When planning a Paris themed wedding, celebrity wedding planner David Tutera’s bride on his television show, ”My Fair Wedding,” had gathered everything that was French, including a collection of assorted Eiffel Towers and a set of ceramic French poodles. She had been going for the Paris/Marie Antoinette couture/love/romance theme.

David talked to her and got to the heart of what she wanted her wedding to be like, which was “Springtime in Paris,” and what she wanted to celebrate, which was not only the love she and her fiance had for one another but also being able to eat cake. She had been battling anorexia and her fiance did not want to have a wedding until she was well enough to enjoy cake on their wedding day.

Tip – When a bride tells you her theme, help her to focus and bring out the key elements of what is important to her to make it personal and meaningful instead of just a collection of decorative objects.

David set her ceremony and reception at the Hyatt Regency Orange County. He draped the rooms in white and hung lights, making it look like the city lights of Paris.

Tip - Draping and proper lighting can  transform a space, helping the focus be on the decor in the room and enhancing the theme and colors of wedding.

The ceremony area was decorated to make people feel like they were walking down a street in Paris.

Tip – The bride doesn’t have to wait until the reception to express her theme. Incorporating elements into the ceremony helps set the mood for the entire event.

The reception centerpieces were explosions of Spring flowers.

One area of the reception space was set up with tables and umbrellas that made it look like the cafe tables on the streets of Paris. An artist was positioned here to draw caricatures of guests while another artist painted a large portrait of the couple.

The dance floor was covered with a recreation of Monet’s “Waterlilies.”

There were 15 small wedding cakes surrounding one magnificent Eiffel Tower cake.

It was covered with edible peonies, the bride’s favorite flower.

If you’re like most wedding planners, your brides will want weddings that probably don’t veer too much tradition. But you might come across a bride who wants something totally unique, like celebrity wedding planner David Tutera did with his Goth bride on his television show, “My Fair Wedding.

This non-traditional bride had been planning a small, 20-guest, Goth wedding in her home. The decor was mainly black and included skulls and spiders. She told David she didn’t want it to look like Halloween, but that is exactly how her decor came across.

David took her Goth theme and turned it from a very black and sad-feeling wedding to a unique, edgy, romantic event that included all of her family. 

He first changed her dress and the dresses of her bridesmaids and flower girl - they were all in black!

The bride ended up getting a unique dress that she loved. It was an asymetrical white and black plaid dress with black lace (seen in a photo below from the Cymbeline website) which she wore with a black veil.

The wedding ceremony took place outdoors, under a tent of sheer white and black fabric on the rooftop of Palihouse. Guests were seated in white chairs that were draped with black sashes.

(David’s Tip – For an outdoor Goth wedding, choose a space that is dramatic, historic, or has a stone archway for a grand entrance.)

The reception venue, La Boheme, was decorated in reds and blacks. Tableclothes were shades of dark reds with black lace overlays (below), centerpieces were black iron chandeliers with deep red flowers and candles(see photo at the top of this post).

(David’s Tip – For a Goth wedding, look for stained glass, velvet chairs and fireplaces at an indoor venue. For decor, choose dark colors that don’t clash with the venue, black, midnight blue and dark greens, maroons, and reds. Flowers should be exotic; orchids, dahlias, black magic roses, and eggplant colored calla lilies.)

The cake, by Cake Divas of Los Angeles, was black fondant decorated with red, purple and black flowers that looked like the paper flowers of the Victorian era.

(David’s Tip – Red velvet and chocolate are good flavors for cakes for this theme.)

Goth might not be your style but if, like David, you open your mind and can understand the bride’s vision, you can make a Goth themed wedding a romantic and fun event.

Color plays a big role in every wedding, it can set a tone or it can be a theme all on it’s own, so as a wedding planner you need to know how colors work together and how to use them to bring about the mood the bride wants to have at her wedding.

The best way to learn about color for weddings is by taking event design courses. However, if none are available in your area or if an event design program is out of your budget, local community colleges usually offer art, interior design, or fashion design courses that can teach you the basic principles of using color.

If you have not studied color before, the current, July 2011, issue of Brides magazine features a color guide with tips on selecting and coordinating colors. They also share a list of websites that teach more about color coordination. A favorite is Dessy which allows you to design inspiration boards that you can share with your brides.

