What to Wear to Weddings

Being in my twenties, it seems every year we get a handful of wedding invitations. I obviously love weddings, and I always have so much fun no matter whom the couple or the theme. It can be a daunting task figuring out what to wear just from a simple invite. If you are lucky the invite will indicate the attire that is appropriate, otherwise you might only get the simple cue of garden, beach or a hotel name. I like to dress for weddings according to some simple rules that are good to keep in mind. They are:

1. Keep it classy - This is a ceremony often religious and you don't want to come wearing the neon, midriff  bearing, cleavage showing, glitter dress you wore in Vegas to the bachelorette party!

2. Don't wear all white, cream or any shade resembling a wedding dress - It is the bride's big day, let her stand out in the color that is reserved for her or her bridesmaids just this once.

3. Dress for the weather - One VERY important rule I have learned about dressing that I would like to share with you is if it is windy, don't wear anything that can fly upwards in the wind. This is especially true for the Beach wedding category, anything flowy, and above the knees will be driving you crazy all night if there is wind. And that leads me to my next rule...

4. Dress comfortably - Weddings are a time to celebrate love and romance, but they are also a time to let loose, party with friends, eat some good food and have a couple of drinks. Wear something that you are comfortable dancing in, and having an extra piece of cake in. Also by dressing comfortably, wear something that is you, something that fits your personality because when you dress that way you are always more comfortable.

5. Better to overdress than under-dress - This rule is pretty self explanatory. If you are worried about overdressing, don't. You will be much more comfortable wearing something dressy than if you show up in something casual and everyone else looks dressier than you. But it is possible to overdress, unless it says black tie, don't show up wearing anything that resembles your prom dress or that is covered in rhinestones and sparkles. Just keep it simple.


Well I have put together a few of my favorite options to inspire your wardrobe for wedding season, and have broken it down into 3 categories of possible wedding types. Pair the following ensembles with the right shoes and accessories and you will surely be set. Which are your favorite looks?

Backyard/Garden Wedding

1. Forever 21  2. Skirt - Forever 21, Top - Lulus  3. Tobi  4. Lulus

Beach Wedding

1. Lulus  2. Tobi  3. Lulus  4. Lulus

Elegant (Museum, Church, Hotel) Wedding

1. BEBE  2. Tobi  3. Tobi  4. Lulus

Fall and Winter Bridesmaids

A while back I was helping a friend come up with design ideas for her winter wedding. Rustic weddings are so popular lately as is giving your bridesmaids individuality. Well I thought it would be so beautiful and adorable to put a little twist on the bridesmaids traditional attire for a fall or winter wedding. To keep it in the rustic category what if you had all of your best girls wear a cream lacy or girly type dress of their choosing. They could be long sleeved or sleeveless that way they are comfortable and the girls could show their own style, like this:

All dresses from Lulus

Or, like my original thought, have them wear matching, or mismatched sweater dresses in your winter wedding. Or lace, velvet or even sequined dresses! Wouldn't that be so cute?? They could even wear colored or dark tights and adding a metallic gold or silver skinny belt to a lot of these would top the outfit off perfectly. Here are a couple examples in mostly neutral colors to give you an idea, but you could do this in any color, any material, any embellishment. The idea is to really think out of the box for your bridesmaids especially if you want your wedding to be original. Also, this could save your ladies a lot of money as almost every single dress is well under $100 and if it isn't you could find a version of it for the price range I am sure, not to mention they would be totally comfortable. Can't you just imagine these beautiful and cozy dresses paired with some adorable heels, and a gorgeous bouquet?? Here are my picks:

Dresses - Victorias Secret

Trend - Brooch Bouquets

Ever since Miranda Lambert was married this spring I have noticed she started a trend of having your bridal bouquet made from antique brooches. It is an interesting take on something that has otherwise been pretty standard for years. I think it is great because it allows a way to add a lot of sentiment if you are able to use any family pieces in it. It will also last forever and can become a piece of art and a memento from your wedding. You could even pass it down to your children someday! Also, it allows you to add colors that you may not typically be able to achieve from traditional flowers. Though it is super 'blingy' and often very spendy to have made, I don't like that it misses the whole big fluffy bouquet thing that I personally love. But I do love love love the ones that are combined with silk flowers, fabric and feathers because it adds volume and texture but still has that something vintage, sentimental and sparkly vibe. What is your take on the brooch bouquets? Here are a few of my picks from Etsy, and below the girl that started it all Mrs. Blake Shelton.

