To Suit Up or to Dress Down?

Here’s a dilemma for you: Do you want a formal wedding, or a semi-formal one?
The choice whether to suit up or to dress down belongs to the couple, and it rests on the choice of venue, time of the day, and theme of the wedding.

Day weddings and those held outdoors call for a laid-back environment. This is so the guests can freely move around the terrain as well as wear clothes that are suitable for the weather. You and your bridesmaids can wear tea-length dresses while your groom and his men can opt to wear semi-formal jackets and trousers. You also have the option to be the only one wearing a floor-length dress while your entourage wears tea-length dresses (just so the focus is on you, right?). Bowties and neckties are optional. You may opt to wear light colors and fabrics for this type of wedding.

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Formal weddings and those held in the evening require a more formal outfit. Floor-length dresses are best for women while the men ought to go for tuxedos or suits. Keep your wedding dress simple to enhance the elegance. This is also the right time to go long on the train as well as on the veil. While you can forego veils for semi-formal weddings, they do need to be present for formal weddings.

This type of wedding is usually held indoors such as cathedrals, hotels, reception areas, museums, and other grand places.

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Do you have any other suggestions for how to choose between going formal and semi-formal? Let us in on it!

Veils: The long and short of ‘em!

No wedding dress is ever complete without a veil. Long or short, it is one thing that will complete a bridal outfit. It’s pretty much like a staple in every wedding.

Until recently, there has been a soaring popularity in shorter versions of the traditional veil. They are in the form of birdcage veils, and they look really chic.

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Birdcage veils are perfect for tea-length or informal wedding dresses. They definitely work their charm with vintage or retro themed weddings. Remember that this veil has a more casual feel to it, and that its length is most suitable for shorter dresses.

As for the traditional long veils, these are timeless classics. They work best with wedding gowns, and by gowns we mean dresses that hit to the floor. Since long wedding veils are a dramatic look in itself, it is best worn with makeup that looks very natural.

A Quick recap on what you missed this week:

* Need Inspiration? Check Out Pinterest 

* 2012 Oscars: Who Takes Our Pick For the Best Dressed?

* The Sights of A Spring Wedding 

* Purple Haze Inspiration 

Purple Haze Inspiration

Last week we saw how margarita pantone can be an eye opener for the coming season. For today, let’s turn to a more subdued spring palette. Yep, it’s lilac!

Sweet lilacs add femininity to a colour palette. For sure, brides will be calling for this lovely colour. Look at how pretty it is. When paired with white, pearl, or cream, it makes for a very sweet pastel combination.

However, when put together with colors such as red, pink, green, and blue, it blends in well and even stands out. Lilacs pretty much sum up how spring should feel- serene, calm, and yet vibrant.

Images: Bride’s Bouquet | Wedding Favors | Lapel Décor  | Lilac Table Setting  |

Bridesmaids Dress | Bouquet 2 | Wedding Cake | Wedding Invites | Church Pews



Need Inspiration? Check Out Pinterest

Weddings today are becoming more and more intimate and personal. Gone are the days when they were used as a social climber’s tool to showcase wealth and status. We’ve divorced ourselves from the stiffness of uber traditional weddings and infused a little more creativity in them.
So far, since brides are becoming more interested and involved in the planning process, it is especially true that they will be influencing the wedding by a great deal. And why shouldn’t they? It is, after all, their celebration. But there are certain times wherein the bride loses sight of what she wants in a wedding. This is where inspiration comes in handy.

There are many websites that the bride can use to pick up a little idea. In fact, these websites even have tools to keep track of the planning process and keep the person in charge leverage in management. However, if simple visual inspiration is what you’re after, you might want to check out Pinterest.com In fact, we love it so much that we’re always browsing through it!

Type in keywords such as weddings, brides, and reception, and you will be taken into a portal or photographs which take inspiration from. Most of the pictures are professionally done, so they are absolutely a sight to see. Here are some pictures that you might encounter.

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From Spring Fling to Spring Wedding: Save The Date!

