Picking  a colour for your bridesmaids is very very hard. This is mostly because whatever colour you pick you have to stick to if you want a consistent theme throughout your wedding.It can influence the colour of your flowers and even the colour of your invitation.

For some, choosing is a colour for the bridesmaids is simple. For example if a brides favourite colour is pink she can easily pick this for her big day. But careful consideration should be taken when picking your colour for either your wedding theme or your bridesmaid.

For those who don’t have a favourite colour or are not sure of what colour to choose for either their bridesmaids and here is  a colour wheel which might help to give some inspiration. Personally I tend to like the deeper, muted colours like dark grey and deep purple.

A good idea is to be aware of the variety of shades that are available in each block colour. For example, you might like blue as a colour for your wedding but there is a variety of different shades and tones within this one colour that you will have to consider. A good idea is to tailor the tone of the colour to your wedding. For example, if you like blue and are having a beach wedding considering using a sky blue. Alternatively if you like blue and are having a formal/ black tie wedding considering using navy.

Most importantly when picking a bridesmaids dress colour you have to consider a few things

• Will the colour I pick suit all my bridesmaids? – A big mistake brides make is choosing a colour that does not suit the skin tone of their bridal party. Always test the colour that you are thinking of picking first on your bridesmaids before making a decision. If a colour suits a few of your bridesmaids but not all you could consider getting spray tans for all your bridesmaids to ensure that the colour suits all.

• Does the colour suit my wedding? Bright pink bridesmaids dresses will not suit an alpine wedding. Nor will black bridesmaid dresses suit a beach wedding. You need to tailor the colour (and style) of the bridesmaid’s dresses to your wedding. For example for a garden wedding consider shades of green, light yellows, soft browns and other earthy colours. Also consider whether the season that your are getting married and the time of the ceremony.

• Consider the Material you will be using! A colour can look quite different depending on what type of material that you are using for a dress so you should consider the colour and material of the dress simultaneously when making your choice.

Tips:

Bright colours can look tacky. If you are considering a bright colour, class it up by not using cheap, silky material that can make the dress look like it was from a $2 shop. Also bright dresses that are over embellished can have a cheap look so consider something very simple yet elegant for your bright dress.

Pick timeless colours. Unless you are having an ultra modern wedding, picking a colour that is fashionable now but a passing trend may quickly make your wedding photos appear dated. If you like a certain colour like fuchsia, perhaps consider a more traditional design for the gown so that the look of your bridesmaids does not date overtime. Otherwise its best to stick to colours that will stand the test of time.

Match the bouquets. Ensure that the bouquets for the bridesmaids match the colour and style of the dress.

The tossing of the bouquet is an important and fun wedding tradition, especially for all the single women at a wedding. The assembling of all the single and unmarried women at a wedding for the bouquet toss, according to tradition, signifies that the lucky woman to catch the bouquet will be the next to be married. Whether you believe this or not, it is a great way of entertaining guests and the girl who catches the bouquet will also have a souvenir of the wedding to take home.

The tradition of tossing the bouquet originates from around the 14th century where guests of a wedding would commonly rip a brides garments apart to take home keepsakes, which were considered to bring them good luck. They were considered lucky as getting married was the destiny of most women and considered as one of their most important goals to achieve in life, second only to producing heirs. The guests would have no qualms about the safety of the bride and openly attack her in order to get a precious memento. As no bride would appreciate having their dress torn to shreds or risk being attacked, brides began tossing other personal possessions such as their garter, stockings and bouquet in lieu of having their dress ripped apart.

Today there is a growing trend for brides to eschew the tradition of the bouquet toss but I think that the toss is a great wedding activity that provides entertainment for guests and works well as a finishing touch to a wedding reception  just before the bride and groom depart, along with the garter toss. It can especially be entertaining watching your guests pretending not to care about the toss but then turn into maniacs in their attempts to be the lucky girl to catch the bouquet!

