Rainbow color palettes have been seen in several different avenues lately…room decor, birthday parties, bridal showers and weddings just to name a few. These colors are lively, energetic and beautiful at the same time. They create a fun atmosphere that will allow you to bring in an immense amount of creativity.

The options for a rainbow color palette in your wedding floral are endless. Flowers come in all shapes, sizes and colors and when you’re not particular about the color, you can have just about anything that you would want. Arrangements could be a wide array of monochromatic arrangements, a variety of colors or you could even create an ombre effect.

A rainbow palette for food…what will you serve? Once again, because you haven’t limited the colors that you can incorporate into your wedding, you have not limited the possibilities. Fruits, rainbow colored cakes and sodas will all bring in that lively color that you may be looking for.

If you’re still trying to decide on your wedding color palette and are having a hard time narrowing down your colors…go bold and choose an entire rainbow of colors!

We will all need to find ways to cool off this summer and the guests at your wedding will be no different. Treat them to some icy cold and frozen treats to keep their temperatures cool and calm.

What better way to cool off than with some yummy ice cream treats. Ice cream sandwiches, ice cream pops and mini ice cream cakes are sure to make your mouth water. There are several yummy recipes online for little ice cream treats. How about this one from myrecipes.com?

Ice cream doesn’t have to be the only cold treat that can be served at a wedding. Gelato, shaved ice and gourmet popsicles can also be a sweet treat for your guests. There are so many fun things to do with these icy treats and icypops.com has some pretty unique ideas!

Keeping your guests hydrated can be a difficult task when the temperatures start rising. It’s always a good suggestion to make sure that you have plenty of water on hand. Water? How boring is that? But, look it doesn’t have to be boring!

Mix your water with a few other types of drinks; lemonade, bottled sodas, flavored ice cubes…don’t discount the appeal of an array of hydration options.

So the million dollar question here is – How do we serve some of these icy, frozen ideas and not have them melt? That is going to be the tricky part and there are a lot of ways to do it. But, we just have to throw out some very fun and unique ideas for you. What about having these treats catered…not just catering that is delivered to the reception and kept in your freezer and in coolers. What about having the ice cream truck, the italian soda bar or even the snow cone shack come to your reception?

Southern Utah is full of a lot of amazing little food vendors who park their trailers and carts in parking lots everywhere. What about The Tiki Shack in Cedar City or Krave Frozen Yogurt in Cedar City and St. George? What about your neighbor who has a shaved ice booth in the neighborhood? Or, your friend who drives the local ice cream truck?

Take a seat, get out your favorite icy treat and start thinking about how to keep your wedding guests cool this summer. We want to hear about some of your ideas. What are your favorite cold treats? Where are some of your favorite places to get these treats?

Images Courtesy Of

Taste Of Home | My Recipes.com | Martha Stewart Weddings | Pink Blossom List | Dreamy Gelato | Icy Pops | The Tiki Shack | Wedding Bee | Suzanne Jeffers

We have seen this trend pulled off so beautifully, and we want to share our best tips on how you can incorporate mismatched bridesmaid dresses into your own wedding this year!

Tip #1:  Pick a color scheme.

The colors you choose can be different tones and shades, but it is important for you to make sure that all of the colors are in the same color family.  A great way to find colors you love is to go to your local craft store and look at the ribbon section.  When you find the colors you want to use, simply buy strips of ribbon in those colors, and give them to your bridesmaids as a reference.

Tip #2:  Think of words to describe the look you want to achieve.

Words like vintage, modern, eclectic, retro, classic, girly, sophisticated, and chic are all very descriptive.  Even though your bridesmaids won’t be wearing matching dresses, you want them to all look like they belong together.  Letting your bridesmaids know what your concept is will help them choose dresses that will look great together.

Tip #3:  Know what you want.

There are several different ways to pull off the trend of mismatched bridesmaid dresses.

The first way is to have dresses that are the same color, but different styles.

To do this, give your bridesmaids all the exact same color of ribbon, and let them choose whatever style of dress they want.  This option is great for brides who have a group of bridesmaids with diverse body shapes.  By letting your bridesmaids choose their own dress style, they will be able to tailor their dress to perfectly suit their body.

The second way to pull off this trend, is to have your bridesmaids dress in different colors, but still wear the same style of dress.

This option is great if you have multiple colors you want to showcase, while allowing your bridesmaids to still look unified.  To pull off this trend, have the style of bridesmaid dress already picked out, and let your bridesmaids choose which color they want to wear from the ribbon colors you have already selected.

The third way to do this trend is to have your bridesmaids all wear different shades and styles of the same color.

