongerichtenfusing’s Spice Market’s menu which one can only describe it as Asian flavors with the classical traditional food.

Inventing new flavors and spices – Crossing vegetables or fruits or mixing spices. Remember loganberry or Mint flavored peppers! Try Chinese 5 spice grilled lemon!

Pairing cocktails with entrée– Although wine is still a very strong choice for pairing with meals but now mixing cocktails with meals or mixology is the new trendy idea.  For example Flirtini is great with raspberry glaze lamb chop says Christy McGill from Public House in NYC.

Farm to Table attitude – Another very popular trend which I love is the fresh organic ingredient especially local fruits, vegetables and catches of the day.

Fancier form of mama’s dish – Our chef just created the Lobster Infused Mac and Cheese which people are bragging about. Check out Lindsey Williams’ new cookbook, Neo Soul, a healthier, fancier soul food.

Sustainable Meat, Chicken and Seafood –Chefs are paying more attention to how and where the ingredients are coming from, how they have been raised and in what kind of a condition. Meeting customers at their dinner tables and explaining where the food came from and how it has been prepared is one of the greatest and newest trends that I personally love.

Resident Food – Chef’s specialty of the day prepared at your kitchen. The new tool in marketing, educating your customer to make them feel better about what they eat even if it is the sinful French Fries. They come to your home with the TV station and make things out of your kitchen stuff and show you what can be made with your everyday kitchen ingredients.

Healthy indulgence: Merge health and indulgence on their menus, offering  proportionally healthy ingredients. I tried Wendy’s natural-cut French fries with sea salt.

Monthly dish– Magazines are now featuring chef’s monthly dish like Elle Décor with Daniel Boulud’s monthly dish.

Ash is back– Chef Grant Achatz is bringing back the ashes. Check out Alinea restaurant in Chicago.

Hay is back– Chef Jonathan Gushue, is talking about cooking with hay again. Also he is making ash out of different vegetables he grills and bakes the vegetables, once they are dehydrated then he mixes them with different ingredient to make a sauce.

Olive oil alternatives:Walnut, Hazelnut and untoasted Almond oils, Soybean is one of the most popular ones.

Sea buckthorn: They are back!

Drinkable snacks: PepsiCo’s Tropicana is coming up with squeezable drinks. Another trendy thing is the designer water and water bottles looking like a bottle of whisky!!! Check out Fred Water. The new trendy energy drinks on the menus is another new trend.

Fancy becomes trendy – Remember the $1000.00 ice cream sundae or $1000 Mint Julep that had the mint from Morocco, Ice from Arctic Circle and Sugar from South Pacific or Richard Nouveau’s gold burger at Wall Street Burger Shoppe? Vander Bar recently came up with this $50.00 hot dog which is made from Kobe Beef, Foie Gras, Balsamic Onions and they serve it with Black Truffles Fries and Caviar Aioli.

The Cup Cake is out and Macaroons and Pies are back – Nothing much more than this to say! LOL

Artisanal cheese – manufactured by hand! That’s all you need to know and as a result the cheeses are often more complex in taste and variety and expensive and trendier!

Fresh vegetables and fruits –  as a decoration to show the healthier side of the restaurant – I am sure you all have seen it. I had my Basil cut from the plant infront of me and put on top of my fresh break oven baked Margarita Pizza!

With love,

Photo Credit: SXC.hu

White: Simply Elegant

Clean look is one of my favorites. I advise my brides not to do too much and choose the simplest dress You can always glam it up with your jewelry, shoes, clutch or your tiara!

Stylish bold: Go bold but keep the simplicity and elegance! For brides I always recommend the bold jewelry.

Wear your jeans in a fashion forward way: Whatever you have, even if it’s a pair of an old shoes or your grandma’s purse, you can wear it in a very elegant way.

Black and White never goes out of style! choose something and love it even 10 years from now.

Country casual prints in fancy styles!

No more simple white at your tea party or shower, play with colors and flowers!

Come up with you own style and niche! Don’t be afraid. Let people talk about you and your style and how different it is.

With love,

Brooch Bouquet By Amanda Heer creator of the Brooch Bouquets.

So I have been fascinated by this new idea of “Brooch Bouquets”. Actually, I am making a sample out of all the antique brooches I own.

I think it is a very nice and different idea and if put together with the right colors and pieces, it can be very beautiful.

I was talking to Jennifer, my lovely bride and she mentioned that she is considering having one of these new bouquets. I gave her some information and couple of websites to search.  However, she came back with another idea. She found her bouquet in the Anthropology store!

It was all doorknobs, beautifully put together with amazing colors. Therefore, I had to share it with you. I also added some more pictures of her wedding.  She looked lovely and I loved her hair-do and her jeweled hairpiece.

If you ever think about having one of these new bouquets, check out:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/1amanda?page=1

Or

http://www.fantasyfloraldesigns.com/

or simply make it your self.

With Love, Ferinoosh