Springtime Florals

March is here, and we’re looking for spring to hurry on up!  While the temperatures are slowly climbing (and sometimes going back to the low thirties), crocuses are starting to pop up near trees all over town.  It’s one of those first signs that winter is coming to a close.  Crocuses, orchids and tulips are some popular flowers for Easter, Passover and general springtime cheer. 

If you’re lucky enough to have some growing nearby, replant some in a short pot or bed, and have it grow in a well-lit room.  Watch out for allergies!  They have strong pollen, which can irritate the skin and eyes.

Orchids are stunning, but require extra care.  You can pick them up at grocery stores already planted and budding.  No matter how you water or care for them, the end result is a beautiful flower that can last well through the summer (I’ve seen some last over a year!).

DIY Tape Art

Seeing art hanging in a gallery or museum can leave you inspired to create some yourself.  However, painting with acrylics is time consuming and takes delicate precision.  But with a little help from a certain adhesive tape, you can make a simple piece of art that is completely mess free!

All you’ll need is colored tape, an X-acto knife and a sheet of plastic to stick the tape to while cutting it.  Eventually, you’ll want to put it on something like canvas, or another surface to hang/lean on a wall.

{Plastic cutting boards work well to lay the tape down on while cutting.}

{Let the tape hang over the edge a bit.  You might need to adjust things later}

{When everything looks just right, fold the tape over!}

{Finished product!}

Wedding Wednesday: Tablescapes

Tablescapes are sneaky.  They always look so complicated, but in fact can be quite simple and effortless.  Don't worry about finding the balance between arranged and too arranged.  The moment you stop thinking about it is exactly when it will come together.

Remember that balance is more important than perfection.  Different elements have their own unique look and feel, but should still compliment other features.  When you take a step back from arranging, your eyes are able to focus on the arrangement as a whole.

Another great tip is that less is more.  Going overboard on the centerpiece may impede on table space for table settings.  Especially for long, narrow tables, stick to the rule of thirds (have the arrangement stay in the middle third of the table).  Popular in photography, and applicable in tablescapes!

Personal Floral Arrangements

While it’s all lovely for the bride to carry a bouquet (and eventually toss it), what about everybody else?  Groomsmen and other men in the wedding party may have boutonniers, ladies and other women in the party may have their own bouquets, and then there’s the flower girl.  And after the other week’s floral hair accessories post, personal floral arrangements are on the mind.

Last Minute Party Food

No matter how meticulous you can be, there’s always that one event that falls though the cracks and is neglected until the last possible minute.  Whether it’s a game day party or a casual night in with friends, it’s crunch time.

A great way to avoid chips and dip is with taquitos.  Chances are, you’ll have the few ingredients you need just lying about (tortillas, cheese, vegetable of choice, oil), and they fry up in two minutes.

If that’s not for you, try whipping up some mac and cheese bites.  You can doll up a boxed mix with some fresh cheese, and bake them in cupcake papers to ease the cleaning process!

But if your party seems a bit bigger, try making a crock-pot full of chili!  While it’s slowly cooking, you can pick up toppings, corn muffins and whatever else you’ll need.

When you’re in a pinch for something sweet, jell-o works perfectly.  Instead of putting it in a fun bowl in the fridge, you can pour it into decorative glasses.  They’ll cool faster and are great for smaller parties.

Wedding Wednesday: Kids' Table

There will always be kids at weddings, and they will never cease to entertain the other guests.  But what happens when the kids are bored themselves?  Here’s a few suggestions to ensure that when they aren’t entertaining the other guests, they’re busy with something else!

Coloring: If your color scheme allows for it, give each place a brown paper placemat, or even cover the whole table in a large square it.  A larger placemat ensures linens won’t be covered in crayon, and the concept works for kids of all ages.  While brown doesn’t match everything, an assortment of coloring books works just as well.

Bubbles: Any reception with a patio or even one that is outside, calls for bubbles.  Weather permitting; these are another ageless activity for kids to entertain themselves.

Goodie Bags: They can be filled with gifts and activities tailored to the specific mini-guest.  If the table doesn’t know each other, or if their ages span too many years, this works splendidly.  The bags can be decorated with guest-specific activities, and since younger guests may tire of an item quickly, the rule of thumb would be to include as many items as you feel necessary.

St. Patrick's Day Florals

In a few weeks, green will be the color of choice in most store windows.  For the entire month of March, people like to believe they are more Irish than they really are.  Nonetheless, it’s always nice to fool everyone when you’ve whipped up some amazing Irish Soda Bread (link to recipe)!  For floral arrangements, take a short vase and fill it with clovers from the yard or the store.  The bright green color pops against a wood table or desk.

