DECODING THE VARIOUS WEDDING DRESS CODES: A GUIDE FOR BRIDES AND GUESTS

Posted by Carrie Denny on 5/15/2013 at 12:09PM | No Comments
Decoding Wedding the Various Dress Codes: A Guide For Brides and Guests

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I get approximately 4 million texts a week—especially now that the warm-weather season is (kinda) upon us—asking me what in the heck the text sender is supposed to wear to whatever upcoming wedding(s) they’ve got on their docket. Whether they are inquiring because the dress-code announcement on the invitation has confused them or because there was no dress-code announcement on the invitation seems to make no matter; both equally seem to boggle the mind of many a wedding guest.

And I get it. When it comes to things of this nature in the world of weddings that don’t exactly have any hard-and-fast etiquette rules—and where people are basically left to do their own interpretations—it can be tricky. That’s why I thought this breakdown of the various wedding dress codes was so great—from white tie to the reminder that, no, you still shouldn’t wear white to a wedding, it covers it all.

My own little addendum for brides: Please don’t do ‘black tie preferred or requested.’ Just do ‘black tie’ or ‘black tie optional.’ Because really, what you’re saying with preferred is that sure, doing the black-tie thing at our wedding is technically optional, ladies and gentlemen, but that we’re not really into you taking us up on that option. Either decree it or truly give your people the option.

My own little addendum for guests: I disagree about the note that says you should steer clear of pink and beige as well as white, since some brides are opting for that. (Well, I mean, unless you know for sure the bride is wearing one of those shades—then it’s just common courtesy and decency to steer clear of them.) Otherwise, let’s not just keep expanding the range of not-allowed shades for wedding guests just because more and more brides are opting away from white. It’s fine. Weddings are tricky enough as is.

Are you and your groom going to declare a dress code for your wedding, or will you just let your guests go by the season, venue and time of day when deciding on their party ensembles?

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PHILADELPHIA BRIDAL SHOW: CHAUNCEY HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER IN PRINCETON

Posted by Carrie Denny on 5/14/2013 at 6:19PM | No Comments
PHILADELPHIA BRIDAL SHOW: Chauncey Hotel & Conference Center in Princeton

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WHO: Chauncy Hotel and Conference Center

WHAT: The Princeton Bridal Showcase and Gown Sale

WHEN: Sunday May 19, 12-3:30 pm

WHERE: 660 Rosedale Road, Princeton

WHY: You’ll be able to check out the Chauncey Hotel at this Sunday-afternoon event, while sampling their light fare and wedding cake (there will also be champagne and mimosas). There will be live entertainment by Best of Both Worlds, and oodles of local vendors to chat with, including wedding planner Randi Martin of Always Fabulous Events, officiant Jill Magerman of Meaningful Milestones, as well as stationers, bakers, and more. Also keep an eye out for goodie bags and prizes.

COST: $10 at the door; $5 online.

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DON’T MAKE THESE 12 WEDDING-PLANNING MISTAKES

Also, don't feel bad: Nearly every bride is guilty of at least a few of these.

Posted by Carrie Denny on 5/14/2013 at 3:54PM | No Comments
Don't Make These 12 Wedding-Planning Mistakes

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Well, I’m not sure I could have hopped up on my wedding soapbox any better myself: Saw this great post today on 12 wedding-planning mistakes that nearly every bride makes and liked it so much, I’m passing it along that you might only make between one and three of them, instead of a rather large handful.

From budget stuff and bridezilla stuff to procrastination, weight loss and over-serving your guests, it pretty much covers the gamut of wedding-planning pitfalls that are so easy to make—it’s why so many people do!—but also, honestly, so easy to avoid. Check ‘em out, and be an A+ bride.

What other “mistakes” have you heard about from friends who have gone before you that you are determined to avoid on your Big Day?

RELATED: What Recent Brides Would Have Done Differently With Their Weddings: An Infographic

RELATED: 22 Wedding Dos & Don’ts From Recently Married Couples

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MORE AND MORE BRIDES ARE WEARING COLORFUL WEDDING DRESSES THESE DAYS

Posted by Carrie Denny on 5/14/2013 at 12:38PM | 2 Comments

More and More Brides Are Wearing Colorful Wedding Dresses These Days

Look 1 from Vera Wang's all-red Spring 2013 bridal collection.

When Jessica Biel got married to Justin Timberlake wearing a pink Giambattista Valli gown it seemed to solidify a growing trend—at least among celebrities—in the number of brides who were opting for color over a traditional white wedding gown. (Why, just yesterday we told you about Shenae Grimes getting married in black tulle!) Now, apparently, there are numbers to back this up concerning non-celebrity brides.

A recent study found that 27 percent of younger brides—girls between the ages of 18 and 24—would not wear white on their wedding day. That’s a pretty big percentage! (Only 15 percent of brides between the ages of 35 and 44 would do the colorful thing, though.) Apparently, one bride in 10 would wear a red dress, a la Vera Wang’s Spring 2013 bridal collection, and one in 20 would do the pink thing, a la Jessica Biel (and Reese Witherspoon, and Gwen Stafani, etc., etc.).

Numbers aside, just anecdotally color does seem to be more prevalent in bridal these days—both in designers who are regularly including color in their seasonal collections, and in brides who are actually opting to wear these styles. Heck, the gorgeous Philly bride whose wedding on the Moshulu we posted about last week did the blush thing, too!

Would you wear a color on your wedding day, instead of white? If so, what color would you go for?

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PHOTOPOP: PHILLY’S NEW EVENT PHOTO BOOTH SERVICE

Posted by Carrie Denny on 5/13/2013 at 5:51PM | No Comments

Laura Novak and Beka Rendell of PhotoPOP.

