Dress woes

So I had this conversation about bridesmaid dresses the other day with 2 lovely ladies that were in my office to set-up a bridal shower for their best friend who was getting married.
They love her and were so happy when they were asked to stand up and celebrate such a big day with her, they have no problem with the responsibilities and financially they are ready and willing to pay for the costs that come with being a part of a wedding party however….. THEY HATE THE DRESSES!!!! and I couldn’t agree more!

Why oh why is the tradition of one dress for 5 different girls still popular? Who cares what color the bride chooses it’s her day but for heaven’s sake no one dress is ever going to look good on all your girls, and before you pat yourself on the back and say well I gave them 3 options halter, strapless and one shouldered are not options if they all have to be floor length and you have 2 girls who are 5’9, 2 who are 5’6 and one who is 5’1. Floorlength makes sense if they are all medium height or taller and they are wearing high heels, strapless makes sense for all if they are all smaller in the bust, but if your girls come in multiple shapes and sizes then wake up! Get a clue these pictures hang on your wall, do you really want to look at pictures of 5 uncomfortable girls in ill-fitting dresses for the next 50 years all because you had to have symmetry!

I get matching colors.. it makes sense but as far as the dress itself, let your girls pick dresses in styles and lengths and shapes that best flatter each of their individual figures. Pick the fabrics, pick the color and of course the bride should have the final ok! but let them choose what they are going to be most comfortable in and you will get 5 beautiful girls who are confident, gorgeous and happy in what they are wearing.
I found a great online mag who agrees with my postion check them out for more info!

http://www.weddingsknowhow.com/dont-make-this-mistake/

Brooke

P.S. Did I mention I love the pic above so much!!!! What a great idea and they all look good in the individual dresses!

The real photos on your wall

Came across this on FB today and loved it!!!
You will take a lot of photos on your wedding day and while the more traditional ones will go to your mother and grandparents and his mother, the ones that make it to your wall probably be more along these lines!

42 Impossibly Fun Wedding Photos!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/impossibly-fun-wedding-photo-ideas-youll-want-to-steal

My 2 favorites from our big day are also posted below

I would love it if anyone is willing to share theirs

Brooke

Fabulosity

Kate did it with style…. gorgeous wedding shots from her event here in September!

It’s been awhile!

Hello!!!!
I have been the worst at keeping up with my blog! I just realized I haven’t posted since June, which is a good thing because we have been so busy but a bad thing because I have so much to share it will be weeks before I get thru it all!!
For today I want to pass on this awesome piece of advice I saw on the net….
It’s titled the most Important Photos to take at your wedding and after reading it I couldn’t agree more.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-almasy/resolution_1_b_2761883.html

Keep checking back, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to stay more on top of this thing

Brooke

One down….

Year one!!!! Done!!!! Technically I don’t think we are Newlyweds anymore but it sure feels like we are still in that phase….
My advice after the first year of marriage…teamwork! Put your partner first and approach everything as a team. My husband and I both have insanely busy schedules and finding time for each other has always been a challenge but we have doubled our efforts over the last year to make sure that we get at least one night a week for the two of us. It’s not always easy but it’s definitely worth it, we are on to year 2 and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Good luck to everyone struggling to find the time,
Brooke

Traditional or Outdated? You decide!

 

Still here and still opinionated as ever… check out this article I found below  

“7 wedding tradions that should die”
I don’t totally agree with all of these but I am firmly in favor of #’s 1, 2, 6 and 7. 

Next week, I give my reasons why!

As always opinions welcome!

Brooke

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/7-wedding-traditions-die-212400755.html

The hairy truth!

O.k. so you have spent all this money on your dress (which looks amazing). You’ve booked a gorgeous space for the reception, you have kick- a*! shoes, he looks fabulous in his tux and you ask your girlfriend to do your hair and makeup!  WHAT!!!! ladies this is a major no-no…. unless your girlfriend is a licensed cosmetologist with a chair at a reputable salon or like my girlfriend Nicole… licensed but works from home, then what are you thinking!!!!!!!!!!  You just spent literally thousands of dollars on this one day and you won’t kick in the extra loot to ensure that you look amazing? crazy!

Your best girl that does your hair before you head out for a Friday night is not the person who should be handling your locks before your big day. Find a professional who specializes in nothing but hair and make a minimum of 2 appointments. The first is a run through of your big day (make sure to take pictures) and the 2nd is for the morning of your event. Don’t stop there, your regular make-up is not going to cut it for your wedding neither is your best friends stab at a “smoky eye”. Go and see a professional make-up artist to ensure you look as amazing as possible, throw down the extra money and get airbrushed so that way you look as good at 1am as you did at 10am. Your hair and make-up for your wedding day is nothing to mess with, you have to look at these pictures for the rest of your life do you really want to look back and regret you didn’t trust it to a pro? You have already scrimped and saved to make everything else amazing do yourself a favor and set aside a few extra bucks to make sure you look and feel smokin on your wedding day.

