Help me with my reception decor, too!

[basil]

I got jealous of CrownJewel''s thread, so can all you interior-designer types help me out?

My reception is in a "Federal-style" carriage house. It has warm beige brick walls and cherry wood floors. It also has a very large fireplace with a mantle and a hearth. Our colors are red and green, but I don''t want to use both too close together for fear of being too Christmas-y.

I am leaning towards using the white garden chairs (included) rather than spending extra $$$ for the Chivari. White or ivory linens are included as well, should I spring for something more colorful?

Our centerpieces will be low roses and chrysanthemums in a little stone-looking urn. Colors?

We will be having a few large "altar" arrangements at the ceremony and a wreath that we will move indoors to the fireplace. What other decorations should I consider?

Here is the inside of the carriage house with white linens and the garden chairs:

 

[basil]

Here it is with Chivari chairs and damask linens (?ivory):

 

[basil]

Here''s the fireplace:

 

[basil]

Wider angle of the ceiling and windows and dance floor:

 

[basil]

Mini stone urn:

 

[basil]

Wreath I''m thinking about, but without the spikes:

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 1/17/2008 7:46:53 PM
Author: basil
Wreath I''m thinking about, but without the spikes:

HMMMMMM those spikes look wicked!

The room is gorgeous. What time of year is your wedding? It almost looks a place that could use a lot of naturals: greenery-type floral arrangements as opposed to the more floral. But maybe that''s just me.

 

[swimmer]

Basil,
Looks awesome. I know in the photo with the fancy chairs they look fantastic...but if it was my cash, I would think about how you are going to treasure the photos of people sitting IN the chairs, not how the room looked with no guests in it. Similarly, I have never left a wedding saying "those napkins were simply to die for!" so would vote for ivory as the cost is included. Those urns are fantastic! Yeah, what season are we talkin' lady? There are reds and then there are reds... Your setting is gorgeous. What a great size and moving the wreath inside and onto the fireplace is resourceful and will look sensational. If its winter, those awesome dark red roses...not at all xmassy.

 

[basil]

It''s mid-September, and in the northeast it''s the border between summer and fall. So I don''t really want an autumn feel either.

Is it crazy to worry that the white chairs would clash with ivory linens? I think white-white might be too bright for the room, but I could do a sheer tablecloth overlay for not too much $$ - was thinking like champagne over ivory? to soften the look.

 

[Gypsy]

OH GAWD that''s beautiful. I bet that''s not in Northern CA either is it? WOW. I''m gonna go stare at the pic a while. I''ll tell you if I''m inspired to help... or to just stare in envy.

 

[basil]

Date: 1/17/2008 8:47:56 PM
Author: Gypsy
OH GAWD that''s beautiful. I bet that''s not in Northern CA either is it? WOW. I''m gonna go stare at the pic a while. I''ll tell you if I''m inspired to help... or to just stare in envy.

Heehee. Sorry! It''s in Rhode Island! But I''m sure you''ll find someplace that you love just as much!

 

[ladyciel]

Basil, I LOVE your venue!! I''m planning for basically the same time of year as you (our date is the 13th - a week before yours), and I completely agree about not wanting a fall feel. Yet, at the same time, bright summer colors don''t seem appropriate, do they?

My thoughts for your decorations: I think with the simplicity of your backdrop you could do almost any amount of decorating and get away with it. You could go minimalist or all out and the room could handle it. SO, in that regard, what sort of feel do you want? Wide open space, or more cozy? Also, what time will your reception be? That will affect how much light you have coming in the windows, and therefore how bright the colors might seem. If it will be getting dark by the time everyone moves inside,white tablecloths and white chairs might not seem too bright with all the mood spot-lighting. I like your idea of the sheer overlay on the tables. What kind of shades of red and green are you thinking? You could maybe do a gold/green/sage color overlay with matching greenery and red flowers in the centerpieces to tie the table together. I think one thing to be careful of is that if the stone urns are very gray in color they might seem too cold against gold colors.

I''m sorry I''m rambling, and I''m not sure I''m of ANY help. Whatever the case, your venue is GORGEOUS and I really don''t think you can go wrong, here.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I think having red and green that is a little more subtle could do wonders.
Green moss draping over the side of the urns would add it without being too much.
I think maybe having red roses in the centerpieces would be great and maybe decorating the fireplace in green so the colors aren''t next to each other
I think the walls and floors are so warm that the white chairs shouldn''t be a problem at all. In fact, they might keep the place from looking too dark

I know your pain, my FI and I are doing red, green ans purple. We only added the purple so it wouldn''t be so holiday.

 

[Hera]

I think the room looks a little too white with the white chairs. I don't think that means you should pay extra for the other chairs, but spend the money infusing some color into the area. Your wedding colors are red and green and there are ways to do this without picking forest green and red. I would just pick out a different color of those or maybe just embrace the red. I think red roses would be beautiful as well. I'm not sure I like the urns (sorry) as I'm not sure it's enhancing the style of the room. I see topiaries in the room because it would give a little height as everything in the room seems to be on one level. For some reason, the federal style reminds me of candelabras. If you think the use of candelabras is not your thing, some candles would really help the space as well.

This arrangement is a little modern, but I like the roses

 

[Hera]

I think topiaries would be lovely in a Federal style space

 

[Gypsy]

OKAY. Trying to get rid of this ENVY! LOL. OKAY. *DEEP BREATH* Red and Green.

