Calling out to all eco-friendly or as we call it green brides!
If you’re already living an eco-conscious lifestyle at home then it’s no surprise that you want your wedding to be a reflection of that. Luckily, there’s a movement towards helping new brides and grooms find the support and alternative items they need. With lots of wedding shows showcasing green vendors and new ideas on the internet everyday you will be in a great place to start planning a truly green celebration.
Being green keeps couples in check as far as not overspending and not overdoing it. The key is to follow the principles of the three Rs—reduce, reuse, recycle—and apply that to every aspect of your wedding. It’ll be worth it. After all, you’re going to spend money on your wedding anyways, Why not spend it on sustainability?
Wedding Dress
Though this should be one of the easiest ways to be green many green brides find it’s often the hardest. Many women have a very specific idea of what they want to look like on the day of the wedding and who could blame them? Looking your best means finding the most fabulous dress in your own unique style, Wether it is white, cream, peach, blue, long, short, modest— each bride has their own taste, own body type and own eco-style to shop for. There are a number of options out there for finding an eco-wedding gown: local and handmade, used or vintage, renting. You could even find online wedding gown designers who work with sustainable fabrics, like hemp, peace silk, organic cotton, bamboo, and vintage fabrics.
Engagement
Go for recycled gold, which is not fresh-mined. It may take a little bit of searching but there are companies out there that work exclusively with recycled gold. If you are looking for something a little more sentimental there are ways… Collect old rings from family and friends, and have them melted down into one, incredibly meaningful piece of jewelry. Or ask your grandmother, or mother if they have a vintage ring you can use as your own. And lastly when purchasing a diamond, always ensure it’s mined without conflict. All Canadian-mined diamonds are conflict-free!
.jpg "Recycled gold") Invitations
Luckily, there’s an entire market of recycled invitations out there. And, for all your stationery needs beyond invites and thank you cards, you could create a personalized wedding website. A simple website with a personal URL can be set up for less than $100 for the year and everything from RSVPs to directions can be posted there.
Reception
Transportation has a huge impact and leaves a huge carbon footprint. Try to bring the wedding to your guests. Reduce travel by holding your wedding in a city or venue that’s easily accessible for the majority of your guest list.
  
Ceremony
Want to cut down on the cost of flowers? You could hold your wedding at a botanical garden or outdoor park and let the venue’s natural backdrop act as your decor. You also have the option of growing your own natural flowers for your wedding, this gives a personal touch to every flower with a natural glow.
Remember there is a way to make evey last detail perfect for you in your wedding including blending it in with your environment for a perfectly harmonized and eco-friendly wedding you will never forget!
links: ashleysbrideguide, greenlivingonline, inhabitat, stylemepretty, weddingbellsblog, everafterknoxville, weddingchicksideas
Looking for a fresh twist on some new colorful wedding ideas?
A watercolor wedding has the perfect inspiration fit for any artistic or bold bride looking to add a wash of color to their big day! Not only can this type of wedding truly bring out the personality of the soon to be newlyweds but it also brings a cheerful and bright mood to any wedding. There is nothing more refreshing than creative brides, it is a breath of fresh air and it’s wonderful to know they are really thinking outside the box. A watercolor wedding is sure to be a favored experience and memory among all people that attend.
Some great ways to add the watercolor effect to a wedding is picking some main bold colors and not being scared to work with them thought the whole wedding…
Here is a mood board based around a painting by Pol Ledent from Belgium is a great way to show bold is better. The colors are fun and vibrant using a purple and yellow color combo, hugely popular on the color wheel! This is a modern wedding design, throwing out any convention and could be turned into quite a retro, quirky day if there was a brave bride to pull it off!
Not so bold but love the idea? Simple colors like peach and yellow are light and pleasing to the eye but can pull of a dramatic look. Remember it’s the little things that really bring the whole look together. Anything like name tags or number cards for your tables are great examples of this don’t be scared or forget to give them a splash a color to bring the whole look together. Have fun and be creative, some brides have used cut napkins out of sari fabric and painters’ drop clothes as tablecloths for a colorful new look.
A great way to make the tablescapes to feel wild and blowsy, is with flowers like succulents, pomegranates, baby apples, and acacia branches… these are colorful and fun, sure to be an eye catcher.
Watercolor is a beautiful way to bring out the true you at any wedding and is highly recommended for a fresh, glowing wedding that will surely bring out the best in everyone!
Sources; oncewed, frolic-blog, uschiandkay, theweddingdecorator
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Posted in Trends
Okay, okay so you have spent all day making sure everything was perfect…especially the dress and your work has paid off, the wedding was a huge hit! You have all this excitement and adrenalin mixed in side of you ready to burst. What better way to get it all out then trashing that dress! I know what you’re thinking… pshh like I’m destroying my beautiful dress, I spent forever picking and all day worrying about it (not to mention the price)! But honesty when are you even going to use it again? What need is there to have it after the wedding? We both know it’s just going to hang up in your closet getting the occasional glance.
