Fun and Romantic Valentine's Wedding

As January is quickly coming to an end, Valentine's day 2015 is only a few short weeks away.  This year, V-day falls on a Saturday so it makes an ideal wedding date for the romantically minded.  Now, having a Valentine's day wedding could potentially seem trite and cliched, but it can also be an extremely fun theme.  Remember decorating elaborate card-boxes and making homemade valentine's cards in elementary school? I say take all of that fun, over the top romance and give it a slightly more mature spin for the perfect wedding theme!

I imagine the bride in an intricate, ethereal ball gown style dress.  Her dress should be a soft white or just slightly off white so it doesn't clash with the red and pink colors of her bridesmaids and decor. A very pale blush dress could even work well with this theme.  I adore this floaty, lacey strapless Melissa Sweet gown from David's Bridal:

David's Bridal MS251004

A slightly more expensive option would be this gorgeous dress from the Allure Romance Collection:

Allure 2716

I love how both of these dresses float and drape around the brides.  Just a touch of lace and ribbon accents make these looks perfect for Valentine's day.

I imagine the bridesmaids in one of two colors of red or pink.  This After Six by Dessy style is fun and flirty, and its shape complements the ethereal look of the bride's dress.  Plus it comes in 80+ colors! I especially like the colors Posie, Honeysuckle, and Flame for a v-day theme. Each bridesmaid would wear matching colored shoes and simple jewelry.  

I want the flowers and decor for this wedding to be just slightly over-the-top. The flowers will be shades of red, pink, and white. I kind of like this Sweet Thoughts bouquet from Global Rose, perhaps with some added pink flowers and greenery for the bride.  For the bridal party I like the Sweet Kiss bouquet, also from Global Rose.   Note that both bouquets are available in varying amounts from the Global Rose website, so you'll need to determine how many you need before placing your order.  If you order more than you need for the bridal party bouquets, the extra flowers can always be used for reception centerpieces. 

Sweet Kiss

  

Sweet Thoughts

The reception would ideally be held in a gorgeous banquet hall space that can be decorated to fit the theme.  If it is in the bride and groom's budget, red or pink colored accent lighting would be fantastic.  It might be fun to replace the traditional reception meal with a variety of exotic tapas and cocktails. Of course there would be lots of chocolate featured for dessert, with some traditional heart-shaped sugar cookies for guests who may not like/be able to eat chocolate (Yes, there are people who are actually allergic to chocolate. What a sad fate!).   

For more inspiration, check out my Valentine's Day Wed Pinterest Board.  There I will be posting more pink and red Valentine's wedding decor, gorgeous romantic wedding dresses, tantalizing desserts and more.  

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Jessa Duggar Mock Wedding

Another Duggar daughter is getting married! Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald announced their engagement last Friday after nearly a year of "courtship."  I think the mock-up I did for the wedding of Jessa's older sister Jill was fairly accurate so I'm excited to another Duggar mock wedding post. First of all, I predict that this Jessa and Ben will marry fairly soon, based on the engagement timelines of the other married Duggars and their friends, the Bates family.  I think their wedding will be at the end of October or early to mid November.  Based on the colors Jessa seems to wear most often in her Instagram pictures, I think she will choose darker colors for her wedding; possibly a dark purple or charcoal, with bright orange accents. She will most likely have a large wedding party with all of her siblings as well as Ben's, and I would imagine it would be at the same church Jill was married at in June.

 Jessa comes off as more "princessy" and high maintenance than Jill, so I think she will choose a more elaborate ballgown style dress.  I really like these 5 options below. The first three are from Latterdaybride.com and the last two are from Allure's modest bridal line. It may be worth noting that Jill Duggar wore what appeared to be an Allure dress that had been modified to make it fit the family's strict modesty standards.   I could easily see Jessa choosing any of these 5 dresses or a similar style, but my personal favorites are the Zeppora and the Allure m503.  

