Succulents as a Wedding “Flower”

We continue to find the use of succulents in wedding bouquets and ceremony and reception décor absolutely irresistible! These plump, water-rich plants are eco-friendly and gorgeous, and with so many varieties, succulents can be easy to work into your wedding day design! Available in a rainbow of greens and grays and a multitude of shapes, succulent plants can be the anchor to your wedding décor or just a unique accent in your floral-based design. They are also a wonderful option for favors that will last long beyond the wedding day! Check out some of these fabulous uses of succulents!

bouquets with succulents



succulent boutonnieres and hair accents



succulent arrangements

photo credits: Graham Hobart, Vim Studio, Stephanie Williams via Pretty Chicky

Stardust Bridal Salon Gowns Featured in The Texas Wedding Guide

The 38th Edition of The Texas Wedding Guide hit newsstands at the beginning of August, and StarDust Celebrations is thrilled to be represented throughout the fabulous issue!

We are especially honored to have several wedding gowns featured in the fashion photo shoot featuring the lovely redheaded Cover Model Contest Winner, Colleen. In the fun spread Model Magic, Colleen can be seen showing off several of our bridal gowns from Stardust Bridal Salon from designers such as Alvina Valenta, Watters and Matthew Christopher. Check it out!

Thanks, TWG, for including our gorgeous gowns in your photo shoot! Colleen looks beautiful in them!

Visit Us at the Fort Worth Star Telegram Bridal Show

We hope you picked up a copy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram yesterday to snag your copy of the newspaper’s special bridal publication. The pull-out bridal section is published as a prelude to the Star-Telegram Bridal Show, to be held at the Gaylord Texan on Sunday, August 28. Yes, that is this coming Sunday, so be sure to mark your calendar!

The StarDust Celebrations family of bridal salons is pleased to have a booth at the event that will feature gowns, accessories and more from all three of our beautiful bridal boutiques! We have also been invited to participate in the fashion show, produced by Susan Huston, and we’re thrilled to contribute six gorgeous designer gowns to the show. The runway show will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will feature bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom ensembles, tuxedos and accessories.

The Star-Telegram Bridal Show is Tarrant County’s most spectacular and comprehensive bridal event and will showcase wedding vendors from every category, including venues, entertainment, photography, florists and event designers, videography, catering, beauty, wedding cakes and more! Make plans today to come by and visit our booth. See you there!

Details
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram Bridal Show
Gaylord Texan in Grapevine
Sunday, August 28, 2011
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Kim Kardashian’s Wedding Gown

We would be remiss to not mention the buzz swirling around Kim Kardashian, her nuptials this weekend and her top secret bridal gown. With Kim’s red carpet flair and knockout figure, she is primed to wear a fabulous, over-the-top curve-hugging design and the watchers must just wait with baited breath until she reveals her Vera Wang bridal gown at her wedding to basketball star Kris Humphries on August 20.

Some of our gown designers were asked by Brides.com to design their own fantasy gown for the sexy celebrity. Below are a few of the amazing designs they dreamed up. Aren’t they incredible?!

Claire Pettibone Design

Theia Design

Watters Design

That will have to just whet your appetite for now, but surely we’ll all catch a glimpse of the real deal tomorrow on E! Happy star-gazing!

Trend Alert: Small Plate Receptions

While we always love a classic and elegant seated dinner, we really adore the micro or small plate reception trend right now! Having a small plate reception allows you to serve a wide variety of foods, giving your guests the opportunity to sample whatever offerings they choose.

Typically, the small plates, which boast about three or four bites of a petite full meal, are offered at stations throughout the room. Less structured than a formal dinner, the micro plate meal concept is great for a cocktail reception or for a celebration where dancing will be the focus. Another perk to the small plate reception is the avoidance of buffet lines as guests just walk up to the station and grab an already-prepared plate! This format is also a creative and impressive way to incorporate foods from multiple cultures and to ensure that you serve something for everyone. Couples tend to select anywhere between six and nine of these complete mini-meals to present a delicious smorgasbord of fun and memorable food to their guests to savor.

Many caterers and venues are embracing this exciting alternative that give the bride and groom endless options for their wedding reception meal. Talk with your caterer to explore if this idea is right for your wedding day. Happy planning!

