“You have to color outside of the lines once in a while if you want to make your life a masterpiece.”- Albert Einstein Remember getting a new box of crayons at the beginning the school year? You couldn’t wait to open it, with its musty, waxy smell and perfectly formed, pointy rows of crayons with endless color possibilities. While we all have our favorite hues, every color in the box is meant to be used. That’s the idea behind our cover feature this issue. While there’s no doubt it’s important to know what’s trending and stay in-the-know, sometimes it’s through experimenting with color and scribbling outside of the lines that we can create a masterpiece.For this year’s color trends feature, we talked with four top wedding planning professionals about their color predictions, creative ways to use color, and why they feel color is important. We also cover the latest lighting trends and include tips and ideas for how to incorporate them into your next event. Other ways to think outside of the box? Tonya Shadoan, MBC™, brings you three ideas for designing weddings on a dime and Mark Kingsdorf, MBC™, discusses transforming the wedding day into a wedding weekend.There’s no denying that all of these great ideas also brings more work to your desk. How can you institute these great ideas and maintain your sanity? Consider hiring help. Renée Grannis, MBC™, the Association of Bridal Consultants director of ethics and compliance, shares tips on human resource basics so you can learn the best ways to expand your business.You can learn more out-of-the-box ideas by attending the annual ABC Business of Brides Conference to be held in Orange County, Calif., Nov. 8 - 10. Register now for the best pricing, or visit www.BridalAssn.com for more information!