Real Wedding: Jennifer and Tavis

So, a while back we did a Color Day post on our friend Jen's "button inspired" wedding.  Photographer Angela Ferro exquisitely captured their day and, as promised, we're finally going to share some of our favorites with you! Jen and her hubs, Tavis, tied the knot on a beautiful, albeit rainy, day in Brisbane, Australia.  Australia is close to our hearts as PDR's Jen spent some time studying there in college and these photos bring back warm memories of BBQ's, relaxed and carefree vibes, and true Aussie hospitality.  Destination weddings are super hard to plan, particularly when you want to include as many personal touches as possible.  Luckily, Jen had brilliant wedding planners in her now mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  Her mother-in-law put her creativity and crafty skills to use with a number of DIY projects and the end result was a wedding bursting with character and charm.  We love the care taken to personalize this wedding and see Jen's warm personality and artist flare in pretty much every little detail.

Jen was happy to share her story and helped to shed some light on her overall wedding style and favorite moments.

On the importance of personal touches...

We also incorporated a few unexpected and nontraditional elements in the day. For instance, the initial plan was to play lawn games during the cocktail hour and use this time to take photos in the gardens. Unfortunately, it rained all day. One unexpected wedding event quickly turned into another as I told myself that I was wearing a one-use dress and was going to get the most out of it, even though it meant that Tavis and I were quite wet by the end of the photography session! Also, Tavis thought it would be funny to read his vows from his iPad and I then read my vows from my iPhone which I secretly had his best man carry for comedic effect. The ceremony was performed by both Tavis' brother and his best man and was both sweet and hilarious. For example, the first line of the ceremony was "Hello. This is a wedding." It was important to us to have a few personal details that really reflected us as a couple and I think these examples certainly allowed us to achieve our goal!

 On choosing to have a small, intimate wedding...

The wedding was cozy. Tavis and I both think that marriage is very intimate and personal and we wanted our wedding to be a great celebration of us. In fact, Tavis often referred to the wedding as a "party." We decided that the two things we wanted most out of celebrating our marriage were to be with the people we really love and take an awesome honeymoon. We happily remained true to ourselves and on budget by keeping these things in mind!

On her favorite moments of the day...

There were three really fantastic moments that stick out to me when I reflect on the day. The first was when I saw the cake. Planning the wedding from the US made me feel a little removed from the event. It wasn't until I saw the cake that it finally felt real and I became much more present; it was as though all the work had paid off and everything was going to be perfect. I am still in awe of how beautiful the cake was. The second of my favorite memories of the wedding was walking in the processional with Tavis' best man behind two bag pipers. The pipes made the most beautiful, heart-wrenching sound that set the tone for the ceremony, which Tavis wrote. Finally, was the first dance. Tavis and I danced to The Smiths "There is a Light that Never Goes out" which quickly became a sing-along for us and our guests. Then, at the end of the song, Tavis spun me around the room several times making everyone laugh and cheer. It was such a joyous event. The entire wedding was absolutely magical but these moments were definitely the most memorable for me.

Photography: Angela Ferro Photography

Venue: Home of the Groom's Parents - Brisbane, Australia

Floral Design: Brisbane Bouquets

Invitations: Keg Design

Catering: Wine & Dine'm

Wedding Cake: Josie Staines

Bagpipers: Brisbane Boys College

Bridal Gown: LoveJune

Bride's Shoes: Seychelles

Bride's Jewelry: Land and Laboratory 

Bride's Hair Clip: Ban.do

Hair: Jackie Trout Hair Design

Rings: Tiffany & Co.

Bridesmaid's Dress: Andrew Marc

Bridesmaid's Shoes: Stuart Weitzman

Men's Suits: Bill Paul Ltd.

Groom's Shirt: Sebastian Gray Clothiers

Groom's Shoes: Dr. Martens

See more details of Jen and Tavis' Wedding and read the story of how they met over at Style Me Pretty!

Thanks, Jen and Tavis for sharing these with us.  We wish you a long and happy marriage!