The Boutique at Stardust Bridal Salon

StarDust Celebrations is thrilled to announce our newest concept, The Boutique, a magnificent offering of more than 75 styles of gorgeous, moderately priced bridal gowns! Now open, The Boutique is located on the newly renovated ground floor of Stardust Bridal Salon and will offer select wedding gowns at $2,000 and below from such fabulous designers as:

• Sottero and Midgley
• Tara Keely
• Watters/Wtoo
• Blush by Jim Hjelm
• Theia
• You, the new line by Pronovias
• Steven Birnbaum
• Robert Bullock
• James Clifford
• Simone Carvalli

While we still have our full collection of stunning couture bridal gowns upstairs in the salon, we are so pleased to be able to offer these additional beautiful gowns and our signature quality service to our brides on a budget. Call for your appointment to check out these wonderful new gowns: 972.781.1619.

Featured Friends Friday: Sahana Creative Floral Design

Vendor name/company: Judy Berry, Sahana Creative Floral Design

Service(s)/Product(s) offered: Sahana provides complete Floral and Décor Design for Weddings and select Corporate Events.

How did you get started in the wedding industry and when? I began Sahana in 2002 as a second career, after being in the Fashion Industry for many years. Once I decided to change my career path, my husband encouraged me to pursue floral design. I had already done a few weddings and knew that it did fulfill my artistic side – working with the colors, the shapes of the flowers – and making the whole come together. I am so lucky to be in a ‘job’ where I get to create something beautiful, and thereby, make so many people happy. It always touches me whenever I show a bride her bouquet for the first time, and she has tears in her eyes.

What sets you apart from other vendors? I want every wedding to be very special. The bride wants a vision that is unique and a setting that is dramatic. Everything must be perfect. Everything must reflect the bride’s personal style; be more than she expects. Vision and drama – that’s what I do.

What do you do for fun besides weddings? My husband and I like to travel to the sites of ancient cultures. We both learn so much about people and their histories. Many times these treks are in tropical climes, such as the Amazon, and I truly treasure seeing the colorful florals that grow there; very inspiring to see them in their natural setting. Also, we love visiting museums, reading and going to movies.

Why do you enjoy working with wedding planners? I particularly enjoy working with the wedding planners I know – many of whom have become friends. They, the planners, are able to get the brides focused on the details so that when we have our first meeting, I already know who, where, when, plus the colors the bride wants, as well as the target budget. This makes our time together more fruitful. The bride also knows that her planner has everything under control.

What is your favorite thing about working with a StarDust Celebrations planner? It is always easier working with other professionals. I always know that when I work with Marsha and her team that they are the best of the best and that every small detail will be addressed.

Do you have any funny or memorable stories you can share about working with one of our planners? I don’t know if this is funny or sad, but I once had a bride’s mother ask me why she couldn’t get the exact shade of pink Calla Lilly she wanted! Unfortunately, I can’t control Mother Nature.

What is the best single piece of advice you could give to brides? The best single piece of advice I always tell the bride that “This is your day! Don’t let me, your Mom, or anyone else divert you from your dream. My job is to take your vision and create a design that is beyond what you originally envisioned. My goal is for you and your husband to walk into your reception and stop in awe.” Joy is what I want for the bride.

See more of Judy's beautiful work at www.sahanafloral.com.

Maggie Sottero Trunk Show at LuLu's This Weekend

LuLu's Bridal Boutique in Uptown Dallas is hosting a Maggie Sottero Trunk Show this Friday and Saturday. Come in and try on the newest fabulous bridal gowns from Maggie Sottero. See why the signature Maggie fit makes these wedding gowns some of the most sought after! No appointment required.

Real Wedding Featured in Newest Issue of BONT

In June, we shared with you the beautiful wedding of a precious couple whose wedding we were honored to help plan. Now this magical event is being featured in the just-released Fall/Winter 2011 issue of the Brides of North Texas. Thank you, BONT, for highlighting this special couple and their wonderful wedding day!

Special repeat shout-out to our great vendors who helped us bring Lauren and Troy’s vision to life!

