hello lions,
fashion shows can provide dreamy inspiration for your wedding dress. imagination abounds with the release of alexander mcqueen’s final 15 items. here are 3 gowns that are sure to get your brain going this morning:

the fitted, textured coat is so bizarre! the unfinished hem is messy and delicate. also love the high collar in the back- it looks royal and medieval, very queen-like. all of his designs have a touch of tapestry or regalness.

everything about this look is perfect- boots with buckles, very strong lines, an amazing cape. the mohawk finishes out the linear look. would highly recommend a short wedding dress if it’s worn with spunk! check out our LITTER post for a dangerous garter to wear with an above-the-knee dress.

this dress is amazing. please take a second look in the mirror behind the model to see the wing detail coming out of the shoulders on her back. the wing motif is repeated on the bust. the layered skirt and the different materials of this gown give it texture and intrigue.

there are ideas to emulate in your dress design whether your wedding is medieval, gothic or faerie and whimsical! what ideas do you draw from fashion?

love to all,

lindsey

give us a roar: lindsey@dandylionevents.com

Hello my darling lions!

In the vein of my fellow lioness Lindsey, I’d like to open up the floor for questions.

What’s that one floral + ambiance question that’s bugging you?

(My work, as modeled by the lovely, rocking Wade and Lily. Lily and I worked together for two years and I love her rocking attitude. We made her wedding very edgy, pink, and rocker-chic-glam.)

Here’s your chance to pick my brain about floral design, colors, textures, music…almost anything!

Pushing boundaries of love, as always:

Amanda

floral  + ambiance lioness

send some love my way: amanda@dandylionevents.com

hello lions,
for our local nashville feature, i’m happy to be sharing pictures and stories courtesy of stephanie at la photographie nashville. (she also provided the awesome images for our giveaway post.)

la photographie can travel through the entire planning process with you, from your engagement photos,

to boudoir shots,

to the big day itself!

plus, my personal favorite- their classic pin-up style!

whether your style is rockabilly, 1920s- 1940s glamour or timeless + classic, la photographie can provide a powerful set of clear + beautiful images. they’ll make your wedding photos pop! how do you want to remember this special time?

with love,

lindsey

say hello: lindsey@dandylionevents.com

Hello, my darling lions!

Do you know what I think is the hardest part of starting to plan your wedding/party? Picking your color palette tops the list, especially if you’re a design- nut like yours truly. My own wedding went through three different palette changes before I finally settled on one! Here are my quick tips for forming a jaw-dropping color palette that will transform your fête into a very dandy celebration!

Find the color that you can’t live without!

Close your eyes. What’s the one color that always makes you smile; that one color that seems to speak to you? It could be the color of your first bicycle or car, or maybe that color you always dressed in as a child, or even the colors of your alma mater! For example, a bride very near and dear to my heart loved the color purple. She didn’t want to wear an ivory colored dress (she was Snow White-esque pale with long dark hair and naturally red lips…gorgeous girl!), and her husband-to-be wasn’t wild about bridal white. Her reply was “Well fine, I’m going to wear purple,” and boy, did she live up to her threat. I loved her wedding colors; dusky Victorian lilac, intense royal purple, light green, and onyx. They really lived up to her rocker-chick vibe!

Got that color? Now break out your color wheel!

A color wheel is an artist’s best friend. I have one I keep in my floral toolbox for design purposes and for when I’m having a brain-block moment when trying to come up with centerpiece ideas. A great online color wheel is located at Colors on the Web. Got your color? We’re going to use dusky slate (hex value #B3C5D0, which is a toned down version of sky blue) for our base color.

Okay, look 180 degrees away (directly across the color wheel) and mark that color. That’s your complimentary color (e.g. red-green, purple-yellow), which you’ll need for these next color combinations. Our complimentary colors are the tints, tones, and shades around warm peach (hex value #FFB183).

