Inspiration is all around you if you are considering a wedding in the fall. The colors are vibrant, the weather is lovely and there is a feeling of warmth and happiness in the air. All of this spells love and romance! Here are some ideas to creating a glamorous and romantic fall wedding!

When picking your colors, try combining neutral tones with vibrant colors. Use a beige table cloth and accent it with burnt orange napkins.  Try using hanging chandeliers to create a dramatic effect. Glamour Goddess Tip: Go to the flea market and get different shapes to create an elegant and eclectic look. Also, utilize lighting to add a romantic flair to the room. Use colored lights in red and orange to create a more intimate feel and a feeling of warmth. Another idea is to bring the outdoors in by creating centerpieces with foliage. Glamour Goddess Tip: You can find these materials in your own back yard! Use tree branches and vibrant colored leaves and even pumpkins to create a unique and cost efficient centerpiece.

There are fall trends out there that are worth referring to. GG Tip: Remember to only look for inspiration in magazines and then make the look your own!

The perfect planner for you is out there you just have to believe! The planner your friend hired might not be the one for you. Here are some Glamour Goddess Tips to help you.

1. Honesty. The worst thing is to have a planner that can’t deliver on her promises because she promised you unrealistic goals.
2. Trustworthy. She is the to brush to your paint and your wedding is the canvas. You need to be able to trust her judgment.
3. Vision. You and your planner’s vision for your wedding need to be the same and you need to relate to your planner. If you are a contemporary bride it is probably not within your best interest to hire a planner that is a traditionalist.
4. Experience verses reputation. It is great to have a planner with experience but it is even better to work with one with a positive reputation. Ask other vendors who they have enjoyed working with and who they would be willing to work with again.
5. You need a planner that works well with others. This includes vendors, family, and friends.
6. Make sure your planner is your champion. She needs to fight for you. You will have people telling you what you should and shouldn’t do and it is important to have a planner support your decisions.
7. Intuition. Go with your gut. If the energy feels great then it will probably be great. If you get a negative energy you should probably keep looking.

Summertime means party time—whether you are celebrating a graduation or a wedding, hosting a neighborhood barbeque or a child’s birthday party—summer is a great time to connect with friends and family. 

 “In summer you are able to utilize more space than when Mr. Frost is in town,” explains Chantel Smith, owner of Events in a Box NC, which specializes in event management and design.  She explains that summer is especially helpful for those who live in smaller spaces.  By simply opening the doors to the outside, you more than double your available party space and provide two separate and pleasing environments.  

Hosting a summer party can be done on any budget.  The elements of a great party, Smith emphasizes, are not expensive—they are those that appeal to your five senses.

Sight

“Never underestimate the power of décor,” says Smith.  “No matter how big or small your event, you can take your guests on a journey and have them experience whatever mood you want. Utilize lighting and the space around you,” she says.  One simple idea is to use white Christmas lights (a short trip to the attic!).  Wrap them around trees or drape them across a deck or patio for a sparkling effect in the evening.   

Sound

Background music, explains Smith, keeps guests from feeling pressured to talk all the time.  It fills in for awkward silences that may occur when you have a mix of guests who are not well acquainted. 

She suggests having different types of music on hand for the various moods of the evening.  “In the beginning, you may have upbeat music, a little higher in volume, because people are just arriving and not deep in conversation.”  Later on, during dinner, the music would be slower and softer because the setting is more intimate and the goal is conversation.

Taste

Food is usually the highlight of any party, and a variety of tastes and textures will delight all your senses. Your menu will naturally follow from your chosen theme.  For a tiki party, serve fresh fruit on skewers, Polynesian dishes and exotic juices or beverages.  A patriotic party would include Americana-style dishes (apple pie anyone?), while a wine-tasting party would feature recipes like stuffed mushrooms or baked brie.  Have your best friends over for a Saturday morning brunch featuring French toast, Eggs Benedict, and seasonal fresh fruits in a salad.

