I am really excited to announce a new weekly feature on the Wednesday of each week called Why It Works Wednesday.  I have been marinating on this for sometime now and am excited to finally get the ball rolling.  Before I jump into the first post, allow me to explain what exactly WIWW {no why I am writing that out each time } is.  Each week I will be featuring one gorgeous element to a wedding {in photograph form} that has been pinned, tumbled, stumbled you name it.  Class favorites if you will, be it from the weddingverese or directly from our amazing features here.  The goal of WIWW is to explore what elements about said table set up, cake, bridal look etc, are at play that make it the amazingingness that it truly is.  Often everyone saves images for later, never fully understanding the why of how it all works so well together.  My goal for this section is to literally laundry list the elements at play, hopefully bridging that design gap from editorial awesome to something everyone will be able to take something away from to become more stylish!  Let’s get started shall we!?

Today’s feature comes to us from Ruffled Blog: Mint and Gold Winter Wedding with Utah Events by Design at the helm of things.  While the feature is indeed a winter time styled shoot, the color scheme is a classic, one that easily transcends time of year.  Our focus for today will be the place setting portion of the shoot which is dripping in minty golden goodness.

 *Photograph by Pepper Nix Photography

In my humble opinion, there are two very major elements at work in the design aesthetic along with three complimenting lesser features.  The two design big boys in this table setting are texture and shape.  Let’s tackle texture first.  There are a quite a few interesting surfaces within this setting, starting from the ground up, the table itself provides a smooth organic surface leading the way for a what is in contrast, a busy plate setting.  The base charger has a gently rolling wave pattern, while the dinner plate has a strong and powerful wood grain impression.  The build from the smooth table, to gently rolling wave to forceful wood grain builds much like a crescendo does in music.  Serving as the perfect punctuation, the softly frosted salad plate at the top, with snowflake print, compliments both the gentle & bold patterns, keeping the texturing in motion.  The plate in this stack that is perhaps the unspoken star, the anchor if you will, is the simple cream one with gold rim.  This piece serves as a calm in the storm, something to break up the chaos if you will, yet hold it all together so beautifully.  Without this mid layer, the various textures would be simply competing with one another, screaming for attention.  It is ever so important to always provide the eye with a break, a calm, when designing just about anything.  Two other strong textures on the table are the bold square beaded napkin ring, beautifully set against the smooth napkin and the enchanting glittered apple set up in its own smooth palace.  Each works wonderfully with the table as a whole, not to mention how it echos the plate setting in both forceful & smooth textures.

The other big element at work is shape.  The most obvious is the juxtaposition of the softened snowflake shape of the menu against all of the round on the table. By choosing a die cut snowflake menu, the team easily brought in a subtle winter feel as well as finding the perfect counter shape to not only compliment all the round {Plates, glassware, vase base, rose blooms, apple, even the spoon} but beautifully detract from it all the same.  Its a much needed break in the table, one that provide a focal pop.  Believe it or not, the cutlery is also hard at work & carefully chosen against the voluminous plates.  Thin, almost wiry, cutlery balances out the volume of the plate stack, offering a lovely change of pace.  Even the billowy lazy fold of the napkin in a strong & structured square napkin ring serves as another guiding piece to the shape game.  Each working to harmonize with the other while being a standout on its very own.

The three smaller elements of design that are equally as important are color choice, lines and the apple.  The tones of soft mint & muted gold are a wonderful departure from the screaming hot mint & brassy golds we typically see.  These relaxed tones allow for a calmer, more soothing feel to the table, one that creates an inviting & welcoming table.  Lines are quietly playing in the background, from the wood slates in the table to the paralleling table runners, each creating a contrasting movement against the plates, cutlery & so forth.  There is a quite motion to the table, reinforcing the soothing nature of the color choices.  Lastly, the apple.  While it might seem a trivial thing, I absolutely love it.  It is the whimsy the table needs and wonderfully pairs with the organic feel of the wood table.  Its a simple touch, but one that serves to bring a spot of life into such a soothing environment.