Considering the nature of the bouquet toss is all about single women and marriage, bouquet tossing songs should be upbeat, empowering and all about women. It should be about strong women but also involves femininity.  It can also be about finding love or about men. Upbeat songs will help to motivate the guests at a wedding to get up for the toss. The more women who get up the better as there are some women who find the toss a little embarrassing as the guest is openly declaring their relationship status. There are a lot of great songs choices out there to get all the women on the dance floor and to create great memories for wedding videos.

When deciding on a song thing of songs that you would love to dance or sing with your girlfriends to. It should be a song that women can relate to and that has to do with women getting what they want.

Tongue in Cheek

As the bouquet toss is all about finding out who will be the next girl to get married you could consider tongue in cheek songs such as Independent Women  by Destiny’s Child as a mockery of what the toss signifies. This will be funny and entertaining for your guests. Other tongue in cheek songs that can be considered are  Diamonds are  a Girls Best Friend by Marilyn Munroe,  to make a joke about the fact that all women want from marriage is a diamond or something along similar lines such as Material Girl by Madonna. You could also consider the Rocky Theme  to poke fun at the fact that the women are going to be fighting for the bouquet.

Songs about getting married

A modern song that works great with the bouquet toss is Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It). From calling “All the single ladies” to the dance floor and having the toss set against the lyrics of “If you like it then you should have put a ring on it, don’t be made cause you see that he want it” helps to create the perfect mood for the tradition of finding out who is going to get married next!

 Another great idea for a modern wedding bouquet toss is the Sex and the City Theme, especially the movie version of the theme, as this sounds more big band. This theme works so well as Sex and the City is all about the single girl trying to find love which epitomises what the bouquet toss is all about. Other great songs about getting married or rather getting a guy to marry a girl is Wishin and Hopin  by Ani DiFranco from the My Best Friends Wedding movie soundtrack which works wonderfully with the lyrics “So if you’re thinking how great true love is.All you gotta do is hold him, and kiss him, and squeeze him, and love him.Yeah, just do it!And after you do, you will be his”.

Other songs that work well are Chapel of Love by the Dixie Cups and Today I Met the Boy I am Going to Marry I  by Darelene Love which works perfectly considering that tradition goes that the person who catches the garter is the person the bouquet catcher is supposed to marry.

Songs about women

Upbeat female empowering songs will work wonderfully with a bouquet toss. Think along the lines of Man I Feel Like a Womanby Shania Twain or one of the most popular choices Girls Just Wanna Have Funby Cyndi Lauper

The lyrics to this song work really well with the bouquet toss and should be considered by a bride if she is having a modern wedding.

Also consider songs about what the girls will be doing i.e Jump Around by House of Pain.  This will surely motivate the girls to reach high for the bouquet.

Really out there

The song “A Woman’s Touch” by Doris Day which features in the film Calamity Jane is a very unique idea. The song describes how a woman can improve things. This song is very retro and if you are a feminist you should definitely not consider this song by it will definitely be remembered by guests and can be quite entertaining.

For a full list of Bouquet Toss Songs see below:

All That She Wants Ace of Base
Another One Bites the Dust Queen
At Last Ella Fitzgerald
A Woman’s Touch Doris Day (Calamity Jane)
Baby Got Back Sir Mix a Lot
Barbie Girl Aqua
Beautiful Girls Sean Kingston
Big SpenderShirley Bassey
Bootylicious Destiny’s Child
Can’t Hold us DownChristina Aguilera
Candy ManChristin Aguilera
Chapel of Love Dixie Cups
Diamond’s are a Girl’s Best Friend Marilyn Munroe
Don’t Cha Pussycat Dolls
Eye of the Tiger Survivor
FeverMadonna/ Michael Buble
Girl Fight Brook Valentine
Girls Girls Girls Motley Crue
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Cyndi Lauper
Hit Me with Your Best ShotPat Benatar
Hot Sutff Donna Summer
I Feel Pretty Julie Andrews
I’m So Excited  Pointer Sisters
Its Getting Hot in Here Nelly 
Its Raining Men Weather Girls                                                                                                                     
I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor
I’m Every Woman Whitney Houston
I’m Too Sexy Right Said Fred
Jump Around House of Pain
Jumpin Jumpin Destiny’s child
Just a Girl No Doubt
Ladies Night Kool and the Gang
Lady Marmalade Moulin Rouge Soundtrack
Lets Get Loud Jennifer Lopez
Like A Virgin Madonna
Love is a Battlefield Pat Benetar
Love is in the Air John  Paul Young
Man I Feel Like a Woman Shania Twain
Material Girl Madonna
Miss Independent Kelly Clarkson
Mission Impossible Theme
Most Girls Pink
My Girl The Temptations
One Way or Another Blondie
Pretty Woman Roy Orbison
Pretty Young Thing Michael Jackson
Respect Aretha Franklin
Rocky Theme Rocky Soundtrack
Sex and the City Theme Sex and the City Soundtrack
She’s A Lady Tom Jones
Shoop Shoop Song Cher
Sisters Are Doing It Eurythmics
Single White Female Chely Wright
SuperFreak Rick James
Someday my Prince Will Come Miles Davis/ Disney
These Boots are Made for Walking Nancy Sinatra
Today I met the Boy I am Going to Marry Darlene Love
This One is for the Girls Martina McBride
Uptown GirlBilly Joel/ Westlife
Wannabe Spice Girls
What A Girl WantsChristina Aguilera
Where My Girls At 702
White Wedding Billy Idol
Who Let the Dogs Out Baha Men
Wild Women Do Natalie Cole
Wishin’ and Hopin Dusty Springfield
You Cant Hurry Love Supremes

Brides Tips:

• Make  a smaller Toss Bouquet – Brides, get your florist to make a smaller version of your bouquet for the tossing ceremony, that way you do not have to give away your bouquet to a guest.
• Don’t single out the “Single ladies” -  Invite all women (even the married ones) at your wedding to participate in the toss to save the embarrassment of your single guests who might be uncomfortable
• Join the Garter Throwing and Bouquet ceremonies together by having the man that caught the garter place it on the woman who caught the bouquet
• Give the bouquet as a gift – Instead of tossing the bouquet consider giving it as a gift to the couple at your wedding who has been married for the longest time.

source of pic: valentinedesigns.com

I attended a wedding recently with a few faux pas that I would like to discuss. Don’t get me wrong, the wedding was beautiful, the was bride immaculately dressed in a beaded ivory mermaid style gown and her bridesmaids in light blue grey cocktail dresses. The reception was adorned with flowers and candelabras and the cake was a four tiered masterpiece. Despite all this there were a few hitches that i suppose no matter how well you plan your big day you will never be able to control. But knowing beforehand what can go wrong might help other brides on their big day.
1. Baby crying at the church
I understand that babies are hard to control but there is a cardinal rule for all guests and that is if your baby cries take the child outside. Forget your selfish need to watch the ceremony and consider the bride and groom. At this wedding the nephew of the groom started to wail right at the commencement of the vows. It was very distracting and you could barely hear the bride and groom and the priest over the child’s crying. The faux pas was committed by the mother of the child and sister of the groom who rather than remove the child, stayed to watch the vows. Understandably she wanted to see her brother get married but the child almost ruined the moment. The mother did not leave until a good three minutes of the child constantly wailing. Not only did this affect the couple and the guests it will also affect the quality of the couples wedding video as the child was right at the front of the church next to the videographer. This is a faux pas as the mother, by not removing the child until it was settled, has affected the bride and groom at the most important part of the ceremony.
2. A guest tried to upstage the bride
Perhaps there is a theme here but again, the sister of the groom and wore an outfit that was similar to  and almost upstaged the bride. The sister choose a white and silver beaded gown and decided to match the gown with a small silver fascinator. Fascinators are a small gauze veil that cover a part of the face secured by a hair piece, which in this case was a flower in the lady’s hair. The problem with this is that guest looked like a bride. There is no reason for the guest to have worn a small veil. Yes she was an important guest but this decision was a big faux pas. On top of this, the lines of beading on the sister’s dress was strikingly familiar to that of the bride who also had lines of beading throughout her dress. Although i do not think there was malicious intent on behalf of the guest she should have known better than to have worn a veil, however small to a wedding. After finding out that this guest herself was already married and had a very small wedding it might seem like she was trying to shine on her brothers day. But this is a mistake. She could have simply placed a flower but a flower with a short small veil attached was inappropriate and a big faux pas. What makes it even worse is that small veils and fascinators are now days increasingly being worn by brides. Please consider this if you are a guest to a wedding and are considering a similar style. The sister should have thought of her own day and how special she felt in her veil and how it was her new sister-in-laws turn to shine and not hers.

