Lacey Chic Design Board

A black and white theme based on this Carolina Herrera lace halter dress with simple black ribbon accent and interesting stripe pattern on the skirt. This dress inspired a look that was part classic, part modern with touches of bright color.

Featured Design Board of the Day: submit your boards at momentsbymorgan@yahoo.com!

Design Idea: New from Jamali

Everything below is new in the holiday section at Jamali Garden. I hope they inspire you!

Silver Royal Murex Shell - something really different that I haven't seen before. This works in the holiday season or for a summer beach wedding.

Red glitter coral fan. Again, this is something that will work outside of the holiday season. Though with the dark color and glitter, it is best for night weddings.

Platinum Bay Leaves Garland. This is also available in pre-made wreaths and sprays. Something to add texture to a gold color scheme. Great for night-time, formal weddings.

Peacock Spray - so different. You could use this as filler in a floral arrangements or to create a unique bouquet. This is for the Bride willing to be daring!

Multicolor Bead Garland - great to use around candles, inside clear glass vases, and more.

Multicolor Ball Spray - great again for filler in a floral arrangement. This is probably best for a colorful spring wedding or a bridal shower. You could even make entire arrangements out of this. A little floral foam under other flowers and these colorful balls can jump out of arrangements on your tables. Hit them with a pin spot at night and they will sparkle all over the place.

Crystal Garland - drape on branches at your escort table or around your cake.

Amber Crystal Drop - perfect to hang from the back of chairs with beautiful ribbon. Try the back of every other chivari, or similar, chair at your dining tables (works best with gold or brown chairs).

Quick Update: New Design Idea

Hot new designs at Accent Decor that aren't even in yet! If you are looking for something different on your tables - this is it! Also, cut down on your floral budget, one bloom in these unique vases will really make a sensation (and save you money)!

Quick Update: Cloth Connection Design Idea

In keeping with our Fall wedding decor theme, I found this picture in a recent email from Cloth Connection. The copper-toned linen has a great sparkly overlay with harvest-colored foliage and florals.

Quick Update: Design Idea from Accent Decor

I LOVE these fish bowls with colored water. They work for a variety of designs and wedding style, and you can float small bud vases or fish bowls inside of them with blooms. Think of the possiblities! You could also look into water-resistant acolytes inside the bowls to provide a glow on your tables! Check them out at Accent Decor.

Kids at Your Wedding

To have kids at the wedding or not? A decision that is among some of the most important for you wedding (well, maybe not as important as say, the reception venue, but important none-the-less).

Does the style of your wedding compliment the little ones in attendance? If you are having a late-night, black- or white-tie wedding, you probably want to stick with grown-ups only! If your venue is a bit too sophisticated, or your reception will be well past their bedtimes, the general rule is you should not have children (other than those in the wedding party, at the discretion of their parents). You may want to think about an appropriate minimum age (perhaps 7 or 8) for the reception. Whatever will suit what you and your groom want and go with your plans for the day.

Etiquette rules state, only those guests explicitly named on an invitation are invited. This means that if Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Karen are invited (assuming Karen is 8), her younger brother Billy and her baby sister Lily are NOT invited. Is it appropriate to write "no children" on your invitations - no. Is it okay to gently inform RSVPing parents that their infant is not invited - yes (but don't ruin any relationships over it).

With that being said, what do you do when you have decided that you will have those adorable rug rats at the wedding? Do you have a large family? Does your sister have a troupe of 4 or 5 kids that feel like many, many, many more? Some weddings even have a large number of children, upwards to 50 or more! Kids experience weddings much differently than adults. What can you do when you want to make sure the little ones have just as special a time on your big day at the big ones?

Inviting Children of Guests

Small, special touches are really all that is needed. You don't need to rent a moonbounce and hire a petting zoo to entertain a gaggle of kids. Parents and children alike will be thrilled when you take the time to put extra special touches on the day aimed at those under 5 feet.

A cute idea that I found on The Knot:

Made by Taylor's Bakery, Indianapolis (Photo:Angela R. Talley Studio, Carmel) and used in Heidi & Michael's wedding. Just a quick treat made of sugar and frosting one each child's plate. A cute way to welcome children to a winter reception! This was an idea done on a whim, but there are other things that you can plan for well in advance.