Trust me it’s worth it.

Brooke

 

How much is too much?

fresh off my wonderful vacation with the hubby and la familial and ready to get back to work! I had nothing but downtime and relaxation for the past 2 weeks and it gave me plenty of time to think. One of the family topics that was covered was what to do about our upcoming anniversary. As you my readers know we have decided to throw out the idea of a big bash and instead do a low-key bbq and housewarming party ( low-key meaning 75+ guests!!!!). I broke the news to my fam and it was agreed that we were making the best decision for us but that got me thinking bout weddings in general and the question going round my brain is how much is too much? When does a wedding stop becoming a celebration of your new marriage and life together and start becoming a way to one up and impress people you haven’t seen in years. I sit in my office day in and day out and am inundated with nothing but wedding paraphanilia and I gotta tell you sometimes even I think it’s over the top and ridiculous. In 2007 the average cost of a wedding reception was 28,000$ twice the amount spent in 1990 and currently the wedding industry nets 161 billion dollars annually!! 28,000$ for an event that lasts 1 day just a mere 14 hours, to me that’s crazy and this is what I do for a living. People ask me all the time ” don’t you watch the wedding shows on t.v.”? Honestly, NO! I can’t stomach it. I have a hard time watching a girl spend 7,000$ on a dress she will wear for less than 8 hours or 45,000$ on a reception site. 200$ a person favors.. really! people are just going to throw it out! Don’t get me wrong I am not against spending some money to have a great wedding with good food and good drinks with the people you care about, but when you start to get into the 10’s of thousands maybe you should reconsider how better that money could be used like on your home or a tuition fund for you children. No marriage should begin with a massive amount of debt looming over your head. Remember the most important part of that day is the seriousness of the commitment you are making to one another, not the chaircover color being the exact same shade as the bridesmaids dresses.

Keep it in perspective!
Brooke

We’ve come to a decision.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on my blog “HELP” last week. Shawn and I gave it a lot of thought and considered all the good advice and we are going to skip a wedding reception. You my readers were right, I was only doing it because I thought it’s what everyone else wanted but it’s not what I wanted. We decided instead to hold a house-warming bbq on our 1 year anniversary. I think it’s the best way to enjoy our first year together as a married couple. What better to have good food and good company in our new home! We decided to take the money we would have spent on a reception and to have a true honeymoon before we start trying for kids.In the grand scheme of things you would look back on and regret, I feel like that time alone together means more to us than a big reception and I would not want to regret missing that.

Note * to all my reader who are friends and clients, I am NOT knocking big receptions!!!! I just didn’t think it was right for us!!!*

Thanks again for all the good advice!

follow your heart…
Brooke

Wide world of flowers

Today’s topic is for girls like me, let’s call us “Brides on a budget”. If florals are what you envision in your centerpieces than below is a quick and easy color guide to let you know what’ sin season during the month of your wedding. If you stick to these flowers your budget with your florist will be significantly lower. Anytime you order florals that are out of season or not grown local your price can skyrocket! A helpful hint get pics of things you like and a color scheme you want then let your florist do the rest. Remember they are professionals in what they do and they have a better knowledge of flowers and what will and will not work well. I walked into my floral appointment and said I want flowers in a long low rectangle shaped vase and I want them in all blues and whites, that was the extent of my involvement with the florals. I trusted my florist knew better than I did and below is the finished product!

My table before it was set

Summer Flowers
Alstromeria- Orange, pink, yellow and cream
Chrysanthemum- White yellow, orange and pink
Gerber Daisies- Pink, yellow, orange, red and white
Hydrangea- White, blue, purple and pink
Statice- Purple
Sunflower- Yellow
Zinnia- Red, Orange and Pink

Fall Flowers
Aster- White and pink
Chrysanthemum- White, yellow, orange and pink
Dahlia- variety of colors
Statice- Purple
Zinnia- red, orange and pink

Winter Flowers
Amaryllis- Red and white
Bells of Ireland- Green
Poinsettia- Red and white
Ranunculus- white, pink, red/coral, lavender/purple
Tulip- Many colors
Jasmine- White

Spring Flowers
Anemone- Blue, red, pink, white
Casa Blanca Lily- White
Delphinium- White and blue
Peony- Pink or white
Sweetpea- white, pink, red/coral and lavender/purple
Hyacinth- Purple, Pink or white.

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The list above are just a start, for more info on seasonal flowers check out http://www.datehookup.com type in seasonal wedding flowers. They have a more complete list.
Most importantly find a florist who listens to your budget and trust them to do the rest!

Have fun!
Brooke