Are you planning on having a beach wedding? Outdoor weddings can be so beautiful, refreshing, and romantic, but they’re not necessarily ideal for all styles of dresses. It’s best to consider buying a wedding dress that will fit in with the relaxed décor of the great outdoors. An article on Refinery 29 counts down some of the best wedding dress styles to wear if you’re tying the knot on the beach.
First they suggest a breezy silk chiffon dress. The airy feel of the dress featured below, plus its multiple soft swaying layers gives this dress a romantic, almost bohemian beach vibe. The deep-cut V-neckline adds the perfect sexy touch. This dress will look great as the breeze from the ocean lightly sweeps through the layers as you’re walking down the aisle.
Celestine, available at Carol Hannah. Featured on Refinery 29
The next dress features head to toe lace with an elegant form-fitting silhouette and a small train. The thin, barely-there spaghetti straps make the gown even more feminine.
Princeville Gown, available at Katie May. Featured on Refinery 29
Now it’s time to get a little more dramatic with this strapless white lace dress featuring a beautiful nude-colored lining underneath. The hint of beige will fit in great with the sandy surrounding.
Nyra Gow, available at Watters. Featured on Refinery 29
Lastly, we’ve got an off-the-shoulder white gown with a beautiful flowing skirt that will make the best waves on the dance floor. This floor length dress features a fitted bodice that flows into a luxurious flare skirt. The off-the-shoulder sleeves add an extra romantic touch that will set this dress apart from any other!
Constance Dress, available at Reformation. Featured on Refinery 29
Once you’ve found your perfect beach wedding dress, add a floral headband around your luscious locks, slip on your dancing shoes, and dance the night away with the calming sounds of the ocean in the background.
Are you planning on having a fall wedding? Whether these are last minute additions you’d love for your wedding this fall, or something you can keep in the back of your mind for next fall, check out these awesome ideas from The Knot!
1. Rustic invitations
Are you planning to have a rustic themed wedding? Or are you stumped at what kind of wedding invitations to send? Stop looking at the many different shades of white and off-white, and start thinking about something that looks like the invitation in this photo. What a gorgeous invite! It’ll have your guests smile as they open it. The first look your guests have into your wedding is most likely the invitation you send out. So bring them into one of your most special days with a cozy looking invite!
2. Jewel-toned dresses
Show your bridesmaids some love by having them wear jewel-toned dresses! They can all wear one shade, like ruby red, or they can all wear different jewel-toned dresses! Other great colors to consider are dark purple, deep green, and dark blue.
3. Fall decor
So what exactly does fall decor entail? You can use pine cones as place card holders for seats. They can be part of a centerpiece with candles, acorns and flowers. You can even put mini pine cones in your bouquet of flowers! But don’t just limit yourself to pine cones. When you think of fall, don’t you just think of crunchy orange, yellow, and red leaves? Whether they’re real or not, you can use leaves as part of a centerpiece. They can also be a wonderful rose petal replacement down your aisle! (You may want to use fake leaves here, because real ones will definitely be crunchy!) If you have an outdoor wedding, or a rustic indoor wedding, you can put out haystacks, firewood, barrels, and baskets.
4. Fall Food
Play up the menu with food to go along with the fall season! Not all the food options have to be fall-related food, but you can throw in a bit of fall-inspired items here and there. You can start off with a pumpkin soup, there could be grilled zucchini slices in part of a main entree, you could serve butternut squash ravioli, and there could be fresh cinnamon apple pie! Mmm, doesn’t that sound delicious?
5. Chilly weather prep
Outdoor weddings are so much fun! They’re great for spring and summer, but a tiny bit trickier during fall and winter. But don’t fret! You can definitely still have your dream outdoor wedding in the fall! Embrace the crisp, cool air! You can set up a cute area with warm wraps for your guests in case they get cold! You can also set up various heat lamps throughout your outdoor seating and standing areas. If it’s possible, you can set up mini fire pits too! (Then, your guests can roast marshmallows and make s’mores!) You can also have a hot chocolate station, which will be a hit with the kids!