Here are 3 tips on using color that you can learn from the article:

1) The right color table linens can make a big impact on the reception room.

For example, if the room looks boring and cookie-cutter, use warm colors like red and pink to give it an intimate feel. Or add jewel tones, emerald or amethyst, when paired with bronze or black they give the room some glitz.

2) Suggest bridesmaids wear neutral tones like gray or taupe and wear shoes or jewelry or carry bouquets in the wedding colors.

This will make the dresses more usable in the future and give the wedding a more sophisticated feeling.

3) Get inspiration for color combinations from everyday life.

A piece of fabric, artwork, flowers, and a favorite dress of the bride can all inspire ideas for great color at weddings.

If you need color and fabric samples for dresses or linens, read my blog post in which I posted links to places to shop for a variety of great fabric swatches.

Wedding planners Tori and Dean blended the femininity of the 1920’s flapper with the masculinity of the dapper gentleman of the industrial revolution, steampunk style, in the wedding they planned in last week’s episode of “Tori & Dean: sTORibook Weddings.”

The bride had already purchased her flapper style wedding dress. The groom and  Dean went to Clockwork Couture and found his wedding attire and gifts for his groomsmen, all in the steampunk style (Victorian era and pseudo-Victorian style clothing, pocket watches, gears, brass keys, goggles, and other accessories).

Tori and Dean found the perfect venue for their wedding, the Edison , an event venue that was built in 1910 and actually was the first power plant in downtown Los Angeles. It has retained the look and feel of it’s original era with Art Nouveau and Industrial Gothic styles.

Tori and Dean added a soft touch to the ceremony decor by sprinkling flower petals on either side of the aisle and adding candles to the stairs and the stage where the couple said their vows. (Tip: If your bride wants candles, make sure your venue allows open flames. If they don’t, you can find “flameless” candles that work with batteries and flicker just like real candles.)

The same room was used for the ceremony and the reception. Therefore the furniture and decor all had to be changed during the one hour cocktail hour. (Tip: If you have to turn around a space in an hour, assign each member of your staff specific duties to accomplish so there is no confusion and rehearse before the wedding day. Make sure the vendors involved do the same.)

Dean created a special key box with escort cards attached to old keys.

The wedding cake, by Cakes by the Pound, followed the steampunk theme and was decorated with edible gears and watch movements.

You can find more photos on the Oxygen television network website.

Brides and grooms have all sorts of interests and hobbies. In your initial consultation, find out what they are and strive to incorporate them into the wedding.

In tonight’s episode, Tori and Dean plan an Indian wedding.

Two weeks to plan a Tuscan themed wedding! That is the task that Tori and Dean had last week on the episode of their Oxygen network television show, “Tori & Dean: sToribook Weddings.” The bride and groom had only hired their photographer, everything else was up to the celebrity wedding planners to do.

The first thing Tori and Dean did was reserve the venue. The couple wanted an outdoor wedding at a site which was rustic, elegant and had lush green grass. A place that reminded them of Tuscany, Italy, where they had gotten engaged. The wedding planners brought them to Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, California. (Tip: some outdoor venues are not inclusive. Your brides may need to provide their own tables, chairs, linens and other party rental items and lighting and sound equipment in addition to bringing in catering. If there is concern about the weather, you also might want to suggest renting tents. Ask the venue what is included and check the bride’s budget before she signs a contract.)

Next, Tori and Dean helped the bride and groom select their wedding day attire. The bride selected a dress from JLM Couture, Inc.

The groom and groomsmen selected seersucker suits. They decided against the bright coral bow-ties that Dean suggested, because they would have matched the bridesmaids’ dresses, and wore their shirts unbuttoned at the neck. (Tip: remember that your customers always select what is right for them, don’t take it personally.)

The ceremony area was decorated with bright coral flowers in large vases and smaller arrangements hanging from sheppard’s hooks. The aisle was lined with coral flower petals.

Tori and Dean had strugggled with finding the right florist to help realize the bride’s vision of bright coral flowers. They worked with two very well known florists, one, Tic-Tock Couture Florals, was called  in the day of the wedding. They created the bride’s bouquet that you see in the photo at the top.