I love that as I am looking at her photo her song just came on T.V.! =)

Image found here.

Has more fabric than bling but I love the combination.
Bouquet found here.

Monochromatic, DIY, very vintage version
Bouquet found here.

Bouquet found here.

Bouquet found here.

Bouquet found here.

FAVORITE
Bouquet found here.

Bouquet found here.

A different kind of color combination.
Bouquet found here.

LOVE the gold leaves.
Bouquet found here.

Another favorite, beautiful for a fall wedding.
Bouquet found here.

From Design to Reality!

Last year I designed an inspiration board for one of my best friend's weddings. She planned one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen! From vintage and feminine centerpieces, her grandmother's collection of hankies as favors, to a romance filled ceremony she didn't miss one detail! It was so breathtaking and I was so excited to help design it and be a part of her special day. So here is the inspiration board titled Vintage Blush Romance from one year ago, followed by the board of the actual day. I threw in a few gorgeous photos from their wedding as well done by Anna Jaye Photography. Brittany made the most stunning of brides!

Inspiration

The actual wedding!

Wedding Hair Flower

There are so many weddings coming up this summer and since one of my very best friends is getting married in just about a month, a lot of "wedding time" has been devoted to her, which I have no problem with! I am so excited for her big day. Months ago she decided she wanted to wear a flower in her hair and was planning on ordering one from an expensive vendor. I told her this was nonsense and that I would make her flower myself as a pre-wedding gift. Her colors are blush pink and ivory. She had sent me photos of her favorite types of hair flowers before and I just combined her favorites into one personalized flower. I think it turned out beautiful and to me it exemplifies the bride's style. I researched a little on how to make one and I bought all the supplies at a craft store and assembled it using hot glue. The flower has very light pink, ivory, and lace petals, feathers, and a jeweled center.

The most special part of this flower besides being made by one of her bridesmaids, is that the center little jewel flower came from the hair pins I wore on my own wedding day. They fit perfectly with the style and i thought it would be a sweet little memento for her to have. I am thinking about starting to make a variety of hair flowers and selling them on etsy. We will see what my time allows but I had a blast making it and it really did turn out better than I could have imagined! What do you think?

Alice in Wonderland Wedding Shower

Bringing Fantasy to Life! Part II

As you know from my previous post, myself and the wedding party to a wedding this summer planned an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding shower for our friend who is getting married this July. The shower was held May 7th. I made an inspiration board to guide our design process, the idea was sort of pastel and vintage, as oppose to crazy, funky bright Mad Hatter. Here is the inspiration for the extravaganza!

We had such a great time planning Brittany's Wedding Shower, and most importantly she LOVED it and had a great time, and so did we! Here are the pics of how it all turned out!

Brittany's reaction walking in and seeing it all for the first time.

Strawberry champagne punch, this was dangerously delicious! 

The first table you saw when walking in, with favors, photos and other fun stuff!

I found the cutest tags at the craft store, wrote "Drink Me" on them and we just tied them to the cups with ribbon.

The main food table - we had cucumber sandwiches, homemade scones, cookies, cupcakes, and deviled eggs.

The bride's family made all the sweets and added "eat me" writing and little tags.

A photo of me with the Bride, Brittany (left) and fellow bridesmaid, Kellyn (middle). It was so wonderful to see how many people dressed up for the occasion.