ban.do corsages

It is very clear that I have an obsession with ban.do and I think they know it since they are always sending me goodies to my inbox. And, well, today was no different. I opened my inbox to find an email introducing ban.do corsages and really, I couldn't be more in love.

Aren't they gorgeous?! Not only are they the most adorable everyday accessory but they could totally be used on your wedding day. They are the perfect unique bridesmaid gift or they could be an alternative to real flower corsages. Real flower corsages are always gorgeous but lets be honest, they don't fit the style and design of every wedding. (think J.Crew, picnic, on the beach, on a boat, at city hall, etc.) Really, had these beauties been around on my wedding day I may have designed the entire affair around them.

Thank you ban.do for being fabulous!

City Bride Style | Audey Bridesmaid Dresses

Lately my posts have been filled with motherly advice and lots of nagging but today I am sharing with you one of my new favorite style ideas in the wedding industry.

I introduce to you Audey, a designer who has embraced the idea of letting your bridesmaids rock their personal style. Audey has created a bridesmaid line that is completely customizable, allowing your ladies to choose both a top and a skirt that is flattering for them. Some of the top options include boatneck, strapless and triangle and for the bottom, pencil, circle and pleated skirts.

Aren't they so fun and beautiful? And the patterns, oh I love the patterns!

Not only will your bridesmaids look ultra stylish but they will have bonded during the designing process and will feel more comfortable on your wedding day. I love that Audey has created an experience out of bridesmaid dress shopping.

Now you want your very own Audey dress, don't you? Well, you are in luck! These dresses can be designed at Miss Ruby Boutique and if you come in on a Saturday I may be able to help you!

And, since you know I love bonus points, the designer of this line will be in Milwaukee in a couple weeks to help brides design the best dresses for their maids. Contact Miss Ruby to set up your private appointment.

Happy Designing!

Fab Wedding Reads

Even in the world of wedding blogs, every bride should own (or at least read) a few inspiring planning books. Here are a few of my favorites.

Simple Stunning Weddings: by Karen Bussen. If you’ve used the words simple and elegant to describe your wedding this is the book for you. The book is filled with practical design ideas and advice. Karen also authored a fabulous book filled with shower themes and ideas.

Emily Post’s Wedding Planner: 9 times out of 10 when a bride comes to a consultation she is armed with a big heavy binder filled with all her planning materials. If you are that organized bride, this is the planner for you. It guides you through the entire planning process including budget, attire, and ceremony and reception planning.

Colin Cowie Wedding Chic: This book is filled with gorgeous wedding inspiration. The book touches on the majority of wedding elements including bouquets, centerpieces, stationery, and food and drink. My advice for getting the most out of this book is to find a few elements that you love and incorporate them in your own way. The designs as a whole can be over whelming and unattainable with most budgets.

Happy reading!

Setting the Style Record Straight

Meghan: “Tell me about the style of your wedding”

Bride: “Well, my colors are tiffany blue and white.”

Meghan: “Okay, tell me about how you want your event to feel.”

Bride: “My colors are tiffany blue and white.”

Meghan: “What type of experience do you want to create for your guests?”

Bride: “My colors are tiffany blue and white.”

Does this conversation sound at all familiar? Unfortunately, my guess is yes.

I know that I may be over exaggerating just a teeny tiny bit with this conversation but as I mentioned before, brides have a terrible time describing their style. So, I am setting the record straight once and for all.

Your wedding colors do not define your style.

Sure, your colors are a clue to your overall style but they are not the sole indicator. The style of your event is about the feeling that you create for your guests and what they experience throughout the day. My best advice for you is to forget the colors and think about your wedding with a more sophisticated approach.

Creating an event that reflects you as a couple will go much farther than tiffany blue and white. Trust me.

Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize!

Looking for a way to change your look from your mid afternoon ceremony to your late night reception? It’s all in the accessories. Accessories give you one more opportunity to show off your personal style and allow for a change in your look without the expensive gown change.

Ban.do headbands are my new favorite accessories. They offer something for everyone’s style and also in many different price ranges. Go ahead, I give you permission to gush over them.

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A belt doesn’t need to be restricted to every day wear. Jazz up your wedding gown or your bridesmaids' dresses with a beautiful ribbon belt like this one from J.Crew.

Before you and your new husband are formally introduced pop on an oversized necklace. For our reception I wore a beautiful strand of opera length pearls.

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Boleros are a perfect way to add a little drama to your gown and are the perfect accessory for the victorian inspired bride. Etsy is a great place to look for the perfect bolero.

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Please, don't be afraid to accessorize on your wedding day. Afterall, you wouldn't leave them home any other day!

Kicking off 2010 with Randomness...

I am continuously thinking of new ideas that I’d love to see at a wedding but don’t always have the right bride to use them for. So, to kick off 2010 I am sharing some of my favorites in hopes that at least one bride will be inspired and find them useful. Bear with me, they are very random.

How about a patterned wedding dress like this Oscar de la Renta beauty? It’s perfect for a bold spring wedding and would be gorgeous paired with this bridesmaid dress, in clementine of course.

Why not dress your maids in ball skirts like this one from J.Crew? It is totally unexpected but yet not too extreme. (By the way, if you use this idea, please ask me to be in your bridal party. I’ve been dying for an excuse to buy this skirt!)

Why not have an outdoor winter ceremony? If your ceremony is short and sweet it would be beautiful. As the guests walk into the candle lit pavilion hand them a hot chocolate and a blanket and they will be all set. Also, check out this post for some fun winter reception ideas.

In terms of décor, how about an all white wedding? Many people envision white as boring but I think the simplicity is beautiful. By using a mixture of creams and whites you won’t be obsessing on the right color which allows you to design more freely. The options are endless. Of course, in Milwaukee the perfect venue is The Art Museum.

