This is your moment. Your grand entrance. You're walking down the aisle towards your future partner and you need the right wedding music to accompany you. Something to create the perfect moment.
Making your music choices
So what are you going to choose? A timeless, classical piece or something a little more contemporary? Here are some wedding music ideas to inspire you. Just click on the link to play and start dreaming!
Vivaldi - Glorida. Very uplifting. This is something to consider if you're a bit of a traditionalist but also want the classical wow factor as you make that long walk. You're going to have a bit of a moment if you walk to this one - and if you're getting married in a large church with a long veil, then this music might must be a must.
The Bridal March from Lohengrin by Wagner. The 'Here Comes The Bride' piece. It's a classic and everyone will recognise it. You will certainly feel like a princess walking to this one!
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. Lovely, slow paced. And so romantic. Have those hankies ready.
I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher. Perfect for walking back down the aisle together as man and wife. A sunny, uplifting song that everybody knows.
I Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley. Timeless and perfect. Elvis sings it with a voice like velvet.
Unforgettable by Nat King Cole. Another romantic classic.
Ode to Joy. Beethoven. Classical again, this one will never date.
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons. Just beautiful.
Purcell - Trumpet Tune. Dazzling.
In My Life - The Beatles. As you walk either up or back down the aisle. Perfection.
Hope this wedding music inspires your walk down the aisle on your big day.
Oh, and here's how Kate Middleton - now the Duchess of Cambridge - made her walk.
(Image via Sofia Invitations)
Metallics are fast becoming a trend at chic weddings these days. One way of embracing the metallic look is by giving your wedding day a golden theme.
Gold is classic, rich and goes beautifully with white and cream. Or you can mix it up with bright shades like hot pink, turquoise or emerald.
Use it as a key color throughout. Start by calligraphing your envelopes with gold ink - or maybe send your save the dates and invitations out in golden envelopes.
(Gold wedding invitation and cake topper by Sofia Invitations)
Gray and gold shades work stylishly together here.
This is one luxe looking wedding! We're reminded of the Palace of Versailles in France!
Weaving the gold theme through your wedding day
(Bridesmaids dresses by Dessy, from left to right: Studio Design Collection Style 4509, Dessy Bridesmaid Dress Style 3002)
We think your bridesmaids would love these metallic gold dresses from Dessy. They're slinky, sophisticated and flattering and come in three shades (we've chosen the rose gold here).
Alternatively, give your bridesmaids golden accessories - like the luxurious Dessy chiffon stole. On their feet they could wear gold strappy sandals (as could you, the bride). Another good thing about metallic shoes is that they go with every colour and you'll be able to wear them after your wedding if you want to.
Sprinkling the magic of gold dust
On your tables you can place runners of golden cloth or ask your caterer to place golden chargers at each place setting. Print your table plan in gold lettering - and the place settings.
Your wedding cake could be sprinkled with gold, have golden flowers or a metallic gold sash. These cakes below are by the talented Rosalind Miller. 
As for your flowers, you could tie your wedding bouquet with some metallic gold ribbon ...
Really a gold wedding theme can be as glitzy or as low key as you want to make it.
You know, some of us just don't suit having long hair. Perhaps you've tried it and never felt it was quite 'you'.
You might have a long face that's better suited to short hair. Or small and petite features that show off a pixie crop beautifully.But now you're getting married you're wondering if you should grow your hair longer again. Because you want to wear a tiara - and how will that work? How will you attach your veil?
Don't worry. We've been looking around and we've found some great inspiration for short wedding hair and some beautiful role models.
Inspirational wedding hairstyles for short hair
Sweep your hair back and attach a diamante band to it. Elegant, classy and yes, you can still wear diamonds in your hair. Check out the diamante hairbands and slides on offer at Dessy.
You don't have to wear a veil if you don't want to. Instead look around for a chic little statement hat - we think the brides above absolutely nailed it. The detail on their heads creates a perfect contrast to the simple cream wedding dresses. (Images from left to right Paper Antler, Cappy Hotchkiss).
And if you do have short hair, you can always ask your hairdresser to give you the impression of more volume by having a well placed hair extension placed at the nape of your neck - which can be covered by your veil or hair ornament. (Bridal hair accessories by Dessy.)
If you're having a destination wedding somewhere hot, short hair is in fact very practical. You can tuck a floral accessory behind one ear and stay cool in the heat! (Images from left to right Our Labor of Love, Turner Creative Photography).