So what do you think of this gorgeous  setting?  What elements are you loving and likely to borrow for your own designs?  What are you feelings on the softened mint and muted golds, are you a fan of toning them down?  I would love to hear what your thoughts are!  Likewise I would love for you to send me beautiful set ups that you’d like to see featured on Why It Works Wednesday, so please send them along!  Xo~ Jess

To view the full feature {and you should its amazing!!} on Ruffled Blog, Click Here

Shoot Location: Sandy, UT / Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography / Event Design, Planning, and Table Decor: Michelle Cousins of Utah Events by Design / Shoot Venue: La Caille / Wedding Flowers: Urban Chateau Floral / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier “Candy” via Alta Moda Bridal / Bridesmaids’ Dress: Alfred Sung via Lily and Iris / Hair: Kali Wengreen / Makeup: Kristen Packard / Wedding Cake: Cake-a-licious / Table and Flatware:Diamond Rental / Wedding Invitations: Freshly Minted Invitations / Calligraphy: Distinctive Inscriptions Calligraphy

I cant get enough of these simple heart puzzle blocks!  Easy to make & perfect as that lil extra something decor wise or a fun gift all their own!  To make these glittery heart felt blocks, click HERE

A sweet touch to any private Valentine’s Day Table for Two is strung Carnations on fishing line.  Use them as a backdrop or a curtain, ombre them in soft pinks or daring reds!

Got a spare mason jar laying around?  Toss on some heart stickers & paint that little baby!  After you remove the heart stickers your left with a true heart felt impression.  Use it to simply hold something lovely or drop a tea light in to set the mood!  To see instructions, click HERE

Now that we are starting to work up an appetite, I thought it would be a good time to mention my new dream dessert.  She’s lovely, a bit dark, & definitely mysterious, making her the best new Valentine’s Day Yummy Treat!  To sample this divine Black Forest Pavlova with Espresso Cream, click HERE 

Maybe some of these ideas are too bold for your test and passing a note between classes is more your style. Look no further then folding said note with neon winged messenger origami flair!  For folding instructions, click HERE

Got some to tie a heart on a string?  This sweet and simple paint swatch heart garland is the perfect thing to dress up any area that you’ve deemed the love tunnel!  For stringing instructions, click HERE

Ok boys, we have somehow managed to capture your attention, you know, last minute Vday and all, ok I kid, I kid!  But in all seriousness, the next 2 are seriously sweet Valentine’s Day gifts that will draw some mega coos out of your love, like this amazing hand made string heart.  Yes, from your hand, its Valentine’s Day, gotta step up your game!  For instructions, click HERE

Not so great with a hammer & string but still want to make something by hand for your love, why not try a paper form heart with a sultry message?!

Ok ok, we get it!  Its last minute oooooor your not a big make things with your hand kinda person, no worries, we dont judge, we just bring, AWESOME!  Awesome like this amazing ‘Over The Moon’ Balloon by BHLDN.  She’ll cost ya  pretty penny, but you’ll thank us later, we promise!  To purchase, click HERE

Phew!  Well I dont know about you guys, but after all of this, I need a cocktail!  Really dazzle your love with a signature cocktail, something like this red fire Chandon Hibiscus Royale!  The simple touch of the Hibiscus flower is simply BEYOND!  You are sure to get some extra love just from this frosty beverage alone!  To become a mixologist, click HERE

There is one element to decor that I would place a safe bet on, that often gets over looked.  Care to hazard a guess?  Are you sitting down?  Seriously…. are you sitting down?!  Get it, take a seat…  I know, incredibly corny but I wanted to make a point!  So often chairs are a piece of the rental puzzle that come stock with our venue space.  In our efforts to watch our budget bottom lines, most people dont even give a second thought to what effect the look of certain chairs might have on their overall decor vision.  A great chair, can change everything.  It can help to shape & mold in ways you dont even directly realize your being influenced by.  One such company that champions a great chair is Chairished Vintage Chair Rentals.  Take this styled shoot for example.  How amazing do these mix matched cream chairs make the entire set up!  Whether its one great chair, or a whole slew of chairs, remember, what you put your bum on is just as important as those centerpieces!