Fall is a great time to be in love and to share that love with your family and friends. Show off your fall wedding ideas on our StyleChat mobile app! Use the hashtag #StyleChatMobile to connect with us on social media! We’d love to see your fall wedding ideas!
From planning your wedding to the big day itself, you’ve had a lot of help along the way. I’m sure you counted on your bridesmaids to be like your bread and butter to make sure your special day goes swimmingly. So how could you ever thank them enough? Why, with a gift of course!
For the lovely ladies who were there for you from the very start, here are a few ideas to help you through your brainstorming process to figure out the perfect gift(s) for your gal pals.
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1. To start, you’ve got to ask a few ladies to be your bridesmaids! What better way to do so than with a sweet, yet thoughtful card? You can personalize the message for each girl.
Available on zazzle.com
2. Just like your hubby-to-be proposed to you, you can propose to your bridesmaids! Take this cute “forget me knot” ring and ask your go-to girls if they’d help you tie the knot. You need all your loved ones on such a special day!
Now, that takes care of getting your bridesmaids on board. The following gifts can be given to your right-hand ladies either at the same time as the proposal card and ring, or the night before your wedding.
“Forget me Knot “ring via jeweliq.com
3. Invite your bridesmaids to celebrate your last night of being single with these gold leaf cocktail glasses. You can pop champagne and your girls can take these pretty glasses home with them as a little trinket from the night.
4. Make sure your bridesmaids are comfy during the night of your bachelorette party and while you all get ready on your wedding day. This silk kimono wrap will bring out your bridesmaids’ feminine sides in no time.
Silk Kimono wrap from Victoria’s Secret
5. Keep the comfort comin’! OK, so even the best of us ladies get super tired wearing heels at some point in the day. So if your bridesmaids feel like kickin’ off those heels and slipping on something a little closer to the ground, get them a pair of flats.
The best part about these flats is that they’re flexible enough to be stored in a bag during the wedding. There are also different color options so you can choose ones to match your bridesmaids’ dresses! (You can even buy yourself a pair to stash for the wedding!)
Comfy flats from tieks.com
6.“EMERGENCY!” That’s the worst thing to hear, especially on your wedding day. So save your bridesmaids from panicking with a Minimergency Kit made specifically for them.
They’ll be able to keep the small pouch with them to access the essentials. The kit includes hair spray, double-sided tape, bobby pins, a small sewing set, and more! (Don’t worry, there’s one just for brides, too!)
Minimergency kit oh BHLDN.com
7. Monogrammed items are so big right now! Get your bridesmaids a trendy little monogrammed keychain. It’s a personalized gift, and it can double as a necklace if you swap the key ring out for a long chain.
Monogram Keychains via threehipchicks.com
8. But what’s a keychain good for if your bridesmaids can’t put it on anything right away? Get them a personalized tote bag!
You can also monogram this with your gal pals’ initials, their first name, or just “bridesmaid.” And all the gifts you saw above? You can give them to your girls in this tote bag. They can use it the night before the wedding and the day of the wedding to store their essentials.
Personalized Totes via exclusivelyweddings.com
9. Last but not least, is a thank you card. You can give this to your girls on the day of your wedding or after it’s over. It’s always nice to show appreciation to those who’ve helped you the most.
Weddings are events full of love, happiness, and fun. So what better place to bring loved ones together and have the single ones mingle than at your wedding? Set up some amazing ways to get your guests smiling throughout the ceremony and the reception.
Photo courtesy of delwareweddings.com
1. Who doesn’t love disposable cameras? It’s probably been a while since you’ve used one, but you should bring them back for this special occasion. You can start the photo-snapping fun at the ceremony. Stash a few disposable cameras in each row of seats. You can stick one at each end of the rows, so there’s a camera at the seat closest to the aisle and one at the seat closest to the other end of that row. You can even stick one in the middle of the row so there’s a total of three cameras in each row.
