Archive for February, 2009

Finding A Wedding Dress

Feb

Finding the One – Dress, That Is

While flipping through the latest bridal magazine, you’ll come across dozens of wedding gown photos. Those models are so beautiful, and they all look perfect, regardless of the style of dress they’re wearing. But who of us has a model-perfect body? Practically no one. Each of us “everyday” women have certain areas we like to show off – maybe lovely legs, or toned upper arms and back, and those “problem” areas we need to play down – perhaps a too-small bust, or some extra rolls and bulges.

The following tips will help you choose a gown that will look perfect on you.

For a Large Bust
Avoid an empire waist or strapless gown. Instead go for a halter style, open scoop neck, or a high-cut v-neck to give you the right amount of support.

For a Small Bust
Avoid halter or strapless styles. They will only draw attention to your small size. Instead choose bodices with draping, ruching and other details will make you appear more voluminous.

For a Petite Figure
Avoid the bulk of a ball gown or a mermaid silhouette, which are too overpowering for a smaller body type. Also, keep detailing small and subtle. Large decorations are overwhelming. Instead try an empire waist, A-line, or sheath gown to delicately add length.

For a Tall, Narrow Figure
A sheath, mermaid or trumpet style is for you, as they add gentle curves. Soft detailing on the bodice or sleeves gives the illusion of width. You’ll want a waistline that is at or close to your own natural waistline. Those that are especially high (empire) or low (drop) waists add additional height.

For Wide Hips
The fullness of a ball gown helps to accentuate your waist while hiding hips, as will an A-line gown. Also try gowns with lovely detailing on the bodice or an off-the-shoulder neckline that will draw attention to the upper half of your body, as will a square or bateau neckline. Be careful with trumpet or sheath style gowns, as they may make you look out of proportion.

For a Full Waist
Avoid dresses that are fitted at your natural waistline. Instead, try a drop waist or an A-line dress to add curves. Also look for detailing around the neckline which will draw the eye to the upper part of your body.

For an Hourglass Figure
This figure has a natural balance – show it off! Choosing the right neckline and waistline are key. Open necklines like an off-the-shoulder are flattering. Accentuate your waist with a fitted waistline. Stay away from high waistlines or necklines. A trumpet skirt or ball gown enhances the hourglass shape.

For a Bit of a Tummy
Basque waists or waistlines with soft draping helps hide a protruding tummy. An A-line gown also beautifully hides this trouble spot while still showing some curves. Avoid a bias cut gown, as these will cling to every curve and bump.

About The Author:

Jean Neuhart, Professional Bridal Consultant, “For A Day Your Heart Will Never Forget . . . Choose Weddings From The Heart“

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Personalize Your Wedding

Feb

Easy Ways to Personalize Your Wedding

Injecting your big day with a little creativity to personalize your wedding can be one of the most rewarding activities you undertake throughout the planning stages. Start by elaborating on your mutual interests or focus on the things that brought you together. If you met in a coffee shop, serve up some home-brewed, gourmet coffee during the reception or as unique wedding favors. If you were engaged while on a skiing trip in Colorado, decorate your reception tables with snowflake-themed elements. Though you have a lot of choices to make in the coming months, making your wedding day your own should be a special collaboration between you and your new partner.

Customizing your wedding day will always link your special day with you and your soon-to-be in your guests’ minds. Though there are many things that happen behind the scenes, many of your choices will be dictated by your theme, color selection, and wedding date or place. Engaging your guests on your wedding day with relevant activities, dress code requests, menu selections, and unique wedding favors ensures that your families and friends will be talking about your wedding for years to come!

Select Customized, Unique Wedding Favors. The wedding favors you select are important because it’s the memento your guests take home. Choosing a favor with utility in mind guarantees your guests will use the favor long after your wedding day. Coasters, candles, wine bottle stoppers, luggage tags, and personality boxes are all popular with the savvy bride who mixes and matches unique wedding favors to suit her guests’ needs and interests.

Your own unique wedding favors can all be decorated with your colors or themes, tying your day together flawlessly. The decision to personalize wedding favors is always a big hit with crowds, with items that include photo albums, sticky notes and notepads. Personalize your wedding using favors such as tasteful crystal flutes, ribbons, luxurious fabrics, and boxes.