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Bridesmaid Look Book: All Dressed in White

The Royal Wedding has got us thinking: why can't the bridesmaids wear white too? We understand that the bride is the center of attention, etc. but in a way, having your bridesmaids dressed in white makes them blend in rather than stand out in their bright colors. It's a classy and elegant approach to dressing your bridesmaids, and may be preferred by brides who are into neutral shades or want to keep things simple. Here are some ideas:

Keep it short and sweet in this knee length chiffon dress from BHLDN. We love the sheer neckline and sweet bow detailing, and just wish they had this in a miniature version for the flower girl! Of course, just make sure your shade of white dress doesn't clash with your maids!

For a sleek, modern look, dress your girls in this simple sequined trim dress by Ralph Lauren. It's a wonderful compliment to a more minimalist bride, with just a bit of dazzle to make it more than your every day white dress. This is definitely a great look if you're going for an icy hot winter wedding.

Of course, you don't need to dress all in white. Throwing on a fun print is a great way to add some color without cluttering up your all white theme. In our opinion, this look seems best fit for when you just have one bridesmaid, or if you want to make your maid of honor stand out and leave the rest of the maids in all white.

Similarly, dress your girls in white (or off white) but add an all-over pattern to set them apart. We love this retro style dress from Mango, and think it's perfect for low key spring or summer weddings.

This basic pleated skirt dress is perfect for a casual summer wedding. It reminds us of the black and white look at the mom's wedding in Because I Said So, which can be elegant and sexy or simple and casual.

This may be one of our favorite dresses of the lot. It's short and sassy, with lots of pretty details around the neckline to create a charming overall look. Plus, this dress works for all seasons and wedding styles, so you can dress it up or down with the right hairstyle and jewelry.

If you haven't noticed, almost all of our selections are cocktail length, as choosing a floor length white gown for your bridesmaids can be very tricky. We think you can only really put it off if (1) the dress is much more simple than the wedding dress and (2) the bride has a lot of confidence.  For instance, this simple floor length gown from J. Crew (which is actually a wedding gown), would look great with a fuller or more detailed wedding dress. It's all about making them different enough so that the bride stands out. If Kate and Pippa could pull it off, so can you!

XOXO,

Jen & Saira

Tips for the Bride: Bridesmaid Dresses

Weddings are all about the bride, and this post doesn't mean to take away from that. But we stand before all of you lovely brides begging that you please, please pick out bridesmaid dresses that are actually cute and pretty, and not what nightmares are made of! Here are some suggestions to ensure that your bridesmaids don't secretly hate you when you say "Aren't these dresses great? The best part is that you can shorten it and wear it again!" à la 27 Dresses:



1. One of the first decisions a bride makes is her wedding colors. Often times this decision is based on the season, what flowers are available, and overall theme, but many brides have already picked out their palette years ago. All we ask is that you steer away from clashing colors, neon shades, and colors that resemble baby food (unless it's pea green... which is a color that we actually kind of love).

Dark pink can be lovely on your bridesmaids! 

But hot pink plus multi-colored petticoats, yikes!

2. Remember Charlotte's bridesmaid dress in the first Sex and the City movie? The poor girl could barely walk! While a dramatic floor length mermaid dress may look amazing in the fitting room, walking down the aisle can end up being very dangerous for your besties. Instead, choose a dress that is pretty and comfortable, as your bridesmaids are going to spend all day and night on their feet. Also keep in mind your setting -- for instance, if you're having an outdoor wedding, then a structured floor length dress can get quite messy, so a floaty dress or a cocktail length may be more appropriate.

Try this!

Not this!

3. Most brides have an average number of 4 bridesmaids (the back of our Herbal Essence Conditioner said so), and you can be pretty sure that none of these girls have the same body type. So when picking out your dress, try to go with a style that flatters all of your bridesmaids silhouettes,  or go for the latest trend of dressing your bridesmaids in different cuts and styles of the same color.

They're all smiling because they know they look good!

