The ultimate bride blog

More wedding dresses!

2013-02-02T14:26:00.001-05:00

Dear brides,

The wedding dress is such an important decision for all future brides. It's often very stressful for brides, because we all want to look the best that we can, and there are millions of choices out there. In addition, we want everyone to love it (the groom, your parents, his family, your fashion-icon friend).

So be wise, take the time to look at dresses online and figure out what will look best on your body, because models can make everything look fantastic, but it'll be disappointing and frustrating to shop if you try on dresses that don't flatter you. The good thing about the amount of designers and shapes is that there's definitely a dress out there for everyone!

And now, some photos to inspire you:

Some more wedding hairstyles

2012-10-29T21:55:00.000-04:00

Dear brides,

You all know how important hair is. It is probably one of the things we spend most of our time fussing over, and a nice hairdo can really pull together a look.
Try to personalize according to the style you're aiming for, and your personality.

Here are some pics to inspire yourself!! And don't hesitate to ask hairdressers for their opinions or suggestions during trials, as they could have ideas we wouldn't have thought of and that can really enhance our beauty!

xoxo

Wedding shoe fever!!

2012-09-09T15:37:00.001-04:00

Dear brides,

I haven't posted in a long time, so I figured I'll make up by posting about something ALL brides will LOVE: Shoes!!

Here are some pictures of beautiful shoes:

- For the simple, classic bride:

- For the bride who likes a touch of bling:

- For the all-out bling diva bride:

- For the vintage bride:

- For the elegant bride:

- For the sweet, innocent bride:

- For the sassy bride:

- For the romantic bride:

And finally... could you belive it? For the winter brides, Ugg has made a line of wedding boots!!

xoxo

Honeymoon destination: Greece!

2012-07-22T15:24:00.001-04:00

Dear brides,

Although times are tough in Greece right now, it remains a beautiful and inspiring place to travel to. Here are some photos to tempt you!

xoxo

Honeymoon destination: Portugal!

2012-05-19T15:04:00.002-04:00

Hello brides!

This week, I'm showing you pictures of beautiful, dreamy Portugal! This is one of the places I considered when shopping for my honeymoon. However, be aware that the weather gets very hot in the summer! If you like heat or get married in the fall or winter, this could be a gorgeous getaway!

Here are some photos of...

The capital, Lisbon

Algarve beach

Lagos

Porto

A train station in Lisbon

Wish I could be there, it looks so nice!

Have a good week xoxo

Honeymoon destination: France!

2012-05-10T19:55:00.002-04:00

Hello brides!

One very popular destination is Paris, France. And while the city is romantic, beautiful and full of life, France has many other attractions. Here are some pictures of France!

Paris

Châteaux de la Loire: Azay-le-rideau

Châteaux de la Loire: Chambord

Nice

Bordeaux

Châteaux de la Loire: Valancay

Lyon

Marseille

Have a good week, ladies! xoxo

Honeymoon destination: Hawaii!

2012-05-03T19:38:00.001-04:00

Dear brides,

Who has not considered the Islands of Hawaii as a honeymoon destination??

This beautiful scenery has time and again been compared to Paradise. It is part of the USA but is known to have a different mentality and living style. The advantage is that people speak English!
Hawaii is composed 8 islands. The capital is Honolulu, which is bordered by Waikiki beach:

This is Maui... Paradise much?

This is on the island of Kauai:

There are volcanoes on Big Island, that you can tour (in helicopter!):

Another side of Big Island:

For the adventurous, you can take in the beautiful scenery in a daredevil activity called ziplining!

Mmmm... I wish I could honeymoon again!
xoxo

Honeymoon destinations: Italy!

2012-04-22T15:28:00.001-04:00

Dear brides,

One of the best reasons to get married is.. the HONEYMOON!!!
No better excuse to travel and treat yourselves to a trip you've always wanted to take.
In the next few posts, I'll be offering suggestions of wonderful places to honeymoon in, and some pictures of things to see in those countries. Today... Italy!