Everybody knows what a spring fling is. It’s a short-term relationship based on puppy love and schoolgirl crushes. Ultimately, it ends by the start of June. But you know you’re too mature for that, right? You took your relationship to different heights- from spring fling to spring wedding.

Since we’re working on a spring palette, we thought that you might want to match your invitations to the colour motifs. Take a look at how some couples did theirs to correspond to the colours of spring.

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Alternatively, you can use other materials aside from paper and ink. Spring is the season to get colourful and fun, so pick your brains and go for something eclectic. See how a little bit of creativity and effort make the invitation a lot more interesting.

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Do you have unique save the date ideas that you want to share? Let us in on your quirky ideas.  HAPPY WEEKEND!

A Quick recap on what you missed this week:

* Cocktails Anyone?

* Escort Your Guests the Right Way

* What Guestbook? Here's Something to Actually Write On

* A Little Splash of Green

A Little Splash of Green

Now that the temperature's rising, it's time to get ready for spring fever. Spring is perhaps the best season to walk down the aisle. It's not too cold and not too warm for an outdoor wedding, and the colours are just perfectly light and bubbly for the occasion.

So, What is spring without a little splash of green?

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Martini centerpiece,  Green Wedding Shoes , Wedding Cake, Invitation,
Table Number, Cupcake, Table Setting, Bridesmaids Dress, Groom

What Guest Book? Here’s Something to ACTUALLY Write on

Guest books used to be dull, boring, and such as hassle to fill in. If you’ve been a guest to weddings that have 

those kinds of guest books, then you probably have an idea about what I mean.

Thanks to a little innovative thinking (yes, it does take plenty of creativity) guest books have evolved from the boring 

piece of hard paper that it is into something worth keeping and displaying.

One fun activity is to give your guests pieces of a large puzzle for them to write on. After the wedding (and the honeymoon, of course) you can get down to business and put the pieces together. Once done, they make a good keepsake.

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You can also provide each table with thought-provoking question and have them answer it. You can use a notebook, a chalkboard, or whatever else you fancy.

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If you want a little vintage touch in your wedding, you can most definitely give your guests a typewriter. It may be a tad bit noisy, but the clacks will be something you’ll appreciate later on.

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These are just a few alternatives that we’ve managed to come by. Do you have more ideas for wedding guest book alternatives? Let us know.

Escort Your Guests The Right Way

Don’t you just find it such a hassle when people actually escort your guests to their seats? Even worse, there are even some wedding planners who encourage guests to approach a receiving table where they would be told where to sit. It’s kind of impersonal, don’t you think? Well, read on for some ideas on how to escort your guests to their respective tables.

Using tags is by far the easiest thing to do. If you’re short on ideas about how to display them, a simple trick is to tie them to a string and decorate it with flowers. It’s spring, after all, so you will have an abundance of flowers to choose from. Here’s an example.

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Another way to lead your guests to their seats at the reception is to have fun with the tags using plants. You can use them to tie a bunch of lilacs together. Use a ribbon for that little touch of fancy. You can also use plant labels as escort cards. To display them, simply place them neatly on a plant box filled with Bermuda grass. 

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If you’re having your wedding ceremony outdoors, then probably the best way for you to entice your guests to immediately go to the reception area is by providing them with beverages along with their escort cards. I’m pretty sure they’re going to be thirsty after an hour or so under the sun.

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Do you have other ideas for escort cards? Let us know. We’d love to hear about them!

Vera Wang on the Spot!

Her dresses are so fabulous! She makes it look so effortless!

Vera Wang was born Vera Ellen Wang to parents of Chinese descent. She was born and raised in New York City where she now lives with her husband. She is married to Arthur Becker, the former CEO of NaviSite, an IT services company.

Vera Wang trained as a figure skater at the age of six. She left the sport after she failed to make it to the US Olympics Team. Good for her (at least that’s what we think), because if she hadn’t left, we wouldn’t have this iconic designer that we know now. She graduated from The Chapin School and soon attended the University of Paris where she earned a degree in art history. She spent seventeen years as a senior fashion editor for Vogue, after which she left when she was turned down for the position of editor-in-chief, a position which Anna Wintour holds until today.

