Top 25 Bridal Trends of 2012

Well the New Year is upon us and with that comes new design trends!  Newly engaged couples can be excited and equally overwhelmed with just how much glitz and glamour or elegant simplicity that can go into a wedding.  Nothing gets me more excited than THIS because there is so much room for creativity and individuality.  Bridal designs are my forte.  In addition to creating my own, I love to read about them and learn of new things to come.  So, in case some of you out there were hoping for a summary, I managed to use my resources to put together this a 4 part series for you. Happy New Years!

-P.S. To my Cinderella's out there, lets hope some of your Prince Charming's get down on that bended knee tomorrow and keep you out a little past midnight eh?  *wink wink.


1. Victorian styled gowns: and we can delightfully blame The Duchess of Cambridge for this one. She bought the romantic look of lace and bolero jackets back in style this year.  If your aiming for a traditional wedding with a romantic theme, this is the way to go.  Shop for gowns that are full or form fitting with plenty of lace, chiffon, and organza fabrics with accents of crystal beading and embroidery.  You want to spice it up a little bit? Dye the crinoline of your dress to match your colors.

2.  Themed engagement photo sessions:  Photo sessions with your photographer give you chance to get to know each other and work out any kinks before the big day.  Your pictures can show off your fun side, tell a story about how you met, or display something of deep sentiment that both you may share.  You can take it even further and create wedding announcement cards with your images as well.

3.  Unique Venues: Instead of holding your ceremony at a church.  Try bringing your officiant a location that defines a part of who you are.  Do you and your fiancé enjoy fine art?  Try holding your wedding at an Art Museum.  The sky is the limit with this trend and many places are willing to rent out their facilities for a fee.

4. Go Green:  Be kind to the earth and reduce your carbon footprint by sending out invitations on recycled paper.  If you don't like that idea, register for a charity of your choice.  Instead of buying wedding favors and worrying about whether or not your guests will keep them; you can make a small donation in the names of your guests instead. It can also save you a couple of bucks.

5.  Decadent Desserts: Let's face it cakes are costly so a lot of brides are beginning to use cupcakes instead and if your good at baking DIY.  Sundae Bars, Chocolate Fountains, S'more Stations are also turning up and weddings are becoming big hits.  They create fun memories that will have your guests talking.

     

6.  Non traditional Guestbooks:  I've seen photo frames with diamond tipped pens so that people can write  their well wishes on the glass.  But you can try these alternatives too.

Have your guests sign off on your favorite song or your favorite bottle of wine.  It's the little personalizations in your wedding that truly make it special.

iLOVE the Ryans

As I contemplate what I am going to say during this entry, I am discovering more and more how hard it is for me to complete it.  The reason for this is because I'm about to discuss a wedding that I was invited to but I wasn't able to attend.    The reason for this is?  She had a destination wedding in the Dominican Republic and for monetary reasons I wasn't able to make it.  Urgh, I was devastated.

No, seriously I was.

About a year or so ago, I got an envelope in the mail in the shade of a beautiful sparkly turquoise color.  Honestly, the color was so spot on and gorgeous that it instantly reminded me of ocean waves shining in the sun.  When I opened it out slipped a wedding invitation in the form of a boarding pass.  My mouth fell to the floor and I thought to myself "OMG, how cute is this?!"  I jumped up and down in excitement and exclaimed to my husband over and over "we HAVE to go..we HAVE GOT to go because after all, she came to OUR wedding!" And while I am doing all of this jumping deep down,  I knew that going to the Dominican Republic would be downright impossible because of other financial obligations that I had to stick to. Adulthood sucks.  Anyway, the boarding pass kind of looked like this:

cute right?!

I'm waiting on the bride to send me her pics but until then this will have to do.

Her bridal shower invitations were exciting as well; donned with summer pigmentations and hibiscus flowers of bright orange and hot pinks, inviting us to board flight 8611 (her wedding date August 6, 2011) .

Here are images from her special day, the day when her last name changed from Love-- to Ryans.  Now how appropriate is it that I "Love the Ryans"?  Well, I never met her husband but I know that he has chosen a wonderful wife...and friend.  She has always been a friend of mine and I LOVE her dearly. 

I know this is a little late but congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Ryans, this one is for you.

A beautiful ball gown dress with a VERY detailed skirt

 I am in love with this style of veil.  Classic and trendy at the same time.  A style that never gets old.

Her bouquet was custom made with brooch pins.  This is a creative alternative to live flowers which can be extremely costly when doing destination ceremonies.  She told the designer that she wanted peacock colors and above was her final result.  Unique at it's best and a beautiful  family heirloom.

Parasols were another alternative to flowers for her bridesmaids

Vena Amoris

So this was on my mind...since it's engagement season and my main theme for the day seems to be rings.  I wanted to quickly share the history of the wedding band with you and the reason why people wear it on the left hand.  In the 17th Century, wedding rings were frequently worn on the thumb.  During the marriage ceremony however, the fourth finger was commonly used.  There are various origins for the tradition of placing the ring on the fourth finger.  According to some, the custom stems from the Christian wedding service in which the priest arrives at the fourth finger after touching three fingers of the left hand:  "In the Name of the Father...Son...Holy Ghost."  A more romantic legend that dates back to Egyptian times holds that the third finger of the left hand follows the vena amoris (vein of love), a vein that was believed to run from that finger directly to the heart.

Food for thought: Rings symbolize love and romance.   The diamond is indestructible and the band is an unending circle which represents eternity.

There is your history lesson on love for the day.  Class dismissed. ;-)


credit: Association of Bridal Consultants

Here is another another ring that I thought was beyond tradition, budget friendly, and unique.  Not to mention it's really cute. You can find it here on www.etsy.com

Well here is something you don't see everyday...