This option is best for brides who really want to give their bridesmaids creative control.  However, if you want to have your bridesmaids dress in different shades and styles of the same color, make sure each of your bridesmaids know what color and style you are looking for.  Give them each the shade of ribbon you want them to wear, and tell them key words to describe the kind of style you are looking for, then let them run with it!

If you follow these tips, your bridesmaids will surely be looking fabulous on your big day!

What do you think?  Do you love the mismatched bridesmaid dress trend?  Or, are you a more traditional bride?

Outdoor weddings provide some of the most gorgeous backdrops. Who better to compliment your wedding then Mother Nature? One thing you can almost always plan on in Southern Utah is that with the sunny weather comes lots of heat. On Monday, we talked about what can be done to provide shade and a cool environment for your guests. But what about the food you will be serving? Cool refreshments can go along way in helping guests feel comfortable as the temperature rises.

Photo by: Timothy Lee Photographers

Serving cool food to your guests for dinner can help keep them cool. For example, have a cold salad or chilled soup with dinner. The best way to have a dinner in the outdoors is to have it served to keep the freshness of the food.

For any open buffet lines, where the food will be sitting out, avoid foods that contain eggs or dairy products. Although sandwiches with mayonnaise and a nice slice of cheesecake might be your favorite, these foods are hard to keep fresh in direct sunlight out in the heat. The last thing you want your guests to be talking about is how sick they were the next day instead of what a great time they had to your wedding.

Choose cool foods that are can go without being refrigerated too long or can sit on ice. Reception foods like made to serve stations work great for this. Made to serve stations are serving areas where food is made to order when the guest is ready for them. An example would be having a snow cone machine or ice cream server on hand so the food items stay cold until the guest is ready for it. Even a popcorn bar would be fun for your outdoor wedding and will stay good sitting out in the sun.

Photo by: Erich McVey Photography

Another option is to hire out a food truck that has refrigeration built into their serving truck to provide you with the freshest food possible for your guests. They also create a very fun environment to an outdoor event for guests to be able to order their food as they would like it.

Most importantly, do not forget to have things for your guest to stay hydrated throughout the entire event. Take the amount of water you think you will need for drinks for your event and times it by 2 if your wedding falls on a spring or summer day. You will be happy your overly prepared and so will your guests. This can be done with something as simple as a flavored water display or custom water bottles set out for guests to have.

Design by: 6th Street Design School

You wedding cake is also an item not be to forgotten about in the heat. Butter cream cakes can be more temperamental if left out in the heat and will melt right off the cake quickly in the sun. Instead, ask your baker to use fondant on your cake and make sure it is in an area with shade. Although fondant will still get soft in the heat, it will stay on the cake and look beautiful until it is time to cut.

Fondant photo by: Chugach Peaks Photography. Buttercream Photo by: OCD Cakes

Always err on the side of caution when it comes to your outdoor event. It is always best to consider your guests comfort so you can enjoy everyone’s company.

In Southern Utah, you can almost always plan on lots of sun outdoors. The sun is what makes Southern Utah such a great place to get married with our mild winters and our beautiful early springs. However, there are those summer months where dry and hot weather just comes with being here.

For an outdoor event there is no way to fully predict months ahead if your specific day will hold 70 degree weather and light cloud coverage, or wind gusts, rain or a sudden heat wave. Erring on the side of caution will ensure a more enjoyable wedding for the bride and groom and their guests.

An outdoor event in St. George is best to plan in the spring months of the year. Know that June, July and August in Southern Utah bring the highest temperatures that can soar above 100 degrees at times. But even April and May can bring unexpected heat, rain or wind to your outdoor wedding.

Photo by: Espana Photography

Tents are a great option to shade you and your guests and protect your wedding in case extreme weather elements happen. They provide shade but don’t block the outdoor feel to your event. (Which is why you wanted it outdoor in the first place, right?) Tents come in all size rectangles and squares from 10×10 on up. Tents come with side walls with windows if needed, so rain or extreme wind will not threaten your outdoor wedding, or can just be left open to enjoy your surroundings.

Photo by: Espana Photography

If tents aren’t the look you want, another option is to use large canvas umbrellas in stands. These large umbrellas provide shade from the heat while keeping with an outdoor look to an event.

Photo by: Dia Rao

A third option to making sure Mr. Sunshine doesn’t ruin your perfect day is to use a misting system. They have been proven to be more effective than conventional methods of cooling the outdoors, as often seen in outdoor stadiums.

Some smaller options to help with outdoor events are using personal umbrellas to add a little shade to an outdoor wedding to help guest individually stay out of the heat. Setting a holder full of umbrellas out for guests to use is a great way for your guests to know you were thinking of them while being outdoors.