Vendor Love

Event Designer: Eclectic Hive
Reception Venue: Lazy J Ranch
Equipment Rentals: Chairished Vintage Chair Rentals
Photographer: Gretchen Moore Photography

Having now had many a conversation with a new bride-to-be regarding how she should tackle her own wedding planning, there is a common theme that kept coming up that I am 1000% most brides battle.  Where do I start?  The biggest concern that she has voiced to me on a number of occasions is essentially she doesn’t even know where to begin to sort out what she wants.  A spot of advice flowed out of my mouth that now comes as natural to me as breathing.  Sometimes you have to figure out what you don’t like, to realize what you do like…& by default, what you do want.

As it turns out, I am my own case & point.  Before I ever got engaged, I was totally Team Brown & Turquoise wedding.  I was so pro that color combo that my darling BFF, when she got married, was heavily influenced to my watery brown ways! (Thankfully in the end, she did not!)  When the clock finally started on our own wedding planning, into the browser went brown & blue weddings.  Turned out, it wasnt me… at all.  This ended up bring an important lesson for me.  Granted I am pretty opinionated to kick things off, but it was a reality check for me to realize some really defined lines of things I really did not like.  This helped me shape & direct my vision in a way I didn’t realize.

Another case & point is that for years I had a major female hard on for what I refer to as ‘The Mad Hatter Cake’  You know the type.  Crazy uneven levels, funky colors and explosions of God knows what going on.  Yeah, those….  When the time came to start looking at cake inspiration, oddly enough, I almost immediately realized how very much I actually did not indeed like them.  When I would force myself to close my eyes, envisioning my own wedding, I knew it was wrong, it didn’t belong, it didn’t fit us.  Once I got off of that idea, I began to look at fundamental things like shape of the cake, size, & so on.  Once I was able to decide that square cakes were not for me, I easily found myself pursing round cakes, from there I started to see the levels of the cakes, and how many we wanted.

After that, our direction become even more clear.  Did we like sugar flowers, are we ok with fondant, do we want pearls, or waves of ruffles.  When you start lining things up and systematically shooting down those that dont belong, your vision will become a lot more clear.

I think that there is this magical illusion that exists to wedding planning.  It needs to be romantic, it and of itself, the planning process, needs to woo you.  It should come naturally, like life fitting into its puzzle and all that other cue movie music BS.  Sorry kiddos, I am here to tell you it simply doesnt work that way.  I can not stress enough here that at the end of the day, a wedding is a party, an event.  Something you strategically design & plan for.  It simply is not this mystical thing that unfolds before your eyes.

Thats really the crux of it.  By sorting out things that I knew I completely did not like, did not fit, I was able to begin to hone in on what indeed was right.  I know it can be overwhelming in a blank canvas sort of way, to jump onto Pinterest, wedding blogs, magazines and so on, suddenly getting inundated.  Its almost like staring at a photo collage, your eye doesn’t quite know where to look first.  Take my advice, and start with what you dont  like, its easier anyway.  Trust me, once you get  a sniff for what you actually think is indeed you, look out world!  Much like a dog that catches a scent, once you know, the world of design is your oyster & suddenly everything falls into place!

{*Stunning Veil on top bride: Fascinating Creations} & {Bottom Bride Photo by Juliet Elizabeth}

While this wedding has many pin worth moments, there is one…big….swoon worthy element to this wedding!  I wont spoil it, but its pretty hard to miss, and exceptionally awesome!  I am sure Aubrey VanderHeyden & Jon Kohler were thrilled when they saw the styling around their ceremony space, not to mention the gorgeous barn!

Vendor Love

Ceremony & Reception Venue:   The Pavilion at Orchard Ridge Farms
Photographer:   C. Tyson Photography