Rome

Florence

Tuscany (region)

Milan

Venice

Come back next week for more ideas and pictures to inspire your choice of honeymoon destinations!

xoxo

Wedding invitations, take 2!

2012-04-14T12:06:00.002-04:00

Dear brides,

I've made a previous post on wedding invitations, but this time I wanted to add more photos to inspire you! Last time, I included lots of tips and also some links to websites. I also included photos of my own, homemade invites. In this post, you will see pictures of different styles of invitations, so you can see different options and styles and find out what you like best. The possibilities are endless! You can have cards, postcards, ribbons, jewels, pictures, drawings, etc. Have fun with it! Most importantly, make it personal and include touches of your wedding, in terms of colours or designs.

And in conclusion, here is a link to Martha Stewart's website. I know, I know, I link her a lot, but really there are so many photos and ideas that I just find it a great starting point.

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/302968/modern-wedding-invitations/@center/303373/wedding-invitations-stationery

Have a good week everybody, see you soon! xoxo

Centerpieces!

2012-04-06T11:54:00.000-04:00

Hello brides!

As any girly girl, I juste love to think about decorating. Centerpieces are a really fun thing to plan, shop for or make yourself. This can be a fun project to undertake with an artistic friend or sibling. Depending on what materials, objects or plants you use, you can do this in advance or you may have to assemble them at the last minute. But you can always plan in advance and make sketches!

Here are some pictures to give you ideas and get you started.

Who would've thought to use Christmas ornaments? I love this picture, the effect is really nice. And this is an inexpensive idea!

This one is really nice. I love the look with the branches. It's very natural, and much cheaper than a big bouquet of flowers.

I'm sure you've all seen centerpieces with fruit. This can be a fun idea. This citrus mix is funky and fresh. For a zesty couple!

This is a more traditional look, and flowers don't go out of style! The purple is just beautiful.

A twist on the traditional flower centerpiece. Flowers in water! Very soft, sweet effect.

For a young, quirky couple: candy!! This is a nice budget idea for a colourful wedding.

Another very budget-friendly idea is to mix colourful sand. All you need is food dye, sand and clear vases. Of course, you can add flowers or other decorations like these golden sprouts.

And finally, a cute idea, if you're having a fall wedding, paint small pupmkins to fit your colour palette!

Also, don't underestimate the queen of decoration and DIY, Martha Stewart! Here is a link to her website: http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/231015/50-great-wedding-centerpieces/@center/272419/youre-engaged

That's all for now folks, have a happy Easter or Passover or long week-end!
Love always xoxo

Colourful wedding dresses!

2012-03-24T23:26:00.003-04:00

Dear brides,

As Easter is rapidly approaching, colours like blue and pink and yellow are popping up in stores everywhere. This got me thinking of adding touches of colour on wedding gowns! I totally understand the women who want to be married all in white, and white gowns have their own appeal. However, I find that not everyone fits in the "white-dress" category. I think adding a touch of colour, whether on the dress or with your shoes or jewellery, can really add to your look.
That way, your look will reflect your true personality. There may also be other reasons to get married in colours other than white. For instance, Indian women traditionally get married in a deep, crimson red. Here is an example:

I myself did not get married in white. My reasoning was that being very pale, white did not compliment my skin-tone very well. If you are tanned or have a darker skin colour, white can be very flattering. My dress was "champagne" coloured, with a pink bow. Here it is, on me:

Here are more pictures of wedding dresses with different colours. Enjoy!

This is a beautiful green dress, the shape and cut is just stunning. Saint-Patrick's day wedding, anyone?

This one is a Peach gown by Vera Wang. I love how flowy and natural it looks. For a soft, earthy bride.

This dress is pale blue, and I think it would look lovely in a winter wedding, in a snowy setting.

You can also choose a colour accent, instead of a whole dress in colour. This purple sash is a great example!

And finally, this is what you want to avoid. Too much colour and originality is not recommended!!

Have a good week xxx

Discovering Etsy...

