Category — wedding inspiration

Erika Online

The trends for 2009 weddings this spring are all about vibrant color: lemon yellow, fuscia red, vivid green, palace blue.

It’s about time winter got a swift kick in the behind!

The designers report their favorite colors in this report from Pantone.  Borrow these as inspiration for your spring wedding.

Flirty lemon yellow bridesmaids’ dresses…

Anthony Easton

Or a full length formal…

Karl Koenen

Fuschia popping out of the flowers…

This green is so fresh, so SPRING…

The blue bridal party…

Scott Feldstein

Electric blue irises…

Dave Shafer

Forget about pastels.  Eye-catching, bold as brass, full-on assault COLOR is in!

Taylor Swift’s dress in her “Love Story” video is to die for.  A touch of Renaissance mystique and a corseted waist that shows off her itty bitty figure.  Bitch.

Of course, her dress was custom made.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t steal the idea for your wedding.

Dress Like Taylor (yes, a whole website dedicated to imitating Ms. Swift’s fashion persona) suggests two dresses similar to the one she wears in the “Love Story” video.

How about this corseted medieval wedding dress from Medieval Bridal Fashions?

Medieval Bridal Fashions

Or this corset wedding dress fashioned after the Maggie Sottero design?

I love the corseted waists!  If you can handle not breathing all night, the look is stunning.  I’m far too practical to ever pull that off, but I can dream…

What’s your wedding inspiration?  Leave a comment.

Have you stumbled onto Etsy yet for inspiration and deals for your wedding?

If not, you’re missing out on a GEM.  Like Ebay for homemade crafts, it’s the perfect place for idea wedding inspiration, cool crafts and handmade goods at bargain prices.

It’s a perfect home for the budget bride.

But if you’re pressed for time, now there’s something even better…

Etsy Wedding Blog.

The author sifts through all the Etsy delights for you, highlighting the best Etsy wedding deals and the most unique, distinct treasures that will make your wedding totally you.

Check out these posts for the vintage bride…

For the poetically inclined…

Those seeking handmade wedding dresses under $500…

And more.  Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t spend your lunch hour surfing among Etsy’s delights.

Oh…did I mention that Etsy is a great resource for green wedding favors and accessories?

It only gets better.

Happy Etsying!

Michael Bucker/Getty Images

Did you check out the Oscars?  It was all about WHITE…dresses for wedding inspiration and maybe a twinge of jealousy.

From goddess chic to voluptuous curve-hugging gowns…princess ballroom dresses and sequines…mermaid cuts and A-lines…from classic ivory to champagne and metallics…a vertiable feast for a bride’s eyes.

Nina Callaway put together a terrific gallery of White Wedding Dresses At the Oscars.

This is my favorite by Tina Fey…most likely because I’m a huge fan.  She’s smart and sexy, sassy with ruthless wit and self-depreciating humor.  And she absolutely rocks this metallic number.

It also reminds me of the only wedding…the only wedding in hundreds that I’ve attended…where the bride DID NOT wear a white/ivory/champagne wedding gown.

This bride chose a silk wedding gown in soft lavender gray that clung to her curves.  She was absolutely ravishing.  It was sort of like this in a silvery tone, with a bit more up top, but the same elegance…

I still remember it to this day…

So if you’ve got an urge to buck the white trend, take your cues from the Oscars.  It’s a room stopper.

What’s your favorite Oscar inspiration?

Daniel Morrison

Want to really wow your guests and leave them saying that yours was the best wedding EVER?

It’s easy to accomplish this idea wedding.  And it costs little or no money to do.

Share your story.

The reason sharing your story creates a wedding that totally WOWS your guests and makes your wedding totally “you,” is because it involves your guests emotionally.

When your guests feel included and connected, they get ACTIVE.  They get ENGAGED.  They have FUN.

And the more your personality shines throughout your wedding day, the more unique, personal and original it is.  I’m not talking about the kind of personalization where you etch your name on everything in sight.  (More about the difference between getting “personal” and “personalized” is so important and how it can make or break your party in “The $10,000 Dream Wedding.”)

So HOW do you do it?  Here are 5 Ideas for Wedding Wowing…

1)  Share Your Love Story.  Tell your guests the story of how you met and fell in love.  Your officiant can spin the tale for you in your wedding ceremony.  Or have your entertainer do it.  Whatever you do, the more specific, juicy details…the better.

2)  Write Your Love Story.  Include details of your love story in your program or along with photographs of memories at each table.