3. Standing up at reception before bride and groom enter.
As I have said before, a wedding is all about the Bride and Groom, not the other people in the bridal party. At this wedding, upon the entry of the bridesmaids and groomsmen guests were already standing and applauding their entry. This is a faux pas as guests are only to stand once the Bride and Groom enter as a mark of respect for the special couple. By standing for the entry of other members of the bridal party you take away from the importance of the bride and groom. To avoid this at your wedding ask your MC to ask your guests to remain seated until the bride and groom enter.
Tips
- If a baby cries take it out of the church. If its your wedding and therefore a guests baby who might cry ask all guests beforehand who are taking a baby to your church that they remove them if they cry. If you feel uncomfortable doing this, have a designated church attendant to go up to babies that cry and ask for them to be removed. If you still feel this is a little rude, perhaps have a designated quiet room with a supervisor where guests can leave their babies for the ceremony. Most churches have quiet rooms available.
- Don’t try to upstage the bride. Think about how special you felt or will feel on your day as the guest of honour. Think about how you would feel if someone else wore a veil on your day. On this basis, dress appropriately. Do not wear white and do not wear fascinators!
- Only stand at the reception for the bride and groom – Make the guests of honour feel special

Source of pic: google images

You have probably seen this video which has made the news locally and internationally of a Minnesota’s couple unique wedding dance entry to Chris Brown’s Forever.

The video shows the couple Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson and their bridal party dancing their way down the aisle for the start of their ceremony to the surprise of their guests. The dance includes somersaults and smart dance moves inclusive of bouquets. The bride came up with the idea herself as a way of “expressing herself” and “sharing her joy” with only her parents and the bridal party being in on the idea.

This is definitely something that I have never seen before and its a great way for a bride and groom to show off their personality. Personally I think it was a little inappropriate as the couple were getting married in a church and would probably been more suitable at a wedding in a garden or a hall as I believe a church is still quite sacred.

But despite my personal thoughts on its appropriateness the video is great entertainment and it was a fantastic idea!

Here is a wedding toast with a difference!

The music theater loving bride was surprised when her friend and fellow music theater aficionado delivered a toast through the use of song. Watch as the bride is continuously surprised by the toast given by her friend and by the guests that are in on it.

Father of the Bride is one of my favourite wedding films. Released in 1991, it is a beautiful movie about family, love, letting go and a wedding!  Although fashionably speaking some aspects of the movie are a bit dated there are still a variety of inspirations that brides to be can get from this film.  