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She began her career by opening a design salon in New York City’s Carlyle Hotel which featured her creations which were mostly bridal gowns. To date, she has designed costumes for figure skaters as well as evening wear. Michelle Obama is one notable patron of hers.

Despite her prominence in pop culture, Vera Wang is renowned for her bridal collection, a trademark since she opened her first store in New York City. She has made wedding gowns for Chelsea Clinton, Ivanka Trump, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, Uma Thurman, and Kate Hudson, among others.

Her collection boasts of light colors, often pastels and off-whites with details such as ruffles and satin belts and ribbons. What you would notice about her designs is that they are delicate, but they do not go as far as being superbly sweet. Vera Wang manages to infuse a bit of modern design such as shapely silhouettes and craftsmanship into the traditional forms of her bridal collection.

Check out her latest collection at Vera Wang .

{DIY} Valentine’s Day Centerpieces

If you find yourself having a tight budget for your wedding, one thing you could do to cut costs is to unleash your creativity. This you could definitely do by creating your own wedding decorations. Things such as centerpieces and accents are definitely easy to do just as long as you have the time, patience, and three or more sets of hands to help you. Here are some of the simple centerpieces that you could do for a Valentine’s Day themed wedding.

Flowers make good Valentine’s Day wedding centerpieces, and you can buy them cheaper by bulk. You can experiment with them in different ways. No matter how hard you try, it is difficult to make things look ugly with flowers. You can pair them with candles of different lengths as well. This creates a very romantic ambiance in a dimly lit venue.
Of course, you can also showcase your pieces of artwork such as the paper rose tree above. This is a very simple, understated yet elegant centrepiece for a wedding.

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If you’re a culinary genius, then you might as well consider working on edible centrepieces for your guests to consume while at the reception. It will be just as tasty as it is pretty. You can simply arrange them on a tray or make it a little more fun for them. Look at the ones above for inspiration. Don’t they look just as lovely as the real thing? They could make good conversation pieces, too.

Having a lavish and beautiful wedding doesn’t mean that you have to empty your savings to please your guests. You and your partner, after all, should have all the attention there is during the wedding. The most important thing these DIY projects will do for you is to cut the cost of the event and allow you to divert the expenses to things that are more important for you and your partner such as a romantic honeymoon or a new home for the family you plan to raise together.

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I Do on Valentine's Day!

Sure, nothing is more cliche than tying the knot on Valentine’s Day; but if you think about it, there is no other perfect date to get hitched. If you’re thinking about granting yourselves the title of Mr. and Mrs. on this day, then read on. Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day wedding ideas for you. One thing to consider is the color scheme. Red and white (or pearl) is a traditional choice. Of course, a formal setting is best for this ultra romantic scheme. One thing you have to remember, though, is that when choosing a venue, you have to make reservations very early. The same thing applies when booking a florist and a caterer since plenty of people really do like the idea of getting married on the day of hearts.


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Red flowers work best with the theme of love. Red roses will do, but there are other alternatives that would work better. Red tulips are classic, and they look really nice as centerpieces. One trick you could pull is to tie a couple of tulips to a stone and submerge them in a vase full of water. This magnifies their beauty and creates a pretty little centerpiece. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable aspect of planning a wedding is choosing the menu. For a Valentine’s Day wedding, why don’t you try indulging your guests in aphrodisiacs such as oysters and some sweet treats. Make sure their tummies and taste buds feel the love.

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One way of showing your guests your appreciation is by telling them how much it means to you that they went out of their way to be your Valentine’s dates. Wedding favors can be in the form of handwritten love letters (if you do have the time to write them). In keeping with the occasion, you can also give them little cupcakes and cookies with icing that spells out "Thank you for being our dates this Valentines."

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Getting married on the day of love is perhaps one of the cheesiest, if not most romantic, thing you can do as a couple. We hope that these simple Valentine’s Day wedding ideas would help you make your event truly a day of celebrating your undying love for each other.