Wedding Colors & Fashionistas

Hello all!

As summer approaches, so do the weddings of many close friends, as well as engagement parties! Perhaps the most fun I had when I started planning my wedding was pulling inspiration from a myriad of sources. I went through magazines, cd covers, fabric samples, and a few Anthropologie catalogs to get some idea of the "look" that I wanted.

I unfortunately smashed so many elements into my wedding that I don't have a "theme," but I am slowly putting together a "look." Once I decided on a season (fall), I knew that I wanted to incorporate the color orange.

I was also in my navy blue phase and that color stuck around as well in the wedding "look."

My color inspiration looks a bit like this:

Photo from: http://www.bridalbuds.com/2009/02/inspiration-board-navy-and-orange/

While furiously browsing the internet the past few weeks, I realized that some of the best inspiration can come not just from pictures online or stacks of wedding magazines, but from fashion shows.

Many designers put together a theme for their collection each year and some of them have color schemes and themes that truly stand out. This year, my favorite, especially if you're having a garden wedding or are in love with flowers and bright colors, take notice of Christian Dior's fall 2009 Couture line:

Click here for the full collection!

The Dior stage was set with a million flowers and the colors are bright, bold, and stunning. Another collection that you bright colored brides can grab some inspiration from is Erdem.

How did you come up with your colors/theme?

First Official E-Mail

Yesterday I sent my FIRST official wedding party e-mail to the lovely ladies who will be standing up with me. One of the girls, KLH just finished up the Virginia Bar Exam (YAY!) so I figured that was excuse enough to start sending frivolous e-mails her way. First order of business was, of course, the dresses. I'm not 100% set on the company yet. I want to see the dresses in person before saying, "yes, this is it," but I did want to show them what I was thinking of and what the price range we'd likely end up in.

^This is what I'm thinking, sans the flower girls and possibly sans the sashes. I love the chocolate brown and KLH, A, and College Roommate all look lovely in rich colors. From the Aria Photo Album

The plan (pending in-person meeting with said dresses) is to use Aria Bridesmaids because of their excellent reputation for quality and re-wear-ability. Aria offers so many style options, hopefully each of my friends will be able to pick a dress she really likes and will feel comfortable in. Plus they do petites!

^There's that pink and navy again! And the sash is a celadon color, it's a little hard to see in the small picture.

^This is kind of cool where each bridesmaid is wearing a different style AND color!

The price tag freaked me out a little at first, just the WIC* rearing it's ugly head, but after discussing with a few important people--the ones who have to buy and wear the dresses--I've been assured this is perfectly reasonable.

^Aria offers the contrasting hem on the top or bottom free of charge. Contrasting sashes can also be included free of charge.

ALSO, I LOVE RAW SILK aka silk shantung. It's a light-weight silk that has slubs (nubby bits) in the fabric and therefore a beautiful natural texture. It's very flattering and easy to wear and in October it will be perfectly weather appropriate too. Aria is one of the few places I saw raw silk dresses under $200. So as long as the dresses measure up in person, I think "select bridesmaids attire" can be ticked off the check list. Of course that still leaves fitting, ordering, receiving, altering, bridesmaids' dresses to go.

^This is my favorite style, #170. I like the empire waist and I think the tie straps are really feminine and elegant. I'd pick this one if I were my bridesmaid...haha.

How did you decide on bridesmaid dresses?

*Wedding Industrial Complex

The Hunt for the Dress: The Trilogy is Complete (Maybe)

I'm back from the wedding this weekend! It was beautiful and I promise to recap in a few days, but first I've got to finish up my "Hunt for the Dress" tale.

When we left off in Part Dos I had come across a number of great inexpensive dresses at Macy's, Nordstrom, Nicole Miller, etc. However, I didn't want to completely discount traditional bridal salons. Even though I was 99% sure I would find my dress elsewhere, I kind of wanted the experience of going into a salon and trying on dresses (how many times in your life do you get to shop for a wedding dress anyway??). Plus, I thought it would be a really fun mother/daughter bonding activity.

I visited two salons in Northern Virginia--a friend and I kind of went on a whim, no appointments. Making an appointment is nearly always recommended though!! I also visited two salons in Southern Virginia with my mom. Both times it was a great experience. Trying dresses on turned out to be much more fun than I ever thought, especially with my mom there!

So here are some thoughts I have on salons:

• Just because you're on a smaller budget doesn't mean you have to avoid salons (this is what I thought at the start of my search). Different salons carry inventory in different price ranges. Some salons do carry inventory starting at $3,000, but others carry dresses beginning under $1,000! Do your research and find a salon that fits you. Price ranges are often listed on salon websites (check The Knot too). If you can't find it there, call the salon and ask!
  

• In my humble opinion, one of the top advantages of salons if having a LOT of dresses in one place. Sometimes the convenience factor can trump the cost factor.
  

