Do Your Friends a Favor

From dainty details to creative colors palettes, new trends for your friends are popping up all over the place!

Here is my take on the newest trends for your bridesmaids to wear as they take you down the aisle...

Trend 1: Beautiful Bows

Bows are all over the place lately, not just on flower girl dresses anymore. Take a simple dress and add a bow pin, or tie a ribbon sash and it completely changes the look. After the wedding, remove the bow and they now have a new dress to wear out!

Trend 2: Same Colors, Different Styles

Not one dress is going to flatter every one of your bridesmaids. So, why not go with a color that comes in multiple styles like Tori Spellings gal pal did from J. Crew. Companies like Ann Taylor and J. Crew offer collections that are available in the same color and fabric and a multitude of styles. (It lets your girls display their own personal style as well!)

Trend 3: Same Blues, Different Hues

If blue is one of your colors, why not different shades of blue, or purple, or whichever color you choose! It allows you to add more than one shade of the color you picked for your perfect day! Rachel Bilson's good friend did it beautifully with this green color palette. Just make sure the colors don't clash!

Trend 4: Patterns and Prints

How about a patterned or printed dress, like a floral print for your BM's? It's a fun little twist and can represent more than one of your wedding colors. If having all of your girls in a printed dress is too much for your personality, how about just your Maid of Honor?

Trend 5: One Shoulder Wonders

The newest trend in dresses from bridal to cocktail are all one shoulder. Whether there form fitting or flowing these styles are showing up more and more. So, how about 'doing your friends a favor' and pick one of these styles for your girls. It's flirty and fun, and looks good on a lot of body types!

all pictures from google images and celebritybrideguide.com

Day 4: Family Traditions

After veering off course for my Royal Wedding post (I had to if I plan on wooing Prince Harry to become the next Princess) and working like crazy, it is wedding season after all...I am back to my 4th and final day of planning: Family Traditions.

For this one you are required to do some homework...pick your family members brains. Find out from your family if there were any particular special moments from their own weddings that they would like to continue. Or, if there are already traditions that have been passed down from wedding to wedding. For example, in my family there is a tradition which started at my aunts wedding and since then has been passed down to my cousins. A few of us sing a couple of lines from one of the songs played in the movie "It's A Wonderful Life" at the end of a toast.

Speaking of songs, maybe there is a certain song that has been played at other family members weddings, and you can continue that tradition. Another idea or special moment would be to honor family members who have passed on. You could do this by a candle or a photograph, or saying something to your guests. Or think back to the Royal Wedding...Prince William gave Kate Middleton his mother's (Princess Diana) wedding ring, to honor her and to have her there in heart.

Remember, a big part of what got you to the alter is your family. Take a moment to thank them-no matter how big or small the gesture is.

The Wedding of ALL Weddings...

Before I can even finish with my 4 Days of Planning, I HAD to write about The Royal Wedding! After all, wedding bloggers have been awaiting this day for months.

After watching hours of TV and footage from online, I have hands down fallen in love with Prince William and his new Princess Kate Middleton like the rest of the country. People around the world have been patiently waiting for this event. People set their alarms for 4:00 AM to watch this historical wedding. Citizens of LA held all night long bachelor parties at their local bars, just to catch a first glimpse of the royal couple. Everything from the Ceremony to her little bridesmaids was perfect. Kate herself looked flawless in her gown designed by Sarah Burton the creative director for the late Alexander McQueen. The lace was beautiful and that nine foot train...to die for! If that gown wasn't enough she then changed into an additional dress, also Alexander McQueen which was equally breath taking. My favorite part, was the gorgeous 1936 Cartier tiara she wore, borrowed from the Queen herself, to accompany her engagement ring which belonged to the late Princess Diana, Williams mother.

So, here's to you William and Kate! Congratulations!

 Kate and Sister (MOH) Pippa

Second dress

all images taken from google images

Day 3: Season

Spring or Summer...

Winter or Fall...

How on earth do you pick when you say 'I Do?'

Here is MY simple breakdown of each season to help you narrow down your choice:

Spring:
-It's warm, but still cool enough to have an outdoor ceremony/reception.
-While Christmas is said to be the happiest time of the year, I find most people are the happiest in Spring!
(Who doesn't like when the snow starts to melt, and the flowers start to bloom?)
-If you're thinking of adding Cala Lilly's, Lilac's, Tulips, or Cherry Blossoms to your bouquet then Spring is perfect!
-As far as colors, pale blues, springy greens, soft pinks, or a light yellow work great in Spring.
-For some reason when I think of Spring, I think of day weddings with brunch as the meal. That being said, fresh fruit, savory fritatta's, homemade quiche's and mint julep cocktails come to mind.

-Summer
-Depending on your location (i.e Palm Springs or Miami) it may be too hot to hold an outdoor event in the middle of summer.
-Also remember, Summer is the most popular time of year for people to vacation, so if your second cousin is planning on going out of town the week of your wedding-don't be upset!
-For flowers, Daisies, Gardenia's, and Hydrangea's are ideal for a Summer bouquet.

