Best Friends

If you are the bride’s best friend and/or maid of honor, you might feel like you should offer to throw her bridal shower. If this is within your means, it is certainly one of the expected jobs of the head bridesmaid. First, though, you’ll want to check with both the mother of the groom and the mother of the bride to see what they had in mind. Although tradition dictates it’s the maid of honor’s call and she should host (and pay for) the shower, moms may assume they are naturally involved in the planning and cost-sharing. However, with so many nontraditional families these days and family members living farther away from each other, there are no hard and fast rules. Just be sure to check what the others are doing before you plan anything. If you get the green light, have a ball! If your means will only allow you to have a small number of close friends, offer to throw a friends night out shower at a local restaurant. Alternately you can ask the other members of the bridal party to chip in on bridal shower favors or food so you can include everyone that you’d like to. And if you’re financially unable to shoulder the cost of the party, be honest with others. They may offer to step in and cover the whole cost.

Mother of the Bride

Traditionally the mother of the bride does not offer to throw a shower. The idea being that it would look as though she were asking for gifts for her daughter, and that would be in poor taste. But often, she will be the only one available, or her home is the only place available to host it and that’s okay too. But where possible, a friend or someone from the bridal party should step up and offer to at least co-host and thereby split the cost. The bridal shower invitations should come from someone other than the mom. Traditional wording might say, “You’re invited to Laura’s bridal shower compliments of Suzie, her maid of honor, and held at Brenda, her mom’s house.” The mother of the groom is also exempt from having to throw the shower, although chances are she’ll want a front row seat in the planning. Depending on if there are step-moms in the picture, be sure to check in with everyone so feelings aren’t hurt.

Co-Workers

Here’s where it gets a little tricky. Are co-workers of the bride expected to throw a separate shower? Yes and no. Co-workers are not required by any means to host an expensive off-site shower with the bride’s family and friends. That’s the job of the maid of honor. But, if you and a group of co-workers are very close to the bride, you might offer to throw a small bridal shower during lunch hour in the company break room. You can include everyone from your department (or those at work who are close to her). Simply purchase a sheet cake or make cookies or muffins and decorate with streamers and balloons. This will, of course, depend on the workplace atmosphere and protocol. Do as much or as little as you like. And if you feel your workplace is not the best atmosphere to host a small fete for the bride, offer to take her out for drinks or dinner with the people she’s close to at work and you can give her your gifts there. Sometimes, depending on how close you are to the bride, you will also be invited to the family’s shower. If so, you may want to keep it under your hat, as surely some folks from work will not be invited and you want to avoid hurt feelings.

I was chatting with an upset MOTG (mother of the groom) yesterday and she was disappointed with the dresses that the bride had chosen. “Who’s choice is it?” She asked me. It made me think. Technically I had always thought that what the bride says; goes. It’s her wedding and everything is her (and his) choice. When my sister got married, I subtly asked if we could avoid the strapless bridesmaid dress style. When she told me her decision two weeks later, low and behold, she had chosen the strapless dresses (of all the gowns we tried on!) I wasn’t thrilled but I told myself that it was her wedding, and I will suck it up and wear what she wanted me to.

The mother of the groom was really wishing that the bride would have consulted with the bridesmaids (one of which is the groom’s sister) with what style they were most comfortable in. Her point was that she wished the bride would have taken into account the shape and figures of the girls before she chose a dress. Which is a good point, and I’m sure the bridesmaids did have valuable feedback on the dresses. But ultimately… who’s choice is it?

The question therefore still remains unanswered. What do you think? Who should choose the bridesmaid dresses?

Right now, pink is being paired with chocolate or aqua, and these would tie in the colors wonderfully! Even if you like the shoe, but not the pink-factor, Nina also makes them in ivory which any bride could love.  I adore the touch of ruffle on the backs to soften up the look and make them very cutesy.

Designer: Nina

Style: Galvey

Colors: Pink, Sage, and Ivory

Cost: $79.00 (see them here)

See more beautiful shoe picks from these wonderful bloggers:

Weddings & Pretty Things

Simply and Forever (love her pick this week!)

Lemon Bride

Niche White

When planning a wedding and choosing colors, many brides bring out the usual suspects – pinks, whites, creams, blues, silvers, and even chocolate.  But you want something different; you want something that sparkles, that impresses even as it surprises.  For you, purple is perfect.  Long associated with royalty – because kings and queens were once the only ones who could afford the luxurious dye used to create purple garments – purple is very rich, extremely varied, and always interesting.  You could play it safe with soft lavenders, or you begin incorporating some purple passion into your big day.