1. Zeppora

2. Volante

3. Steinbruck

4. Allure M473

5. Allure M503

A big, dramatic ballgown needs to be accessorized with equally dramatic jewelry and a long veil so the overall look stays in proportion. This two tier veil from David's bridal would look great with any of the above gowns and is relatively inexpensive at $118 (okay, so not exactly "budget", but the Duggars can afford it.) 

Vera Wang Veil

 If the veil is a splurge, then the bride's jewelry would definitely be a steal. I imagine her wearing some blingy rhinestone and crystal statement pieces that won't be overwhelmed by the volume of her dress.  I absolutely love this scalloped rhinestone statement necklace from Icing! Some complementing earrings would be easy to find and would look great if the bride wears her hair in a half-up style.  Jessa already seems to favor a slightly smoky eye make-up look with subtler cheeks and lips, which would look great with this bridal style. She could either wear fun orange or purple shoes, or stick with a plain white pump style.

Icing Statement Necklace

Both the bride and her bridal party would carry bouquets consisting mostly of flowers in various shades of orange, with some greenery thrown in.  Since this is a fall wedding, I think her bridesmaids would look elegant (and stay warmer!) in floor length modest gowns. My favorite is this Alfred Sung Style D569 dress from Dessy in the color 'Majestic'.  Simple crystal necklaces and earrings, as well as gray high-heeled shoes would complete their look.  The groomsmen would be fashion forward in charcoal or navy suits with purple ties and pocket squares.

Orange and Terracotta Bouquet

Hopefully we'll find out more details about the upcoming Duggar-Seewald nuptials soon! Until then, I hope you enjoyed reading this and that you've gained a bit of purple princess wedding inpiration.  Do you think my predictions are right? Only time will tell, but I certainly had fun imagining another Duggar wedding, whether or not my predictions are anywhere close to what they actually choose.  In the meantime, check out my Jessa Duggar Mock Wedding Pinterest board, and thanks for reading!


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Younique 3D Lash Giveaway

Remember my 'Fake It' post about budget friendly ways to look picture perfect on your wedding day? One of my suggestions was to wear fake eyelashes for maximum photographic impact. Well, here's a giveaway for a gel makeup that makes your natural lashes look like false lashes. Enter for your chance to win by August 16, 2014.

Younique Giveaway Sponsored by Vicki's Younique

Hosted by Deals of Sweetness

Co-Hosted by Pea of Sweetness

Younique’s simple three-step process combines Transplanting Gel and Natural Fibers to help create the appearance of incredible thickness and volume to your existing lashes. Watch as your lashes transform into something you have only dreamed of! The 3D Fiber Lashes are water resistant but easily washes off with warm water and facial cleanser at the end of the day. Try it! It will quickly become your favorite makeup must-have!
Emilee at Deals of Sweetness is always looking for safer products, and was excited to try Younique products and was impressed by others' results! Check out her full Younique review.
Would you like dramatic lashes? One winner will receive Younique 3D Lashes! This giveaway begins on 8/2 and ends on 8/15 at 10:00pm (times are Central) and is open to US residents ages 18+. Please refer to the full terms and conditions in the Giveaway Tools.

Entry-Form

  Disclosure: Emilee from Deals of Sweetness and Pea of Sweetness received free product(s) to facilitate her review. No other compensation was received. Participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Navy and Gold Nautical Wedding

I'm still feeling summery and craving some time on the water so this weeks wedding theme is a nautical, navy and gold themed wedding.  I'm imagining the setting for this event to be somewhere on the East Coast but I suppose it could work for any couple anywhere that loves the water.  I want this wedding to look more preppy and cohesive than some of the other weddings I have designed, but to still maintain an element of fun.