This will ensure that you don’t miss a thing! Your guests can snap photos as soon as they arrive and take their seats while you’re still getting ready to strut your stuff. You can also have disposable cameras as part of the centerpiece at each of the tables during your reception.
You’ll most likely end up with photos of the food, snapshots of your smiling guests, funny moments you missed from your seat, or just fun group shots and selfies.
Photo courtesy of andygaines.com
2. While we’re on the photo note, who can resist a photo booth? There will definitely be a line of people waiting to get photos taken. You can rent a photo booth, or create a DIY one. A DIY photo booth may require a photographer to help. He or she can use a Polaroid camera so guests can see their photos instantly!
A DIY photo booth isn’t too difficult, all you really need is a sheet as a background if there isn’t already a desirable one, and props. You can use props like a top hat, feather boas, 3D movie glasses with the lenses popped out, a mustache on a stick, and the list continues. Use your imagination and have fun with it. You know your guests will enjoy it!
Photo Courtesy of weddingbee.com
3. It’s one thing to have hard copies of photos, but it’s another to have digital copies. So how can you ever keep track of your guests’ wedding photos posted online? You know you want to see the photos everyone took. You can create a personalized hashtag for your guests to use when posting to social media sites.
You know half of your relatives will be checking into Facebook, that one guy will be live tweeting from the beginning of the ceremony to the end of the reception, and everyone else will be posting food photos and selfies on Instagram. So why not keep all of these pictures in a virtual album of some sort? Have little signs out prompting your guests to use a particular hashtag. This will allow you and yours to search for the hashtag after the wedding is over and see the wedding through your guests’ eyes.
Your guests can also take advantage of the hashtag by checking out what other guests post. So what kind of hashtag should you create? Make sure it’s something unique so that only photos from the wedding are seen when the hashtag is searched.
For example, if you use “#wedding,” you’ll see SO many photos! It’ll be almost impossible to find ones from your own wedding. Make the hashtag something personal like “SmithWedding2014,” “BradAndJen2014,” “SeanAndKateUnion,” “AnneAndJoeGetMarried,” or “MrAndMrsCoxWedding.” Whatever you choose, make sure you do your research! It’d be a shame if someone else used your hashtag already and it was too late to change it. The hashtag is the perfect way to keep track of all photos, statuses, and tweets about your wedding.
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4. Get your guests to be interactive! Serve your drinks on these coasters where guests can put in their two cents. No, not literally. Your guests can give you and yours a bit of advice. Wonder what mom and dad will say! Also, kids say the darnedest things!
5. Under each wedding guest’s plate, insert one of these notes. It’ll give your guests something to do while they wait for the food. Keep a basket at the center of each table where they can leave the notes (and the coasters, too!) before they take off for the night. It’s a personalized way to connect with your guests, even if you didn’t get to say hello to each one of them during the reception.
Photo Courtesy of theknot.com
6. Will there be children at your wedding? Keep them entertained with a small craft table. Kids can color, keep themselves busy with small crafts, and play with toys. We can’t have those little ones be bored, can we?
It’ll also give parents a chance to hit the dance floor while their little ones can color a pretty picture for the newlywed couple. If your wedding is outdoors, you can add bubbles and chalk to the table. Although the addition may attract wedding guests who aren’t children!
7. A lounge area for your reception would be great for guests to take a load off their feet. This works both indoors and outdoors. A small area with comfy chairs and cushions would be perfect.
You can decorate the space with flowers, candles, potpourri, and anything else that’ll create an inviting atmosphere. It’ll give your guests a chance to take a seat away from the dinner table and have a conversation with someone new.
Photo Courtesy of theknot.com
8. You can have a piñata at your wedding! No, not one you break open. This piñata is for the bride and the groom. The guests can fill it up with loving notes!
