Contrary to popular belief, incorporating personal collections into weddings has always been important to brides.  The trend has just been a little more publicized over the past few years.  But in our world of wedding planning and event design we’ve been amazed to see what keepsakes, collections and heirlooms our bridal couples have set aside for use in their wedding decor.  For a 2007 beachside wedding in historic Lewes, Delaware, one of our client’s most important design goals was to display her collection of cherished wedding cake toppers in a sentimental, sweet fashion.  Having collected vintage cake toppers for over twenty years, the bride’s modern love for traditional elements was one of our favorite elements woven through the wedding day.

What better way to style the vintage cake toppers than on wedding cakes?  The award-winning couture cake baker, Truli Confectionary Arts, designed seven wedding cakes that were displayed on a 200-year old antique plank table as an old-fashioned seaside “cake walk” buffet.  The traditional fondant-covered stacked cakes were designed in classic white and warm ivory, as well as the soft, beach-inspired shades of butter yellow and pale pink.  The vintage cake toppers either crowned the top of the cakes or sat along the edges, where appropriate without compromising the design of the lovely cakes. Placed underneath trees holding ivory muslin lanterns, the cake buffet table allowed the 250 wedding guests to sample the cakes from both sides.  Antique silver pedestals, vases and serving ware added that last touch of historic elegance that reflected back to the overall wedding theme.  An incredibly sweet wedding all-around, pop over here to see more photos of this charming open-air seaside wedding celebration.

{Photos courtesy of Liz Banfield}

Ohhhh yeah, some of the younger designers out there in the industry may not remember, but we do.  We remember the good old days, when chair covers, chair caps and tailored chair backs and frilly chair skirts weren’t something you could just order in a jiffy online from a reputable rental company.  Oh no my darlings, that’s not how it went down.  These decorative accents had to be made-to-order with a seamstress you had to hunt down and pay handsomely to diligently sew 300 of the same exact design in less than a week.  But not anymore!  Thankfully, times have changed.  Talented event accessory companies, like our dear friends at Wildflower Linens, have revolutionized the way event designers and party producers are able to get their greedy paws on such delectably stylish chair covers as you see here.  From Parisian black and white bustled stripes to tailored orange grommeted leather and feathery peacock blue ribbons, anything you can imagine in the way of chair decor is now available for short-term rental.  {if you listen carefully, you can hear the sounds of an exhausted seamstress sighing in relief}.

In a Jewish wedding ceremony, the bride and groom as well as their parents, stand under a chuppah, or wedding canopy, while the ceremony is performed.  The chuah is generally interpreted as a symbol of the home that the bride and groom are about to create with their marriage; as well as the creative and religious expression of the hope that their new home will be filled with God’s presence.  For many, the fact that the chuppah remains open on all four sides symbolizes the welcoming nature of the newlywed’s home to family and friends as Abraham’s tent was to passing strangers as told in the Bible.

{Photo:  Phil Kramer; Location: Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia]Traditionally, the chuppah was made using a family prayer shawl called a tallis tied to sticks, branches or simply held over the bride and groom’s heads.  Nowadays, the chuppah is constructed out of drapery, fabric, flowers, greenery, crystals, candles, potted plants, twigs, trees, chandeliers and clear acrylic.  In our thirty years of designing weddings from Boston to Florida, we’ve had the pleasure of creating some memborable wedding canopies for our clients.  Here are just a few of our favorites:

{Photo: Clair Pruett; Location: Westin Philadelphia}

{Photo: Michael Leslie; Location: Hotel duPont}

{Photo:  Cliff Mautner; Location: Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia}

{Photo: Susan Stripling; Location: Hotel duPont}

{Photo: Ash Imagery; Location: Westin Philadelphia}

{Photo: Cliff Mautner; Location:  Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia}

{Photo: Marie Labbancz; Location: Trust the Venue}

{Photo:  Susan Beard; Location: Loews Hotel Philadelphia}

{Photo:  Cliff Mautner; Location: Urban Outfitters}

Our design solution?  We created a Chuppah which consisted of 365 candles, representing the love they would share every day, suspended from aircraft cable, all hung at exactly the same precise level over the bride and groom.  A magical, flickering canopy of candlelight bathed them in a beautiful romantic glow.

While we love floral ceremonies as much as anyone (BIGTIME!), there is something to be said for a design which creates a hushed WOW and spiritual goosebumps at the same time.  We believe that a ceremony should “embrace” the congregation in warmth, love and atmosphere.  This very special occasion of watching someone you love and care about pledge themselves to their true love deserves the most sensitive design approach possible.  We love challenges!

The Rabbi spoke about the magnificent Chuppah for over two minutes during the ceremony!  With beautiful candlelight tones of dappled lighting projected onto the draped white walls and the wide aisle, the entire room had the effect of being lit by hundreds of warm candles.  He was extremely moved and felt the heightened sense of wonder our Chuppah created for the bride and groom.  Needless to say, we were too!  Mazel Tov!