The ladies will just love these mini-top-hats by Lil Lady Blue

Set the tone for the party with these tea party invitations by Your Blissful Day.

These pretty tea bags by Kristyn’s Kards will make perfect tea party favors for your guests to take home.

One lump or two? These sweet sugar roses from Le Chic Bakery are simply adorable.

Pin your guests’ names on these cute little mice from Rose Cottage Boutique to use them as precious little place cards!

Any girl knows that a tea party is not complete without sugar cookies, and these girly heels from Whimsical Originals fit the bill perfectly!

Image via Wikipedia

This couple obviously has a flair for the dramatic, and decided to do a tongue-in-cheek tango as their first wedding dance — to the theme song from the Addams family. Though the bride’s wedding dress is white (and not black), I think Morticia would be proud! They pulled off their funny wedding dance without a hitch! Watch the video below to see this new bride and groom perform a dramatic dance of love.

Stop that train!

Let’s take a look at some of my cherry blossom inspirations:

This ring dish by Mary Elizabeth Arts would make a great bridesmaid’s gift.

This cool design is actually a decoration for the dance floor by Wicks N Candlesticks.

This pretty ring bearer’s pillow is the perfect compliment to a cherry blossom themed wedding. By White Thistle Bridal.

Rose Blossom wedding shoes by La Claire Boutique.

What better way to thank your guests than with these cherry blossom thank you cards by Sweet Bella Cards.

The wedding favor boxes pictured above are an inexpensive option for brides looking to send their guests off with cherry blossom favors.

Weddings come in all shapes and sizes. Whether your wedding is very formal and serious or casual and tongue-in-cheek, you hope your day goes off without a hitch. But, some of the most unexpected things can easily become the most memorable — not to mention hilarious! Watch the video below for an awesome wedding blooper reel that will have you reeling with laughter!

When planning a butterfly themed wedding, you want to make sure to keep it as simple as possible. Butterflies are ornate little creatures, so adding to many butterfly elements can easily make your wedding look overdone. Also, try to stay within your wedding’s color scheme. Let’s take a closer look at some of our butterfly wedding inspirations.

This real butterfly hair clip from Auralee Thompson can easily (and beautifully) be your something blue.

I absolutely love this butterfly garter from Woomi. It is subtle yet simply gorgeous.

We’ve featured these edible butterflies from Sugar Robot. These are my fave out of all the edible butterflies because they are so colorful and lifelike.

This is the first ever save-the-date handkerchief I’ve ever seen, so I just had to share. Artful Beginnings actually has quite an assortment of these unique announcements.

These butterfly place cards are probably about the most unique you will find. By Timeless Paper.

The butterfly wedding favors should be kept simple. Something edible is always appreciated. Another great idea for this theme is to give plantable wedding favors so that you may attract butterflies into your own garden after the wedding day has passed.

This past weekend, I had the good fortune of being able to attend the wedding of two of my dearest friends. It is always great to see two people, who are obviously so perfect for each other, exchange vows that will bond them for life.

What I especially loved about this wedding in particular was all of the unique Asian influences that could be seen throughout. The groom is Chinese, and the bride is not Asian at all; so I thought it was interesting to see how they incorporated his heritage into their special day.

The couple was dressed in traditional Western wedding attire, with a white dress and traditional black tux. The only Asian wedding tradition that I noticed was the tea ceremony, where the bride serves tea to her parents in a symbolic gesture of thanks. This was a nice touch, especially since the bride is not Asian herself. Then after the wedding ceremony, both the bride and groom serve tea to their parents.

The décor was very simple yet infused with Asian elements. The cocktail hour was held outside in a garden, with colorful paper lanterns hanging from the trees in varying lengths. The theme of the evening seemed to be “double happiness.” In Chinese custom, the symbol for the word happiness is duplicated (or doubled), signifying the happiness of two people coming together in marriage.

The double happiness symbol was pressed on their invitations, programs, and place cards. And of course they gave us all Asian wedding favors that carried the symbol for double happiness.

It was a beautiful day, and I wish the happy couple the best of luck in their new marriage. Double and triple happiness to you, Kate and Li.

Congratulations! You are officially a bride-to-be! You’re getting ready to embark on an exciting new journey with your fiancé. As you start your voyage, you will be checking off your wedding to-do list one by one. Like many future brides, selecting your dream wedding dress is a obviously a top priority.