4.  Don't forget about skin tones.  While a yellow might look great on darker skin it's possible your pale pink pals will look completely washed out.  Another trend these days is to let your bridesmaids wear the same dress, but in coordinating colors.  The shades not only compliment one another but also your bridesmaids skin tone so everyone will look their best.  Plus, this is a great way to incorporate multiple wedding colors and tie your dresses and theme together!

The perfect blend of shades to compliment a variety of skin tones!

5. If you love bows, giant flowers, or extra ruffles, then please be tasteful! Bows, ruffles, and the like used to be a nightmare of all brides (think 80's weddings), but nowadays many bridesmaid dresses incorporate these extra fills in a fresh and flirty way.

Giant bows don't have to be fussy!

6. Finally, we know creating a beautiful wedding can be very expensive, but that doesn't mean you can't cut some costs. Particularly, when choosing the bridesmaid dress, opt for something more affordable, or at the very least, if you go for something more pricey, then make it something that your bridesmaids will likely be able to wear again.  We are big fans of nice neutral colors like gray, black, or navy.

J. Crew's bridesmaid collection is definitely something we'd recycle!

Much love to all you blushing brides!

XOXO,

Jen & Saira

Tips for the Maid of Honor: Luau Bridal Shower

Happy Friday, dolls! Today we say "Aloha" to you as we revisit our "Tips for the Maid of Honor" segment and provide you with some helpful inspiration.  If you're hosting a bridal shower over the summer, a fun and easy option is to throw a luau! Theme based showers are a great way to get some color and energy at your soiree, and it's easy to find luau decorations at any party store this time of year. You can make it as over-the-top as you want, and your guests are sure to have fun and really hang loose.

1. Location: Once you have a theme, the next big decision is where to host your shower. We love the idea of throwing a luau because you have so many options in terms of location. You can throw it at a house, in a backyard, at the beach, or at a restaurant. Where you have it is really based on your budget, and you can easily transform any space into a Hawaiian getaway with some skillful decorating.

2. Invitations: Your invitations can be as formal or informal as you want. This really depends on your bride's style, your personal tastes, your guest list, and the overall tone you are looking to set. It's easy to find informal stationary at party stores, but for a more sophisticated look we suggest taking it to the web to find simple,  invitations with maybe one or two bright tropical colors, modern graphics, and crisp, clean lines.

3. Decorations: You have so many options for decorating for a luau. Just walk into any party store, and you'll be bombarded with giant inflatable palm trees, grass skirts and table cloths, coconut center pieces, tiki torches, and everything in between.  And, even if you don't have a huge budget to work with, you can make the biggest impact with colors. Luaus are all about bold and bright colors, so have fun with it!

4. Flowers: Flowers are important for any shower and are the perfect, natural decoration. While we don't expect you to get hibiscus flowers ($$$), try to opt for some "tropical" flowers. Our suggestion is to try to find beautiful and brightly colored lilies.  Now, these aren't always readily available, so talk to your florist to see what you can arrange. Or take a trip to Ikea and get their fun and inexpensive little bamboo plants! Flowers and plants not only  make a great table decorations, they can also pull double duty and serve as a party favor!

5. Food: You have a lot of great options when it comes to luau food as well. Not all of us are into roasting pigs over a fire (gross!), but you can definitely barbecue your meat of choice, have fruit salads, pasta salads, and of course some cute drinks with tiny umbrellas! Basically anything with pineapple, coconut, or mango is a safe bet, but here are some recipe suggestions to get your started:

6. Party favors: Party favors at bridal showers tend to be pretty standard: candles, flowers, candies, scented soaps, basically anything small and cute. To incorporate it with your luau theme, just get things in consistent flavors, scents, and colors: coconut candles, hot pink candy boxes, etc.

7. Attire: If your guests are party people, then you can really get them involved by having a strict dress code: Hawaiian shirts, coconut bras, and grass skirts only! Of course this isn't ideal for most of your guests (just imagine your boss or great grandmother in a coconut bra! yikes!), but most guests will come dressed for the occasion in pretty summery dresses and skirts. Plus, you can make a big impact on a little budget by channeling the island vibes and greeting your guests with colorful leis and flowers for their hair. 

Mahalo!

XOXO,

Jen & Saira