Cake: Delicious Cakes

Ceremony and Reception: Ashton Gardens
Ceremony Music: Gyros String Quartet
DJ/Emcee: Jeff Hornok
Favors: Sprinkles Cupcakes
Floral Designer: Sahana Creative Floral Design
Photographer: Joy Neville
Transportation: Romantic Remembrances, 1958 White Rolls for couple’s send-off; Blue Diamond Limousine, Coach Bus for guests
Videographer: When it Clicks, Daniel Estrada
Wedding Planning: StarDust Celebrations, Marsha Ballard-French, CMWP; assisted by Staci Freeman, CWP and Evie Cozart, TWP

Choosing Your Wedding Day Music

Deciding on the music for your wedding day can be a lot of fun. But it can also be daunting! Your music choices set the tone for the day, from ceremony prelude to the last dance at your reception and every key moment in between. Here are a few points to consider when making your selections.

Your ceremony music may be dictated, in part, by the venue in which you marry. Many houses of worship have guidelines requiring your music be religious or classic instrumental in nature. Be sure to check with your contact at your ceremony venue to ensure your choices meet any requirements.

Next, you’ll want to consider the style/theme of your event – classic/traditional, modern, eccentric, whimsical, etc. A garden wedding with a boho chic vibe would be the perfect setting to have the bride enter to something like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” strummed on an acoustic guitar, whereas a formal church or hotel ballroom ceremony may lend itself more to the bride walking in to “Trumpet Voluntary” played by a string quartet. But it is your wedding! Take time to do some research and brainstorm with your musicians if you want something a little more unique than the standard wedding repertoire.

After the ceremony, the real fun begins! The pressure is off as you are now Mr. and Mrs., and it’s time to party! For reception music, you’ll want to start with your cocktail hour if you’re having one. Again, the goal of the music is not only entertainment, but to set the mood. Jazz or big band favorites are a great way to go during the cocktail hour. You want the mood to be festive but your guests aren’t ready to cut loose. Consider the same approach for mealtime, especially if you’re having a seated dinner. Guests do not want to have to compete with high energy dance music to have a conversation.

Another fun consideration: do you want to incorporate any meaningful song – do you have an “our song”, is there a song that is a theme of your relationship or is there a song that is special to your families? Including songs that have personal significance is a great way to personalize your wedding and make it more memorable for you and your fiancé. You can do this for your ceremony or reception of course, and this is the best way to choose songs for your special dances such as your first dance and the father/daughter and mother/son dances.

Dinner is over and it is time to dance! Want to have the dance floor packed? Then please do consider your guests! Will Grandma be on the floor throwing down to Sexyback or would that give her a heart attack? You may adore Newgrass, but will your guests get it – and can you dance to it?! You can easily have a wide variety of music played to appeal to most of your guests, and any seasoned band leader or disc jockey can help you plan that out. Hire talented, experienced professionals, whether a band or DJ and trust their expertise and opinions!!!

Finally, we are thrilled to offer another tool in your wedding planning arsenal: our Wedding Music Library. We’ve included these examples on our website to give you a fun way to start brainstorming about your own wedding day music. Have fun with it and happy planning!

Wedding Day Emergency Kits

We adore these Minimergency Kits by Ms. & Mrs. designed for the wedding day!

Customized for the bride or bridesmaids, as well as the Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom, these darling little must-haves include wedding day essentials such as an emery board, hair spray, double sided tape, breath freshener, earring backs, sewing kits, pain reliever and even extra “back-up” wedding bands! These precious kits take the guesswork out of prepping for mishaps on the big day and we are pleased to carry them at Stardust Bridal Salon! Be prepared to head off any wedding day emergencies by coming in a grabbing a few of these.

p.s. The Minimergency Kits for Bridesmaids make a great add-on to your gifts for your bridal attendants!

Reception Game: Wedding Themed Mad Libs

We love this          (adjective)             idea of Mad Libs – Wedding Style from Martha Stewart Weddings! The                               (adjective)                wedding website offers a downloadable template to create these scrolls. Roll them up with a pencil and twine and put them at each place setting, giving your guests a                            (adjective)             little activity to complete during your              (noun)    . Be sure to have a friend pick them up at the end of the night so you can create a sweet keepsake book to enjoy for years.

Lighted Solas Fashion Clutches Now at Stardust!

Stardust Bridal Salon is so pleased to now carry fabulous Solas Fashion clutches! We just got the uber-hot bridal clutch Kara in both white and bronze, as well as the Eleanor clutch in gold, silver and copper, all in a sumptuous lambskin leather. A staple in the hands of starlets such as Cameron Diaz, Fergie and Scarlett Johannson for the past few years, these gorgeous little bags have the ingenious light-up interior and a removable chain strap. Come in to snatch yours up soon!