Author: Olga Pomeransky

Olga is manager at Best for Bride since 2005. Currently Best for Bride operates 4 bridal stores in Canada (Toronto, Etobicoke, Hamilton and Barrie). Best for Bride sells wedding, bridemaids, mob dresses and more. https://www.bestforbride.com/
Posted on by — 5 Comments

How to choose accessories to complete your wedding look By Medge Ross from letmetrendchicevent

Weddings are among the most important ceremonies. Adorning yourself in a cohesive and complete manner is one of the indicators of how special you consider the occasion. Several tips for brides can be helpful when choosing accessories to complete their bridal look.

Consider the Gown Color

To achieve a complete bridal look using accessories, one must first consider the color of their gown. Brides have different color choices but most go for white. Therefore, the accessories must be selected depending on the gown color preferred. Even when the choice is a white gown, there are different shades of the color, which may result in a change of the accessories selected. For instance, a pure white bridal gown should result in the selection of jewelry with silver plating and cooler tones. However, for those going for cream or warmer ivory color, accessories with gold or rose gold will be effective in creating a complete bridal look.

 

Neckline

The accessories will also depend on the neckline of the dress. Some brides go for strapless dresses. If this is the case, one should select matching necklaces and earring set. The choice also provides an opportunity to be creative as one can select either gentle drop earrings or studs. However, one should select either the earring or necklace to the statement as combining both may result in one looking cluttered and overbearing. Even for gowns with a neckline, there are variations that may result in changes in the way they are accessorized. For instance, those with narrow V-neck, high neck, and thick straps, calls for one to avoid large statement necklaces .

 

Selecting additional accessories

Most brides focus on the necklaces, earrings, and hair when selecting accessories. However, there are additional accessories that one can select to instill a level of personality in the gown. For example, one can add a belt or sash to depending on the desired look such as emphasizing the curves. This case, one can choose a traditional sash or metallic belt with a careful section of the sizes since thin belts are perfect for those with a short torso while wide belts suit those with a long torso. However, when choosing the additional accessories, one should stick to the rules by avoiding extras that will overpower the gown.

Courtesy of blackbride.com

Hair

The hair is another important indicator, particularly of the jewelry that one should wear. Small studs are perfect when leaving your hair down with a statement necklace complimenting to create a perfect look. However, shiny long earrings can also be selected to sparkle in the tresses when one does not want to wear a statement necklace. Even as this is the case, statement earrings are perfect for up-dos. Consequently, for hair that is held up, dramatic accessories such as chandelier danglers will still be perfect. An important consideration is that one should avoid choosing accessories that mimic the embellishment on the dress in an effort to match them.

Courtesy of blackbride.com

Veil choice

The veil also contributes to the attainment of the complete look when selected to complement the bridal gown. The fabric of gown should be the indicator of the kind of veil to wear. For instance, a satin gown combines with a satin edge veil will create the desired look while a veil having scattered crystal will be suitable for a sparkly gown. The combination of laces on the gown and veil should also be considered to ensure one strikes the right balance (MacCarthy). Matching the laces on the veil and gown can create a complete enough look. However, heavy laces on the veil and gown may overpower the bride.

Minimize the accessories

Accessories are essential components for the bride to achieve the complete look. However, be careful not to overdo them. Therefore, after selecting the gown, one should determine the standout features then work to have accessories that complete them, particularly for the embellished dresses. The selected veil, tiara, belt or sash, necklace or earring should not overpower the features of the gown. Therefore, pieces that create a clutter should be minimized or let out altogether.

While these tips are essential to creating a complete bridal look, the bride should remember she is at the center of all these. Consequently, the quest for the bling should not overpower the need to emphasize her personality.

 

Article written by Medge Ross @letmetrendchicevent. Medge is the founder of LetMeTrendChicEvent.com personal stylist specialist for special occasion and wedding. Get more fashion or wedding solutions at letmetrendchicevent.com.

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Getting your hair wedding fit – Advice from one of Sydney’s best hairdressers

Advice from one of Sydney’s best hairdressers, Jules Peacocke, Director, Lily Jackson Hair & Makeup, Sydney, Australia

As soon as you’ve set the date of your wedding, deciding on your hair and makeup should be as high on the list of priorities as your wedding dress.

Having dealt with many brides over the course of my career, I am still amazed at how little attention many brides place on the “fitness” of their hair for the big day.  Getting your hair “wedding fit” probably takes even longer than getting your body in shape to fit that gorgeous dress you’ve chosen.