The film, a remake of the 1950’s Spencer Tracey and Elizabeth Taylor classic is set in San Marino, California where a middle class, athletic shoe company owning father, George Banks ( Steve Martin) who is adverse to change, has  a young daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) who has just returned from a study exchange in Rome to announce that she is engaged, after only 6 months of dating her yet to be introduced fiance, Bryan Mckenzie (George Newbern). The father, George, has not quite come to terms with the fact that his daughter is all grown up. As a result as he moves through the process of planning an extravagant wedding he goes slightly insane and gets himself into all sorts of scrapes, exasperated by a kooky and heavily accented foreign wedding planner, Franck Egglehofer (Martin Short) and by the wealth and pets of his new “in-laws” the McKenzies. Withthe good advice of his wife Nina(Diane Keaton), George finally accepts that change has come and his daughter is grown up and the film ends witha beautiful and heartfelt wedding. The film tugs at the heartstrings with its father-daughter relationship set against the background of change manifested through the wedding. There are many funny moments created by the flamboyant wedding planner franck and the need for George, the father of the bride, to keep the wedding costs to a minimum (he gets excited when he finds out a guest they invited was dead), a situation most brides and grooms will find very familiar. The film is a great source of inspiration for brides and grooms to be, as well as being a movie that makes you feel good.

Inspirations

Reception

This film can change the way you think about wedding receptions. Having a reception at home is considered to be an unusual choice, but after watching this movie you can learn that it can work beautifully. In the film the entire house is transformed for the reception including the addition of flower beds and swans to waddle at the front of the house. If you have a house with ample size this could definitely be a consideration and by watching the film you can see an example of a wedding at home done right and what is required if you are thinking of having a wedding at home. From moving out all the furniture to placing extra lighting and heating  in the house the film explores this issue wonderfully. Also the way in which the house was decorated is also a great source for ideas if you are planning an at home wedding. The entire house was decorated with flowers including the exterior. Fairy lights were also extensively used.

The film also made me fall in love with the idea of a marquee for a wedding reception. If you have watched this film, you will know what I am talking about. The marquee is located at the back of the house and is where the eating and dancing takes place. It is beautifully decorated and makes it feel as if you are in another world as opposed to a backyard.  Through the use of fairy lights, candelabras and dark green foliage the film exquisitely creates  elegant reception decor. Marquees always have a special feel, the white and softness of the walls help to create the feeling of elegance and romance, and this is successfully recreated in the film. If you are thinking of having a marquee for your wedding watch this film to get beautiful decorating ideas.

Songs

I was also inspired by the beautiful score and songs that feature throughout the film. The music was directed by acclaimed film composer Alan Silverstri.  The movie has a combination of songs and original scores.  There were two major inspirations that I took musically from the film. One is the main song featured in the film,  ”The Way You Look Tonight” adapted by Steve Tyrell and arranged by Alan Silverstri. From the score that leads into to Steve’s interpretation of the song, it swept me up with its jazz and big band notes and to this day I would have to say that this is one of my favourite first dance songs. Its slow and romantic without being overly soppy. In short, a great idea for a first dance song. Listen to it here

Another major inspiration was the song that Annie, the bride, walked down the aisle to, Pachelbel Canon in D. This instrumental music created by Johann Pachelbel in 1680 is often used at weddings but for the entrance of the bridal party, and you will probably recognise it easily. In this film the song played for the procession of the whole party including the bride. It was a perfect choice and this classical music works very well with weddings and inspired me to consider this song for a brides processional entry into church, not just the bridal party.

There is another score within the film directed by Alan Silverstri called “Annie’s Theme” which is a beautiful piece of music which recurs throughout the film. This beautiful piece makes for great background music for a wedding. Consider using it for the background to your wedding, or perhaps during the signing of your marriage certificate by yourself and your witnesses. Listen to it  here:  

Other memorable songs that feature in the film and on the soundtrack include My Girl The Temptations, Chapel of Love The Dixie Cups, (Today I Met) The Boy I am Going to Marry Darlene Love and I’m Your Man David Darling. The soundtrack makes you feel just as feel good as the movie and fits perfectly with the film!

