Wedding Design: Sleek & Chic

Wedding Design: Sleek & Chic
Now is the time when summer brides start to go into overdrive.  Invitations are being ordered, dresses are purchased, they are looking at wedding bands & finding the perfect shoes, they are choosing their ceremony music & thinking about their bridal party gifts.  All very exciting, and I wish all of those brides luck in this crazy time.

I thought I'd tackle another wedding style today - the sleek, modern, loft wedding.  Originally I think this was the first scheme I wanted, but when we selected a traditional hall, I think we were left with having to do something less modern, and more simple.

Here are some amazing photos that show this style:


Photo: The Knot



Photo: Link

What do I think of when I think of a sleek modern wedding. 

The Venue:  Obviously, as I showed above, a loft like restaurant or space is ideal.  Exposed brick, wood or steel exposed structure, ambient lighting - something sort of bare or raw, almost deconstructed.  Also a blank white slate provides a perfect backdrop for this type of wedding.

Photo: The Knot

Museums, gardens, wineries - these places are all ideal for your modern wedding reception.  I think that the ceremony can take place just about anywhere with this scheme.

The Flowers:  With modern weddings, I think bold graphic flowers - calla lilies, orchids, button mums, bouquets and centerpieces that have modern shapes and do not use greenery.  Architectural flowers work best in this scheme - making the arrangements inherently more modern.  Right now tight bouquets of a single flower make a powerful impact, even something as simple as carnations can be very simple and when done well, very modern.



Photo: Link



Photo: Link



Photo: Link

The Cake:  Again, bold, simple and graphic are three words that I would use to describe a modern style wedding cake.  A simple white background with simple but bold decor.  A bright ribbon on each layer, one large flower, an architectural shape

Photo: The Knot



Photo: Link

Centerpieces:  Simple and Elegant are easy to accomplish for a modern wedding.  Again, modern flowers give a nice style to your table.  Candles are a great way to take advantage of a non-flower centerpiece opportunity.  Submerged flowers in vases filled with water is also a very modern and attractive option. 


Photo: Link



Photo: Project Wedding



Photo: Project Wedding



Photo: Project Wedding

There are a lot of DIY opportunities here in the centerpiece category.  It's easy and affordable to come by clear vases, candles, water.  You can talk to a florist about submerging flowers, or even use life-like faux flowers for the submerged effect without anyone being able to tell the difference.  You can use food coloring to change the color of the water.  You can buy river rocks and floating candles in three different height vases for a great non-floral opportunity.  You can use interesting fillers - moss, seashells, in-the-shell walnuts, coffee beans - just keep it to one type of vase, a single filler, keep it to one color, add a candle and you are done.  When you start to mix types of vases and fillers, you tend to lose a bit of the "modern" vibe and head toward a little more eclectic.

Other Decor:  Lighting is incredibly important, most modern weddings make very good use of lighting.  We mentioned candle light of course, but wall washing is very modern.  If the venue doesn't include it, you can rent lighting for this effect.


Photo: Project Wedding

Paper lanterns are another exciting lighting opportunity.  They are affordable, and very "in" right now.  Grouped together over a table, over the dance floor, or even covering the roof of a tent, they are very modern and give a very beautiful effect. 



Photo: Project Wedding

Color Combinations: There are literally a thousand amazing modern wedding combinations that I have seen lately. 
White, Grey & Fuchsia
White, Yellow & Grey
White, Black & Green
White, Navy & Honeysuckle
White, Grey & Purple

The key to making a successful modern theme seems to be: White, plus a dark neutral, plus a bold color.  All of these schemes are amazing, and all of these color combinations really pop.

Overall I think the things that describe this style the best are simple, bold & graphic.  Use geometric shapes, architectural flowers, bold accessories, but think clean lines, simple and unified bouquets, centerpieces and linens.  There are so many things that you can do to pull off this style and really make it your own.