Light purple colors are lovely, and they can be quite intriguing when paired with shades of pale or baby pink, lime green, powder blue, silver, or gold.  Darker hues of purple work well with chocolate, light and darker shades of pink, and darker greens. These are all great options, but consider throwing convention aside and trying a monochromatic theme for your wedding:  purple comes in any number of rich, gorgeous shades, and you can combine them for a dramatic, royal affect.  Lilac, amethyst, lavender, aubergine, fuchsia, magenta, mauve, violet, wisteria, and other hues can be dramatic and dynamic when arranged in different combinations and accented with simple brown, silver, or cream.

A great purple passion bridal bouquet can be made from lovely wisteria, lilac, lavender double tulips, bluebird roses, pink godetia, and lavender dendrobium orchids. These are arranged with a touch of greenery, such as catmint or varieties of oregano.  It is whimsical and elegant.  Also try blooms in reds, blues, pinks, chocolate (chocolate cosmos and roses are great choices) or shades of purple.

The bride can opt for a white dress with a sash in her preferred purple hue, while her bridesmaids wear purple dresses with white or a darker or lighter shade of purple sash.  Or again, if you really want to embrace the purple passion theme, consider a purple wedding dress.  Upon first hearing this, you may think that a purple wedding dress would be hideous: they’re not!  In fact, they can be very sophisticated and chic.  Dita von Teese, for instance, wore a Vivienne Westwood creation of purple silk taffeta that was anything but understated.

But you could also opt for a more sedate – but hardly boring – version.  Assepoester makes a couture dress with a sleeveless v-neck top with ruffled neckline and a darker layered skirt.  The gray tones literally tone the dress down, while the interesting lines create a thoroughly innovative and chic gown. Bridesmaids would look wonderful in gray or silver dresses.

Men can wear vests and ties of accent colors, such as another shade of purple, silver, cream, or brown, with a purple pocket square; purple tie clips and cuff links; or a purple vest with silver, cream, or brown tie.  The men’s attire is dependent largely on what the bride and her bridesmaids wear.

Depending on your tone, your reception venue can be decorated with pastel, soft purples and complementing white, cream, and pink tones, or your could go with a darker purple with lots of texture, including dark and light purple and white balloons, scented candles, rich purple table linens, solid white chair covers with purple ties, and other sensuous touches. There are plenty of purple wedding favors to choose from, and you could even opt for purple reception centerpieces as well. There are plenty of ways to subtly tie in purple amongst your other complementary colors.

Purple passion can also extend to your menu.  You can feature dishes made with the lavender herb, such as meat dishes, or you can add lavender butter into cupcakes and other desserts.  Melt some butter and culinary lavender and dip artichoke leaves in this aromatic mixture.  Try a purple signature drink:  instead of passing out champagne, give your guests the purple passion for your toast.  Simply take your regular champagne, add a splash of blue grape juice and a small handful of blueberries.

Purple is passionate, and its many beautiful hues are ideal for creating a passionate, loving, and fresh wedding.

Since then, almost every stately home, hotel or any place that has the commodities for a wedding can become ‘approved premises’ with a licence to marry. Civil ceremonies now make up 68% of marriages, only 32% of couples getting hitched in a traditional church. So, you could walk around a city and eye up the appealing buildings or stop to enquire at a beautiful country manor house – nearly everywhere is a potential spot for the big day.

So, how can you begin to narrow down this seemingly endless list of options? Well, knowing what kind of wedding you want is the place to start: small or large, expensive or budget, traditional or whacky – all of these concepts will affect the location. With this in mind, here are the five basic categories that wedding venues appear under. Choosing one of these will rule out at least four-fifths of the possibilities!

Traditional

There are still 32% out there taking the traditional route down the aisle. With many beautiful churches in the UK – grand and quaint, rural and urban – there will be one to suit whatever budget you’ve worked out. Maybe this is the way you’ve always imagined the wedding, ever since you started dating. There is something comforting in the familiarity of this setting – a building where you’ll know the same ceremony has been performed many times over the centuries. The only drawback is you will then need to choose another location for the reception!

Historical

Although churches could also be classed as historical, there is something intrinsically romantic about an old castle or tumbled-down mansion. Usually in the middle of the countryside with extensive grounds, these places will add an extra interest for your guests, with secret corners and gardens to explore. The architecture will also be fascinating – in the only way century-old buildings can be.

Personal Locations

It’s always worth considering locations that mean something special to you as a couple. People find love in shopping centres, parks and all sorts of everyday places. But if you can think of somewhere that is significant to your relationship, why not see if they can host your wedding? It will make a great story during the speeches.

