To Show the Dress:
Buying a wedding dress is a major decision that will most likely make at least a small dent in the bank account. Such a purchase will affect both the bride and the groom. One of the golden rules of marriage is to be comfortable and agree with where your spouse spends money. –“What’s mine is yours now, honey!” Imagine your husband spending a fortune on a new gadget without you ever seeing it! Would you be ok with it or would you stress?

In some Chinese traditions, the groom buys the wedding dress for the bride. She doesn’t even see the gown until the actual wedding day. –Talk about the element of surprise!

Another scenario, imagine finding the dress of your dreams in a store window while vacationing with your future husband. Would you leave it alone, or would you go take a peek to see if they had your size?

If you show your dress to your husband before the wedding it alleviates the stress of trying to hide your dress and hiding… yourself, before the ceremony. It’s practical, it’s stress free and it’s easy. Not to mention, you will have his help and support while finding the dress in the first place. For those couples who can’t keep a secret from each other and tell each other everything, this might just be the best option for you.

Or Not to Show the Dress:
If you’re superstitious you’ll note that it’s said to be bad luck to show your wedding dress to your husband before the wedding. Saving this special moment will ensure a beautiful, dazzled look on his face. The photographer will capture it perfectly.

Note: Many grooms want to be surprised and don’t even want to see the bride’s wedding dress until the day.

If you keep your wedding gown a secret, is it ok to describe details of the dress or show photos of it? We think that if you are keeping the dress a secret, you should keep the details a secret too. Keeping it hush hush is the ultimate choice for the traditional and romantic bride.

The Verdict:
It’s really a personal situation, which is different for every couple. If you are more practical or perhaps traveling to a destination wedding, it might be easier to let the cat (or the dress) out of the bag.

If you are one that loves the element of surprise and mystery, keep it to yourself! It will make that moment extra special for you. Bottom line: If you are hesitating about showing it to him, DON’T SHOW HIM. If you think you may have regrets, DON’T SHOW HIM.

Good Luck!

Décor and tabletop items like vases, dishes, silverware, tablecloths, candelabras, place cards, chargers, ribbons, cake servers and toasting glasses will complete the collection in May.

Click the link below to see some of the new gowns. Dresses and other collection items are currently only available online and will then be introduced (to a store still to be determined) in August.

http://www.bhldn.com/

Featuring the Signature Silver Candelabras

Candelabras are a timeless classic that offer a romantic elegance to your ceremony and reception wedding décor.  Our silver candelabras are part of the Firefly Occasions Signature Decor Collection that is exclusively available only to our brides and grooms.

These tall and graceful candelabras will create a wow factor at your wedding ceremony. When lined along the isle, the décor pieces have a great impact since guests are accustomed to seeing pew bows or small vases. Flowers placed on the candelabras sit high and create a beautiful dramatic effect. This is perfect for weddings held outdoors or in venues with high ceilings.

Flowers, crystals and pillar candles can be used to custom design the candelabras to harmonize with your venue and your overall wedding décor vision.

When using the signature candelabras at your wedding reception, Firefly recommends that not every table have one. Placing the décor pieces on only one third of the tables will avoid the room from looking cluttered.

These are just a few ways to take your wedding décor from cookie cutter to haute couture. See how Firefly Occasions can custom design the signature silver candelabras for your wedding.

“I can’t trash my dress! My daughter might wear it in 20 or 30 years.” Common’ ladies, as much as we would like to think so, this rarely happens. So why not have a “trash the dress” photo shoot? The photos are absolutely stunning and are far from ordinary wedding photos. They are sure to get your friends and family talking about your wedding long afterwards. I mean, how many of your friends’ photos have you seen where the bride is standing in the warm, teal, Caribbean ocean in her once worn wedding dress?

She says: My favorite trash the dress shoots are in the ocean at destination weddings. The ocean view is just too beautiful to go to waste.

Another reason to have a “trash the dress” photo shoot is because in many cases the dress can be salvaged and you won’t actually “trash” your dress. Dry cleaning these days is pretty good and they are capable of getting rid of most stains. If you’re still skeptical about it, purchase another white wedding dress that isn’t as expensive as your one and only precious gem hanging in the closet. Or, if you’re a bride who has two wedding gowns (one for the reception and one for the ceremony) you can “trash” one and keep the other.

