2011 Wedding Trend Predictions

The Knot has posted their 2011 wedding trend predictions. We must say we HEART the direction these trends are taking the wedding industry.

Disclaimer: Let me first say… I’m still a HUGE fan of making and being your own trend! Create your wedding…. your way.

TheKnot.com Top 11 Wedding Trends for 2011:

1. Prohibition-Era Elegance: So long, Mad Men—the most stylish new show is Boardwalk Empire and brides are noticing. From dusty nudes and lace dresses for the ladies to wing-tip shoes for the men, couples are falling in love with the dapper fashion of the 1920s. And it wouldn’t feel like Prohibition without alcohol. To reinterpret the boozy nights of the Roaring ’20s, couples are serving up “moonshine” and Prohibition “bathtub gin” in their very own speakeasy bar, all while guests dance the night away—to jazz, naturally.

1. The Redefined Princess: With a royal wedding around the corner, you can bet Kate Middleton’s going to alter what princess style is all about. Put away the ball-gown skirt because the new princess silhouette will be body-skimming but with a bold train. Add statement-making headwear like tasteful tiaras (seriously!) and cathedral-length veils. And you can count on sophisticated sequins and beading showing up on everything from the wedding dress to the floral arrangements and the wedding cake.

1. Sultry Ballerina Style: From feathered headpieces and shredded fabrics to airy plumes and pale pinks paired with black, the look of the season is all about Black Swan, right down to an ambience where everything happens after 8 p.m. One idea we love? Romantic ceremonies by candlelight.

1. Ivy League Chic: From Fair Isle sweaters to Vineyard Vines ties and Tommy Hilfiger blazers, preppy chic is back in a big way, and weddings aren’t immune. Brides will be channeling their inner Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl or Ali MacGraw from Love Story and incorporating Ivy League-chic details like plaids and stripes for the perfect remix of retro, preppy sensibility.

1. Exotic Indian Inspiration: From Katy Perry’s Indian wedding and Eat, Pray, Love to Nicole Richie’s exotic elephant as a wedding greeter, India will definitely be the “it” country for wedding inspiration. Think vibrant color palettes like purples, reds and golds, lavish décor elements such as beading and rich drapery, and exotic, spicy dishes.

1. Wedding Man Caves: Blackjack tables, brandy bars, PlayStations and stogies. The man cave has officially moved from the home to the wedding, so don’t be surprised if you see all the male wedding guests in the new “groom’s corner” at the reception.

1. Prewedding PJ Parties: This isn’t Bachelorette Party, Part Two. Before the big day, brides will be planning a night of pampering and bonding via JHS-style slumber parties, complete with matching pj’s of course.

8. Food Truck Fun: Waffles, tacos and dumplings, oh my! People’s hunger for gourmet food trucks has seeped into weddings, and brides will be embracing it wholeheartedly by requesting makeshift sidewalk carts during the cocktail hour or food trucks for the wedding after-party.

9. Haute Desserts: Blame it on the popularity of Top Chef: Just Desserts, Amazing Cakes and Cake Boss, but desserts and wedding cakes will be taking center stage with gourmet flavor and haute style. Chocolate tart with a dash of sea salt, anyone?

10. Video Guest Books: Building on the popularity of “wedding photo booths”, wedding guests can expect confessional-style video booths and even iPads dressed up as guest books as the newest way to “write” well wishes to the happy couple. Bonus? Postwedding, couples can easily share their guest book online via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr or Vimeo.

11. Surprise Honeymoons: Couples will be taking a cue from Chelsea Clinton’s wedding and have the groom plan a surprise honeymoon.

Are you using any of these elements in your wedding plans?

Are You Attending Veils & Cocktails?

Veil's & Cocktails

Veil's & Cocktails - Feb 16, 2011

Sample The Madison Event Center's Menu Options & a Fabulous Martini Ice Bar
A bridal fashion show sponsored by Fabulous-Bridal Boutique
Two floors of the area's finest local wedding retailers:
The Madison Avenue Wedding Mall
The Madison Wedding Connection
Fabulous Giveaways from Fabulous-Bridal & The Madison Event Center!

Price:

$10.00

* *

Event Information

Date:
February 16, 2011

Time:
6:30pm

Location:
The Madison
700 Madison Avenue
Covington, KY 41011

Details:

Hors d'oeuvres & a Fabulous Martini Ice Bar

A bridal fashion show sponsored by
Fabulous-Bridal Boutique

Two floors of the area's finest local wedding retailers:

• The Madison Avenue Wedding Mall
• The Madison Wedding Connection

Fabulous Giveaways!

