The Bolero Look

Sophisticated: Picture Audrey Hepburn or Katie Holmes walking down the street with a shawl draped over their heads and the length of the shawl streaming down their backs…with big black sunglasses. That’s sophistication!

Stylish: There are so many ways to wrap, tie and knot a shawl to add an immediate sense of high fashion and elegance to any basic dress or outfit. The bolero look is shown in the photo here. Watch our video on how to wear shawls

Soft: So plush and luxurious you may never want to take it off!

Sensible: Perfect for travel to roll-up your jewelry for the suitcase or wrap yourself in warmth while on the plane.

Summery: Freshen up your wardrobe with honeysuckle pink (shown here), soft lemonade, or garden lilac.

A huge “thank you” to Custom Creations Photography for this beautiful image.

As an Image Consultant for almost 20 years, I’ve seen how much importance is placed on the color tones for a wedding. I always recommended to brides that color should reflect your personality, yet also set the style and tone for your very special day. First and foremost – choose wedding colors that YOU love and then use those colors in your bridesmaids’ dresses, shawls, decorations, cake, favors, flowers, umbrellas, accessories, table linens and even the invitations! Here are a couple of tips to remember as you select your colors:

1. Consider Your Surroundings. Where is the ceremony and reception? Will they be indoors or outdoors? Choose colors that complement the setting. Consider the venue and its location, (in the mountains, by the ocean, rustic and natural, or elegant and traditional). Also, consider the window treatments, carpet and overall venue décor.
2. Dramatic? Romantic? What’s Your Style? What mood do you want to create? Vibrant colors add drama, while soft colors evoke a more romantic atmosphere.
3. Let the Season Guide You. The time of the year can influence your color scheme, such as spring and summer colors tend to be lighter, while fall and winter colors are generally darker.
4. Make the Most Impact. Also, to avoid having a overly busy looking event, try to limit your main colors to two or three and remain consistent with your colors throughout the wedding site. You can always add a few subdued colors for a more elegant look.

2011 Wedding Color Trends

Popular wedding color choices for 2011:

turquoise, navy, chartreuse, yellow, honeysuckle
deep red, black & white, slate grey, purple, latte

Enjoy selecting your colors and remember Splendor for Your Guests offers shawl and umbrella rentals and shawl purchases in all of these hot colors for 2011 weddings!

- Lori Ryno, Development Director for Splendor

Debbie DiClaudio, premier wedding planner and owner of Save the Date Events, lists some great ideas for holiday and winter weddings. Did someone say dessert bar? How fun! Read her whole list and see some great photos on The Knot!

Last week, my good friend, Michelle Gillette of Dramatic Events, asked me to partner with her on a table design for the wedding showcase at Denver Botanic Gardens. She wanted to create a romantic, yet unique table setting that was a perfect complement for these beautiful gardens. Here’s the final design. Read on for the story behind it!

Pink Romance Design

At the beginning of our design meeting, we decided to use a parasol as our focal point and signature piece. Our plan came together so quickly that we were ready to gather the elements after a brief conversation.

Michelle ordered the gorgeous linens, china, crystal, silver, table, and chairs from Event Rents. I was so excited when she forwarded me photos of the linens and place settings. I knew they would really add a soft romance to our table.

Next, we selected flowers from the fresh floral market. Gorgeous stems of orchids were our main choice. We also chose various other flowers in our color scheme. I’m no florist so I have no idea what they were, but I can ask my amazing florist friends if you would like to know.

The day of the event, we arrived to find our table in the shade (thank goodness). It was a very hot day, which is compounded when the sun is a mile closer (such as in the Mile High City). We started setting up and all was going smoothly, until… we realized that our centerpiece wasn’t coming together as expected. We’d planned to use floral foam to anchor the parasol’s handle in the base of the vase. Unfortunately, the foam we had was for dry arrangements, and was floating in the water instead of soaking it up and forming an anchor. Next, the foam started breaking apart and sticking to the inside of the vase. At this point, I started giggling and saying how I felt we were on a reality TV show. My solution was to use paper towels to stuff around the foam and hopefully keep it in place. That seemed to work. At the end of it all, Michelle created a gorgeous centerpiece and now we know how to recreate it for the first bride who wants to do a parasol flower arrangement (we’re taking requests!).

We also incorporated our raspberry pink shawls as the chair decor. Michelle created the custom-designed jewelry to adorn the shawls.

Jewelry adornments for shawl chair decor

The look came together and got some great comments. We hope you enjoy these photos as much as we enjoyed creating this look.

Debbie Orwat from Save the Date Events in Denver was recently asked for hot tips by The Knot Magazine. She mentioned keeping guests cozy as one of her tips. Debbie’s consideration for her brides and her brides’ guests makes her one of the most popular planners in Denver.

*Note that the article mentions our former website, “Adornyourguests.com”. We are now “Splendor”.

Thanks to amazing photographer, Autumn Burke, we have new photos of our products. Check out her blog! She’s truly gifted. All bouquets were beautifully designed by the creative Alicia Schwede of Bella Fiori. Fun paper adornments designed by JS Design.

