Midnight Blue And Gold Wedding Colour Theme Inspiration

Midnight blue and gold make for a beautiful wedding colour theme with the rich deep tones of the navy blue contrasting with a gold tone to create a fabulous sumptuous wedding colour scheme.  Coordinate your bridesmaids in midnight blue dresses teamed with gold sashes and add a touch of glamour to your Read more

Where to Buy Bridesmaid Dresses on Budget

Bridesmaid dresses are one of the key items for your wedding and if you’re on a budget you still want fabulous dresses for your bridesmaid without a hefty custom made dress price tag. So what are your options? Well, the high street and on line stores both offer the bride some fantastic options for bridesmaid Read more

Burgundy And Gold Wedding Theme Inspiration

Be inspired with this burgundy and gold wedding theme inspiration moodboard.  Burgundy and gold makes a perfect colour scheme for a winter wedding, particularly around Christmas.  Opt for warm toned golds team which rich deep burgundy for a wedding theme that oozes Christmas charm. Winter weddings in this colour scheme will have your guests getting in to the festive spirit.  Coordinate with your bridesmaids adding either a gold or burgundy sash to your dress.  Bridesmaids can be dressed in warm golds or burgundies and your groomsmen should match your selection.  Dress your groom is a coloured waistcoat matching your sash for a perfect wedding look.  For table decor you can splash out on all thing’s Christmasy with Christmas crackers as fun wedding favours.  Add extra Read more

Avoiding Bridezilla – How to do it and not go mad! Part One – Avoiding Stress

From the minute you say ‘yes’ to the proposal, you will be subject to stress… from who to invite to the party, setting the date, ‘does my dad actually like him’, ‘do I really want to do this’, crazy wedding obsessed friends/mothers/random strangers who want to get involved… from so many sources you will feel so many pressures. Read more

Wedding Dilemma Advice: Children At Weddings

Having children at your wedding can go two ways: delightful little cherubs in their prettiest and aw-inspiring outfits, skipping merrily through your happy family themed wedding…or those screaming the place down through the vows, dancing round the celebrant and trashing the reception.  Having children at a wedding is very much a conversation you need to have as a couple, bearing in mind the sensitivities that come with it.  Read more

DIY and Delegation: Cost Cutting with Class – Wedding Stationery

If you have an artistic side and are trying to cut some costs, creating your own wedding stationery is a fun way to snip the budget.  There are countless options to choose from and you can guarantee your stationery will be totally original.  Your guests will also feel very special that you’ve taken so much trouble. In order to do it right, though, without expensive wastage and ending up with an amateurish finish, you need to plan it carefully and enlist the help of some creative friends. Read more

Oh Mum! How not to be THAT mother of the bride!

During the planning of a wedding there will be moments that you will treasure forever.  It will be a time that you can draw closer to your daughter and if you take the time to respect her, her wishes and her groom, in the end, you will have a friend for life.  If not, Read more

Mother of the Bride Fashion

Your baby girl is all grown up, and now she’s getting married. Without taking away from her, you’ll of course want everyone at the wedding to know where she gets her fabulously good taste from!  Mother-of-the-bride (MOTB) dresses have come a long way – mums now look great and feel glamorous on their daughters’ wedding days.

Of course white, ivory, and off-white are not acceptable.  In terms of colour, beige is the traditional shade for the MOTB.  It may fit in with the wedding colour scheme and can be found in a variety of shades this season – from oyster tones to almost blush pinks, champagne, sand ,taupe , and nudes – all are good colours for the MOTB because they can look good by itself or with embellishments. It’s vital if you go for these shades to avoid looking frumpy!

There is, particularly this season, a wider palette available.   Rich jewel tones such as burgundy, plum , green and pretty pastels  such as lavender, aqua  and rose are good choices – as long as they don’t clash with the colours of the wedding or look gaudy, tacky or detract attention from the bride. Black is not usually a colour worn at weddings, particularly for mother-of-the-bride dresses. However, this year’s fashion in bridal styles shows that times are a-changing and black is coming back. It is unlikely to appear on its own on the MOTB (unless you really want people to think you’re in mourning!).  It may appear in combination with that other taboo – white.   Floral patterns and stripes are very in this year so you that would be a stylish combination.  Silver is very popular too and pearl accents make a great choice. The only time when black is a total no-go is when the bridesmaids are also in black: you should stand out, not match!

Whatever you choose, your dress should be formal, comfortable and flattering to your shape.  (See the guide on dressing for your shape).  It’s important that you plan ahead and look for that perfect outfit as early as possible.  Make sure it feels right for you.  You are a vital part of the wedding party and you will be captured in photograph forever.

You could start planning by having tea with the girls from the wedding party – be involved in the planning process.  Look at bridal magazines together and discuss the theme so you know how formal it will be.  Will you wear an elegant ball-gown or a garden party dress; sheath dress or trouser suit?  The time of day and season for the wedding will impact your choices, including the accessories and shoes.

•    Tasteful shorter styles  – tea-length  and knee-length  dresses – will show off great legs. This is a good look for afternoon parties, especially in summer.

•    A cocktail dress or strapless gown, if appropriate and tasteful, can work well.

•    Printed fabrics can be made more formal by wearing it in a smooth, floor-length sheath dress.

•    With a classy suit or a full dress and jacket you can easily go from daywear to evening wear.

•    With a full size ball-gown  you’ll feel like a queen – don’t upstage the princess though!

