"Flower" Drink

To continue with our outdoor entertaining while incorporating flowers today we'd like to give you some fun ideas oh how to spruce up your refreshing cocktails.

Make some flower-filled ice cubes. Do this by adding a little water to the ice tray, place a flower (or flower petal) on top and add to the freezer. Once frozen bring it out and pour more water into the tray and place back in the freezer. By freezing in stages you will ensure the flower freezes in the center of the cube.

Another great idea is to replace your everyday straws or cocktail umbrellas with edible flower stems. This will add color and special detailing to your soiree.

A bright splash of color!

Bottoms up!

Ranunculus and A Rooftop Shoot

Hello Monday and welcome back everyone. As this is the season of ranunculus and bright spring colors we decided to put together a ranunculus/brunia bouquet for a recent photoshoot at the Rockville Rooftop. We'll be putting up more shots from that day at a later date. Enjoy!

Coordinating: DIYva Designs

Flowers: DBI Events

Photography: Arts Group Photo

Dress: P. Lawrence

Location: Rockville Rooftop

Fall Trend Alert!

In the past few weeks we have met with several fall brides and these uber stylish brides are all heading for a "progressive" color palette. Forget the reds, oranges, and yellows of the fall. Modern brides are taking color inspirations from their daily fall fashion and applying them to their wedding decor. Big trend to watch out for? Blush, fig, suit blue, espresso brown, and mustard yellow.

Super chic. Super clean. Super modern with a soft touch. Loving. It.

TGIF - Thank God It's Finished!

What a busy week it has been for DBI Events. Between proposals, client meetings, resume reviews, and prepping florals for this weekend we haven't had any time to post to the blog - and for that we apologize lol. So to make up for the week and stay within Friday theme (theme of fun-ness) today we're going to tell you how to make your own Pinata!!!! When was the last time you swung at one of these colorful items?

(wowzas)

One of our favorite websites, ReadyMade, posted a fab article on how to make one and today we bring it to you all.

Materials

• Latex balloons
• Flour
• Water
• Salt
• 1" x 4" strips of newspaper
• Colored crepe paper cut into long, fringed strips
• Candy
• Tape
• White glue
• Rope

A papier-mâché piñata uses balloons instead of cardboard to form the basic shape. For complex structures, tape several balloons together.

Combine equal parts flour and water in a blender, and add a dash of salt. Mix well, then pour into a bowl. This is your adhesive.

Dip a newspaper strip into the adhesive, slick off any excess with your fingers, then slap the strip onto the balloon shape. It takes several layers to make a solid foundation.

Let dry overnight.

After the paper hardens, pierce with a pin to pop the balloons.

Cut open a flap, fill your piñata with candy, then close and secure with tape or glue.

Apply layers of colorful fringed crepe paper for decoration, working your way up from the bottom.

Make two holes in the top for hanging. Thread a piece of rope down one hole and up through the other, then tie off.

Suspend your piñata from a tree and start swinging.

With sunshine and picnics just around the corner this is a perfect time to freshen up on your Pinata making skills.

Check out the actual article here.

Tools

• Blender
• Scissors
• Pin
• Stick

Happy Cherry Blossoms Festival Kick-Off

I feel so lucky to be in DC this year for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The gift and annual celebration honor the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan and the continued close relationship between the two countries. This year you can visit the National Cherry Blossom Festival Red Cross Online Donation Site to support disaster relief efforts in Japan here. There will also be an online auction and a portion of proceeds will be donated to relief efforts in Japan.

In the spirit of the 2011 Cherry Blossom Festival we thought we'd bring you some beautiful design ideas that incorporate these magnificent floral branches. The soft pinks create a soft romantic atmosphere that is perfect for any spring occasion.

A traditional Princess Cake - how appropriate.

How lovely is this beautiful arrangement? Soft, relaxing, and chic.

This showcase of Cherry Blossoms was designed by Celebrate Flowers in NYC for one of their weddings at The Foundry (gorgeous venue that I've worked at)

A lovely three tier cake fitting the Cherry Blossom theme.

A Cherry Blossom wishing tree.

Wow - crystals, pearls, chandeliers - a wedding set for royalty.

A fantastic, custom made guestbook signing. Cherry Blossoms all the way!

A beautiful palette bouquet of peonies, jasmine, sweet peas, and cherry blossoms.

These cute place card settings are not only perfect for a Cherry Blossom inspired event but can also serve as fabulous favor.

We hope everyone gets to enjoy this years Festival and support Japan! See you under the cherry blossoms.

Antique Books - Loving It

One event decor element that I'm loving is the use of antique books. This trend is on the rise and rightfully so. You have so many fantastic options when it comes to using books and all of them are budget-friendly! As a fan of thrift shops I can tell you that you can get books for one buck. That's right - $1. Let's say you're going for a vintage theme or an old school theme - stacking antique books would be a great way to channel that. 5 books = $5. Wowza.

And don't forget about spray painting - not finding the right color books? Buy the ones already at the store and spray paint them!

Not feeling the stack of books? Don't worry - you can use books to replace table numbers.

So many options! Check out some decor ideas below:

A story book wedding!

once wed / merriment events / elizabeth anne designs

I love the intense color palette!

A modern twist - spray-painted books!

