2010 Wedding Trend: Hairpieces

Another huge trend hitting the wedding scene in the last few months, and it's bound to pick up speed in the new year, is unique and creative hairpieces. Gone are the days of the typical tiara accompanied by a traditional veil. Today brides are showing their personality through their hairdos and what they choose to put in them.



A very popular choice is feathers (honestly, feathers could have its own post as a 2010 Trend- they are SO popular right now!). Whether white or colored, fluffy or flat, feathers are all over brides heads right now. Some evoke elegance and royalty, while others have more of a vintage feel.

Flowers of course have always been on the wedding scene, but more and more brides are wearing them in their hair, and many are choosing to forego a veil altogether and just have blooms.

Another huge trend when it comes to a bride's head is that of the birdcage veil. Traditional veils are seen less and less, but birdcage veils are all over right now! Accompanied by a small hat, flower, feathers, or on their own- birdcage veils are a sweet, retro way to adorn the bride's hair.

Headbands are another hairpiece trend that we're seeing in everyday fashion, and it's transfering to the aisle. Do we have Blair Waldorf to thank for this? I think so- although she's not wearing headbands in college, we're still dying over them. :)

Tell us, what have you chosen to wear in your hair for your wedding day, and why?

Comfy Vintage

Please go over to Ruffled (she's posted her best of 2009, and this wedding is one of them) right now and look at this adorable wedding. I think I want to be friends with these two- they're so darn cute!! And their wedding seemed so comfortable and homey, while still being gorgeous and vintage. Go check it out!

Unique Centerpiece Ideas: Decorate With Food

Flowers are a HUGE expense when planning a wedding. And while most every bride doesn't want to give up carrying a bouquet down the aisle, there are other ways to cut costs in the floral department.
Floral centerpieces are becoming less and less common, and not just because it helps the budget. Centerpieces at your reception are an opportunity to show off your creativity and sense of style. They can be a sneak-peek into your decorating skills, or showcase something meaningful to you and your new husband. They also can be an excellent way to subtly carry out a theme you've chosen for your wedding day. And there are so many different options for centerpieces that can include less or even no flowers at all. Today, we'll talk about using food (mostly fruit) in your centerpiece arrangements.

Starting at the top left corner, fruit can be used simply as decoration on the table, to accompany a floral centerpiece. When doing this, your centerpiece can be smaller in scale. Also, fruit can be scattered within a floral centerpiece, and it doesn't just have to be apples! Apples, lemons, and limes are the most popular fruit used in wedding centerpieces, but here we see grapes used in a creative way to accompany apples and flowers.
The fruit you use doesn't have to remain whole- the top right corner shows us lemons sliced open and lined up against the outside of a vase for a really unique look. Again, the flowers can be minimal when you make the vase the focal point. This technique works well with limes and oranges as well- just keep in mind that you'll have a citrus smell coming from these vases!
Fruit placed in the bottom of a vase can be just for show if you still want to spend the money on floral centerpieces. It's a great way to do something unique and fun, rather than just water and stems showing. The fruit can also be incorporated into the arrangement, as we see with the oranges hanging from the bottom of the pink and white flowers.
Next to the oranges, we see a really unique idea for food in your centerpieces. Here the bride has used brown paper as a runner down the table, and on it scattered various fruits and veggies, such as pomegranates and mushrooms. Hearty, curly-leaved lettuce makes a great filler in this sort of idea, and just make sure whatever you use is really fresh, and remember that some veggies could wilt. It would be good to do a test-run on this idea at home to make sure the items you choose will stand up to the day.
In the bottom right hand corner, we see a centerpiece design using no flowers at all- just fruit enclosed in upside-down vases with candles on top. I love this, especially if you're doing long tables for your guests rather than the traditional round.
The other one I want to talk about is in the left column with all of the green. We see limes and apples here, but also leafy greens used for decoration- so creative!! Again, you might want to do a test drive of this to make sure it won't wilt throughout the length of your event, but by chosing hearty veggies, this is a really creative use of food in your decor.
I hope this has been helpful as you're thinking about centerpiece and decor options for your wedding day. Tell me, what are you using for centerpieces?