Mason Jar DIY

It seems like Mason jars are being used for everything from drink glasses to pencil cups.  So instead of explaining just another way to use a Mason jar, you can make them look a little more original.  Any color and type of paint works, just remember to use a sealant on top (Mod Podge, etc) so the paint doesn't chip off.

{I ran out of painters tape and had to improvise.}

{Scotch tape worked just fine!}

Tip: Peel the tape off when the paint is still wet.

Wedding Wednesday: Floral Hair Accessories

With engagement season coming to a close, wedding season is not too far off.  And since the little details are what really make the event, it's important for them to be unique.  Instead of the same barrel curls or soft updo, consider floral hair accessories for women in the party, including the bride!  Especially for the summer months, it adds a feminine, earthy element to each woman's look, further complimenting any color scheme.

Floral headbands and wreaths add whimsical sophistication to the day's looks, and can still be worn with a veil - plus, they're adorable on flower girls!

Floral Spotlight: Poppies

Last week, poppies were the flora of choice for Wolfgang Puck’s Wedding Showcase at the Sunset Room.  Poppies bloom in the cold weather, so now is the perfect time to use them.  However, there are also annual and perennial poppies that bloom from late spring to mid summer.  These beautiful blooms aren’t very long lasting after the cut, so keep them in a vase, or if they’re in a bouquet, with the stems exposed so they can be in water until the last possible minute!

As seen last week, the stems are just as vibrant as the petals, making it possible to utilize the entire cut from stem to bloom.

Capitol Romance Feature

Hello readers - just wanted to quickly mention that we were featured on Capitol Romance today! Check out the site - it's full of fantastic wedding ideas and pretty pictures that are sure to inspire.

Weekend Recap

Hello and happy Monday everyone! What an insane weekend but at the same time totally amazing.

Our Friday kicked off with one of the most entertaining client meetings ever - a fantastic family with a great sense of humor and a fabulous vision for the big day decor. I'm so excited to get started on their proposal.

Saturday began early - 5:30AM - and we headed off to NYC for the Renegade Craft Fair in McCarren Park Brooklyn, NY. The fair was full of different vendors, to include Jay McCarroll - winner of Project Runway! He looked fab and his booth was one of the most creative ones we saw. Check it out below - how awesome are the robots holding up the clothing rack???:

We found some amazing ceramists so get ready for customized DBI Events pieces. We'll highlight these vendors later on in the week. Here's a pretty vintage booth with interesting glass containers:

Sunday was another fun client meeting - modern, lavish vision - who can argue with that?? Amazing venue, beautiful color palette, and a super sweet couple....swoooooon. Time to get the creative juices flowing.

Stay tuned for what's to come this week - summer has definitely kicked off and we can't contain ourselves!

Interview Day!

We have fun blog topics coming your way but today we're interviewing intern and event staff candidates! 8 hours of interviews? You betchya! Keeping our fingers crossed that we have some solid folks.

One floral designer is already onboard!

Mimosas - Get Yourself a Vase

Today we're talking mimosas! No - not the drink but the beautiful blooming branches.

You might have noticed yellow tree flowers popping up all over the place. They came out of nowhere and just as quickly will disappear. They bloom in march and have a bright yellow color. The blooms are little yellow fluffy balls that have a beautiful, whimsical texture. These branches look great alone in a vase or as part of a bouquet. Their bright color and romantic texture make them a fantastic addition to a spring arrangement. Get them now because soon they'll be out of season!

Check out some beautiful examples below (and in Russia women usually receives bouquets of these branches of March 8th - International Women's Day!):

Mimosa & Ranunculus Bouquet

Mimosa Flowers

Kei's Flowers

Let Them Eat Cake!

Hello blog readers - we want to let you know about a fun event taking place in the DC/MD/VA area. It's a cake tasting event featuring some amazing talent.

DBI Events will be creating a few displays for this event - if we can hang things, things will be hanging! lol

Buy a ticket, grab a date, grab a friend, grab your sweet tooth, and come see us and the cakes! March 13th from 1-5PM!!!

For more info click here.

*image thanks to TheKnot

LED Lights - Not Just for Your Centerpieces

While watching Pawn Queens on TLC last night one item caught my attention - an LED light wedding dress by Enlighted. I thought that this was super unique and just another way to customize your wedding dress. The LED lights provide a twinkle in a well-lit room and a dramatic effect in a dimly lit room. The best thing is these lights don't get hot so you don't have to worry about your dress catching fire! Here are a few images of other wedding dress ideas:

by Enlighted

by Luminex

by Rhyme and Reason

Wedding planning should be a fun and creative process! Incorporating LED lights is just another way to customize your look! And why stop at the wedding dress? How about LED linen, blazer jackets, and even drapes?

