WHAT'S NEW IN THE GOWN GALLERY?

Boho is here. Meet the new version of MUSETTA. A mix of imported Chantilly laces on the bodice. The full skirt is silk chiffon lined in crepe backed satin. Cap sleeves and accented with a gold braid tie belt.

Want to see more images of Musetta?  Available through Etsy or custom order at Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

THE COLOR OF HEAVEN

Credits: Oh Hello Friend, Nicole Hill Gerulat (6), Simply Hue

Part of the joy of being a bride is celebrating white in all it's purity and clean lined chic. Enjoy this board from Brancoprata that I found on SMP clearly illustrating the texture and illumination of heaven . . .

THE SHORT VEIL

The short veil has many names: petal veil, birdcage, fly away, blusher. The good news is, there are no rules anymore about pairing short veils with short dresses. Whatever works is the guideline and has more to do with following proportions and personal style. The shorter ‘fashionista' veil has not only gained in popularity, it's a bridal fashion fixture. My client Monique put it succinctly: "I'm sure glad I chose a birdcage. Now, I won't have to worry about rearranging or when to take it off. I can enjoy my day. " There's something chic, even edgy about a bride sporting one one of these small veils. As early as the 1990s, Vera Wang was matching up short pouf veils with very formal silhouettes. Whether she wanted to show off the extraordinary back details of her gowns or usher in a new look, I don’t know; I only know the juxtaposition this duo created worked. Like Monique, most brides say the number one thing about wearing a shorter veil is, they don’t have to do any adjusting in that switch from the solemnity of ceremony to big time partying hearty. Shorter veils are easy to maneuver around in and stay put whether you’re exchanging vows, cutting cake or dancing. Typically they are made out of either tulle, the standard light weight bridal veiling, or, netting—wider and crisper, offering a more structured and chic look. Since small veils are here to stay awhile, it will be interesting to see what designers come up with the next few seasons with all the new fabrics and materials out there.

Leah C

Leah C

Leah C

Castle Bride Couture

Jade Rose Designs

source

Brenda's Bridal Veils

Megan Hamilton
Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

COURAGEOUS AND GORGEOUS RUSTIC ROSE

Here's a real courageous, gorgeous move for all of you out there contemplating color. Observe: This bride is sporting hot pink . . .not only is her gown and headpiece a totally allover vibrant pink, her flowers and over all color scheme spell out all shades pink.

Thank you Sharise from Urban Engagements for putting all this loveliness together. More of her inspiration boards can be seen by checking out her site . . .

Island Wedding Dresses

A wedding on a tropical island invokes images of sand, surf, and rolling waves. A gentle breeze and shimmering sunshine the bride who awaits her island wedding, in her beautiful island wedding dress.

Island wedding dress fabrics
Island wedding dresses are more an idea or a feeling than style per se. several aspects must be respected for the bride to feel comfortable at the beach during an island wedding. One of these is the trade winds, which are breezy and light. To be capable of using these trade winds in a bride's favor, fabrics that are light weight are best, such as georgette, linen, charmeuse, gauze, satin, cotton, silk, and chiffon. The advantage to these fabrics is their easy mobility; to limit the amount of sticking or clinging a fabric may have against a bride's skin, in the hot weather.

This means the bride's wedding dress will have to be packed, therefore a dress that irons well or less likely to crease is a safe bet. In keeping with an island wedding theme, sarongs, tea length dresses, or short wedding dresses lend themselves really well. A train that is extended is not advisable when the wedding location is outdoors, but a shorter version is acceptable.

Colored Island wedding dress or colored detailing
Tropical island statements are made by colored wedding dresses, as opposed to the more conventional white or ivory, which are still very good color choices for island wedding dresses. Color adds character and island charm is infused into the ceremony, and as such any color can work well with an island setting wedding. For those brides who prefer otherwise, a few details of the wedding details can be in color, such as appliqués, embroidery, some piping, or sash, can be in color. This finer detailing will hint at color, without overwhelming the senses.

As a tribute to the stunningly beautiful nature of island weddings, quite a number of the well respected designers in the wedding dress industry have entire lines of island wedding dresses. The style of dress can range from spaghetti straps, strapless, and halter necks, to A-line, empire waist, cut out low back, and full skirts.

Island wedding dress accessories
Island wedding dresses have to be paired with the appropriate footwear, as traditional pumps are not practical in sand. As a consequence, sandals, which are elegant and simple, will work well with wedding gowns. One strap sandals are particularly recommended. Flip-flops, adorned with flowers that are hand painted, jewels, or shells are a popular choice of island wedding dress footwear, as are barefoot sandals. These are jewelry that embellishes the top of a bride's feet, at the same time leave the soles of her feet bare. Adornments may include flowers, rhinestones, and pearls.

Jewelry should be kept simple, as a simple rule. A lone gold chain, pearl earrings, is normally adequate. Fans, be they of straw or white elegant paper, can also adorn an island wedding bride, as well as parasols can. Brides retain a feminine look with parasols draped off the shoulders. A hair ornament will add romance to any island wedding, with a tiara, jeweled comb, or flowers completing the ensemble.

SHADES OF PEACH AND CORAL

What redhead wouldn't love this board. I admit it, I'm naturally attracted to these tones and once I got a load of the vintage threads all lined up monochromatically, this board went up. Love to claim credit but this is the work of the very talented, So Much Love over at SMP. You can catch her blog, of the same name and see (and read if you know Portugese) all about her unique take on fashion, weddings, decor and crafts to name just a few things.