Exotic

Ever popular is the far-away holiday wedding. This is a rather expensive option, and you might be a bit scarce on guests because the travel is such an expense. But the south of France or the Mediterranean can actually be extremely cheap to fly to from the UK and there are many absolutely gorgeous locations there. Saying your vows on warm sand while the sun sets over a calm ocean is a pretty unforgettable image.

Unusual

If none of the above locations are wacky enough for you, there are plenty of completely bizarre places to get hitched. In mid-air, under water – if you’re going for a truly unique celebration, it’s amazing what possibilities you can find. It will certainly be a memorable day this way – for you and everyone else.

Whether in an ancient village church or a Hawaiian beach hut, make sure you choose the right place that suits you both!

These adorable, bedazzled shoes would look gorgeous next to the groom’s tux. Too black for your wedding day? They’d also be a beautiful accessory for the groom’s dinner or engagement party. I’m sure you’d find something you could wear them to!

Designer: Jimmy Choo

Style: Satin Diamante Platform Sandals Black

Colors: Black, Blue

Cost: $700 (we found them for $164.50)

Check out some other #TuesdayShoesday picks!

Peach Bride (City Girl Bride)

Escape with Allison

FabulousInvites

Brancoprata

Weddings and Pretty Things

Simply and Forever

Know their Tastes

If you know the bride and groom well enough to be throwing them both a shower, you surely have some great ideas in your head already. How did they meet? Where do they like to spend their free time? What are their hobbies? You might have a bicycle themed party if they love to ride bikes or a tennis party if they hit the courts every weekend. Did they meet on a cruise? Have an ocean liner shower. Ask around. Family and friends who know them will have ideas to offer as well. Don’t forget to incorporate your theme into your wedding shower invitations, it will set the stage for the events to come!

Cake Topper Found at Wedding Favors Unlimited

The Sports Shower

This theme works well if both the bride and the groom are interested in sports. Do they both love Hockey, Basketball, Baseball? Put together a sports-themed shower! You can base your party around the game and have everyone come in hockey jerseys. Or if they love the Red Sox, have everyone come in team attire. Order up some sports-themed favors for a special touch. Again, this is a fantastic theme to keep the guys involved, but if it’s a sore point with the bride to be, don’t go this route.

Luau

Go Hawaiian! Everyone loves a luau. You can get the honeymoon mood started early by hosting a shower complete with grass skirts and drinks in coconuts. There are some fun decorations and props that will make having this theme a cinch.

Guys and Dolls

Go musical. Have everyone come in costume from West Side Story or Guys and Dolls or South Pacific. Choose a movie or musical that everyone will know. You can have costumes on hand for the bride and groom if it’s going to be a surprise. Carry your movie theme out with popcorn and DVDs playing in the background. Have fun snacks on hand like movie candy and paper cups with straws.

Karaoke Party

You can keep the fun going all night with a Karaoke shower theme. Serve the food on old records and offer props like giant cutouts of microphones and song lyrics. If you’re having it at a restaurant with a Karaoke system, make sure there are songs everyone will feel comfortable singing. If you’re bringing in your own machine, you’ll definitely want a selection of songs that span the ages. You can go wild with this theme. Have singing notes on paper plates and napkins. Add a disco ball and have someone come as Elvis to kick off the fun.

Little Rascals

If you’ve got a fun loving bride and groom to work with, this theme is a good idea. Base the shower around baby pictures of the couple. Ask the moms or other family members to dig out some cute or embarrassing baby and youth photos. Then go to town. Have an elementary school classroom set up. Set up a table to look like a teacher’s desk. Serve the food on chalkboards. Offer kid-friendly snacks like Oreos and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. If you can find old lunch trays, or borrow them from a school, that would make the day even more authentic. Get smaller milk cartons and provide open lunch boxes to hold chips. If you can, have the bride and groom’s baby pictures printed on napkins or labels or favors to tie the theme together. You might even want to use iron on transfer paper and make the bride and groom t-shirts with their baby pictures on them.

Would you consider having a couple’s wedding shower? Or maybe you’ve already had one. What are your thoughts?

Pink has been a perennial favorite; it’s the color of young love, blushes, innocence, and romance.  But brown has been largely neglected until only recently. Today, though, many brides are turning to this forgotten color, especially in conjunction with pink.  It is rich, versatile, and depending on your chosen shade, it brings wonderful class and elegance to a wedding.  A chocolate dress with pink sash for a bridesmaid, for example, creates a rich, sophisticated look that will work to contrast beautifully with the white of your dress.