He says: These photo shoots are out of the ordinary and crazy and that’s exactly why we love them. You have to be a brave bride to pull it off!

To check out a trash the dress photography expert go to http://staceywightblog.ca/category/trashthedress/ to see some amazing beach shots of brides and grooms trashing their wedding attire. Whether or not you’re going on a destination wedding, we posted five photos below to inspire you to trash your dress!

W A T E R

www.weddingbee.com

P A I N T

www.damsel.typepad.com

F I R E

www.littlewillow.com

MUD

www.markeric.net/www.jamierphotography.blogspot.com

G R A S S

www.2duce2.com

]]> http://www.sheandheplanweddings.com/2010/08/she-and-he-trendy-tuesdays-5-ways-to-trash-your-wedding-dress-and-make-it-look-hot/feed/ 0 http://www.sheandheplanweddings.com/2010/08/she-and-he-heart-mondays-extraordinary-escort-cards/ http://www.sheandheplanweddings.com/2010/08/she-and-he-heart-mondays-extraordinary-escort-cards/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:19:53 +0000 Firefly Occasions Inc. http://www.sheandheplanweddings.com/?p=2194 Let’s be serious. Nobody hearts Mondays. So every Monday we are here to lighten the mood and talk about things we do heart:  Extraordinary Escort Cards

I can’t think of anything more boring than a blank piece of paper with a name on it. Escort cards shouldn’t be dull or overlooked. There are so many ways to create escort cards that not only add a personal touch to your wedding but also impress guests with your creativity and thoughtfulness.

She Says: This is another one of those great little ways to make the wedding all about you as a unique couple.

Guests love little details like this. They will take photos of the cards, talk about them and in some cases cherish them! For example, the little candles below serve as escort cards and wedding favors.

So what’s the difference between escort cards and place cards?

Escort cards tell guests at what table they should sit at.

Place cards are at the table and tell guests in what seat they should sit.

Some important tips for creating escort cards:

1. With a large amount of guests, avoid tying the cards to trees like the photo on the bottom left. It will take forever before guests find their card.

2. Try organizing the escort cards in alphabetical order rather than table numbers to make the process quicker. If the cards are tied to items, line up the items so guests don’t have to search.

3. Don’t have loose leaf escort cards at outdoor weddings (even on a sunny calm day). The wind could sweep them off in a second. Hold them in place with faux diamonds, river rocks or ribbon.

4. Keep them consistent. If you write Mr./Mrs. on one card, continue to do this on all of the others.

5. Depending on what your escort card is, decide whether you want to give one out per person or per couple or per family.

Photos Left to Right, Top to Bottom: www.theknot.com, www.josevillaphoto.com, www.theknot.com, www.elizabethannedesigns.com, www.diyweddingprojects.com, www.LIWeddings.com, www.lisalefkowitz.com, www.papertastebuds.com, www.countryliving.com

This weeks post was a fun one for me because it meant spending some time looking at fabulous shoes! I have my heart set on a specific pair of shoes that I can see in my mind. The problem being that I don’t think they necessarily exist in real life. So the search for a great pair of shoes has been on for some time now. Shoes are something that I always admire on other people but generally can’t justify spending an outrageous amount of money on – as much as I’d love too.

Here are some of the options that I’ve found which are super cute AND affordable. I have to say that I am so in love with the Badgley Mischka options that I’ve been seeing all year. I know the trend has been to have a pop of colour with your shoes, however for me, I think ivory. Which may sound boring and traditional but I genuinely love the smooth, creamy, warm appearance of Ivory as a colour. And after all, your choices should be made to best represent you right. So I’ve gone somewhat traditional in colour but I definitely want something that is fashion forward. Here are some of the options I’ve come across so far. Please feel free to give me any input!