You can share a memory, wish them well, or anything else! Fill up the piñata with loving words that will make the couple smile and laugh. They won’t break it open until their first wedding anniversary.
With so many great features to incorporate into your wedding, your guests will surely have a blast! Have another tip? Share with us in the comments.
Do you plan on wearing a veil on your wedding day? I’ve spoken to many brides-to-be who have told me different things when it comes to a wearing veil with their wedding dress. Some say it’s a tradition in their family. Others say they don’t see a point in wearing one, or they wouldn’t want to because it would cover an intricate design on the back of their dress. So what’s the point of a veil anyway? And is there really a tradition of wearing one?
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There are many traditions of wearing a veil. Research shows a veil means something different based on cultures and beliefs. According to howstuffworks.com, a bride wears a veil to be hidden from evil spirits because she’s vulnerable. Maybe it’s called a veil because it conceals a face. Roman brides wore flame-colored veils to scare off spirits. A veil can also symbolize “humility and respect before God during a religious ceremony.” The Victorians saw the veil as a status symbol, where the weight, length, and quality of the veil truly mattered.
According to veilubridal.com, some say the origin of the veil comes from arranged marriages. To keep the groom from backing out of the agreement, the veil would be lifted after the ceremony. Some say the veil was worn to symbolize a bride’s submission. In medieval times, a veil would be used to protect the bride from “the evil eye,” and it symbolized “purity, chastity, and modesty.”
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In movies, we see brides and grooms say goodbye before their bachelor and bachelorette parties, because they normally wouldn’t see each other until the wedding day. I can picture a scene in a movie where a groom tries to see his bride in her dressing room only hours before the wedding starts, but her bridesmaids are all shooing him out because “it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding ceremony.” Sound vaguely familiar? Well, that tradition could also be another reason to wear a veil, according to timesdispatch.com.
Enough about the history. You know how a veil works, right? According to The Knot, it’s traditional to wear a blusher-style veil when you walk down the aisle. What’s that? It’s one of those short veils that covers your face. It can be lifted by your father (or whoever walks you down the aisle) before they leave your side, or either your maid of honor before the final vows or your groom after the final vows. If you don’t want to wear a veil over your face, you can always wear it away from your face.
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So what kinds of veils are there? According to timesdispatch.com, like the blusher, a flyaway is another short veil which falls at the shoulders. A sweep veil, in contrast, falls to the floor. Chapel veils and cathedral veils trail behind the bride about 9-12 feet. A fingertip veil hits the bride’s waist. Now, with all that in mind, “many wedding attire consultants suggest choosing the gown prior to the headpiece and veil.” It may be easier to find a veil to go with your dress rather than the other way around.
Still not sure whether or not you should go with a veil on your wedding day? If it doesn’t mean something symbolic to you, consider other reasons to wear one. Does it frame your face well? Is it a great final touch to your wedding dress? Will it work with an outdoor wedding if it’s windy? Will it ruin your hairstyle? Is it detachable for easy access if you want to hit the dance floor right away? Will you have one that’s a good length so you won’t trip on it? Do you feel comfortable in it? At the end of the day, it’s YOUR wedding, so you should do what YOU want! Here are a few examples of different veils. Don’t forget to do your veil research!
The majority of us probably first heard of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (otherwise known as the Olsen Twins) as the twin actresses who co-acted the role of Michelle Tanner in the TV series, Full House.
The twins soon became well-known fashion designers with their brand, The Row. Now, Who What Wear’s managing editor, Meghan Blalock, reports on how the twins have designed a wedding dress!
Photo courtesy of Vogue and Photographer Heather Kincaid
Molly Fishkin, stylist and childhood friend of the twins, was the lucky bride who got to wear the lace gown at her wedding this past June. You’ve got a stylist for a bride and a designer duo working on the dress, so you know it’s going to look gorgeous.