Choose a Theme Based on Your Interests. A theme is an excellent way to personalize your wedding and a fun way for guests to participate. Though they range from the eccentric – fantasy and sci-fi – to the elegant – seasonal and destination, a theme, complete with food, decorations, colors, and unique wedding favors, makes your wedding day a cohesive event that guests will long remember.

Say you and your new partner are big fans of bungee jumping; personalize your wedding by taking it to an extreme level – do a jump just after your first kiss as husband and wife. Or, for a more traditional touch, wear your grandmother’s lovely silk wedding dress from the ’40s and throw a big, vintage wedding bash complete with a live swing band.

A destination event is another idea that brides are using to personalize the wedding day. It’s more like a vacation within a wedding, which gives your guests an opportunity to get away, see a new place, and attend your big day. Many couples decide to exchange vows in tropical climates, though this is by no means a requisite. Though destination weddings are a bit pricier than their traditional counterparts, it’s an exciting adventure for both you and your guests. If you’re short on money, turn your ceremony and reception into an homage to a destination or locale you both love. Serve inventive cocktails, unique wedding favors, and require everyone to show up in Hawaiian attire.

Use Colors, Flowers, and Food to Great Effect. Personalize your wedding by designing the menu with both of your favorites in mind, treating guests to a smorgasbord of decadent appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts. For the main, anticipated dessert, some brides have elected to personalize the wedding cake by serving flavorful cupcakes with the couples’ new monogram. You can also decorate the cake with unusual wedding toppers, bake with new flavors, or add colorful, vibrant frosting options.

If you are throwing a beach-themed wedding, for instance, your colors will consist of rich caramels, honeys, blues, and baby yellows. You can use these hues on the decorations at both your wedding and reception – drape chairs with silky honey fabric, place unique wedding favors in the shape of seashells strategically by the plate settings, and top your reception tables with sky blue table covers.

The colors you use to personalize your wedding will underscore your theme if used effectively, and flowers, too, can be useful if placed appropriately and will continue to echo your theme throughout the night. Though the most popular flower choices remain calla lilies, gardenias, and hydrangeas, all of which you can order to match your colors and theme, many other flowers, such as roses, birds of paradise, tulips, and hibiscus, will capture the romance and style of your wedding day as well.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get Creative. Remember that, after all, it is your day. This is your time to plan an event your guests will never forget and a prime opportunity to let your personality and interests shine through. Use your creativity to select unique wedding favors, rich, vibrant colors, and exotic decorations. Don’t be afraid to personalize your wedding by mixing the old traditions of the bride and groom’s families with your new ideas. Though the day may be hectic for you, with your own blend of personalization and sophistication, it will be a day that you and your soon-to-be will never forget.

About the Author

Cherie Johnson is the founder and owner of Creative Bride, a one-stop shop for a large selection of baby and bridal shower, graduation, quinceañera, anniversary, and wedding favors. Since starting the company in 2006, Cherie has helped countless couples and families make their big events a success. Prior to Creative Bride, she worked as a professional wedding photographer, capturing the most special moments of the bride and groom’s big day. To find favors and gifts for your upcoming event, please visit www.Creative-Bride.com

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A Valentines Day to Remember

Feb

This year Valentines Day falls on a Saturday and as luck would have it, Saturday is also the most popular day for weddings. For those brides and grooms who want to have a truly momentous day to cherish as their anniversary, Valentines 2009 is the perfect day to say, “I DO”. For colors, incorporate various shades of reds, pinks, and white. Roses are the most popular flower associated with Valentines Day, but will be significantly more expensive, opt for tulips, orchids, and carnations instead. For your bridal party has your bridesmaids wear red and the groomsmen in winter white tuxes with red ties and boutonnières. For your grand walk down the aisle, use a beautiful white monogrammed aisle runner lined with red rose petals and candles. For the reception, go with white floor length table linen, red overlays, and white chair covers with a red sash. As a centerpiece, incorporate various shades of pink, white and red flowers and again use lots of candles to give it that romantic touch and feel. A beautiful white cake accented with red flowers and a signature red or pink martini is something your guests will be sure to enjoy. One of the most important details that shouldn’t be overlooked is your candy or dessert bar! How can you have a Valentine’s Day wedding without allowing your guests to indulge themselves with various pink, white, and red desserts that will be sure to keep their attention? With all the love and whimsical romance associated with Valentines Day not only will you enjoy your wedding day, but your guests will too.

