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Merilee Norman, 29, is a wedding designer and director of EverAfter Events. Her company designed one of six themed showcases at a wedding event held at a major San Diego shopping mall. Each showcase featured a wedding display that included decor, menus, flowers, invitations, favors and more. We caught up with Merilee and she not only walked us through the EverAfter Events showcase, she also offered insight about today's wedding themes.
Q: What theme did you capture in your showcase?
A: The general theme of our showcase was the enchanted garden. A typical garden wedding has somewhat of a spring or summer feeling, a lot of greenery, a lot of flower heads and a lot of color - softer, pastel colors. We used a softer feel for our showcase. The color scheme we used was light pink and green. We used hydrangeas, roses and moss. We picked a crunched satin for the linens. For take-home wedding favors, I made little bird's nests and put Jordan almonds in them to look like eggs. We set up menu cards and name cards. Also, I added a little stone to the center of each place setting. The stones have words on them that signify different feelings people have on their wedding day such as trust, hope, love and joy. I had a little fun with the showcase, and I threw in some printed pillows to make it look more feminine.
Q: Is it expensive for a bride and groom to have a garden-themed wedding?
A: Not necessarily, because in the case of the showcase, the menu we set up was actually for a brunch. If you are doing a brunch, it's generally going to be less money than a dinner. Anything during the day is going to be less than something in the evening. The garden theme can work at night, too, but it doesn't have to be top-budget. You can be creative and not have it cost a lot of money.
Q: Along with the garden theme, what are some other popular wedding themes right now?
A: Because we live by the beach, the beach theme is always popular. The wine country theme is favored, too. Victorian themes are also currently popular. The royalty theme seems to be getting more popular because it gives off the essence of the bride being the queen for the day. We are seeing more ranch-style themes, as well. And monograms are a common theme because they personalize the wedding for a couple. However, themes are often centered around colors, too. The Indian color theme - with vibrant pinks, oranges and reds - is quite trendy right now.
Q: Are the themes that already exist in nature, such as the beach or a garden, the themes that work best outside?
A: The beach can actually go either way. You can bring a beach scene inside a ballroom. Of course, the setting around you definitely plays a part in the theme. But it's simpler to put on a wedding inside or in a location that is near the beach rather than on the beach for several reasons - wind, sand, etc. But in general, your setting does play a huge part in your theme. You don't want to have this huge, royal reception in a backyard. Where you choose to get married definitely helps set the level of formality that you're going to have.
Q: What is the most effective way to achieve a theme without making it look gimmicky?
A: The best advice I have is to keep it simple. Don't overdo it. Simplicity is definitely the key to elegance. You can do a touch of this and a touch of that, and it goes a lot farther than you might think. With one of my clients, we are putting together a beach theme for her. We could totally go all out with putting seashells and sand dollars everywhere. But, really, you have to be careful how much you do and where you put it. We might put the theme on the programs but not the cake. You don't want the theme on everything.
Q: What is your favorite color theme?
A: I honestly don't have a favorite color theme only because I don't like seeing the same thing all the time. So any type of wedding where we can do something different and creative is generally my favorite type.
Q: What should brides and grooms keep in mind when it comes to wedding themes?
A: The florist. I think the florist plays a big part in the theme. Make sure the florist is involved in the whole vision of the wedding. If you have a florist who has no idea how to capture the vision you have come up with, it's going to look out of sync. So make sure to let the florist in on your vision and get that florist's opinion.
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