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A Wishing Pool of floating
candles - A low pool in the center of a large gathering
area. You may make this the centerpiece of the room.
Assemble a makeshift pool out of a pond liner. Frame
the pond with a wood or metal casing or surround with live
plants. Float large
candles and flowers on the surface. This idea works best for
evening events in a tented or outdoor setting.
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Adventurous Cuisine -
Most of your guests will probably know what pizza bites,
croustini, or artichoke dip tastes like. A
romantic party is a place where guests should have the
opportunity to be introduced to new tastes and be able to
expand their horizons. The key to a successful
"adventure" menu is to add a lot of variety and very small
portions. Create a buffet of hors d'oeuvre or antipasto
style samplers. With tiny tidbits they can go
back for more while little is wasted if it does not please
them.
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Sofa Seating - Create
sofa benches throughout the perimeter or even around
cocktail tables. Plush areas where people can sit
close and lounge is romantic and inviting. Sofas don't
have to be bought . You might be able to rent them
from a theatre or prop company. You can create simple
back-less bench seating out of painted particle board, and
creating cushions from high density foam and your choice of
fabrics (silk is a nice choice!) Tufting the cushions
is also a simple way to make them look more glamorous.
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Torches - On a hot
summer evening tikki torches, candle torches, or large
candles in hurricanes are a very easy way to create
romantic ambiance. Lighted torches transport you and your
guests to some distant archipelago. The flame of
a tikki torch is bright and passionate. You can make
giant torches by propping up a metal fire pits on a concrete
block or brick base. Works for outdoor events only.
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Votive Power
- An event lit by candle power is
very romantic.
Votive candles en masse is a relatively inexpensive and safe way to
achieve a soft glow about your party. Focus the
candles on table tops (for maximum power we recommend no
fewer than 1 candle per seat at the table.)
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A Ribbon Arbor - Buy an
inexpensive metal arbor or pergola at the garden store and
stream hundreds of lengths of
gorgeous ribbon from the top to create
a tented effect. You might paint the arbor to bring in
more color. You might use the arbor as the centerpiece
of your ceremony or as a gateway to your reception.
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Old Fashioned Flowers -
Charm your guests with "vintage everything" including
flowers. Some of our favorite old-fashioned flowers
include: garden roses, sweet peas, violets, hydrangeas,
forget-me-nots, pansies, and foxgloves.
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Ice Sculptures
- Okay
sometimes these can be hokey, but they have their charm by
bringing out the kid in everyone. The fascination with
a huge block of beautifully carved and lit-up ice is always
an attraction. Keep it pretty. Skip the
Disney-characters and go for a large sculpture that acts as
a lantern where candles can be inserted. Or request
that your ice be carved into a
large vase and have your florist arrange fresh flowers inside
it.
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Dim Lighting - You may
be stuck without candles for your event (many facilities have
restrictions on candles.) Incandescent or halogen
lights can be romantic if dimmed. Use electrical light
strategically, such as aiming them to light up flowers.
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Sensual Colors for Evening
- Burgundies, reds, plums, and chocolates all make for a
gorgeous evening party. Accent with deep copper and bronze
tones. Very bright Gold, fuchsia, & orange loose their
sharpness in night light and become elegant jewel tones
under candlelight.
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Pastel Colors for Daytime
- Pastels are sweet and dreamy for a daytime event.
For a modern touch, compliment the light colors with touches
of light silver or brown.
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Dramatic Entry - The art
of creating anticipation is essential for a romantic event.
Pick a location where guests have to climb an impressive
staircase, take a meandering tour through the garden, or
ride a boat just to get to the event.
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Pillow Power - Add small
pillows to formal dining chairs for your guests.
Pillows can double as favors, with each guest's monogram
embroidered into it. You might also put pillows on
lounge seats. A fun and festive idea is to take sheets
of our
hand-made paper and sew them together and fill with
foam. These fun paper pillows add splashes of color to
your event.
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In a Garden
- Gardens
are known throughout space and time as a place of
enchantment, mystery and romance. Any event that takes
place in the garden offers guests romantic places for guests
to wander and explore.
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Barefoot Seaside Event -
The smell of briny air and the sound of crashing waves.
Does it get anymore romantic? Keep the colors cool and
calming to
white, sand, sea greens, or pastels.
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Make it Black Tie
- How often do your friends and family get to dress to the
nines? Even though your well-dressed guests will be
the centerpieces of the event, make sure you indulge them by
providing the appropriate formal surroundings and top-notch
catering.
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Tropical Scented Flowers
- Scented flowers are one of the most romantic ways to
decorate for your party. Gardenias, stephanotis &
tuberose are available year round across the country.
Tropical flowers are elegant without being stuffy.
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Intimate Table Sizes
-Keep tables smaller than 6 guests per table, or design long
narrow tables that form a horseshoe around the room.
If you have a buffet, arrange a mix of 3-person
cocktail tables and 5-person bistro tables.