 “The best way to a guest’s heart is through their stomach,” Smith reminds clients.  “Provide plenty to eat to keep guests happy! “ 

Touch

Comfortable seating is a must.  Experiment with fabrics, suggests Smith, and remember that pillows provide additional comfort and style.  Temperature, both inside and out, is important.  Make sure the conditions are bearable if the party is outside!  Provide fans and plenty of shade, as well as buckets of ice cold beverages.  For outdoor parties, make sure you provide insect repellent.  Fans, which provide relief from the heat, are also very effective in keeping insects away. 

Smell

Unpleasant smells will ruin any party, warns Smith.  Mold, cigarette smoke, and pet odors are the top offenders.   A clean home makes a pleasant gathering spot.  Empty trash and clean litter boxes thoroughly before guests arrive.  Restrict smoking, if it is allowed at all, to outside.

“Fragrant candles and flowers are a great way to enhance mood and experience; they can take your guests to another place.”  Of course, it goes without saying that the aroma of a sizzling grill and delicious foods adds greatly to the experience!

Plan

For most events, one month is usually sufficient planning time for a summer fling or dinner party, says Smith. Choosing a fun theme from the beginning will carry you through all stages of planning, from the invitations to the decorations.  Great summer themes include:  garden parties, neighborhood block parties, poolside luaus, patriotic parties for Memorial Day and July 4^th, and end of summer/back to school parties. 

If the party is too large for your home, municipal parks are a great bargain—they provide covered shelters with grills, playgrounds nearby and plenty of parking. A neighborhood clubhouse is also a great way to pull together a large number of people without straining a budget. Consider also church fellowship halls or community recreation rooms. 

Decide on your guest list.  Will the party be adults only, or will children come as well?  If so, you will want to plan activities that will keep children busy and entertained so that the adults can enjoy themselves!  One fun idea would be to provide two or three small kiddy pools filled with ice to hold sodas and juice; when these are empty, the kids can enjoy wading in the icy cold water! Set up a volleyball or badminton net in the back yard for some diversion that both adults and children will enjoy.  Horseshoes, croquet…how about hula hoops?  There’s an activity with comic relief included!

Family Fun magazine and its website are great resources for kid-friendly party and game ideas.  Other online resources for party planning and recipes include the official sites for Rachel Ray and Martha Stewart, as well as Southern Living and Better Homes and Gardens. 

Smith offers one planning caveat:  “Don’t get so tied up in the decor details that you forget things like toilet paper in the bathroom and garbage bags.”  Sometimes, it’s the small things that make the biggest difference!

Serve

For casual events, the host doesn’t need to provide everything.  Guests often feel better when they can bring something to contribute, and this is especially helpful if you are on a tight budget.  Make up a guest list then ask for A-L to bring a side dish, and M-Z to bring a dessert.

Homemade ice cream brings back great memories of summer for most people, and there’s nothing quite like it to cool the mouth and satisfy the taste buds.  A top quality maker like the Cuisinart Ice-20, which makes 1.5 quarts in around 20 minutes, can be purchased for about $50.  Allrecipes.com (which is a fantastic resource for any kind of recipe you can imagine) has numerous recipes for homemade custard style (egg based—requires cooking) and egg-free (no cooking required) ice creams.  Guests can bring a favorite topping to supply the sundae bar.

Where to find the best deal on party supplies and food?  Big box stores like BJ’s or Costco are great if you need to purchase large quantities of food and drink; all-in-one stores like Super Walmart or Super Target  can save you both time and money.  If you don’t care about having name brand items, Aldi’s is a bargain shopper’s dream, but you may not be able to find all the items you need there.

“Places like Party City or the Party Stop at Cameron Village always have fun items,” suggests Smith.  “The Party Shop is famous for props that you normally don’t find at other party stores.” 

Enjoy

Finally, enjoy yourself!  Don’t get so focused on planning that you forget the point of the party—having fun with people you love.  It’s summertime and the entertaining is easy when you keep the five senses in mind!