Modern Magic
Creating an all-white setting that looks contemporary means furnishing your reception with elements that have a café feel—plush chairs, small tables—plus loads of fringe, just for fun. Sleek vinyl stools and a café table embellished with fringe instantly send the message that this wedding will be mod and magnificent. Lacquer table (to rent), Water Mill Party, watermillparty.com; fringe, Karma Living, pearlriver.com; bar stool (to rent), Lounge22, lounge22.com; silver-backed chair (to rent), Chameleon Chairs, chameleonchair.com; rocks glasses, Angela Adams, angelaadams.com; vases (filled with campanula), Homart, areohome.com.
Shine Power
Sparkly surfaces make a snow-white setting shimmer. Here, accents include crystal lamps and confetti made with silvery paper and a hole punch. Candlestick with shade, Philippe Starck for Baccarat, baccarat.com; tablecloth, BBJ Linen, bbjlinen.com; paper and punch to make confetti, Paper Presentation, paperpresentation.com.
Feathered Floor
Repeat soft textures throughout your party to underscore the airy theme. We scattered feathers on the floor (try featherplace.com), then added the same delicate wisps to our bridal-party bouquets and column toppers.
Cocktails on Ice
Martini glasses filled with round ice cubes glisten like jewels. Glass, Libbey, libbey.com; ice cubes, Ice Caters, icecaters.com; silver-leaf sprinkles, Easy Leaf Products, easyleaf.com.
Fringe Appeal
Bring on the fringe by bordering tables, windows, and doorways with tassels, an instant room energizer. Ring pillow, Toshiko Tanaka, 212-674-3768; rings, Nally's Incorporated.
Free as a Bird
Even the bride's handbag had a feather focus! Handbag, Moyna, moynabags.com; chair, Guillaume Alan, guillaurme-alan.fr.
Blooming Beauty
Gather masses of all-white blooms and give your bouquets an opulent look. Bouquets (top: liriope grass, roses, scabiosa and ostrich feathers; bottom: baby's breath, allium, scabiosa, kale, and ostrich feathers), Clifford Miller, TFS Studio, tfsstudio.com; ottoman, Lounge22, lounge22.com.
Paper White
Pick crisp, white stationary for place cards, table numbers and menus; metallic lettering and strands of silvery thread (here, wrapped around menu cards) add sparkle and glamour. Calligraphy menu card, Soolip, soolip.com; forks, Dansk, dansk.com; square dinner plate, Lenox, lenox.com.
Taste Test
Plan a monochromatic menu packed with flavor: a crudité “martini” of cauliflower, endive and white asparagus with a vodka-and-buttermilk dipping sauce; rock shrimp lemongrass risotto; and a white chocolate banana split with almond brittle and whipped cream. Stemless martini glass (with crudités), Libbey, libbey.com.
Stylish Shrimp
Going wild with white streamlines planning. Knowing your color scheme early on makes editing the gazillion choices out there a cinch. Pink flowers? No, thanks. Yellow napkins? Not a chance. Since this clean shade is the rental standard, it's also the most affordable. Arched dish (with risotto), sake cup and chopsticks, the Dish Factory, dishfactory.com.
Just Desserts
This dessert packs a powerful punch. Dessert martini glass (with banana split), Kim Seybert, kimseybert.com; napkin, Greener Grass Design, greenergrassdesign.com; spoon, Blue Leaves, blueleaves.com.
Petal Power
Using oversize “martini glass” vases and scads of delicate baby's breath (a humble budget's BFF), you can easily create mod floral arrangements that deliver huge impact. Columns (with baby's breath, chrysanthemums and ostrich feathers), Chadsworth Columns, columns.com; white tables (to rent), Water Mill Part, watermillparty.com; martini glass vases, Grainware by William Bounds, grainware.com; fringe, Karma Living, pearlriver.com; carpet, Shag Carpet Company; faux-suede bar stools (to rent), Chameleon Chair, chameleonchair.com; vinyl backless bar stool, Lounge22, lounge22.com; white vases (filled with campanula), Homart, areohome.com.
Club House
Create a special lounge with cozy seating where guests can hang out. By crafting this hip café concept—sleek white leather banquette seating, mini drinks tables, fluffy white area rugs—it's a safe bet that no one will leave until the last dance of the night. Curved bench, banquettes and round cocktail tables (to rent); all, Lounge22, lounge22.com; woven wire side tables, Design Workshop, 910-293-7329; silver drum side table and furry pillows, West Elm, westelm.com; Lucite base lamp, Cheryl Townsend, cheryltownsend.com; area rugs, Shag Carpet Company, shagcarpet.com.
Cake Walk
Tempt with a trio of smaller cakes in place of a single tower for a modern take on traditional tiers. Vary the decorative details to give guests a choice. Here, our triple play features (from left) a pleated fondant cake with edible sugar pearls, a fondant creation with edible sugar flowers and a cake covered with iced cookies. Cakes, Cake Crumbs, cakecrumbs.com; cookies (on cake at right), Casue Sweets, casuesweets.com; glass pedestals, Simon Pearce, simonpearce.com.
Light the Way
Do your guests a favor and offer a to-go gift that's both functional and fanciful. Votive glasses—embellished with laser-cut vinyl transfers you can customize—are paired with silver-embossed matchboxes; a thin strip of satin ribbon ties everything together. Votive holders (with white damask pattern), Wonderful Graffiti Wedding, wonderfulgraffitiwedding.com; matches, Foryourparty.com; paper tray liner, Outwater LLC, outwater.com.