Many women are acutely unaware that their hair health is actually severely compromised.  It is impossible to create beautiful wedding hairstyles if the hair is damaged, lifeless and is not receiving the right at home care.

So here’s my list of top things to do to make sure your hair is as fit for your wedding as your body or mind is!

Check your hairdresser’s credentials

Not all hairdressers are able to style hair for wedding events.  They might be good at colouring, cutting and blow drying but they might not have received the right training to create beautiful up-do’s or editorial looking styles.  To check whether you like their style of creating wedding hair, you should arrange to have at least one if not two wedding hair and makeup trials. More on this later.

Check your hairdresser’s availability

There is nothing worse than finding out that your hairdresser is on holidays when you are getting married.  Alternatively, your hairdresser might not be willing or able to travel to your hotel or location. So what do you do then?

My recommendation is to seek out the best hairdresser in the area you will be located and start a conversation with them about jointly managing your hair direction with your regular hairdresser.

Do I have my hair done in salon or at the hotel?

It is generally more cost effective to have your hair done in the salon by a hairdresser than having them leave the salon to come to you.  You will be paying for travel time for them and any assistants they require. But it’s a matter of personal preference. Being in a salon ensure that all the products and tools are at your stylists disposal but leaving the “safety” of home or the hotel to travel to get their hair done could be the worst thing for some brides.

If you do an internet search for “wedding hair and makeup” you will get pages and pages of results for mobile hair and makeup artists.

Beware! Most of these “artists” are not qualified hairdressers and have only completed one-day hair styling courses, if that. They are generally offering this service part-time on weekends and have regular day jobs like you and I.  If they have assistants, it is likely that they are unqualified as well.

The other thing is that from my perspective as a master stylist who has put years into their craft, they generally take shortcuts like using tongs to achieve updo’s. Once you see photo’s of classically designed hair using traditional methods like curl sets and/or pin curls, there is no comparison with tong curls. The resulting hair styles are absolutely stunning, but I am biased.

updo_hair

wedding_hair_trial

wedding_hair_updo

wedding_hair_updo_2

Using a qualified hairdresser to style your hair on the day is your safest option.  If this is not possible, then ensure the best hairdresser you can afford takes charge of the overall colour and cut and arrange to have multiple trials with mobile hair artists to ensure they can create a style that you are happy with.

Get a timetable of who is working on whom and when.

We plan our wedding hair and makeup sessions with military precision and we work backwards from the time the bride needs to leave the salon or commence the process of getting dressed.

Whomever is doing your hair and makeup and potentially your bridal party’s hair and makeup, get a timetable from them and make sure they have allowed sufficient time for each of your wedding party’s hair type, preferred hairstyle, and travel time.

If they are not able to meet your bridesmaids before the event, then it helps the stylist to get some selfies of your friends so they know the hair type they are dealing with. There is nothing worse than the wedding party running behind because someone has very thick long hair that takes longer than average to style.

Getting wedding fit is a journey

Each bride should ask herself:

  • What am I thinking in terms of hair & makeup? Do I have an idea or am I at a loss?
  • Where am I now? What is the “true” and current state of my hair?
  • Where do I want to be? How far from the ideas I am thinking is my hair right now?
  • How long have I got? Do I have enough time to get from where I am now to where I want to be?

Your wedding hair style

Generally speaking, your wedding dress and potentially wedding theme (if any) will lead the journey to creating your personal style for your wedding day.

I’ve had clients who were getting married in the tropics and were opting for a “beachy theme”. The dress was a simple strapless design in lace.  We did hair trials and created a long beach wave look complemented by a simple flower wreath on the head.  We took plenty of photo’s and then arranged to have a local hairdresser recreate the style. It could never look the same but my client was happy and that’s what counts the most.

I always say that a “red carpet dress needs red carpet hair”. That doesn’t mean the hairstyle has to be an updo, just that the hairstyle looks absolutely fabulous and complements the fabulous dress and you feel comfortable in it.

Just keep in mind the likely weather conditions on the day and potentially have a Plan B hairstyle. Many styles that look great in photos like the beautiful waves reminiscent of the 30’s, don’t actually hold up that well exposed to movement or any weather condition.

annie_wedding_2-copy

Hair Length: I want or need longer hair

If you need or want longer than 6 inches of extra length and you have 8 months or more, then growing it might be an option. If not, you might want to consider hair extensions or hair pieces depending on the style you are going for.  Tape hair extensions can be very cost effective, quick to apply and easy to remove after your big event.

