breakfast with tiffany
By tiffany Nieves
Lounge de Luxe
Adding a lounge is a fun and functional way to bring people
together and encourage them to mingle
There are many wedding trends that I
have seen through my years of planning, al-
though few of them seem to stand the test of
time. One of the newest additions to wedding
WOW of late is the use of lounge furniture.
Lounge you ask…yes, Lounge de Luxe.
As a planner, one my duties is to walk our
clients through room layout and set up pos-
sibilities in the reception area. While we will
always have to make provisions for the norm,
such as tables, dance floor, the bars, along
with staging for the musical entertainment.
Lately, it seems that clients want to up the
ante on wedding style. I find that lounge fur-
niture is becoming as much a wedding staple
as bridesmaids’ dresses and boutonnière’s.
Aside from the obvious aesthetic reasons for
adding lounge, this is a fun and functional
way to bring people together and encourage
them to mingle.
The utilization of lounge creates much
more of an inviting living room feel offering
a great place for guests to kick their shoes
off and enjoy a drink while chatting, or take a
6 Enc hanted Brides ~ Fall 2009/Winter 2010
load off at the corner of the dance floor after
a great set of dancing while still enjoying the
energy of the dance floor.
Furthermore, when it comes to options
and styles, you couldn’t ask for more…there
are a barrage of options when considering
lounge for your wedding, and a multitude of
companies that offer quality rentals: every-
thing from rustic rattan pieces straight out of
Bali, to modern contemporary pieces that of-
fer a very South Beach feel, as well as comfy
deep seating modular pieces that can offer
both a contemporary or a traditional feel.
It is generally after the initial site-walk,
and while designing the décor for a client’s
wedding that we start considering the appro-
priate style of lounge that best suites each
event. At times we will utilize multiple lounge
styles in the different areas for a wedding;
sometimes a more casual island type rat-
tan feel for the cocktail hour can be used in
the right setting, while utilizing
something a bit more formal for
the reception.
The following are a few ex-
amples that we hope will get
your creative juices flowing.
For this wedding we de-
signed a nightclub feel in the
dance floor area using lounge
furniture to actually define the
space used for dancing. The
lounge was strategically placed
at the corners and along the
perimeter of this open-air dance floor un-
derneath beautiful fabric sails. In keeping
with the posh look of this wedding décor,
we chose white deep seating modular piec-
es, and accented them with pillows of pink
hues. This was both functional and added a
beautiful element of décor for this otherwise
generic area.
Recently I have seen a great trend in the
use of after-party lounge. For this we create
more of a VIP lounge setting that is an excit-
ing and unexpected transition for the guests
after the traditional wedding ceremony, cock-
tails, and dinner. The bride and groom then
save many, if not all, of the formalities for the
after party; some will choose to utilize this
area to keep the party going after the tradi-
tional wedding day rather than going to an
alternate location.
This particular couple had a grand intro-
duction into this fabulous VIP Lounge area
designed exclusively for their wedding. They
enjoyed all of the dancing and formalities in
this area and enjoyed the festivities for the
balance of the evening. At this location we
used the same white modular pieces in a
variety of configurations through out the out-
 was quite large so the lounge enabled us to ments in the room from hot pink to cool blue
fill this area with interesting décor elements for a fire and ice effect. It was most certainly
that again have a very functional use. The a hit with all the guests.
sage green sections were placed in various In the end the use of lounge is limit-
configurations around the cocktail area, al- less and bound only by your imagination.
ternating some large groupings with some So when deciding on your lounge style of
smaller more intimate groupings made for a choice, think outside the traditional wedding
great flow for the guests. For the other event box and have fun with it. You can be sure it
you can see the use of the rattan pieces that is a decor element that is both functional and
have a rustic yet still polished appeal that unexpected and sure to add to your wedding
created more of a resort feel. “WOW” factor.
A final example and great use of lounge at Happy planning….
door pool area that was used earlier in the a wedding is this transformation of a partial
evening for the ceremony. This was an amaz- Written by: Tiffany Nieves of
ing transformation into their VIP Lounge, one Dream Design Weddings
that the bride and groom along with their Photos courtesy of Martha
guests are sure to remember. Ramirez UDS Photography
Another great way to use lounge is for
the rehearsal dinner. This lovely couple had
a beach BBQ at the resort where they were
hosting their wedding. We set round tables
through out the rehearsal dinner space on
the beach then placed oversized U section
in the middle of this outdoor area directly
on the sand. This made for a beautiful focal
point and a great place for guests to sit and
enjoy the evening under the stars. ballroom for the cocktail
Creating lounge areas during your hour. This bride wanted
cocktail hour is another great way to add that a total lounge environ-
touch of WOW. I often try to use a different ment, a complete polar
opposite in appearance
and style from her re-
ception. We draped the
walls from floor to ceiling
in white chiffon, brought
in towering illuminated
fabric columns, created
elegant swag draping
on the ceiling, and used
a multitude of styles and
configurations to create
this magnificent cocktail
lounge.
The bride wanted
a way to continue the
use of this area after the
wedding reception yet
have a different ambi-
ence than the cocktail
hour that preceded the
reception. This was a
great way create a des-
style of lounge than the one we will utilize for sert lounge and an af-
the dinner reception. For one of these events ter party area. To give
we used the same modular style, but brought this the added twist we
in a different fabric cover in a complimenting changed the lighting
color. The space allocated for cocktail hour color and accent ele-

Enchanted Brides ~ Fall 2009/Winter 2010 7