First off, the absolute perfect setting for a wedding like this would be at a marina or boat club.  An outdoor ceremony with the water in the background would be so stunning! I can imagine the ceremony taking place in front of a gazebo right on the water with a string quartet providing the musical accompaniment. I would love to have the same venue for both ceremony and reception so guests can just seamlessly mingle with each other immediately after the ceremony without having to drive to a separate location.  I am absolutely in love with this venue, East Hampton Point Resort, in Long Island, NY.  It has everything I imagined for this wedding, although the price is rather expensive.

East Hampton Point

Flowers

Secondly, I think the bride should wear something very elegant and flowing, but not too big or princess-ey.  I absolutely adore this Oleg Cassini gown from David's Bridal, and while its original price is a bit on the high side, it is now on sale for a huge discount! The bride's accessories should match the elegance of her gown so I'm thinking pearl jewelry and a beautiful long, embroidered veil.  To keep with the navy and gold color scheme I want her to wear gold or navy shoes and carry something similar to this yellow, blue, and white bouquet.  The bridesmaids would wear blue dresses with gold sashes and gold shoes.  They would also accessorize with simple pearly or gold jewelry and carry similar bouquets.   The groom and groomsmen would wear either tan or navy fitted suits with yellow and white boutonnieres, bow ties, and pocket squares.   

Oleg Cassini

 Finally, I want to incorporate a little bit of the nautical theme in the reception without going overboard and making it look tacky.  I imagine that there would be a few classy rope and anchor motifs sprinkled throughout the decorations and table settings, and possibly on the wedding cake as shown below.  I want the majority of the focus to be on the navy and gold color scheme with just a few nautical touches. This blue and gold stationery from Ladyfingers Letterpress is so pretty and elegant! Mostly white table settings with navy and gold accents and centerpieces would perfectly set off coordinating place settings and menus.  

For more nautical inspiration, check out my Pinterest board. Thanks for reading, and please share this post if you enjoyed it!

Anchor cake

Stationery

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Red, White, and Blue Wedding

It may be a few weeks late for July 4th, but a red, white, and blue theme is still perfect for a summer wedding.  While most of the weddings I've seen with this theme are outdoors, I think during this time of year an indoor wedding and possibly the reception as well would be much nice indoors (Air-conditioned spaces, hallelujah!) Outdoor weddings are lovely but during the sweltering summer months of July and early August it is much more comfortable for everyone involved to not be sweating and swatting at insects all day.

Sweetheart Trumpet Gown

Beaded Taffeta Fit and Flare

For an elegant summer wedding, I imagine the bride would look fresh and gorgeous in a silky, fitted gown.  This fit and flare taffeta gown with beaded accents from David's Bridal looks both elegant and season-appropriate.  Depending on the bride's personal preference, any fitted or slim style of dress would be a good look for a July wedding.  This David's Bridal trumpet gown with a beaded, sweetheart necklace would also look fun and classy.  I think the bride could accessorize with either sparkly crystal jewelry or sophisticated pearls.  Again, depending on the bride's preferences, she could either wear a long, lightweight veil, or forego a veil and simply wear an elegant hair comb or barrette with a low updo. This rhinestone 'Firework' hair comb from Icing would look lovely right above a low chignon. Bright red or navy blue shoes would add just a pop of fun color.

Bridesmaid Dresses

 Bridesmaids would stay cool and comfortable in these strapless cotton sateen dresses in marine (or a darker blue), paired with matching pumps. The bridesmaids would also wear pearl jewelry and have similar low hairstyles that will keep them cool and sweat-free.  The bride would carry a bouquet of mainly white flowers with accents of red and blue, while the bridesmaids would carry red and white bouquets.  A great way to save money on bouquets for the entire bridal party would be to buy the flowers wholesale and then DIY the bouquets.   Globalrose.com has wholesale priced roses, hydrangeas, and snapdragons, which would all look stunning together in a summer bouquet.

