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Category Archives: Style
We know the economy is bad, but really? As reported in USA Today… um… today, retail site weddings are on the up. The article mentions TJ Maxx and Taco Bell as recent wedding destinations. Um, we think, no. Saying “I do” in the same place that someone else said the same thing when asked if they wanted their meal supersized is, well, sort of corny. Don’t go there. However, we really dig it when the wedding party cruises on over to the local McDonald’s or Burger King for some cute between-the-ceremony-and-reception photos. Why? Cause we all know you were up at 6 a.m. getting your hair done, that you didn’t eat anything all day, and that everybody loves french fries. These fast food places add a hint of color and Americana to your portfolio of wedding day photos, which in some cases, when done well, tell the story of “your day.” We love what Seattle Photographer Daniel Sheehan, of A Beautiful Day Photography, did with this wedding shot. How sweet it is to be loved… and enjoying an ice cream cone at McDonald’s.
Move over Vera Wang, you are not the only designer sought after in the wedding belle department! A designer we love, and one who is making headlines with her eco-friendly designs, is Adele Wechsler. With gowns that breath an air of simplicity and ethereal beauty, Adele’s gowns are earth friendly and are sure to turn heads. Before you think “potato sack,” we have to say these gowns are truly gorgeous. Under her ECO COUTURE line, gowns are made of organic hemp and silk, vegetable dyes, and most romantic, remnant fabrics. We like the throw back to something a little more natural, a little less synthetic. That’s what makes a truly wonderful marriage, no?
Adele’s collection can be found at The White Flower bridal boutique on 5th and Laurel downtown San Diego.
   
We can’t stress how much we love when a bride’s funky style peek-a-boos into her traditional wedding scheme. Our photographers say this is a great way to let a wedding step out of the norm, making for some excellent photos and fun memories! A unique way to show a little pizzazz is in the footwear department. Whether you are looking for something a little strappy, a little funky, or romantic, blue suede is a wedding wowser! We checked out styles on endless.com, see above, after searching for “blue suede.” What a great selection! So if you are looking for your something blue and the bridal shoppe is fresh our of lacy blue-ribboned garters, why not turn to fancy footwear?
Etsy is fast creating a cult following for linking artisans, crafters and artists to consumers in search of something–anything!– unique and memorable. Wedding favors are no exception in this department. Moving away from the standard Hershey Kisses pack in fluffy toole or anything ceramic people are likely to break as they are drunk getting into their taxi, Etsy offers some fun and cheap favors that are sure to have people talking. We picked a few inexpensive ones that we we liked, see photos, but feel free to wander about on Etsy. The labels, seen at Jessica’s Design Shop on Etsy, come in popcorn and coffee, as well as an array of colors. The origami wedding “cootie catcher,” available at Kat’s Krafts, also comes in an assortment of colors and is a great way to let your guests learn a thing or two about the happy couple. We also fell in love with the water bottle labels, available at Cherished Times.
  
An emerging trend is for grooms and their beloved groomsmen to head anywhere but the tux rental place for their wedding day attire. Here’s what we are seeing: Colorful yet muted or darker suits with ties that help pull the wedding colors together. Beach weddings are welcoming lighter, airier fabrics in cool shades like linen, whites and creams. Some men are doing without the ties and just turning to a crisp shirt, top button unfastened and untucked. In love with style and originality, we are giving this out-of-tux-shop trend the nod of approval. It makes for great photographs. That said, here’s what’s not OK:
- Hawaiian shirts: Unless you are facing some family traditions or are from the land of Aloha and really want to integrate this in your wedding, please refrain from turning the groomsmen into a rainbow of fruity colors. Hawaiian shirts are very, very busy and distracting. And we must say, anything that takes attention away from the bride is no way to start a marriage.
- Tuxedo t-shirts: This isn’t your high school prom and your time to rebel. Tuxedo t-shirts are what they are: t-shirts. Enough said.
- Vibrant colors: Should have put this with the first no-no but we thought it deserves a category of its own. We’ve seen weddings with teal shirts and white pants along with bridesmaids in teal and flower girls in teal, teal flowers. OK, we get it. You like teal. Please do not be confused though. Vibrant colors are a DO for bridesmaids; in fact it’s an all-out trend right now with women wearing dresses in colors like mango, lemon, kiwi, and haute.
 Wedding Paper Divas (www.weddingpaperdivas.com), a leading online retailer of premium, personalized wedding stationery, this month announced the latest wedding trends for 2010. A top online source for wedding stationery, etiquette and design, Wedding Paper Divas surveyed its top-selling wedding invitations and scoured sources for fresh new ideas and hot trends for the upcoming wedding season. Here’s the scoop, according to Weddingpaperdivas.com:
Local Weddings with Honeymoon Flair:
- Couples might be forgoing pricey destination weddings due to the less-than-stellar economy, but they are still indulging in a love of exotic locations by jetting off to tropical locales for their honeymoons. This summer we’ll see more and more couples infusing their local weddings with honeymoon destination themes so they do not have to sacrifice style for the sake of their wallets. From blissful beach themes to wine country getaways and more, Wedding Paper Divas offers a variety of destination themed invitations to set the stage of this type of recessionista celebration.