Tips for short wedding hairstyles
- Talk to your hairdresser. If you're getting married in a year or so, you have time to grow some of your hair to have a different type of short hairstyle. That will affect how you wear a tiara, diamante hair accessory and the type of veil you have. Take their advice and get a look book together of bridal hair you like.
- Talk to the sales people in the bridal shop you use. They will know what sort of headpiece will suit the frock you're planning to wear and how it can fit with your hairstyle.
- Think about hairpieces and hair extensions for your wedding day to give you a different look. Discuss with your hairdresser.
- Not everyone wants to wear a veil anyway, it may not be your style at all
- Don't have a dramatic hairstyle change just before your wedding day or change the colour. Firstly your partner wants to marry somebody they can identify! And secondly, you may not be happy with the change and it may be too late to change the colour/grow it.
(Images from left to right Kido Design, Pinterest).
(Image via Kingdom Photography)
Bright, vibrant, full of sunshine and HAPPY! How else would you describe a sunflower?
Every flower has a meaning and sunflowers have come to symbolise adoration, loyalty and longevity - so what better bloom to pick for your summer wedding day?
Another advantage of sunflowers is that they are relatively inexpensive and you don't need many to make a fabulous display.
They're the sort of flowers that are happy to look beautiful on their own or when placed alongside other blooms.
A sunflower motif works well on your wedding invitations, seating plans and of course you could put a packet of sunflower seeds by every place setting as a memorable favor.
Using sunflowers as a color theme
If you're having a summer wedding day then consider putting your bridesmaids in sunflower yellows.
Or you can also use the sunflowers with other hues to create quite a different feel to your day. Take a look below at a few of the real wedding color combinations.
Blue and yellow always works together well - so maybe that's something to consider for your bridesmaids' dresses.
I love this bride's choice of delphinium blue and white flowers mixed with her sunflowers, with the bridesmaids in pretty royal blue. Many thanks to Boho Weddings for this great shot.
And then for a TOTALLY different look - sunflowers mixed with coral pink or red! Both of which combinations are absolutely stunning. Immediately below is an inspirational look from Rustic Wedding Chic and below that is a riot of color from Jennefer Wilson, via Pinterest.
Remember the sleepovers you had as a little girl?
When all your friends came over and you watched a movie and slept in sleeping bags.
Well, there's no reason why you shouldn't reinvent the idea as an adult for a bachelorette party with a difference. Just imagine the gossip and conversation.
Get everyone to come over (and bring a sleeping bag), you can cook up some delicious food, serve a little wine and then stay up all night chatting in one room, tucked into sleeping bags.
Of course, you're going to want to play some bachelorette games along the way and so we've devised a Mr & Mrs Quiz with questions for your girls to ask the bride to be - which I think will result in even more amusement.
Here are 20 questions that are guaranteed to get a bachelorette evening sleepover going
- If your other half could be anyone famous then who would they be?
- What's the most embarassing thing your fiance has ever done?
- Where would you both like to visit most in the world?
- What's the thing you're most likely to argue about?
- What's your other half's best physical feature?
- What does he think is his best physical feature?
- What's his special name for you?
- Which of the following has your fiance done? Streaked, bungee jumped, abseiled, skinny dipped?
- Where was your fiance on New Year's Eve 1999?
- If another man flirted with you would he be a) Jealous b) Pleased c) Amused d) Not bothered
- What's his favourite thing for you to wear?
- What's your fiance's most annoying habit?
- What was his first present to you?
- What's his favourite ever book?
- What's the first thing your fiance does when he gets home from work?
- Who was his first crush?
- How many times has your fiance been a best man?
- What's his favourite food?
- How old was he when he had his first kiss?
- How old was he when he got his driver's license?
After reading this list you might think of a few questions of your own!
Just sometimes, you get to craft something and it's great. By which you mean you can follow the instructions and the finished result looks fantastic. Professional and something to be proud of (rather than a bit of a disaster).
Which is what we think you'll find when you follow this easy tutorial for making paper chrysanthemums. The ones here have been made in a soft pink but actually chrysanthemums come in many different colors - whites, yellows, creams, golds, rich deep purples and hot pinks - so you pick out the colour that's going to suit your theme (or maybe even more then one color.)
