Hello! I am the “Wedding Belle,” a practicing planner who is literally starting a business as I write this. Many of you may be students or graduates who have considered self-employment, yet perhaps have had absolutely no idea where to begin. I assure you there is no fool-proof formula detailing how to start a successful business, but if you do your homework you can create a “tool box” of tips & tricks and hopefully uncover some helpful hints as to how to go about this.

The Sheffield Course in Wedding & Event Planning provides you with the education needed to take the next steps, whatever those may be -  event planning as a hobby, volunteering for a non-profit or local community group, starting a new career or furthering your current one, planning your own private event, or taking the leap to start a business of your own. In the competitive world that we live in, knowledge certainly is power.

The Sheffield Forum is also another great resource, packed with tons of great info to get you started including interesting articles, discussions, recommended books, etc.

In addition to all of these tools, a little inside info on how one planner is facing the many challenges of trying to build a start-up could offer a different and enlightening perspective… that’s where I come in!

I will be posting regularly to Stylehound as I go through this process. Follow along and check back as I tackle different issues, obstacles, revelations, share successes and yes, failures - all in the attempt to successful establish and run a wedding planning business.

Like I said, there is no formula, and there is no manual, nor am I giving you a how-to, but what I will give you is an honest FYI as to how I am going to try to make some magic happen.

PS- By the way, it doesn’t necessarily have to be just wedding planning, but I figured I would start with what I know!

See you next week!

We are happy to announce a new feature on the Stylehound - Start Me Up! - a series of dispatches from a professional planner on the front lines of opening a wedding planning firm. To protect her most vital trade secrets, she will be posting anonymously as Wedding Belle - but don’t worry. Belle has tons of insight and information to share as she takes this bumpy journey, all with a dose of good humor and optimism.

Keep an eye out for Start Me Up!, premiering right here on Monday morning.

When a good friend asked me for advice on her October wedding color scheme a few weeks ago, the answer in my mind was obvious - her endearment of choice, honey! It struck me as the perfect shade for everything from her  golden jewelry to the flowers to the natural beeswax candles on her altar.

Rich golden hues are perfect for a Fall event, as they rule nature’s color palette for the season - the harvest moon, freshly baled hay, ripe squash and pumpkins, apple cider, maple syrup and honey, and, of course, the changing of the leaves from green to gold, red, and brown.

Its no surprise that Pantone predicted the “warm, subdued”

would be an important color for fashion and design in their prescient 2009 Fall Color Report.

Martha Stewart Weddings also paid a gorgeous homage to the “Perfect Palette” of Honey & Wheat in the Fall 2009 issue. You can check out the rest of the images in that story by clicking on the photo below.

Trendsetter Grace of Design*Sponge also warmed up to this palette in a recent “Under $100″ round-up. Click on the image to visit the original listing and find the source of all these items.

Traditional and cosy, these golden shades are never-fail options for Fall, and we cannot help but gravitate to them as the temperature cools and the sunlight fades.

That said, it’s nice to veer from the expected. Do you think you have a better idea for a perfect Fall palette? You should enter the October Design Challenge - the winner gets a fabulous decorating book, a t-shirt, and the glory of sharing their good taste in a community of taste-makers.

Though the rings at my own wedding were clutched fervently in our best man’s fist for most of the ceremony,  tradition dictates that they should have arrived on a tiny pillow, festooned with ribbon.  But what could tempt a bride to buck tradition more than a beautiful ring dish?

The talented Caroline Colom Vasquez handcrafts her iconic Ring Bearer Bowls with exquisite results, and sells them from her etsy shop.  As the artist herself says, these pieces are definitely modern, and yet still a perfect heirloom to be cherished for generations.

From top:  Silver Leaf Edge and With This Ring Ring Bearer Bowls (TM) by Paloma’s Nest

I found a handful of other talented etsy artists creating perfect little dishes that I think would work beautifully to bear the rings at any type of ceremony - the ones below were my favorites. Whether hand-crafted from sterling silver, loosely formed from clay, or imprinted with a whimsical image or message, there is surely a style to fit every taste.

Clockwise from top left: Amour Wafer Dish by raedunn; Dusty Rose Trinket Dish by dgordon; Dish with Fall Leaf by Zinnia Designs; Sterling Silver Peach of a Dish by Autumn Leaves Jewelry

One of the most appealing things about these ring dishes is that they can be used well after the ceremony. My close friend removes her rings when she goes to sleep or takes a shower - any of these would not only graciously hold her rings, but would always remind her of her special day.

