FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 • BRIDAL • THE QUEENS COURIER 17 s bridal What Lovely COLORS BY TRESA ERICKSON Your fi ancé popped the question and now the wedding planning is underway. First up is choosing a color palette. While some brides opt for two colors, others go for three, four and sometimes a whole myriad of colors. The choice is yours, and while the colors you select should fl atter everyone within your wedding party, that should not be your only criteria. Color palettes can run the gambit. To determine yours, sit down and write out a list of colors that you like, with your favorites at the top. Perhaps you’re wild about red or mad about pink. With those in mind, look through some home décor magazines and paint swatch racks for complementary color schemes that appeal to you. Add these to your list of favorites and collect all pleasing photos and swatches in a folder. With list and folder in hand, you can start narrowing down your choices. Think about the time and theme of your wedding. Are you having a spring wedding? Spring weddings often call for lighter colors than fall or winter weddings. However, if you are having an evening wedding, you may be able to get away with deeper tones. Are you having a garden-themed wedding? Garden weddings also call for lighter colors. Pale pinks, luscious lilacs and lemony yellows might all be on tap for a spring garden wedding. Consider the connotations of the colors as well. Red is vibrant and will bring energy to the occasion, while blue is soothing and will make for a peaceful event. Browse through several interior design books to get a feel for the kinds of moods various colors provoke. If you are having a Feng Shui wedding, you will defi nitely want to research the connotations colors carry in that tradition of thought. Availability might also factor in your decision. You might start out with a pink, lilac and yellow palette but change that when you fall in love with a rose-colored bridesmaid dress. Instead of pink, lilac and yellow, you might end up with rose, purple and gold. Once you have a color palette in mind, go for it! Select apparel, fl owers and decorations that refl ect that palette and look for other unique ways to incorporate the palette into your celebration. Use rose-colored ink on the invitations rather than the standard black and scatter some rose, purple and gold fl ower petals around place settings at the reception, Surround yourself and your wedding guests with the colors you adore! FLOWER GIRL ALTERNATIVES BY TRESA ERICKSON Some brides simply cannot envision their walk down the aisle without a little girl dressed to the nines strewing rose petals before them. They bestow the honor on a young friend or family member, and more often than not, it goes well. Other brides are not keen on the idea of having children in their wedding or have no real good candidates to serve as their fl ower girl. Lucky for them, there are other options. A well-trained pet can make a great fl ower girl, or ringbearer, for that matter. Who wouldn’t enjoy the sight of a bride’s beloved Pomeranian pup walking down the aisle in a lacy fl oral collar? No petals would be strewn, but for venues that do not allow the practice, having a pet for a fl ower girl might be ideal. Exotic pets may serve as fl ower girls as well, providing they can be escorted, carried or rolled down the aisle. For pets willing to be dressed up, there are dozens of formalwear styles available from dresses and tuxedos to hats, veils and dressy collars and leashes. Performers are another option. Brides interested in making a spectacular entrance can hire a juggler, acrobat, clown, etc. to serve as their fl ower girl. Who wouldn’t enjoy receiving a rose from a ballet dancer pirouetting down the aisle or a daisy pulled from a magician’s hat? Flower girl performers work rather well for themed weddings, especially in venues that do not permit petals to be thrown. Guests may also serve as fl ower girls. Baskets or bags of fl ower petals can be placed randomly among the seating, attached to the ends of pews or handed out at the guestbook. Whatever the method of delivery, guests will have access to fl ower petals to scatter down the aisle. For venues that do not allow petals to be strewn, guests may blow bubbles, ring miniature bells or sing softly. Brides just need to make sure they note in the program what guests are to do with the items provided. Brides who have too many people to choose from may want to select a group of kids to walk down the aisle in place of a fl ower girl or ringbearer. Who wouldn’t take great delight in a 10-year-old pulling a small red wagon with his two younger sisters in it? Small children’s choirs or junior bridesmaids are other options. These are just some of the alternatives to the fl ower girl tradition. With some thought, brides are sure to come up with ideas of their own.
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