If you have a very large group of children invited (or who will be with parents from out-of-town, but not invited to the reception), you may want to consider hiring a babysitter. Companies exist now that provide sitter services for events (corporate or social). The Wedding Sitters is a company with services currently offered in NYC, Philadelphia and Delaware that will come on-site and entertain children. Packages vary depending on how many children are there; however rates run from approximately $55-$95 per child. They design a special tea party that children can attend (this requires another room or hospitality suite at the reception site or hotel).

Another option is having a room located right next to the reception be the designated children's room. Perhaps children are there all night, or they can float back and forth between the two (eating dinner with their parents, and going to the kids room to play or take a nap later on). Hire certified sitters (or a company, as discussed above) to provide an adequate amount of sitters and fill the room with activities. Your venue or hotel may be able to help with both finding a company and providing activities. It can be very simple things: tables with activity books, crayons, coloring books, some toys, maybe a TV with a movie (extra points if the animated characters get married!), and healthy snacks. You can put up cheap, kid-friendly decorations, like crepe paper streamers or balloons to make the atmosphere more festive!

If adding another room is not possible, create a kid's section. Maybe you do spring for special entertainment (a magician or balloon artist), that will stay in one corner (and not be too loud), and will entertain kids after the meal. You can create activity tables. You might even go so far as to have kids' tables (if the children in attendance are old enough to sit alone), with special kid centerpieces and favors.

Sometimes it is very important for you (the couple) and the parents to incorporate the kids into all grown-up activities. You can have small special touches that still welcome the kids to the adult party. These wedding place mats (below) are from Oriental Trading and cost only $2.95 per dozen! Include a few crayons and you have kid-friendly chargers.

Many retailers now produce wedding coloring books, which are great to leave at the place of each child. Something to keep them occupied during the long toasts and meal.

Exclusively Weddings (http://www.exclusivelyweddings.com/) offers a coloring book for $5.95 (left) and Oriental Trading has a slightly smaller book for $3.95 for a dozen (right).

Other special touches that you can include:

- Ask your caterer to prepare special children's meal options for full-service dinners (something as simple as macaroni and cheese or chicken fingers), or if your dinner will be buffet, set up a table at a lower height with kid-friendly food (This may even save you money in your catering budget!)

- Have special favors for the kids. Sure, monogrammed coasters are a really great favor - if you are an adult. However, kids might get a kick out of some sort of wedding-related stuffed animal or toy. (Again, this will probably save you money in your budget!)

- Invite all of the kids up for a special dance with the Bride & Groom. Even if some of the younger ones are shy, this will make for spectacular pictures and a moment everyone is sure to remember!

Children in the Wedding Party

Take care when inviting children to be in the wedding party. If you are going to include a child younger than four, you may not get the most cooperative little soul. If this is okay with you - go ahead! If you want a pristine processional, with everyone walking in time - ask someone older, or forgo the flower girl or ring bearer altogether.

Children of any age can definitely work, you just have to plan ahead. (Trust me, I once did a wedding with 2 ring bearers, 2 flower girls, and 2 pages, most under the age of 5.) Make sure that they have a lot of time to wiggle earlier in the day. While everyone is getting ready have Mom or Dad there to supervise. Welcome them to your special day with some of the ideas below:

DW Doll & Book Set, all about being a flower girl, from Exclusively Weddings, $19.95. On top of being a great gift, this gives your flower girl an understanding of what she will be doing.

The Wedding Day Activity Kit from Exclusively Weddings, just $9.95 for various things to keep the little ones occupied.

The Flower Girl Gift Set from Oriental Trading, also only $9.95. It includes a sequin tiara, fairy bear, flashing star wand, mini activity set and more.

For $9.95 from Oriental Trading, you can get the Ringbearer Activity Tote Bag, complete with twenty novelty gifts to keep him occupied!

When the ceremony is about to begin, ask a bridesmaid or groomsman to look after them. Very small children are helped if they have Mom or Dad in the wedding party, and they can walk towards them down the aisle. Or pair up a slightly older child with a young one. You may not want to have flower girls and ring bearers stand at the altar, assign a relative in one of the front pews to gather them once they make it down the aisle. If you will be doing pictures, try to get those that involve the kids done first - then let them go and play!

Nothing is better than the adorable photo of the groom picking up his niece and dancing, or the ring bearer asking the flower girl to dance. Children are a great addition to your wedding. With special thought and little details, you can make their day just as special as any of your other guests! (Remember, once you are the ones with children - you'll want someone to be thinking of you at their wedding!)