According to the Bridal Association of America (BAA), there are 2.3 million weddings a year. Likewise, 2.3 million gowns purchased. On average, $1,505 is spent on the bride’s gown… and that doesn’t include accessories. On the low end, wedding dresses can range from $200 or less, but most brides should expect to pay between $500 and $1,000 at a bridal shop. Custom made designer dresses go for between $2,000 and $7,000 in silk, sometimes with elaborate embellishments of hand-stitched lace or beading.

With the amount of money you’re about to invest in a gown for your once-in-a-lifetime event, you want to make sure you’re choosing the most flattering gown that enhances the beauty of you and your body.

Choosing the perfect bridal gown takes time. Although most are very inticing (especially if you’re a fashion guru), don’t be swayed by trends. You don’t want to look back on your photos and say, “What was I thinking?!” a couple years from now. With wedding dresses, it’s very important to remember to stay true to your style and your body.

Female body shapes are usually categorized into four geometric shapes; apple, pear, linear and hourglass. Below, I’ve listed the four body types with do’s and don’ts for select the best wedding dress style for your shape.

Apple

Apples generally have broad shoulders and narrow hips; bigger on the top half and smaller on the bottom half. They commonly have slim hips and a large chest and stomach.

Do: Seek a tea length, a-line or empire dress which re-proportions the figure and draws the eye up towards the bust. A strapless a-line with a V or scoop neck with detailing adds a slimming effect.

Don’t: Avoid ball-gown dress styles which emphasize the area where your body is widest and flare out at the legs and the knees, where you are most slender.

Pear

Pear-shaped women tend to have larger lower bodies and smaller upper bodies. Hips are slightly wider than shoulders.

Do: Look for princess-seam and a-line silhouettes such as an empire dress or ball gown. These dresses cinch in at the smallest point on the waistline with a constructed empire-waist, flaring out into a gradual a-shape. Choose a slenderizing neckline with a deep V, scoop-neck or bateau that will draw eyes in a vertical direction, elongating the body.

Don’t: Steer clear of dresses made from sheath, or dresses with trumpet and mermaid silhouettes that will draw greater attend to your lower body.

Linear

Linear shaped women are lean with long legs and the shoulder width is equal to the hip width.

Do: Opt for a dress that will create curves, such as a mermaid and trumpet silhouette. These dresses flare into a full hemline. Also, try a ball gown that cinches in at your natural waist and descends into a full, flowing floor-length skirt. Ball gowns will do a great job at camouflaging your lack of hips. Choose creative necklines.

Don’t: Shun soft sheaths – they cling to your body and lack curves.

Hourglass

Hourglasses have well-proportioned upper and lower bodies with a distinctively narrow waist. These women tend to have large breasts, short small waist, big hips and large thighs.

Do: Select a two-piece dress with a corset to enhance the hourglass figure. Anything that accentuates the waist, such as a dropped-waist a-line or flat-front, ballgown silhouette will flatter the body. Beautiful ball gowns and corseted bodices normally work for the bust line.

Don’t: Navigate away from fitted wedding gowns that are unconstructed or clingy.

It’s important to know what wedding dress styles most enhance your figure, but remember to try on styles you normally would walk away from. Now is your time to try on everything and anything before your big day. You never know what will strike you and fully enhance your features.

AUTHOR BIO: Lauren Horn is a freelance writer for a variety of companies (including a few Bridal Shops in Austin) with a passion for fashion. She loves helping future brides-to-be find the perfect gown for their once-in-a-lifetime event.

Sharon and Neil Vaughan decided to throw tradition out the window, and have themselves a spectacularly unique wedding. In lieu of a traditional wedding dress, Sharon wore a Wonder Woman costume, complete with the red boots and tiara. Her hubby-to-be dressed as his favorite superhero, Batman!

They didn’t stop there either. Sharon’s bridesmaids were dressed as Power Puff Girls and even the guests were encouraged to play dress-up for the couple’s big day. In attendance were classic superheroes like Superman, Captain America, and the Incredible Hulk.

Though the couple’s theme was anything but traditional, they did honor a few of the standard wedding traditions. Pinned on the costumes of the groomsmen, were traditional boutonnières. The couple also held to the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride in her wedding ‘outfit’ before the big day.

The Daily Mail article didn’t say, but I can’t help but wonder if they gave comic books as wedding favors.

It takes a lot of courage to step as far from the traditional wedding as this couple did, so I give them a lot of credit for their bravery. And, I bet it was a super-fun event that their guests will never forget!