Monochromatic colors are within tints, tones, and shades of your base color. So, for our dusty slate color, some monochromatic colors are cerulean blue, silver, white, and sky blue.

Analogous colors are directly next to each other on the color wheel, like purple and blue or yellow and orange. These ensure you stay in the same color family. So, back to our slate; add soft blue-greens and true greens into your color palette.

Triadic colors high-energy colors that are found by choosing three colors that are separated by 120 degrees on the color wheel. The primary (red, blue, and yellow) and secondary (purple, orange, green) colors are examples of triadic colors. With our slate blue, we have spring green and dusky rose thrown into the mix.

Tetradic colors take the color wheel to the next level! Locate your color on the color wheel and draw a rectangle/square with your color as the first corner. These four values (e.g. blue, green, yellow, and red) are tetrad colors. Our slate blue is tetradic from spring green, dusky rose, and lilac purple.

Split complimentary color is a variation of the complementary color scheme. In addition to the base color, it uses the two colors adjacent to its complement (like blue, orange, yellow, and red). Our slate would be split complementary to peach, tan, silver, white, and sky.

Now you’ve got some schemes. Time to mix and match!

I’m a firm believer in using tints, tones, and shades to your advantage. If you’ve got one soft pale color, don’t be afraid to pump up the intensity on your remaining color values. For example, I chose Tennessee orange as my focal color which has always been my favorite summertime color (for multiple reasons), which is a coppery-orange. Being a bit more daring, I went with a tetradic color scheme and used lime green and orange with little touches of turquoise and magenta over black dresses and linens. I wanted a dress that my girls would use again and again, so I picked a black tea-length dress, and black is a wonderful neutral that makes any color pop.

My one big piece of advice is DON’T BE AFRAID OF COLORS! Pshaw, don’t stick to two colors. Push the envelope as hard as you can, lions! Love purple but want red dresses? Throw purple against oranges and reds in a bouquet for an intense pop of color!

Until next time, dearest lions, I encourage you to keep pushing that envelope and enjoy your colorful celebrations!

Unbordered love,

Amanda

floral + ambiance lioness

say g’day: amanda@dandylionevents.com

hello lions,

lighting is everything. i got the opportunity to discuss this often- overlooked aspect of event planning with blake chaffin, owner and lead designer of nashville event lighting. here is what he had to pass along:

–lighting creates an emotional experience, in the same way that different types of music can effect you. it sets the tone for the room.

–it also determines the energy of the room. moving the lighting and dimming or brightening an area with different moments such as changes in music, cake cutting, or speeches- eliminating the need for a cheesy mc!

–you can highlight assets and play down less attractive areas that may be necessary for your event, such as catering curtains.

– the right lighting can also create depth in a room and enhance the quality of your photographs. some of your other purchases benefit from the right lighting, too: flowers, drapes, food presentation, even the guests. ambient lighting is more flattering which comforts your guests and gives them more confidence, encouraging mingling.

nashville event lighting thrives on being in control of the smallest details. they can create some beautiful effects! one story blake shared was that for one bride, they projected the nashville skyline and moved a simulated moon over the buildings in a four-hour progression. that took creativity and diligence! they can also provide functional lighting, such as brightening a field for parking at a residential event or arranging for the catering staff to see while preparing food in a tent at night.

blake said one challenge they look forward to is making their clients’ ideas into reality.  even though they’ve been to every venue in nashville, every client request is different. they firmly believe though, that whatever you do, is worth doing right. they employ good karma and build relationships with clients and other vendors. they also help with a large scope of charity work in the nashville area- most recently, the lighting and sound at the minnie pearl foundation benefit. they also do the lighting and sound at events throughout the year for progress, inc.- a company that helps mentally handicapped adults learn life and work skills.

to learn more about nashville event lighting and to see some examples of their wok, check out their website at www.nashvilleeventlighting.com

a special thanks to blake for taking the time to remind us how important the right lighting can be!

love,

lindsey

idea + planning lioness

say hello: lindsey@dandylionevents.com