Quick Update: Resource One

The "Hot Cha Cha" Chivari chair cover from Resource One Inc.(http://www.resourceone.info/). They have really elegant products, and their website has luxurious table ideas. Check it out!

Design Inspiration: Calla Lily Sculpture

I saw this on the cover of BizBash Florida today and had to share it. What a romantic, yet modern, and truly innovative way to do callas! I love it. I wanted to give design credit, but they didn't list it. Please excuse the quality, this is scanned from a copy of the mag (and it was rather rainy and wet today when they delivered it)!

Updated on July 24, 2008: Design was created by Always Flowers. Original design by Preston Bailey, but this was the miami design house version.

Quick Update: Accent Decor

A quick idea straight from the "Top 10 Best Sellers" email I just received from Rebecca at Accent Decor. Accent Decor is wholesale only, so your wedding consultant or decorator will have to purchase these supplies for you. They have a ton of stuff to compliment any wedding design! http://www.accentdecor.com/

Accent Decor's web exclusive this week. A great example of a unique way to use their products for centerpieces. You don't have to do only floral centerpieces, glassware with unique items on display can be an alternative.

Quick Update: Bloombox

I just received the August e-newsletter from Whitney at Bloombox. I wanted to share some of the great pictures in their gallery. Bloombox is a cool alternative to the standard glass vase. It is a 100% recyclable, box with interior heavy-duty plastic liner. You pop open the box (they ship flat), put in the bag, fill with water and arrange your blooms.

They now have a ton of accessories to customize along with your color scheme - including belly bands that go around the middle of the box and boas that go around the top of the box. They also now carry Blumebuds, which are buds vases and place cards at the same time!

What I love most about these is that you can really be creative. If you are crafty or artistic (or someone in your family or wedding party is) you can do just about anything with these boxes and really personalize them for your day! They are also inexpensive and you don't have the hassle of trying to figure out what to do with 40 glass vases after the wedding!

Check out some of the images below. You can find more at http://www.blumebox.com/ and you can sign up for their monthly newsletter!

Quick Update: Party Rental, Ltd.

I was just visiting the Party Rental Showroom in New York City. They hosted an open house today to showcase some of their pieces perfect for fall - both new and old. I wanted to share some of the new trends and products with you.

I love this charger and the presentation of the one calla lily in the white bowl with a touch of moss. New Items Shown: Sunburst pewter charger, 12"; scallop platinum rim dinner plate; cubist rock glass - single; cubist rock glass - double; cubist highball.

More than anything else, what I love above this is the napkin ring. I like the sassy beads that are still classy, topped with the elegant peach rose. Napkin rings are a way to really jazz up a place setting (or the boring - sometimes cheaper - linens). New Items Shown: scallop gold rim dinner plate; origami gold rim soup bowl; Rosemount tablecloth, available in 108" rd., 120" rd., and 132" rd.

I probably wouldn't put this whole look together for a wedding - though you certainly could with a black- or white-tie affair, in the evening, with the right venue - but I loved some of the pieces of this table setting. The new black and white goblets are really great, especially the black ones, and would be very dramatic and different on any table. I really like highlighting the bright pink rose in the black candle holder - a great way to tie in the signature colors of your wedding. New Items Shown: Black goblet, 160z.; Black goblet, 12oz.; White goblet 16 oz.; White goblet, 12oz.; Black & White stripe (1") 3/4 chair back cover; Titanium wide rim square dinner plate; Simply Black Quilt tablecloth, available in 72" x 90", 120" rd., and 132" rd.

I took this picture on my phone because I loved the way they had this table set up. Why not create a very different look at your reception with low tables (or shorter tables on a riser like pictured) and cushions for seats. This won't work for everything - Grandma probably won't want to settle on the ground in a cushion - but in the right venue could work mixed in with regular tables. It would also work well with a smaller crowd. Provide a variety of cushions for guests to choose from.

Party Rental has showrooms in Bridgehampton (Long Island) NY, New York City, Greenwich CT, Teterboro NJ, Pennsauken NJ, Philadelphia PA, and Washington DC. They have warehouses in Maryland, New Jersey and New York. So they can serve those and the surrounding areas. You can find out more about the products above at their website, http://www.partyrentalltd.com/. If you have seen a big pink hippo on a truck - you have seen Party Rental!

Using a rental company is great when working with a wedding planner or designer. You can augment the collection that your catering hall or venue already has, or you can build an entire event (working with your caterer) in a totally blank space.