Here Comes The Bride

Now that you know your budget, you know the theme of your wedding, and hopefully have the date and location locked down, you can find your dream dress!

You've probably been pinning gowns day in and day out, adding gowns to your favorites list on your computer, you're maybe even positive what style you are going for, but don't fool yourself. It is okay to be specific on a type of fabric or fabrics you want on the gown, and you probably know what color works best with your skin, but when you go into your first try on appointment, be open to more than just one silhouette of dress.
 The models look good in pretty much all of the gowns, let's be real, but also, let's face it, we aren't all models, and even if you are, you're body isn't necessarily the same type as the model; so what you think looks best based on a picture, may not mean it's the best for you.
And it's okay to know what you hate, and know what you absolutely won't wear, but be open to the ones you just aren't sure about, once you try some on, you may surprise yourself. Trying on multiple styles will help reassure what you thought you loved and it may help you out when the style you thought was for you, didn't really look like you expected it to.

The basic Silhouettes:

Ballgown:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMTeNX8pgs6YKdwujnIJqq9M9_M2A5qiW5jv3asN8yg0CInHRPlqGs-haCwTXfRNfrY4K1ZVnIgmFBNragrMUV05metQs3zMKruyPdAeYuBAJsrv-ZH0HEiZdstspfeuNCvIOByQzvU5o/s1600/Ball+Gown+with+logo.jpg

This silhouette is the most formal and traditional of the silhouettes with a dramatically full skirt and a tight fitting bodice with a natural waist line, sometimes seen as a variation with a little bit of a dropped waistline or a basque waist, which comes to a point in the front. The skirt can come in many variations, from tulle to lace, with pick-ups or tiers. 

This silhouette works with a more traditional or formal wedding (the perfect princess/fairytale look) and helps to make a wider waist look smaller and hide bigger/ heavier bottom halves. 

If you're a short bride, however, this silhouette tends to make you look shorter, while it also shortens the appearance of your torso. 

A-line: 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jnleAzP6zntmqtJNJbcunkH3mqcwJeOr4o5-nFyANDz5w31XESrRiazxaqKh0x74IsXC7uoyrwqZ4aZGqM2SG6lv-JPwYM8-mEs4o3GTVZoLTXhk0M8DlujFQpwfNIGC5nosbE9oySLK/s1600/A-line+with+logo.jpg

This silhouette features a fitted bodice and gradually flares out past the natural waist, towards the bottom, making an "A" shape, giving this silhouette it's name. It is slightly fitted through the hips. This style is also sometimes called a princess gown. The fullness of the gown can be more or less dramatic depending on the style you want to go for, giving the style the slim a-line variation and the full a-line variation. 

This style, like the ballgown de-emphasizes a wider waist, while hiding a larger bottom. It also adds feminine curves to women who have a straight figure, and helps give shorter brides the appearance of being taller. This silhouette is known as the universally figure-flattering. 

Mermaid:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZ32VddnmER2v2krYuqLfwnelsjpC20znOUQMb9Jqlo397PVkmFLz4SyMYqobrC6pW9pJNc20tD-1spR0UDEdBMuSJlehBgT6TSEAs9R4zrSpEjUO7w4u5uD5i_yeLtOWTOqKbnfiN-_S/s1600/Mermaid+with+logo.jpg

The mermaid gown hugs the curves of the body down to the knees or slightly below, where the skirt then begins to dramatically flare to the floor. Different variations of the mermaid can have the skirt more or less full/flared. This style is very glamorous, high-fashion and sexy. 

This is one of the best dresses for hourglass figures because it highlights feminine curves, while it also adds the appearance of curves to straight figured women.

If you have a straight or wide waist, the mermaid silhouette tends to show that off. It also will accentuate wide hips. 

Similar to the mermaid are the trumpet and fit-and-flare gowns. 

Trumpet gowns begin to flare about mid-thigh and fit-and-flare gowns begin to flare right below the hip. 

