Bridal Beauty Tips from Fashion Icons

I'm willing to bet that you have NEVER thought about your outfit more than you've thought about your wedding day look.  Have you ever bought a dress MONTHS in advance, and then had multiple fittings to make sure it's just right?  Have you ever agonized so much over your shoes?  Have you ever scoured the internet for belts, earrings, necklaces, and hair combs to complete your ensemble for a single day?  If the answer to that question is anything but "no", I worry that you may A) have a shopping addiction and B) be SERIOUSLY overdressed on a regular basis.

And while it's pretty awesome to be pulling together the loveliest look of your life, it can get a little stressful, right?  If you get too wrapped up in the importance of the look, it's pretty easy to take that sharp turn into crazytown. And then, before you know it you're in some church bride's room, forcing your bridesmaids to superglue Swarovski crystals to your train.  You don't really want Swarovski crystals superglued to your train, right?  I didn't think so.  So let's chill out, take a deep breath, and listen to some great advice from the world's most famous fashion icons.

1. "Before you leave the house, take a look in the mirror and take one thing off." -Coco Chanel

It's easy to get wrapped up in all of the bridal accessories. Bridal salons would love to convince you that you NEED that cathedral length veil, tiara, those sapphire drop earrings, the crystal necklace, tennis bracelet, and beaded sash. If you WANT all those things, go ahead! But history has shown us that understated is almost always better than overdone, so don't ever feel pressured into excessive bling!

2. "Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live." - Gianni Versace

I CANNOT STAND when a bride is talked out of a look that she loves because it is too old for her, too young for her, too modern, too dated, not cool, etc. Do you love it? Then it's perfect. If there's one day that you want to look like yourself, it's your wedding day. Don't let anybody talk you out of it! 

3."Elegance is the only beauty that never fades." -Audrey Hepburn

Being graceful, happy, and calm on your wedding day is so much better than being a panicked bridezilla. Remember to take a deep breath, relax, have fun. Stress shows, and nothing is more beautiful or elegant than a happy bride.

4. "Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful." - Sophia Loren

Know how beautiful you look!! Honestly, I have never seen a bride look anything less than SUPER PRETTY, and you'll look even lovelier if you're confident about it. You look gorgeous. Own it.

5. "The most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves." -Yves Saint-Laurent

BAM! Yves just brought it home with that one. Cool true fact: At the end of your wedding day, you will be married to the person you love. And I bet that person thinks you're a total knockout no matter how you look! So remember that, and don't freak out about the little stuff. Big picture: You're getting married. That's awesome.

Ring Warming? More Like Heartwarming! LOVE IT!

You know what's adorable? Ring Warming Ceremonies. Wait, you've never heard of a ring warming?! OMG well let me explain.

I also had never heard of a ring warming until I stumbled across this TOTALLY AMAZING wedding on the Weddingbee Boards. If you are not already on Weddingbee, I suggest you get on that ASAP. Not only is it FULL of awesome tips and info from other real brides, the message boards are also like watching a million wedding reality shows at once. There's A LOT of drama, intrigue, and suspense, and also a lot of super nice, helpful people.

Here is the basic idea: Place your rings in a visible spot near the entrance to your ceremony as guests are walking in.  Make sure you designate a groomsman, usher, or other trusted person to be on ring watch. Then put up a sign that invites guests to "warm" your rings, while holding the rings and making a happy wish! Here is an example of a sign that another Weddingbee member made:

Adorable right?! Here's a super cute ring warming action shot: 

Image Borrowed from Here

Now the only question is, how do you appropriately display these rings?  Well, some people use ribbons to tie them to something solid, so that no one accidentally walks off with them.  See here: 

Image Borrowed from Here

But my favorite option is to have a very lovely ring box in which to display your rings, which you can save as a keepsake after the wedding!  Etsy seller FloMade designs lovely proposal boxes, which could easily be customized into ring warming boxes.  Aren't they pretty?

So what do you guys think about ring warming ceremonies?  Are you as in love with this idea as I am?  Will you do a ring warming at your wedding? Is this the most heartwarming thing you've ever seen?

Sweating for the Wedding (Home/Infomercial Edition)

Hey Friends! How is everyone's wedding planning going?  Who's getting excited?  Who's getting a little stressed out?  Who's freaking out about the get-fit goals that they set for themselves?  Oh, good! Me too.