Monday is for...Recovery

Last Thursday we had a huge event for First American at the NYC Hilton. All the big names were coming to this evening party to include Donald Trump, Mayor Bloomberg, etc so we had to step up our game. The theme was New York New York so we went with a black, white, and silver color palette to create a mood of sophistication and elegance. We used tall black trumpet vases to create a sense of height in a room with insanely tall ceilings. We made sure votives covered the room to provide the right amount of candlelight. Here's a preview of what some of the arrangements looked like:

We want to thank the following vendors for helping us make this event a great one!:

Staffing by Marsell

NYC Hilton

Potomac Floral Supply

Floral Supply Syndicate

Happy New Year!

It's a new year and DBI Events can't be more excited. This year is already shaping up to be a busy one, full of fantastic opportunities. We have fun projects in the works and are super excited to be partnering up with some great vendors in the Metropolitan DC Area! Be on the lookout for styled shoots, private event shows, weddings, and lots of beautiful DIY goodies.

This past weekend I hosted a NYE dinner and of course had to decorate. I used white and silver tones to create a few festive bouquets to replace traditional centerpieces. These bouquets sat at an angle in different shaped glass vases - creating a fun yet informal atmosphere (and oh yea...those white Akito roses smelled out of this world!). Check out the images below!

We want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and successful 2011. Can't wait to see what the new year has in store!

A few simple Xmas Centerpieces

I've compiled a few fun and easy Xmas centerpieces for your brunch and dinner tables.

This project is extremely simple and very modern/elegant. Take a few glass vases (size and shape don't matter) and fill halfway with sugar or salt. Take a few branches and stick them in. This creates a very "wintery" feel and is beyond easy to accomplish.

Take any glass containers and fill them with mints. Stick a few winterberry branches and you have visual stunning decor.

Don't want to fuss with the mints? Forget about them - just stick the winterberry branches into tall glass vases and you have a dramatic yet modern centerpiece. Sprinkle a few amaryllis heads on the table to add an extra pop of flowers.

Put that candy cane to good use! It's extremely cheap and has a great red and white pattern that is perfect for a glass container. Buy a few different shapes and sizes of this candy and mix and match them into different glass container.

Lastly - fill your favorite bowl with the leftover Christmas ornaments and place it on your coffee table, kitchen counter, or dining room. Filling a few glass containers is also an option.

Images thanks to:

www.celebrations.com

www.glamour.wordpress.com

www.yourdecoratinghotline.com

www.budgetwishhome.com

www.thedesignfile.net

A Little Corporate Holiday Party Etiquette

With most of my friends working for the man I thought we'd blog about the biggest mistakes made at corporate holiday parties. We know plenty who've made them and although the post-party stories are great (for those not involved!) those involved usually start the year (or week) off with a bit of shame. SO - to avoid the shame check out the big no-nos below:






1. Excessive Drinking: only because your company has paid for an open bar does not mean you have to drink the equivalent of your salary in booze. While your drink is spilling on your coworkers because you're swaying, your boss might start thinking about a replacement.



2. Excessive Eating: there is nothing wrong with food consumption - I do it and I do a lot of it. However, remember that people like to shake hands at these events and no one wants your greasy-bbq sauce - covered hands touching theirs. And a mouth full of food? Not so great.

• do not walk around with multiple hors d'oeuvres
• do not double dip or return buffet food
• properly discard your napkins, toothpicks, etc
  

3. Excessive Talking: no one wants to hear a 20 minute story about a vacation you took 5 years ago. Limit conversations to 5 minutes and avoid being formal or discussing business.

4. Excessive Complaining: no one wants to hear you complain - this is a holiday party so keep a fun attitude. And if someone else starts complaining - switch the topic.

5. Excessive Absence: being fashionably late to a corporate party is not so fashionable. Also, make sure to stay long enough to mingle and let your presence be known.

6. Excessive Attire: only because this is a holiday party does not mean you need to forget the dress code policy. For women - too much cleavage or leg is not appropriate. And for men - please don't all of the sudden decide it's Vegas and wear a shiny suit.

7. Excessive Guests: unless the invite specifies that you can bring your spouse or +1 - DON'T.

Policy obviously varies by office and some are more social than others. However, if you're not certain, follow these rules and you're sure to survive your first party.

For more info on appropriate dress, convo topics, and etiquette click here.