You will need:
- Paper of 180 gsm or a thin cardboard (in a colour of your choice)
- Craft knife
- Sharp scissors
- Florists wire
- Florists ribbon
- Masking tape
- Watercolor paints
- Paintbrush
- Cork
Method
- Paint the paper horizontally with watercolor and dilute the brush in water to layer the color. (You don't need to do this if you've bought paper in a color you already like).
- Cut the paper into strips of less than 1cm. It can be cut with scissors. Don't worry if the strips aren't exactly the same width.
- Wind the scissors round the tips of the petals and curl with the edge.
- Cut the leaves from green paper.
- Fasten them to the flower with masking tape.
- Cut a piece of cork, pass through the wire and turn it.
- Push it gently through the middle of the flower.
- With masking tape secure the flower to the wire and just cover it to give body to the stem.
- In the middle of the stem add a leaf.
- Make the flowers in different sizes to add variety and realism
- You can also create flowers that look like buds or some with fully open petals.
Using Flowers For Decoration
So where to feature your flowers once you've made them? Well, you could use them to decorate chair backs at your wedding venue. Tie them onto napkins to decorate place settings. You could make a bouquet out of them for the bridesmaids.
Doorways always look good decorated with flowers, so if you've the inclination, why not make enough to create a garland to go around the entrance to your reception.
Original blog by DRI
(Image via Creative Commons)
Fascinators are bang on trend at weddings. Kate Middleton - now The Duchess of Cambridge - started off the fashion. (In fact, why not rename them "Kates"?)
In all the photographs we've seen of the Duchess of Cambridge as a wedding guest, she looks fabulous wearing this type of headgear. She picks styles to complement the color and cut of her outfits and her choices are memorable for all the right reasons.
In fact, we'd really like the Duchess to give us her hints as she is so obviously an expert. How does she keep her fascinators on for a start? Especially when it's windy, for example when she
launched a lifeboat.
Obviously, the Duchess can't help us out. But here are our tips for wearing a fascinator to a wedding elegantly.
Top Tips for Wearing Fascinators
- There are fascinators to suit every woman, whether you're looking to make a statement or add a touch of glamour to your outfit. So if you think they won't suit you, you probably just haven't tried the right style yet.
- Fascinators can be worn for the whole day (forget about worrying where to put your hat at the wedding breakfast) and they don't give you Hat Hair. They look great both at the service and at an evening reception.
- Fascinators are so varied and versatile, even the bride and bridesmaids can wear them.
- You can match your fascinator color to your outfit, or choose one in different shades to pick out the varying tones of your dress.
- Fascinators are usually worn to one side - if you have a parting, then wear your fascinator there.
- With very short hair, wearing a fascinator attached to a hair band is the easiest option.
- When fitting fascinators with a comb attached, decide where you want the headpiece positioned. If you have thick hair, slide the comb backwards through your hair about an inch (the opposite way your hair falls), holding the fascinator at a slight angle to feel the teeth against your scalp. Then tip the comb, rest the fascinator on your head and push down in the direction your hair falls. The fascinator should then grip.
- For finer hair (or extra security) take a small section of hair, comb in the opposite direction to the way your hair falls and grip with a hair pin. You then have a sound base in which to slide the fascinator.
- For extra, extra security, backcomb a section of hair before gripping and then spray with a small amount of hairspray before fitting the headpiece.
- The general rule with fitting combs is to slide them back onto themselves to create an abrasive service which will GRIP!
- Wash your hair the day before you want to wear your fascinator - this helps to keep it in place.
- Consider your hair color. Redheads look great with natural and earth tones such as beiges, browns, camel, dark and olive greens. Blondes should go for light warm colours like coral, turquoise, apple - neutral navy, beige and taupe also look gorgeous. Brunettes suit bright, deep shades. Think hot pink, purple, bright blue and emerald, and again neutral black and navy.
(Image via Anne Edgar Photography)
When you're choosing your bridesmaids, it's likely that you have one particular friend in mind who will be your maid of honor (MOH). Some brides have their MOH carry a slightly different bouquet or wear more elaborate jewellery.
But we think that the best way to make your MOH stand out is by choosing a dress for her that is either a different style, a different color or both!
Here the bride has chosen pastel shades for her girls, with a mushroom taupe color for her chief bridesmaid.
There are various ways of making your chief bridesmaid stand out. Maybe dress her in a metallic frock, like the one above. Or dress her in a floral frock with the bridesmaids in contrasting colors (or vice versa).
This bride below chose to enable her Maid of Honour to stand out from the bridesmaids using a different shade with an ombre effect, which of course produces such a romantic and soothing aesthetic.