Idea one:

I think this centerpiece idea... including the apples (nice for fall) makes it not christmas-ey. . I would do this look with black magic roses, granny smith apples, and set HIGH, like with the federal candleabra. The apple green should be played up on your chair sashes and napkins. And apple slices in all the water goblets.

 

[Harleigh]

Wow! Your venue looks lovely, but those spikes have GOT to go! That might scare your guests off!

 

[CrownJewel]

1. Basil, I LOVE your venue. It''s soooooo beautiful! I like the Chivari chairs (I wish I could get them for mine!) but do you know how much it would cost? Haha...I can only think in concrete numbers.

2. Gypsy, you are the queen of decorating! I think that centerpiece is PERFECT for incorporatiing the red and green colors. I would do alternating high and low centerpieces.

3. Colors for the urn...a foundation of green foliage, then red (black magic roses like Gypsy prescribed for your centerpieces) and a pinky-rose colored flower.

4. I''m a huge fan of candles for helping a space look romantic. Are you think of using candles in any way?

 

[CrownJewel]

Also, for the fireplace mantle, maybe do two, tall large sprays of the flowers below. Put those sprays on the ends. Then working in towards the middle, have 4 smaller vases, incorporating these spray flowers with the black magic roses. Those 4 smaller ones would be in an urn or round vase.

 

[sap483]

Hey Basil. I second the others in using lots and lots of candles. I remember when I toured your venue the coordinator mentioned that the room was transformed with candles. It gets this beautiful golden glow. You can cover a large portion of the fireplace mantle in candles. Plus if you''re not going to have the fire going, perhaps you can put some larger candles inside the fireplace. I think you should play off of that in your decor- and your color scheme is perfect for that. As someone else mentioned, perhaps you could use red as the dominant color and reserve green for accents. I''m envisioning beautiful arrangements with lush roses. I think gingerbcookie might have used lots of red roses, or maybe it''s someone else that I''m thinking of. You can set them in a candleabra or in clear vases filled with cranberries or green apples or pears. Sorry, I also don''t love the urns for your centerpieces- they aren''t warm enough or dramatic enough for that gorgeous space. If you''re setting out cocktail tables on the patio, could you use them there instead? I really like your idea of a champagne overlay, I think that will definitely add just the right amount of color. Perhaps instead of changing out the napkins, you can find some inexpensive napkin rings or other accessories such as chargers or water glasses that will tie in your reds, greens, or gold/champagne tones.

 

[basil]

Thanks for all the ideas, peeps! I really appreciate, cause this scientist ain't got no interior design skillz.

Anyway, the Chivari chairs would run about $500-$700 total...which would be really hard for me to swallow. I mean, they are chairs! No one is going to remember what the chairs look like. But at the same time, I think the garden chairs do look a little out of place, but I may just have to live with it.

The table overlays would be about $200..possibly cheaper if my mom can find some suitable fabric and sew them herself.

I like all the floral ideas but I have a feeling the high centerpieces are going to raise my floral budget. I love Gypsy's idea of the apples, but I think I might adapt it to pears...cause we're having marzipan pears on our cake and possibly a salad with pears on it.

My problem is I don't trust my florist 100%. I picked them because their prices were super inexpensive, but I haven't seen a lot of example weddings to know that they really know how to design a room. I think I'll ask my caterer when we have our tasting in a few weeks what she would recommend.

I'm not convinced on the high centerpieces. I think they make a room look super dramatic, but I can't envision how they wouldn't block the view for some.

ETA: Sap - we are planning to use candles. We can't use exposed candles, so they have to be enclosed. I was thinking of placing them along the mantle and possibly also along the windowsills. Not sure about the tables or not? Will have to ask Susan and the people at Morin's what they think too.

 

[Independent Gal]

I like the included chairs better. They seem to fit the style of the room more. So, I definitely would not pay extra for the other ones!

And I definitely do not think you need to worry about the ivory + white thing. No one will notice / care especially if the lighting is warm. Can you imagine any of your guests going "OMG! Ivory AND white?!?!? What was she thinking?!!?" If not, you''re good to go. If so, why are you inviting this person.

 

[cara]

I really like the red roses in low urns... they are just lush and go with the brick. you could go with black magics or even a more true red color as long as you get that velvety texture

Gypsy's pic looks good, but you could even go with dk. green moss hanging from the urns without it being christmasy ('cause plants are naturally green

)

 

[ladyciel]

Basil, I think you''re right about the high centerpieces blocking somebody''s view, and probably the person you least want blocked! A photographer we interviewed mentioned that sometimes, particularly in a crowded room, high centerpieces can make it difficult for her to get "the shot" for those spontaneous moments since she has to move around so much more to find an unobstructed view. She said in those cases her other option is to position herself in distracting positions (like right in front of the head table), because she can''t hang back in the shadows and still capture everything. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Hera]

I had raised centerpieces and had no problems whatsoever with people being blocked, but if it makes you uneasy you should probably follow your instincts

With my raised centerpices, they had a thin pole so people at the table could see each other but they were lower than standing height.

 

[bee*]

I think red flowers would look so nice in those urns. If you''re not too keen on going with red, any deep coloured flower would look nice and it would make the venue look less white. Other than that, I don''t think that your venue needs anything else. It looks amazing!