Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Flower in My Hair

I was pretty certain that I wanted an updo for my wedding because of the halter-style of my dress – I didn’t want to hide the neckline. Once I decided on that, I was pretty sure I wanted something to go along with my updo. Now, by the time I thought about my hair, I had already received gifts of earrings and a bracelet from my mom, which were both pearl-based. So, I wanted a hair accessory that would match it, meaning no crystal, diamonds (yeah, I wished), or any sparkly gems of that nature. Another thought that popped into my mind was a fresh flower in my hair. That would be so refreshing, plus I wouldn’t have to worry about whether it matched my other jewelry. Alas, my hair stylist shot down that idea quickly when I told her, saying that flowers wilt too quickly, and I had a relatively long wedding day compared to most brides.

I browsed through the internet and saw many ideas, flowers made of silk, crystal, plastic, and silver:


The one I really liked (top left) was expensive, priced at well over $100. Luckily, before I decided on anything, my parents announced they were going to Hong Kong to buy Chinese traditional wedding items. I took the opportunity and asked them to be on the lookout for anything “flowery” and “pearly” for my hair, showed them a few pictures, and anxiously awaited their return.

One month later, I got a BEAUTIFUL surprise when my parents came back home. My mom handed me a wrapped box and inside it, laying on tissue paper, was a hair comb that was absolutely perfect. It embodied everything that I wanted AND it was a gift from my uncle, who had one of his students (who is apparently into arts and crafts) hand make it for me from glass.

I was so touched and elated that this stranger would do this for me! And here is the result:

Bottom pic courtesy of Sun Photographics

On my wedding day, I was so happy to finally take the comb out of the box! It not only went well with my wedding dress, but it also matched the qi pao (traditional chinese dress) I changed into during the reception. Oh the qi pao - that will be another post for another time!

-Fiona

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Some of our favorite wedding dresses!

One of the best parts about being a bride is trying on wedding dresses! Bridal consultants, your mom, your bridesmaids, and anyone else you can imagine, can help you in your process of finding the perfect dress. Whether you want a ball gown, a trumpet skirt, a beaded bodice, lace, tulle, or satin, that special dress is out there waiting for you. Take a look at different magazines and websites to see what types of styles there are, and save the dresses that you like so you can refer to them later. Theknot.com is a great resource for all gown designers, and FashionBride is a fabulous resource for all high end and couture designer gowns.

To start you off with a variety of ideas, here are some dresses that we love.

Fiona's favorites:

Priscilla of Boston - Style 4307
Love the lace and the dramatic sparkles at the top!
Photo from brides.com

Melissa Sweet - Sidney
Beautiful, daring neckline and it seemingly floats as you walk.
Photo from theknot

Kenneth Pool - Splendor
A dramatic dress that really makes a statement with its unique bodice and beaded tulle overlay.
Photo from Kenneth Pool

Kenneth Pool - Brilliance
Lovely flow to the goddess-like dress... the jeweled halter is amazing!
Photo from Kenneth Pool

Jim Hjelm - Style jh8862
This gown shows off your body, and if you look closely, the detail on the train is really nice.
Photo from theknot

Emilie's Favorites:

Sarah Arnett - Audrey
Such a full skirt, with a classic shape that is simple and elegant
Photo from theknot

San Patrick - Pissa
This luxurious gown has multiple layers made up of tulle, satin, and beaded lace.
Photo from FashionBride

Pronovias - Hillary
The delicate details are absolutely stunning, especially with the straps of the dress.
Photo from FashionBride

Manuel Mota - Varsovia
Incredibly modern and romantic, this gown has a beautiful and soft structure.
Photo from FashionBride

Enzoani - Demi
A showstopper dress that is sexy, edgy, and elegant all at the same time.
Photo from theknot

We hope you've enjoyed some of our favorite picks for dresses!! As dresses change with different collections and seasons, we'll be sure to update the blog with more dresses later on!

Friday, January 9, 2009

A high impact wedding element: lighting!

When planning a wedding, you will come across lots of different variations of flowers, decor, invitations, dresses, and anything else you can think of. It's helpful to save all of your favorite photos into folders so you can reference a particular bouquet when meeting with your florist, or reference a particular invitation style when meeting with your stationery designer. One of my favorite wedding photo folders is the lighting folder. I absolutely love lighting for weddings, and really think that it can add drama and elegance to any room.

Below are some photos that I found that were all done by a fabulous event planning company based out of California, Details Details, with lighting in different colors to hopefully inspire you to use lighting in your own wedding!

photos by Ira Lippke Studios

photos by Victor Sizemore

photo by Triple Cord Photography

photo by Joe Photo