Pantone Color of the Year: Radiant Orchid
Once per year, the team at the Pantone Color Institute announces the color of the year. As you can imagine, this choice has great impact on many industries as it affects product development, purchasing decisions, graphic design etc. The wedding industry is of course greatly inspired by the color of the year and oftentimes we see weddings in the color of the year. 
This year the color “Radiant Orchid” was chosen. It has an appealing mix of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones. While the name radiant orchid might be a somewhat new term to describe it, we have already seen and planned many weddings in this shade!
What are your thoughts on the color of the year?
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Blooms In Season: Holly Berry
Evergreens and holly berries are a wintertime tradition and there are many fun ways to incorporate them into your winter wedding. Luckily, they are in season and can easily be found this time of year.
Holly berries are very versatile and they can be worn in your hair, used in your bouquet or boutonniere or even used to decorate the tabletops at your reception!
The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
ASE Shares: Favorite Memory from the 2013 Wedding Season
It’s true that each and every wedding is unique. As we close out the year, we asked the team to share their favorite memory from the 2013 Wedding Season.
My favorite memory of the 2013 Wedding Season was a vow renewal that I was lucky enough to be a part of. This couple was celebrating 10 years together and decided to bring their closest friends and family, and two young children, to Sonoma for a lovely weekend and beautiful vow renewal. Her son walked her down the aisle, and during the ceremony her 10 month old daughter stood up and started walking over to her parents. It was such a precious moment. – Brittany
My March wedding holds a special place in my heart. The Brides father was ill and so the wedding was pushed up. They had the most amazing day and nothing would have stopped me in making sure that happened. It was truly magical to see the looks on their faces to have dad walk his daughter down the aisle. Although he is still ill, he is fighting and enjoying life. I still keep in touch with them. They are very special people. – Jill
This was a great wedding season so I have many wonderful memories! One of my favorite moments this summer was when I was showing a bride a sneak peak of her dinner and reception room before the guests and she burst into tears. She said I had made her dreams come true and called me her little wedding fairy. Moments like this remind me why I do this job. – Meren
When the couple getting married is so in love and excited about their wedding and marriage, that is always my favorite part of their special day! The last wedding that I worked was one of the most eloquent ceremonies I’ve ever been to. Kevin and Ben have been together for 16 years and they got married this November. Ben’s brother was the officiant and he did an amazing job! I think it was my favorite because of the meaningfulness of this commitment to them and the overall progress towards marriage equality that we are making. Their wedding ceremony & reception was filled with love, laughter, sunshine and great food. – Allison
One of my favorite memories from this past season was a father of the groom speech. The wedding was truly a blending of two very different families and cultures and the speech so perfectly articulated the blending of the families that was happening at that very moment. It was so special. – Stacy
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ASE Shares – Our Holiday Wish Lists
We are already celebrating Hanukkah and in just a few short weeks, Christmas will be here! What type of holiday shopper are you? Did you knock out most of your list with Black Friday sales? Or are you putting off the holiday rush and shopping online? Either way, we are sharing what is on our holiday wish list this year. Hopefully this will help to inspire some fun gift ideas for your love ones!
Brittany has picked out some beautiful neutral pieces for her home and some nice beauty products that are sure to fight the winter cold!
See her wish list HERE
Meren is looking to add some feminine pieces to her wardrobe this season – we’re talking tulle skirts and pops of sequins!
See her wish list HERE
Allison loves just about anything in black and gold – purses, shoes, jewelry – you name it!
Get more ideas HERE
Stacy is wishing to add a few fun pieces to her apartment – her wish list is full of fixtures, prints and plants.
See her wish list HERE
Are you keeping a wish list on Pinterest too? Please share! We’d love to see what you’re after this holiday season!
ASE Shares – A Glimpse Into Our Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving traditions that we all know and love are often unique to each and every family. Your family may always serve a green bean casserole with the fried onions…..whereas I’ve never had that in my life! Then again, Thanksgiving is not complete at my house without my grandmother’s coleslaw. Coleslaw at Thanksgiving, totally normal right!?!
Because of the varying traditions and plans, it was so fun to see a glimpse into what the team of ASE was up to yesterday.
To find the ASE Team on Instagram, look for their usernames!
