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“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
By Kendra Scott, Associate Plannner at Firefly Occasions Inc.
Last week I was invited up to take a tour of Kicking Horse in beautiful Golden Bri
tish Columbia! Is it just me or do the mountains get prettier the longer you drive through them?
What an adventure! Our tour started off with a visit to each of the three independent boutique mountain lodges at the Resort. There really is something for everybody at this resort and even better is how each lodge supports the others and encourages combining each-others amenities to make your wedding day special.
We were treated to amazing sample wedding menu’s at both Corks Restaurant and Eagle
s Eye Restaurant including the most delicious desserts 
The staff at each location we visited were super friendly and very welcoming. One of the best features of this resort is that it is pet friendly! If you like cats, you have to visit Whiskey at the Highland Lodge…if you’re not a cat fan, Andy was pretty great as well
The Rocky Mountains are a beautiful spot to host your wedding day and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has some wonderful accommodations, wonderful food, wonderful staff and wonderful views….which is fine if everything goes wonderfully at your wedding. What might be more important is how the venue handles a tough or unexpected situation and….they were wonderful
!
As beautiful as the Rocky Mountains are, this area isn’t known for its calm and predictable weather…especially at the top of a 7500 foot mountain peak. Known for it’s breathtaking views, we were invited to take the gondola up to Eagles Eye Restaurant. While enjoying our mouth watering lunch, mother nature kicked up a storm…lets call it a white out with 90 km/h winds. There was no view unfortunately and the gondola was stopped for safety reasons. Catastrophe? Not so much, if you’re going to be stuck somewhere, a warm restaurant with great food, wine and a crackling fireplace is the place to be! In fact I think I speak for everyone when I say that we were all quite content to sit and sip wine all afternoon. Unfortunately we did have to get back to Calgary at some point and the staff were working very hard to make sure that could happen. Violet Thumlert (Sales Representative at Kicking Horse) even snowboarded down the mountain to find my fiance who had been waiting in the lobby for me and to take another wedding planner’s dog for a walk while we were stuck.
So what was plan B? Sleds…seriously, I’m not kidding, and this group of wedding planners was so thrilled and excited for that adventure. Ski-doo’s headed up the mountain to our rescue complete with full snowsuits and winter gear for everyone! People pay big money for these rides! But don’t worry, if you’re like me with a fear of heights and speed you’re not limited to the double black runs, there is a road that goes the whole way down Or so we were told, to my luck the gondola started running again just as the first group of us had gotten into our snowsuits!
Overall this was a really great experience and a very informative tour. I took tons of pictures and videos of each spot and made some great contacts. I’m looking forward to heading back in the summer to see those views.
Sitting here in Cayman, I got to thinking about beach weddings and how you can still have a ton of style no matter where you choose to get married. I would suggest staying away from the tuxedo though, as beaches are known to bit quite warm and standing out there in a black tux with your bow tie may be a bit much. But never fear, there are plenty of alternatives; I have chosen to talk about 3 to start you thinking.
It’s A Casual Beach Party With A Wedding Thrown In
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with this, your wedding…your style! For a simple beach wedding most guys go for the white short sleeved shirt and khaki shorts, well the wedding is simple but your style doesn’t have to be. If you want to stick with a white shirt you can, but style it up a notch. Instead of a plain shirt head over to www.englishlaundry.com and take a look at what they offer. Short or long sleeved, these shirts will add style to any event. For the shorts, chuck the boring khakis and maybe try a pattern, if you can, get a cool pair of shorts with a pattern (can even be a simple check or plaid design) that match your wedding colors. Grab a funky pair of cargo shorts and keep the rings in one of the many pockets, maybe put some other surprises in there you can pull out during the ceremony. Please stay away from the “man-pri’s” though. Yeah you know what I’m talking about.
