A Bridal Show Recap

First, let us start off with saying we had a fantastic weekend at the Bridal Extravaganza and we were thrilled to have met so many excited couples. It was a long weekend though, with set up starting on January 1st. In addition to our booth at the show, we were also invited to design a separate space of inspiration for brides. That was right up our alley, even if we only had about 6 days notice...we think our fairytale theme came out beautifully in spite of the time crunch. In case you weren't able to make it down this weekend, we wanted to recap some details of the show for you.



Here we are ready to get started on Saturday. That's Kelsey, Kim, and Samantha. By the way- welcome Kelsey and Samantha to the team, they are Soiree's 2010 interns.



The main table inside our booth. I have to say I love these girls- they all worked painstakingly for the last 3 weeks or so on these fabric and tissue paper flowers for the booth. All were hand cut and featured tulle and satin, and each had to be hand-sewn. You know you have a great team when they don't blink an eye at my crazy ideas...like making hundreds of flowers in a matter of weeks. We also decided to do something unique and forgo the linen. Instead we made a ribbon runner down the middle.



Hopefully you got one of these if you did make it to the show. And yes, we tied almost 250 ribbons. The effect was beautiful though.

Then there was our design space. We had a blast putting this together. It all started with the linen- a pinky-purple pintuck linen from our very own Cloth Connection (Soiree is an exclusive account member).



We paired moss, butterflies, and tulips to make a mod fairytale theme.



Our own Shanna created the place cards and table card to finish off the table.



On of the things we love to do is to mix unexpected ideas into a design. We wrapped our napkins with moss wire, and added a strip of burlap to our favor boxes.



Since the table was full of vibrant pinks and purples, we left the ceremony inspiration a more monotone palette. Green moss, twigs, and a pop of bright green balls at the top of the arch complemented the table perfectly. The bamboo chairs, courtesy of Brown Rental, finished off the entire look.



As a whole, we were thrilled with the results, and thought the "design space" idea was a great addition to the show this year. What were your thoughts?

Finally, we can't forget about the giveaway we had at the booth. One stylish bride will take home 4 Mikasa "Cheers" flutes. As an interesting twist, we actually asked all of our participating brides two questions about the planning of their weddings; and as another twist you all will actually be able to vote for the winner here. We'll post the finalists on Wednesday January 6th, and the winner will be announced on Friday January 8th, so stay tuned!

We hope you had as much fun at the show as we did, and hope you picked up lots of great ideas about your own wedding day. We also hope, if you're new to the Soiree Blog, that you'll keep coming back for more inspiring ideas, practical tips and planning advice, and just to get to know us a little better.

Happy Monday, and happy planning!

~ Brandi