Sheath:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaveUrBPtbqtzruW7ESK75a-R59172Fm8XNhuscYiIggjcGsg1JpIzs6OMI1KPJyzL4WywS3VAt07nfua6xnR-f9CqH-IU2kOMxCuq5zAxTMclryzVrBgmsPFingvxvB8B7CbpCP3NDjbG/s1600/Sheath+with+logo.jpg

The last main wedding gown silhouette is the sheath, it is a long, narrow, slim-fitting silhouette, and usually made with lighter weight fabrics. 

It is great for shorter  brides because the long narrow silhouette elongates your body. 

It is most flattering on slimmer and straight figures, and is not very flattering if you have a pear shaped body. They also tend to emphasize a short waist. 

When most people see a sheath gown, destination weddings come to mind. 

A variation of the sheath dress is the empire silhouette; defined by the high waistline, sitting right beneath the bust. Sometimes the skirt of the empire gown is more similar to an a-line gown than the sheath. 

This variation helps to elongate the frame as well while hiding lower body flaws and curves. It is flattering on women with a smaller bust and great for long, short, or wide torsos. It's a perfect style for pear-shaped figures and also helps to hide a baby bump. 

This style does not complement hour-glass figures though. 

Keep this in mind while you're madly pinning those wedding gowns and saving dresses to your favorites bar. 

Next time we will discuss necklines. :) 

Til then, happy planning!

Let's Talk Budget

I bet you're getting excited now. Having chosen your colors, theme, date, etc. But before you go crazy, sit down and rationally figure out your wedding budget. You can't exactly go anywhere without this figured out. It's actually the first thing you need to do before booking or renting or purchasing anything. Find out from your family how much they are willing to help pay for, or even what specifically they will pay for no matter the price, ie. venue, wedding gown, honeymoon, etc. Traditionally the brides parents pay for the majority of the wedding, and the grooms family pays for the rehersal and sometimes the honeymoon. But going traditional may not be right for you and your wedding. So lock down the amount of money family (and maybe friends) will be contributing and then seriously think of how much money you are able and willing to spend on the wedding.

This is your basic breakdown of where your budget goes. 
The Reception: 48% - 50%
The Ceremony: 2% - 3% 
Attire: 8% - 10%
Flowers: 8% - 10%
Entertainment/Music: 8% - 10%
Photography/Videography: 10% - 12%
Stationary: 2% - 3%
Wedding Rings: 2% - 3%
Parking/Transportation: 2% - 3%
Gifts: 2% - 3%
Miscellaneous: 8%
Avoid stress by adding a "Just in Case" Fund: 5%


Read more: Wedding Budget 101TheKnot.com - http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-budget/articles/wedding-budget-ways-to-save-money.aspx#ixzz2JO48dnf5

Try this website to see the average cost of a wedding in your area!

http://www.betsyraye.com/Costestimatorbreakdown.html

Always do your research! Check out multiple possibilities. Make pros and cons lists and compare prices against the overall quality/quantity you get out of services and products. 

Love: A Feeling Completely Bound With Color

So you've chosen your date, you have the venue (or you're in the middle of picking or finding the perfect one), and you know what kind of theme you're going for. Now you can choose your wedding colors!

Usually people will choose one or two colors, but why stop there?! As you may know, it's been a trend to not exactly choose any colors and instead have a wildly colorful wedding (this can be done well, and also, not so well). It all depends on the season, venue, and theme of your wedding, what will work and what won't. But you, by no means, have to or even should stick with one or two colors for your wedding day.

A beautifully styled wedding will have one or two main colors, sometimes three, but there are other colors involved too; those, my friends, are accent colors. It's all about color theory. We can start with the basics.