•    Trousers suits can be as casual or as formal as you like.

•    For a traditional wedding, consider a trumpet skirt or an A-line dress .

•    Keep it classy – keep it covered. Long sleeves are a must during winter.  A bolero, shrug, wrap or pashmina make good options to help hide less-than-toned arms the rest of the year.

Also, it is very important that the mother of the bride makes the groom’s mother fully aware of both the fabric and style of dress she has picked. Her gown should compliments yours and doing this will avoid the potential horror of wearing the same outfit.

Headwear for the mother of the bride is vitally important.  Traditionally, the bride’s mother wears the best hat and tradition also dictates that no one else is allowed to remove their hat until the MOTB does – my own mother had great fun with this!   Hats are great to provide shade on a hot summer’s day or to protect your hair from the wind.  However, they can also be counter-productive to hair-dos, leaving your style flattened.  If you choose the traditional choice, ensure you have a back up hair plan. Other options include fascinators or other hair accessories like hair combs, clips or jewels, pearls or flowers in your hair.

It’s truly a day for you to bask in glow cast from your daughter’s elegance and to be a beautiful, serene hostess.

Wedding Party Roles – Mother of the Bride

In days gone by, the mother of the bride had a hugely important role.  Of course, it still is of course, but now the responsibilities have changed. The mother of the bride was usually the person who did most of the planning and bore the entire cost.  As times Read more

How To Create A Summer Wedding Theme

Another of the fashionable trends for summer weddings in 2011 is… well, the summery look!   It’s a fresh, pretty theme which taps in to this years’ trends in floral print and bright colours.  If you choose this option, you can carry it off through a variety of means:

The style of clothing

The flowers

Favours

The Photographs

Wedding cake

The reception decorations

The stationery

The Dress

This year, summer bridal gowns styles are simple, beautiful and feminine with sheer fabrics and pretty little details.  Wedding colour trends in summer 2011 include coffee, champagne, grey, blush  If you have beautiful, toned, sun-kissed legs you will look fab in the shorter, cocktail style dresses which this year are both stylish and perfect for dancing in.  A summer bride must consider how hot the day might be.  Choose fabrics and styles that will be wearable and breathable in the heat.

On the catwalks this year every collection was full of blossoms, buds and blooms. Dresses featured large giant cabbage roses, silk and dresses actually constructed like giant flowers!  Embellishments are a must for this year’s bride.    An graceful lace parasol paired with a lace handbag could not only compliment your outfit, but also keep you in the shade and be a handy place to keep touch-up make up to disguise a ‘heat glow’ or to carry a discreet bottle of water or mini-fan.

If you are holding your wedding outside on the grass, you could go for the bold choice of going barefoot with ribbons tied around your ankles and toenails painted the same colour as your bouquet or bridesmaids dresses!

The Flowers

2011 summer flowers will be exaggerated in size. Huge flower design has become another trend which is romantic and fashionable.  It also doesn’t have to be budget busting.   You can choose your favourite flower for your bouquet but then choose different types on the tables or in each vase.   Orchids, Ginger halcyons, birds-of-paradise, tiger lilies, and even roses will survive high temperatures well. Buying locally and in season also ensure maximum freshness.

Wedding Favours

Anything decorated with flowers, butterflies or beach themed accessories like shells.

a silk or wooden fan or a paper parasol

Soap or candles in the shape of flowers

Packets of summer flower seeds wrapped in ribbons

Chocolate favours could be a disaster in the heat, think carefully before choosing chocolates as an option.

Photographs

You can have some beautiful shots in summer with all the fresh green grass, leafy trees and brightly coloured flowers and wonderful scenery.  Consider having photos taken by a lake or stream which will sparkle in the sunlight.

The Cake

Why not consider carrying the natural world over on to your cake too.  Embellish with strawberries, roses and ribbons, butterflies, bees and summer flowers.  Cupcakes or a sponge cake may well make a lighter choice compared to a heavier fruitcake.   Alternatively, if you are daring enough to brave ‘the melt’ – chocolate cakes adorned cherries or fresh fruit pieces such as strawberries, raspberries or similar would look exciting and tasty..

If you’re going for a beach-styled summer event, add seashells or coral and place tiny sugar or marzipan flip flops and beach towels around the base!

Venue Decorations

There are two key ways you could dress your wedding – white and pastels or bold and bright.  The crisp fresh white look, combined with pastels, cream coloured daisies, lemons and lime colours and that old favourite, roses is certainly a timeless and classic look.  You can, alternatively, go for a bright, tropical look in colour, using bright patterns, large tropical flowers and outsided table decorations.   For either look, a selection of balloons, ribbons, garlands and bows can be inexpensive options to tie in the look.  You could also consider coloured or plain white lights if part of the wedding will be held outdoors after dark.  If your location has trees close to where you and your guests will be, you could decorate them with lights, hanging ribbons and garlands.

Wedding Stationery

Personalised your wedding stationery: the ‘save the dates’, invitations,  church service, table settings, napkins, favours and photo albums. You can match them to your flowers, colour scheme or with floral details from the garden or beach.  Lemons and limes or buttery creams that compliment and bring out the vibrancy of strawberry, peach, lilac or coffee; pinks and greens, reds and white, pastels and the return of the popular black and white are very much in evidence in this year’s fashionable summer themed wedding.  You could add pictures of your venue, your honeymoon location if you want to make it a truly personalised summer event.

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