(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.
If you're not a pink kind of a bride but you want a classic, delicate shade then you might like to investigate the possibilities of a Tiffany blue wedding theme.
It's an iconic colour and the beauty is that you'll find plenty of options in this shade - whether it's Tiffany blue bridesmaid dresses, shoes, accessories or even a Tiffany blue wedding cake!
Let's talk bridesmaid frocks first
Dessy's nearest shade to Tiffany blue is 'Spa', which you can see here (and here's a link to the dress).
Now, of course, the same dress probably won't suit each one of your maids. They'll be different heights and have different figures. So this might be a real opportunity mix up the bridesmaid dress styles, but have the same shade. Here's another gown in Tiffany blue (Dessy's Spa shade) that's different again.
Not forgetting the flower girls
You'll find this flowergirl design here.
What about you, the bride?
There's no rule that says you have to have white or ivory shoes peeping out from underneath your wedding gown and in fact, coloured or silver or bronze heels can give you a new look (not to mention the fact that those shades are colours that you're likely to wear again after your wedding day).
That little bit of white ribbon
Of course, to get your look to perfect, you should add a white ribbon to your splash of blue. That's easily done on wedding invitations, flower girl frocks (think of the sash), and of course around your wedding cake. We had a browse through Instagram and found some inspiration.
Your wedding day is not a dress rehearsal (although if you're wise, you'll have a quick rehearsal before the day itself so everybody knows what they should be doing and where they should be).
So it's crucial that you make the right decisions beforehand - so that after your big day you're not saying to yourself: "Oh, I wish I'd thought of that" or "I wish I hadn't decided to do that".
What other brides have said
We talked to some recent brides and asked them if there were any things about their wedding day that they would change. Here's the list.
- A bride's top regret? Not having a videographer on their wedding day. You may think that photographs and phone videos from your friends will be enough but actually, having professionally shot footage for your big day is not something you'll regret (and you'll love watching the film with your future grandchildren!)
- Asking a friend to be a wedding photographer. You may have a friend who is a great photographer who has offered to take shots and you'll be v tempted. However, friends will at some point want to go off and join the party (and miss that key shot) whereas a professional photographer will stay the course until the very end. Also, what if the friend's photos aren't really up to scratch?
- Having your wedding cake made by a friend or a family member. This could be a difficult one, particularly if they ask to make your cake. Unless you're having a very homespun wedding or they are a professional cake maker, then our advice would be to graciously refuse. What if you don't like the look of the final finished cake or it's badly baked? What will you say? Maybe you could ask them to make a cake for your batchelorette party instead?
- Not wearing in their wedding shoes around the house before they walk down the aisle. Hello sore feet. Plan ahead. Wear those heels on the carpet around your home so that your feet get used to them.
- Having flowergirls that are too young. Young flowergirls are super cute, but if they get shy on the day itself and refuse to participate, or walk down the aisle behind you, then there's not much point having them really.
- Giving in to pressure to invite people you don't really want to come to your wedding day.
- Worrying too much before the big day. Nothing will go exactly as planned, you may have to just go with the flow.
- Not having wedding insurance. Chances are you won't need it and if you have it, then there's one less thing to worry about.
- Not eating enough at the wedding reception or tasting the cake. You don't want to come over all faint and you do want to see just how delicious that menu you chose was.
- Not quietly going off with your new married partner and taking some time alone together. Your wedding day will be all over far too quickly, so snatch a bit of time together so that you can catch up.
So you're planning your wedding and of course, you've got a lot to think about.
But one aspect that you should give consideration to is whether to have wedding insurance and if you should include it on your budget.
Is wedding insurance worth it?
Should you get it? And if you decide to go ahead, then how do you go about finding reputable wedding insurance companies who won't overcharge but will give you the right cover.
To help you decide, here's a bit of information that may help your decision. (And for what it's worth, we'd always say that wedding insurance is a good idea.)
What wedding insurance covers
- It covers the most unfortunate of circumstances that can happen on your big day
- Bad weather
- Vendors and officiants that don't show up
- Location of the ceremony and reception that don't carry their own insurance for the site
- Illness and injury
Extras
- Honeymoons cancelled due to illness or other unfortunate circumstances
- Gowns and tuxedos due to damage or stores closing down
- Lost or damaged gifts
What does wedding insurance cost?
Anywhere between $130 to $500. Before you decide on the wedding insurance price range, also take into account that the average wedding today costs roughly $28,000. It's a significant amount - you'd insure your car so why not your wedding day?
When you start planning your wedding you will want to consider your budget and whether this added cost is worth it the day of your wedding or if you want to risk it and hope and (pray) for the best. Shop around for the best price and do your research about what is covered and then decide if this is something that is worth investing in.
You might find this wedding insurance comparison site a good place to start looking around.