Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 14, 1993 TAG: 9302120201
SECTION: YOUR WEDDING PAGE: YW-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ANNE PIEDMONT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
BALLOONS THE LATEST IN WEDDING DECORATIONS
From trolls to trellises, the decorations for the wedding, the reception and other related events should reflect the personality, taste and budget of the bride and bridegroom.Those decorations traditionally have involved everything from flowers to honeycomb paper bells and streamers. But, these days, balloons are just as likely to be found on the altar and a color scheme carefully carried out from invitations all the way through the reception.
Balloons have moved from the reception into the church. John Nagel, owner of Capt. Party, said he has been creating a lot of balloon arches and trees in the church for the ceremony, then carrying the colors over into the reception. Balloon trees are freestanding balloon arrangements, which among other things, can help form a barrier in a large room. Balloons are "becoming very popular," he said.
Flowers also remain very popular, but, warns Ruth Valentine of Fallon Florist, they can be one of the costliest parts of a wedding. Brides, however, shouldn't become discouraged. They can do the arrangements themselves (or have a friend or relative do them), with advice on colors and types of flowers from a florist.
Or, they can leave the choices up to the florist, after discussing colors, type of wedding (romantic, simple, elegant) and, most important budget.
The bride also should make clear any flower or color she does not want. The florist can then take advantage of flowers in season or at special prices, while keeping within the bride's color scheme and budget. When brides request specific flowers and specific colors of flowers, they run into expense and the risk that those flowers will not be available on the big day.
"Choose a florist you trust, then trust them," she said. The bride also should choose the florist and book the wedding weekend with them as soon as possible. For summer weddings, she said, a year is not too far ahead.
A lot of do-it-yourself brides (Nagel estimates they account for "probably 70 percent of all weddings") can plan and decorate their own weddings from invitations to reception. Nagel and his staff can help them choose decorations to suit their color scheme and style. He said streamers and honeycomb bells are especially popular for backyard weddings and receptions and private halls.
Colors currently popular with brides? Nagel said peach and teal are very big, as are black and white. The latter, he noted, "is no longer just for the very elegant event."
Rental companies provide another option for brides. "It's less expensive and allows the bride to customize her wedding," said Darlene Brown of Aztec Rental. Tents, trellises and fountains can turn a back yard into an elegant setting - or bring the outdoors inside to a large hall.
Renting the tables, chairs, serving pieces and even the dance floor gives the bride the flexibility of having her wedding and/or reception any place she chooses. Brown added that linens are available in just about any color the bride would need. Rental firms will work with the bride as she chooses her supplies and will deliver and set up large items like chairs, tables and dance floors. "We want the wedding to be worry free," Brown said.
With all the romance and glamour of the big day, a little whimsy often creeps in. Brown said bridal couples occasionally choose a theme wedding, most often a Confederate or Deep South affair, complete with columns and other appropriate accoutrements. And Nagel said that within the past size months, he's seen about a half-dozen weddings use the troll motif - including troll figures atop the wedding cake.