About the author: Tiffany Graham is the owner of Elegant Events by Tiffany, LLC a wedding and event planning company located in the Washington DC metro area. Established in 2007, Elegant Events by Tiffany has grown to be one of the finest and sought after wedding and event planning companies in the Washington DC area.

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7 Ways to Be Green with Your Wedding Invitations

Feb

In today’s society, green can mean so much more than just the color of your wedding invitations. ‘Going green’ is a very popular topic these days even when it comes to wedding planning and can start with your invites. There are a number of easy ways to be more environmentally conscience with your invitations some of which may even save you a little money.

The biggest way is having your invitations printed on recycled paper stock. Designs on recycled papers have come a long way in giving you some gorgeous choices.

Another way to ‘think green’ with your wedding invitations is to simply reduce the amount of paper used for your invitation ensemble. Suggested ways to save on paper include:

* Select an invitation style that comes with only one envelope for mailing thus eliminating the familiar inner envelope. An example of this style is a self-mailer invitation where the envelopment wraps around all of your pieces and seals up to become the actual mailing envelope. Another benefit of having only one envelope is that you will save on your handwriting time. This style may require extra postage depending on its overall size.

* Use a response postcard to eliminate the need for a return mailing envelope and to save on postage.

* Opt for a seal and send wedding invitation which gets mailed without a separate envelope. This economical all-in-one design folds up and seals into its own self-mailing piece. This style also has a response postcard attached for easy removal and mailing back by your guests.

* Choose a smaller sized single-panel invitation card instead of a larger folded or layered style.
Include your reception information on your invitation to avoid including a separate reception card (having less weight in the envelope may even save you from affixing extra postage). If space allows, your dinner and reception details can be added on as extra lines aligned with the rest of your verse printing, or some invitation styles allow the option of a corner copy – 3-4 lines that appear in the bottom left or right corner usually in a smaller sized font. There may be a small extra charge for corner copy which is not recommended for narrow or tea length styles.

* Set up a personal wedding website to give your guests easy access to online maps, directions, area hotels, gift registry information, etc., instead of printing extra invitation insert pieces.

Today it is easier than ever to make earth-friendly choices when selecting your wedding invitations without sacrificing quality and style. Every little bit helps when it comes to saving our planet and some of your choices might even save you some ‘green’ (money) in the process.

About The Author: Sara Haese is the owner of www.PrintedCreationsWeddingStore.com where you’ll find a great online selection of modern wedding invitations and save the dates. Visitors can also sign up to receive her FREE Wedding Invitation Guide.

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Planning An Eco-friendly Wedding

Feb

Living in a new environmentally conscious age, we try to incorporate being “green” in every part of our life. You can make eco-friendly choices while planning your wedding, too. Now if you have not currently pursued green alternatives, the idea of introducing “green” elements on your special day might be scary. Fear not for going green is not only easy but it is elegant and affordable. When creating a “green” wedding you want to keep a certain principle in mind, how to create an elegant affair with the least amount of impact to the environment. This principle can help direct your every step as you plan a great, elegant and eco-friendly event. There are several areas in which you can incorporate environmentally friendly elements.

Wedding Dress

One of the most important parts of your wedding is your wedding dress, you can go “green” in this area. There are many options that will allow you to combine eco-friendly choices with your wedding dress style to choose a beautiful dress with minimal impact on the environment.

Choosing an eco-friendly wedding dress consist of finding a dress that is made from natural and organic fibers that are not animal byproducts. Dress that has been made using eco-friendly options, such as eco-friendly dyes. A dress that uses recycled fabrics will qualify as an eco-friendly dress. Or simply your dress can be reused. Sustainable, recycled and reused are characteristics to look for when shopping for a “green” wedding dress.

An eco-friendly wedding dress should be made of sustainable materials. There are many choices for wedding dress fabrics which include cotton, peace silk, hemp, bamboo, lyocell, soy and milk. Various styles can be found on the Internet and various wedding publications.