White Garden Bouquet

I imagine the reception decor will be fun and bright.  I would like to see long tables with white tableclothes and tall red, white, and blue centerpieces (silk flowers are okay to use here). Cute banners and hanging decorations in red and blue would make a visually interesting backdrop. The menu would be fun and summery, consisting of barbecue-inspired cuisine.  Grilled or barbecued chicken, pork, and sliders with a gourmet condiment bar would be fun and filling. The usual potato and pasta salads and baked beans would also be present, classed up with exotic spices and ingredients. There would also be a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables to snack on, while drinks would be bottled beers, lemonade, and sodas in glass bottles on ice.  Dessert would be a light angel-food cake garnished with whipped vanilla icing and more fresh berries, some soft sugar cookies decorated with red and blue sugar, and old-fashioned root beer floats served in frosty mugs.  Sparklers would be available as entertainment for the wedding guests and as a send off at the end of the night.

I hope this has inspired you to think about having a patriotic summer wedding! For more red, white, and blue inspiration, check my Wed, White and Blue board on Pinterest. I'll be keeping the summer theme going next week with a nautical wedding theme so check back next Wednesday!


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Duggar-Dillard Wedding Mock-Up

Hello and happy June everyone! Later this month Jill Duggar (fourth child of the supersized Duggar family of "19 Kids and Counting" fame) will be marrying accountant and missionary Derick Dillard.  They make an absolutely adorable couple and I was inspired to design a mock-up of what I consider to be their ideal wedding based on Jill's public Pinterest account*.

David's Bridal CMK513

Based on Jill's Pinterest and recent pictures of the happy couple's wedding shower, it seems like they have chosen a rustic theme with a mint green and peachy pink color scheme.  I imagine a simple and cute outdoor ceremony and reception could take place on the Duggar family's ample property, but it was recently reported that the future Mr. & Mrs. Dillard will be tying the knot in the same church where Jill's parents wed 30 years ago (Information found here).

As with all of the older Duggar girls, Jill seems to be very girly and petite.  I think she would be best suited to wear a mermaid/fit and flare or slim A-line style lacy dress with possibly an illusion neckline and cap sleeves. I really like the look of this "Esperanza" style dress from www.latterdaybride.com, as well as this tea-length dress from David's Bridal.  A floaty light veil, pearl jewelry, and pink shoes would complete the bride's look.  

Esperanza

Bridesmaid

  For bridesmaids dresses, I actually really love the look of these lacy      peach dresses found on Jill's Pinterest.  The style is modest enough to fit the Duggar's strict religious standards, but also appears to be stylish and would likely look good on most of the girls Jill chooses as bridesmaids.  Each bridesmaid could wear a different style of pearl jewelry and nude shoes to complete her ensemble.



The bouquets and decorations should look simple and use classic, rustic flowers such as baby's breath, peonies, and old-fashioned roses in various shades of cream and pink, tied with mint colored ribbon.  Large, high-impact flowers such as peonies and hydrangeas are a great way to minimize floral costs because you can use fewer flowers in each individual bouquet and still end up with a stunning arrangement.

                                           
Finally, since this is a somewhat informal wedding theme, I imagine the groom and groomsmen could wear light gray or tan suits accented with mint green ties and small rose and baby's breath boutonnieres. A fun touch that I've seen recently is having the groomsmen wear coordinating colored socks to show off in some goofy pictures.  
Even if the ceremony is indoors in a church, June is the perfect time of year to have an outdoor reception.  I imagine setting up 3 or 4 outdoor canopies to shelter the food and beverages from the sun and provide a small bit of shelter in case of rain, but having assorted seating options such as chairs, chaise lounges, and straw bales set up in small clusters. The bridal party table could be decorated with burlap and small arrangements of baby's breath or other flowers in vases made out of glass jars.  To encourage mingling among guests,  there should be an ample array of finger foods and and desserts.  A really fun touch that goes well with this rustic, Southern theme would be an iced-tea and lemonade bar with various fruity syrups that could be used to customize each drink.