It's pretty common for brides (and grooms, mothers of brides, bridesmaids, guests) to set serious fitness goals for themselves before weddings.  If you're unfamiliar with this phenomenon, please reference this shirt, this questionable Canadian reality show, and this heartwarming Verizon commercial:

I thought that a good way for us to ease into this wedding fitness regimen would be to discuss workout programs that you can do at home.  No need to join a new gym or sign up for a marathon just yet.  Below is a breakdown of a few at-home workouts that I've tried, lived through, and in some cases, even liked!  You may have seen infomercials for some of these programs.  I am very susceptible to advertising, so infomercials get me every time. Disclaimer: all of these workouts are basically intended to be done every day to achieve their claimed results.  I've never done any of them every single day of the week, but I still believe that I can speak to their effectiveness.

1. Jillian Michaels

Is your final dress fitting rapidly approaching?  Well no worries, because this program claims to be able to knock you down a dress size in just 30 days! And I believe it.  This lady knows what she is doing when it comes to toning up and slimming down.

The picture above is actually three separate sets of Jillian Michaels DVDs.  I've done them all, and they are all SUPER good workouts.  Ms. Michaels is a firm believer in the principle of muscle confusion, which is basically where you are constantly focusing on muscles in all sections of your body, but you're mixing up the way you're working those muscles so that your body never gets used to the movements.  You'll never find yourself working just abs, just legs, or just arms; every move is going to target everything.  She's right when she says, "Just thirty minutes a day can replace hours of phoning it in at the gym!"

The Good: It works.  You will see results, even if you don't do this every day.  She understands women's bodies, so you'll get a lean look that's not as bulky as you'll get with other workouts. Your arms will look gorgeous and not at all manly in your sleeveless gown. Also, this very intimidating, odd woman makes for a surprisingly good motivator.

The Bad:  The awkward interactions between Jillian and her workout buddies are just uncomfortable.  I am never a fan of people pretending to be besties.

2. Insanity

Do you see how ripped those people are?  I DARE you to try to count the number of abs in that picture. Hint: it's a lot.  The reason that they have all those killer abs is because they are all nuts, and have managed to do this crazy workout every day for 60 days in a row.  Insanity relies on a principle of max interval training.  Basically, get your heart rate up and keep it there for long periods of time.  It sounds like a great way to have a heart attack, and honestly, I felt like I was going to die by the end of pretty much every workout, but it's a proven method that works for obvious reasons.

The Good: There are 10 DVDs in this set, so there's a lot of variety that will keep you from getting bored.  And while these workouts are uber-tough, completing a workout this challenging makes you feel AWESOME about yourself.  If you do this for 60 days in a row, you'll privately consider yourself a serious athlete, and you'll be right!

The Bad: THIS IS SO HARD! I workout regularly enough, and every time I did one of these workouts, I was mentally writing my own will within 10 minutes.  However, I've heard from people who did the program correctly (i.e. every day for 60 days) that it gets significantly easier as time goes on.

3. P90X

This is like the tough guy's version of Jillian Michaels' workouts.  This is also based on the idea of muscle confusion, so you see a lot of the same stuff in both programs.  There are some key differences: Tony and P90X place a much higher emphasis on weights and resistance bands.  The idea is this: Because muscle burns significantly more calories than fat, lifting weights and adding muscle to your body will burn more calories all day long (even when you're just sitting around!), compared to cardio, which really only burns more during the time spent actually working out.

The Good: Like Insanity, there are a lot of workouts and a lot of variety.  There's interval training, plyometrics, boxing, yoga, weights, you name it.  There is a schedule, and there's a lot of mixing and matching that prevents boredom.  There are 12 DVDs in all, including some very targeted workouts that are super effective.  I think the Ab Ripper X Workout is only 20 minutes long, but your abs will fill sufficiently ripped by the end.

The Bad:  This is a real time commitment.  Because you are mixing and matching these DVDs, you can generally expect to commit over an hour a day to your workout for 90 days.  The yoga workout is almost 2 hours long on it's own! Also, BE CAREFUL when you're doing this to make sure that you are not building man muscles.  I noticed about a month in that I had developed a noticeable bulge on my shoulders near my neck, which is apparently the scapula muscle, and can get overdeveloped if you scrunch up your shoulders too much while lifting weights.  I did not like it then, and I would especially not like it in a strapless wedding dress.

