Wedding Alternative: Plan an Elopement

A popular alternative for some couples is having an elopement versus a traditional wedding. Wedding planners are still usually involved, so our wedding and event planning students don't have to worry about getting cut out of the picture.

Elopements usually have some kind of venue, albeit more informal, there are lodging accommodations for the couple and a small number of witnesses, arrangements to be made with the officiant performing the ceremony, and - drum roll, please - usually a large-scale reception for family, friends, and invited guests after the couple is formally married (that's when gifts are given, the registry is set up, and planners get involved to coordinate the catering, photography, venue, and so on).

Elopements suit couples who are less formal, want to dial down formal ceremonies, want to be less formal about dress and decor and protocol, and want their guests to focus on the reception food and party. Click on each photo to see inside different elopements, thanks to coverage from 100 Layer Cake.

Katie Berger, our Wedding and Event Planning student advisor, had these observations about elopements.

Don't let the laid back feel of the elopement fool you. While they are often more intimate in feel than a large affair, for the planner they can mean an increase in the amount of work leading up to the event. Planners become the go-to person for all vendors, the couple, friends, and family - even more so than in a regular wedding. The guest count may be small, but the workload is not! But with that being said, elopements are a wonderfully intimate way to say 'I do.'

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.

If you're interested in learning more about wedding planning, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Inspiration: So Many Great Ideas for Wedding Planners!

Memorial Day Special: If you're not afraid of "idea overload," then by all means, you have to watch this video of Ed and Ruth's special wedding day. It's filled with details about dress, style, decor, color schemes, DIY projects, venue preparation, and ways to engage and energize everyone in the wedding party.

We know that you and our wedding planning course students will find much to take away from it. Click here for the full wedding details on 100 Layer Cake.

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.

If you're interested in learning more about wedding planning, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

DIY Wedding Project: Sparkling Glitter Heels

Okay. I'm a guy. And this is definitely not a "guy" kind of post, in any way, shape, or form! But I write all the time about weddings, and when I saw this 100 Layer Cake do-it-yourself project, I thought that all of our wedding and event planning students will want to help their cllients - or themselves - to this easy and fun idea. So not a guy kind of project, but guys will love the results.

With The Great Gatsby hitting theaters, the sparkle and glam of the Roaring 20s is defnitely in vogue, and you can dress up a ho-hum pair of pumps with easy-to-apply glitter. By the way, the product they recommend using is called Mod Podge (click on the link for more information. Watch this short DIY video for a step-by-step look at making your own sparkling glitter shoes.

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.

If you're interested in learning more about wedding planning, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Wedding Centerpieces: Using Greenery

Photography by Paige Reaux

Floral centerpieces may be the popular norm, but using green leaves can provide a very striking and different table décor.  These tall palm fronds caught my eye. Simply housed in tall clear vases, the fronds are familiar yet exotic at the same time. A simple pink rose surrounded by green ferns add a beautiful note. Continuing the green theme, a simple fern leaf decorates the folded napkins. The next time you’re doing some wedding planning, try using simple greenery for the main theme.

Photography by Paige Reaux

 

Photography by Paige Reaux

Photography by Paige Reaux

 

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.

Grooms and Groomsmen: Hot Wedding Wear Trends

 

Let's take note of some grooms and groomsmen attire trends that we're really loving. First - in the photo above and just directly below - I'm loving the color burst in the shirt, the polka-dot handkerchief square, the colorful bow tie, mad-patterned socks, and slender-cut contemporary suit. Click on each photo to see more images from these weddings.

Look at the next two sets of photos (see below), and you'll see the bow tie trend continue, topped off with suspenders, a Gatsby-like white ensemble, and black suspenders with natty black casual shoes.

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.

If you're interested in learning more about wedding planning, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.