However, their tabletop arrangements were tall when the bride wanted small, low arrangements. Tori ended up running to a local flower shop four hours before the wedding and putting together some arrangements with the help of her art director. (Tip: celebrity status may not, in the end, matter if a vendor cannot create what the bride wants. Make sure the vendors you recommend can carry out the bride’s vision or you’ll need to find other vendors to work with.)

The bright coral wedding cake, by Hotcakes Bakes, had German chocolate, red velvet and fruit flavored tiers (the baker recommended a four-tier cake and suggested that the top two tiers be the same flavor).

Hopefully, you will never be given just two weeks to plan a wedding from start to finish. Tori and Dean have a lot of connections and offer an opportunity for vendors to promote themselves on television so they can create something spectacular in a very short time.

Tonight the Tori and Dean plan a Victorian Steampunk themed wedding.

Tori and Dean planned an “Arabian Nights” themed wedding on their show, “Tori & Dean: sToribook Weddings,” last week. The bride wanted an extravagant wedding that celebrated the couple’s Lebanese heritage.

Tori and Dean did not disappoint her but the planning process was not always smooth. They found the perfect venue, an estate, Casa De Los Robles, however one week before the wedding, the owners pulled out, deciding that they did not want an event at their house. Tori was able to talk them into letting the bride and groom use their grounds. (The house is currently up for sale.) (Tip – when selecting a private estate, make sure the owners understand what they are committing to and get it all in a written contract.)

The bride had originally wanted to get married outdoors at the estate, but with the groom’s father refusing to attend unless the ceremony took place in an Orthodox church, the bride compromised. The couple married at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Los Angeles. She later said she was glad she had done it. (Tip – The couple were lucky to be able to reserve the church at the last minute, don’t let your couples make last minute decisions like this, they might not be so lucky.)

The reception took place under fabulous tents by Raj Tents, who celebrity wedding planner David Tutera often used on his show, “My Fair Wedding.” (I’ve used them too so you don’t have to be a celebrity to hire them.)  The linens were in rich jewel tones of deep purple and red and chiavari chairs were gold.

The flowers also were in deep jewel tones.

The cake, by Hot Cakes Bakes, looked like something right out of the Arabian Nights tale of Aladdin and his magic lamp.

Like previous episodes of the show,  this wedding had an animal, a camel who posed for photographs with the bride and groom and their guests. (Tip – If your couple wants to have an animal at their wedding, make sure you get approval from the venue. Also be sure you are working with animal organization that treats their animals in a humane and respectful manner.)

These photos and more by Michael Williams can be found on the Oxygen website.

A new episode of “Tori & Dean: sToribook Weddings” airs tonight.

Last week on “Tori & Dean: sToribook Weddings,” the celebrity wedding planners helped a couple who had lost their venue three weeks before their wedding. The bride and groom had discovered that their venue did not have the proper licenses to hold events and were in danger of not being able to have the “shabby chic” wedding of their dreams. (Tip – if you have found a unique place to use as a wedding venue, make sure they have the proper licenses and permits to operate.)

 Tori and Dean to the rescue. Tori loves “shabby chic.” She and Dean found a venue with both indoor and outdoor space to hold the wedding, Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California. The ceremony took place outdoors but everyone went indoors for the reception. There is local law that prohibited music outdoors after 7PM and the couple wanted to be able to dance. (Tip – make sure you know the neighborhood rules regarding music and noise when you plan an outdoor wedding.)

Dean rowed the bride across the pond to her ceremony which was on a island on the property. (Tip – If you are having your bride enter in a row boat, make sure you have an experienced person doing the rowing and someone to help the bride in and out of the boat.)

She walked down an aisle lined with white daisy petals and joined her groom in under a rustic canopy and vintage chandelier – see photo at top. (Vintage decor and furniture were from Found Vintage Rentals who has more photos from the show on their blog.

The couple released white doves during their ceremony. The birds represented faithfulness, honor, commitment and everlasting love. Birds were also symbolic to the couple, they considered themselves to be lovebirds because they had to fly to see each other during the early stages of their relationship. (Tip – Some venues do not allow a dove release, check before you order this. Also, as Tori and Dean learned, the release has to be done in daylight so the birds could fly home.)