-The best summer colors in my eyes would be BRIGHT! Think about corals, lemon yellow, turquoise or teal, BOLD. Or, go the nautical route and choose navy blues and golden yellow. 

-If you're thinking of having a candy bar, I'd steer away from that idea. My bet...the candy melts before anyone can enjoy a single jelly bean.

-When it comes to light food, and cocktails to cool you off, I think of iced tea and lemonade,Waldorf salads, putting a twist on grilled vegetable and fruit skewers (for that outdoor, backyard wedding) and mojito's.

-Winter

-Again, depending your location (i.e New York, or Seattle) you will most likely have to be indoors.

-Lets be honest...in the Winter, people love to hibernate. 

-As far as flowers, I don't always think of flowers in the Winter, but hey I am from the East-coast.  But in my opinion I think a gorgeous bouquet of white flowers is perfect for a wedding this season.

-Colors: go dark or neutral. Something about jewel tones in 25 degree weather gets me going. Emerald greens, eggplant, burgundy, and royal blue. Or, what about champagne and no I don't mean for drinking ;)

-Now for food. When you mix Winter and cold, hungry people you get comfort food. What about a hot chocolate station? Think gourmet pastas, fondue's, and warm cozy soups. 

Last but not least, Fall...

-Just like Spring, Fall has the option of having an indoor or outdoor event.

-On the other hand, Fall means back to school so remember that when you decide on kid friendly weddings!

-Gladiola's, Iris', Lily's, Orchids....I can't get enough of the flowers for Fall!

-When it comes to colors during the Fall season, think outdoors. Think of how the leaves change, they are great colors to use....burnt orange, darker yellows, maroons, olive green, and cream!

-And as far as food goes, this is the perfect season to utilize that candy bar idea! It is the season for Halloween after all....

(all images from google images)

Day 2: Location

Church or Chapel?

Beach or Mountains?

Indoor or Outdoor?

With so many options, how is one supposed to choose?

Here are some helpful tips which can hopefully narrow it down for you.

1. Ask yourself...Do we want to keep it traditional?
-If you answered yes, then you may want to stick to your family church (Grandma will be ecstatic.) 
-If you answered no, think outside the box--make a list of you and your fiance's favorite places. You may surprise yourself with what you come up with.
2. Take a look at your guest list. Is the location your thinking about accommodating? 
-Is it big enough? Is it suitable for all guests? For kids? Do you even want kids attending?
-Also keep in mind travel for your guests. Are they going to be able to travel across the country to hear you recite your vows if you decide on a destination wedding?
3. Go down memory lane.
-Think of your favorite places when you were growing up.
-Do you and your fiance have a special place you always go back to? Or do you have a common interest? For example, if you both love sailing consider a beach or dock side wedding.
4. Remember your budget.
-You may want to become a 'Mrs.' in that historic mansion in the town where you were raised, but does it fit into your wedding budget?
-What about an equally beautiful family members house?
5. Keep in mind the season. (which leads me to Day 3)
-Your guests will not be happy bundled up in the middle of December on a rooftop in New York.
-If you have your heart set on Winter in New York, check out numerous gorgeous hotels which offer rooftop services as well for those daring guests in need of some fresh air.

image from google images.

4 Days of Planning. Day 1: Colors

When beginning to plan your wedding, it can become quite hectic. Think about any party you've planned, there are the invitations, the decorations, the location, the theme, etc. Once you've handled all of that, there are the smaller details. You know, buttercream or marzipan, roses or lily's, DJ or live band, and the most crucial....the seating chart? 

Why not break it down into 4 simpler categories to begin your planning? Instead of burying yourself with endless cake tastings and listening to cheesy mixes of the cha cha slide right away, start with these four things!

1. How to pick your colors?

- Do not pick too many colors. Limit the color palette to two or three colors. It will make decorating simpler and too many colors can become overwhelming.

-Do use paint chips. Once you finalize your color's keep a set of paint chips with you at all times, that way colors wont change.

-Do not forget people (i.e your bridesmaids and groomsmen) will have to wear these colors. Like I've said before, you want to keep these people happy.

-Do use this website to help pick your colors. 

http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/index.aspx

It is the Pantone color website, which has every color hue known to man.

-Do not keep changing your colors. It can get expensive once you have things made like invitations and centerpieces. 

-Do take into consideration (which will lead to my next posts) location, theme, and mood you want to set for the day.

Some other helpful tips:

-Remember white or ivory is always a color--it is the color of your dress after all.

-Let different elements inspire your palette: season, flowers, your theme, etc.

-One option: pick 2 bold colors and 1 neutral. (ex. deep purple, maroon, and ivory)

stay tuned for Day 2-4 on planning your special day :)

pictures from weddingcolors.net

Picture Perfect

After looking at countless pages of wedding pictures for longer then I would like to admit, here are the few I think are perfect and could not get enough of for today....

you're welcome.

all pictures from stylemepretty.com