• Depending on the salon, the owners or management may have the ability to drop the price a little. I fell in love with a dress at one of the NoVa salons I visited, but I knew it was out of my budget. At the end of my visit, I let the sales associate know I really liked the dress, but it was a little out of my budget. She spoke with the owner and they were able to offer me a 10% discount if I decided to come back and order the dress. I can't say if this is common, but it can't hurt to let the shop know you love the dress, it's just a little out of your reach.
  

• Don't discount sample sales (haha, just a little shopping humor). If your budget allows for the purchase of a pricier dress (say in the $3,000), a sample sale with discounts of 60% can be an excellent way to save on your gown. That'd be a $3,000 dress for $1,200! Also if you really have your heart set on a specific designer, and you've made the dress a priority in your wedding budget, sample sales can make it more do-able.
  

• Ask to see the destination wedding dresses! At one salon I visited in Richmond, I saw a wedding dress I just had to try on! It was super glamorous, lots of pleats, these gorgeous roses along the neck line. It was a dress from the destination wedding line of a very expensive designer. The price? $489! Many designers these days are making lines especially for destination weddings. The fabric usually travels a little better than say, a big taffeta ball gown, but that's the main difference. Most destination gowns I've seen are perfectly at home in a garden, a church, or a beach front resort!

Does anyone have other good tips for salon shopping?

Ok, this tale of the dress is quickly becoming quite the epic. Check back tomorrow for the final installment!

Help Me Find Some Shoes!

So in two weeks Husband and I go to Michigan for the last wedding in our season of weddings this year. I'm excited b/c it's going to be a Palestinian/Chinese/American wedding so it should be a lot of fun.

I bought the below dress to wear to the reception and now I'm trying to find some shoes. I'd love to find some really fun blue shoes that go with the dress, but as that may be hard to find I'll probably have to go with silver. I'm looking for something that is 3 inches or less, has no ankle strap (i'm short, don't want to cut my legs off), and is the $100 or less range (give or take a few) has anyone seen something lately that they think would go well?


^Maggy London Cutaway Silk Chiffon Halter Dress


For the same wedding, I got this next dress for the rehearsal party the night before (OOT guests are invited). I'm kind of stumped for shoes for this one as well. What color do you think would go well and what style?

^BCBGMaxazria Cap Sleeve Jersey Dress

I've checked all the usual online places (Zappos, Endless, Nordstrom, Piperlime etc.) but still haven't really struck gold. Or maybe I missed something great?

Oh Orchids!

O.K., as much as I loved the look of classic callas for my own wedding, the next time I plan a wedding I think the below orchid bouquet would be pretty amazing. The stark simplicity is just breathtaking.

All photos below from the wedding of Malia and Jeff as captured by photographer W. Scott Chester.



As you can see the bride was perfectly accessorized with a great pair of earrings and a simple veil. And I just loved her mom's look too...the vibrant dress and sexy shoes are mom appropriate but not old lady. And how cute is that flower in her hair?

The Hunt for the Dress: Part Dos

**Ok, blogger and I made up. See the pictures below!**

My first stop on my Non-Bridal Salon Bridal Gown Search was my perennial source for all formal dress needs: Macy's!

The great thing about department stores is that most actually HAVE a bridal shop, so you can hunt through there and then you've still got the whole evening gown section to peruse. Some sites, Nordstrom comes to mind, will even allow you to search by color so you can really zero in on what you're looking for. As Miss Westend noted in her post below, there are quite a few lovely and inexpensive white dresses out there in Department Store Land.

Check this one out from Macy's, the light champagne color is really flattering. I can totally see myself in this at an intimate, candle-lit evening ceremony.

From the Macy's website I progressed to Nordstrom (tons of great finds!), I even checked out my favorite department store down home where my mama lives, Dillards. I EVEN checked Sears and JC Penney. Hey, my mama mail-ordered her dress from Penney's in 1981 for $300, how awesome would it be if I did the same? I'm an equal opportunity shopper. I discriminate against no deal.

One shoulder gowns are quite the thing right now, I've seen this
element pop on more than one bridal gown trend list.

And what's this? Does Tia Mowrey shop at Dillards?!
(From InStyle Weddings)

While I was perusing the department store websites, I was also clicking on every "How to Save Money on Your Wedding Dress" and "Brides On A Budget" article the internets had to offer. One name I kept seeing over and over in reference to inexpensive dresses was Nicole Miller. I must confess, I'm only familiar with Nicole Miller because my favorite Lilly Store over in Old Town (Hey there, Tickled Pink) carries a few of her pieces.

Boy, was I blown away the first time I went to the Nicole Miller website! I mean, just gorgeous [sigh]. Some of the dresses are pricey, but there are a several reasonable options. There's a Nicole Miller store in the Tysons Galleria.

I was really loving on this one for awhile
(from www.nicolemiller.com via partypop.com)

Some other makers that are worth checking our for lower cost white dresses are BCBG and Jessica McClintock. BCBG has quite a few unique white gowns out right now and they have outlet locations in Williamsburg, Leesburg, and Rehobeth. There is a Jessica McClintock shop in Tysons Mall and it's absolutely worth a look if you're looking for something with a lot of glamor or more of a ball-gown style dress.
BCBG

BCBG


Jessica McClintock

Jessica McClintock

Oh, and to leave no stone unturned, I checked out Target too. I'm very thorough, what can I say.