 

http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/31600000/color-wheel-colors-31651206-500-489.jpg

Blue, red and yellow are the primary colors. When mixed, you get the secondary colors, orange, violet, and green. And similarly you get the tertiary colors, red- orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet. 

http://www.drawing-and-coloring.com/images/color-wheel-warm-cool.png

When you split the wheel in half you get the warm colors and cool colors. 

This is helpful to know, because using warm colors as the main colors are great for summer and cool are great for winter weddings. Spring and Autumn may be a mix of theses colors. 

Other than staying with warm or cool colors, you can choose your wedding colors based on the rules of basic color theory. 

Analogous Color:

http://www.colormatters.com/images/images1/ctheory_leaf.gif

Any three colors found next to each other on the color wheel. Usually one of these colors will be the MAIN color. This color scheme is in trend right now with ombre weddings. 

Complementary Color: 

http://www.colormatters.com/images/images1/ctheory_orchid.gif

Two colors that sit directly opposite each other on the color wheel. Red/Green. Blue/Orange. Yellow/Purple etc. This example shows Yellow-Green and Red-Violet. But as the picture shows, you don't need to just stick with the two main shades, you can pull darker and lighter shades of your two main colors to accent. 

Triad Colors:

http://www.tigercolor.com/Images/Triad.gif

A triadic color scheme is colors that are evenly spaced from each other on the color wheel. If a triadic color scheme is chosen, one will be the main color and the others will be accent colors. 

Split Complementary:

http://www.tigercolor.com/Images/SplitComplementary.gif

Split complementary colors uses a base color, and unlike with complementary colors, there are two other colors selected that are adjacent to the direct complementary color of the base color. 

Tetradic Colors: 

http://www.tigercolor.com/Images/Tetrad.gif

A color scheme using four colors, arranged into two complementary pairs. Red/Green with Orange/Blue; Yellow/Purple with Blue/Orange, etc. If using this scheme, again, only one color should be the dominate color. You must also consider the balance of your warm and cool colors. 

Square Colors:

http://www.tigercolor.com/Images/Square.gif

The square color scheme uses four colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel. Again, pay attention to the balance of warm and cool colors and let one of these colors dominate the color scheme.

A real life example, you ask?

My best friend is getting married in September, in Washington, it's that sweet spot between summer and autumn. You get the best of both worlds around here, the weather is normally still warm, not too hot or too cold yet. And the leaves are just beginning to change, so we aren't in full autumn swing yet, but we are just getting past the summer heat and long days of sunshine. The colors she chose are a deep purple, we'll call it eggplant, and dark gray. Instead of sticking with those two, I suggested. Using pale green, a lighter silver, and lighter shades/slightly different hues of eggplant (which falls into a red-violet category). Using a little mix of analogous color and complimentary colors will not only enhance the main colors but will make it easier to find colors to decorate the entire event. When trying to stick to one color, and one shade of that color, matching becomes a bigger task than necessary and the event can look a little bland.  

The mood board I put together for my friend to show her a great way to highlight her two main colors with examples from centerpieces and bouquets. 

Your Wedding Personality

Now that you know the season and hopefully the exact date, and maybe general location of your wedding you can ask yourself the next question...
What's your wedding personality? AKA the theme of your wedding? Knowing this will lead to the planning of colors, specific setting, decor, bridal and bridal party garb, etc. To achieve a well styled wedding, you have to figure out your wedding personality.
Some examples, you ask?

Whimsical?

http://weddingsparrow.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/whimsical-wedding-fl-04.jpg

Country?

http://www.joyfoleyweddings.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/country-wedding-1.jpg

Rock and Roll?

http://www.rocknrollbride.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/LVXSiGHT_004-853x1280.jpg

Fairytale?

http://a4.typepad.com/6a0120a65f64b9970c01774394b29c970d-pi

Vintage?

http://perfect-wedding.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/6f10b_vintage-wedding-dress-ideas.jpg

Obviously there are many more possibilities for wedding themes, but you get the picture. Find out what works for you and your future spouse. Maybe it's a very obvious common interest or hobby that brought you together in the first place, like comicon, or you're weekend hobby is fishing, or square-dancing. And maybe you blend your future spouses interests with yours and you end up with an "I'm a little bit country, you're a little bit rock-and-roll" type wedding theme. Maybe you go with a modern fairytale. The possibilities are pretty much endless. Once you know your wedding personality, you can move on to more planning fun!

