Fashion Fever: Radiant Orchid Bridesmaids

Fashion Fever by Demi Bourous
There are so many questions  and options when it comes to bridesmaid dresses; style, length, and most importantly color. Fortunately, Pantone’s Color of 2014 makes at least one of those decisions a little bit easier! Radiant Orchid is a fun and fresh pink color that’s sure to please and easy to incorporate into any season.  If you recall,  2012’s was Tangerine Tango,  and 2013 was Emerald Green both of which are beautiful but often difficult for certain skin tones to pull off.  This years color is much more universally flattering so if you’re looking at bridesmaid dresses then this should be your go to color! Remember, we’re brides that love our friends and want them to be just as comfortable and beautiful as we are on our wedding day; after all, pictures (and good friends) last a lifetime.  Allowing them to help pick out their dress style is a great “bonding” experience and will make them feel special and confident on the wedding day.  **Special Tip: It’s best to do this one on one so you aren’t overwhelmed with competing opinions…a la SYTTD Bridesmaids

You can find a beautiful selections of bridesmaid dresses at many bridal stores and boutiques. Our favorites stores include Bridal Reflections (NYC), Bella Bridesmaid (locations across US) and Henkaa for those amazing wrap dresses. Be sure to check out the Alvina Valenta, Allure Bridals, Bill Levkoff, and Eden Bridals collections for the perfect dress.  Radiant Orchid is a great color to carry throughout the wedding too, as it’s a natural occurring color in flowers (hello orchids!) and easy to incorporate into decor and stationary.  Stumped on how to pair it?  Here are our favorite color combos:

radiant orchid with lavender, navy, plu, & smoke grey

Radiant Orchid & Navy

Radiant Orchid & Plum

Radiant Orchid & Smoke Grey

Radiant Orchid & Lavender

Trendy Wednesday: Do I hire a Wedding Planner?

Trendy Wednesday: Jenna Paniccia 

For some, a wedding planner is a luxury, for others it is a necessity, and then there are those brides who realize at the last minute they need extra help!

The truth is, most brides don’t realize how much work actually goes into planning a wedding. Securing a space, scheduling delivery and pickup rentals, choosing a menu, cake design and flavor, lets not forget wedding color and theme, and even save the dates, invitations… the list goes on and on. While all of this can certainly be done, it is time consuming and stressful when you are balancing a full-time job, a family, and day-to-day life.

This is where wedding planners come into play. We are here to help you! We have our phones on us all the time to answer every email and frantic phone call. We sort through all your ideas and organize them so you can see what makes sense, and what doesn’t. Our whole lives revolve around timelines, so you can bet your wedding day will be mapped out to perfection. Most of all we are a friend. We are hired to take all your stress away and accomplish all the busy work of planning your wedding.

We are wedding planners because we love what we do. We enjoy problem solving, finding the best deals, and making connections. We love nothing more than the wedding day. Watching all these plans come to life, and seeing the expression on the Bride and Groom’s face is what makes all the long hours of planning worth the time and energy.

Before you begin the planning process I suggest looking at how busy your life is. If you have spare time, maybe you only need a wedding planner for month out services. This is where we organize everything you have put together and we execute the wedding so you are not stressed. Sometimes clients need partial planning. These are the people who have all these ideas and need someone to make sense of it all and make recommendations. If you are looking for full service event planning don’t worry about finding an event space before the initial meeting, event planners can help in the selection process.

Always remember, wedding planners are there to help. No task is too big or small . Reach out to a few planners before you begin the wedding planning process and see if their input helps when making the decision of hiring a planner or not.

Photo Credit: wedding-blog.gigmasters.com, musiccitytents.com, carolinaweddingsmag.com, stylish-events.blogspot.com, guides.hmcpl.org

Trendy Wednesday: Crafty Bride

Trendy Wednesday: Jenna Paniccia

Crafty brides never fail to disappoint! Although planning a wedding can be a bit stressful and overwhelming some brides truly enjoy customizing and personalizing aspects of their big day. With prices on the rise, brides are looking for ways to cut costs without cutting the elegance of this spectacular celebration.

By adding DIY projects to your wedding day décor, you are allowing creativity to surface while placing your personal likings on display. DIY projects don’t need to be something extravagant. You can choose how many DIY projects you’d like to invest your time in, and pick projects that will help add character to your wedding without taking away the overall concept.

Favors and place cards are two of my favorite DIY projects. Favors are great because I truly believe the favor should bring out your personality. Sit down with your fiancé and make a list of things you both enjoy. This can be candy, desserts, candles, champagne, hiking, movies … the list goes on and on.  Narrow your list down and think of a DIY project that will help bring your guests into your life.

