The Green Elephant, er, Curtains in the Room

Happy Monday. Hope you had a great weekend! I was busy cleaning and stocking the fridge as the BF is coming in this Friday. YAY!

My friend Anita will be getting married this summer at the luxurious Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg. Built in 1913, the castle-like hotel is a designated historic landmark and has hosted many high profile guests*. It is the perfect place to have a grand and elegant affair.

source

source

I remember how ecstatic Anita was when she booked the Provencher Room at the hotel. Unfortunately, Anita's excitement was short-lived. She would soon find out that the Provencher Room would not fit her (and her finance's, her parents' and future in-laws') guest list. Luckily, the larger Crystal Ballroom in the Fort Garry was free and so Anita took that date. Problem solved, right? Well, for the most part. You see the Crystal Ballroom has these green curtains and Anita, well, she rather they weren't there. See for yourself.

source

The green curtains themselves are not that bad. Actually I think they're quite regal and complement the elaborate chandeliers in the room. However, they certainly do not go with the 'Tiffany blue' colour scheme Anita had envisioned. So, how does a bride compete with such, um, regalness? Well, one option, is to let the green curtains, the chandeliers and the rest of room's ornateness be the focal point - which is what the event planners in the above photo did. White, plain linens adorned with tall white & blush centrepieces took a back seat in this event. I'm not going to lie. I'm not of a fan of this approach, especially for a wedding. (The bride would blend into the linens!!) So I set off to find images of the Crystal Ballroom to show Anita she could work with the green curtains and hopefully inspire her to find colours that complement them.

Here's what I found:

I really like how the brown and champagne linens work with the curtains here. Unlike the event above, it brings the focal point down from the ceiling to eye level.

Photo by Joel Ross Photography via Weddings in Winnipeg

The below wedding shows how you can indeed make the green curtains take a back seat! The abundance of red combined with the tall floral centrepieces takes the focus down to the tables.

Photo by Joel Ross Photography via WeddingBells.ca

The next two photos are from Madelaine's Weddings and Events. Madelaine, a talented Winnipeg-based wedding planner, assisted her clients with choosing ivory pintuck linens (I just learned that those criss-cross seams are called pintucks), ocean blue chair sashes and napkins. Who would have thought the ocean blue would go with the green curtains? I love the use of the different sized pillar candles on each table. How cute are the monogrammed chair sashes?

Photos by William Au

The next few photos are from, I believe (Anita - let me know if I'm wrong), another room in the Fort Garry Hotel, the Concert Ballroom, which also houses the green curtains. Anita will be having a traditional Jewish ceremony which means there will be a 'chuppah' (canopy) present like the one in the below photo. I like this simple white chuppah, each of its four posts adorned by orange and green flowers.

The orange and green flowers are used again in the reception decor, accompanied by brown pintuck linens, matching chair covers and tea lights. Beautiful no?

Photos by Joel Ross Photography via Weddings in Winnipeg

And let's not forget the importance of lighting. The use of LED lighting at the head table in this wedding definitely takes away from the green curtains.

Photo by Jeremy Hiebert via Weddings in Winnipeg

I definitely think Anita should play around with lighting, perhaps using LED lighting, coloured lighting, and/or candles. Also, I think tall centrepieces will help take the focus away from the green curtains. What do you think? Any advice for Anita? What accent colour(s) can you envision working with the green curtains?

* Apparently, the 2nd floor of the Fort Garry is haunted. Interesting, Anita has yet to tell me this. ;)