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Just Engaged: How to Plan a Wedding
Creative Reception Ideas

Just Engaged: How to Plan a Wedding

Creative Reception Ideas

Brilliant floral inspiration for every bride, season and budget

Next to a long white dress, nothing says “wedding” more than flowers, which have been part of marriage ceremonies since the days of ancient Greece, when brides wore floral garlands in their hair. Nowadays, with a huge variety of blooms available any time of year and creative florists setting up shop in even the smallest towns, your possibilities are limitless. A ceremony canopy edged with thousands of chrysanthemums? Why not? An aquarium “planted” with irises? Bring it on. From a garden-themed fete to a hip, urban celebration, these ideas are perfect for every reception style.

Flowers, Bridget Vizoso, The Designer's Co-op, NYC, thedesignersco-op.com; dress, Claire Pettibone, clairepettibone.com; ring, Odegard, odegardinc.com; pillow, BlissLiving Home, blisslivinghome.com; wallpaper, Vivo by Printers Guild Productions, 800-238-9152; set, Richard Balado Set Design and Construction, NYC, richardbalado.com.

Garden

Aiming for a fresh, unfussy look? Go for green—even the most intricate decorations feel plucked from nature, like this candlestick with a wrap of variegated lily grass dripping with amaranthus. Flowers, Bridget Vizoso, The Designer's Co-op, NYC, thedesignersco-op.com; candle, Lumia Organic, greenhome.com.

Garden

Escort cards dangle from an urn of dogwood and vibernum, surrounded by a gardenscape of clump moss, galax leaves, green gladioli blossoms, spider mums, ranunculus, helleborus, hyacinths, green wave parrot tulips, fritillaria, snowbells and miniature ferns. Flowers, Bridget Vizoso, The Designer's Co-op, NYC, thedesignersco-op.com; urn, Abigails; escort cards, Sloane Madureira Design for Press New York, 212-539=0184; calligraphy, Nan De Lycz, scribenyc.com; ribbon, Midori Inc., midoriribbon.com; tablecloth, BBJ Linen, bbjlinen.com.

Garden

Garlands of Kermit and spider mums dramatically delineate the bamboo and organza canopy; the candlestick is smothered with clump moss and bear grass. Flowers, Bridget Vizoso, The Designer's Co-op, NYC, thedesignersco-op.com; wine goblets, Zodax, zodax.com; candle, Colonial Candle, colonialcandle.com; tablecloth, BBJ Linen, bbjlinen.com.

Garden

Mimicking the elaborate lanterns of a Turkish palace, these silk lampshades are edged with flax leaf “ribbons” and poufy hydrangea borders; the tassel is made of amaranthus and lily grass. Flowers, Bridget Vizoso, The Designer's Co-op, NYC, thedesignersco-op.com; dress, Carolina Herrera, carolinaherrera.com; ring, Cartier, cartier.com; ottoman, Water Mill Party, watermillparty.com; pillow, Blissliving Home, blisslivinghome.com; silk blanket, Siw Thai Silk, siwthaisilk.com.

Garden

Green wave parrot tulips and green ranunculus are cut short and bunched into a round vase lined with woven lily grass. Flowers, Bridget Vizoso, The Designer's Co-op, NYC, thedesignersco-op.com.

Modern

Defying trends and time, white flowers—the bridal classic—are right at home in a hip, urban setting. Here, dark, delicate cherry blossom branches give this centerpiece of sweet peas and calla lilies sculptural strength. Flowers, Lewis Miller, LMD Floral Events Interiors, NYC, lmdfloral.com; vase, John Derian, johnderian.com; lamb's ear tablecloth, West Haven Designs, westhavendesign.com; wallpaper, Bella Rosa Collection by Antonina Vella Designs, yorkwall.com.

Modern

Welcome guests to the table with sprigs of paperwhites and lilies of the valley, fragile favors that can be put in a bedside water glass at home. Flowers, Lewis Miller, LMD Floral Events Interiors, NYC, lmdfloral.com; ribbon, Midori, midoriribbon.com; plate, Juliska, juliska.com; napkin, Kim Seybert, kimseybert.com.

Modern

A billowy white-on-white arrangement of dendrobium and phalaenopsis orchids is a feminine contrast to a towering black tube vase. Flowers, Lewis Miller, LMD Floral Events Interiors, NYC, lmdfloral.com; dress, Pnina Tornai, kleinfeldbridal.com; headband, Colette Malouf, colettemalouf.com; benches, Global Views, globalviews.com; carpet, Shag Carpet Company, shagcarpet.com.

Modern

This wreath of ranunculus, roses and dogwood blossoms would also make a delightful door accent. Flowers, Lewis Miller, LMD Floral Events Interiors, NYC, lmdfloral.com; votives, Zodax, zodax.com.

Romantic

Reds and pinks set the mood for a passionate feast, sending the message that love is the dish of the day. A scoop of sorbet seems special when paired with a sweet-pea garnish. Flowers, Minoo Hersini, Au Ciel, Irvington-on-Hudson, NY, au-ciel.com; sorbet, Ciao Bella, ciaobellagetalo; dish, Au Ciel; plate, Mosser Glass, mosserglass.com; origami paper for coaster, Kate's Paperie, katespaperie.com.