Here’s the perfect example.  If you both love Macaroon cookies give your guests a few in a DIY box tied with a fabulous ribbon. The thank you tag could read “the sweetest way to end this sweetest day.”

DIY projects are also a wonderful idea for your bridal shower. Walk around a craft store or discount home accent store or even thrift shop. You would be amazed at how many ideas you will stumble across on a budget.

These projects are a great bonding tool for families and bridesmaids as well. If you are making the place cards, or putting together floral arrangements for your bridal shower invite the people you love over to bond and craft! I’m sure you will laugh a lot and get the project done much quicker! Photo Credit: inviteswedding.com, creativeweddingideas.net, fashiondivadesign.com, bargainhoot.com, bugsandfishes.blogspot.com, mostweddingflowerideas.com, weddbook.com, weddingbylily.com

Trendy Wednesday: You are the Statement

Trendy Wednesday: Jenna Paniccia

You are a statement piece. This is your day to be the center of attention and create a day filled with inspiring, jaw dropping details. Brides are always looking for ways to be different and do something that is unexpected. The creative aspect always falls into place, but the wedding dress is the true attention stealer of the day. With so many designs and silhouettes to choose from, the options can sometimes be a bit overwhelming.

My suggestion is to pick a few simple silhouettes that you gravitate towards. When you have an idea of the type of dress you are looking for finding the details that adorn the dress is the easy part. Also, it’s a smart idea to pick a few designers that tend to capture your attention. By narrowing down types of dresses you like and designers who understand your vision you save a lot of time when trying on dresses at the bridal boutique.

I am guilty of ripping apart magazines with inspirational pictures. This is such a great way to know exactly what you are looking for when wedding dress shopping. If you have a set of pictures that you love as well as some that you are not interested in at all, picking out a selection will be much easier. Once you have narrowed down a few dresses that you could see yourself getting married in make sure to try on a veil or hat. This is really where you can be creative and over-the-top or simple and traditional. Finishing off the look helps to envision what your pictures will look like and will help visualize the mood of your big day.

Remember that this is your big day. Family members, friends, and bridesmaids all tend to have very strong opinions about your wedding dress. Although their opinions are helpful, you have to be the one who looks and feels amazing in the dress. Make sure you can move around easily, you feel comfortable for a long period of time, and most of all make sure the dress takes your breath away.

Photo Credit: etsy.com, blissbookimages.com, lovemydress.net, zonewedding.com, bellethemagazine.com, tbdress.com, designingreations.blogspot.com

Trendy Wednesday: Illuminate the Night

Trendy Wednesday: Jenna Paniccia

There is something magical about a room full of flickering candles. Candles add warmth, comfort, and love to a wedding ceremony and reception.

Votive candles are a wonderful touch to any space. These money savers can adorn big glass windows, can be placed as accent pieces amongst pictures and flowers, and can even illuminate bigger focal pieces such as guest favors, photo books, and of course the wedding cake! By using votives amongst all the other design details of your big day you’re allowing the venue to become warm and inviting for guests. Votive candles are also wonderful for outdoor lawn space. An evening wedding can have a backdrop of glistening candles… how spectacular!

From more of a design aspect you can illuminate your venue with different types of candles adorning the reception tables. Using floating candles, intricate candlesticks, and candelabras can bring your reception area to another level. I love the idea of a long table with floral arrangements and candles running down the center. This creates an inviting space that is exceptionally appealing to the eye.

Keep in mind that all the candles and candle holders can be unique. Adding variety helps when everything else in the design is very uniform.

Also, remember money-saving tips. If your ceremony is outside bring the candles in for your reception. There’s no need to buy bulk of something that is very reusable. In the end those extra dollars add up!

Photo Credit: weddinggirl.ca, unitedwithlove.com, rrlumin.com, weddingsromantique.com, bedgetbridesguide.com, weddbook.com, theknot.com

Trendy Wednesday: Patterned Bliss

Trendy Wednesday: Jenna Paniccia

One of my favorite things about event planning is being inspired by the littlest things. Whether it is a color, a word, or picture in a magazine, it is an amazing feeling to be inspired and have a vision come to life.

What inspires me the most is patterns. The idea of mixing and matching patterns allows for a specific type of design and appeal to the eye. Patterns can be used on such a broad spectrum that the idea tends to scare people away. The best thing about using patterns when designing a wedding is that everything doesn’t have to match perfectly.