3)  A Photo Montage.  Present a slideshow of photos of you and your fiance set to music at your reception.  If you can make your own Power Point presentation it’s a lot cheaper than hiring someone to do it.  Just make sure you have tissues handy!

4)  A Scrapbook Or Photo Album.  Put together a scrapbook of photos and mementoes of you and FI for your guests to page through at the reception.  You might even have them sign it as a guest book.

5)  A Digital Photo Frame.  This is an even cheaper alternative to a DIY wedding photo montage.  Just upload your favorite digital photos and it scrolls through the images to the music you choose.

These ideas are just the tip of the ice berg.  The more you can include your personality in your wedding, the more your guests will be impressed.

How are you planning to wow your guests?  Leave me a comment.

Looking for wedding inspiration?  The 2009 Grammy awards are a font of fashion idea wedding inspiration.

THE LITTLE BLACK DRESS

Both Taylor Swift ( Jersey Dress from Kaufman Franco) and Miley Cyrus (in Herve Leger by Max Azira) remind us why the little black dress will never go out of style.

Steal this look as inspiration for your bridesmaid dresses and your girls will LOVE you for it!  Elegant, classic, and something they will wear again and again.

THE GODDESS LOOK

The essence of elegant simplicity, Carrie Underwood channels the Goddess Diana.  (All she needs is a tiara.)

BOHEMIAN HIPPIE

Katie Cassidy brings a touch of bohemia to the red carpet.  I don’t know about you, but I’m seeing a hippie princess wedding gown inspiration here.  Bare feet would be the perfect touch.

SEXY TUXEDO

The Jonas Brothers rocked the tuxedo in three distinct looks.  Can you see your FI in one of these?

Got a favorite red carpet fashion moment that launched you into wedding inspiration?  Leave me a comment.

Pink is all about femininity.  The delicate.  The newness of spring.  The inner princess.

That’s why pink is perfect for weddings.  Considering a pink theme wedding?  You’re not alone.

Fashion designers are all about PINK this spring, according to the recent article , “Pink Panthers” in New York Times Magazine.  This could mean a new 2009 wedding trend: the perfectly pink wedding.

You don’t have to drape everything in pink.  A subtle choice of napkins, flowers and candles at the tables sets the pink palette nicely.

Even the guys can get in on the action with pink pinstripes and a pink and black tie.

Bridesmaid dresses in pink for that flirty, spring vibrancy.

Pink wedding gowns run the gamut from full princess skirts, pink crinoline, with the works…to more subdued pink accents on a wedding gown.  This one is young, flirty and simple with pink accents that don’t overpower.

But if you’re ready for a pink explosion…there are tons of pink wedding gowns available.  This on is a classic wedding dress in pale pink with an elegant corset back.

Whether 2009 wedding trends show an abundance of pink or not, I am definitely seeing more and more use of color as brides ditch the traditional white in favor of personality expressing sashes, beading, bindings and accessories.

How will you use color at your wedding?  Leave me a comment.

Photo by Thomas Purves

I always wanted a beach wedding.  We had it all planned out for Boca Grande, Florida around my husband’s family reunion.  But the ex-wife wouldn’t let the kids attend because it would “ruin their chances for college.”

The were 8 and 12 years old.

Ever since, the fantasy lives on.  Even if you aren’t having a wedding on the beach, nothing says your wedding can’t be inspired by it.

I’ve collected links to a few beach themed wedding inspiration palettes to make me wish I was a bride again.  *sigh*

Caribbean Tropical Theme - I love, love, love this one!  The blues and greens provide a total tropical feel that isn’t overly “beachy.”  It manages to be elegant and hint of the beach without running into the glossy shells and blue-white beach cabin feel.

Classic Beach Theme - This is cute, a little kitche for my taste.  A sand ceremony (of course), seashell candle wedding favors, starfish on the cake.  It makes me think of Little Mermaid.

Beach Inspired Cakes - My favorite is this oceanic wedding cake.  It’s so psychedelic!

Beach Themed Wedding Invitations - I love the Hawaiian flower invitations.  It’s tropical without screaming BEACH, BEACH, BEACH!

Mexican Wedding - This orange and yellow palette says Mexican escape: laid-back, fun, relaxing.  Sign me up!

With all that beach inspiration I am jonesing for the warm weather.  Right now it’s about…oh, -10 degrees outside.  Brrrr!

What’s your favorite source of wedding inspiration?  Leave me a comment.