Designers like Adele Wechsler and Jessica Iverson with her Terra Amore line have combined couture with eco-friendly materials. Jessica Iverson’s line consist of earth friendly silk fabrics. They are vegan friendly and uses eco-friendly dyes. 100% sweatshop free. The company also plants a tree for every purchase made.

You can also make an eco-friendly decision to purchase a gently used gown instead of buying a new one. You can visit local consignment stores and organizations, vintage boutiques that can also be found online. Choosing to wear your mother’s or grandmother’s gown is another eco-friendly decision.

Invitations

There are many options for eco-friendly invitations. You can consider 100% recycled paper, partially recycled paper, or completely tree free paper for your wedding invitations and other stationery.

Earthly Affair is company who grew out of the lack of environmentally friendly invitations that were also stylish. This company is “green” not only in the finished product, but also in their production methods, shipping methods and other recycling efforts. They offer two options for their invitations. One is a 100% pcw, which means it uses no new trees and averts waste from landfills. The second is a cotton paper, FSC certified for responsible forest management and consists of partially recycled content.

Sweet Invitations offers an elegant line of handmade papers, made entirely from tree-free and recycled materials. These handmade papers are made from discarded cotton cloth. Visit their site for additional recycling fun facts. Primarily they are a handmade paper supplier, however, they will provide printed invitations at an additional cost.

Bella Figura has an exquisite line of invitations. They use environmental papers, either tree-free or a high recycled content and soy inks. 100% cotton paper made from reclaimed fibers is used for their invitations and envelope liners are made from 30% recycled paper.They also support various environmental causes, they donate 1% of sales to environmental organizations.

Botanical Paperworks creates plantable paper (called Garden Greetings™) is “tree-free”, so that no trees were cut down to make this plantable paper. The base fiber is cotton or 100% post-consumer waste. And the paper is made with pure North American wildflower seeds by skilled papermakers. Not only will you send of a wonderful eco-friendly invitation but, you’re giving the your guests a lasting memento of the event. As the flowers bloom in their garden, they’ll remember you and the special day of which they were a part.

Your wedding announcement or invitation can set the tone for your environmentally friendly wedding. There are many options for you and you do not have to compromise on style. Be inspired to create an elegant affair while minimizing your impact on the environment.

Jewelry

Did you know that your jewelry can be eco-friendly too. According to NoDirtyGold.org the production of one gold ring produces 20 tons of mine waste. That can’t be very good. The waste can contaminate drinking water, destroy traditional livelihoods, and displaces indigenous communities. Diamond jewelry can come from conflict plagued areas, where war and smuggling surround the diamond trade.

To buy eco-friendly jewelry look for websites and retailers that specify an eco-friendly process for their jewelry. They should have a mission to provide ecologically and socially responsible jewelry alternatives. GreenKarat.com is committed to offering alternatives by using recycled precious metals in jewelry.

CredJewelry.com aims to source all its precious metals and gem stones from small-scale artisan mining communities that have a concern for the biodiversity of their local region. They have a policy in place to help ensure that they have eco-friendly jewelry. In order to achieve this we aim to fulfil the following criteria with our primary source partners.

Sumiche Jewelry Company offers both recycled and sustainably mined, fair trade gold and platinum, recycled silver, conflict free diamonds and certified Goose diamonds and fair trade gems.

If you are looking for something unique as well as eco-friendly take a look at touchwoodrings.com. Wood Rings are a socially just and environmentally sustainable alternative to precious metals and gemstones. David’s wooden rings are meticulously hand crafted, durable, warm to the touch & light to wear. Even in their use of wood they consider their environment by using birch bark which is discarded after the tree has been used for paper production and bamboo which matures in 6 to 7 years.

Remember the policy in eco-friendly living is Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. Keep the three “r’s” in mind when planning your big event.

Be inspired to protect our environment!!!!!!!!

About the Author: Kattia Gordon is the owner of Aleximani Events an event planning service. She host a blog called Inspired! Wedding Tips and Ideas aiming to inform brides of current trends that will make their event special. She also strives to let brides be inspired by what’s around them when they planinspire brides to plan beautiful events.

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