Best wishes Derick and Jill! May you have many happy years together and be always blessed. <3

*I'm choosing not to include direct links to any of Jill Duggar's social media out of respect for her privacy. Her Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter accounts are all public and easily available to find on your own if you really want to.

Fake it, baby!

Nope, I'm not talking about your wedding night (get your minds out of the gutters), but a few handy products that can definitely help you simplify and save on your wedding or special occasion beauty routine.

Broadway Nails Real Life

Did you ever play around with fake nails when you were in junior high or high school? My friends and I did on several occasions but we always bought the cheapest, most outrageous nails we could find.  However, if you do some searching, you can find very realistic, professional looking nails that are much cheaper than the cost of a salon manicure.  I really wish I had considered using false nails for my wedding instead of shelling out $30 for a manicure that wasn't all that impressive anyways. Over the summer I had boudoir pictures done as an anniversary present for my husband and decided to take a chance and wear false nails.  I was nervous that they wouldn't stay on, or that they would look obviously fake, but they look amazing in the pictures! A quick search on amazon turns up hundreds of results for fake nails that are a far cry from the fake and juvenile looking ones I was accustomed to seeing.  Particularly good brands that I have found are Fing'rs, Kiss, and Broadway, but there are others as well.  You can easily get a gorgeous manicure for $6-$10 by using false nails, instead of the $30+ that a salon manicure costs.

Kiss Custom Fit

Obviously, you want to purchase your false nails well ahead of time to do a trial wear so you can see how they look in person and how well they stay on.  The Fingr's false nails that I used came with glue stickers, but I constantly felt like they were coming loose and had to obsessively check to make sure they were still on. The nails themselves looked awesome, but I would recommend using liquid nail glue as opposed to stickers. Also, you can buy some pretty crazy nail designs, but I would definitely stick with a classic french manicure or solid, subtle color to avoid looking like a wannabe teenager prom-queen.


Now, to ensure that your false nails look as good as possible you want to follow a few basic steps:

Fing'rs Duo-tone

1. Choose a false nail style that is a subtle color and a short to medium length.
2.  Before applying glue, check to ensure that each false nail fits the width of your natural nail bed. Nails that are slightly larger than your nail bed may be painful to wear, but they will look okay. False nails that are smaller than your natural nails will look obviously fake. 
3. Gently push back your cuticles with a clean orange (cuticle) stick.
4. Swipe each of your natural nails with nail polish remover and let dry before applying nail glue. This will remove excess oils and ensure a good tight bond between your nail and the false nail.  
5. Gently file any unnatural looking bits of plastic off the false nails.  
6. Be sure to bring extra nail glue in your bridal emergency bag, just in case! 

Seasonal Wedding Tips

Pre-decorated church

Christmas Tree Kiss

The holidays are approaching and now is a GREAT time of year to get married.  Not only do most religious venues and public spaces have holiday decorations up, but a there is a chance that many of your family members will have extra days off work so you could potentially save money by having your wedding on a less popular day of the week, such as a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.  The prominence of greenery and decorations in churches and public areas means that you won't have to spend money on ceremony decoration, and could quite possibly save on reception decor as well! Seriously, how amazingly romantic are pictures of newlyweds kissing in front of a softly lit pine tree!?

If you are lucky enough to live in an area that gets snow in December it is almost guaranteed that your pictures will have a magical winter background! Your accessories and bridal party colors will absolutely pop against the glistening, white background of snow. It might be a little bit cold during the pictures but I think the end results are totally worth it!

Snowy Wedding Backdrop

A few more ideas to consider when planning for a holiday wedding is that it does get dark earlier in November and December, so it may be a good idea to have an early afternoon wedding in order to have the best light for any outdoor photography.  With an earlier wedding you could also potentially save money by having a lighter reception with an array of hors d'oevres and drinks instead of  full sit down meal.  Of course you would want to provide enough food so that your guests aren't starving by the end, but serving several types of appetizers also keeps the mood of the reception light and festive.