The most important thing is to have the hair extensions or pieces colour matched to your own hair once you have decided on the colour.

Great hair colour and great hair health go hand in hand

Getting great hair colour is strongly dependent on having healthy hair. If your hair health is compromised then you should not be thinking of drastic colour changes (for example going more than 2 shades lighter).

You should be putting your hair through a “fitness” regime of having hair treatments both at home and at the salon, and potentially keratin treatments to help the hair along.  As I mentioned previously, it is difficult to style hair that is damaged and lifeless, and get a good result.

Hair Colour:

I know it sound obvious but you should get your colour done about 1 week before your wedding. The number of wedding photo’s I see of women with regrowth is astounding. Not a great look.

Settling on colour.

I could go on for days about the problems and dangers of using boxed colour from the supermarket or drug store. Of course I am biased but there are some real issues. You might like to read this article Super hair colour is not supermarket hair colour.

One thing is certain, if you’ve been using boxed at-home colour for many years, then you should probably keep doing what you’re doing. Trying to lift or change the pigments from these types of colours can be very difficult and results can be variable to say the least even with the most experienced hairdresser.

Depending on whether you’re looking to make a statement with strong creative colour, elegant highlights or beachy balayage, you should be “testing” the colours and looks at least 6 months in advance.  Seek out the best hairdresser you can afford and the one that has the best reviews or recommendations. Don’t hesitate to stop people in the street!

Wedding Hair and Makeup Trials

I mentioned earlier that you should at least have one, if not two, wedding hair and makeup trials.  I ask my clients to give me at least three and a half hours of their time where we explore and try out different styles and looks.  We change things incrementally, take lots of photo’s and discuss the pro’s and con’s. There is often a lot of texting of photo’s to bridesmaids and mothers of the brides too!

It’s a great advantage to be able to go home and try on your wedding dress with your styled hair and makeup.

Don’t be afraid to have a second trial and be forthright about what you liked and didn’t like.

Final words

Despite all my advice regarding forward planning, the most beautiful brides are the relaxed ones. Hopefully my words of advice will help you be sufficiently prepared so that on the day you can sit back and enjoy a glass of champagne while being pampered and getting ready for one of the most special days of your life!

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Top 10 Reasons To Have A Destination Wedding

Claire from Wed in Central Park organizes weddings for couples getting married in New York City’s beautiful Central Park. She regularly hears from couples who are considering a destination wedding in this incredible city.  Sometimes couples are weighing up the pros and cons of a wedding at home versus a destination wedding.  Sometimes they are considering a couple of different locations for a destination wedding.  There are many reasons why couples choose to have a destination wedding, here Claire’s top ten.

11_Caroline & Bryan Wedding_WEB_W_AM
Simplifies the guest list – if you have a wedding at home this can often lead to feeling the obligation to invite everybody you know, and everybody your parents know!  Many couples would prefer not to spend their entire wedding day doing the rounds, and chatting with distant relatives who they haven’t seen since childhood, isn’t it better to spend the most important day of your lives with the people most important to you? The more distant acquaintances are least likely to be able to make a destination wedding, so this keeps the guest list nice and short, and the couple is more easily forgiven for not inviting their mother’s hairdressers’ cousin.

wagner cove winter
Memories – of course the couple and their immediate family will remember their wedding as a very special day, but all those family weddings at home tend to merge into a memory of one big wedding for the guests – make your special day unique for your guests, too – and go somewhere different and do something different!  A different location allows for more creativity with the venue, food, activities and attire, and your photos will really stand out.  You could even add some local wedding traditions of the destination!

kiss
Costs – a destination wedding can turn out to be the economical option because it tends to keep the guest list smaller.  If you just take your close family and friends with you, that can keep to budget down.  In some cases the guests may pay for their own travel or hotel, which of course makes a huge difference to the budget.  Many hotels and travel agents offer packages for special event groups.

claire keith central park wedding elopement horse buggy
Reduce needless anxiety – don’t waste time and effort visiting dozens of venues in your area, and worrying about who should sit with whom at the wedding breakfast or all the other details that the guests may not even notice!  A destination wedding often involves fewer guests so should allow the couple to spend more time thinking about important things, like sharing their wedding day with their loved ones.  In a lot of cases this means less worries about the weather being good, if you choose a location with sunnier or more predictable climes than your own.