2012-03-11T18:20:00.004-04:00

Dear readers,

This week, I want to introduce you to the wonderful world of Etsy.
www.etsy.com is a wonderful community where people sell mostly handmade and vintage items. There is a specific section for weddings, which you will find in the left menu. In that section, you have items in many subcategories, such as bouquets, accessories, cake toppers, etc.

During my wedding prep, I enjoyed browsing through Etsy because it offers many options to really personalize your wedding. Every bride wants a unique, special wedding and adding handmade items really goes in that direction, because few people will have them.

I myself purchased my bouquet on Etsy. It was much cheaper than a real bouquet, I ordered it 3 months before my wedding and did not have to worry about it at the last minute (because the last few days before a wedding are VERY busy and stressful!). Here is a picture of my bouquet:

And now, for your benefit, here are some examples of beautiful objects you can buy on Etsy!

Have a good week!
xoxo

Wedding music

2012-03-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

Dear brides,

This week, I feel like sharing music with you!
Choosing music was probably the most fun thing my husband and I planned together. We went through our whole Itunes, as well as listening to videos on Youtube. We also asked friends and family for ideas, and even polled people on Facebook!

We chose lots of romantic music from the 40s, 50s, 60s. We liked the retro, crooner style, and it's different in a wedding than the traditional bridal walk song and string quartet for the reception.

Here is the song we chose for the walk down the aisle.
It's a beautiful song by artist Yann Tiersen, from a soundtrack:

As for the cocktail and reception music, here are a few suggestions:

The Platters - Only you

The Beach Boys - Wouldn't it be nice

Muse - Can't take my eyes off of you

The Beatles - All I need is love

Louis Armstrong - A kiss to build a dream on

Bobby Darin - Dream lover

Charles Aznavour - She

And for the more adventurous, here's a funky one: (listen to the lyrics, it's really cute!)
Mum - If I were a fish

Have a good week, and feel free to post other good songs in the comments. Sharing music is GREAT!
xoxox

A little inspiration...

2012-02-26T18:13:00.002-05:00

Dear brides,

Here are a few photo montages for your enjoyment!
I find that looking through lots of different looks really helps with finding items or ideas that make your wedding really unique and fitted to you. Nothing is off-limits, let your imagination loose!

I hope you enjoy these images.
xoxo

Wedding Makeup

2012-02-21T09:42:00.003-05:00

Dear brides,

First of all I want to thank my readers. I have surpassed 1000 views, and that makes me very happy! I hope you all enjoy reading my blog, just like I enjoy writing it and sharing tips and pictures.

And now... Wedding makeup!
As promised, here is a post detailing advice on wedding makeup.

Here are Mrs.B's rules for wedding makeup:
#1: Less is more. Do not go overboard on any part of your makeup, whether it be foundation, eye makeup or lipstick.

#2: A natural look is preferable. Think about it. This man wants to marry a girl he's fallen in love with, who didn't have over-the-top oscar-night makeup on. He wants to recognize the girl he married, and say his vows to her.

#3: When choosing a makeup artist (or working with a friend or sister or cousin), discuss the effect you're looking for and for God's sake, have a tryout!!!! Very very important. The same goes for hairstyles. Trust me, you do not want to be fussing over details on the day of your wedding, when your nerves will be getting the best of you. If you have tried it before, you'll know what colours suit you best and agree on what you prefer.

#4: If you're not working with a professional, you may have to buy some makeup as well. For instance, my makeup artist was a friend of my husband's and she has thousands of eyeshadows, but her foundation was about 20 shades darker than my skin.

#5: Less is more. I know, I've said it before, but do you really want to end up looking like this??

Alright, have a good week!
xoxox

Wedding hairstyles

2012-02-05T17:09:00.002-05:00

Hello and happy superbowl sunday to all brides!

While your man may be glued to the TV today, you can start planning your hairstyles ideas for your big day.