Hopefully this inspired some of you seasonal brides-to-be and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, whatever you may celebrate!

WW#5 Modest Autumn

Hello everyone! I am very excited about this weekly wedding theme! Why? Well, first of all, it celebrates autumn, which is truly my favorite season (and getting near my wedding anniversary!), and secondly, it was very much an invigorating challenge.  I chose a modest theme because I wanted to do something that was quite different for me and I was inspired by the number of conservative people I know who are recently engaged.  Now, modesty means different things to different people so I'm not claiming that this post is a definitive, catch-all style guide for modesty.  My ideas of modesty are rather general; covered from the shoulders to below the knees. To some people this may be more modest and to others it is definitely less modest. I know some people think modest dress means absolutely nothing form-fitting, and some people also believe that contrasting buttons or seams are immodest.  Hopefully this post fits a happy medium and will give you plenty of ideas that can be modified to your own tastes and views of modesty.

This is going to make the post a little bit longer than usual, but I want to start out with some tips on what NOT to look for in modest wedding apparel.  It is in no way my intention to offend anyone with this section; I just want to show that there are plenty of stylish, beautiful modest wedding dresses out there and that you don't have to settle for a plain, boring, short-sleeved satin A-line dress.  Some people may think that a very plain wedding dress is fine because it allows the bride's natural beauty to shine, but that clearly isn't always the case.  This type of dress is hardly flattering on anyone because of where the bodice and skirt meet.  Instead of framing the bride's face, the high, unadorned neckline actually detracts from her beauty, and the plain sleeves make it look no better than wearing a plain white Hanes tshirt with  matching white skirt.  Understandably, some religions find this style of dress to be the only appropriate wedding apparel for a bride, so I am not criticizing brides whose case that may be. However, if you have a choice and are not convicted by your religious beliefs to wear this type of old-order Mennonite looking dress, then you have a world of gorgeous and flattering modest options available! One last word here, if this is the type of dress you want, don't be afraid to dress it up a little bit. Add a decorative belt, sash, or pin! Also, lace looks beautiful on almost any style of dress so consider using it instead of satin, or as an overlay.

First of all, depending on how modest you want your dress to be, you can choose from several sleeve and neckline variations. One way to combine visual interest and modesty is to choose a dress with an embellished neckline. I personally like the illusion neckline trend, and it can be very modest if the illusion material has spaced lace or appliques. You can also look for dresses that have lace or scalloped edges; a scoop neck dress with lace edging is super stylish currently! Cap sleeves, flutter sleeves, and longer length sleeves are all good options to personalize your modest look according to your personal style.

Modest Neckline Options

Now, onto the fun stuff- a beautiful modest autumn wedding!

For this wedding, I chose to go with a lacy 1/2-3/4 sleeve dress.  As I stated before, there are plenty of modest sleeve options but I thought that a longer sleeved dress would be seasonally appropriate as the weather in September and October can be chilly (as I learned the hard way when I about froze doing pictures outside at my late October wedding).  As a side note, I completely sympathize with brides who are trying to find a modest dress that fits their comfort level.  It took me a very long time to find the right dress(es) for this post based on what look I wanted. I knew I wanted a dress with sleeves, but I also wanted to avoid the overdone Kate Middleton dress style. Additionally, it is apparently now popular to pair 3/4 sleeves with knee-length dresses now, and fit and flare dresses are also popular; neither look is something I would be comfortable wearing and neither of which I wanted to use in this wedding.  I eventually found two dresses to use; one is a fit and flare but I really like how it looks, and the other has a looser fit.  I chose to include a second dress option because some brides may feel that the form-fitting look of a fit and flare style is not modest. 