So pick your poison ladies, and let's get ripped like Kelly Rippa!  Have you tried any other at-home workouts that have really worked?  Do you have and wedding-get-fit tips that you think we should know about?  Share your experiences in the comments section. Yay Fitness!

We were featured on Style Me Pretty!

Want to see something GORGEOUS?! Of course you do! Well you're in luck, because Kelli and Aaron's gorgeous Blumen Gardens Wedding was just featured on Style Me Pretty Illinois, and literally everything about it was breathtaking. We are so happy to have been a part of this amazing day, and to have helped make Kelli and Aaron's dream wedding a reality.

Sneak Preview:

Now, if you think you can handle this spectacular fall wedding in all of its loveliness, CLICK THIS LINK to see the Style Me Pretty Feature!!

Centerpieces: Thinking Outside of the Flower Box

I think we're all in agreement that floral centerpieces are absolutely gorgeous. You know Anne Hathaway? Well before she won like every award on the planet for playing Fantine in Les Miserable, she spent a solid $100,000 on flowers for her super secret wedding. Unlike last minute wardrobe changes, flowers are always a do. (OMG what was the deal with her Oscars dress, amiright?!)

However, that does not mean that you HAVE to stick to a strict garden theme when deciding on your centerpieces. You've got options ladies, so feel free to mix it up. Your wedding is a reflection of you and your style, and if your style is a little less floral than most, that's okay!

So with that, I'd like to present some lovely centerpiece options that are not garden grown.

Teacups:

How adorable is this?!  I have been obsessed with this image since I saw it for the first time on Martha Stewart Weddings, and I cannot wait for a La Di bride to run with this idea.  It's such a sweet and timeless way to infuse elegance and femininity into your wedding, while still doing something unexpected.  And (bonus!) the teacups can double as wedding favors for your guests, allowing everyone to take home a permanent and memorable fixture of your big day.   

Lanterns:

Oh hey, GORGEOUS!  This is a real La Di Wedding, and it looked even more OMG breathtaking in person.  Lantern centerpieces allow you to capture all of the romance of a candle and make it the focus of your table in a simple, clean, controlled way.  This is a perfect option for a bride planning a rustic country wedding with a modern twist. (BTW: This lovely lantern/flower combo was brought to you by The Petal Boutique. Tiffany is amazing.)

Books:

What is more reminiscent of a classic love story than a stack of classic love stories?  This is such a great personal touch for big readers, academics, or anyone who just really loves the look of a stack of vintage books (i.e., everyone in the world). It allows you to either incorporate items that you already own into your centerpieces, or to build a fantastic library that you can display in your home after your wedding as a subtle reminder of your special day.

Cakes:

Have you ever met a person who does not love cake?  Yeah, me neither.  Cakes, much like flowers, are universally beloved, and making them your centerpieces is a sure way to make all of your guests giddy about your wedding.  I actually attended a wedding with cake centerpieces and people flipped out. "Did you see that there's a little cake on our table?! OH MY GOD, I LOVE IT!"  Guests have become accustomed to receiving some kind of cake-like dessert at a wedding, but putting it whole and pretty on their tables from the beginning of the night is a lovely unexpected twist.  PLUS, because cakes can be decorated essentially however you want, making the cake your focal point allows for a pretty much unlimited color/style palate. 

So brief recap: Flowers are AMAZING.  Anne Hathaway's Oscar Dress was of questionable taste. Centerpieces can be tailored to reflect your personal style.  Teacups, lanterns, books, and cakes are all good  options. People get crazy when presented with desserts.  And now I want cake.  That last one wasn't really part of the recap, but I felt like it was important that it be said.    

Wedding Dress Shopping. It's never too early.

Okay, I retract that.  I guess it's not NEVER too early.  If you're a single gal on the prowl, owning a poofy white dress "just in case" might set off some alarms in potential partners.  According to ABC news, though, apparently it's not that uncommon to dress shop pre-engagement.  I'm not here to judge.  Shop on ladies.

The point is that if you ARE engaged,  especially if you are planning to be engaged for a year or less, there's no need to feel silly about hitting the bridal salon circuit pretty early on.

Most bridal salons recommend that you purchase your dress at least 6-9 months before your wedding.  Here's why: unless you're buying a sample dress or are purchasing through a retailer like David's Bridal, it will take a while before your dress actually arrives at the store.  You do not get to take home the dress you try on. Once you "say yes to the dress,"  the bridal salon orders that dress from the designer.  In most cases, it takes 4-6 months from the time the bridal salon orders your dress to when the dress arrives at the store.

