Archive for March, 2010

It’s probably the single biggest decision you have to make on your wedding day. It’s the biggest cause of stress, and it’s what will set the tone for what you do or don’t do on your special day. It’s your budget. Many brides and grooms find the topic difficult if they haven’t had a serious talk about their finances in the past, and they may not be sure how to broach the subject with their parents if they need some help.

It’s inevitable that there will be some stress during wedding planning, but how you actually handle this stress is what’s key. Use your budget as a chance to practice working together and handling money for when you get married. Here are a few tips to help make budgeting for your wedding a breeze:

Start Early – After you get engaged, start envisioning what details are the most important to both of you for your wedding day. Do a little bit of research to find out how much those things typically cost, and then discuss how much you’d like to spend on your wedding. Detailing out estimated costs gives you an idea of savings goals you’ll need to set or amounts you might need to ask parents to contribute

DIY & Save – If your dream wedding goes way beyond your budget, look for ways you can Do It Yourself and save. If you really want to splurge on your gown, you might need to put together your own centerpieces or design your own invitations. Not only can it help balance your budget, but it adds an extra personal touch to your wedding.

Be Honest – Once you know how much you have to spend, it’s in your best interest to be up front with your vendors. It’s easy to get side tracked by add-ons and extras, but it’s going to hurt your bank account in the end. Let them know your budget and ask them for all of their options in your price range. They’ll help you find a solution that works for you both!

We love spring – things are starting to warm up and dry out nicely all over South Carolina, and that means it’s time for spring weddings to start. Dresses are lighter, fresher, and much more fun in the spring.  Bridesmaid dresses all pop with vibrant colors, and your flower choices are almost never-ending. All of our spring weddings are full of color, life and vitality. If you’re still searching for a spring dress for your 2011 wedding or beyond, here are some of our favorite spring bridesmaid dress trends:

One Shoulder – This dramatic look catches attention wherever it goes. If you want something different and fresh at your wedding, consider having your bridesmaids wear a one shoulder dress. It offers a little more support than strapless and will look glamorous.

Tea Length – With the increasing popularity in short dress brides, it’s no surprise that short dress bridesmaids are also in vogue. Tea length dresses are comfortable and cool in warmer weather, and they have a classic, yet less formal feel to them.

Criss Cross Necklines – This visually appealing dress style isn’t right for everyone, but if your girls can pull it off it can really look spectacular. We love these bridesmaid dresses at destination weddings and on the beach – really any wedding with a laid back vibe.

What other trends are you seeing and loving at spring weddings?

We recently came across the Dog N’ Bird blog, a wedding blog filled with really unique and creative wedding ideas. We’re always on the lookout for fun ways to help brides add a dash of personality into their wedding, so this blog is exactly what we were looking for! It’s authored by “Bird”, who is engaged and started her blog to inspire other brides!

We love her recent post, “Idea: Mismatched Bridesmaid Bouquets” – most bride-to-be’s wouldn’t give a second thought to the bridesmaid bouquets – they’re always the same, aren’t they? Well, they don’t have to be! Adding a simple twist to your wedding by having each bride carry a unique bouquet is such a fun touch to adding more personality to your wedding.

We hope you’ll take a look at the Dog N’ Bird blog, and we know you’ll gain some great ideas!

Once you choose your dress, your veil ends up being one of the most important fashion decisions you make on your wedding day. Some brides love the full look of a classic wedding veil, while others prefer to go without and instead wear a flower in their hair.

If you’re shopping for a veil, make sure it matches your dress color. It sounds obvious, but an ivory veil will stand out against a pure white dress. Also choose a veil that compliments your dress. An ornate dress looks best with a simple veil while a plain dress can be the perfect backdrop for a dramatic beaded veil.

One of the most popular ways to choose a veil is by size. Here are some of the most common sizes that we carry here at Dimitra Designs:

Birdcage veils – These short veils cover just your face, and are made either out of traditional tulle or a delicate netting.  Birdcage veils look great with short hair, vintage dresses, or for any bride that wants a fun and flirty look on her wedding day.

Shoulder length – A shorter veil is often worn with a small blusher veil that is worn over the brides face. This style is more casual and can be worn with any dress.

Fingertip Length – The name is self explanatory. This veil usually rests at the brides fingertips, and can be worn with just about any wedding dress. It is a somewhat formal veil

Cathedral  Length –the most formal of all wedding veils, these are worn with those wedding dresses that have a long train. The length of the veil generally exceeds the length of the dress train by at least 6 inches.

Whatever the size or style, choosing a veil can be a fun experience. Try them on with your dress and you’ll start to envision your wedding day coming together!

The Postcards and Pretties Blog is so visually appealing, and we of course love the posts she writes, too! The blog’s main purpose is to provide us with tons of inspiration to ensure your big day matches you and your husband-to-be’s personality. We just can’t enough of the different inspiration boards, and we certainly can’t choose our favorite – we love them all!

We hope you’ll take a look through the Postcards and Pretties blog, and we know you’ll gain such awesome inspiration to infuse into your own wedding day. After all, it’s your day, so make it as unique and quirky as you’d like. And most of all: have fun!

We just found another blog to add to our list of favorite wedding blogs! Adorned With Lace is a wedding blog written by the lovely Ashley from Bosie, Idaho. She’s getting married in just about three months, and has a fun, quirky personality that we find so charming!

Ashley posts on creative wedding ideas that won’t break your wedding budget, and tips for real brides. Sure, there’s tons of wedding blogs out there that offer great inspiration, but sometimes those pieces are just a tad too expensive for most brides. We love Ashley’s ideas and vintage style, and we’ll definitely be reading more of her posts and hope you will too!

As you get closer to your wedding day and all the pieces start to come together, you’ll need to start planning out the finer details of your bridal look, which includes your makeup. Whether you want a professional salon to do your makeup or even if you’re doing it at home on your own, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure you look like your very best self on your big day.

• Do A Makeup Trial – or several, depending on what you can manage. It’s important to have a game plan before the wedding day so that you don’t end up with makeup you hate and no time to change it. Take photos after each makeup trial and see how the makeup looks on camera, both in natural and artificial light.
• Don’t Tan – if you end over over-tanning right before the wedding, there’s not much that can be done to fix it and you’ll look unnatural in your wedding photos.
• Stay Hydrated – double up on your water intake about a month before the wedding to keep your skin clearer and glowing. If you’re well hydrated you’ll have a much better canvas for applying makeup.
• Be Yourself – If you’re not comfortable with your look, speak up! You want to look like a more glamorous version of yourself, but still be yourself. If you’re uncomfortable with dark liner, or you never wear blush, let your makeup artist know so they can find something that suits your needs

With a little preparation, your wedding day makeup will be the perfect compliment to all of your planning!

We recently had the pleasure of coming across The Westport Favor Company, a wedding favors website. Wedding favors have evolved so much over the years, especially from the days of simply gifting almonds and chocolate bars to your wedding guests! We love their easy-to-use site, making it a cinch to find your favorite favors, like these Cherry Blossom Cake Candle Favors I just can’t take my eyes off of!

Their “Wedding Favors By Price” section is a great feature, especially with weddings getting more and more expensive All of their favors are absolutely exquisite, so regardless of your budget, we know you’ll find the beautiful favors you’re searching for. Their Wedding Blog is another gem, where you can get some fun ideas on wedding color choices, cute favors, and bridal trends. We hope you’ll head on over and visit Westport Favors!