Modest Satin and Lace

Justin Alexander Signature

*A note about the second dress: This dress is sold on Etsy and I personally would be hesitant to buy this dress because you have absolutely no guarantee that it will be of acceptable quality. I am including it because I like how it looks, but this should not be taken as an endorsement of the dress itself or the seller of the dress. 

To keep the bride's overall look simple and elegant, and in order to not overshadow such a gorgeous dress, I chose to pair the dress with simple peep-toe low heels and a long veil with no other hair adornments. Delicate jewelry and  natural, radiant, dewy makeup completes the look.  The bride's bouquet would be shades of cream, orange, red, and yellow, to reflect the changing colors of the leaves on the trees.  These colors would also really pop against the background of the bridesmaids' green dresses.  

Finding a stylish and attractive bridesmaid dress was even more difficult than finding the bride's dress.  Part of this is my fault because I had a set style and color in mind (yes, this goes against my #1 wedding planning rule of flexibility, oops!)  I wanted the main colors to be green and gold to reflect the bounty of the harvest season, with accents of fall's reds and oranges.  I was looking for a mossy or olive green bridesmaid dress but could not find any to my satisfaction.  Finally, I found this simple yet sophisticated dark green dress listed as a mother-of-the-bride dress.  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but dressed up with a soft gold sash it would be perfect! Add nude or gold low pumps and the bridesmaids perfectly complement the bride. 

Wedding S'mores Bar

Finally, I imagine that the setting of the wedding itself would be someplace woodsy and charming.  If not performed in a church, perhaps the ceremony would take place outdoors in a woodland clearing in front of a small cabin.  The reception could be either in a lodge or covered pavilion, or just outdoors in the same clearing with tables set up underneath a large awning.  Live music is a must have to set the mood for both ceremony and reception.  Instead of a full dinner being served, there would be a wide array of hors d'oeuvres to encourage guests to mingle.  Along with the traditional wedding cake, dessert would be a s'mores bar offering many varieties of chocolate and specialty marshmallows. I know some people choose to have a firepit to roast marshmallows during an outdoor reception, but I prefer small sterno flames to avoid guests having to deal with their clothes smelling like wood smoke.  

Hopefully you all enjoyed this little foray into modest wedding planning as much as I did.  For more inspiration, please visit my Pinterest board Modest Autumn Wedding! Also, I'm running out of ideas for new themes so please leave a comment with what you want me to cover next. Happy wedding planning <3

WW#4- Red and Black Romance

Once again I find myself apologizing for a huge delay between posts. I'm having health issues again and to top that off my computer is not working quite properly :(

Anyways, my inspiration for this weekly wedding is the classic red and black theme that many brides seem to favor.  Honestly, it is not one of my favorite themes, but I think I can find a way to make it work. To really make this theme stand out and not look tired or overdone, the colors need to be crisp and clean.  No ivories or off-whites here please.  I think a crisp, bright white dress accented by vivid red or crimson is the way to go here.

I really like this dress from JC Penney with its bright satiny white fabric.  I'm not sure if this dress is in-stock anymore, but online it is still listed as costing less than $100! At that price, I would be slightly concerned about the fabric quality, but most of the reviews are generally positive and I myself have bought other formal and semi-formal dresses at JC Penney without problems.  To keep the look more formal the bridesmaids dresses have a bit of a ruffled collar and would be paired with black shoes.  Of course, the bride gets to have a little bit of fun so red shoes perfect! These ones listed cost $50 from DSW.  The bouquets should be elegant but simple; red roses from Globalrose or 50flowers, maybe accented with lilly of the valley or baby's breath and some green ferns.

In keeping with an elegant look, the bride would wear a mid-length or longer veil, dramatic makeup and statement jewelry.  I also think the bride should wear her hair down or in a low updo to balance out the rest of her ensemble and prevent it from looking too stiff and ultra-formal.

The decorations of the ceremony and reception could be any myriad of styles, depending on what style the couple wants.  Personally, I would use a lot of candles and soft lighting, with sleek and tall centerpieces. Good music for this style would be classic strings, either live or recorded.  Perhaps some Tchaikovsky or Mozart.


