Finding your bouquet

Good monday to all,

So this week, we discuss the bouquet. I only had a bridal bouquet, but depending on your taste and on how big your wedding is, you may choose to have bridesmaids bouquets as well. If you do that, remember to make yours special and different from the bridesmaids.

If you choose to work with a florist, you can work out a bundle including bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, flowers for the decorating the ceremony hall and centrepieces for the reception. Do not underestimate your budget for flowers, because they are not cheap!
But there are plenty of ways to save:
- get submissions from different florists. This insures that you don't overpay just because you didn't shop around. Not all places will have the same prices, especially if you bundle.
- ask for suggestions from the florist, for ways to lower the costs. They want the sale, so they will be willing to help you and find a way to make you happy.
- choose flowers that are in season, because they will be cheaper.
- choose big flowers, as you will need less of them to fill out your bouquet or centrepieces.
- have centrepieces that are not flowers. There are plenty of alternatives. Martha Stewart has lots of suggestions: http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/272498/centerpieces?tab=index
- have bridesmaids carry only one flower instead of a whole bouquet.
- have fake flowers.

I know, some of you just cringed when you read "have fake flowers". But think about it. They are MUCH cheaper, can be delivered much more in advance (read: reduce last-minute stress) and do not have to be stored in a cool place (which is hard in the summer months).

What I did for my wedding was: I did not decorate the ceremony or reception halls. This was made possible because the venue I chose already had lots of personnality. It was all in wood and stone and had its own decorations. Simple, modest, but did not need much more in my opinion.
As I mentionned before, my bridesmaids did not have bouquets. I only had to buy one for myself, and I chose to buy a fake bouquet. I like to be prepared in advance, and decided I would rather have my bouquet months in advance than have to worry about it at the last minute.

This is when I discovered the wonderful world of Etsy (www.etsy.com). Etsy is an online community where you can buy crafted, often home-made items. They even have a whole section for weddings: http://www.etsy.com/category/weddings?ref=fp_ln_weddings

I shopped for my bouquet there and found a beautiful one. Here are two photos from my wedding:

 Photo by JP Lessard: http://www.jpl-photography.com

Photo by JP Lessard: http://www.jpl-photography.com

There you go, enjoy your bouquet shopping, and see you next week when we discuss place settings and wedding favors! Merry christmas, happy holidays, and lots of love from Mrs. B.
xxxxxx

Wedding shoe shopping!

Dear brides,

As we are female, we all love shoes. And no matter what people say - "Who cares, no one will see them, your dress is too long!" - shoes are ALWAYS important. But you know that.

There are many decisions to take when considering wedding shoes:
1. Do you want shoes, sandals, open toe?
2. What colour? The majority choose white or beige, but you can go wild and have colourful shoes. You can even have your shoes be your "something blue"! Have a look at some photos:

3. What is your budget?
4. How many inches of heels are your comfortable in?
This is important to consider. The first shoes I wanted were over 4 inch high, and I never wear heels in everyday life. I tried on shoes at a store and three inches was the highest I could remotely get around with. But they were soooo pretty! Here they are, Paris Hilton destiny shoes:

In the end, I shopped for a long time, as I am very opinionated and have very specific taste. I ended up shopping with my mom in stores way over my spending limit, and fell in love with expensive shoes, so she bought them for me. Lesson here: don't shop for shoes in über-expensive stores unless you are with someone who will spoil you!
Here are my beautiful shoes:

They have a shape I absolutely love, they are very delicate, italian designer shoes. And they were very comfortable, considering I never wear heels and am not generally comfortable in high heels.

Anyways, my general advice is: don't settle until you really love the shoes you find!
Happy shopping, and next week we discuss bouquets!

xoxo

Bridal accessories

Dear readers,

As you probably know, accessories pull a whole look together. Even a stunning gown doesn't make a look complete without some embellishments. Which is why we shall discuss the essential accessories for a bride!

1. Jewellery

Beautiful earrings are a must, especially if your hair is up. It really completes your polished look, and makes you shine. If your ears aren't pierced, they can now make fake earrings that don't look cheap like the ones you played with when you were 8.

If your dress is strapless or has a low neckline, I also recommend a necklace that works with your earrings. Experiment while shopping for different looks, textures, even colours! I suggest you keep to light colours, so you don't pull focus from the dress.

Some girls like to wear tiaras, to feel even more like princesses on their big day. If it suits you, why not?

Here are some great ideas for bridal jewellery:

This one is from Isabelle Lehoux's wedding collection, I apoligize for the poor quality of the photo, but it's really beautiful stuff, and not costly. Visit her website: http://www.isabellelehouxmontreal.com/fr/produits/occasions-speciales/index.html

This website also has very nice jewellery: http://www.glamourjewellery.com/main/Bridal_Jewellery.php

And here is one other with great sets (including earrings and necklaces) for very reasonable pricing: http://www.looneymaiden.com/store/agora.cgi?product=wedding-jewelry-Specials&user4=Bridal%20Jewelry%20Sets

2. Undergarments

You will have to shop for special undergarments. You don't want to wear your wednesday panties for such a special day! Shop for comfortable and beautiful underwear. However, if you already own a great strapless bra, in white or beige, I don't think you need to buy another one. I had originally thought about buying a sort of corset and was surprised when the saleslady told me it could show through the dress. Like if the corset stops at your belly-button, then you will see a line through the material of the dress. So I opted for a strapless bra.
For more tips, visit this website: http://www.bridalundergarments.net/

3. The garter

This was the first item I bought for my wedding. I was shopping at La Vie en Rose and came across the cutest garters, very simple with white lace and a blue ribbon, for only 8$. It also counted as my "something blue"!
Here are some addresses to shop online: http://www.weddingfavours.ca/c/GRT/Garters.html

This one is quite cute in my opinion, and comes from this website: http://www.theshoppingchannel.com/Cathys-Concepts/Accessory-Collections/Bridal-I-Do-Wedding-Garter/pages/productdetails?nav=R:620743

Enjoy your shopping, and next time we will discuss SHOES!!!
xoxo