2016年2月14日星期日

Bridesmaids dresses from nbridal

This past weekend, I went bridesmaid dress shopping for my sister-in-law’s wedding. Getting the cordiality out of the way, we had a great time and we picked the perfect dress. Now for the good stuff: in talking to some other brides and bridesmaids about our shopping experience, I noticed a weird trend. Everyone I spoke to seemed to have some idea of what’s acceptable and what isn’t when picking out bridesmaid dresses. “No you can’t wear pants.” “That color is awful for a fall wedding.” “Cocktail length? For an evening sit-down dinner? Hah!” I was actually shocked at how many crazy, arbitrary norms and pseudo-mores were floating around. For some reason, I thought we (or at least my circle) was past all that.

Here’s the thing about bridesmaid dresses 2016: the only rules are your rules. Sure, there are certain things you should keep in mind, and I’ll get into them more specifically, but at the end of the day if you’re happy and if (hopefully) your bridesmaids are happy, then you can throw out all the arbitrary nonsense. What arbitrary nonsense am I talking about?

You can’t wear short gowns at night. I’m sorry, but this is just silly. If you want cocktail length, go with it. The length of your dress doesn’t need to be dictated by the time of day or a sun dial. You may want to take the wear into consideration, as a long velvet gown in August is likely to cause some dehydration problems, but what meal you’re serving should have no bearing on your dress choice.

[Insert fashion trend here] is so last season. Throw Cher Horowitz back into her walk-in closet of couture. (Yes, that was a Clueless reference. Yes, it was intentional.) What’s “in fashion” right now doesn’t matter, again, as long as you and your bridal party are happy and comfortable. Spaghetti straps have been “out” for quite some time (since about 2004, if you ask me). But that doesn’t mean you don’t like them! Leave the fashion police at home.
Don’t wear pastels in the winter. Pastels are a spring color, obviously. And jewel tones are definitely winter colors. 

I’m sorry (#notsorry?), but colors do not have seasons. Colors also do not have genders. And, in case you’re wondering, colors also don’t have a taste, smell or sound. Yes, assigning colors a season or gender is just as ridiculous as saying blue smells like, well, anything. Okay, colors and seasons — there is a rhyme and reason to it.
The colors typically associated with each season are based on things that naturally occur during those times: the color of the flora and fauna, holidays, and even the warmness/coolness of the tones compared to the warmness/coolness of the temperature outside. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. If you want to wear pastel green in the winter: Do it. If you want to wear emerald and wine in the spring: Go for it. It’s really ok.
Now with all that nonsense out of the way, what should you try to keep in mind?

Your bridesmaids’ body types and comfort level. Not everyone is confident walking around in a strapless gown. And likewise, some fabrics may be irritating to sensitive skin. And really, we all have things we are self-conscious about when it comes to our bodies. (If you don’t, you’re awesome! And congrats on loving yourself for who you are. You’re my idol.) In effort to meet that “you AND your bridal party” are happy mantra, be considerate and ask for honest feedback on what other people are comfortable wearing.

The weather and season will play a role. I just said to forget the seasons. I know. But when it comes to temperature, precipitation, etc. you may want to make accommodations in your clothing choices. White chiffon and rain don’t play nice together. Short-short strapless dresses in 20 degree weather is also not fun (unless you get to wear a really fluffy overcoat). If you are going to dress out of season, keep appropriate accessories (coats, sweaters, hand-fans ... air conditioning) in mind.

2016年1月7日星期四

Wednesday Wedding Inspiration: Bridal Gowns

Hey there and Happy Wednesday to you! 
For those of you who have been following me for awhile, you know that I got engaged last year. My fiance and I had put wedding planning on hold because we also bought our first home back in May. We have finally set a date for June 29, 2014. That is only 7 months away!!! I get freaked out everytime I think about all the planning I have to do, so to help myself stay on top of the ball and help any of you who are also planning a wedding (or just love anything to do with weddings) I am going to start a weekly blog series. Each Wednesday (I will try my best) I will post some wedding inspiration links/photos that I have found while surfing the web and pinterest.

This week I will be posting some inspiration photos of Bridal Gowns!! 
This was by far probably my favorite part of the wedding planning process. I was that little girl who always dreamt of my wedding and the gown I would wear. Here are some of my dream dress photos:



Absolutely love the bling and detailing of this dress!
This veil is stunning!

I'm sure you can basically figure out the style I love. Big princess ball gown wedding dresses with lots of BLING! 
I can officially say that my wedding dress is paid for and has been ordered. All I can say is that I shocked myself with the dress that I chose to buy. After my wedding passes, I will be sure to post some photos of the dress I chose and tell the story behind it. (I just don't want to share just in case the hubby decides to read this post ;)
 Check out my pinterest for a ton of wedding dress pins!

The Knot also has about a couple thousand photos of beautiful wedding gowns in all different styles!
If you are planning a wedding, make sure to download The Knot wedding app! It is totally amazing and the only thing keeping me semi-on track with planning my wedding!

What is/was your dream wedding dress like?

Stay tuned next week for ideas on creative favors!