Fruit and Paper DIY Decor
Wedding decor can make up a majority of the wedding budget, especially when it comes to flowers. With more and more brides turning to DIY solutions, we are thrilled to offer our customers some popular DIY decor ideas for their summer weddings:
- Use paper as a stylish money saver. With Wedding Paper Divas personalization tools and customer service, it is easy for couples to transform their invitation design into more than just stationery. A blank set of invitations handed over to the calligrapher can become perfectly matching table number cards, or a personalized set of invitations can be placed on the tables with fun facts about the bride and groom. We have even seen brides glue or stitch together the edges of three cards to create unique centerpieces with multiple functions as menus, programs and more.
- Another low cost way to add color and a touch of tropical style to a summer wedding is to incorporate fruit into centerpieces and decor. Oranges, lemons and limes provide perfect dash of color for flower arrangements and table decor.
Haute Color Trends
- Speaking of citrus, hot colors like mandarin orange and lemon yellows are bold ways to brighten up your invitations. In addition, luxe turquoise paired with sand or marigold accents also remains popular this season. And for brides who want to be pretty in pink, summer is the perfect season to opt for fuchsia and magenta hues over pale pastels!
Bold Typography
- We will also see the rise of bold typography along with vibrant colors. Using the art of arranging text as a design element adds a new twist to traditional monograms, whether they include the couple’s names or initials. Either way, this timeless tradition will get a fresh new look this summer!
For more information, visit www.weddingpaperdivas.com.
Because pets are often considered part of the family it’s no surprise that some of them–dressed to the nines in tuxes and fluffy tutus–are often included in the wedding festivities. We think it’s cute…and it makes for great photos if your pooch is absolutely adorable and you happen to train animals for a living. However, it’s not always a great idea. In fact, wedding planners, brides and grooms are split on whether to include Fido in the ceremony. A www.pawnation.com, a Web site for pet owners, poll in 2009 revealed that of the 1,480 respondents 54 % said it was an absolute must to include pets in wedding celebrations. Meanwhile, 33 % said they would if they knew their pet would behave and 13 % said not a chance. That said, if you are planning a destination wedding, we urge you to make sure you really, really think about including your furry best friend. For one, think of traveling. Traveling with a pet isn’t always easy, or affordable. Flying? It’ll cost you extra. As for hotels, you’ll need to find one that is OK with pets. Then, of course, you will have to care for your pet while you are trying to enjoy a sunny vacation. Most San Diego beaches are OK with dogs but you’ll have to keep that pup on a leash. There are, of course, designated off-leash dog parks. Taking that all into account, look at the balance sheet. If it’s worth the time, money and energy to travel with your pet then go on, get it fitted for a tux. Thinking of a calm, beautiful wedding? We urge you to also consider a pets’ unpredictable nature. Is Lassie going to pee on Aunt Betty’s shoe? Is Flipper gonna poop on your train? Do you want your wedding to remembered for that?
For a while over the last decade wedding veils took a hiatus from the wedding scene as a must-have. Brides were opting for pretty flowers, costume jeweled headbands, or plush white feathers, even, to adorn their hair and face. We still like that trend, which hasn’t gone away, but we admit we like that veils are making a comeback. And… we still think that shorter, cocktail- length wedding dresses do not warrant a veil. A veil will make you look more like you are about the accept the Holy Eucharist for the first time and less like a person about to wed their sweetheart. As for longer, more traditional wedding gowns, pretty, face-framing, flowing veils are all the rage. Short, long, mantilla-style, pouf-style, sheer and light… stylists, designers, and wedding shoppes are seeing it all. (I will say that the veil with the v-shaped headpiece with the pear-shaped pearl dangling onto the center of your forehead will never make a comeback. Sorry.) Now, since we are San Diego Destination Wedding dot-com and not St. Peters Cathedral Wedding dot-com, we have a strong inclination towards simple, shorter veils. That means veils you are likely to trip on are a no-no. That veil Mariah Carey wore in her first wedding? The late Princess Diana? Just don’t do it. Fun-in-the-sun and beach-chic weddings are no place for trains the length of football fields. Even if you are planning a church wedding, we urge you to keep the veil in check. Those days are over, mi’ lady. We are also frowning on the tiaras, which have only contributed to the “it’s-MYYYYYYYY-day” bridezilla problem sweeping the nation. Want to look stylish and chic? Find a veil that compliments, but doesn’t upstage your gown. Nothing says bride like a gorgeous veil.