DIYva Designs - You Need to Check These Girls Out

Today we'd like to introduce you to a fabulous DMV (DC, MD, VA) vendor - DIYva Designs (pronounced "diva" designs). This great event design company has a very innovative approach to event planning and they offer fantastic services like dessert bar designs, custom head accessories for the big day, customized invites, and much much more. Artsy, creative, and business-oriented these girls offer it all. Check out their site here. And click here to check out their blog!

Mad Men Wedding Inspiration

Mad Men's huge success not only keeps us glued to the tv but also has become a popular wedding trend. The retro look has come through in hair dos, wedding dresses, invites, tablescapes, and color schemes.

Not creative? Lacking retro ideas? Find a retro-print fabric and design everything around that (just like Cakegirls did for their cake below!).

Check out some fun inspirations below!

Choosing time-appropriate elements is a great way to bring in that vintage/retro design. Whether a typewriter, tin cans used for floral arrangements, lampshades, old rusty keys or glassware you can dress up your cocktail hour, reception, etc. For more inspiration click here.

This fun invitation screams retro! The green tones and the geometrical flowers are very timeperiod appropriate! Check them out here.

Forego the limo - exiting in a classic car will not only be super cool but also provide timeless photos!

Nothing says retro more than a birdcage veil! Customize and Accessorize!

Photo by Victor Babintsev

A short dress with a wide skirt and a retro updo is any retro bride's dream!

Photo by Jessica Monnich of Austin

This cake was designed by Cakegirls - they were inspired by a retro poppy print fabric! The colors and the flowers are super retro.

This will always be one of our most favorite design styles - retro weddings will never go out of style!

Set The Mood with Drink Stirrers

Good morning! Hopefully everyone had a fantastic weekend - I sure did. It was all about the three major "S"s - sun, sleep, and stirring my drinks! Speaking of drink stirrers...lol. Today's posting is all about them! It's a great detail to set the party's mood - whether it's another detail that adds to the theme or it simply plays a useful role in holding the olives, limes, etc you can get as creative as you want with this unassuming detail. And think about what you remember from the events you go to - is it the huge flower arrangement that is by the entrance that you just walk past or is the unique glass your drink came in or the fresh logo on your hor d'oeuvres napkin? Exactly. It's all about the details and this is a great one!

Here are a few fun, creative, and unique drink stirrers you might want to consider having at your next shinding:

Whether a monogram or simply the first letter of the couple's names this simple drink stirrer not only adds that extra detail of color and text but also serves a purpose! Check out more on www.brides.com.

A Vegas-themed party?! Yes please! The official Hostess makes this theme look chic! Check out the drink stirrers! How fab.

A simple champagne toast goes a long way! Mini flags with raspberry bottoms are only colorful but also tasty. Check out more ideas on Project Wedding.

How about fun girly stirrers for a bridal shower? A butterfly theme is perfect. See more here.

A beach-theme soiree? These stirrers are a great way to incorporate beach elements without getting cheesy.

Add that extra pop of your color palette through these simple and inexpensive (and even DIY!) drink stirrers. *photo take by CamilleStyles on Flickr.

Common interests (for a couple) are a great way to build a wedding theme. Do you both love music? These cute guitar stirrers are a a perfect way to showcase your passion. For more ideas click here.

Lovebird theme has become extremely popular in the past few years. A great way to incorporate that into your cocktail hour is through these wooden drink stirrers. They also add a natural element to the overall decor - perfect for a lovebird theme! These beautiful stirrers are by Tara Guerard Soiree.

And lets not forget the boys! Weddings are usually about the bride but nowadays grooms like to get involved as well! Give them the cocktail hour and provide these fun golf club stirrers! If you're unwilling to compromise these will be great for a bachelor party or a backyard cookout. You can purchase these here.

Now go make yourself a drink! It's 5 o'clock somewhere.

What A Weekend! Cakes, Flowers, And Photoshoots,

And the week has, once again, officially started. It was a busy weekend for DBI Events.

On Saturday we had an awesome (and extremely challenging!) photoshoot with our dear friend Anna (check out her awesome photo blog here)! The photoshoot was of a lovely picnic set on the Potomac river. The color palette was blue and yellow and here's a tiny preview:

We also participated in the Let Them Eat Cake bridal event and had a super fun time! We met some great brides, fabulous event industry professionals, and ate lots and lots of cake/cupcakes. Here's a preview of what our booth looked like (the little white flowers are actually flower cupcakes! More images to come later):

We hope everyone has a great week!

It's International Women's Day - Time to Look at Something Pretty

Happy International Women's Day to all my ladies!

Today we're talking colored glass. Colored glass is a great alternative to florals to bring your event's color palette to life. Think colored vintage bottles, bowls, and jars. The benefit of buying colored glass (not painted!) is that it is see-through, which provides a beautiful light effect - whether the sun in an outdoor ceremony or candlelight indoors. Below are a few places you can buy these pretty little treasures.

For those of you who don't want to rummage through thrift stores and garage sales these beauties come from Pier 1 - they also come in a clear, aqua color and Ruby Red.

For any color, shape, or style check out Luna Bazaar's collection of these cuties! And for $2.95 a pop they are appropriate for any budget.

Add some elegance with these gorgeous bottles - find them here.

These fabulous amber bottles are from Boothten on Etsy - check out the shop here.

Add a little emerald to your next decor! This beautiful piece comes from MarciLu51151 store on Etsy! Check out her shop here.

Best part about using colored glass? It's recyclable!