FCW Favorite Finds: April 2012

Keeping up with the wedding & event planning blogs feels like a full time job itself but the reward definitely is worth it.  I am so inspired daily by other event planners and real weddings that I have to share my favorite finds every now and again.  Enjoy!

How adorable are these handkerchief invitations!  Oh and the bride designed them herself.  Talk about a sweet keepsake. Frame this baby in a shadow box with other day of stationary and maybe a wedding photo- hello parent gifts!

Recessionista Finds: Dresses!

The beginning of the year is prime time for deals on wedding attire, specifically wedding and bridesmaid dresses.  And being the recessionista-minded planner that I am, I have been thrilled to see a bunch of sales for brides come up so far this year.  Since there are so many discounts going on I rely on many blogs to keep me updated.  BrideFinds posted a great deal on Ann Taylor's wedding collection- 25% off wedding dresses for a limited time and oh yeah, Ann is throwing in FREE shipping too!  And for bridesmaids there’s a special coupon code in effect through Wednesday 2/15, giving your gals 20% off any order over $50!

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In even more awesome news, Target has just launched a bridesmaids collection!  I could LIVE at that store if they let me, so it is a no brainer that I'm pretty excited about this line.  All dresses are under $70, they offer both short and long styles and the size range is 2-28.  The cost of being a bridesmaid can add up quickly and being able to buy a dress at a trusted nationwide store that you will wear again is pretty much all a girl on a budget could ask for.  After scouring this line, I saw a bunch of dresses I'd wear as a guest to a wedding or big event which is a total score for the price.  Happy shopping!

The Quick List: Bridal Market Deliciousness

I recently took the leap & joined Twitter (hello shameless plug, follow me @FelCWeddings).  Although I'm still getting my 'sea legs' and it is overwhelming pretty much every time I log in, I ADORE the instant access to New York's bridal market (or #bridalmarket for those in the know).  Bridal market is essentially the Fashion Week of the bridal industry with designer runway shows of their newest bridal gowns and fabulous parties for networking with all the creme de la creme of the bridal industry; Martha Stewart, Angel Sanchez, Colin Cowie,Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier just to name a few.  Wedding bloggers that I follow on Twitter have allowed me to live vicariously through them as the post runway & behind the scenes photos as well as exclusive party photos- even virtually attending Martha Stewart's party was pretty exciting.  Here are a few quick links to the full collections coming out this week.  Enjoy!

Monique Lhuillier's Fall 2012 Collection

Monique Lhuillier's Spring 2012 Bridesmaid Collection

Vera Wang's Fall 2012 Collection

Dennis Basso for Kleinfeld



The Quick List: J. Crew Addition & Bridesmaids' Newest Option

As much as I have grown to enjoy blogging for Felicity C Weddings, I have noticed that there is a direct correlation between how busy I am with how many posts I can get out monthly.  Client meetings and vendor timelines will always come first obviously.  I don't even want to tell you how many started posts I have waiting in my queue to review, complete and actually post.  And it is not like the inspiration is slowing down, just my blogging time.  So here is my solution- quick mini posts so I can feel validated.  And here we go.

As mainstream stores and designers are getting in on the wedding action, wedding fashion has gotten to the point of always evolving and changing as quickly 'regular fashion'.  Anyone in the know is already aware of J. Crew's fabulous wedding collection of bridesmaid and bridal gowns.  Now J. Crew is a one stop shop to fulfill all your bridal needs as they have added a menswear collection!  The J. Crew wedding collection for the groom and wedding party is so well made and versatile that the clothing can be worn again and again which is great for your budget.

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Another shot of awesome to wedding attire is the budget friendly trend of bridesmaids in skirts.  Green Wedding Shoes offers up a lovely amount of inspiration for this look.  At first glance this trend may seem better suited for more casual weddings but the sames rules apply; formality is determined by fabric, length, color and accessories.  So keep this as an option and have fun with the possibilities!  Enjoy!

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Mismatching Is Not A Dirty Word

As a professional wedding planner, I have very few rules that I enforce on my brides.  The main rules are to ease in logistics for the wedding and as far as personal taste is concerned, I remain as neutral as possible.  But when brides press me for an opinion on decor that is not logistically based, I draw on ideas from my experience and research.  As many options there are for modern brides, there seem to be even more stress over the traditional wedding rules.  Decor and attire need to fit the wedding theme, season, formality and location.  But gone are the days that everything needs to match, instead coordinating elements to fit the aesthetic is the fresh way to style your wedding as a whole.

There is a fine line between throwing pieces together and style coordination.  The key to coordinating different elements into a cohesive style is finding one main similar factor.  Since this is such a broad rule, I've come up with a few examples to better explain.  For decor, you want china patterns for your table settings.  Your main factor can be that all of your plateware are flowery china patterns or they are different designs all in blue/red/whatever color you want.  This is enough of a base to keep an entire table of separate china designs looking whole.  Basically, the main theme has to be unifying, whether it be the material, color, design or shape. For centerpiece vases, the main factor could be that all the vases are glass or all one size if they are in different materials.  Color is a great unifier, different sizes & shapes of candles all in the same color family create a great visual.  The real advantage to this new style of coordinating elements is that aside from expensive rental companies, it is hard to find mass quantities of any one item.  Coordinating gives couples more freedom and can cut costs dramatically.