And even THEN, it's not like you can just pick up that dress and be all set for the big day. Wedding dresses come in a really limited selection of sizes, and if your shape roughly resembles that of a human person, odds are you'll need some alterations.  You will probably be fitted 2-4 times, with little changes made every time, before the dress fits just right.  If you're unfamiliar with the alteration process, here's a picture that should explain everything.

Aside from all of the logistics of getting the gown ready once you've picked it, there is the little matter of actually shopping for the dress.  If you are anything like me, Pinterest has probably convinced you that you are completely in love with about 6,000 dresses.  There are A LOT of options out there, and you want to give yourself time to try on dresses, think about them, and maybe make a few shopping trips before making your final decision.

So get shopping ladies! If you need a little inspiration, check out Glamour's slideshow of the top wedding dress trends of 2013.  And if all of this bridal boutique protocol has you thinking that you're a sample sale/David's Bridal type of girl, you might like Glamour Closet, a bridal store that only sells designer sample dresses.  You might also want to check out Melissa Sweet's line for David's Bridal, which I may or may not be obsessed with.  Okay, I am. The dresses are gorgeous.  I love them.  But I'll worry about me and you go shop.

You're Engaged!! Now What?

You're engaged!!! Congratulations! I hope that you are reading this in the midst of champagne toasts and glitter and cheers, and that you're as elated as you deserve to be. Bask in the glory of your new engagement.  Stare at your left hand for hours on end.  Introduce your fiancé to strangers on the street, just so that you can say, "This is my fiancé." Dedicate huge portions of your life to watching TLC wedding shows, and justify it as "research."  Buy a wedding magazine at a grocery store. You can do all of that now.  It's okay, because you're engaged.  YAY!

Brief pause for introductions:  Hi! My name is Michelle Ruby, and I'm Amanda's assistant.  I'm going to be posting weekly updates to this blog, with tips, tricks, and useful info about planning weddings and events.  And (bonus!) I'm recently engaged just like you. So we can go through this whole super fun, sometimes stressful, mostly awesome wedding planning process together.

If you're anything like me, part of this engagement bliss is a new found ability to openly, proudly, completely legitimately plan your wedding.  You know that Secret Board on Pinterest covered in wedding dresses, cakes, and blue satin peep toe pumps?  All of those pins are actually relevant now, and you want the opportunity to put those ideas into action!

However, if your first planning impulse is to run to the nearest florist to create mock-ups of those gorgeous peony centerpieces that you saw on Four Weddings, you might want to take a step back.  Calm down.  There's an order to the planning process, and as beautiful as they'll be, centerpieces don't come first.

Here are some things that it makes sense to start doing right away:

•  Make sure everyone knows each other.  Your family and friends are going to be spending a lot of time with your fiancé's family and friends now, so it's smart to make sure everyone is well introduced and feeling comfortable around one another.
• Have a date in mind.  It's a good idea to have a general range for when you would like the wedding to be, but if you can, leave it as tentative in order to make the venue booking process easier.  If your dream venue is booked on your first date option, it's nice to be able to ask about the weekend before or after.
• Figure out who is coming.  This is an important one, because it sets the tone for a lot of other decisions.  Are you inviting 50 people or 500?  Are you going for intimate and serene or big and festive? The number of people that you invite will be integral when making a budget, picking a venue, and establishing what kind of wedding you want to create.  
• Establish a budget.  Even though this sounds like so much less fun than the centerpieces, it really is a good idea to get some numbers decided upon.  Make sure that everyone is on the same page about who is paying for what, and about how much things will cost.  Getting this out of the way right at the beginning will save you huge headaches down the road.
• Hire a coordinator. And by that I mean La Di Events, if you haven't already. And if you have already booked with La Di Events, I commend you. You are obviously a brilliant decision maker with excellent taste who is in great hands. That is a completely unbiased assessment. 
• Start checking out reception and ceremony sites.  Those places book up fast, so there's really nothing too early when it comes to reserving your venue! If you've checked out a few venues and you find a place that you love, I suggest calling dibs on that venue for your date as quickly as possible.

Once you get these big ticket items checked off of your list, you can move on to all of the the fun wedding details that you've been dreaming about.  And if you've already done all of that, good job!  You are one organized bride.  You have our full blessing to get back to designing your centerpieces.