Kelly – kellyasavvyevent
Meren – merenmeren
Brittany – brit_westerman
Danielle – Danie_moe
Jill – jillhinchmanhartnett
Stacy – hellocupcakellc
Allison – allisonhn
And don’t forget, for a collection of images search #ASEWeddings or #ASEEvents
ASE Shares – Thanksgiving Plans
As we get ready to spend the day with our family and friends we asked the ASE team: What are your Thanksgiving plans and what are you thankful for this season?
“I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year for 14 people – so we’re very excited for that. New experience, that’s for sure. This season, I’m thankful for my family. 2013 was personally difficult, and having such a loving family has made me appreciate what’s really important in life. “ – Brittany
“My new husband, Eric.” – Jill
“We tend to keep it pretty casual at Thanksgiving. We spend time with family and enjoy delicious food made by my mom. As always, I am beyond thankful for my family and friends.” – Meren
“We will be spending the day with family. My parents and in-laws live in the same town, so we get to see them all on Thanksgiving. I am extremely thankful for my health, my family, and the inspiring & supportive team of women that I work with. “ – Allison
“It’s going to be a very low key Thanksgiving this year. My husband has to work but my Mom is flying into town. We will have all the fixings but everything will be on a smaller scale except for dessert…..there will probably be at least one pie per person! This year and always I am thankful for my family, for their health and for their support.” - Stacy
We’d love to hear from you? What are your plans and what are you most thankful for?
ASE Shares – Holiday Drink Recipes
We are officially in the holiday spirit here in the ASE office! With Thanksgiving just a few days away we thought we would share with you some of our family recipes today…well, not just any recipes, some of our favorite drink recipes! See we really are in the holiday spirit! 
“We usually make a cranberry infused gin cocktail each year – it’s cranberries soaked in gin for 2 days, strain the cranberries, and top with a twig of rosemary and some homemade simple syrup. It tastes like Christmas. “ – Brittany
“We have “Special Fizz’s” It’s sort of our own white trash version of the ramus fizz – Frozen lime juice or orange concentrate, ice, vanilla ice cream and vodka. Throw in a blender and service with a cinnamon sugar rimmed glass. Delicious!” – Jill
“Our family does not have a traditional holiday cocktail but, one of my November weddings this season had the most wonderful holiday cocktail. As a welcome beverage we served a hot bourbon apple cider with candied cranberries. It was delicious!” – Meren (Recipe Above)
“Following drink recipes has always been a bit of a bust in my family and believe me we have tried! Because of this, we usually just pull out a fancy bottle of wine and enjoy it together.” – Stacy
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How to Stock a Wedding Bar with Bridebird
One thing that we know to be true, when it comes to wedding planning, the bar service and the drinks being poured is something that guests will not only remember but notice. Oftentimes, couples aren’t sure where to start when it comes to this topic. What, you haven’t planned a sit down dinner for 100+ of your closest friends and family before? Kidding! No need to worry, Kelly recently sat down with Bridebird to share some planning tips, tricks and ideas on How to Stock a Wedding Bar!
(In the Q&A she answered the following questions)
What do you think makes up the perfect bar at a wedding?
What’s something that might be unexpected, but is easy to serve and really makes a statement?
For DIYers on a budget, any insider tips or tricks for getting the best price when stocking the bar?
On the practical side, how does someone determine how much alcohol to serve at a wedding? And how many bartenders are needed?
Hop on over to Bridebird to see the responses.
DIY Wedding & Engagement Rings
These days DIY is everywhere and this is especially true in the wedding industry. But we’re not talking about DIY décor or DIY invitations – today we are talking about DIY wedding and engagement rings!
A local San Francisco jewelry company called San Francisco Wedding Ring offers workshops where couples can actually go in and make and document the process of designing and crafting their own wedding and engagement rings!
After the design process, you will work alongside a professional and experienced jeweler to craft your ring. For couples that love experiences and are looking to design a one of a kind piece, this process is for you!
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Love Stories
Back in May we launched our new website….but if you haven’t been back to visit since then you are missing out on some recently added sweetness in a section we call “Love Stories”!
If you are considering booking a videographer for your wedding or you just love to witness the love between two people on their wedding day, you won’t want to miss the Love Stories on our website!
