2014 WEDDING Trends via WEDDING WIRE

Each year it is fun to read the new TRENDS in the Wedding Industry….and see how many BRIDES are actually following and stepping out into something "new". A few we have seen in the end of 2013 but it looks like they will be around for a bit more.

Metallic Color SchemesFrom wedding dresses to stationery, linens to cakes, expect to see a lot of gold and silver next year! We saw metallic wedding dresses at New York Bridal Market, and think this trend will carry over into décor, as well.

Art DecoInspired by The Great Gatsby (both the book and the 2013 movie), we’re expecting to see lots of 1920s-era décor and themes in 2014.

Unique EntertainmentPhotobooths have been popular at weddings for a while now, but expect to other types of “alternative entertainment” next year. We’re thinking Slow-Motion Video Booths, I Spy or Mad Libs, lots of lawn games, and much more! Check out some of our favorite guest entertainment ideas here!

Halter Neckline Wedding DressesSee ya later, strapless! Halter necklines were all over the runways this season. It’s a great look for brides who want to show off some gorgeous shoulders.

Radiant OrchidPantone just announced the Color of the Year for 2014, and it’s Radiant Orchid – a pretty pinky-purple that is a beautiful hue for wedding décor. Purple was the hot hue a few years back, so is it making a comeback? We’ll soon find out!

Custom HashtagsGone are the days of placing disposable cameras on guest tables – now it’s all about the Instagram hashtag as a means of collecting guest photos! Couples are creating signs to inform guests of their Instagram hashtags (#nickandsara for example) so that all of the photos of their wedding will be easily accessed.

DahliasWe’re predicting that this beautiful bloom will be the hot flower for 2014. They come in a wide variety of colors and create such a lush, unique look!

Photo by Riverland Studios

“Naked” Wedding CakesWe’re not trying to be crass here, but wedding cakes without any icing are becoming a quite the trend for rustic, casual weddings.

Hanging DécorFrom lanterns to flowers to ribbons, crepe paper, even parasols – couples are clamoring for décor hanging from the ceiling! It’s a striking and dramatic look that turns the traditional centerpiece upside-down!

Bridesmaid Dress Color = MintPale green bridesmaid dresses were all over the runways at bridal market, so expect to see this minty fresh color at spring and summer weddings in 2014!

http://problog.weddingwire.com/index.php/weddingwire/get-ready-for-the-new-year-the-hottest-2014-wedding-trends/

WINTER Party…REALLY?

It may be below temperatures now but here is a way to party in style. It's a TENT!
Last month we were part of designing and making this event go off without a hitch, including Mother Natures elements. It took place in a beautiful home….that was transformed into an event venue for an evening of fun, friends and celebration…."tent-style"

Enjoy some of the photos and stay warm!

 and now for the inside or the TENT

Great job team and David Baldwin!

Christmas at the Chicago Botanical Gardens...

This annual event is one NOT to miss! The gardens take on a wintery wonderland, great family outing. 

The Wonderland Express is one of the Chicago area’s top holiday “must-sees,” and a family-friendly, made-for-memories experience.

In 2013, Wonderland Express dates run from the day after Thanksgiving through the holiday season (closing the evening of January 5). Bring the smartphones and video cameras, as our holiday exhibition delights children and parents, friends and families.

Be sure to check out our tree when you are there as well as the other great Christmas decor.

Josephs Events 2013

What is it??

IT'S A LIGHT SHOW!

Anticipation builds quickly at the Lake Cook Road entrance as you catch sight of the trees twinkling with white lights. More than 750,000 light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs illuminate the trees on the path to Wonderland, including the 40-foot-tall concolor fir tree on the Esplanade. (The tree arrives by helicopter.) LED bulbs are small and energy-efficient, greatly reducing energy consumption (LEDs use 70 percent less energy) while looking ultra-bright and festive.

Lighting your way through the Heritage Garden are seven Cornelian cherry dogwood trees, lit in red and white, plus a regal concolor fir at the central fountain. Glowing holiday trees in handsome wood-box containers stand at the porticoes and bonsai courtyards as you reach the Regenstein Center. (Our prized bonsai collection overwinters in climate-controlled quarters at the south end of the Garden).

IT'S A GREENHOUSE EXTRAVAGANZA!

You’ll enter the Regenstein Center through the Greenhouse Galleries, where tree forms stuffed with bromeliads vie for attention with hundreds of poinsettias. Feel free to tour the three indoor greenhouses—tropical, semitropical, and arid—all heading toward peak bloom during Wonderland Express and the winter months.