Fishkin married producer and director Asher Levin at the Paramour Mansion in Los Angeles. Photographer Heather Kincaid did a photo shoot of the wedding for Vogue.
Fishkin’s gown is covered in lace from top to bottom. The dress has a small, but elegant train.
The lace sleeves on the dress have a gorgeous flowy look when the bride’s arms are down by her side. Lace sleeves on a wedding dresses are more popularly seen as form-fitting rather than flowy, but there’s something about this style of sleeve that makes it work well with the dress. It kind of screams Mary-Kate and Ashley.
As if the dress didn’t have enough lace, Fishkin’s long veil topped it all off.
Photo courtesy of Vogue and Photographer Heather KincaidPhoto courtesy of Vogue and Photographer Heather Kincaid
Covered in lace from head to toe, she must’ve been a sight to see walking down the aisle.
Now, don’t we all wish we had childhood friends who could make our wedding dresses for us?
I wonder if Mary-Kate and Ashley will be making wedding dresses in the future. Based on what I see here, I’m sure the duo would do well.
I mean, look at Fishkin’s dress! It’s gorgeous! The Olsen twins have been successful all their lives, and I can see that trend continue if they entered into the wedding industry.
Disney’s “Frozen” seems to be one of those movies that follows me everywhere I go. Kids sang songs from the movie as I walked down grocery store aisles, and Vine and YouTube videos of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” parodies and covers filled my newsfeeds. However, I didn’t expect to hear a song from the movie at a wedding.
Tess Koman’s Cosmopolitan.com article,“Now People are Singing ‘Frozen’ at Their Weddings; When Will it All End?” explains it all. I’ve always dreamed of hearing my favorite songs playing at my wedding. Which ones would I choose? Would my husband-to-be like them? What kind of band should I hire? Should I let people do karaoke? I thought about everything except dancing and lip-synching along to a song during my first dance with the groom.
No, there’s nothing wrong with incorporating your favorite movie tunes into your wedding. (Let’s be real, I’d love to have music from “Pride and Prejudice,” “Brideshead Revisited,” or “The Holiday” playing at my wedding.) But, “Frozen?” I’m a little confused. No, the brides and grooms in the videos Koman shares weren’t asking each other to build a snowman. Instead, they were dancing and lip-synching to “Love is an Open Door,” which made a little more sense.
Photo credit: Mark Romine Photography Romineweddings.com/
I guess this is just another modern love song. Call me a little old-school, but when I think of first-dance songs at weddings I think of classics such as Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be,” Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me,” or Harry Connick Jr.’s “It Had to be You.” Even when I consider modern songs for weddings, ones from “Frozen” don’t pop up into my head. I think of ones such as Sara Bareilles’ “I Choose You,” Ron Pope’s “A Drop in the Ocean,” or Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years.”
The videos of these newlyweds singing and dancing weren’t impressive to me, although that most likely wasn’t the goal. In the case of a wedding, it isn’t about impressing a guest, it’s about making the bride and groom happy. If lip-synching “Love is an Open Door” makes them happy, then so be it. Who knows, maybe they’re just huge “Frozen” fans? I definitely know a few of those.
“Frozen” was a cute movie, but I’m not a die-hard fan. If it was my wedding, I’d do it differently. I’d pop in an instrumental track of “Love is an Open Door” (or perhaps a song I like more) and actually sing.
This may be an issue if my hubby doesn’t like to sing, but I think it would be a little more interesting to say the least. Or maybe I’d re-think this song for a first-dance and use it for something else instead.
How amazing would it be if the whole wedding party performed to this song? The bride and groom could be singing (or lip-synching) while the bridesmaids and groomsmen are the back-up singers and dancers. If you’re going to have a fun song at your wedding, why not make it a great memory to capture on video?
In the end, I think it’s important to choose a first-dance song that means something to the newlywed couple, and if a song from “Frozen” is special, then maybe that’ll do it.
By Stephanie Wong
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