Jasmine Wedding Dresses

Jasmine Wedding Dresses

Jasmine Wedding Dresses

Jasmine Wedding Dresses

Jasmine Wedding Dresses

Jasmine Wedding Dresses

Country Wedding Dresses

Wedding dresses are considered to be one of the centerpiece items in a wedding ceremony. This is because a wedding dress on top of all makes a bride standout among the crowd due to its elegant and breathtaking design. Asides from this, wedding dresses also have a deeper meaning with regards to marriage as these have been symbolizing the bride ever since.

Country Wedding Dresses

The beauty of wedding dresses resides in how it is able to represent the bride in a unique manner during the wedding ceremony. It also adds up to the stunning factor that occurs when the bride is first seen walking down the isle. This is the reason why a wedding dress is highly prioritized in a wedding arrangement checklist.

Generally speaking, the modern world has been used to the white wedding dress which comes from the Western cultures of European countries. However, there are a lot of other cultures that have different variations of wedding dresses in areas like color, design and pattern. These traditional versions of a wedding dress are also as beautiful as the accustomed white bridal dress and at times more interesting since these are not really seen that often.

In the old Western cultures, marriages during and subsequent the medieval era meant more than just a union between a man and a woman. This was due to the fact that they could also be considered as a union between companies, families, businesses or even countries. A lot of weddings during this time were more of a matter of politics especially for the nobles and higher echelon of the society. This has greatly affected the way wedding dresses were made and worn depending on your social status. Usually, Brides coming from the wealthy families wore bridal gowns of exclusive fabrics and rich colors.

Through the years, brides from wealthy families dressed in a manner that reflected their social status, having the highest form of fashion available combined with the most expensive materials that money could buy. On the other hand, the poorest brides wore the best church clothes that they could find on their wedding day.

Nowadays, there are a lot of choices for wedding gowns since there are different price ranges. There has also been a variety of lengths and colors available since the Western traditions have loosened up. Women can now also have the option to either buy ready made gowns, have a dressmaker create one or wear a family heirloom. Also, the bridal salons today already present samples of the wedding gowns when you visit their store. Because of this you can already select a design that suits your tastes right then and there and just have it customized to fit your size.

For the Asian countries having Eastern culture such as Vietnam, China and India, the traditional bridal dresses are very much affected by the cultural beliefs of the people. The Ao dai which is the traditional bridal dress for Vietnamese women is a perfect example. It is usually in red color which signifies prosperity and good luck for the Vietnamese. The other mentioned countries also share the same line of thinking with regards to the color of their traditional bridal dresses.

However, more women today choose not to follow suit with the customs and traditions of their country or culture since people have a more liberated mindset as compared to before. Instead, they go for customized wedding gowns which will give them a unique appearance as well as represent their own personalities.

PHOTOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHT: DIANA MAIRE PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography: Diana Maire Photography

Venue: The Chateau at Incline Village, Lake Tahoe
Florist: Sierra Floral Design
Wedding Planner: Weddings by Shannon
Cake: Made by two of the brides friends




LISA AND RYAN'S LAKE TAHOE WEDDING


Lisa is a Northern California native who moved to Tahoe about 4 years ago to teach snowboarding at Northstar Resort in Tahoe. Ryan is originally from Albury, Australia, and moved to Tahoe to work at,you guessed it...Northstar. They met one night at a bar and have pretty much been inseparable ever since. One night while they were walking around Lake Tahoe, Ryan walked Lisa out on a dock and asked her to marry him just as the sun was setting. She said yes, and they promptly went to the pub to celebrate with a beer. They are both the kind of people who have a million friends and are so fun and likable that everyone wants to be around them. A lot of Ryan's "mates" even flew all the way out from Australia just to attend the wedding! Because Ryan's family all lives in Australia, Lisa hadn't met his family until about a week before the wedding. It was really great to see the two families meet and get along so well. The wedding seemed to be a all about friends and family. Two of Lisa's friends made the cake, mutual friends played instruments during the ceremony. It was a small and personal wedding, that turned into one of the best dance parties ever. All in all, it was a beautiful day and an absolute blast.

ONE MORE TIME

Here you go Louise over at Thirty-Something Bride who wanted to catch a peek at the back interest of the 'Ciara' silk confection from yesterday's post.  And yes, those covered buttons go all the way down the back.  BTW, TSB has a great wedding by photographer Jonathon Campbell you can check out  here

WHAT'S NEW IN THE GOWN GALLERY? ciara

Photo by S1 Studio

Part of the White Lace and Silk Series, CIARA is one of the most fem things in the collection . . .A little bit Belle Epoque, a little bit 1940s, ivory silk dupioni is the perfect fabric for this A-line gown with handroled floral asymmetrical shoulder treatment
Bunted skirt with Chantilly lace border petticoat . . . Gown and Point d'espirit headpiece available through custom order Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

To see more images of CIARA go to White Lace and Silk Collection

HATS AND FLOWERS

I always said if there were a sequel to Breakfast at Tiffany's, we'd find Holly Golightly sporting a hat on her wedding day. Since HG is really that zanier side of Audrey Hepburn that surfaced in the 1960s, she set the trend for le chapeau as an item of chic rather than a required accessory. So brides of today are following her lead, wearing a hat to clinch a whole bridal look while expressing a little panache . .Silk and tulle fascinator and cabbage rose picture hat available through Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal under Head Chic.