Future New Year’s Eve brides, our last wedding of 2013, photographed by the talented Studio Castillero, has all the makings of a NYE worthy party: gold sequin dresses, a shiny piñata chandelier, and sparklers. On top of that, the florals, event design, and paper goods totally hit the mark. But that’s all thanks to Sarah, who’s also the owner of L & S Design Co. She loves everything about the festive holiday. From the glitzy party atmosphere, to the idea of all the people she loves dancing until midnight together. We really wanted people to have a great time at our wedding and what is more fun than an amazing NYE party?. She said. Sarah, we couldn’t agree more!
As a floral designer I make bridal bouquets for our brides every weekend. I picked out huge white Peonies, Anemones because of their black center, black Scabiosa, Silver Brunia, and Vibernum berry. I made my bouquet right before our rehearsal dinner. I cried the whole time! It was really emotional for me to make. The finished product was very me, not too tight or structured with a few wild pieces here and there.
Great tip: We loved the idea that not only was this night our wedding celebration, but it was also all of our guests’ NYE. We wanted them to have just as much fun as we did, so we tailored a lot of the wedding to that idea. We rented a ton of lounge furniture to frame the dance floor and special dynamic lighting to change throughout the night. Our food was set up all around the room at stations. We wanted our guests to explore and find all of the tapas that we had chosen. To me there’s something great about wandering and mingling rather than sitting next to the same people for two hours.
Who wouldn’t love to dance the night away under this piñata chandelier?
Sarah’s been around brides and weddings plenty, so her advice is really spot on:
The best advice I can give to brides is to be true to yourself! Think of the special attributes that you and your mate have and go from there. Don’t ever let people persuade you away from your vision. You’ll end up regretting that you didn’t do what was in your heart. If you don’t feel like having a cake or doing a first dance, don’t! Make your wedding unique, your guests will love seeing something new and different! Don’t feel the need to work out like a crazy person to reach that magical number on the scale! I started to work out more to get healthier but, when I didn’t get to my ideal weight I didn’t stress out about it. I thought about the fact that if I lost a ton of weight for my wedding and then gained it back when I went back to normal life, my wedding pictures would just make me feel bad about myself. Who needs that! You want your pictures to be a great memory of the best day of your life, not a reminder that you were once thinner.
Last but not least… ALWAYS hire a coordinator! You don’t want your aunt Sally to have to run up to the DJ to remind him that you have a special song to dance to or your mom to have to remember your day of schedule to keep you on time for your pictures. Leave these details to a professional. I absolutely don’t know what I would do without my coordinator Megan! She was such an important part of our wedding day and I know that everything worked out as beautifully as it did because of her.
Congratulations Sarah + Pat! Everyone else, have a fabulous night, and we’ll see you in 2014!
Photography: Studio Castillero / Flowers: L & S Design Co. / Videographer: Jay Conner / Ceremony & Reception Venue: Moniker Warehouse / Event Coordinator, Designer, Invitation Design: L&S Design Co. / Hair: Jessica Peterson / Makeup: Makeup by Mary / Cake: Bride’s Aunt / Catering: Alchemy / Rentals: Concepts Event Design / Wedding dress: Maggie Sottero from Bridal and Veil / Wedding shoes: Vince Camuto / Groom’s Suit: Express Men’s / Shoes: Frye / Bridesmaid & flower girl dresses: Nordstrom