Most people compare this concept of mixing patterns to clothing. Maybe you wouldn’t wear orange floral pants with a chevron purple top, but let’s think about this in terms of decor design. An orange floral table linen adorned with a purple chevron napkin would give the most elegant contrast. With floral arrangements and glass dinnerware, this combination would be stunning.

My suggestion would be to play with pattern and color. Go to a fabric store or pick up some paint swatches or pattern scrapbook paper and play with different combinations. This will give you an idea of what is appealing to the eye and what is overbearing. The great thing about using patterns is that it can be incorporated in so many different things.

• Different tiers of your wedding cake can include a pattern
• Invitations and seating cards can be adorned with different patterns
• Table linens and napkins can have patterns as opposed to solid fabric choices
• Decor involving ribbon or throw pillows can be a fun way to add a touch of pattern

The ideas are endless and so much fun! Here are some inspiration photos to get your minds thinking. If you’re nervous to try this pattern idea for your big day test it out with a small get together with friends or even your bridal shower. You might end up surprisingly impressed.

Photo Credit: onetowed.com, saltcitycake.blogspot.com, ruffledblog.com, dawnphoto.com, brides.com, decorpad.com, apartmenttherapy.com, hollymathisinteriors.com

Trendy Wednesday: All in the Invite

Trendy Wednesday by Jenna Paniccia

The second your wedding invitations hit the mail, your wedding has officially begun! Wedding invitations set the mood for what your guests will be experiencing on your big day. It’s a way to show off the ambiance and excitement that your wedding will be filled with.

There is so much to consider when choosing wedding invitations. All the little details can make a huge impact on something so quaint.

When considering the style of your invitations I think it’s best to design around your wedding colors versus your wedding theme. Invitations are planned out early in the wedding process. Most brides find a color palette that they love and stick with it; but when it comes to design of the wedding, theme changes are endless. Also, keep your personalities in mind. Do you want your wedding to be traditional and classic, or is your wedding going to be eccentric? Your answer to this question says a lot about the look and feel of your wedding invitations.

Planning the invitations can be a little stressful, and the less stress the better! Looking through invitations and finding details from a few that you love and then applying those details to your own invitations helps make the process run more smoothly. When you have a visual of something you really like it’s easier to come up with an overall concept.

Make sure to shop around before choosing a vendor! Invitations can get a little pricey, so it’s easy to go over-board. Really think about if you want to send a save the date, if you need to include directions for the venue, whether you’ll have a seated dinner with entrée options or a buffet style event… all of these questions can change the price of the overall outcome. Make sure the stationer you pick really understands what you are looking for before sending your design to print! Requesting a sample is always best to make sure you love the invitation as much as you love your dress.

Keep in mind that your invitation is like the pictures from your wedding. Ten years from now, you’ll want to look back and have fond memories of the whole process. Make sure you love every aspect that goes into the design and be proud to drop them in the mail. Have fun with it, be creative, and keep the invitations true to you.

Photo credit: ruffhouseart.com, vponsale.com, onewed.com, weddinginvitationscards.com, ohsobeautifulpaper.com, mostweddingflowerideas.com

Makeover Mondays: Naturally Radiant

Makeover Mondays are a new segment written by makeup artist Laurie Starkey

Every bride wants to have that flawless radiant glow on her wedding day. A great makeup artist is key to achieving your desired look on your big day, however a flawless makeup application actually begins with great skin. Although it will take some time and patience, below are some of my simple tips to help you achieve gorgeous radiant skin.

#1 Water: Believe it or not, water is my number one go-to beauty remedy. I recommend 8-10 glasses of water a day. Not only will the water replenish your skin and give you a supple hydrated appearance, it will also flush all the toxins out of your body. Remember, your skin is a reflection of what’s going on inside your body, so you want to rid of all the harmful toxins. To boost your water detoxification, add two capfuls of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar to your water 3 times daily.

#2 Exfoliation: Naturally we all accumulate dead skin cells on our face, and all over our body for that matter. Exfoliating can reveal healthy glowing skin under those dead cells. One of my favorite store bought exfoliators is the Burt’s Bees Deep Pore Scrub. You can find it in virtually any drug store and it’s 100% natural! Or, if you are a do-it-yourself’er like me, you can concoct a simple scrub with honey, lemon and sugar. It’s simple, natural and really does the trick! I recommend a scrub 1-2 times a week.

