This weekend I attended the Twin City Bridal Fair. It was full of color, satin and lace, florals and excitable DJ’s. Wedding fairs are such a great opportunity to get overwhelmed by everything that is readily available to you. Brimming with vendors all wanting to get your business. Great deals, some deals you can only find at the bridal fair like discounts on your DJ and Photographer. The dresses in the fashion show were breathtaking and the crowd was filled with enthusiastic brides and their moms (although there were a few grooms and dads along as well). All in all, I would say the show was a success and I hope those of you that were able to go had a great time. And for those of you who have not gone to a wedding fair I highly reccomend it.

This wedding with a stunning silver and gold theme features centerpiece cakes that are fashionably designed as presents wrapped in ribbons and bows. At the base of the centerpiece cake lies a lit up holiday wreath. The wonderfully designed gift tag on each cake is actually the table numbers for assigned seating. Sticking with the holiday theme the favors are round ornaments, kisses wrapped in silver and gold boxes tied up with ribbon, and little siver bells.

On November 9^th, 2008, USA Today published an article called, “Sooner vs. later: Is there an ideal age for first marriage?” by Sharon Jayson. This question is never actually answered in the article. The conclusion to this, although shaky, is that the age of couples tying the knot is increasing.

The article is filled with lots of people’s opinions, unpublished research and about a 50/50 average on whether it is better to get married earlier or later.

This article struck me on a professional and personal note. I am a single, 32 year old, wedding coordinator.

On a personal level, I put my schooling and career before marriage. However, for my particular age group I am a rarity. Most of my high school friends are married with children, a lot of them right out of high school.

On a professional level, I have not seen the average age of brides and grooms increase. They are all about 23-26 getting married for the first time.

Now there are two points that should be pointed out, 1) is it right for you? and 2) does getting married later in life reduce the divorce rate?

I know that, for me, waiting until after I was done with college and had started my career was right for me. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is right for everyone.

As for the second question, does getting married later in life help the divorce rate, well we would have to look at Census numbers to be sure, but this article doesn’t really reference any Census information other than a brief glimpse from the American Council on Education. Census numbers taken from, for example, people that graduated high school in 1995 with the criteria of when they got married, if they got divorced and how long they were married before they got divorced. Along with one taken of people from, for example, 30 years ago that got married in their 30s and 40s with the same criteria.

This would give us a good, but still not completely accurate, look at what trends could be emerging.

My favorite part of the article is when John Van Epp, the clinic counselor, said that women are counting on science to keep them fertile until they are ready to being having children. I am not even sure where to start with this quote. Is it true? Maybe, but does that mean when women turn 30 and they have not started having children they should just give up and quite bothering the fertility clinics? There are many women, in today’s society, that are not even waiting to get married to have children.

My final thoughts on this article is that it has a great topic, but no conclusion or consensus on whether or not it is better to wait to get married or do it while you are young. I think it is a matter of personal preference and overall maturity. If you are ready to take that step then you should, but there is nothing wrong with living a little first either.

Over the course of the winter I will be showing you design ideas from 2008 weddings. I will begin with a centerpiece that always stands out in my mind. It begins with a beautiful flower arrangement in a square vase. Now that by itself is not that special, not that unique, but you add a piece of cloth that is a strong accent color of your color scheme and you have something magnificent.  The bonus is that you can pick up the fabric at any fabric/craft store and you will have the peace of mind of two things: 1- you know it is going to be the right color and 2-it will save you money.

Bunch up the cloth and set the centerpiece on it to add depth and texture then place a votive candle on each of the four corners. Remember that different fabrics and textures can produce different effects. For example, this centerpiece was made with a burgundy wine Sparkle Organza, this gives it that “BAM” effect (a lame fabric could produce the same effect). You could use Chiffon Fabric for a more muted effect or a Satin/Silk for a more smooth elegant effect (remember with satin and silk it will not bunch the same so you may need more fabric for the same effect).

I love this centerpiece; it has always stuck out in my mind, which most brides would like to achieve. The strong accent color as part of the centerpiece is an essential detail.

Since I had no weddings this weekend I decided to do a short video on options for the napkins at your reception. Enjoy!

Fall Hors d’oeuvre Reception featuring a candy buffet, pumkins, maple syrup favors, vases filled with pine cones and acorns topped with flowers.

This STUNNING red, black and white themed wedding features pilsner vases with black feathers, tall black vases with florals, straight tables, black toule table runners, black chair coverscandles and ceiling draping.

Check out this posh reheasal dinner featuring lit up high top tables, lit up centerpieces, copper linens, chargers, votive trees, candy buffet and much, much more.

Gorgeous wedding with a stunning fall theme, homemade chocolate mints, ceiling draping, ivory chair covers, chocolate brown sashes, unique table numbers, mini pumpkins, fake fall leaves, head table swag with fall leaves and lights.

This wedding has beautiful fall colored linens.