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Weddings are very much in fashion these days as brides and grooms combine New Age personalized vows with nuptial traditions that have spanned centuries.
Over the past few decades, the geographic spreading of families and friends all over the U.S. has resulted in fewer opportunities to gather together. This has given even more significance to weddings as people travel from near and far to celebrate the bonding traditions of family and friendships that surround weddings.
The small barefoot "hippy" field weddings of the 1960's and '70's with a communal group of friends in attendance are gone. The smaller-scale weddings of the 1980's and early 1990's that relegated the marriage ceremony to merely an afterthought of a long-term living arrangement have also lost favor.
Weddings today strive to regain a sense of family, tradition, and heritage, and use colors that reflect antiquities -- shades of cream, beige, and champagnes to accomplish that goal. Often, the attendants are clad in both dusty and clear shades of jewel and pastel pinks, lilacs, corals, and roses. Occasionally, antique shades of sea foam and tropical blues or greens float down the aisle or cover the tables. Elegant fabrics in silk satins, tulle, crepes, or charmeuse; damask; organza; and brocades in tone on tone are the foundation of today's wedding of classic bold elegance with an underlining of simplicity. The elegance is approached much like it was in the 1930's -- an overall elegance and smoothness punctuated by small, bold statements of brightness, sparkle, and color. Low lights and reflections are an important part of the allusion of formality.
I say allusion of formality because every bride and groom wants their wedding to be as enjoyable as possible without formal stiffness. They want the memories of their big day to be of smiles and laughs and the fun everyone had. In reality, it embodies the dress-up formal tea party of every little girl and her friends. It's the memory of the fine crystal, silver, china, and the wonderful family times at grandma's house. It's the remembrance of dancing to great music, while trying on mom's wedding dress and veil. The martini glasses and formal bar of their parents' parties with everyone laughing as the children watched from a hidden locale are all the memory senses they want to have rolled into "their day."
It may seem as though we are talking about apparel, but in truth, the whole wedding statement is about how the bride sees herself on her day. Cakes are no longer covered in frosting, but in fondant that replicates the same fabric as the bridal gown. The table flowers reflect the bridesmaid's bouquets -- they are bold in color and unusual in variety. The bride wants each statement to stand out in the viewer's eyes and to catch their attention either through beauty, rarity, or a strong statement of color.
Currently, it is uncommon to see multicolored wedding decor. Sophistication is better achieved through a monochromatic color theme that uses various shades, tones, and values of the same color. Single-color themes lend a sense of grace and are recommended when using small tables.
This month's display was designed to portray sophistication. The table is layered with several textures to create visual interest and to draw the eye. This is especially important if your store has a busy visual environment. Atmospheric spotlights that create the candle glow are an important part of this display. A low-watt natural halogen spotlight should create a candlelight atmosphere.
A small table was used in this display to illustrate that sophistication can be created within a small space. The single-color gold theme was aligned with golden beige damask tablecloth all the way to the floor to portray a sense of traditional elegance. An ecru linen embroidered open-lace oval table runner in the same hue was layered for interest. If you feature a runner in rich tones, you can soften the look and add elegance by adding a layer of fine tulle that covers the table to the floor and tucking everything under at floor level. If you stock table linens but not tableware, skip the tableware and showcase the linens.
If you add a second color like the pink in this display, repeat the color again as was done with the pink roses around the cake. This display's icon or feature piece is a hand-blown glass vase in the featured gold and striking jewel-toned royal blue. If when using an icon approach color is not your primary consideration, you can substitute something that is striking by proportion, such as a narrow, tall piece or a low piece with tall, simple flowers or vines. Avoid draping or pleating fabrics in the display, as they become visually distracting to the featured display products you want to sell. Too many small items in the display also become a too-busy visual diversion. Avoid contrasting colored or patterned backgrounds.
If your store does not feature table linens or offers a more contemporary inventory, you may want to make your bridal display more striking than elegant in presentation and display. To do so, use a plain white butcher paper cover for the table and create classiness with the bold use of a repeated color or two in items that create interest with various shapes repeated in a place-setting motif.
Be creative -- if you sell pots, pans, cookware, and tureens, use the small pieces as though they were tableware in a place-setting serving for soup at a winter resort wedding with dishtowels as napkins. Whimsical sells. Work with what you have and use your imagination. Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Make it striking and uncluttered and remember less is more every time. Good luck.

Renee Chappelle of Marketing Projects Unlimited is a retail consultant who specializes in store design and visual merchandising. You may contact her with inquiries at mpu@humboldt1.com or phone 707-845-3140; fax 707-442-1689. Photographer: Robin Robin, Eureka, Calif.