2012 Hot Wedding Trends | Connecticut Wedding Planner | Connecticut Event Planner

Did you get a diamond recently? Then you don’t want to miss these hot 2012 wedding trends!! 

Colorful bouquets are in

Purple all shades are in – plum, eggplant, lilac

Multiple Design Centerpieces are in – gone are the days of each one looking the same

Lighting is huge – not just colored but monogrammed gobo lights on the floor are a hit

Photobooths continue to be hot

Fast first dances are in – they may start slow but more couples are opting to rock it out

More and more DJ’s are mixing music during the reception to keep the dancing going

Family brooches and pins are still in and continuing to be the must-have for every bride

Dessert tables are in complete with cake pops, mini pastries and lots of decadent mini-treats

Looking Forward and Looking Back | Connecticut Wedding Planner | Connecticut Event Planner |

Looking forward by Looking back

2011 was a great year for us. We had one of our busiest years ever with weddings and events from one end of the state to the other. We celebrated with couples from all over the country and the world;Connecticut,New York,California,Colorado, andGermany. We worked in 107 degree heat, cool and wet spring evenings, and even a 50 degree wedding day on Thanksgiving weekend.

We were so fortune to work with couples that pushed our creativity. From couches made of straw to designer linens and everything in between.

This was a year to work with so many talented vendors, as well. Some of our long time favorites and some new favorites, too.  We are lucky to have worked with such creative folks and we are lucky to call you friends.

By looking back at our successes (and lessons learned) we are ready to move forward into 2012. This year will be very different for us. We will be working harder to take the lessons of 2011 to heart and work to make the business better. We will spend some time traveling to destinations and venues, we will network more, blog more, really dive into social networking, roll out a new logo and website, and, perhaps most importantly, get back to basics.

We are a wedding planning company that believes that weddings are for couples. For us, the most simple principle of wedding planning is to design weddings that truly represent the couple, as they are. Keeping an eye to the most popular trends but always keeping the focus on the people. What is in a magazine is not likely what is in the life of our couples, and we want all of our couples to feel that every detail of their wedding is about them, personally.

Relationships are the basis for our business. The relationships that our weddings celebrate, the relationships we have with past clients, the relationships that we share with our vendors; these are the cornerstones of what we do and why we do it.

Thank you for the relationships that we have will all of you. Looking back with fondness helps us look forward with focus.

“Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. ” ~ Steve Jobs

Winter Wedding Centerpiece | CT Wedding Planner | CT Event Planner

Althought it isn’t quite winter yet, it is feeling like winter today in Connecticut.  So today’s post is all about winter weddings.  One thing is for sure bling and branches are a great way to incorporate the winter theme in doors.  Baby’s breath give a great burst of winter white, along with rose petals and candles to warm us all up. Enjoy these winter inspired centerpieces.

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white-vase-winter-wedding-centerpiece

White Vases with Baby’s Breath

Ally and Josh | Romantic Travel Inspired Wedding | CT Premiere Wedding and Event Planners

I knew the minute I met Nikki (Ally’s mom)  Ally’s mom that this going to be a wedding to remember t!  And then when we skyped Ally, and saw all her design ideas, we were hooked.  Most of our brides have some idea of what they want, but not Ally, she was different. She knew exactly what she wanted and we knew exactly how to execute it!  With the bride’s family in Texas, the bride in Colorado and the groom in California we knew there would be some unique challenges, but thank God for Skype!   Add in the Bride’s Mother traveling up to Connecticut every few months to oversee her house being renovated, and we had a full on coast to coast event!

We finally got to meet Josh around Christmas it was great.  Getting off the redeye from California he was thrust straight into wedding planning, starting off with an early morning cake tasting, not a bad way to get your feet wet!

We chose the location of the Inn at Candlelight Farms in New Milford, it was a perfect venue for their country chic, travel inspired wedding.  Both Ally and Josh have lived all around the world, so we knew that travel would be play a huge part in their wedding.  Ally’s must have for her wedding were long feasting tables.  We decided to name the tables after places they had lived, then to purchase corresponding postcards as escort cards.

The card holder was this amazing little suitcase.    Keeping with  country chic and their teaching careers, some reclaimed windows and chalkboard paint provided us with menu boards to highlight the culinary greatness of Event Caterers.

Flowers were a huge part of our vision; wildflowers all over.  Marci and Thom, from Dragonfly Events,  did a fabulous job.  They were really able to capture the country feel, while also wrapping the tent poles with moss!

Being a horse trainer and rider, Ally absolutely didn’t want any hay as part of her wedding!  However, with a little arm twisting we were able to convince her of a must needed lounge area, made out of Straw accessorized with some beautiful hand-made pillows which matched the lining of her invitations!

The night was absolutely amazing, food even better, thanks to Joe and his amazing staff at Event Caterers.  Tent and rentals were provided by Dave at All Seasons Rental, who was onsite all night to make sure we were cool enough (oh yeah did I mention this all occurred during the July heat wave, that’s right 107 degrees!)

These two were one of our favorite couples by far and their families so sweet and inviting.   We are happy to see that they are finally living together in Colorado!  We wish you two a life full of happiness and laughter because you always had us laughing!!

