5 Questions with Preston Bailey
The world-renowned event planner and author of the new book 'Celebrations' shares his latest wedding style secrets
Image courtesy of John Labbe
Preston Bailey travels the world planning and executing lavish events, the most recent of which being the October 2009 wedding of Ivanka Trump. Fresh off creating a wedding and with the release of a new book, "Preston Bailey Celebrations" (Rizzoli, 2009), the party maestro gives brides a few style pointers for their big day.
Q: How can brides adapt your "Why Not?" mentality for planning and decorating without coming off like a Bridezilla?
A: The "Why Not" mentality is what makes a wedding exciting. However, in order not to become a Bridezilla, she needs to choose what is most important to her and invest all of the design and planning in that area. At times, the "Why Not" mentality could also be costly.
Q: You're big on "dramatic statements." What's a simple, easy way to create a dramatic statement for a wedding?
A: The escort card table is a great place to create a dramatic statement - it's the first thing the guest sees, and it is the moment they are most likely to remember. A simple way is to assign a flower for each guest at the card table, just as I did for Ivanka Trump's wedding, in which each guest had a gardenia in floating water next to their names.
Q: What types of colors and flowers do you like for 2010?
A: I tend to pay a lot of attention to the fashion shows in Paris and New York; they usually work six months ahead of time, so it's great inspiration. For 2010, I noticed a lot of deep purple, which is the cover "Celebrations."
Q: Do you have any do's & don'ts for centerpieces?
A: I treat my centerpieces as dramatic statements full of layers and surprises. I love to create a piece that not only has great flowers but shows tons of intricate details. I tend to keep away from anything that looks too forced. Besides that, the sky is the limit. One can have a great deal of fun constructing centerpieces.
Q: You say "beauty is in the details." Any suggestions for keeping details top of mind when brides have so many things to plan and keep track of?
A: I think that the bride should keep in mind that the beauty of all details are what her team and staff and various folks will execute for her. She simply needs to share her vision and let us worry about all those wonderful details. Of course, if she is working alone, a trusted friend or freelance wedding organizer for the day could be a great tool.
 |