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The next is the wedding party attire, which includes the bridesmaids, groomsmen and all children involved.  Any woman who has been a bridesmaid knows the importance of 'wearability after the event' since those pretty dresses are not cheap.  Not to mention that if you get a bunch of women together, they are all going to have different body sizes and types so finding one dress can be difficult.  So what is the main factor for coordinating dresses?  You can either have the same dress in different colors or you can choose a few dress styles all in the same color or you can have different dresses that are in the same color family.  After you have the dresses figured out, then match the groomsmens' ties with the colors.  Hope this has given you a few ideas and possibly some courage to step outside the matchy-matchy box.  Enjoy!

 

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Would You Wed Like Kate? (part 1)

The royal wedding was three weeks ago today and by all accounts, we have all eased back into normal life.  But there were some really amazing details that will certainly be inspiring brides for years to come.  I wanted to take a closer look to see which aspects of the wedding that the world watched would be trending this wedding season.

#1. Colored Engagement Ring
Not that the bride has much choice typically, but this sapphire stunner made headlines around the world for its beauty, its history and the fact that it is not your standard engagement rock.  The main reason for the popularity colorless diamonds is that they are not only classic but they go with anything you could ever wear.  I wrote a post about the popularity of colored engagement rings catching on with celebrities, it might just catch on with the rest of us soon.

#2. Kate Did Her Own Makeup
So many people, myself included, were surprised to learn that Kate decided to do her own makeup for the most watched wedding this century.  She did take lessons from a makeup artist but chose to apply by herself.  For most brides, makeup and hair stylists are necessary vendors for a few reasons- to cut down on the anxiety of perfecting the wedding day look, having access to a professional and lastly because for most brides these services are a rare luxury.  Celebrities get their hair & makeup done on a weekly basis, so are they 'over' this luxury?  It was speculated that Kate made specific choices with her wedding to represent herself as "one of the people" and this was a very good example. 

 

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#3. Her Maid of Honor, Sister Pippa, Wore White

Today's bridesmaids dresses are always well thought out- coordinating color themes, wedding formality, season, etc.  White is traditionally a color only worn by the bride at the wedding but the trend of white bridesmaids dresses was gaining speed even before the royal wedding.  Not only have I seen this on wedding blogs, but Felicity C Weddings had a client in September 2010 who had two bridesmaids, both in knee length white dresses.  Kate's sister Pippa looked amazing, although a bit orange for my tastes, and may give more steam to this growing trend.

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BHLDN: The Letters You Need To Know Now

If you are a fan of the hip store Anthropologie, you have no doubt heard that they have launched a wedding store, BHLDN as of Valentine's Day.  No coincidence I'm sure since this is the greatest gift to loyal fans since, well, Anthropologie opened.  What is BHLDN?  According to their website, "inspired by the Dutch word for “to keep,” as well as countless tales from family and friends of the extraordinary weddings they’d been part of", the geniuses at Anthropologie dreamt up this amazing offering to today's women.  There is a perfect variety of beauty in the gowns, dresses, lingerie, shoes, jewelry, cover-ups, hair adornments, accessories offered on BHLDN's site.

The wedding gowns range from $600 to $4,000 and the dresses (perfect for bridesmaids or for the bride to wear during her many pre-wedding celebrations) range from $200 to $1,000.  There is so much attention to detail and creativity that will appeal to so many ladies I am positive this line will be a HUGE hit.  I'm so excited that more & more stores/ designers are jumping feet first into the wedding industry.  Please take some time to check out BHLDN and you won't be sorry you did.  Enjoy!

 

  Now here for some gown envy.  Prepare to drool:

A New Light On Wedding Traditions

When most people think of weddings, they think of wedding traditions.  Whether it be cultural, religious, or family based, I am a huge fan of incorporating meaningful traditions into weddings, the key word being meaningful.  Some couples become so focused on tradition and pleasing everyone, that the couple loses sight of what they want on their big day.  It really is up to each couple to decide where they want to draw the line.  Because really, isn't the best wedding 'tradition' that of joyous, happy couples vowing to share their lives together? 

I recently went to friend's wedding as a guest and had a great time.  It was fairly nontraditional; an afternoon beach wedding in November (in Delaware), a short ceremony, no bridal party aside from the couple's dog, 30 guests, and a casual atmosphere.  At one point the bride asked me what my opinion was of her wedding as a wedding planner.  I told her that it was perfect because it was exactly what they wanted.  And that really is what I want for every couple; clients or friends.  If a tradition is important to you, keep it.  If it is not, toss it.  Brides in particular feel the need to incorporate every detail people throw at them.  Overall comfort (literally and metaphorically) is going to go a lot further than feeling forced into a tradition.  Example A: a lot of couples are opting for outdoor ceremonies which a decade or two ago was unheard of.  Breaking tradition could be as simple as not having a wedding cake or seeing each other before the ceremony (see my First Look post).

My advice is to go online and search through wedding blogs.  I guarantee that you will find some awesome inspiration from brides who did exactly what they wanted.  The website OffBeat Bride in particular is always featuring real weddings that have a whole lot of personality.  Here are a few real weddings that I've found that I hope will give you inspiration to plan your wedding the way you want it.  Enjoy!

 

 Beautiful butterfly bridal dress (say that 5 times fast). Source

Beach wedding in November. Source

Who says all the bridesmaids have to match? Source