We hope these give you some inspiration to create your unique look. Stay tuned for more!

White Shawl with Bouquet

Pink Silk Paisley

Pink Classic Shawl

Pink Parasol

Lemonade Parasol & Lilac Shawl

Lemonade Parasol & Lilac Shawl

Lemonade Parasol & Lilac Shawl

Lilac Parasol & White Shawl

Bright Yellow Parasol with Bouquet

Bright Red & Grey Fur-Trimmed Shawl

Umbrella Sleeve

Umbrella Handle Inserts - Dotted Border

Umbrella Inserts & Sleeves

Champagne Parasol

Merlot Parasol

Bright Yellow Parasol with Bouquet

Photographer: Autumn Burke
Florist: Bella Fiori
Paper Goods: JS Design
Model: Zeynep Saltuk
Fashion Styling: Lori Ryno

Strapless dress? Celebrating an event outdoors? Annoyed with wearing your date’s suit jacket over your cute dress? Need some classy and different ideas for adorning a shawl? Bridesmaid in a wedding and need to cover your shoulders during the ceremony? Watch International Image Consultant, Lori Ryno of Images Matter show three unique ways to wear a shawl with formal attire.

Note that the video refers to our former company name, Adorn.

Have you struggled with finding unique and fun ways to wear a shawl? Especially with jeans or casual attire? We hope this video gives you some inspiration. Watch International Image Consultant, Lori Ryno of Images Matter show three unique ways to wear a shawl with casual attire. Perfect for a happy hour date, shopping with friends, or a day at the office.

Note that the video mentions our former company name, Adorn.

Here are some tips to create a wedding where your guests party all night long – and talk about it for years afterwards!

• Offer late night snacks. Some great options are bagels and cream cheese, donuts, popcorn, finger foods, cookies, or a candy and dessert bar.
• Oxygen bar. Rent an oxygen bar to keep everyone moving. In high elevations (Denver and mountains) a little extra oxygen will keep your guests awake. You can even get flavored and scented oxygen!
• Provide comfy shoes. Consider offering your guests cozy slippers, fun flip-flops, or fabulous ballet flats. We’ve all had those nights where our cute high-heels turn not-so-cute due to blisters and sore feet. Offer your female guests a change of footwear to keep them (and their dates) dancing all night. Place them in a basket or put them at each female guest’s seat, wrapped with cute ribbon and their name. If you’re having a winter wedding or one that’s more formal, check out some portable, roll-up flats in four fantastic colors.
• Prep your guests. Let them know that you’d like them to stay and party late. They’re more likely to be in the partying mood if they’ve gotten a night’s rest the previous night. It’ll also give them the chance to make arrangements if they want to have some drinks.
• Provide childcare. If you’re inviting children to the wedding, make sure you have childcare on-hand. Try to have a Pack ‘n Play available in a quiet room for toddlers who may want to sleep. Even better, if your reception is in a hotel and your guests are staying there, provide a list of local babysitters to your friends with children. They can arrange for a sitter to stay with their children in the hotel room late night while they’re hitting the dance floor in the ballroom. It’ll enable your friends with little ones to stay longer and relax. If your wedding is in Colorado, we highly recommend Wedding & Event Sitters by Charity. They’ll provide amazing service and even activities for the children.

Here are our votes for top 5 most detrimental wedding decisions.

1. Not hiring a wedding coordinator (at least for day-of). I speak from experience. I didn’t hire a coordinator for our wedding because our venue promised that they provided one. Well, on the day of the wedding, our “coordinator” left for the night just as I walked down the aisle. Our photographer, the venue GM, and the banquet captain totally saved the day. We stayed on schedule and nothing went wrong, but it was all due to the hard work of our other vendors. A venue coordinator is just that – to handle the venue only. A true wedding coordinator will help you with everything about your wedding, from timeline planning to vendor recommendations to helping guide you through the day. If you’re still looking for a coordinator, check out my two favorites (Dramatic Events and Save the Date Events).
2. Not having a back-up plan for outdoor events. You’re spending all this time and investment planning a wonderful celebration for the beginning of your life together. Why risk having it cut short or even canceled by inclement weather? Check out some back-up options: tent, umbrellas, or indoor location.
3. Going cheap on music. Although it may seem easier just to use an iPod® for your reception, we recommend that you think again. DJs and bands offer so much more than just music. They can adapt to your guests’ tastes, really getting them up and dancing. They also provide more of an emcee for the evening. They can help invite guests to dinner and introduce you for the first time.
4. Not creating a wedding timeline. This is such a crucial piece of information for your event. Not having a time line is like an orchestra conductor not having sheet music. When you hire a wedding coordinator, they will work with you to create this document and will convey the information to your vendors. Just keep this in mind – it’s so important.
5. Lacking communication with your vendors. Keep in touch with your vendors throughout your planning. Depending on the vendor, you don’t need to update them at every turn. However, it’s a good idea to check-in with them periodically to let them know about any major changes to your time line or update them with ideas you’d like to incorporate. Communication is the key to a happy relationship, vendor or otherwise.