According to a recent survey by Shutterfly Inc., that “something blue” is everywhere–dresses, table clothes, flowers, cakes, and more–as this calming hue was voted as the “it” color this wedding season. The survey results, released last week, also found that more brides are going the do-it-yourself route. The poll included insights from 422 brides who got married over the last 12 months and 500 brides to be. Here are some highlights:
- While blue took the cake on the hottest color (27 %), the black and white scheme (24 %), purple (19 %), and red (17 %) were also listed at the top.
- Brides are diving so deep into the do-it-yourself mode that Shutterfly noticed a 36 % increase in brides planning their own showers, even. Ouch! Where are your friends?!
- You might want to reconsider Vera Wang, ladies, as 19 % of recent brides said they spent too much money on their dress and food and not enough on memories, like their photographer (22 % said they’d wished they spent more) and their honeymoon (28 %).
- “Always the bridesmaid never the bride” may be losing its steam, as 37 % of brides said they’ve been maid of honor more than once.
The survey, conducted in March, is part of Shutterfly’s new wedding solutions services. The site–http://www.shutterfly.com/wedding–provides brides tools to help create their special day. From invitations to party planners, the site specializes in wedding stationary for do-it-yourselfers. Check it out!
Your wedding is an event you are likely to remember forever. Both brides and grooms will agree: you want to look your best. Sure the right dress and suit or tux is sure to do the trick. Hairstyles matter, of course, as do make up, facial hair, shoes, jewelry, and more. One thing you don’t want to overlook is your weight. Do you have a few pounds to lose? If you are one of those planning to marry this June you still have time! In April, most gyms have sales on memberships and provide deals for personal training sessions as people gear up for summer. If you don’t have time or dollars to hit the gym, we encourage you to enlist the help of an exercise DVD. Our editor recently tested the Insanity workout 60-day, high-intensity workout system and has heard wonderful things about PX90, which is a 90-day program. These tough but effective programs both include a variety of workout DVDs that help stave off a case of I’m-bored-with-this-routine.
As a throwback to the popular wedding colors of decades past, modern weddings are going au colour. Think plum, lime, teal, butter yellow, tomato and tangerine. Bursting in fruit flavor! And this is not just for the spring and summer weddings. Keeping in mind that it’s always sunny in San Diego, brides may want to expand their palette no matter what the season. Affordable David’s Bridal, a major name in bridal attire and where you want to go if you want your bridesmaids to still talk to you after your wedding, has a handy new tool on the company’s Web site that helps brides visual 4o different colors on dozens of dresses. It couldn’t be any easier that that. The bridesmaid gowns, varying in cuts, lengths, and styles, range between $100 and $200, and less for coordinating junior bridesmaid and flower girl dresses. By the way, heed the word, it’s a wedding “do” to keep the dress affordable for your gal pals who may have to travel for the big day. We urge you to check it out at http://www.davidsbridal.com/browse/bridal-party. Your friends will thank you!
You don’t really need us to tell you that your wedding is probably not the time nor place to be experimenting with teal eyeshadow or ultra-fake eyelashes. And it is our personal belief that Big didn’t get out of the car in the Sex in the City movie because Carrie, with her bluebird in her hair, had herself made up like a Red Light District streetwalker on her “big” day. Dramatic eyes? And Dramatics lips? It’s always been a longtime makeup rule that you have to do either. But on your wedding day, we say neither. You want to look bright, fresh, and happy. You want to look like the prettiest version of yourself.
In the case of a destination wedding, your best bet is often to arrive prepared to do your own make up. Spend some time at your local make up counter, have the girls at MAC teach you a thing or two. While San Diego is home to many high-profile salons and make up studios, your wedding day is no time to try a new make up artist, to get lost or stuck in traffic on your way there, or to have a pre-wedding-hour makeup meltdown. Professional make up application, while a recent wedding trend, is not always a must. Brides can be just as beautiful without the fuss and extra cost of wedding-day help. But we urge you to be prepared. Select a good foundation and powder, to help keep make up set and in place. Do not skimp on these basics. Choose neutral colors that bring out your best features. If you always wear eyeliner, wear eyeliner. Take your time applying your own make up. Let the sunshine and happiness do the rest.
There was a time when flip flops and weddings went together like peanut butter and caviar. But much to the dismay of your old Aunt Vepsa, or any other shocked, wide-eyed relative who may never understand this here-to-stay wedding trend, it looks like these beachy-cool shoes are here to stay. Ever try hitting the sand in high heels? Now, just because we said flip flops, doesn’t mean those grungy ones you wear when you run errands (or the gross ones you wore in the shower while living in the dorm) will do. For simplicity and a look that says “I’m not trying too hard,” we point you to white flip flops. Elegant. Simple. And if you want to add flair or go with a little sparkle, look for beads or posh silver and gold varieties. We’re lucky to live in a time when flip flops come in all colors and styles. Try these on for size…
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