Um, hmmm. Not sure why this post reverted back to an older version… anyway

I like Rosa Clara. There’s a little something for everyone, as the About page notes: “The collection is inspired by two trends: One, simple lines with close-fitting gowns. And the other, spectacular volume.” With the first, come feminine and modern wedding dresses. With the second, you see voluminous silk taffeta and silk organza paired with simple bodices.

Hellllooooo, Audrey Hepburn fans and lovers of all things vintage. I’m not crazy about the pleats on this wedding dress, but I adore the fact that it has pockets… and doesn’t show huge amounts of cleavage. This is, I think, my favorite wedding dress in this super image heavy post.

(more…)

In addition to their scowls and smirks, bridal models are usually sporting at least a mild case of scoliosis or lordosis. At best, they’re slightly hunched. At worst, they’ve contorted themselves into positions typically reserved for those touring with Cirque du Soleil. I don’t want brides-to-be to get the wrong idea about what constitutes good posture on one’s wedding day, so with the help of Amoretti Weddings I’ve put together a short presentation I’m calling “How Not to Stand On Your Wedding Day.”

Don’t slouch. It makes you appear sad or scared and even worse, those of you who aren’t 98% fat free will not be able to help looking thick around the middle. This model also appears to have to go to the bathroom rather badly… not a good look.

Darling, your pits smell fine so please remove your nose from them. Or at least go check your odor in the privacy of a bathroom stall. Or perhaps the model is a hunchback and the belt under her bosom is actually covering her entire midsection?

Contrary to popular belief, you can wave to your lover who is standing in the courtyard below without listing dangerously toward starboard. Why listen to little ol’ me? List too far and you risk defenestration.

I can’t even tell what’s going on here. The model seems to be rounding her shoulders forward, ensuring a none-too-subtle jutting of the clavicles. One would think that would give the appearance of a concave tummy, but the model also seems to be sticking her stomach out while simultaneously pushing out her tush. Then again, maybe she’s standing as straight as she can.

If someone has ripped off your arms and sewn them on backward on your wedding day of all days, you get a free pass to stand like this. Otherwise, please refrain from performing optical illusions with your body until you and your new spouse are alone in your hotel room.

Now that my lovely daughter Paloma is nine months old, I’ve been thinking a lot about DIY decoration ideas. What do these two seemingly disparate things have to do with one another? It’s simple. The Beard and I have been contemplating ideas for Paloma first birthday party, which means that I’ve been reviewing all kinds of neat DIY decorations that happen to be as appropriate for weddings as they are for birthdays.

One thing I’m loving right now is printable cupcake wrappers from Paper & Cake. That’s right, printable. As long as the bride or grooms owns or has access to a good printer, they can pay a little and get a lot since they can print out as many cupcake wrappers as they like, forever. Plus, the bride and groom can get away with serving cupcakes that are far less fancily iced because the cupcake wrapper is providing the color.

Printable cupcake wrappers could be great for the DIY bride who would rather handle her wedding sweets herself than pay a baker to create something for her. Though the instructions recommend wrapping undecorated cupcakes and then frosting them, I can’t see that surrounding an already-decorated cake with a cupcake wrapper could do all that much harm other than flatten the icing a bit on the sides. And at $4 per printable pattern (or $10 for a selection of three cupcake wrappers) it’s an easy way for brides and grooms to customize their cupcakes… er, provided that one of Paper & Cake’s cupcake wrapper designs works with their wedding theme or color scheme. For those who can’t find a match, I found a free DIY cupcake wrapper tutorial that lets you use any pattern you want. Enjoy!

If you’re getting married during a cold month, chances are you’re cursing the current trend of strapless and sleeveless gowns about now. Whatever you may think of how they look or how you feel when wearing one, the fact of the matter is that they don’t offer much protection from the cold.

And chances are you don’t really want to wear an ordinary raincoat or parka to your wedding venue! That wouldn’t add much to a grand entrance, would it?

So what’s a bride to do in these circumstances? She might want to get herself a pretty cloak.
(more…)

Planning a wedding can be a daunting task. It’s even more daunting if you’re not really sure what you want it to be like.

Pretty much everyone expects you to know what sort of wedding you’re planning as soon as you say yes. And if you don’t know what you want, there are plenty of people lining up to inform you of what you want.

If you’re not sure whether you want a casual garden wedding or one in a luxury hotel, one themed around your favorite flower or your favorite movie, a raucous party or a refined one, you may be confused about where to begin your efforts.

So where do you start to figure it all out? I’ve got a couple of ideas you may find helpful.
(more…)

Friday the 13th, la la la. I’m not listening to any superstitious nonsense, but I am surrounding myself with everything that is extra pretty and fun and sparkly just in case of entirely non-cosmic downers! Which is why I went looking for a deliciously upbeat and cheerful reception table to feature in today’s post.

I think this delightful table from Lollipop Events & Designs fits the bill, don’t you? Blue and orange weddings sound weird but are actually wonderful. How about that wood grain table runner or the decorative accents made from nothing more complicated (or expensive) than buttons, yard, and thread?

Rough cut fabric and a plain cream button turn a boring white favor box into something beyond cute. Want the look? Hit up the nearest fabric store and grab your hot glue gun, ladies and gents, because you can do it. And while you’re at it, use some of the same fabric and buttons to create napkin rings!

I heart mason jars, and not just because they’re free if you buy the right sort of pasta sauce from the supermarket. At this blue and orange wedding, each guest received custom crafty favors and mason jars accented with bright tangerine colored straws that had “Sip with Love” tags attached. Yummy!

Lollipop said forget the flowers and went with centerpieces created using tall vases and bud vases featuring ribbons and pearl buttons and topped with foam balls covered in yarn in lieu of blooms. Those details, more than any other, keep things like the wood grain fabric and buttons and mason jars from turning the whole affair into a country jamboree.

BONUS: DIY brides can get the look at Lollipop’s DIY tutorials page!

Edible wedding invitations are something that has before now never crossed my desk, but I’ll admit to having entertained the idea. Now I’ve seen everything, as Wonderful Graffiti sells huge 6″ lollipops printed with a monogram on one side and your wedding invitation on the other. Well, sort of. The monogram is printed with edible ink while the invitation itself is printed on glossy cardstock and affixed to the wrapper. The hang tag is the RSVP card, while the envelope for the RSVP card is hidden beneath the lollipop in the box.

Quite nice looking, but none too cheap. Postage alone will cost you $6 per lolly, which I suppose doesn’t seem like much when you’re paying $1,750 for 50 edible wedding invitations.

On hand, I’m a huge fan of anything edible… edible wedding favors, edible cake toppers, you name it. We all know that 99% of wedding guests are just going to throw out those keepsakes after enough time goes by. Sending out edible wedding invitations in the form of sweets pretty much guarantees that your wedding invitation isn’t going to end up in the trash bin, particularly if you are sending enough of them to families with children.

On the other hand, what to do if members of your family surreptitiously eat the invitation and toss the wrapper with all the deets? And some brides and grooms send out their invitations well in advance of the wedding. Those who are short on notepads and like to keep the original wedding invitation just in case may not feel much like eating a three month old lolly if the cardstock won’t come loose.

I love the idea, but I’m a little put off by the price… it seems like brides and grooms with access to good printers and specialty paper might be able to DIY this invitation with monogrammed lollipops or cookies or some other sweet. What say you?