Wedding Ideas and Inspiration Blog

Wedding Party

Coralie Beatrix

At this year’s New York International Bridal Week, one of the trends we saw was a move toward more versatility with dress design – reversible, removable straps, etc. Well, clearly Katie of Coralie Beatrix would be ahead of the trendsetting with her easy, effortless, and adaptable pieces that she’s been making since 2010.

Inspired by her love of the casual, easygoing lifestyle of living by the sea, Katie has created an entire collection of bridesmaid (as well as bridal) pieces that can be styled and wrapped into a customized look that is as personal as the woman wearing the dress. Beautiful!

Benign Objects

be-nign, adj. – 1.Of a kind and gentle disposition. And, how! I mean, what could be more genteel than these uniquely lovely wedding invitation handerchiefs by Rachel Wiles of Benign Objects? (Who also just got married this past October! Congratulations, Rachel!)

These custom screenprinted, vintage-style handkerchiefs can serve as wedding invitations (as seen above) or Save the Dates, or for a “Be My Bridesmaid” request, or any other occasion for that matter. In any case, they’ll have people crying tears of joy when they receive them. And, hey, at least they’ll be prepared when that moment strikes.

You can also purchase reply cards and decorative ‘belly bands’ to accompany the handkerchiefs.

What bridesmaid-to-be would say no to this kind of request?

And, what would help carry out the design theme better than custom personalized muslin bags? Great for favors, flower petals, confetti, and more.

Here Come the Bridesmaids: A Friday Round Up

The Dessy Group

Let’s face it, picking out the bridesmaid dresses can be some pretty treacherous territory. (Honestly, my sister should have thought to ask for assistance when she got married. Not good. Poor girls.) And, you give one quick Google search for bad bridesmaid dresses? Well, let’s hope that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Fortunately, there are plenty of beautiful options around to avoid severing any friendships or family ties. So as we head into the weekend, here’s a small sampling of some lovely offerings that may help you in dreaming up your perfect bridesmaid look while avoiding any nightmarish moments.

Color Board: Royal Purples and Blues

Photo Credits:
Paisley tie and purple shirt: Clayton Austin Love Stories
Chocolate and cappuccino spread favor: Beautiful Day Photography
Blue bridesmaid’s dresses and purple shoes: Jerry Yoon Photography
Ring bearer pillow: Y & E Bridal
Hanging flower decor: The City Cradle
Bride with beautiful bouquet: Jessica’s Country Flowers

An Inspiration Board That’s All About the Ruffle

I’m not going to lie to you, I love myself a girly ruffle. And it seems to me that there is no better time for pulling out the pretty than right around your wedding. Whether you’re adding a ruffled necklace to your shower outfit, decking your bridesmaids out in these killer peony dresses from Quail Bridal or adding a ruffle-y heel to your wedding dress, it’s a feminine way to let the world know here comes the bride.
Peony bridesmaid dress: Quail Bridal
Ruffle necklace (with DIY instructions!): Ruffles and Stuff
Cake stand: Vessels and Wares
Unicorn heel shoes: ModCloth
Ruffle purse: Piper Lime
Heels with ruffle ankle strap: Coclico
Ruffle bra: Anthropologie

Find the Perfect Song for Each Part of Your Wedding Day

You know how some people know all the new bands and when you ask them an easy question like, “What’s your first dance song?” they rattle off some obscure name that sounds like they’re just plucking random words out of the air and putting them together? Dr. Dog! Neutral Milk Hotel! The Lemon Pipers! And, then you have to stand there, hoping against hope that they don’t ask you about your first dance song because you know your iPod only features people that go by their first name? Yeah, that would be me.

As hard as I try, I’m totally, completely band challenged. I have the same 15 artists on rotation on my iPod and let me put it this way…Boys 2 Men is currently playing in the coffee shop where I’m working (I know, right?) and not only do I know every word, honey, I can break it…

Dashing Ascots for Your Groomsmen and Groom from Ceravelo

Blame it on too much Rachel Zoe and her Rodger stylings but I’m starting to have a real hankering for a man in an ascot. It looks pulled together yet still avant garde; dashing but still very modern. And for a wedding? Ba.Na.Nas. (Oh, I didn’t mention that Sarah and I have a wee bit of an addiction? ‘Cause we do.)

Well, some things are just meant to be and the other day when I was out running (yes, like the out-of-breath kind) I happened upon a street fair and, lo and behold, there was ascot upon glorious ascot. Ceravelo, a just launched brand out of San Francisco, has taken the classic look of the dashing gentleman and added a twist. Using repurposed materials to create their one-of-a-kind designs, they are turning the lesser known accessory into the moniker of good taste.

Make sure to stop…

Ridiculously Awesome Boutonnieres from Fritts Rosenow

I know I can be a tiny bit dramatic (I’m your gal if you have good news to share) but when I walked by the Fritts Rosenow booth at the Fizz and Frills event I literally stopped in my tracks. Because on display was a miniature deer head on a lapel that was…a boutonniere! How clever is that? And then I looked a bit further and, lo and behold, there was C3PO waving hello, parked next to a tiny guitar boutonniere (with picks!) that would have perfect for my husband at our wedding.

After I caught my breath, I chatted with the lovely couple who handmakes all of the designs and fell even more in love with their creations. Designed as place for grooms to share their personalities on their wedding day, they offer up creations that span computer chips to Vegas chips. Pretty much the…

Bride’s Perspective: Anne and Appreciating your MOH

My maid of honor is, as I type, graduating from college. I couldn’t be there for a couple of reasons (and unfortunately they were practical enough that even I couldn’t talk myself around them), but I figured that this was the perfect moment to not only talk about the benefits of having a great MOH, but to explain why my maid of honor is, hands down, the best.

And so, without further ado, consider this an ode of sorts to my maid of honor and bff.

It’s kind of interesting, I think, to try and figure out how exactly to go about planning a wedding these days. Traditional “lines” seem to have been erased (or, at the very least, smudged considerably) in a lot of areas: brides and grooms are, just as often as not, paying for their own nuptials and planning them together, the ceremony itself is just…

Unique Groomsmen Gift Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank from The Man Registry

We love the guys over at The Man Registry; they’re funny, have a great site just for the wedding men folk, and are very, well, manly. We couldn’t be happier to have them guest blogging for us today with ideas from the heart of their site. Enjoy!

Here’s a scenario that might sound familiar: there’s a month to go before the big day and you’ve just realized that your fiancé hasn’t even begun looking at groomsmen gifts yet. Don’t worry, it’s natural. Guys (as you know) love waiting until the last minute to get things accomplished. If you want to grease the rails, here are a few suggestions from The Man Registry that all cost under $35. They’re also throwing in a 15% discount off all purchases for mywedding for the next week. Simply enter the code: TMRMW03 at checkout to redeem your savings!

For the…