Romantic

Hot-pink meets Zen cool in a shallow bowl of floating button-like flowers called bellis pomponettes. Flowers, Minoo Hersini, Au Ciel, Irvington-on-Hudson, NY, au-ciel.com; bowl and table, Odegard, odegardinc.com; glass, Cristal d'Arques Paris, cristaldarquesparis.com; red pillow, Impulse Enterprises, impulseenterprises.com; petit four, Dean & DeLuca, deandeluca.com.

Romantic

An army of votive glasses filled with chocolate cymbidium orchids and garden roses has as much impact as a massive centerpiece, at a fraction of the cost. And guests will be delighted to tote them home as favors. Flowers, Minoo Hersini, Au Ciel, Irvington-on-Hudson, NY, au-ciel.com; flared votive (front), Delight, colonialcandle.com; votive (left), Slant, slantcollections.com.

Rustic

Sunny yellow and orange are the colors of happiness, as carefree as an afternoon stroll on a country lane. A globe of oasis (floral foam) sits on top of an amber candlestick, making it the perfect pedestal for cattleya orchids, poppies, cobra lily flowers, dried maidenhair fern, Banksia roses and ostrich feathers. Flowers, Livia Cetti, The Green Vase, Riverdale, NY, thegreenvase.com; crystal candlestick, Artel, gearys.com.

Rustic

Sturdy wooden boxes are planted with poppies, oranges, yellow cherry blossoms and Banksia roses; their exteriors are decorated with forsythia, clipped to fit and glued in place. Flowers, Livia Cetti, The Green Vase, Riverdale, NY, thegreenvase.com; votives, Homart, areohome.com; table, From the Source, www.fromthesource.us; wallpaper, Thibaut, thibautdesign.com.

Rustic

When it's fresh and well conditioned, an arrangement of parrot tulips, peony tulips and Turkish tulips, bound with a gilded cord, can live out of water for four or five hours—an unexpected, convention-defying centerpiece. Flowers, Livia Cetti, The Green Vase, Riverdale, NY, thegreenvase.com; pebble runner, Design Ideas, www.designideas.net; plate, Z Gallerie, zgallerie.com; amber coupe, Kim Seybert, kimseybert.com; table and chair, From the Source, www.fromthesource.us.

Beachy

Sapphires and baby-blues conjure images of wide skies and foam-tipped waves, even miles from the shore. Long-lasting thistle and echinops orbs make a fun centerpiece—no vases required! Flowers, Claire Bean, Westhampton, NY, clairebean.com; candlesticks, Mosser Glass, mosserglass.com; tapers, Colonial Candles, colonialcandle.com.

Beachy

You're the couple du jour—treat your seats to a tweedia pomander and a ruffle of hybrid delphiniums in several shades of blue. Flowers, Claire Bean, Westhampton, NY, clairebean.com; chair, Chameleon Chair, chameleonchair.com.

Beachy

Let all eyes rise to what was a simple chandelier—now transformed into a rococo masterpiece with South American hydrangeas, bicolored hybrid delphiniums, garlands of sea glass and scallop shell sconces. Flowers, Claire Bean, Westhampton, NY, clairebean.com; sea-glass garlands, Seasons of Cannon Falls, seasonsofcannonfalls.com; votive holders and candles, Jamali Garden Supplies, jamaligarden.com; bench, Brueton, brueton.com; wrap, Adrienne Landau, adriennelandau.com.

Beachy

Siberian iris, agapanthus and lily grass swim in an aquarium filled with an ocean of blue sea glass, which hides the floral frogs (spiky metal weights) keeping the stems anchored securely to the bottom. Flowers, Claire Bean, Westhampton, NY, clairebean.com; sea glass, Jamali Garden Supplies, jamaligarden.com; tumbler, Slant, slantcollections.com.

Anna Williams

: This content originally appeared in Brides magazine.

[ more Just Engaged: How to Plan a Wedding features ]

Where to Begin
   Wedding planning from A to Z
   Your essential guide to your engagement
   Stylish products to keep you organized
   Our 75 favorite wedding-planning Web sites
   When to create your registry
   Why you should hire a wedding planner
   7 wedding mistakes to avoid

Wedding Dresses 101
   Gowns that flatter every figure
   Wedding gown shopping tips
   What's in store for 2009
   Style advice from Amsale
   How to find the right veil

Getting in Shape
   Create a wedding day workout program
   Stress-free planning tips
   How to tone your body
   6 simple arm exercises
   A strapless dress workout

Budget Basics
   40 cost-cutting tips
   Find out who pays for what
   Manage your wedding budget
   Protect yourself from these wedding scams

Reception Style
   75 ways to personalize your wedding
   Pick the perfect location
   Beach wedding basics
   Eco-wedding ideas

Groom To-Dos
   How to get your groom involved
   His duties in detail
   Avoid these 5 tuxedo-shopping mistakes
   Getting dad's approval
   Organize your groomsmen

Spreading the News
   Fun ideas for your engagement party
   Creative save-the-date cards
   Look great in your engagement portrait

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