Here are my ULTIMATE tips for hairstyles:

1) Some things have to be thought of a few weeks in advance: if you need to dye your hair, do it at LEAST a week before your wedding, so that you can change it if it doesn't come out right. Case in point: I wanted very dark brown hair, like chocolate brown, and dyed it a week before my wedding. It turned out very dark, and I was glad I had the chance to wash it three times before my wedding day, so that it was a little bit lighter.
Also, think about the length and cut you wish to have. Nothing is off-limits. You can find extensions (real hair, make sure it matches yours perfectly and is well placed so no one can see the limit between your hair and the extensions, or you can cut it (I recommend doing it at least two weeks before, so you'll have time to correct imperfections).

2) Then you must choose what style you want. Start with basic decisions: do you want it down, half-up, or all up? A fun way to do this is to poll your friends (or everyone on your facebook). Of course, don't forget to ask the groom. And it sucks to say this, but think about your features and what will make you look best. For example, my ears are not my best feature, as they stick out a little. So I chose to have a low side-ponytail, with my hair mostly covering my ears.

3) To chose the exact way you want your hair styled, look at pictures on the internet or in magazines. This is also a fun time to involve girlfriends or sisters. Do you want your hair straight, curly, wavy?

4) Think about the style of your dress and the jewellery you plan on wearing. Having a strapless dress, a dress with small straps or a dress with sleeves or a big collar will surely play a role in the hairstyle you should choose. Ask for advice from trusted friends, especially if you have some fashion-savvy peeps in your entourage. Don't hesitate to ask your regular hairdresser.

5) Have fun with accessories! There are plenty of beautiful accessories you can use in your hair to glam up: glitters, pearls, ribbons, feathers, flowers, tiaras, the possitibilities are endless!!!

Here are some pictures of beautiful hairstyles... and next week I'll discuss makeup with you!

And finally, two pictures of my own! Thanks to Vanessa, my wonderful hairstylist and makeup artist for my wedding day!

xoxo

Funny and original cakes

2012-01-26T23:08:00.002-05:00

Dear brides,

Here are a few more pictures of wedding cakes, but this time, I'm going for a different theme. These cakes are funny, original, and the idea here is just to push the boundaries of what you've imagined up til now. Why get a normal, traditional cake when you can have a funky one or include something that shows part of your personnalities?

Enjoy :)

Nature theme? This beautiful piece mixes cake and cupcakes for a variety of sweets.

This cake is very Tim Burton. If you're a fan, why not include part of his universe in your big day?

This one is for Scrabble fans. I thought it was quite cute! The big letter on top can be the first letter of the groom's last name.

Just a little heads up, if you are a man and would like to suggest a cake like this to your fiancée, try to avoid any formulation that may sound like you view your future wife as a cow.

This one is more about the cake topper than the cake itself, but I laughed really hard when I saw it. I've seen lots of "funny" cake toppers, where the groom runs away, which I don't find so funny, but this one I thought was very clever. Once again, be careful not to say it like she's so fat that she'll fall into the cake.

This one is for book lovers!

This one is for steampunk fans. I was impressed with the details and how real it looks, especially the wood. I wonder what that tasted like!! Can anyone guess the flavour?

This one is quite excellent. Everyone knows that some things are bound to go wrong or not as planned on a wedding day. Avoid surprises by making your cake a Disaster cake!

This one is just too cute! Very kiddish, but just adorable.

Rice-crispies squares lovers, here's the cake for you!!

And finally, for ski enthusiasts...

Pictures of beautiful wedding cakes

2012-01-24T21:27:00.001-05:00

Dear brides,

Here are some pictures of beautiful wedding cakes for inspiration!

Enjoy xx

Wedding invitations

2012-01-17T10:51:00.000-05:00

Hello brides!

When the time comes to do your wedding invitations (or have them done), there are many decisions to make. First, think of the appropriate amount of time you need to make or receive them, in accordance with the time you want your guests to receive them. Usually, wedding invitations should be sent about 2 to 3 months in advance. It gives your guests time to clear their schedules, answer you and shop for your gift.