Anyone else have a fun idea they'd like to share?

City Bride Style: Modern Calligraphy

Your wedding invitation (and envelope) is the first look your guests get into the fabulous wedding you are planning, so it needs to make a statement. One of the best ways to do so is to hire a calligrapher. Not only do your envelopes look gorgeous but they do so without writer’s cramp and hours spent next to a computer and printer.

I introduce you to Swoonoverit, a modern calligraphy studio.

Aren’t they beautiful?

I discovered Swoonoverit while planning our wedding and will forever be hooked. These styles are beautiful and like nothing I have ever seen before. They are perfect for the bride planning a modern wedding and are the gorgeous touch every envelope needs. Truthfully, I think they were designed just for City Brides!

Amanda is so talented and an absolute delight to work with. Her love for the wedding industry and her clients is evident in her work. The process is very simple and her level of customer service is stellar.

And, since I love bonus points, Swoonoverit also designs customized maps, signs, and tshirts. They are your one stop shop for all things hand written.

Ideas for a Winter Wonderland Reception

Milwaukee has recently been dumped with some snow, which inspired me to come up with some fun ideas for a winter themed wedding.

Warning: These ideas are for the couple who are true snow enthusiasts. Making any of these ideas a success will be a challenge and are dependant on many factors such as snowfall, venue and budget. Also, be sure your invitation is clear that guests should dress appropriately!

Sleigh Rides: Perfect for an intimate winter wedding. During cocktails or after dinner invite your guests to enjoy a quick sleigh ride. For bonus points, have hot chocolate waiting for them when they return to the party.

Ice Skating: This could be a really fun way to entertain your guests. Think about it, how often do you get to ice skate with all of your family and friends?

(Hm… you could even hold your ceremony on the ice!)

Snowman building: Go to a thrift store and gather winter accessories (mittens, hats, scarves, and sweaters) to be used to decorate snowmen. Encourage your guests to create the best snowman they can with the props you have supplied and give the winner a prize. Of course, you and your new husband are the judges.

Sledding: Yes, I know this is a bit extreme, but it’s perfect for a casual picnic style winter wedding. Provide your guests with all different types of sleds from your childhoods (or the local Wal-Mart) and let them loose. If the space permits, start a fire and cozy up with your guests.

Anyone else have some fun alternative winter reception ideas?

Let it snow!

City Bride Style: Not the Average Favor

Favors should be viewed as an accessory to your wedding and not a necessity. If you are going to present your guests with a favor you need to “make it count” and if you can’t, then you should skip it all together.

Below are a few favors I found around the web that would be fabulous for a wedding and are sure to to be remembered by your guests.

This favor from Anthropologie is perfect for an outdoor or seaside themed wedding. It takes writing your guests a personalized note to a whole new level.

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These bowls were first introduced by Paloma’s Nest as ring bearer bowls but really can be used to store jewelry or any little trinkets. These favors are perfect for most wedding styles and would look beautiful incorporated with the table design.

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I love these reusable Chewing the Cud gift wraps, which are perfect for a green wedding. I could see them beautifully folded on the table or the wrapping for a box of truffles or other edible favor.

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Who doesn’t love letterpress stationery? I mean really. At each place setting (or in a basket somewhere) you could put together an assortment of different stationery and tie them with a beautiful ribbon and a thank you note.

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Any one have other fun favor ideas?

There is nothing wrong with cookie cutter!

Yes, you read the title right, it is okay to be cookie cutter!

Seriously, how many times have you heard someone refer to a wedding as totally cookie cutter? I have heard it a million times and even out of my own mouth.

After I wrote my style post last week I began thinking about the term cookie cutter wedding, it's negative connotation, and the whole concept in general. After much thought I began to realize that cookie cutter is a choice and completely acceptable. Our culture has created a mold for what a wedding can look like, so why not use it?

Now, I am not preaching that you should copy someone's wedding exactly, but don't feel pressure to make your wedding nothing like anyone elses. Some brides get so caught up on not being cookie cutter that they exaust all of their energy coming up with crazy ideas, but not because they want to but because they feel they have to.

Your planning process should be enjoyable and spent creating a day that suits your style and personality and if it ends up cookie cutter, so be it!

I know some of you may think my concept is crazy, so I challenge you to make holiday cookies this season without a cookie cutter and let me know how it goes!

Defining your style

Well, today is the day that I jump right into discussing all things weddings. With planning season upon us it is time for brides to think about style. Style is an important element that sometimes is overlooked in the excitement of beginning to plan a wedding.

I am not sure why, but discussing style seems to be difficult for most brides. They get a glazed over, deer in headlights look on their face as soon as the “s” word is mentioned. But, brides, it really doesn’t need to be like that!

Below are my tips for defining your wedding style:

• Begin with an open mind. Maybe you’ve attended 25 weddings or never one at all, but don’t let that influence you. This is a time in your life when you are allowed to be creative and dream. Take advantage of that!
  
• Create an inspiration board of elements you love. Yes, I know this isn’t a new idea, but it really does help. Inspiration boards allow you to visualize your style as a whole, making it easier it determine if elements work or not. If you aren’t feeling crafty, you can always check out one of the many great blogs out there dedicated to style. Of course, my favorite is Style Me Pretty.
  
• When looking for inspiration think outside the box. It doesn’t only have to come from bridal magazines or the latest reality wedding TV show. I like to use fashion and home and furniture magazines.
  
• Talk about your style. You may be thinking that your style will just figure itself out as you begin to choose vendors, flowers, a cake etc. but it won’t. Talking about your style will assist you in making those tough decisions an also ensure that your wedding doesn't look like a total mess. (Unless of course, that is the style you are going for!)

Remember, no one has any expectations of your wedding style. It can be whatever you want it to be!