The bride and her attendants carried bouquets of daisies. The bridemaids wore dresses from Two Birds Bridesmaids, a company that many of you, who watched celebrity wedding planner David Tutera’s show, “My Fair Wedding,” might remember. David dressed bridesmaids in their dresses for several different weddings.

The guests were given daisies to toss at the big kiss.

The ceremony and reception sites were filled with vintage decor.

Silhouette artist, Karl Johnson, whose work has appeared in many magazines, created silhouettes of each of the guests for the bride and groom’s guestbook. (Tip – silhouettes can also be used as favors, like actress Hilary Duff used at her wedding.)

 The bride didn’t feel the need to have a big tiered wedding cake so she opted for a small cake in her theme color of Tiffany blue.

Guest instead enjoyed a dessert bar of cupcakes served on vintage stands and hanging from small, painted bird cages. The cake and desserts were from Sweet and Saucy Shop in Long Beach, California. You can see more photos from the wedding on their blog. 

Tonight’s episode actually aired last night also, so many of us have seen it. The wedding theme is Arabian Nights so it should be fun and exciting.

Could you plan a wedding that included rats? That is what Tori and Dean did on last week’s episode of the Oxygen network show, “Tori & Dean: sTORIbook Weddings.” Their bride and groom were ballroom dancers who wanted a Hollywood club style wedding in bright fuchsia with lots of sparkle, bling and feathers that included their pet rats, Sparkly and Butter.

Here is how they carried out the color and style of the wedding and included the rats. Your couple’s wedding doesn’t have to include rats to get inspiration from this wedding:

The ceremony took place on the rooftop of  The London West Hollywood. Fuchsia petals lined both sides of a carpet that was used as an aisle runner. We got to see Tori, Dean and their art director, James, struggle with getting the aisle runner straight – it’s nice to see that even celebrity wedding planners have stressful moments.

The rats entered the ceremony in a fuchsia cage on wheels that was pulled by two flower girls. The rats wore wedding attire that Tori designed and made herself.

Since the bride loved feathers, they were distributed to the guests to throw after the big kiss.

For the reception, the ballroom was washed in fuchsia lighting.

Since the couple were dancers, it was important that the dance floor be special. It had the monogram of the bride and groom and, of course, a silhouette of a rat.

The tables had the right amount of sparkle and color after Tori encouraged the groom to weigh in with his opinion. Had the bride made all the decisions, the tablecloths would have been covered with hot pink sequins. But Tori was concerned that the groom be able to express his desires, since it was his wedding also – something you need to do with your couples. 

Cookies are a fun favor or dessert at a wedding and you can incorporate the theme in the cookie, like these rat-decorated ones.

Of course, the toppers on the wedding cake were modeled after the couple’s pets.

On tonight’s episode, Tori and Dean plan a lovebird themed shabby chic wedding that will, no doubt, include real birds.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The new wedding planning show, “Tori & Dean: sTORIbook Weddings,” starting actress Tori Spelling and her husband, actor Dean McDermitt, premires tonight, April 6, on the Oxygen channel.

In each show, the celebrity couple turn a bride’s wedding day vision into a reality. Tonight they help a pug-loving couple plan a pug-themed wedding.  A perfect theme for Tori since she is a pug lover too.

After watching the show tonight, tell me what you thought of it in comments.

In my last blog post, I wrote about the cultural details that celebrity wedding planner David Tutera used in his design of the ethnic themed wedding for his belly dancing bride.

One additional and important element you must use when planning ethnic themed weddings for your brides is food.

Ethnic food, along with the colors, costumes, flowers, decor and music will give guests the total experience of being in another land.

A bride who wants to serve ethnic food often chooses a reception venue that specializes in her cultural selections. However, she not longer needs to limit herself. Today, many hotels, and other venues that have in house caterers, understand that brides may want cultural dishes and are willing to allow outside catering.

Get to know the venues in your area so you can refer your brides to the ones who can accommodate their special requests.

In the video below, David presents his bride with the total cultural experience by serving kosher Middle Eastern food and bringing in belly dancers for entertainment.