Think about including your wedding colours, to create a continuity for your guests. For example, if your bouquet is hot pink and your bridesmaids or flowergirls have pink and blue, you can use those two colours also for wedding décor, invitations, favors, cake, wedding website, etc. Have fun with it!

If you work with a designer, the possibilities are endless. You can choose from their selection of templates, or choose to have special, custom-made invitations in which you decide what papers, colours, ribbons and fonts you want.
Here are two wonderful websites of wedding invitations designers:
http://www.idoweddingcards.com/
http://preciousinvitations.com/

If you do the invitations yourselves, my recommendations are similar to making your wedding favors on your own. Do not underestimate the time necessary!! I spent many, many hours making my invitations. I don't regret it, and I enjoyed making them on my own, but it was a big time investment.

My husband is a part-time photographer and had lots of opinions on the design of the invitations we created. Personnally, I would've just taken a sheet of paper and drawn a simple example of my ideas before I started making them. However, with my man, there had to be a photoshop document with carefully calculated details and designs. We took hours just deciding on the font.
So basically, he was more on the concept and design team, whereas I was on the execution team. He's very creative, but not too manual, and I wanted invitations that looked nice even though they were home-made.

Here are pictures of the invitation and enveloppes I made myself! (note: there were blue ribbons for the invitations sent out to boys only)

Alright, that's all for now, see you next time when we discuss wedding CAKES! Mmmmm...
xoxo

Place cards and wedding favors

2012-01-03T11:22:00.005-05:00

Hey there,

I hope you all had a nice Christmas and a good celebration of the New Year! As for myself, I've been very busy with family gatherings and catching up with friends. But let that not pull our focus from wedding planning!

At this point, I'd like to talk about place settings. By place settings, I mean the little card that indicates each guest's name and the table they will be seated at for the meal. You may choose to work with a designer, possibly with the person who made your invitations, to print out the seating cards.

Here is the website of a great designer who will work with you to create the perfect look, from wedding invitations to place cards: http://www.idoweddingcards.com/

I personally had a small wedding and chose to make my own invitations, place cards and wedding favors. If this idea sounds fun to you, you may consider DIY. Of course, be aware that this will take up a lot of time. So if you're only doing it to save money, cursing all the while, you may as well spend a little bit more and get it done professionally, in my opinion.

The fun things about doing it yourself is that you can really personalize everything, and work with your husband on the look you're going for. For instance, I talked about designs with my fiancé, and then went to an art supplies store. I bought thick (cardboard like) paper, materials such as ribbons and also an assortment of thin papers with designs and colours. We used the same designer paper for our invitations, place cards and wedding favors, to establish unity.

For the place cards, I cut out little rectangles (3 inches by 7 or 8 inches) and wrote each guest's name in nice lettering. After folding each card in half so that it would stand, I proceeded to decorate it with corners of the designer paper.

Here are a few links, for some inspiration:

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/228642/place-and-seating-card-templates/@center/272429/diy-weddings

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/06/10/diy-project-custom-place-cards/

http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/16-diy-wedding-place-cards/

Now, when it comes to wedding favors, I spent MONTHS trying to figure out what to give my guests. I shopped and shopped online, and then decided to make my own wedding favors. There are lots of great online stores for buying wedding favors, such as the following:

http://weddingshop.theknot.com/wedding-favors.aspx

http://www.weddingfavors.org/

http://www.topweddingfavors.com/

I hesitated for a long time, because I wanted to give people something useful, which rules out food and a lot of decorative items traditionally used as favors. In addition to that, I wanted something that all guests would appreciate equally, from my childhood friends to my husband's crazy college friends, including my 7 year old nephew and 95 year old grandma. In the end, I think I found a way to make it work. I made bookmarks!

I had lots of fun designing them. Every single bookmark was unique, and people could choose their favourite. I cut out thick, cardboard-like white paper in a rectangular shape. Then, I cut out the designer paper in sections of varying sizes, but always the width of the bookmark. For instance, I had a large square of green paper at the bottom of the bookmark, then a thin rectangle of pink with flowers, then a thicker rectangle of blue with dots, and so on, creating unique bookmarks for each guest. I also added our first names and the date of the wedding, as a souvenir. Here is a picture of the result!