That's all for this post and I apologize if it's not quite up to my usual quality. For more black and red inspiration, check out my Pinterest, and please leave me any comments or questions you may have, as well as suggestions for future themes!  


Disclaimer: As always, I only provide links for your benefit and they are not monetarily beneficial to me.  I am not affiliated in any way with any of the companies mentioned and provide these posts solely for your information and entertainment.

A Few Things

Re-reading my old posts, I realized that I forgot some key information.  I gave you tips on how to find a good photographer on a budget, but I never mentioned what to do with the pictures!  Most independent photographers can offer prints through their preferred lab, which is usually a 3rd party and not actually done by the photographer.  I recommend getting at least a few pictures professionally developed through a photo lab because the quality is MUCH better than from "discount" photo printing sites such as Shutterfly or Snapfish.  I just used Shutterfly to get my prints because I didn't want to spend any extra money and was a bit disappointed with the quality.

However, I definitely recommend using a cheaper service to do any small 4x6 prints you might want because at that size the quality difference will be negligible and having the best quality prints isn't quite as important for pictures that are just going in an album.  Another great thing about Shutterfly is that they partner with a lot of bridal companies, such as David's Bridal and theknot.com, to offer you special deals after your wedding.  I managed to get two free Shutterfly photobooks because I was registered on The Knot website and filled out some evaluations of my wedding vendors, and because I bought my dress from David's Bridal.  These books made great presents for my parents and my in-laws and didn't cost me a thing!

Weekly Wedding #3- Burlap and Pink

Hello again! For the third installation of my weekly wedding series, I decided to go with a country princess theme.  Now, this theme is inspired by my best friend in the world, so I tried to keep in mind my friend's preferences and modest budget.  I love the soft, feminine style of the bride's dress and the hint of pink really makes it stand out. The style of this wedding is right on the border of casual and chic, so complementary bridesmaid dresses really work well here.  I think a convertible wrap dress is perfect for this early summer wedding.  There are a ton of different convertible dresses out there and they pretty much all can be worn in one of at least 5 different ways.  I really like the style pictured here, but instructions for wearing the dress in a different style can be found at http://www.dessy.com/wrap-dress/instructions.aspx.

Organza Split Front DB $250

Short Wrap Dress $140

Ariat Brown Bomber Boots $100 

Besides the short convertible dress I chose to use here, there are several other lengths to choose from.  All of these styles would look great for a country chic wedding, and the sea pink color perfectly complements the whisper of pink in the bride's dress! An added bonus is that these dresses are made of soft jersey material, which looks incredibly comfortable and doesn't wrinkly as easily as other fabrics! The only drawback that I can foresee with these dresses is that many of the styles have an open back, necessitating the use of an uncomfortable backless bra, or buying the company's matching bandeau ($30) to wear under the dress.  Cowboy boots set off the country theme, with the bridesmaids wearing brown high heeled boots and the bride wearing pink and brown boots. Light colored eyeshadow really makes the bride's blue eyes pop. To enhance the princess part of the theme, the bride would wear a simple crystal flower tiara from Icing paired with an elbow length veil.

Crystal Flowers Tiara $15

The bridal bouquet would be made up of soft pink peonies, cream roses, baby's breath and ferns as greenery.  The bridal party would carry smaller versions of the same bouquet, minus the roses. Each bouquet would be wrapped in a soft tan burlap, with the bride's bouquet pinned by an antique brooch. In keeping with the country theme, the music would be a recorded selection of country love songs and classical wedding music played on acoustic guitar.  To add variety and keep costs down, instead of one large wedding cake there would be a dessert bar consisting of various fruit pies and buttercream cupcakes.  

For more burlap and pink inspiration, check out my weekly wedding #3 board on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/elwoodme/weekly-wedding-3/! 

   

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