To shop the look above, try Alfred Sung D721
So take a leaf out of these brides' books and really make your maid of honor feel special - and it will make your wedding photographs look even more spectacular!
(Image via Jeremy Boyer)
So - the question has been popped, you've told your friends and family, you've drunk some celebratory champagne.
Now it's time to start on the wedding planning
Don't get overwhelmed by the enormity of whole thing: do the brainstorming over a couple of weeks, and then add the layers of details over the following months.
For your first session have something to eat (but avoid alcohol), switch your phones to silent, grab a pad and a pen and take a deep relaxed breath.
Before you get into deep detail, there are a few basic questions that will need answering. Here's our list to consider.
Top 10 wedding planning thoughts
- Who is paying for the wedding? The two of you, your parents, the rest of your family or a mix of all three? Would your parents be upset if you didn't expect them to contribute, or mightily relieved? Are your family in a position to help fund your wedding or is that a bit cheeky? And don't forget, there will always be little extra expenditure items along the way that you won't have bargained for!
- Is there a ballpark budget? Will you consider a Wedding Planner or DIY? Brides Magazine carried out a survey in 2015 and found out that their readers spent an average of over £30,000 on their weddings...
- What time of year do you want to get married? Is there a special month for you or would you rather be dictated by the venue availability?
- Where do you think you'd like to have the ceremony in a perfect world? Church, registry office or special venue; town or country - home or away? Maybe brainstorm a long list and then narrow it down.Town or country?
- Who will be the Best Man, Maid of Honor, Ushers and Bridesmaids? Many or few? Future-in-laws or just old friends? Do brothers and sisters make the grade?
- Is it more important for you to have a more lavish wedding and a less expensive honeymoon or the other way round?
- How important are the flowers and the cake to you? Will you allocate a large proportion of your budget to either, both or none?
- Dress to die for or something a little more modest? Morning suit, black tie, boho or themed?
- How will you travel to the wedding? Walking, horseback, classic car, sports car?
- Will your reception be just drinks and canapes or a full-blown wedding breakfast followed by all-night party or an elite meal for the chosen few? Champagne or prosecco, beer or cocktails? Band or DJ or both?
Magical wedding table by Anne Edgar Photography
Whatever your first thoughts, sleep on them before you commit yourselves to anything. And try not to be too self-centered, or assume that you know what others are thinking - above all, keep those lines of communication open!
All that really matters is that you and your fiance are about to embark on a wonderful journey together, of which the wedding day, whilst important, is only a very small part. Don't make your marriage about only one day; your future life as a married couple is what really matters.
Choosing your wedding colors or theme actually shows a lot about you and the person you are. It makes you take a good look at yourself. What is it about your personality that you want to be reflected in your wedding? Is it how you perceive yourself or how you want to be perceived? Red bridesmaid gowns are a confident choice and suggest that you might be an extrovert (or would like to be).
Extrovert or introvert?
If you are an extrovert, you'll love the fact that you are bubbly and gregarious. So if you've got an energetic, vivacious personality, you will probably choose warm, bold colors for your flowers or for your bridesmaid to wear or both!
The photograph above is taken from Joielle.com, with a piece on a blissed-out Australian bride and her equally happy girls dressed in their vibrant red bridesmaid dresses.
And what fabulous flowers - a cascade of deep reds, purple reds, pink reds all interspersed with delicate, bridal-white roses. As the bride said, it was particularly helpful choosing her bridesmaid dresses from Joielle as her four bridesmaids had differing body shapes so although she wanted all the bridesmaid dresses to be the same bold red color, she knew that she needed a variety of styles. And that's exactly what Joielle's supplier Dessy offers.
They can even supply ties (and waistcoats too) for the groom and usher in the same rich color - Claret - for a really co-ordinated look:
From the left we have the beautiful bridesmaids dressed in chiffon gowns in Dessy Style 2894, 2886, 2905, 2907.
If you have a younger bridesmaid, then Dessy also offers a selection of vibrant red bridesmaid dresses that are specifically designed to suit teenagers, like this stylish Junior Bridesmaid dress JR530. And how lovely to give your bridesmaids a matching friendship bracelet as a reminder of your special day?
And don't leave the boys out: Dessy has men's accessories that color co-ordinate perfectly with the girls. You can even give the ushers cufflinks and studs to match!
You'll find more red wedding theme inspiration at Dessy here.