Okay, onto the other project at hand. Jessi and I promised last week that as we go through this “Bridal Bootcamp” we would post weekly measurements at the end of every Friday’s post. So, here we go, the starting point!! If you’re hitting the gym for the big day as well, please update us with your progress in the comments. We can encourage each other

Kendra:
Upper Arm: 10″
Bust: 35.5″
Natural Waist: 28.5″
Hips: 39″
Upper Thigh: 22″

Jessi:
Upper Arm: 9″
Bust: 37″
Waist: 26″
Hips: 34.5″
Upper Thigh:20.5″

www.myglassslipper.com

www.myglassslipper.com

www.myglassslipper.com

www.myglassslipper.com

www.myglassslipper.com

After Chelsea Clinton and Alicia Keys’ weddings we couldn’t help but notice the increasing trend of wearing Grecian-inspired wedding dresses. Clinton wore a Vera Wang, Grecian-inspired gown with a black ribbon belt and a criss-cross back for the wedding reception. (This brings up another trend! -Having two wedding dresses for your wedding day.) Clinton’s wedding attire represented classic American royalty and beauty.

On the same weekend Alicia Keys married record producer Swizz Beatz. The two of them had a Mediterranean themed wedding. The sultry singer also wore a Vera Wang grecian-inspired dress but represented a completely different style than Clinton. She rocked the gown and looked like a true and elegant Greek Goddess. She had jeweled details on her back shoulder with crystal-encrusted flat sandals, matched with a sophisticated headband. 

www.people.com

It seems as if Vera Wang might be the catalyst for the Grecian-inspired

wedding dress trends! Check out the website for more dress ideas: www.verawang.com 

Nobody said it better than Kate Hudson in Bride Wars. “You don’t alter Vera Wang to fit you. You alter yourself to fit Vera!!”

-xo JessiFirefly

Well with only 6 months left until the wedding, it was time to start thinking about the décor plans. So this week, you get a little sneak peek into part of our planning process with our décor clients. Normally, after our décor consultation with the client, we create renderings of the décor ideas and when possible try to incorporate these renderings into their actual venue. We find it very helpful to be able to see what these ideas will actually look like in the venue. However, since this is for my own wedding and not a client, I haven’t put quite that much effort in haha. So you won’t see what this looks like in our venue but I think you’ll get the idea. Of course, my sketches had notes written all over them, so I’ve tried to crop those out as much as possible.  I had decided already on the pink, champagne and ivory colours with lots of lace, pearls, antique picture frames and tea cups. I think we’ll have our flower girls dressed as little ballerina’s as well . Recently, I saw a blog post on stylemepretty.com where they used hanging glass bubble vases filled with flower heads and I just had to incorporate that into the ceremony décor as well.  My vision, is to have the below wrought iron Chuppah covered in vines and flowers with flower heads and bubble vases hanging through-out the center at varying heights.

At our chosen venue, we are using the same room for our ceremony and reception which means we need to allow enough time in between to have the room flipped. We are expecting roughly 65 guests and have chosen a venue that accommodates up to only 90.  Due to the size of our venue, the head table is normally placed on the dance floor and is removed following dinner. This allows me to use the Chuppah as my focal point through-out the whole evening. During the ceremony we will be married under it. When the room is flipped, this Chuppah will have our head table (a round of 8 ) placed under it. After dinner, when that table is removed, the first dance will then take place under it.

Photo Credits: (Left to right, top to bottom) www.blondetulip.com, www.perezblog.net www.autumnburke.com www.photosbycarla.blogspot.com , www.docuvitae.com, www.angela-blog.com, Twin Lens www.stylmepretty.com

She Wears: Chunky Necklaces

When it comes to necklaces on bridesmaids, we think the bigger and brighter the better. Have your bridesmaids wear chunky necklaces that add style and color. The necklaces will be a great way to thank your bridesmaids for being there for you on your wedding day. The necklaces can be kept as a momentum or be worn at other special occasions long after your wedding. Many jewelery stores will let you engrave initials or a short message on the back of the necklace.

Having big necklaces is another way to embrace your wedding theme. We suggest lockets for vintage weddings, shells for beach weddings, bright colors for summer outdoor weddings and pearls for elegant indoor weddings.

Chunky or big necklaces worn on the bride are also gorgeous. A colorful neckline adds personal flare and really contrasts with a white or ivory wedding dress. A big necklace can also be your something blue or borrowed.

To find some chunky necklaces for yourself or your bridesmaids go to:
www.etsy.com to find homemade gems
www.shopstyle.com to browse different designer brands
www.funkychunkyjewlry.com to check out a local designer in Calgary AB.