CREATING THE LOOK
Tami Winn Events Branding — it’s not a word we usually associate with the sacred nature of a wedding. Yet creating a cohesive look and feel can make your celebration so much more personal and memorable. Tami Winn of Tami Winn Events, who has a flair for flowers and design in addition to planning, recently oversaw a late spring wedding where the coordinated details added up beautifully. “Ultimately the goal isn’t for everything to be matchy-matchy, but it does need to tie together — that’s what makes an event look polished,” she says. Winn collaborated with Paper Planet to design an interlocking monogram using the couple’s first initials, with a hand-drawn border around the letters. Elements of the monogram and border appeared on the invitations, cocktail napkins, table numbers, menu cards and more. “When I ask my clients what they want people to remember about their wedding, the main words they use are ‘elegant’ and ‘classic,’ ” she says. “We work really hard to make it unique but fitting the couple, too. When a photographer takes all these gorgeous images and they go in the wedding album, you can see again how everything went together.” For more information, 817-589-2393 or tamiwinn.com.
What’s better than bubbly? Perhaps bubbly with your favorite add-ins, from juice to fresh fruit to candy. Coordinated signage encourages guests to help themselves at The Ashton Depot’s bubbly bar.
Photos by Tracy Autem Photography, tracyautem.com
ZERO-WASTE WEDDINGS
Cowboy Compost Not everybody’s in the clean-plate club. Brandon Castillo of Cowboy Compost, which has offered residential and commercial composting services since 2016, says that a typical 250-person event produces up to 350 pounds of food waste alone — not to mention the paper, plastic and glass that commercial venues aren’t required to recycle. Cowboy Compost, in addition to residential and commercial services, can make weddings, corporate events and fundraisers “zero-waste” events. By maintaining higher heat in its process than your typical backyard compost pile, the company can divert a broader array of materials from the landfill. “The easy way to understand it is, ‘If it grows, it goes’ — paper napkins, bones, even roses — if it comes from nature, it can go back to nature,” says Castillo. “Thirty percent of what goes into the landfill is food; if we can start composting that, the shelf life of the landfill can increase, so we don’t have to build a new one.” Cowboy Compost coordinates with the catering staff, which typically handles the plate-scraping, and brings in bins for collecting compostable waste, which it picks up after the event, along with recyclables. Fees start at $1 per guest; 817-952-9972 or cowboycompost.com.
CAKE TOPPERS
doob Looking for a creative cake topper? Why not “doob” yourself and your beloved? Pick your outfits, decide on a pose and step inside a large enclosure known as the dooblicator, where 50 cameras capture a 360-degree high-definition image. Three people can be photographed at one time (include your dog, if you’d like), and, yes, you get approval of the final image. The miniatures, which range from 4 inches tall to 14 inches, are produced and painted in New York and then shipped directly to you in two to three weeks. Prices start at $95 and run to $695. Fort Worth is Texas’ first outpost of the 3D company, founded in Germany, and the shop opens at the end of January. 4818 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, doob3d.com.
— Meda Kessler
Photo courtesy of doob
Sisters Nikki and Syble Owings opened Birdie Bridal in August 2018; they offer a variety of consignment and sample gowns.
Photo by Kayla Perkins
WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING
Birdie Bridal When sisters Syble and Nikki Owings got married just eight months apart, neither one wanted to see her beautiful dress just hanging in a closet afterward. “We thought, ‘Why can’t our dream wedding dress be someone else’s dream wedding dress?” says Syble. “After two really expensive weddings, we had this idea of starting a consignment shop.” With most wedding dress consignment happening online, the sisters instead wanted to offer an in-store Say Yes to the Dress-like experience, complete with mimosas. In August, they launched Birdie Bridal in the Saginaw area with 100 dresses — a mix of consignment gowns from recent brides and sample dresses from bridal boutiques — for 30 to 50 percent off retail prices. Current brands include Maggie Sottero, Allure Bridals, Watters, Pronovias, Morilee, Essense of Australia and even Oscar de la Renta. Birdie Bridal also stocks a few accessories, like veils and belts. Among its first customers was a woman who thought she knew what she wanted — inspiration photo in tow — until Syble persuaded her to try on a trumpet-style gown. “She put it on, she started crying, her mom started crying, and she just hugged me,” says Syble. “It’s a rewarding experience to pick the right dress.” Birdie Bridal, open by appointment, offers sizes 0-26 at prices from $300 to $3,000, with most under $1,000. 7105 Golf Club Drive, Suite 1204, Fort Worth, 682-268-0844, birdiebridal.com.
FLOWER HOOPS
Floralee Florist Katy Lee has an alternative to traditional bouquets that’s lightweight, easy to carry and perfect for repurposing as decor at the reception — flower hoops. The Floralee florist has recently been whipping up the whimsical design for bridesmaids and flower girls; the look has been especially popular for celebrations with a bohemian, organic feel. Using a thin metal macrame hoop in silver, gold or rose gold, Lee adds blooms to suit the bride’s vision; the design shown was purposely kept delicate and simple with spray roses, mini pinecones, small burgundy poms, veronica and greenery, finished with a ribbon off to the side. Larger blooms create a drastically different look. “I love the uniqueness of each hoop, and it isn’t what people expect for bridesmaids to carry,” says Lee. “It lends itself to less formal poses, thus creating fun photos and memories.” 1702 Mall Circle,
Fort Worth, 682-250-3228, floraleefw.com.
Photos by Kortney Boyett Photography,
kortneyboyettphotography.com
Photos courtesy of Aruba Tourism Authority
NONSTOP TO ARUBA
American Airlines At the tail end of 2018, American Airlines added a nonstop flight from DFW to Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) on Saturdays — with a travel time of about 4½ hours — making it easier for North Texans to enjoy a honeymoon on the Caribbean island. Located outside the hurricane belt, Aruba lures visitors with its turquoise water, year-round average temperatures in the low 80s and, thanks to low rainfall, the most sunny days of any Caribbean island. That leaves plenty of time to explore, from kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving to hiking or off-roading. For a more relaxed pace, there are also spas, golf courses, art museums, shopping and our favorite tropical activity, reading on the beach. For more information, aa.com or aruba.com.