Beka Rendell, one half of Philly’s Styled Creative (you’ve seen their photo-propping work in our pages before!) and Laura Novak, former wedding photographer and current owner of Little Nest Portraits in Wayne and Glen Mills, have recently teamed up to form a new business that we’re pretty pumped about: PhotoPOP!

PhotoPOP is an event photo booth service that basically takes care of the pictures and the background and props all in one easy little package. Oh, though it’s not actually a booth: Book them, and you’ll get an actual photographer who will come and set up a little area at your wedding reception complete with a backdrop—one that you either choose from PhotoPOP’s inventory (they currently have six different designs in stock and will continue to add more), or one that they’ll custom source or design for you—and oodles of fun props for your guests to play with. Here are the options:

  • Book a Level One PhotoPOP and you’ll get a photog for three hours, an in-stock backdrop and props, and a gallery of images that you can share and post. (You’ll get an email with various choices in it, plus a list of suggestions from the ladies as to what combos they think look best!) This option is $950.
  • Book a Level Two PhotoPOP and you’ll get a photog for four hours, the gallery of images to share and post, and a personal consultation during which you can design your ultimate little mini-set for your wedding’s photo “booth.” This option is $1,300.

All of the photographers are part of Laura’s staff, and when it’s all said and done, no matter what level you choose, you’ll receive a disc full of your hi-res images. Prices start a $25 for a la carte prints.

So fun! Are you considering some sort of photo booth station at your wedding?

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CELEB ROUNDUP: TODAY SHOW CO-HOST SAVANNAH GUTHRIE GETS ENGAGED; SHENAE GRIMES GETS MARRIED IN A BLACK VERA WANG WEDDING DRESS

Posted by Carrie Denny on 5/13/2013 at 11:30AM | 3 Comments
CELEB ROUNDUP: Today Show Co-Host Savannah Guthrie Gets Engaged; Shenae Grimes Gets Married In a Black Vera Wang Wedding Dress

Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie, flashing her new engagement ring.

Some fun bits of celeb wedding news from the weekend! We’ve got one engagement and one marriage.

Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie got engaged to political guy and boyfriend of four years Michael Feldman over the weekend, and then announced it on Monday morning’s show after her colleagues failed to notice her new bling (pictured to the right, as snapped by Al Roker). And, despite Mr. Roker’s jokes, she says they will not be getting married on TV.

And then, I remember back when Vera Wang did her entire Fall 2012 bridal collection in nude and black—she says she was inspired by lingerie—PW’s fab stylist, Lauren Kozaciewicz, and I were talking about how pretty we thought the dresses were, but wondered how many brides would actually wear one for their wedding dress. Well, today we have our answer: 90210‘s Shenae Grimes! The actress married her British model boyfriend over the weekend wearing a black tulle number from that very collection. The only other celeb to famously wear a black wedding dress that comes to mind is Sarah Jessica Parker—and she holds to this day that she regrets it. Hopefully Ms. Grimes doesn’t feel the same way in a few years.

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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER CARLY: OUR RSVPS ARE COMING IN!

Posted by Carly Day on 5/10/2013 at 5:01PM | No Comments
Bride-to-be Blogger Carly: Our RSVPs Are Coming In!

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Last week, Sean and I got our invitations in the mail. With a cramped right hand, I was more than happy to pass off our invitations to the postal worker to be sent out into the world.

As soon as the next day, I was already getting texts from friends who had received the invitations and were very kind with their reviews. What a relief! I was so glad to know that USPS was able to decipher my falligraphy (that’s fake calligraphy, if you were wondering) that I didn’t even think about what would happen next.
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YING-LEE & TIM ON THE MOSHULU

Get inspired by this gorgeous local celebration ...

Posted by Carrie Denny on 5/10/2013 at 4:24PM | 1 Comment

This week, from the spring/summer 2013 issue of Philadelphia Wedding, we bring you the beautiful wedding of Ying-Lee and Tim Snyder aboard the Moshulu in Philadelphia … Enjoy!

 

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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER STEPHANIE: OUR ENGAGEMENT PHOTO SESSION!

Posted by Stephanie Genuardi on 5/10/2013 at 2:23PM | 1 Comment
Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Our Engagement Photo Session!

A shot from Pat and Stephanie's engagement shoot in Washington Square Park. Photo by Susan Stripling.

Pat and I aren’t a public-display-of-affection kind of couple, so as we walked to Washington Square Park last Friday evening for our engagement shoot—both still agitated from the massive traffic we sat in on our way down to the city—I was a bit nervous. How were we going to fair with a photographer up close and personal, snapping photos of us kissing and hugging?

I was also a bit worried about the location. Pat and I had hit all of the local spots significant to us in a shoot we did with our videographer a few weeks ago (which I’m hoping to keep top-secret until the wedding, so it’s a surprise!). So when I kept thinking about where to shoot our engagement photos, nothing was necessarily floating to the top of the list. But we knew we wanted to be outside, preferably somewhere natural and beautiful.
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BRIDE-TO-BE BLOGGER KRISTY: CHOOSING OUR SONGS

Posted by Kristy Schultz on 5/10/2013 at 10:21AM | No Comments
Bride-to-be Blogger Kristy: Choosing Our Songs

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Do you have a song that, every time you hear it, takes you back to a moment you’ve nearly forgotten about? You catch yourself in the grocery store daydreaming while staring at a can of beans or while waiting at a stoplight, and you’re suddenly snapped into reality when the person behind you honks their horn during the chorus. Well, the song that Eric and I have chosen for our first dance, and the song my dad and I will dance to, have done that to me for years. And it’s so exciting to know that for the rest of my life when I hear them after the wedding, I’ll immediately be thrown back into that moment.
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