Since some are customizable, I think they would also make terrific shower, wedding, or bridesmaid gifts!

Most people simply cannot imagine a wedding without flowers, but these days many brides and grooms are forgoing the flora in favor of unexpected or handmade decor elements.  One example of this trend is the growing popularity of non-floral bridal bouquets. I pointed out one great example on our twitter - the utterly delightful butterfly bouquet - and found many more worth sharing.  Some incorporate other items into a floral bouquet, while others break the mold entirely.

I love these feather bouquets (just two of an incredible selection) from Emplume - they are dramatic, soft, and so delicate:

Emplume's Bebe bouquet (l) and Fluffy White bouquet (r)

Once you get started, its hard to stop thinking of all the great things you could do…

What if you stayed natural, but different - perhaps simpler, or just simply unexpected. How about a bundle of marsh grass tied with a simple ribbon? Or an inspired bouquet made entirely of pine cones like this creation by artist Laurie Cinotto?

Pine cone bouquet by Laurie Cinotto

If you are crafty, the sky is the limit. Even natural elements like maple leaves can be transformed into delicate buds.  What about a bouquet made of felt or other fabrics? What about paper? Newspaper, origami flowers, crinkled candy wrappers from your favorite sweets…what about a bouquet made entirely of lollipops? Yum. A sweet treat for a sweet bride.

Crafter Kris has a great tutorial on making flowers from vintage lace - imagine combining those in a bouquet with real Queen Anne’s Lace and Baby’s Breath…

Handmade lace flower and Queen Anne's Lace

One inspired bride took the idea of crafting a non-floral bouquet to the limit, artfully combining vibrant blue tulle and monochromatic Christmas ornaments with spectacular results.

Don’t get me wrong, I swoon at gorgeous blooms - but the innovation and creativity of non-floral bouquet design is too interesting and too much fun to ignore.

One of the students at the Sheffield School of Interior Design found this very cool, very useful-looking organizer for design projects, in which you can keep paint chips, fabric samples, and work your way through a design project. Could be a really useful assistant to the Sheffield Complete Course in Interior Design!

Your faithful Stylehound just came across this great wedding blog, Style Me Pretty. Really crisp photos, interesting posts on all kinds of wedding designs. Check it out here:

http://www.stylemepretty.com/

…and scroll down for a post on a wedding with a bird motif—adorable and innovative.

The current post is on the party the author created for her daughter’s first birthday, with really terrific details, like the rose-petal frosting on the cupcakes. That is going to be one well-designed kid.

Continuing the theme of art and wood from the previous post, at the Uptown Art Stroll this weekend, the Stylehound came upon the work of Michelle Bernard, who makes jewelry out of ceramic and colored stone, and sometimes wire, too. The necklaces are big, strong, earthy pieces. It’s unique, eye-catching stuff that seems to have emerged directly from the natural world.

This ring reminded me of our previous post about the work of Emanuelle Duca’s rings.

Check out Michelle Bernard’s work here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6923129

And her blog, which will alert you to upcoming gallery presentations and art fair gigs:

http://www.thewanderingpebble.blogspot.com

Summertime and a designer’s thoughts turn to….green design! here on the East Coast of the U.S. the problem of global warming hasn’t seemed terribly apparent, as temps stay low, but we have to remember it isn’t simply the planet heating up we’re worried about—it’s climate CHANGE. And change isn’t always for the best.

And what can we do about it, anyway? Well, plenty. Especially designers and decorators.

There is a great new article up on Designer Monthly Magazine with a Special Report on designing green; in fact, the whole issue is dedicated to green design, and includes articles on designing green for kids, for weddings, and more.

You can see it at:

http://www.sheffield.edu/designermonthly/greendesign/livinggreen0609.html

This just in from The Sheffield School of Design’s own wedding planner, Wedding Belle: the site of Emanuela Duca has an amazing range of styles, each distinctive, interesting. Wedding Belle likes this one best, the Musica Engagement Ring:

And The Stylehound loves this funky, twisty tied up metal ring, which makes her think of twisty branches of a climbing fig or something equally exotic.

And there are more designs of rings, necklaces, you name it, at Emanuela Duca’s website at  http://www.emanueladuca.com.