Click on the following to grab your own copy of the soundtrack Father Of The Bride: Music From The Motion Picture

Mother of the Bride

Although some of the wedding fashion is dated, there is still a lot of wedding ideas and themes that can be taken from this film. The Mother of the Bride, played by Diane Keaton, has an amazing cream/gold beaded suit that she wears to the wedding. The square cut suit works perfectly for her role as Mother of the Bride as it is formal yet feminine. This suit would still be in vogue today and  could easily be emulated by Mothers of the Bride.

Signature shoes

In the film, the bride wears athletic running shoes specially made by her dad to her wedding. Wearing unique wedding shoes is a growing trend and this film inspired me to consider and advise people to try for unique shoes on their big day. Due to the nature and length of a wedding dress it is most likely that your guests will not see your shoes so feel free to wear shoes as outrageous  and special to you as you like. It is a nice way to add a signature touch to your wedding. For example if you favourite colour is purple, buck tradition and opt for fabulous purple stilettos!

Wedding Planner

Seeing this film as a young girl, I didn’t know that there was such a thing as a career as a wedding planner. I thought all brides organised their wedding themselves. Seeing this film planted the seed in my subconscious that one day I would either be a wedding planner or that I would have one at my wedding. Seeing franck’s (Martin Short) amazing wedding planning store filled with mock table decorations and wedding favours will inspire you also if you are considering becoming a wedding planner or considering hiring one for your wedding.

Annie’s Dress

Although slightly dated, the bride’s dress in this film can be a source of inspiration for winter brides. Waking up to find the world covered with snow on her wedding day, it is lucky that the bride had chosen the her long sleeve lace dress with full skirt. The use of long lace sleeves for winter brides is a perfect choice as bride can keep warm whilst still revealing skin. Another beautiful feature of Annie’s dress is the gorgeous big bow at the front of her skirt. Winter brides can definitely get some great ideas from this wedding dress.

Church

The Church in this film was beautifully decorated with flowers and candles and it inspired me to consider a  focus on church decorations for weddings. Most weddings tend to not place an emphasis on decorations for their church/civil ceremony but bear in mind that this is where the most important part of the day happens, the part where you will actually become husband and wife. Due to the significance of this I believe that brides should try and decorate their church as much as they can. If you cannot afford to decorate both your church and your reception consider using the same decorations for both and save costs by asking relatives to transport the flowers and decorations from the church to the reception place. Also consider artificial flowers for the church/civil ceremony to save on costs. If you have an unlimited budget, look to this film for some great ideas on how to create beautiful church decor.

If you are getting married, or just happen to love watching wedding movies, you should watch this film. Its definitely a feel good wedding flick which can also give you inspiration for your big day! From the funny characters, quirky quotes, romance, family values and to most importantly a wedding this flick will quickly become one of your favourites.

Click on the following to grab yourself your own copy to enjoy!Father of the Bride (15th Anniversary Edition)

(source of pics: hookedonhouses, imbd.com)

Any couple getting married should be unique and incorporate their sense of style and personality into their big day. In this review, the bride and groom have embedded their taste into every facet of their wedding but did they take their sense of style too far?

Location:  Dockside Darling Harbour, Sydney

Sydney couple Yanna and Kosta Elsefees, inspired by their love of Gun’s and Roses and wrestling decided on a theme of rock and roll for their  Greek wedding. Set against the colours of black and hot pink, the couple married at a  Greek Orthodox church in Kogarah followed by a reception at Dockside, Darling Harbour, Sydney. The bride incorporated the rock and roll style with a $9000 gown with a  heart shaped plunging neckline bodice, embroidered with pink crystals,  a short ruffled tulle skirt with detachable long train and a short fascinator for her veil. This dress was inspired by the Gun’s and Roses song November Rain. The groom wore a white suit and shirt with no tie. The bridesmaids kept pace with floor length black gowns with hot pink bow belts, plunging neckline included, and the groomsmen channelled the gangster look with black suits and t-shirts with hot pink suspenders. The theme of hot pink and black was reflected in their cars, 3 stretch hummers, one in pink, two in black  and their reception decor which consisted of black tablecloths, black chairs covers with hot pink bows,  modernised chandeliers, crystal filled martini glasses topped off with a hot pink and black polka dot cake toasted with playboy insignia champagne flutes .  