Oh Yeah! That’s Been Done
Khaki pants with a shirt, jacket and maybe a tie. Wow how original. Yeah, I get down on khaki stuff. Why you ask? Well because it’s been done. I have seen countless pictures of beach weddings and for the most part they all have one thing in common. Khaki pants and some sort of shirt. You don’t want your wedding to look like everyone else’s so put a little thought into it yeah. I’m not meaning to offend anyone here but you have so many other choices. A light grey suit, you don’t have to wear the jacket, if you go with a tie, don’t tie it tight, unbutton that top button and wear the tie casual. I like a double Windsor knot for effect (it’s bigger…”that’s what she said”) Get the tie in your wedding color, your bride will love that you thought of that little detail. Instead of the jacket, wear a vest. They are classic and in being so never go out of style. I was chatting with a groom the other day and he is getting married in Jamaica, we discussed a few choices and he settled on the one he felt comfortable with…I can’t wait to see the pictures, and by the way Congratulations Chris.
Takin’ It All Up A Notch
If you want to go all out, get a slim fitting white suit. Hell, get the jacket with tails if you like. It’ll look amazing and you won’t be super hot in the sun. Outfit your groomsmen in light grey and those pictures will look stunning. You and your bride in white with the color pop of the tropical ocean behind you. Wow dude…that’s a keeper! Tails are often over looked when choosing a suit and granted, they are not for everyone but if you can pull off the style you’ll have the whole island talking about your wedding. You can also go with the funk, I love this jacket but my wife is not a fan so if you do want to funk it up, I suggest letting your fiancé know your plans
Simon’s Gutsy Groom Advice
The beach is a simple place, add some style to it, make those heads turn and the people talk. Do as much as you feel comfortable with but don’t push it. You need to feel good and be secure in your wedding attire or you will feel out of place all day and that sucks! Shoes are also a really cool way to add style to your beach wedding, but don’t get me started on shoes.
Hats are always good for a beach, but get a nice one, and I suggest if you’re getting your wedding party hats, get your guys ones that match but are different than yours. A set of sunglasses for your guys also makes a great gift. Place some coolers around with ice and water in them for your guests and have your best man hang onto a bottle for you just in case. Always make sure you have a pocket for Kleenex in case you need to rescue your bride from some tears and be careful putting the ring on her, the warm weather makes fingers swell, don’t jam it on there.
You can do pretty much anything on the beach, book a nude beach and have an au natural wedding if that’s what you want…but make sure it’s a nude beach first ok guys! If that’s not your thing, wear a black bow tie and crisp white Speedo, the choices are up to you. I will leave you with this one chunk of advice, no matter what color the suit, the shoes should always match the belt…
Brown shoes + white suit + a shirt= A BROWN BELT!
Your honeymoon can be the best trip of your life or it can be a complete and total let down.
Hey- it’s sad but it’s true. The honeymoon gets all built up to be this dream trip but truthfully, it’s just another trip.
Sorry to burst your bubble ladies but I know you love me because I’m totally straight up with you. I’ve heard lots of stories of disappointing honeymoons from it raining the whole time in the tropics to catching the flu to being too exhausted after the wedding to enjoy it at all. And I can tell you that my honeymoon was one that we came back from saying “do over.”
When Simon and I got married not only was I planning our wedding but about a dozen others. We only had time to go to Vancouver for our honeymoon as I had another wedding 2 weeks after our own. But we’d booked ourselves into a really high-end hotel and since neither of us had really been to Vancouver much before we thought it would be a great time. What ended up happening is that I was so exhausted I got sick the first night and left my husband to watch a Bruce Willis movie alone while I slept in his lap, our high end hotel did not live up to the hype (at all), and we ended up sitting on the beach in Vancouver so weary and exhausted that we came home a day early…. Yep, definitely a “do over.”
But that’s the thing about honeymoons, the idea around them builds up your expectations almost as much as they’re built up for the wedding so it’s really disappointing if things don’t go well. But I’m going to give you some tips that I’ve learned over the years when it comes to planning successful honeymoons.
3 Tips to Having A Great Honeymoon
Ciara’s Bridal Advice
Just realize that the honeymoon truly is just another trip. It’s the first of many trips as a married couple. If the honeymoon isn’t great, then plan a “do over.” Simon and I have had many “do over’s” with simple trips locally to Banff and Lake Louise to more elaborate vacations to Cabo San Lucas, Australia, Ireland, Maui and coming up the Grand Caymans. The honeymoon is the first of many trips together so don’t let it stress you out.