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On the Water - Set your
party afloat with a dinner cruise. Start your party
just before sunset, so guests can enjoy the view. If
you can't get a boat, you might consider renting a spot on a
pier, at a beach club, or waterside park.
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Live Music & Dancing
- If you can't afford to fill a room with decor, fill
it with music. Live musicians bring a warm presence
unmatched by deejays. Classical music is nice for
ultra formal events, but a little stuffy for most
receptions. Jazz,
Big band, Salsa, or Caribbean music is entertaining and fun to dance to. If you don't know of any
live acts ask friends and family if they have been to an event
that featured a great band. Otherwise you might call
an event coordinator at your venue.
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Multi-Course Meals
- Let
your guests relax and enjoy the conversation. Skip the
buffet for a lavish multi-course meal, expertly paced by an
attentive and professional staff. Create long dramatic
seating with a long stretch of rectangular tables rather
than the social round tables.
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Indoor Gardens - Bring
the Outdoors in. You can hire a professional
landscaper to rent some plants and create a dramatic
landscape of potted bamboos, shrubs and flowering plants.
Give guests mini potted plants as favors.
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Fireworks - If you can't
put on a huge show, give simple sparklers as a fun
party favor. Include a decorative set of matches.
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A Room With A View
- Any
facility with a gorgeous view is instantly romantic.
Many tall buildings in the city have dinner clubs
that are perfect for elegant events. Also think of
high landmarks (such as the Space Needle) that have banquet
facilities. Natural views of mountains, ocean, lakes, golf courses,
territorial, and river views is also highly desirable. At night,
keep the lights very low with soft candlelight so that the
view shines. During the day, keep decorations simple
and make sure they don't block the great view!
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Wine Tasting
- Hold your
event at a winery and arrange for your guests to sample a
variety of wines. Such events can be very casual, but
are always elegant.
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Trains - Harkening
back to yesteryear, a train is extremely romantic way to
celebrate your life events. Play up a vintage theme
to bring guests back to a time when transcontinental meant a
week's journey by rail. If you can't rent a train, perhaps
an historic train station is available to rent in your town where you can
play up the train theme.
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Floral Chandeliers
-
Large chandeliers lit with candles and made entirely of
flowers is so romantic and will be the conversation piece of
the event. Be sure the piece is professionally
spotlighted to get the best effects.
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Create Rooms -
Partitioning off a great room creates an adventure for your
guests. You should not reveal everything in one look.
One of the easier ways to do this in a large ballroom is to
create a separate "entry" area. The entry area should
be heavily decorated in a thematic sense and give a sense of
enclosure before stepping out into the vast ballroom.
In a party tent, you can create curtained off walls by
setting baffles on every pole that drape into the room
about 4 or five feet and are pulled back at the bottom like
a half-curtain. You can create false ceiling effects
in tents by draping colorful fabric in a serpentine ribbon
across the empty space.
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Rose Petals - Rose
petals strewn about table and floors are luxurious, colorful
and romantic. Make sure your facility does not have
restrictions on the use of rose petals.
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Futuristic - Vintage
style may be dreamy and romantic in it's throwbacks,
but if you really want fantasy go for ultra-modern
decorations. Super-futuristic decorations inspire and
create a stir. Commission artists or a contemporary
florist to create a temporary installation for your party.
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Seasonal Romance - Some
guest might now "get into" the Cowboy or the Elizabethan
theme that you took so long to find the right props for.
If you want to decorate elegantly there is one theme that
all guests can understand -the seasons. It is easy to
bring your guests into the spirit of the season if you incorporate
flowers, colors, and foods of that time of year. Nothing is
more romantic than looking out the window at snow covered
grounds and being surrounded by beautiful glittering silver
and white decorations. Or to enjoy a harvest feast
amongst brisk weather and pumpkin colored flowers.
It is hard to go wrong here.
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Floor Seating - Create a
very intimate environment with areas where guests can gather
for socializing on large Thai silk floor pillows. You
can't expect that all your guests will feel comfortable
taking off their shoes so we would not recommend that you
make all guests sit on the floor for dining. But if
you want to keep that low, intimate feeling, create short Chinese tea-table pedestals as seating for guests.
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Lanterns - Lights strung
up high bring a festive mood to your event.
Lanterns are especially romantic when they are lit with candles.
String lanterns on ribbon to light up a tree or pergola.
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Rich Fabrics - The use
of rich fabrics to "paint" a room can turn any venue a
blissful environment. Use fabrics to drape across
party tent poles, to snake across ceilings, to create
screens for make-shift "rooms", or to cover entire
walls. Such fabrics can be rented from a linen rental
company or a party rental company.
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Creative Cocktails -
Keep the spirits flowing! A fun trend in parties is to
create cocktails tailored especially for the event.
Create a provocative and romantic name for your drink
designs. Ask your caterer for suggestions that
complement the fare.