This trendy over the top fun experience is crazy and with the right photographer that’s not scared to get a little dirty it’s something you will never, ever forget! The photos created from doing such a thing are absolutely stunning, they may be a bit edgier, but I find they add a lot of honestly, personality and natural beauty to the pictures… much nicer than bridal parties placed in rows for a group picture. These photos are romance revived!
Now some brides go to ultimate extremes when it comes to creating a memorable wedding album… the hot not-so-new trend of “trash the dress photography” – yes, that is actually it’s official name involves brides being shot destroying their dresses with really whatever they can get their hands on!
From down to earth..
Completely over the top..
And everything inbetween..
The result is a fierce artistic expression, some reminiscent of a fantasy or fairytale scene… very, very cool if you can cope with destroying a beautiful piece of clothing. You can find a personal, fun and 100% unforgettable way to trash that dress and get the wedding photos every couple dreams of getting their hands on!
sources:bridalboudoiraffair,micahbowerbank,arendezvouswithstyle
Monday, January 9, 2012
Posted in Articles
You will often hear from wedding photographers, or couples who’ve already tied the knot that at the end of the day, all you really have left is the memories and the photographs!!
We work with some amazing photographers who we’ve mentioned so many times in our blog posts and are so thankful for their attention to detail to capture and relive all the elements of the day, the moments, the sights, the design elements. Great wedding photographers are such a key part of your big day!
I thought this post from the Austin Wedding Blog was loaded with some great advice for couples as they choose a photographer and some suggestions on how to plan your day with great photos in mind!
The timing of the wedding is essential. In the end, what makes a great photograph is great light. And you can either artificially make light, or you can use the sun to paint a lovely soft glow on you. As a natural light photographer, I definitely prefer the sun. If you can choose the time for your outdoor ceremony, go for 1-2 hours before sunset. If you’ve an indoor ceremony, have it earlier, so that the family formals and bride/groom portraits can happen an hour before sunset. Texas has a 2 hour window of “golden hour”, when the sun is the most flattering for outdoor pictures, and that’s the two hours before sunset.
Here’s a website where you can find sunset times: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=24
Some brides like dress shots. You may want to consider getting a nice hanger to display it, instead of the wire hanger or cardboard body form it comes with.
If you’ve family members who are photographers, consider asking them to be aware of the professional photographer’s line of sight. For example, a lot of churches restrict the professional photographers from using flash, or being too close to the altar. However, family members and guests are generally not told this rule. So when guests jump in the middle of the aisle with their camera trying to photograph you, they’re blocking the photographer’s line of sight. And for something like the first kiss that can only last for a few seconds, the photographer might not have enough time to scramble to a new vantage point. So now the only photograph of the first kiss you have was taken by a guest with his point and shoot, and he forgot where he downloaded it to.
Kiss longer during the first kiss!
Before hiring a photographer, study their work carefully. That’s the style your wedding photographs will come out in. I favor a natural, unposed, photo-journalistic style, and the photographs I deliver will be different from someone who does more traditional wedding photography. Don’t hire a photographer and ask them to change their style. Because even if they did, it wouldn’t be to your liking. Always ask to see the proofs from a full wedding. So you’re not seeing just the best work they have on their website, but all the pictures that are taken throughout a single wedding day.
For the large groups of family photographs, list out all the family groupings you want. Provide this list to the photographer and a contact person that knows who to hunt down and when.
Have fun, and relax. I know, everyone keeps telling you this. But do it for the sake of the photographs. It’s hard to photoshop out a frown.
Great advice. Thank you Nadine!
Source; Austin Wedding Blog, Nadine Photography
Friday, January 6, 2012
Posted in Fashion
There is nothing cuter than a flower girl all decked out in her wedding attire. Running after all the bridesmaids trying oh so hard to be older than she is. Stealing the show at the ceremony when she dumps the petals in the middle of the aisle, pulls her halo off her head or yells hello Grandma.
My favourite flower girl memory is during an outdoor wedding ceremony we designed. The two flower-girls (sisters) aged 3 and 5 had the couples dog on a lease between them. The dog took off with the flower girls squealing with laughter and running behind. After a few laps around the ceremony aisle they stopped to play in the grass forgetting their duties entirely. They had adorable matching smocks over white dresses. They proceeded to take off their smocks loudly discussing there dislike of them. The laughter was unforgettable.
I think part of the fun of having a flower girl is the incredibly cute dresses Brides get to dress them in. If you are a Bride that likes everything to go as planned you may want to think twice about these adorable yet unpredictable attendants. I have compiled some adorable dress ideas. Stay tuned next week as we blog about purchasing flower girl dresses.
Source; 1, 3; F.Y Wedding Ideas, 2; Photography: Jesse & Whit of Our Labor of Love,
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by Elizabeth Johnston
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