Photo by: Jose VillaPhoto by: Dia Rao

Another fun décor element to help beat the heat is fans. Fans come in all shades and sizes and can even be customized to your wedding. Ask your graphic designer about incorporating your wedding program on a fan for your wedding ceremony for a touch of personalization to your wedding day and are fun for guests to keep even after the wedding.

Photo by: Jess and Nate Studios

By being over prepared you will make your outdoor event enjoyable even if Mother Nature is not cooperating.

Check back this week as we talk about beating the heat part 2. All about what food to serve at hot weather weddings.

They just debuted their upcoming spring inspiration shoot and we were super excited to see some of our local St George Weddings vendors featured!!! Awesome job to Gideon Photo, Forevermore Events, Entrada, and Sweet Cakes.

Don’t you just love the orange??? I have to be honest, whenever I think orange and weddings two thoughts come to my mind…Halloween wedding or fall wedding, but I am absolutely in love with the pairing of this great tangerine orange with all of that white. What a perfect palette for an upcoming summer wedding. It just screams summer! And the clean fresh look is so refreshing! Not a single detail has been overlooked and we are so excited to show off a little glimpse of the shoot and give a big thumbs up to all our St George Weddings participating vendors!

And if you want to see even more inspiration from this shoot head on over to the Utah Bride Blog for all the images!

UBB Spring Inspiration – Floral - Fashions – Paper Details – Table Scape – Concept

Concept: Utah Bride Blog
Photography: Gideon Photography
Videography: Nathan Pickett Films
Event Design & Rentals: Forevermore Events
Venue: Entrada
Flowers: Blossom Sweet
Dress & hair accessories: Gateway Bridal & Prom
Hair & Makeup: Jaclyn Lamoreaux
Custom Suit: Dress Code
Paper goods: Pink Piggy Design
Jewelry: J. Brooks Jewelers
Cake: Sweet Cakes by Karen 
Bride Model: Jennifer Kay Shaver
Groom Model: Joshua Bailey

Recently, Olga from My Favorite Flowers, had the opportunity to participate in a destination styled photo shoot in gorgeous Cancun!!! Are you as jealous as I am???

We love the vivid colors and amazing arrangements that Olga put together as part of this inspiration shoot. And planning an inspiration shoot is no easy task. Planning everything on the spot and not knowing to expect from the location and only briefly meeting the other team members definitely makes for a challenge. But this amazing team pulled it off beautifully! All the props were gathered locally and luckily turned out great. And everything else was brought together by the team on the spot. What a wonderful experience it to be able to work with these internationally known wedding professionals. Good job Olga!

And working with an amazing crew who came from all over the place was just icing on the cake to this great opportunity!
Wedding Design: Confero Design
Photography: Mike Colon and Robert Evans
Stationary & Invitations: Ceci New York
Floral: My Favorite Flowers
Venue: Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun
Cookies: Bridal Cakes By Yvonne
Additional Decor: Taylor Made Weddings 

We absolutely love Of My Affection, and everything they do is sublime!!! Including this gorgeous bride & groom session. With a simple grace to it we are so captivated by the amazing golden sunlight. Such a gorgeous couple and we are so excited to share this session with everyone!!!

This couple may be from up north, but like so many people they are big fans of all things St George. We love that our area is such a great retreat for so many! So for their engagement session they wanted to get some great unique shots featuring the amazing landscapes found only in Southern Utah. So on a trip down south to go hiking and canyoneering, it turned into a perfect opportunity to capture the great scenery and this couples love!

Congrats you two! And thanks so much Travis J Photography for submitting this session! We are always on the lookout for fun sessions to show off all the beautiful weddings that happen in Southern Utah. We would love to see more! So if you have a unique session to show off, we would love for you to submit them!

Cheeks:

Achieve that perfect blushing bride cheek!

For a pretty flush that lasts, use two shades of blush:  a natural shade and a brighter shade applied just on the apples of the cheeks.

Eyes:

Choose water-resistant eye makeup formula like long-wear gel eyeliner and no smudge mascara.

After applying all your eye makeup, finish with a light highlighter shade on the brow bone to make eyes pop.

Face:

Flash photography emphasizes pink tones, so be sure to even out skin with a yellow-tones foundation.

Set  concealer and foundation with sheer finish loose powder.  Make them longer-lasting to ensure that skin looks matte in pictures.  If your dress has an open neckline, be sure to warm up your neck and chest with a dusting of bronzing powder.

Lips:

Natural and pale lip colors can appear washed out in photographs, so choose a brighter shade like pink, rose, or plum.

To make lipstick and gloss last longer, line and fill lips with lip liner before applying color.

Follow these tips, and you are sure to make a beautiful bride!

So, we want to know, how are YOU going to be doing your make-up for your wedding day?