Carolina Herrera's Latest Bridal Collection

Style Me Pretty has been doing a fantastic review of the Bridal Fashion Week, and I am just eating up their fashion galleries! Check out Carolina Herrera's collection- the hats and headpieces are outrageous and amazing!! Also, I love the ruffles, and the few subtly patterned dresses- I would love to see that become a new trend! Below is my favorite dress from the collection (love the sleeves and the collar!), check out the gallery and tell me which is yours!

New Wedding Dress Trend?

I've been noticing around the wedding blog world a new style in wedding dresses popping up- I'm wondering if perhaps it will be a new trend! Brides are always looking for a way to make their dress memorable. Short dresses are certainly making a come back, but these hemlines allow you to have the flirty short look, while not sacrificing a gorgeous train and/or length in the back. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet... tell me what you think of the new asymmetrical wedding gown hems!

Ask a Planner: Budget Wedding Planning 101

This is probably one of the biggest wedding topics discussed by wedding professionals everywhere. And as a wedding planner, saving money while planning a wedding is a MUST if we're going to be worth our salt! I could probably write about a million posts about various ways to save money- and maybe I will. :)

But to begin, let's talk about where to get fantastic deals online using online classifieds. Brides sharing their wedding accessories is becoming a really popular way to clean out their closets, go green, and make some cash. I mean really- what DOES one do with 5 pounds of green glass beads after they've graced your reception tables for an evening? Rather than putting them out at the next garage sale hoping for the best, brides are posting these items on websites where YOU, the saving-savvy bride, can come along and find just what you need at a reduced price! Whether it's vases, picture frames, or custom-wrapped votive candle holders, you can find pretty much anything you might need being sold used. You could even find the perfect wedding gown- but that's a story for another post. ;)

Here are some of the very useful wedding classifieds online:

Ruffled Blog: Free Wedding Classifieds

WeddingBee Classifieds

The Nest: Trash to Treasure Board (also check out your local Knot message board, as many brides post items for sale there as well)

Project Wedding Classified + Deals

WeddingWire Forums

Stay tuned for our discussion of budget wedding planning with local vendors!

Newly Engaged & Adorable

That's Valerie MetreJean- and she's an incredibly inspiring entrepreneur to boot!! She not only runs this fun blog The Wedding Shoebox, featuring wedding inspiration from wedding professionals, but she also designs adorable invitations AND is a wedding planner in Louisiana. All while currently planning her own wedding!! Anyway, I'm loving a recent post of hers about what to remember when you're first engaged- check it out!

2010 Wedding Trend: Gray is the New Brown

I don't know if you noticed, but the last decade of wedding colors was dominated by brown. When choosing wedding colors, many brides go with a neutral (black, brown, navy, gray, cream, etc.) as a base, and then accent with their favorite shades. The early 2000's saw a lot of brown weddings- brown/blue, brown/green, and brown/pink were the most popular combinations. Well, 2010 brides are aiming to set themselves apart- and we're seeing SO many going with gray as a base for their wedding palette!

Gray is a modern choice for wedding color schemes, but with a soft feel that goes well with a lot of the vintage-style weddings we're seeing recently. It give a more muted feel than black, so it works well with pastels such as yellow and peach. It also works well to help control a bright color, such as apple green or fushia. Grays are fast becoming a popular choice for tuxedos, as grooms are straying from the traditional black as well. Tell us what you think of the gray trend! And do you spell it grAy or grEy? An age old question. ;)

Photo credits: 1,2, and 3

Real Wedding: Fun, Sporty Wedding by Steve Morse

Today we're featuring a real Buffalo wedding with a very sporty bride and groom! Mike and Lisa's wedding day was captured by the talented photographer Steve Morse- and we love the fun feel of this wedding! Through some coveted connections at HSBC Arena, Steve was able to photograph the wedding party right on the ice where the Buffalo Sabres play- of all the unique places we have in Buffalo for wedding photos, this is one of the best!! We are also loving the photo of the groomsmen laying around the flag on the golf course- the color contrast is amazing. Check out Steve's photos below, and be sure to visit his website to view more of his very cool work.

The Bridal Veil 102

It's been awhile, but let's return to our veil discussion shall we? In my first post on veils, I discussed the various lengths and styles available to brides. Now let's talk about the various elements that go into a bride choosing a type and length of veil.

There a few factors brides should consider when choosing a veil, such as you face shape, body shape, hairstyle, and wedding location.

Face Shape

A veil will frame your face, so taking into consideration your face shape is important. For a square face, it is preferable to have a veil that is at least shoulder length, since usually a square face is wider than it is long and it may be desirable to add length to the face. You also might consider having some volume on the top of the head. Circular and cascading veil styles can also help soften the lines of a square face.

A bride with a round face would generally want to avoid veils with a lot of volume at the sides of the head, since this will make her face look wide. Choose veils that are long and cascading, as this will make the face appear slimmer.

An oval face is slightly longer than it is wide, and is usually well-balanced, so this bride can be free to experiment with various veil styles. However, it would be wise to avoid extremes in volume or width, so as to maintain your proportions.

Those with a rectangular face would look best in veils that have width around the face, and should avoid height on top of their head so as not to add to the length of their face.

Body Shape

Brides with large busts can benefit from a veil that is fingertip length or longer, because length in the veil can help elongate the upper body.

Pear-shaped women tend to look best in veils that end at the shoulder, elbow, or waist level. These lengths draw attention to your small waist, rather then the width of your hips.

Tall women can typically carry off longer veils, especially cathedral length, but shorter women tend to suit veils that are waist height or above.

Please keep in mind that these are just general guidelines based on advice from professionals. But ultimately- you should wear what YOU want. It is your wedding day, and a wedding planner will be the first one to tell you that you should do what you want because it's all about you!! :)

Also, please check out my veil styleboard featured over on Bride Chic, and the gorgeous veils made be Amy-Jo Tatum! Stay tuned for The Bridal Veil 103 where we'll discuss how your chosen hairstyle and wedding location can effect your veil choice.