#3 Treat stubborn pimples: If you are dealing with a stubborn pimple or feel the dreaded onset of one, I recommend tea tree oil. Tea tree oil contains natural antibacterial properties which makes it a great alternative to harsh chemicals found in most acne treatments. If will effectively treat the pimple, without the dryness and irritation.

#4 Increase your fruit and veggie intake: As women on the go, it can be tricky getting all the nutrients and vitamins found naturally in fruits and vegetables. However, these foods are essential to fighting free radicals, improving your complexion and contributing to your overall health and well being! If you are not a fan of sitting down to a big green leafy salad, you might consider juicing. It’s a great way to pack tons of fruits and veggies into your diet with a quick convenient drink!

#5 Spare your pockets: As a makeup artist I’ve tried pretty much every potion, lotion and serum around. If you are anything like me, you are obsessed with trying all the new, so-called life changing beauty products on the market! Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some great products out on the market. However, as someone who has tried virtually everything under the sun, I am here to tell you the your natural glow begins on the inside. Planning a wedding can be a stressful time, so take time to give yourself a break once and a while. Drink plenty of water, make healthier food choices and enjoy this time before you say your “I-do’s” You will surely be radiating on your big day!

Trendy Wednesday: A Touch of Lace

Trendy Wednesday: Jenna Paniccia

One of my favorite wedding day trends is adding a touch of lace. Lace is not only a timeless look but adds the appeal of warmth and delicacy to a room big or small. This is a trend that we’ve seen in clothing, home goods (your grandmothers doilies are ringing a bell) and it is becoming more and more popular adorning designer dresses and even wedding cakes!

When thinking about where to incorporate this amazing trend, look for places that need a touch of elegance. For instance…

1. If your dress has a lace design, think about giving the lace to your baker. They can incorporate the same lace style into your cake. This is a sure show-stopper and never seems to get old.
2. I also love the idea of a lace invitation, or touches of lace in accessories. This is a great way to give your special day a 1950’s vintage inspired feel.
3. A venue space needs to feel inviting. The best way to make the room appealing to the eye is to use circular and rectangular shaped tables. This will give the space variety without making it look very cookie-cutter. On the rectangular tables you can add a lace runner. Having solid linens on the round tables and lace linens on the rectangular tables will give the venue such a warm feel.
4. If you are planning on having an outdoor wedding lace is wonderful for a beautiful garden inspired venue. Lace around the vases of your centerpieces and lace fabric napkins will give an enchanted night sophistication.
5. Lace wrapped around the stems of a bouquet can be the perfect touch to a very simple design. This is a great way to not go overboard with an oversized bouquet. Keep it simple and delicate.

Photo Credit: bellethemagazine.com, weddingpartyapp.com, amyaustinphotography.com, invitationsbyjalon.com, myinspiredwedding.com, greenweddingshoes.com, unitedwithlove.com

Trendy Wednesday: Mismatched Bridesmaids

Trendy Wednesday: Jenna Paniccia

Shopping for a wedding dress is like purchasing a new car. It has to be perfect, stunning, magnificent, and screaming your name from a mile away. Yes, you the bride are the center of attention, but your bridesmaids want dresses that make them feel just as stunning. Looking for the perfect bridesmaids dresses no longer needs to be a huge issue. Everyone has a difference of opinion, from what color looks best on them, to what cut flatters their figure, the list goes on and on.

When planning this big shopping day, approach it with an open mind. Give your bridesmaids options.

1. Pick a color scheme. Pick one color that you want the bridesmaids dresses to be and let them pick the best silhouette for themselves. If you really want to be daring and outlandish pick a color spectrum for the ladies to choose from.  Seeing different dress styles and colors can truly make a wedding come to life.  Not sure what colors go together?  Grab a couple paint swatches – they’ll give you variations on the color you want and you won’t have to worry about clashing!
2.  Different lengths are fun too! Shorter dresses a little above the knee have become quite popular. It’s more of a sophisticated-trendy look.
3. Play with pattern! Dresses that have touches of lace, stripes, and even embroidery can give your bridesmaids individuality that defines their personalities.
4.  If you don’t love the idea of having different bridesmaids dresses, try different colored shoes. Having the ladies pick their favorite shoes is a dream come true.

If you’re still not sold on the idea of mismatched bridesmaids, look for inspiration from the Sex and the City Wedding. How fabulous did those ladies look that day?!

Photo Credit: boards.weddingbee.com, rootedinloveweddings.wordpress.com, bellethemagazine.com, blogs.aexknows.com, weddingsbylily.com, beauxandbelles.net, blog.kristeenlabrotevents.com, feministe.us