HURRY! SPACE IS LIMITED

Get your tickets HERE! Have a blast!

Introducing Sarah!

We are so pleased to introduce you to our new 2011 intern. Sarah will be joining the Hand in Hand Bridal team for this years many PR events, weddings, and functions.

Sarah is a Marketing and PR major at the University of Dayton.

She is a dedicated student and an active member of her sorority and enjoy her classes. She is also a super sweet girl. She fell in love with event planning while working on an event for the Marketing Club. She says “Everything that could have gone wrong did.” She was still in love with event planning afterwards.

Sarah will be sharing some of her thoughts on the blog in the near future. But I thought I’d share with you some of the top 10 fun and quirky things she shared about herself with me!

1. I love wearing high heels.
2. I love flying and I really love being in airports.
3. I only ever buy hot chocolate when I go to Starbucks, never coffee.
4. I love all things red. My car is red, my favorite purse, my favorite jacket, my sheets, my loofa...
5. I won second place at a country swing dancing competition in the-middle-of-no-where-Wyoming!
6. I have the curliest hair of anyone that I know but I keep it straight. (My mom and I both recently donated 10 inches of hair!)
7. I am teaching myself Italian.
8. I introduced one of the highest ranking female members of NATO to a group of over one thousand people at the NATO building in Prague in 2007
9. I almost majored in photography. (Currently in the process of saving to buy a digital SLR camera in the next few months!)
10. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia so I am a southern girl at heart. My southern accent comes out sometimes!

Welcome Sarah! We look forward to all the fun times and hard work we have ahead!

Vera Wang’s: White In David’s Stores Today!

Vera Wang is known for her romantic bridal gowns—and their consequently hefty price tags. But the designer has teamed up with David's Bridal to launch an extremely affordable collection—dubbed White by Vera Wang—that still has all the hallmarks of an iconic Vera Wang wedding gown. The designer spoke to a select group of bridal editors earlier today (including me!), saying that the collection "embraces her true design aesthetic." Although the gowns feature all of the "whimsical" and "youthful" details that Wang self describes as her trademarks, the prices are what's truly stunning: All gowns cost between $600 and $1400, a far cry from her couture one-of-a-kind dresses. And that's not all the designer is offering: In addition to the twelve gowns, there are also hair accessories, veils and even Vera's oh-so-fashionable belts and sashes. The best part? You don't need to be model-thin to wear these designer dresses! Currently, David's will stock White by Vera Wang in sizes 0-14, but the duo has plans in the next few season to extend their offerings up to a size 26. White by Vera Wang hits 150 David's Bridal locations this Friday, February 11, and with so gorgeous gowns, they're sure to sell out quick.

That’s today!!! Hurry on over!!

More from the Marie Antoinette Style Shoot

Here are a few of the amazing shots and details that didn’t make it onto the post by Classic Bride.

 

Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this shoot the success that it was! You are all appreciated so much!

Vintage Scouts Interiors

Pictures by Tracy

Allan with Square One

A Vogue Idea

Impact Video Productions

and

Fifi Froelich- the wonderful owner of this home and an amazing woman indeed.

Enjoy!

We’ve been featured on Classic Bride.com

We are so honored to be featured on Classic Bride for our Marie Antoinette inspired shoot. Please enjoy the post here.

I was particularly thrilled to receive this inspiration shoot as a submission for a few reasons ... this gorgeous shoot was actually shot in a small Ohio town right next to the tiny one I spent many years of my young life growing up! I also happen to know one of the interior designers, Jean Winham, who helped stage and design the lovely grounds. Her gorgeous shop is always brimming with divine finds so I was obviously super excited to see what she, her fellow shop owners/designers and several other talented designers and wedding vendors from the area came up with ... and ... wow! I still feel like I could be looking at a magazine spread that was shot in the French countryside ... Let's have a look and make sure to scroll down to hear from the talented team about the entire shoot process!

 

And I love this cute behind-the-scenes photo:

Wow, right??!? I think one of my favorite details is the jazzed-up deer head ... isn't that a great touch? Okay, and maybe the Louboutins, too! ;o) Seriously, everything is fabulous! I think this is a great example of taking a theme and giving it your own spin with lots of whimsical and modern touches. The Hostess cupcakes work surprisingly well amidst all the finery, don't they?
From the talented team who worked on the shoot:
Channeling Marie Antoinette and her regal beauty and the high elegance of French royalty, a collaborative effort was made to design an inspiration-to-reality shoot that would be fascinatingly gorgeous and filled with ideas appropriate for the modern bride.
The team included a wedding planner, a photographer, three interior designers, a makeup artist, a hair stylist and the chic benevolence of a Kettering, Ohio, homeowner, Deborah “Fifi” Froelich, who opened the doors to her Tudor-style home for the early fall shoot.Since Marie Antoinette was an avid equestrian and her mother adored the painting of her in her riding uniform, we were inspired to choose décor straight from the outdoors. Interior designers Debbie Basnett, Dana Hookassian and Jean Winham of Vintage Scout Interiors staged the expansive grounds, keeping scale and proportion in mind to make each scene visually pleasing and electrifying.
Our lovely bride and groom, Ashley and John Lavin, who were recently married, became the stars of the day. Alan Leonard of Square One Hair Salon & Day Spa piled the bride’s brunette lush locks in an intricate up-do, a la Marie Antoinette, that was dramatic, but ultimately flattering for her fine features. “In the up-do, I used different shades of hair extensions and a foam ball wrapped with hair, positioned it and started pinning it together,” he says. “It’s a style that can be re-created to fit anyone.” Pin Me Up Couture provided the beautiful hand beaded hair fascinators and the vintage inspired garter.

Michelle Drake Richardson, A Vogue Idea, styled the makeup to evoke feminine allure by accenting Ashley’s lips and eyes. The effect was stunning, as Michelle created custom blends of different colors, including peaches, pinks and reds.
The veritable feast set on a 24-foot rustic table included French cheeses, artisan breads, fruits, vegetables and delectable sweets. For a tongue-in-cheek nod to the famous quote often attributed to Marie Antoinette, “Let them eat cake,” we included Hostess cupcakes. The gorgeous springerle cookies were hand pressed and provided by Queen City Cookies.
Photographer Tracy Abston, Pictures by Tracy, used natural lighting. The late afternoon sun was magnificent. “I shoot with the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III SLR Digital Camera. ... The key ingredients for this shoot: a gorgeous model who has worked with me before, hair and makeup, and all the beautiful styling.”
The designers pulled out some interior accents to enhance the natural setting. Fifi brought out her formidable collection of transferware and silver for the table settings. Vintage jewels provided by Vintage Scout were used to adorn parts of the table and Perez, the famous white peacock. The centerpiece was created using an old log, succulents, heads of ornamental cabbage and kale, mushrooms and moss. Vintage pewter goblets paired with thin crystal glasses adorned the place settings. The napkins were repurposed from vintage lace curtains. The effect? Rustic, handmade and decadent.
The bride’s own strapless Pronovias gown and her Christian Louboutin shoes were the perfect wardrobe for our rustic-gone-glam look. The extended A-Line gown with a sweetheart neckline, pearl-and-crystal-encrusted bodice, and a ruffled skirt instantly brought modern elegance. The bouquet was made using hypercium berries, white alstromeria and baby’s breath, with a common weed as an unexpected accent.
The invitations were designed by Kellie Daab of Hand & Hand Bridal with a nod to the outdoors by using elements of wood. The design was completely hand-cut and affixed to the wood before printing. All of the pieces rest in the gorgeous coordinating box. The beautiful flowers and logs you see affixed to the invitation were hand cut using a precision tool and lots of time and concentration. The cheese tags, too, were created using the same wood paper and were backed with the coordinating paper and antiqued.
Overall, this shoot was a huge success and so perfectly vogue. We encourage brides to constantly use images as inspiration to create something totally their own. Here we have taken something so classic and have given it a whole new unexpected twist.
Credits:
Photography: Pictures by Tracy
Models: Ashley and John Lavinhttp://www.picturesbytracy.com/
Cinematography: Impact Video Productions http://www.impactvideoproductions.org/
Flowers: Hand in Hand Bridal http://www.handinhandbridal.com/
Event Design: Vintage Scout Interiors http://www.vintagescout.com/ Hand in Hand Bridal http://www.handinhandbridal.com/
Event Planning: Hand in Hand Bridal http://www.handinhandbridal.com/
Mis en Scene: Fifi Froelich
Reception Location: Camp Ridgeway, a Private Residence in Kettering, OH
Invitations: Hand in Hand Bridal http://www.handinhandbridal.com/
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Dress: Pronovias
Sweets: Queen City Cookies https://www.queencitycookies.com/index.html
Hair Style: Alan Leonard, Square One Salon http://www.squareonesalon.com/
Makeup: Michelle Richardson, A Vogue Idea http://www.avogueidea.com/
Hair Fascinators: Pin Me Up Couture http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinmeupcouture