29th April, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
For some, picking out wedding colors for your special day is no big deal, but for others it can be a huge headache, so here is a guide to creating the winning palette for your special day.
To begin with, think about what is the centerpiece at a wedding. It’s not just the dance floor, but also the cake. You’ve also got the invitations, the table centerpieces and of course, the bride’s gown. Years ago, many brides used to accent the white wedding day décor with a hint of color, but now weddings have become bolder and brighter.
The first thing when picking a color scheme is to know where you’re hosting the reception. Your color scheme in a hotel will be different to a historical building or an outdoor reception. Each venue might have its own color set so you don’t want your scheme to clash. Get to know the color combinations you like, have a look at magazines or browse art galleries and know what it is you want.
This will help you to narrow down your choices, and to pick out the perfect hue, go to a paint shop or fabric store and collect swatches. Knowing you want green isn’t enough – do you want forest green, lime green or sage green? And sometimes, going for two colors can work a charm.
The use of color really depends on the mood you’re trying to create, and the best way to begin is to figure out what emotions you want to inspire, whether it’s energetic, peaceful or regal. These different feels will call to mind a variety of color.
While white is the traditional color for the bride, things have become more liberal nowadays and you don’t need to wear a dress that’s solid white, you can add accents of color to it. However, the color will really be conveyed in the bridesmaids’ dresses. Invitations are also a good way to set the stage, so this is a good place to use color, either in the card itself or something as subtle as the font or ribbon.
Flowers and décor are the easiest and most important way to introduce color, and no matter what shade you’ll find flowers to match – although maybe not available or affordable. However, there is a cheaper option, and that is to go with white flowers with containers that match.
Last but not least, the wedding cake. With the right mixing and preparation, your wedding cake can reflect both the color and the style elements used throughout the wedding. Icing is a great background for colorful sugar flowers or paste stripes or effects. Fondant can also come in a number of shades and here you have a great opportunity to mix and match colors.
13th April, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
Celebrity weddings get huge attention, from Hollywood starlets to pop singers and TV presenters. If you’re any kind of celebrity, then chances are your wedding will set off a series of trends for other couples looking to walk down the aisle. So what kinds of trends have been set by celebrity weddings of late?
Destination Weddings have always been a popular choice for couples looking for romance in far away beaches or exotic locations. Recently, more and more famous couples are eschewing tradition and are hopping on a plane to have the perfect destination wedding. Remember Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes? They held their wedding at a castle in Italy, and Eva Longoria and Tony Parker threw a soiree in Paris for their big day.
And, the best thing is you don’t need a celebrity bank balance to do this. In fact, some destination weddings could save on the cost of a traditional event back home, so doing the accounts, maybe getting hitched on the beach is an economical option, and one the whole family will remember fondly.
If you want to create that celebrity feel to your wedding, the best way you can achieve that is by setting up your own personal entourage, I mean, celebs always have an expert for something surrounding them. Whether it’s a hairstylist, makeup artist or photographer, make sure you put the best team together. Now you’ll find a number of brides taking leaves out of the celeb books to hire their own team to make sure their day goes the smoothest as possible.
Sleeveless dresses may have been the classic look for wedding dresses to date; more and more celebrities have been bringing the sleeve look back into fashion. With Katie Holmes and Nicole Kidman rocking the look. Some of the most fashionable looks are cap sleeves, which you can wear so they barely cover the arm of through an off the shoulder neckline. Or, you can go for illusion sleeves, which are made of sheer material and are enhanced with lace embroidery or detailing from beads.
One trend we’re seeing in celebrity weddings is the rise of the eco-friendly “I do.” More and more celebrities are picking environmentally friendly weddings with organic, earth friendly and all natural products, just look at Alicia Silverstone and Christopher Jarecki’s wedding at Lake Tahoe. They used invitations on printed and recycled paper, and served a dinner from local producers. You’ll find plenty of caterers and event-planning companies that offer environmentally friendly options.
8th April, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
Even in our digital age, paper still carries something romantic about it and we hardly think the tradition of the paper invitation is going to die out any time soon. The year 2013 brings in a whole new set of themes and trends that are going to spill out onto the wedding stationary, so let’s take a look at what those are this time.
The fairytale wedding is making a comeback, but not only that, rustic is huge this coming year, so it makes sense to marry the two together. The gorgeous velvet and colored wedding dresses from designer Oscar De La Renta make us think back to medieval princesses and courtly love, and with the surge of princess tales in the cinema lately, it makes sense that more and more brides are looking to get their happily ever after. For this trend, look to an enchanted forest for inspiration, from a mix of flowers, leaves and natural fabrics, all with a touch of decadence, of course.
Vintage is huge this year and nothing says more than Victoriana than good old-fashioned lace. It’s beautiful, feminine and makes us immediately think of brides and weddings. This is a beautiful feature to include in with your stationary.
Continuing with the vintage theme, homespun designs are continuing to gain popularity. This can be achieved by combining various fabrics, buttons and other materials together, whether it’s a quilted pattern with rustic designs to something with a chic feel to it, it’s a good direction to go in.
Floral patterns are huge this year, especially in the stationary area. It’s a trend that is looking to stay firmly put for a while, and offers so much freedom for creativity. You can opt for something vintage, chintzy, modern and in a variety of colors from something stronger to pastel shades.
Keeping in with the vintage feel, retro geometrics are back. If florals are not your thing, then why not try to modernize things a bit with bright and vibrant shades that come in a variety of geometric patterns. These look really chic and elegant printed and offer a change to really get the creative juices running for your stationary designs.
Whether you’re looking for something romantic, chic or even out-there, there are plenty of ideas to draw inspiration from. The great thing about the above trends is that they can be customized to suit your own tastes and needs.
8th April, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
Your wedding day is special, and while getting married in a registry office or town hall is an easy option, sometimes it’s nice to go all out and get married somewhere original. Here are some ideas to inspire you on where to day “I do.”
A chapel is classic, but a small and intimate one can bode for an affair of the same nature. Instead of going for a large church, a small-scale chapel can help you make some classic touches and gives you more control so that everything is perfect. If you want to keep things simple with a small amount of guests, then a chapel helps to maintain a cozy, intimate atmosphere without coming across too informal, plus they’re a beautiful location to get married in.
Are you passionate about art or butterflies? Then pick a location based on what you love. Why not try something different like the butterfly habitat at the local zoo or at your favorite art gallery? With some research, permission and planning, turning that into a dream come true could be easier than you imagined. It might require more work, but it’ll definitely be worth it. Do you love wine? Then get hitched at a winery – you’ll not only have wonderful views, but plenty of good wine at the reception!
There is nothing quite as romantic as a wedding on a waterfront, whether it’s a beach, a lake or simply a river. A waterfront wedding gives you the chance to work on many themes, like you can opt for a nautical theme too. You can get creative and get married on a boat, ferry, dockside restaurants or parks on waterways.
You can also get married at a historic building or a museum. You’ll get a stunning and memorable location for your big day. Some venues offer great rental discounts and you’ll have an impressive backdrop for your wedding photos. It’s worth doing some research, even if it looks like some of your choices might not seem accessible on first glance.
A public or private park offers a great opportunity for a romantic wedding. It’s both beautiful and economical, but while an outdoor wedding is unpredictable, a bit of planning can help you be prepared for any event. Set up a tent or find an outdoor location with some covered space.
Are you an extreme couple? Well, you can go all out and get married in some whacky locations, like during a scuba dive, skydiving or even mountain climbing. A bold wedding is a brave move, but it would definitely be a wedding to remember. As long as you get the appropriate licenses and permissions before the big day, and make sure you stay safe, then this could be an alternative option to become man and wife.
7th April, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
One of the key features of a wedding is the cake and sweets, which can be tricky, since it’s virtually impossible to cater to everyone’s taste. There are some ways over overcoming this, like having a multi-flavor tiered cake. Traditionally, a large tiered cake with icing and fondant is the popular choice for weddings, but recently little towers of cakes or even cup cakes are gaining popularity in weddings.
It helps to pick a theme for the wedding, and using the icing, sugar paste flowers, lacework and even monograms and motifs can help to find the right theme. Usually, a good cake maker will come and prepare the cake on the site.
There is a tradition that the top tier of the cake needs to be kept for the first anniversary. You’ll want to carefully wrap it up and store it in a cool and dry place, or simply you could freeze it. However, you could just store some of the sugar craft details in a glass container.
Some tips to help you get the perfect cake. Try to pick the cake after choosing the theme and take along the sample materials and colors to the cake maker. Do make sure you have sample tastings and if you’re going to include fresh ingredients to bear in mind that this will have to be made in advance, plus take into account of any allergies your guests may have.
If you’re serving dessert, then avoid having the same flavor for the cake, so a chocolate dessert and a cake might be just too much. Also, if you want to preserve a tier of the cake, make sure you discuss this with your cake make so you can store it the best. However, also check the practicalities, like whether delivery and assembly is included in the cost of the cake, and ask for a written contract including a deposit.
Arrange a time with the venue when you can access and set up the cake table.
You can get creative with the wedding cake. Cupcakes are becoming increasingly popular, and this is a way of accommodating a variety of flavors for guests with different tastes, plus cupcakes are easy to transport and assemble. The great thing about modern weddings is that it’s become more convenient to cater and set up shop, however for the traditionalists out there, there are still plenty of ways of having that perfect wedding cake.
2nd April, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
It’s only natural we want to look our most beautiful on our wedding day, and many of us look at Kim Kardashian and her flawless beauty and wonder how we can achieve that ourselves. Well, fortunately, there is an easy way to walk down the aisle with the perfect, flawless look like Kim.
One of Kim’s trademarks is her dark, exotic eyes. Outline the eye with a glide on pencil, try the 24/7 glide on pencil “Perverson” by Urban Decay, and blend it out with a pencil brush, this will create a dark base on which the eye shadow will be built up on. Next, you want to add further definition with some long, sexy lashes. You don’t need to go for fake lashes, just pick a mascara that’ll create the effect, like the Voluminous False Fiber Lashes from L’Oreal, however, if you go all out, then just add some good quality fake lashes on top after you’ve applied the eye shadow. Then apply eye shadow of dark brown shades, but only up to the crease. Make sure to blend it with a good taper brush.
Lighten up the features with a concealer brush under the eyebrows, and then blend this in with a light shadow. Then add a generous amount of concealer under the eyes. Perhaps this might seem excessive, but remember, this is a key part to the Kardashian look.
Make sure you pick out a good quality foundation, that’ll give you good coverage and matches you skin tone. There are plenty out there to choose from, so pick the best for you. Apply this over your face, and you’ll notice it’ll definitely warm up your skin tone.
To set your cheekbones off Kardashian style, you need a good quality blush palette. One great on is the Powder/Blush Brush F1O Sigma. You can use this to create definition. One neat trick is to use a business card to mark the line for contouring.
For the lips, keep it simple. Strong colors are definitely not part of the Kardashian look, so choose a nude gloss or a light pink shade for the lips. What you really want to focus on is flawless skin and strong eyes. You can even go crazy and build up with lashes and set them together by gently using eyelash curlers.
This is a great looks for blondes or brunettes with dark eyes.
30th March, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
When it comes to preparing a wedding, it can become really stressful – so hiring a wedding planner seems like a tempting way to eliminate that stress. However what are the advantages and disadvantages to getting hired help to do the work for you – we assess some of the pros and cons.
The positive side is that instead of worrying about the caterers and getting a good venue, you can get someone else to do it for you. So you can focus on more fun things like your honeymoon or making yourself gorgeous for the day.
A wedding planner can make sure that everything will run smoothly on your big day, and because someone else is focusing on the little stressful details means that you’ll be a beautiful and relax bride rather than one who is fretting about everything being perfect.
Connections are also the key – and a professional wedding planner will know who to go to for the right food, venue, flowers and who can send out those perfect invitations. You want a vintage wedding but have no idea where to start with the details? A planner can sort all that out for you with minimum effort.
So what are the downsides? Well, primarily there is the cost. Weddings are expensive as they are on their own – without hiring a personal assistant to take care of all your whims. You might have a better idea for budgeting, a wedding planner may not be aware of these concerns.
Also planning is a lot of fun. Many brides and grooms enjoy getting ready for the big day – assuring that they’ll have the most perfect experience imaginable. You might tell a planner you want vintage, thinking of throwing a 1930s jazz era and you end up with a Mad Men themed event. You may be specific and know what you want, but the wedding planner may believe they know best. In fact, perhaps working with a planner may stress you out even more!
At the end of the day, if you’re not sure what to do and need a helping hand – and you can afford it a wedding planner may be a good investment. But for the more creative types or those who know what they want, then perhaps it’s better to plan it yourself. The main question is whether you trust someone else, no matter how professional they are, to plan your special day.
25th March, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
Nothing says romance more than the Caribbean, but with so many islands to choose from – which is the ideal location for you to exchange rings and say, “I do”?
The great thing about getting hitched on one of the many Caribbean islands is that you can combine your wedding and honeymoon all into one, and save on all the practical hassle that comes with organizing both. Here’s a mini guide to inspire you to marry on a sandy beach under the palm trees.
Antigua is a wonderful, idyllic island sporting 365 stunning beaches and an ideal destination for those looking to take a boat out. If you’re looking to celebrate your big day at an all-inclusive and high-end resort, then look no further. The best spots to get married on Antigua are Jumpy Bay, a luxury resort located on a private 300-acre island just off the coast, rich in natural beauty.
Another great location is the Jolly Beach Resort. This is the largest on Antigua, and offers all-inclusive stays on the beach, and the great thing is the more guests you bring, the more the resort throws in for free!
The Bahamas make up a collection of 700 islands, and offer something for everyone’s taste, whether you’re looking to rent your own island or go to one of the big mega-resorts. You can find lively places like Nassau and Paradise Island or something more laidback and remote like the Exumas.
The lush green island of Jamaica is a unique place in itself, with its laid-back atmosphere and rich culture. The island has so much to offer those looking to get married from beautiful beach weddings, a traditional affair in one of the big grand houses from the colonial era or simply head off the beaten track. It’s the perfect place to go if you’re looking for a non-traditional wedding experience and there is just so much you can do there.
Aruba is a popular place for weddings, however there are some laws stating that you might need to file the paperwork in a town hall. But while you might legally tie the knot in a less romantic setting, have no fear, you can still celebrate with that perfect beach wedding with all your friends and family.
A final destination to consider is St. Lucia, which is famed for its natural beauty and is a long-time favorite with brides and grooms. To make things run smoothly, try to find a wedding planner on the island to take care of everything for you.
22nd March, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
Whether you have a thing for all things English or you just want a good cup of tea – a wedding planned around a tea party theme could be pretty cute.
The theme of the vintage tea party has been very popular at classy hen parties and bridal showers, but there is a lot of potential to make it a fun wedding theme – with all that pretty stylizing it could just be the perfect thing!
The easiest way to get the decoration ball running is to take many pretty tea cups. There is just so much potential to be creative! One popular trend at the moment is to use these as candle holders. They also hold the opportunity to make pretty center pieces.
If you don’t have any of your family heirlooms around, then no worries, you can rent your own porcelain pretties from a variety of places, try Pearl and Godiva for one. While it might not be a good idea to use the rented variety for burning down hot wax, you could adorn them with flowers to create cute little vases – or even to top the cakes wit. Pile up your tea cups and plates to create a unique cake stand too!
For those of you going for something more sophisticated and less Mad-Hatter, then try to use a silver tea set for flower decorations. It’s a simple idea that still oh so elegant.
There is more to the theme than just teacups and tea sets – colourful tea tins offer a world of possibility for floral displays. It doesn’t matter if they don’t match, their colourful and eclectic display is part of the charm!
The tea party theme isn’t just limited to table décor, with the rising popularity of dessert tables, you can use vintage tea cups and plates to emphasize the display – or if you’re super creative, make a clock out of teacups!
To give something back to your guests, you can avoid the cliché of tea related gifts by giving handmade early grey soaps wrapped up in tissue teabags!
If you want to go for the English teatime theme, if the weather is good you could hire a garden with a marquis, serve cucumber sandwiches and other teatime treats to give your wedding a rural British fare. Going for tea-themed nuptial celebrations offer a wealth of possibilities if you’ve got the right creative eye.
16th March, 2013 - Posted by Lia - No Comments
The big day is looming and you want to look great for that dress – not to mention the honeymoon. While some brides are more pragmatic in their dieting plans by exercising and eating well over the period of a few months, others mean to do it and then suddenly you’ve got a couple of days till your nuptials and you want to avoid the “heavily ever after.”
The cabbage soup diet is a popular one and will show results after a week. At the core is the cabbage soup itself, and this can be eaten at any time whenever you feel hungry – and as often as you like. Make a soup with green pepper, diced tomatoes, celery, onion, bouillon, cabbage, water and a little hot sauce. Sauté the vegetables and then bring the whole thing to the boil and simmer for thirty minutes. The first day of the diet focuses on fruit and the second on vegetables. On the third day you can mix the two. Day four, you can eat bananas and skimmed milk – with the chance to eat as much as you like and is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets. The following days you can have beef and tomatoes and then beef and veggies. The last day involves brown rice, vegetables and unsweetened fruit juice. The great thing about this diet is you’ll never go hungry!
The three-day diet on the other hand is a little stricter. This involves a frugal breakfast of black coffee, grapefruit and a slice of toast to give you an idea into the harshness of it. Lunch, for example, contains half a cup of tuna on toast and dinner can be a bit of lean meat, some veggies and an apple. This is not a diet for those who like to eat – but it is only for three day, so good for those who are looking for fast results.
But if you’re looking for an even more extremist approach to dieting then try the master cleanse. If you think living without food sounds like a good idea then this plan is for you. It’s also known as the lemonade diet and is not for the feint hearted. It’s a very easy diet plan to remember – you can’t eat anything! Instead, you swap food for a “lemonade” that is made from freshly squeezed lemon juice, grade B organic maple syrup, a pinch of cayenne pepper and water. Mix up and enjoy and that’s all you’re allowed to eat. You can have a salt-water flush in the morning and a herbal laxative tea at night. It’s advisable to do this for 10 days and you’ll be nice and clean inside and out for your big day.
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