Chief among the reasons to visit the greenhouses in winter: they’re always warm (not to mention fragrant and filled with unexpected flowers)! In the Tropical Greenhouse, eight slow-growing spindle palms, wrapped with white lights, line the entrance; a giant globe of white moth orchids draws eyes and camera flashes. The Semitropical Greenhouse is theplace for poinsettias (including 4-foot globes suspended from the ceiling). Here, children like to search for the topiary animals (dragonfly! teddy bear! flamingo!) hiding among the greenery. Head into the Arid Greenhouse, too—lots of cactus species are in bloom (most for just one day) during Wonderland Express.

IT'S A RAILROAD GARDEN!

Kids are endlessly entertained by Wonderland’s 12 G-scale (garden-scale) trains, starting with the Wonderland Express in Joutras Gallery, which winds its way around a handmade gingerbread village with fantastic sugar-sculpted accessories. (Encourage the kids to look closely—what arethose roofs/doors/chimneys made of?) Also in this gallery: Christmas trees decorated by local designers and incredible cookie swags on the walls, made by our own Nancy Clifton.

As you enter the main exhibition, trains pass high and low, appealing to railroad enthusiasts of all levels: for little ones, there’s a ladybug car popping in and out of her tunnel; more experienced rail fans will recognize the only-shown-at-Wonderland Express cars and engines from our 300-to-400-strong train car collection.

And, of course, there are the plants! Gardeners will be awed by the many dwarf and mini-conifers that landscape the “city.” Interspersed with poinsettias and other small-by-nature plants, the evergreen landscape is a tour de force of weeping, creeping, mounding shapes—all punctuated by snow falling silently from above.

IT'S THE CITY OF CHICAGO...IN MINIATURE!

Adults marvel like kids at the unbelievably detailed replicas of more than 80 of Chicago’s most famous buildings and landmarks. Handcrafted by railroad garden guru Paul Busse and his crew at Applied Imagination, the buildings are all constructed of natural materials: gourds, pine cones, bark, acorns, pods, seeds, grains, grasses, and other creatively-used bits of nature. All of your favorite Chicago sights are there: Frank Gehry’s band shell and Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate (the “Bean”) from Millennium Park…the South Shore’s Cultural Center and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House…Soldier Field and the Navy Pier ferris wheel…and the spectacle of Michigan Avenue, as exciting in miniature as it is life-size. And did we mention the waterfall that feeds the “river”?

In Krehbiel Gallery, you’ll stroll the local landmarks of the North Shore, which the Chicago Botanic Garden proudly calls home: Baha’i Temple…the Kenilworth and Glencoe train stations…and the just-outside-the-door landmarks of the Garden itself.

Ready for a break? The Garden Café (and the Caboose Café, which opens December 20) and a pop-up Garden Shop are popular gathering spots for relaxing with a cup of cocoa or shopping for fun, train-related gifts.

The sights and sounds of trains…the city of Chicago in miniature…interesting and unusual dwarf conifers and poinsettias… snow falling indoors…click here to purchase tickets for Wonderland Express!

Mazel Tov Matthew

This past weekend we were part of celebrating with Matthew! Matthew Madness it was at the Ravina Green Country Club. Here are a few sneak peeks from that evening that were created by our Art Department and Creative Team. Thanks, Cobalt Photography!

Cobalt Photography
Laura Epstein - Coordinator

Happy Sinterklaas Day - December 6th

Cute treats for Sinterklaas Day.

Cut brownies into circles (or buy the brownie bites from the grocer) top with a cream cheese frosting and add a strawberry "hat" with a dot of frosting for the ball on top


Sinterklaas [sɪntər'klaːs] (or more formally Sint Nicolaas or Sint Nikolaas; Saint Nicolas in French; Sankt Nikolaus in German) is a traditional winter holiday figure still celebrated in the Low Countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as some parts of Germany, French Flanders, Lorraine and Artois. He is also well known in territories of the former Dutch Empire, including Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Indonesia, and Suriname. He is one of the sources of the holiday figure of Santa Claus in North America.[1]

He is celebrated annually on Saint Nicholas' eve (5 December) in the Netherlands and on the morning of 6 December in the other countries. Originally, the feast celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas – patron saint of children, sailors, philatelists, and the city of Amsterdam, among others. Sint Nicholas being a bishop and this geographical spread make clear that the feast in this form has a Roman Catholic background, although the papacy has never officially recognized his existence.

Rainbow Band Loom...great gift for Christmas

Holiday Theme Rainbow Loom Bracelet

Stop by to pick up your supply of Rainbow Bands.

Holiday Decorating is in FULL swing

Here are some of the places our "elves" have been. Our team takes to the streets this time of year, decorating for clients, and businesses. Need help this holiday season? Contact our store for details and availability.

Custom bows will make a great addition to your decor.