Alright, have a good week, enjoy winter, and see you next week when we duscuss wedding invites!

xoxo

Finding your bouquet

2011-12-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-12-12T12:48:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-05T09:25:00.001-05:00

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

Ring shopping

2011-11-21T20:29:00.001-05:00

HI you!

So today, the topic is ring shopping. As you may know, traditionally, the bride shops for the groom's ring, and vice versa. Not to discredit traditions, but I'm not sold on the idea.

Choosing my own and having my husband choose his makes more sense to me. When it comes down to it, I'm going to be wearing mine everyday forever (that's the hope!), so I wanted to find a ring that really struck me. Same goes for the hubby, I wouldn't have picked the same thing for him as he picked out for himself, and he should also have a ring he loves and is happy to wear everyday. Another advantage is that you are sure the ring size will be perfect, as you will be there to have your finger measured when buying the ring.

A compromise can be to go ring-shopping together. Jewellery stores usually carry men's and women's rings, so you can go to the same place for both of you, and perhaps even get a discount.

As for the ring itself, all I have to say comes down to these three points:

1) Go for a timeless look, not something you'll be tired of in three months or with colours that won't always match with what you wear.

2) Don't ruin yourself over a ring. Weddings are costly, and you should focus on good food and a knock-out dress, in my humble opinion. You can always spring for a bigger, extravagant, fancy ring on your five or ten-year anniversary.

3) Shop online first ! Not necessarily to buy a ring over the internet, but at least to see what styles are out there, what you like, what you think would suit you.

Here is the only photo I have of mine and my husband's rings. Mine is a very simple white gold band with little round encrusted cubic zirconium on top. My husband chose a brushed titanium ring.

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

Next week, we talk about bridal accessories!

Have a good week

xoxox

Making your guestlist

2011-11-14T15:22:00.000-05:00

Hello and happy monday to all!

When it comes to making your guestlist, I suggest you just sit down with your fiancé and each make a list of which family members and friends you would like to invite. You may want to agree on an approximate number of people before you start, just so you know where to set your limits (invite only close family and friends, invite every 3rd cousin and all co-workers from your entire company).

At this point, you may have to argue. Personnally, when starting our guestlist, my husband and I did not see eye-to-eye on the number of guests we wanted. He wanted the über-intimate type of wedding, with just our parents and one or two friends present. That made absolutely no sense at all to me, so we talked about it for a while, and I won. Sorry babe, hate to put it that way, but it is what it is. And on a nicer note, I don't think my demands were out of line. I didn't want 300 people there, but I wanted our close family and good friends there. In the end, our guestlist was about 55 to 60 people. However, keep in mind that not everyone can make it. We ended up with 45 people coming.

After you both make your initial list, share them with your significant other, and see if you agree on all the guests. I cannot stress the importance of being tactful at this point. You don't want to start off with "Oh god, we can't invite your grandma, her face makes me want to puke." or "Steve? REAAAaaaaaaally? Oh noooooo."
Try to be understanding of your fiancé's family and friends and remember, you don't have to sit with or talk a lot with most of them. Avoid having people who don't like each other and who might cause tension or even a scene. That may be impossible if your families don't get along, in which case you will have to sit them down (SEPARATELY) and talk with them, make clear that you want NO drama and you expect everyone to be on their best behaviour, even if they only discuss the weather for the entire meal.

Another hard thing you may want to prepare for is having to tell people that they are not invited. That happens randomly, like when you write a Facebook status about going dress-shopping and an old friend you haven't seen in 4 years writes "You better invite me!" and you have to send them a private message to explain that you are not having a big wedding with all friends from college and so-on... Just a little heads-up!

Alright girls, get to the list-making! Next week, we talk about ring shopping!!

Have a good week :)