Whilst you cannot say the wedding was an elegant and stylish affair, as the plunging necklines can never allow this, once you look past the inherent deficiencies there are certain aspects of this wedding which give it merit.

Who said less is more

When it comes to her wedding dress and her bridesmaids, Yanna seems to have gone with the less is more theory. With her short tulle skirt and her bridesmaids plunging necklines it is obvious that Yanna was seeking a sexy look to placate her rock and roll theme. But what the bride should have considered is that you can still be a sexy bride without looking like you work the streets at night. Sometimes less is not more. Had the bride considered a moderately higher necklines for herself and her bridesmaids she still could have been sexy without comprising on taste. Additionally having a short skirt with detachable train would also have worked had the front not been so short, or in my opinion, full length the whole way around. After all there a lot of permutations of the basic style of the brides dress, a bodice with ruffled skirt, just with more material. Also the bridesmaids dresses,  had their neckline been a little higher,  were actually appropriate for the theme of the wedding.

Fascinator

The choice of a short fascinator in lieu of a veil by the bride was an ingenious choice. The bride did not want a long veil covering her dress and so has opted for the fascinator, a great decision. Additionally the bride has cleverly swapped the fascinator for a crystal hairpiece for the reception. Replacing the veil with a flower, hairpiece or some form of accessory is one of my top weddings tips, as brides in wedding reception photos can sometimes look like a guest in a white dress without some form of distinction, especially when a brides dress is very simple. Even though Yanna is not wearing a simple wedding gown,  by replacing her fascinator with a hair piece it is simply impossible for this bride to be confused as a guest.

Gangsters?

A fatal mistake that most couples make in planning their weddings is dressing the groom/groomsmen in suspenders, top hats, black shirts (one of my most hated looks for men) and long coats. I understand that couples think this adds a vintage gangster feel to their day but most of the time it looks like the groom/groomsmen are going to a gangster dress up party. People who have had a wedding with the groomsmen dressed this way might disagree,  but if you view wedding photos of such weddings carefully, you will understand that it really can look like a dress up party. Here the couple have made a similar mistake dressing the men in black t-shirts and hot pink suspenders. Black Shirts on the men in a bridal party look particularly bad if not done is a sleek way. I would advise to steer clear of a black shirt unless your wedding theme is actually 1920’s gangster, where the black shirt works extremely well.  The use of  t-shirt in black at this wedding makes the look even worse. These groomsmen look like waiters at a hens/bachelorette party.

Are the 80’s back?

The bridesmaid are beautiful women but their beauty is diminished by the dated and poofed up curly hairstyles they wear. Small curls are no longer in fashion, neither is overly teased hair.  Some brides, including Yanna make the mistake  of having the hairstyle that they choose for the wedding when they first dreamed of it as a little girl. Hairstyles change as quickly as fashion and whats in vogue now is not what was in vogue 20 years ago. If the girls had bigger, GHD curls it would have suited the girls better. Alternatively the girls could have had their swept to the side and curled for a more elegant look.

Chandeliers and Cars

Typically, chandeliers create a very fancy and stately feel to a wedding reception. They are traditional and old world. In keeping with her quirky theme the bride successfully has added modern style chandeliers to her reception. The shape of the crystals in the chandeliers is rectangle which works wonderfully with her edgy theme. For cars, the couple decided on stretch black and pink hummers for their affair. This was the perfect choice for the wedding as Hummers are the cars of rock stars, and thus truly reflected their theme.

