Guy's Corner: Formal Event Clothes Made Easy

With wedding season now starting as early as March and going through November & December, it is pretty common for most people to attend at least wedding a year.  From beach to black tie weddings, what to wear is always a concern for all guests.  This Well Groomed Blog post breaks down the age old question that most males face in regards to fashion: which color dress shoes to wear with what color suit.  While males do have some room to make mistakes in day to day work attire, formal events such as weddings are a whole other ballgame.  Sure, if you are a guy with a girlfriend or wife who can help you then you are in luck.  But maybe pass this along to your friends who only have their manly instinct to rely on when getting dressed for a formal event.

The other big question is what color suit to wear in the first place.  The tuxedo is on its way out of the wedding circuit, save for black tie affairs.  Modern groomsmen & male guests are opting for black, tan and gray suits.  And there is always the option of not wearing the full suit, instead sporting a suit vest or casual vest over a button up collared shirt.  I've collected a few images below, both from my Felicity C Weddings clients & ones I found online.  Enjoy!

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Diamond Wedding 5.21.10 Credit: Lindsay Hite/ ReadyLuck

Ford Wedding 9.25.10. Credit: Procopio Photography

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"Fall" In Love With Pantone's Latest Color Report

Remember that scene in "The Devil Wears Prada" when Meryl Streep's character gave the lecture on the cerulean (blue) sweater?  How everyone's fashion choices are ultimately made by a few people at the top of the fashion food chain?  Well, here is the proof.  Pantone puts out color reports for the seasons and it is time for the annual Fall/Winter report!  And The Dessy Group is awesome enough to color match their great dresses! 

Not only do I love these colors for fall and specifically, fall and winter weddings, but Pantone is pretty right on with their reports.  The Spring 2011 report focused on honeysuckle, coral rose, lavender, silver peony and silver cloud all of which were HUGE in this spring and summer's weddings.  Hope these new colors for fall inspire you like they have inspired me. Enjoy!

Pantone's Fall/Winter 2011 report. Source

Pantone's Spring 2011 report. Source

Cerulean clip from The Devil Wears Prada

DO NOT Come On Irene!

Weather is just one of the few details that a bride/ a planner/ mere mortals cannot control.  I have had a few close calls of rain in the morning but stopping by ceremony time and then I have had two weddings that had windy/rainy weather pretty much the whole day.  The show does go on but leading up to the big day can be extremely stressful if you have a less than sunny forecast.  While rain is one thing, the incoming Hurricane Irene is quite another.  I am going to a friend's wedding as a guest on Saturday evening, just as Irene is forecasted to hit the East Coast HARD.  And since I'm sure that my friend is not the only bride to be for this weekend, I've come up with a few suggestions to ease everyone's minds.

#1- Your planner/site coordinator has a back up plan but being flexible is key.  The back up plan includes not only moving any events that were outside to the inside but also securing a back up generator.  Being flexible may mean getting ready earlier to get outside before the storm hits for photos.

#2- Your guests love you. No one blames you for this hurricane. Ideally your guests have common sense and if it is safe to attend, they will and they will bring umbrellas.  Don't waste energy asking everyone if they are having fun, focus on enjoying the big day yourself!

#3- If there are food, drinks, people and lots of love then it will be a great wedding! If you have a large guest list coming in from out of town that can't make it, safety is always first.  I've had a blast at a 20 person wedding.  Don't focus on what is not happening or who is not there, focus on everyone who is there to celebrate with you!

And last but not least, there is this bride who had rain, hail and lost electricity for 3 hours of her reception but still had a great time at her wedding.  I found a few cute photos of weddings in rain, if Irene lets up enough for some photo time outside, take advantage!

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Felicity C Weddings Giveaway

Felicity C Weddings Facebook page has hit 300 likes/fans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of your support means the world to me.  Starting my own company (in a recession no less!) has been a crazy roller coaster ride and I'm so grateful that I get to do what I love.  Reaching 300 likes on Facebook is so exciting that I decided to give away a $50 Visa gift card as a thank you!  The lucky winner is Susan Bury!  Please email me with your address so I can get this gift card out to you.

Hitched!!! Williams Wedding 4.2.11

Talk about a small world.  In high school I used to carpool with a girl named Lindsey Hinds and I was shocked to see her again over a decade later while I was a vendor at the Turf Valley Bridal Extravaganza in January!  After our intro meeting I knew she was the same sweet girl I knew years ago and I jumped on board immediately.  Lindsey & Kyle are such a great match and they infused so much of themselves into their wedding with great details at every turn.  Working very closely with Lindsey as well as her family was such a great time and I was so excited to be a part of her & Kyle's special day.

The couple decide to hold their wedding on Maryland's picturesque Eastern Shore, which is where they have been living for the past few years.  The wedding party, wedding guests and I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Kent Island which is located on the water and is as beautiful as it is accommodating.  The wedding site was The River Plantation which has a great house where the guests entered before the ceremony and enjoyed cocktail hour in addition to the amazing white tent for the ceremony & reception.  The site has an on-site catering staff who had the guests (and vendors!) raving about the delicious food.  The couple took great care in choosing gifted vendors that all came together to create a truly memorable wedding.

Although there was rain earlier in the day, by the time the ceremony rolled around the rain had lifted.  The ceremony was moved from the lawn to inside the tent and after seeing how beautiful it turned out, I can't imagine the ceremony being anywhere else.  Reverend Bill Tessyier officiated the ceremony and I was very impressed with his heartfelt sermon.  Ceremony music was provided by the incredibly talented Chesapeake Strings.  Local vendor Murdoch Florist provided the gorgeous arrangements for the wedding party and the tent decor, which included table centerpieces, roseballs hanging from the tent ceiling and two potted topiaries, all of which really set an elegant tone for the day.  The bride and bridal party's hair was done by Tara Trigger of Dakota Salon and the talented ladies at Amie Decker Beauty took care of the make up. 

All of the day's images were beautifully captured by the experienced John & Kevin of KRR Photography Ltd. and the DJs who kept it going all night long were the fantastic Crow Entertainment who definitely know how to rock a wedding.  Crow Entertainment also provided the gobo lighting design on the dancefloor, which was a spectacular touch!  Maryland favorite SugarBakers Cakes delivered a scrumptious and beautiful cake which perfectly matched the decor of this elegant wedding.  Congrats again to the Williams and thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your big day!

Enjoy these photos and please check Felicity C Weddings' Facebook page for the whole photo album coming soon!

The 411: Guest Seating

Pop quiz: what is the difference between an escort card and a place card?  A place card is located at the top of each place setting on the table to indicate the exact seat for each guest while an escort card contains the guest name and his/her table number, allowing each guest to choose his/her own place at the table. 

Couples are getting creative with their escort cards, not limiting themselves to actual cards but preparing table lists in imaginative and beautiful displays. Whatever you decide on for the display, having assigned seating is a MUST for all weddings which goes hand in hand with a seating chart.  As a planner, receiving a completed seating chart is in my contract because it can make or break the dinner hour.  The basic outline is table name/number, guest names and total table count.  I scratched out the names from the latest client seating chart to give you an idea of how easy it is to be organized, Excel is your friend!

Back to escort arrangements, this is such another area of decor in the wedding to express your personality so the sky is the limit.  I've picked some of my favorites to share with you for inspiration- a few from online and a few from my wonderful clients.  Enjoy!

Seating chart- DO IT!

Alphabetical is the simplest way to go.  Source

A sweet treat before dinner, love it! Source

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