Chocolate and pink have been used frequently in weddings of late, and some experts say that it has been overused.  Should you still go with it for your wedding color scheme?  If you love the colors, and especially the contrast between them, then yes.  They are still tremendously popular – because they are so versatile and endearing. They can also be worked to create fresh, new looks.  2010 is the year of mocha, which is lighter than chocolate, and blush pink.  We are also seeing mocha, coral, and ivory, as well as chocolate and hot pink or fuchsia. These are excellent choices for spring weddings, and many brides incorporate ivory and other neutrals as well.

Dresses from Dessy.com

When using your colors in your ceremony and reception, do not go wild with matching flowers, ribbons, sashes, bridesmaid dresses, groomsmen vests and ties, tablecloths, napkins, and centerpieces.  Your guests will have had more chocolate and pink than they care for by the end of the day.  Instead, start with five of the most important elements of your wedding: the gowns and suits of the wedding party, invitations, flowers, cake, and your pink and chocolate wedding favors, to incorporate your colors subtly.

With the bridal bouquet, for instance, you do not have to have a bunch of pink flowers tied with a brown ribbon.  A look that is too “matchy” can be off-putting.  A beautiful choice may be a bouquet of pink garden roses, Avalanche roses (which are large white roses) dark green leaves, rosy pink celosia, or cockscomb, and chocolate cosmos.  You can tie this with an ivory or champagne, or chocolate ribbon.  You can incorporate more chocolate by wearing a rich sash with your dress.

Your bridesmaids will look simply stunning in a brown dress and tightly grouped bouquet of cream flowers.  The groomsmen cannot go wrong with chocolate vests, and patterns, simple vertical stripes, for instance, can help add visual interest and a dynamic appearance.

Extend the colors to your reception, but remember to incorporate some other tones for contrast: for instance, you can drape tables with alternating overlays, creating a delicious mix of these hues.  Centerpieces will look wonderful with hints of pale green and peach.  Chocolate and pink are ideal for cakes, and you can make a masterpiece with brown fondant and pink accents.  Many brides are choosing chocolate backgrounds with fun pink polka dots or stripes, elegant flowers, or graceful swirls.  You may want to consider a candy buffet as well so guests can satisfy their craving for sweet treats after seeing such lovely shades of chocolate and pink .

Chocolate and pink bring together wonderful symbolism for the modern bride: we have the innocence and femininity of pink, combined with the sophisticated, yet warm, tones of brown.  Your wedding is a day to indulge your fantasies, and chocolate is always the ultimate indulgence.

Wedding Announcements

There are lots of reasons you probably won’t be able to invite all of your friends and family to your wedding! Some of the reasons include: yours is a destination wedding, budget constraints, the venue can only accommodate so many, or… you simply desire a “small and intimate” affair.

Even such, you can still include long-lost family and friends with a fun Wedding Announcement, customized in the spirit of your wedding! Without implication of gift, the purpose of a Wedding Announcement is to declare your nuptials and let those family and friends in on the happy news! And, although they are typically mailed the day of your wedding or the day after, Announcements can be sent for months after your big day.

What to include on your Wedding Announcement

Include your wedding date, a photo, new contact info… whatever you’d like. If yours is a destination wedding and you’re planning an “at home reception” then perhaps a Wedding Announcement would be the perfect way to announce the details of the party.

The design is up to you! Coordinate your Announcement with your Invitations or wedding theme or choose a design that is altogether different. I borrowed a Save the Date magnet design from MagnetStreet Weddings and used the Design Studio to customize the wording to create a unique wedding keepsake. What do you think?

Cheers and Happy Planning!

Heidi

If you are looking for that beautiful peacock teal blue taffeta neck tie shown in the collage above, visit Dessy.com where you can pick it up for about $20.  The perfect accessory for the men in your bridal party!  The cinnamon colored bridesmaid dresses are also available from Dessy.com in various styles including the tea-length strapless princess-line dress in iridescent taffeta that has a matching or contrasting sash so you can choose either cinnamon or a perfectly matching peacock teal blue if you are getting the taffeta neck ties for the men.

For the centerpieces and reception decorations, I like the idea of using the traditional things like gourds, pumpkins, sunflowers, twigs, berries and other fall themed items.  For the wedding favors, consider some leaf-shaped soaps or bottle openers that you personalize with a thank you hang tag.  And finally, for the cake, use flowers to match the rest of your wedding along with some teal accents to tie it all together.

Teal & Brown photo courtesy of k8et.