Consistency

Whether you consider this wedding tacky or not, one cannot argue that the couple have seamlessly kept a consistent theme through every aspect of their wedding. Brides should take note that consistency is the key to flawless wedding, whatever your individual taste. Through consistency you gain symmetry, through symmetry you create beauty. Although personally I would not make the choices the bride and groom made, it is obvious that they have kept to a vital key to a wedding.  The extent to which the couple maintained the theme is admirable. The bride had pink streaks throughout her jet black hair, and the couple toasted the night with pink champagne.  The bride even walked down a red carpet aisle! There was nothing in this wedding that did not fit the rock and roll theme intended by the couple and for that the bride scores extra points.

Make your wedding yours

No matter what you might think of their style this heavy metal loving couple were successful in expressing their personality in their wedding. From the pyrotechnics and wrestling songs used for their entrance into the reception, their playboy champagne flutes and down to the brides racy dress, the couple were true to themselves and the wedding reflected who they are.  This is best expressed perhaps, by the bride herself who commented in the Herald Sun, “”I’ve seen a few comments with people saying things like ’slapper’ and whatever but, you know, it was my wedding. That’s how I wanted it and I loved it.” The bride also commented that her guests went to her wedding and said “Yep, this is Yanna“. What can be learned from this over-the-top affair is the need for brides and grooms to make their wedding special to themselves and to express their personality.  As the bride herself said “I don’t want to change it because people will think different of me“.

Rating: 4.5/10

Although the bride and groom have successfully stuck to their wedding theme and kept the consistency they have failed to impress with their attempt to appear sexy. Your wedding day is still your wedding and a sacred ceremony.  Appearing in church with an extremely low neckline was not a good choice and it cheapened the look of the whole bridal party. Had the women covered up a little more and modernised their hairstyles  there was potential in the looks chosen. That being said,  I respect that the bride and groom choose to have their wedding exactly the way that they wanted, which after all, is most important as it is their day.

What we have learnt

• Sometimes, less is not more
• Consistency is the key
• Tailor your cars to your theme – do not mix a Ferrari with a vintage themed wedding
• Do what you want to do. Take inspiration from Yanna and Kosta’s courage to have their wedding exactly the way they wanted it.

(source of pictures: Daily Telegraph)

In a world first NYC couple Erin Finnegan and Noah Fulmor tied the knot in a zero gravity wedding ceremony.

The ceremony was conducted on a specially crafted Boeing 727-200 plane, G Force One, which creates weightless flight experience without going into space. The ceremony was conducted by Richard Garriott, the owner of Zero G the company that creates the specially crafted planes, who is also a celebrant. The plane was flying over the Gulf of Mexico when the ceremony was performed.

Through the use of “parobolic flight manoeuvres” including rising and descending sharply the couple and their guests experienced the weightlessness of being in space and the effect of zero gravity.

To honour the theme of their ceremony the bride wore a white billowing pant suit with earrings consisting of tiny planets and the groom kept up the theme with spacecraft shaped cuffs. The bridal party wore blue space jumpsuits.

This was certainly a different way of celebrating a ceremony. For a wedding ceremony with a difference consider an activity that you and your partner love and try to incorporate the activity into your ceremony.

(source of pic: Daily Telegraph)

This has to be one of the most amazing speeches I have ever heard at a wedding. In the video below, the groom gives a speech thanking his parents, in-laws and bride which is polished to perfection. It is obvious that the groom wrote and memorised the speech but the words that he has used and the language he has adopted make the speech timeless and unforgettable.Watch with a box of tissues.

Grooms take note!

Having a beach wedding? Eschew the traditional ring cushion and consider incorporating your beach theme by using oysters shells, clam shells or pieces of coral to present your rings during the ceremony.  Shell ring holders are a cute and original idea for your affair by the sea.

Australian bride Marnie used clam shells with ring cushions tucked inside for her 2008 Gold Coast wedding.

The best thing about this is that this unique idea doesn’t need to cost a fortune. You can simply find some special shells on the beach and buy little ring pillows to secure your rings to and place within the shell.

Apart from shell ring holders beach brides can use: