Archive for April, 2010

Late spring and summer are the most popular months of the year to get married, which isn’t surprising since they open up the opportunity for outdoor ceremonies and receptions, such as elegant flowering gardens and beach side weddings. One of the biggest challenges of a summer wedding is deciding on how to wear your hair. You want something that will be cool and comfortable, but still elegant.  It should be something that can stand up to high heat and humidity, and will stay put all day long. Here are three of our favorite summer wedding hairstyle trends:

Simple Up Do – pulling your hair up in a bun or a classic chignon is an easy way to beat the heat. There are entire books filled with pictures of wedding up dos, so you won’t have to look far for inspiration. It’s also easy to keep in place – since the hair doesn’t need to move you can use extra hairspray to combat the heat!

The Grown Up Pony – When you first hear the words “pony tail” it makes you think of grade school and going to the gym, but there are plenty of grown up and elegant ways to do a pony. Create a low pony tail to the side and decorate it with a few flowers for a simple and beautiful hair style.

Bridal Braids – Skip the pigtails and go for a loose and elegant braid that just pulls some of your hair back from your face, for a romantic feel. For more formal weddings, you can do a French braid or more elaborate hairstyle that will keep you feeling and looking cool all day.

Do you have any other ideas for beautiful summer hair? Let us know in the comments!

The last two weeks before your wedding are sure to be a flurry of activity! With all the excitement of friends and family arriving and of finally getting married, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or to forget critical details. Some things are minor and won’t ruin the magic of the day, such as forgetting the basket of flip flops for the dance floor. Other details, however, have to be taken care of.

We’ve put together our list of “must do” things in the two weeks before your wedding. If you can’t get to everything, at least remember to do the following:

Final Head Count – go over your guest list at 2 weeks out and call anyone who hasn’t RSVP’d. Get that final head count in to your reception site and then you can finalize your seating charts. This will also allow you to finalize your bill with the caterer and you can handle that as well.

Practice walking in your dress and shoes – this is a simple and often overlooked detail, but an important one. If you’re not used to large dresses or high heels, you’ll need to practice so you feel confident walking down the isle. If that’s the first time you’ve walked in your ensemble, you might end up tripping!

Pass out contact sheets – Print out a list of all vendor contact information, along with a few points of contact in your bridal party, and pass it out to all parties. If the DJ gets lost, or the caterer is missing some important information, they’ll have a handy guide on who they can call.

Pack for the honeymoon – If you do this ahead of time, you won’t have to worry about packing after the wedding or the next morning. You’ll be ready to grab your bag and jet off for a relaxing vacation!

Prep Your Day-Of Needs – Put together a small emergency kit with essentials such as mints, a small sewing kit, hair spray, pins, lipstick, stain remover, and anything else you might need. Set it with your wedding dress and all of your accessories so you’re not scrambling for things on the morning of your wedding.

Sleep – Seriously, you’ll need it! Set a deadline for yourself in the final days before your wedding – after that point, there’s no more crafting or worrying or planning. What’s done is done and it’s time for you to let it go and relax. A well rested bride is a beautiful bride!

There really is no limit to what you can or can’t do on your wedding day. Outside of the actual legal and often religious requirements, how you celebrate this momentous occasion is entirely up to you! It’s become increasingly popular for brides and grooms to look for ways to make their wedding more personalized and unique. Adding some extra flair to the bridal party’s ensemble or some décor touches that mirror your personal taste is a great way to make even the largest wedding feel intimate.

In the past, adding a monogram to wedding items, including the cake, invitations , programs and favors, was a popular way to add that personal touch to your wedding. This still holds true today, and makes for an elegant theme. However, there are a lot of other fun trends out there that we love just as much:

• Colored Shoes – It’s so fun to see a pair of red (or blue, or purple, or green) shoes peeking out from under a wedding gown. It’s even better to showcase them with a tea length dress!
• Photo Booths – These have quickly gained popularity and it’s easy to see why. Put up some fun backdrops and leave a bunch of props for your guests to have fun with. You can create a photo book of your favorites to share with everyone.
• Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses – Most bridesmaids appreciate being able to pick out a dress that suits their body type, so giving them some flexibility is nice and lets them look and feel their best. You can assign them all a color, or give them a palette to choose from when finding their dress.
• Homemade Favors – Maybe you’re a great cook, or you grow delicious fresh fruit in your garden. Why not give a little of yourself back to your guests by giving them a favor of your homemade jam or a pack of your freshly baked cookies?
• Photo Guest Books – Rather than the standard old guest book that will get lost in a closet, why not  dress it up by putting your engagement photo in a frame with extra wide matting? Let everyone sign it and you can display it proudly in your home!

What are your favorite wedding trends in 2010, and how are you going to personalize your wedding day?

Spring is in full bloom here in Greenville, and it has us thinking about warm weather and tropical locations. Some of our most favorite weddings have been destination weddings. It’s so relaxing to show up to a tropical beach and just relax and get pampered before your wedding. If you’re planning a destination wedding, it’s important to make sure you dress for the occasion.

Make sure to choose a destination wedding dress that’s light and airy so you can be comfortable on your big day. Sleeveless and strapless dresses are a great option for showing off a tan on a sunny afternoon on the beach. You also probably want to avoid very long trains (or at least have a very secure bustle) as it will drag in the sand and get dirty quickly.

Finally, most destination brides choose a dress that’s not too formal for a few reasons. The first is that by it’s very nature, a beach wedding is a more casual affair. Secondly, whatever dress you choose will have to be packed and taken with you on your trip. That’s no easy feat if your dress is a ball gown! Lighter layers will make it easy to transport and care for on your trip.

To the destination brides out there – what kind of dress did you find worked best on your special day?