So I had all these gorgeous white dresses whirring around in my head, occupying my dreams at night and totally preventing me from being productive at work (shhh, don't tell my boss!), but I wasn't done yet. I had a few more avenues to traverse before I would meet the one. :)

The Hunt for the Dress: Part 1

In one of the comment sections in a previous post, I mentioned that I had a somewhat "alternative" dress search. I was NOT looking forward to dress shopping AT ALL. I imagined it to be some evil spawn hatched when bathing suit shopping and jeans shopping got together and procreated. Boo.

+ = :(

It didn't really help my attitude when I started reading (aka obsessing) over wedding magazines and dress maker websites and realized what the wedding industry thought they could get me to pay for a wedding dress. Well, much like Meg over at A Practical Wedding, I don't much care for being told what to do.

Like any bride, I wanted a beautiful dress, I wanted to feel like a bride, but I realized, if I was going to stick to the firm budget I set, I'd have to get a little creative. Has anyone told you yet, that the minute you tell a vendor you're searching for a wedding [insert anything here: dress, venue, cake, three-ring circus...anything!] the price doubles? I'm sure you have because I've hear it upteem times, and I've only been engaged 6 months with 16 to go. Thinking on this little tidbit, I started investigating where I could look for a white dress outside of your typical bridal salon.

To be continued...

photos via oldnavy.com and johnlewis.com

Marching To Your Own Drummer

It's been a while since I featured a BadA$$ Bride, but this lady qualifies! Pink and white dress? Seen it. Black and white? Yeah seen that too. Pink, black, and white....the hair....the shoes...awesome.

Photos credited to John Michael Cooper of alt.f from the wedding of Staysi and David

Lush from Labbancz

Now on the complete other side of the spectrum from Jenna Bush's casual soiree is this lavish wedding that Marie Labbancz had on her blog today. Even though my personal tastes learn towards the modern and subdued, it's a bit of voyeuristic fun for me to see really romantic style weddings like the one below. Hey, if you're going to go lush then you need to go all out!


^The Brides dress was a Pnina Tornai gown from Kleinfeld Bridals . I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen a white dinner jacket and tie combination (as opposed to bow tie) but I'm liking it.


^Check out that back! Silk Roses were a theme throughout the wedding


^I've often expressed my love for long tables as opposed to round...need I say more?


^Silk roses were incorporated into the invites as well


^Normally I really hate when flowergirls are dressed up as little brides (as I'm sure you can tell by my flowergirl dress) . But this dress is just so much fun I think any little girl would feel like she was in heaven in it.


^Both of the tuxes were custom made


^And of course we can't forget the cake

For more pics check out Marie's blog.

Pink Week Tribute

One of the many wedding blogs I have in my reader is, of course, Elizabeth Anne Designs. All this week over there has been "Pink Week" so if this is your wedding color it's a must read.

Personally I'm not big on pink at weddings but if you have to go pink I think you should TOTALLY embrace it. Go all out!

So since today is Friday I'd like to post the below dress I saw today on Nordstrom.com in honor of a very fun and inspiring Pink Week.

It's a Kay Unger with pleated ruching, an obi style tie at the waist, and it is made out of multiple tones of iridescent silk taffeta. I officially declare it the most perfect pink bridesmaid dress in the world.

New JCrew Dresses are In

FYI if you are still looking for bridesmaid dresses or you are going to be a guest at a summer
wedding -






^ Polka-dot Rosette Dress - $168





^Portico Wrap Dress - $150


^Jillian Strapless Dress - $295



^Strappy Florence Dress - $250 and Strapless Florence Dress - $250

Yellow Makes Me Happy

Tomorrow is April 1st, we're way into Spring, flowers and trees are blooming and budding....so why the heck is it gray, cold, and drizzly outside??

I don't know, but when I saw the below images in my blog reader today they made me happy.

All images below credited to Kristina of Vrai Photography. Check out her blog for more.

Moving On Up: Casey Templeton Photography

One photographer I've had my eye on for a little while now is central Virginia based photographer Casey Templeton. Casey won the 2005 College Photographer of the Year award and shot for National Geographic as part of an internship in 2006.


Since that time he has been shooting weddings, and even though he's a relative newbie to the whole wedding scene I can see how talented he is, and how much more talented he's becoming with each new wedding on his blog. In a few years I think he's going to be the photographer we all wish we could afford but can't!

In my opinion he's been blessed with some really beautiful and stylish brides. Below is just an example!


All photos below the work of Casey Templeton

^Is this dress not the most unique thing you've seen? (you can click to enlarge)



^Here is an up-close pic of the back (you can click to enlarge)

^I love this brides unique bouquet and those beautiful gold doors