If you’re looking for somewhere tropical then I suggest Sandals. Just click here for access to the latest information on their various properties.
front page thumbnail images by supervillain
It’s Ciara and Simon Daykin here and we’re in Wailea, Maui. We’re having fun in the sun but watch for some great She & He Plan Wedding videos filled with tips for your wedding (even if it’s not in the tropics), destination wedding and honeymoon. Here are some pictures from when we arrived and rented a JEEP (our fav mode of transportation anywhere we go) and the view from our condo. We’re off to the beach today so we’ll catch you later.
So everyone is boo-hooing over the current economy. I say SCREW THE ECONOMY, choose not to participate in the “recession” and go have that dream stag. Gutsy Groom has a few condos down Las Vegas way and you have access to them. You know what that means? No crazy Casino room rates, and thanks to the economy…flights are cheap! This is a great time to take advantage of being a loyal reader of the Gutsy Groom ezine and book that condo. We offer a full program that not only includes the condo, but dude, we’ll stock your bar, set you up with food for a BBQ night and yes, we are located on the strip, 5 minutes from the airport and the shuttle to the casino’s are FREE! We also offer custom programs for you and your guys depending on what you need.
Oh, and I still have a few tickets to the Playboy Mansion Party on June 6th, but they be going FAST!!!
Just got back from 2 meetings in Hermosa Beach, Cali. What amazing weather we had, and the energy down there is great. It was a bit of a shock to get back home and have to face the snow. Seems a little better now though, at least I can see blue skies and the sun. Before we were out in Cali, we had the pleasure of spending the weekend as the guests of The Chateau Lake Louise. We got a full tour of the hotel and all the ballrooms, we even got to head into the kitchen and chat with the chefs. I have to say, the experience was amazing. If you’re looking for a Rocky Mountain Wedding and Banff just doesn’t do it for you, take a look at Lake Louise. You’ll be glad you did. We’re jetting off to Maui next week for a meeting, but we’re going to be touring the Four Seasons to take some notes, so if you’re looking to get married in Maui, I’ll have some notes for you when I get back.
Firefly Occasions is proud to be a sponsor of the VIBE 98.5 $98,000 Dream Destination Wedding Contest!
For rules or to enter, Click Here now!
The Top 10 Finalists will be announced Friday, February 13th, and the WINNER will receive an entire wedding package for a dream destination wedding in Jamaica (including a Bon Voyage party from Firefly Occasions)!
Click the link below for more details!
Are you craving a wedding venue that goes above and beyond anything you could ever find close to home? Then maybe a destination wedding would be right for you. Romantic and unforgettable are two words that come to mind when I think of destinations… but there are also some things you need to keep in mind while planning.
1. Plan on making at least a couple trips to your wedding destination before the big day. You will need to do so to find and secure key venues (church, reception site, hotel, etc.) AND to schedule tastings, sample bouquets, do a test run with your hair and/or makeup person… let’s just say that you will want these trips in themselves to be well-planned in order to fit everything in!
One way you can minimize some of this is to bring people from home. Do NOT hesitate to fly in talent you trust from home for things such as photography, hair and makeup, etc. Flowers may be a little harder to fly (bouquets and such) but if you really want to, where there’s a will there’s a way!
If you do end up having to hire some vendors sight unseen, make sure you get lots of pictures and at least three references from them. Do your research so you know what you’ll be getting!
2. Tell your bridal party about your destination plans before you ask them to be in your wedding. They will appreciate it, in case they need to gracefully decline if their finances are a little tight. On the same note, do not be upset if some of your closest friends and family do not attend.
3. Welcome those who do make the trip with a gift basket of essentials for the trip and some things to remember it by. They’ve gone the extra mile for you (literally), so the gift will mean a lot to them.
4. Hire a wedding planner! Seriously. If you sign up for a destination wedding package, you more than likely will be provided with the services of a wedding planner. If not, you will want one to carry the burden of researching, auditioning and securing vendors. They will also be extremely instrumental in greeting guests, coordinating activities, getting everyone to where they need to be on time, and taking care of special requests. After all, YOU will be on vacation!