In case you like to do things a little bit differently, here is a rising trend for the not so traditional bride and groom.  Check it out:



Here is another image:

What do you think? Would you do it? Are you a trend follower or a trend setter?

It's Been A While...

Hello Readers!

It's been a while since I last created a post for you to read, and for that I apologize.  However, I must say that I've truly missed writing to you.  Blogging (especially about an industry that I adore) gives me an outlet on even my most stressful days.  I had to take a hiatus because I was losing myself and I couldn't figure out how to manage my time.   I had to learn how to refocus my goals and not let certain life occurances get in the way.   Meaning, I had to decipher how to get up at 5:15am, get my "Happily Ever After" ready for school, put in a 9hr work day, attend classes (that my job made mandatory), come home and cook...and THEN blog.  Quite honestly, my 9hr work day had a lot to do with it.  I became resentful of my job and mad that I didn't have the ability to stay at home and focus on my company and blog about the empire that I am trying to establish. Thats a work day all of it's own and I found I didn't have it in me to do both.  It was a tug of war that I didn't want to fight because I knew that something was going to eventually come up short.  Either my productivity and ethic at work was going to suffer the time I spend with my family. I have no room to tarnish either one, and with that being said I took a break from blogging.  Even still after all of these months that have passed I thought about it every single day.

There are 4 reasons why I came back sooner rather than later:
1.  I had no business leaving to begin with! It's just not easy abandoning something that you love.
2.  I learned how to manage my time between family, work, and business.  Now I need my business license to come through so that I can have my 9hrs!
3.  There is a beautiful destination wedding that took place this summer that I have been DYING to share with you.
4.  **Drum Roll Please** I will be attending the world renowned Temple University School of Tourism and Hospitality Management to further hone my skills and I simply couldn't wait to tell people about it! (Insert Cymbal Crash Here) :-)

So, in addition to using my blog as a way to document trends about the wedding industry, I can also use it to let others (such as yourself)  experience the continuation of my journey.  The paths to becoming the professional that I truly wish to become.  Now, I'm not saying that I'm not a professional but there is always room to grow and improve right?....I thought so!

Wedding Images

Wedding Images by mcklaure featuring tory burch shoes

J Crew fitted shirt, $58
TopShop capri pants, $120
Tory burch shoes, $207
Louis vuitton tote bag, $1,380
Michael Kors rose gold jewelry, $195
Fallon pearl jewelry, $265

Hello Readers...

It has been a while since I have last blogged and oh how I miss it!  I have been doing a lot of things that have been keeping me away, but it's not because I wanted to be.  I have been really focusing on achieving my professional designation of Wedding Consultant through the Association of Bridal Consultants, my current job has been keeping me busy, and so has my little "Happily Ever After" (read previous blog below to find out about her).  Anyway, the point of this entry is because one of my final assignments has required me to find pictures of what I would portray as my image and colors and pictures that I would use on my brochures.  My question to you is simply..."What do you think?"

"But this is my DREAM gown!" vs. "This is my body type?!?!"

You've always known what type of gown you want and that it's going to look just perfect on you right? You say to yourself "It's going to be BIG and POOFY!" or "It absolutely HAS to have a sweetheart neckline with a cathedral train!"  You go the bridal salon to try on your dream dress and you are astonished...it looks horrendous on you.  Well, there is a reason for that.  Sorry to say it but, just because the dress looks FAB on a model or a mannequin doesn't mean it will on you and it all has to do with your body type.  

Below are examples of different body types.  Now, go look in the mirror and seriously analyze your body (don't worry, ill be here when you get back)  Did you notice something?  You're beautiful! I said analyze, not scrutinize okay?  You're perfect just the way you are, and now is not the time to become self conscious..he did propose to you didn't he?

(Image courtesy of fashionfairpdx.com)

The models and mannequins that we see wearing those dresses that we love mostly have the body type of the inverted triangle image.  However, the average woman has the Triangle Shape: also known as the Pear Shaped Body.  If the images aren't working well with you, basically this means that the Triangle Shape is a woman with curvy hips and a round derrière!   Women with this body type should be looking to try on a dress with these features:  strapless, v-neck, embroidered bodice, gathered waist, and an  empress or an A line skirt.   All of theses don't have to be bundled up in one gown but it helps to have at least one.  Simply because it tends to draw attention away from the hips and makes you appear slimmer.

Inverted Triangle (most runway models have a shape like this):  You are described as having wide or broad shoulders.  Short tea party gowns, A line, and ball gowns look best on you.  

Rectangle Shape:  Your shoulders and waist have pretty much have the same width and there isn't much definition between the two.  Ball gown dresses with detailed skirts and accents at the waist will give you definition and shape .  A-line gowns with a corseted bodice and asymmetrical ruching will give you a waist, in addition to empire line dresses.

Hourglass Shape:  This one is pretty self explanatory.  You were blessed with boobs, butt and a small waist.  Basically, you have a pretty curvy figure.  An A-line gown will show off your figure well.  However,  if you REALLY want to show off your girlish figure go for a mermaid gown and if your daring...get a sweetheart neckline!

Diamond Shape: This one is opposite of the hourglass shape and your waist is wider that your shoulders and hips.  Empire gowns, A-line dresses with a sash around the waist, and accents like ruching, or perhaps a jeweled bodice will flatter you best.

Rounded Shape:  You have a beautiful full figure and v-necklines will make your curves like pretty.  A-line gowns or empire waist gowns, with an embroidered bust line will look best for your shape.

I hope this was helpful and saves you some grief and aggravation...Happy shopping!