Hollywood Glamour

I swear, I wish I had thought of this when I was getting married. Although, when I was getting married, I didn't have quite the love of vintage that I do now. But anyway, if you love Old Hollywood glamour- get married in a theater. Take your photos at a theater. Host your reception at a theater. Do something at a theater!! Observe...

Now that's perfection, right? (Image credit goes to Cathy and David Photographers, check out this whole wedding because it's amazing). There's something about the old-style theaters that evokes magic in photos. The lights of the marquee, the plush red velvet seats, the ornate gold trim... it's so dramatic and glamourous! Observe again...

See what I mean!?! Theater = instant drama (you'll recognize this from my favorite wedding ever by Justin and Mary Marantz). And it doesn't have to be this big and crazy gorgeous. Any sort of theater with a stage and cool lighting, and a pretty lobby will do. Because I think it's not just about the backdrop here. Being in the theater makes you feel like a star. It puts you in a mood of classy elegance and makes you feel all fancy right? Okay, one more shot...

See, it doesn't even have to be for your wedding- it could be your engagement photos too (photo credit to Studio Foto, most dramaticly awesome engagement photo shoot ever). And if you're in the Western New York area- check out Shea's in downtown Buffalo. Obviously, it's perfect. :)

Colors We Love: Chartreuse and Orange

Okay okay, I know I'm being fancy by calling green "chartreuse." But I do this because, orange and green is tough color combo to pull off, and in my opinion the chartreuse shade of green is the best way to do it. However, I'd really just like to put it out there that orange doesn't have to be just for Halloween weddings. Or paired with brown for fall. Orange can be an elegant wedding color and it can be executed beautifully!! Check out the collage below (made using Style Circle's Inspiration Board Builder) for some ideas on how to pair orange and green for a classy, warm weather affair.

Martha Inspiration

Outdoor weddings are quickly becoming an obsession of mine- despite the fact that they are seriously a risk in the unpredictable climate of Western New York. Check out this adorable little DIY project for lighting an outdoor ceremony and/or reception from Martha Stewart!

Colors We Love: Teal and Apple Green

I have to say, one of my all-time favorite parts of planning a wedding is choosing the color scheme. There are so many gorgeous, unique, classy color combinations to choose from- it makes me want to get married over and over so I can use them all! Without the bills of course. :)

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to feature some of my favorite, unique color schemes for weddings here, and to find out what you like and what you don't. When I say "unique," this comes from a special soap box I have about wedding color schemes. First, I'll admit to you that I am pretty matchy-matchy in life. I like things to coordinate. Not overly-so, I mean I'm not crazy about it, but I do like things to match. And when it comes to planning a wedding, I feel that choosing a color scheme and going with it helps you tremendously in the planning process. If you have a color scheme, you can look at dauntingly huge book full of invitations and say "our colors are navy blue and yellow, so I'm only looking at invites that match that." It makes your choosing process SO much easier when you narrow down colors! Not having a color scheme is fine, but it seriously makes the decision process for everything that much harder.

On to part two of my soap box (if you're still reading, thanks for humoring me). Maybe this is just geographical in nature and no one in your area is using this color scheme... but if I see one more red, black, and white wedding I think I'll scream. And if you're reading this and your color scheme is red, black, and white, please forgive me!! It's just, I'm only 23 and I swear I've seen like 15 red, black, and white weddings in my lifetime!!! WHY!?!?! I like red and black together as much as the next girl, I wear those colors quite frequently, but honestly, there are a million colors in the rainbow. I love to see fresh, new color combos for weddings. That's all about that. :) Let's get down to business!

If I had to pick, teal and apple green would be my favoritest color scheme. That is, for right now. It's bound to change. :) But it'll definitely stay on the list of favorites. I love it because it's unexpected, but it totally works! It's elegant and fun at the same time, it's fresh for spring and summer, and pairing it with black here makes it totally classy.

I snagged this gorgeous inspiration board from The Perfect Palette- go check her out! She makes custom color inspiration boards for any requests, and she does it for free. Gotta love that. :) If you want to try your hand at making some color inspiration boards, you can use a variety of computer programs, or go to Style Me Pretty's Style Circle Inspiration Board maker- it's wonderfully easy to use and they turn out gorgeous. Tell me, what's your color scheme? Is there a color combo that makes you cringe? Are you rebel and not sticking to a color scheme? Tell me your color stories!! I promise I'm off my soap box now. ;)