The Beginner's Guide to Wedding Planning

Flowers are like fashion, and the trend for this season is color, color, color. Hot combinations like cherry red/fuchsia, pink/navy and aqua/crimson are just as gorgeous as whisper soft sorbet colors like lavender/oyster gray, buttercream/apricot and ivory/antique gold.

Combining unique family heirloom tabletop details like silver urns and compotes on silver trays with cut crystal candlesticks and gilded Moroccan teacups as votives sets an intimate, entertaining at-home tablescape instead of plain rental vases as centerpieces. Insider tip: Use at least twice as many more votives and candles than you think you need—it creates the most warm, ambient, soft glow throughout the space. Everything and everyone looks best bathed in soft, flickering candlelight.

Cost saver: Choose a venue that has lots of bright, reflective windows, trees and plants (think garden, conservatory, courtyard) and doesn't need floor-to-ceiling décor.