Influence of the Seasons

So he (or she) has popped the question. What's next?

You pick the date!

The first step towards planning your wedding. Maybe you don't know quite yet an exact date, but you probably have always had an idea in mind of your wedding, if you want a spring or summer wedding, autumn or winter. Or maybe in your vision what you see is the inside of a chapel or a big open field, a beach, or on a rooftop overlooking the city. And maybe a date hasn't struck you yet but you know you want to venture off to a new place; a castle in Ireland or a beach in Hawaii. But in order to make your dream possible, you have to figure out the right kind of weather that will make for YOUR perfect day, you must know the seasons to choose your date; after all, if you're planning a destination wedding on the other side of the world, summer time isn't going to be at the same time here as it is there. 

If you have chosen a Spring/Summer wedding:

Will it be indoors or outdoors? What time during the summer is the prime time for your preference in weather? What is the average rainfall or rainfall patterns during that time (a concern if you want to plan an outdoor wedding)? Keep in mind that summer and spring weddings are the busy time for wedding season, so booking as soon as possible is best.

If you envision an Autumn/Winter Wedding: 

Will it be the right time in Autumn for an outdoor wedding, or must you plan indoors? If you want a winter wonderland wedding, what location is most likely to give you a white wedding (based on weather history)? Weddings in winter and autumn are usually less expensive for a venue and other wedding related rentals because it is slow season, keep this in mind. 

Once you have chosen the date, you can begin planning the style or theme of your wedding, and maybe you have an idea of that already and that's what has influenced your choice in date. But the season really makes a difference in what is possible and what will make sense for your wedding. 

Flower choices are dependent on the season (sometimes even fake flowers are only available during the actual growing season). Color choices for a well-styled wedding also revolve around the season. Your bridal party garb and even your dress style and accessories choices revolve around the chosen season.

But now that you have a date chosen, the rest will start to fall into place.

Happy Planning!

Photo Credits:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16vPG8493rm5BQX86lE5mjCb185MKJg1NHf4uxGkaX8PXdKb0ITnedIQb6TeTQzmJuv9FoVG8wsM8y9oUOTtH9GWkBQopmjjSi9M0jWDlzUSIctNYTqh-jDnHMBU4Q7BBWeT_kPOd1zk/s1600/spring_season_japan_25.jpg
http://adventuresinlalalandblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/indiana-summer.jpg
http://megboone.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/maple-in-autumn-1920x1080-wallpaper-3470.jpg
http://www.scenicreflections.com/files/winter_chapel_wallpaper_1024.jpg

Why a Wedding Styling Blog?

Someone’s fashion is influenced by personality, emotion, trends, and behavior; and one’s fashion sense is not only referring to their clothing choices. Fashion is a prevailing style or custom in clothing, accessories, footwear, make-up, hairstyle, furniture, architecture, interior design, etc. 

The purpose of this blog is to compile styling tips and advice for all kinds of weddings, and all kinds of brides. Fashion styling for not just the clothing and accessories for the big day but the event as a whole, from invitations to decorations, and gown choice and every detail in-between. 

            I would love to work in the bridal/evening wear field. Weddings are a joyous event and I would love to help be a part of so many peoples’ special day; whether that be in designing wedding gowns, and bridal party garments, designing invitations and programs, or styling the whole event from flowers and decorations to cake design, or all of the above.

           Having my own bridal shop one day is a dream and a goal. I would love to sell designer gowns, as well as my own, and offer services for helping style the whole event, with color and garment/accessory suggestions and coordinating to custom invitation and program services etc.