Planners: Always and Forever 

Florist: Dragonfly Events

Caterers: Event Caterers, Danbury, CT

Rentals: All Season Rentals

Venue: Candlelight Farms Inn, New Milford

Entertainment: Highland Rovers Band

Connecticut Wedding Planner| Themes are the Thing

Themes are the thing with weddings in 2011. Bakers and pastry chefs are going all out with amazing unique flavors, chocolate tarts with sea salt, candy bars and smores stations……YUM!

Themed wedding menus are huge right now, anything goes from New England Clambake to Southern Barbecue to Asian inspired feasts. Whatever you decide, it will sure leave your guests full!

Many brides and grooms are going green, and choosing recycled paper for their invitations.  In addition, couples are thinking more local than global for their favors with an emphasis on local honey, or seeds from their local nursery.

Couples like to treat their guests to a wow factor, what better way to say wow than with an amazing firework display!! We saw this trend just starting last year and will see it continue for a few more seasons.

 

Connecticut Wedding Planner | Spring Wedding Trends

One of the biggest spring 2011 trends is brides who are using more than one color.  That’s right, if you can’t decide on one color scheme, it is OKAY! Not only do your bridesmaids not have to wear the same style they can choose different colors.

“Pastel colors still continue to dominant our spring and summer brides,” said Dee Dee, Senior Bridal Consultant at Always and Forever, LLC.  “Although they are sticking with pastels for the bridal party, brides are opting for more bolder decor.”

Hand-tied bouquets continue to be the brides favorite with smaller bouquets for the bridesmaids. There are a lot of brides this spring that want monochromatic bouquet — different flowers but in same color range.

Accessories are continuing to be a hot trend. Belts on bridal gowns and pockets on bridesmaid dresses are continuing to make a big appearance this year as well.  Brides are moving away from veils and utilizing more hair art – feathers, crystals, brooches and headbands.

Candy bars continue to be a popular favorite for brides and their guests. Who doesn’t love going home with a bag full of goodies! Crepe Stations and cigar bars are also on the rise.

Photos from: Bouquet; Candy Bar; Hair Accessories

CONNECTICUT WEDDING PLANNER | 2010 YEAR IN REVIEW

2010 was a busy year for us, at least one wedding a month and we would like to share some stats with you about your combined weddings.
      -        Over 2000 guests were at A&F events this year
      -        Over 75% of our weddings centered about the color blue
      -        Locations ran the gamut, from backyards to barns to mansions
      -        Over 10,000 professional photographs were taken
      -        While it may not have been perfect weather for all our weddings, we had no weddings in the rain   (a major achievement)

We are fortunate to have worked with so many great couples. You were all a joy to work with and we hope that you enjoyed the process and the day as
much as we did.

We would love to hear from you about your experience with us and we hope that you will share your experience with others. Our best form of advertising is word of mouth and on-line reviews. We would be grateful if
you could take a minute or two of time to leave us an on-line review on any or all of the sites below.

http://www.weddingwire.com/shared/Rate?vid=fba4801286138ef9

http://www.weddingreports.com/servicedetails.cfm?vendorID=355&action=writeReview

Again, thank you for trusting us for your wedding. We hope that you will keep us updated as time goes by in your married life...we love to hear
about babies, hint, hint!

Heidi, Deedee, and the rest of the Always and Forever Crew

CONNECTICUT WEDDING PLANNER| HOLIDAY DRINKS

This is our favorite time of year, holiday cheer, the warm glow of fireplaces, trimming the tree and lights everywhere. Of course this is also one of our favorite time to entertain.  What better way to say seasons greeting than with an amazing cocktail.  Here are some fabulous recipies that we recommend.

Ginger Snap Martini

3 ounces of Level vodka

1 teaspoon of ginger syrup

1 small piece of freshly cut ginger

1 ounce of ginger ale

2 thinly sliced orange zests

Add the vodka and ginger syrup to a glass shaker that is 1/2 full of cracked ice and let stand for about a minute.  Rub the fresh ginger around the inside of 2 chilled martini glasses.  Shake and strain your cocktail into the martini glasses and add 1/2 of the ginger ale to each glass. Garnish with orange zest.

White Christmas Dream

1 ounce  Amaretto

1 ounce Heavy Cream

1 ounce Vodka

Mix all ingredients with ice in a shaker . Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Option: Garnish with nutmeg.

Peppermint Stick

1.5 ounces Creme De Cacao

1 ounce cream

1 ounce Peppermint Schnapps

Shape well with ice, strain into glass. Garnish with miniature candy cane.

The Grinch

2 ounces Midori

1/2 ounce Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon sugar syrup

Mix all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with cherry.

 

3 ounces of Level vodka

1 teaspoon of ginger syrup

1 small piece of freshly cut ginger

1 ounce of ginger ale

2 thinly sliced orange zests

CT WEDDING PLANNER | Brown and Purple Holiday Inspiration

We have neglected the blog for so long, our apologies, we’ve just been so busy planning we’ve barely had time to breath!  So what better way to get back into it then to talk about this amazing (I think so) table scape I created for my dining room!  Inspiration came from these amazing feather napkin rings I found at Pier 1 Imports a few weeks ago, then the rest just kind of fell into place.  I was browsing Wal-Mart this morning and found these amazing random ornaments and I was completely drawn to the purple and brown and knew that it would be an instant hit in my dining room, with brilliant orange walls.  Here are some photos, enjoy and hope this can inspire some great holiday table scapes of your own!