Combination – going away for a wedding can combine a family reunion, sightseeing, family bonding, romantic travel a fun vacation with all the most important people in your life and your big event all in one, and this makes it something special for everyone involved.  Kill two birds with one stone, and find a location that would provide something interesting for the couple and the guests, that way you will still be talking about the fun you had together at your Ruby wedding anniversary!
AF2A0310
It keeps the groom happy – it’s his day too, you know!  And boys get excited about going to new places, and they can be involved in organizing the events the couples do with their guests, this is far more interesting for the guys than picking out colors or wedding favors.

Gets a professional involved – a destination wedding often involves hiring someone to help out with the organization side of things.  This takes a lot of stress off the couple, and allows them time to relax and enjoy the scenery.  The couple don’t have to search through the venues themselves, or meet with dozens of photographers, if you can find a wedding planner that listens and communicates well, and is on your wavelength, then they can take a lot of weight off your shoulders.  They can use the tried and tested team of people they have used regularly, and the couple can be assured that all will run smoothly on their special day.  In many cases a professional wedding planner will have preferential rates from their team, due to passing them such a lot of business, so can offer fairly competitive prices.14_ Caroline & Peter Wedding_WEB_W_AM
Minimize possibilities of feuds – these days, the bride and groom are often from different towns, or even countries, and choosing one home town over another may cause difficulties within families.  If the home town of one of the families is chosen over another, it could be seen as that family having the upper hand over the organization of the day.  If the destination is somewhere different for both dies of the couple, this levels things, and will make that location a special place for the future.

Provide a more easily accessible location – if the bride and groom are from different home towns, and perhaps live and work in a third town, the majority of guests will have to travel to attend the wedding anyway.  Not all towns have great hotels and places for people to stay, and often guests find they have to travel to the reception, and then further travel to their hotel, if you choose to have a destination wedding, you instantly have more places to choose from, and you can choose somewhere with lots of appropriate available accommodation that is easy to get to and from the reception.  In many cases it might be that it is easier to choose a destination that could serve as a midpoint, and reduce traveling for many of your guests.

Everyone really gets to know each other – this is a great way for the bride and groom’s separate families to spend intimate time together and really bond and become part of each others families.  In many weddings in this modern age, the couples’ parents don’t always know each other so well, and this could be a great opportunity for getting to know each others whole families.  Because weddings away from home tend to take a few days rather than a few hours the whole party can spend a lot more time enjoying the event.

Save

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Proposal Checklist: What to Do Before You Take a Knee

You’ve met the love of your life, and are ready to propose. Congratulations! Asking the love of your life to marry you will be one of the most exciting and nerve wracking moments of your life. To ensure the big moment will be more exciting than gut-wrenching, there are a few things you can do to make your proposal smooth-sailing. Below, we’ve outlined the most important things to consider before getting down on bended knee.

2518L-ROUND-WHITE-W-1-1600PX-P
1.The Ring

If you haven’t already found your sweetheart the perfect engagement ring, now is the time to do so. A sign that you are ready to propose, is if finding the right ring for your partner is a breeze. If you already know her taste in jewelry, and her ring size, then you are well on your way to making this proposal memorable rather than forgettable. Having the right ring for your proposal is very important, as most women daydream about this moment, and in their dreams they are always over-the-moon when they see the ring and so there is a lot riding on your choice of ring. If you aren’t 100% sure, ask her best friend or Mother for help in finding the ring of her dreams.

2303L-ROUND-WHITE-R-1-1600PX-P

2. The Parents

Although the tradition of asking her Father for her hand may seem too old-fashioned to some, most men still seek approval from the bride-to-be’s parents. If you are leaning towards honoring this tradition, then it’s best to take some time planning how you are going to ask her family for their approval. You will need to keep your sweetheart in the dark about it, so we suggest you ask her parents out for dinner or plan a visit to their home – wherever you feel they will be most comfortable having this conversation. Best approach is to be honest and genuine, and that means telling them why you want to marry their daughter and all the reasons you feel the two of you are a good match for a long and happy life together. The hope is you already have a really good rapport with her family, and so this should be a happy occasion and one you won’t have to stress out too much about.

1942-A+B-SET-ROUND-WHITE-W-1-1600PX-P

3. The Setting

Deciding where you should propose is nearly as important as the ring. If you know your sweetheart well, you should have a few locations already in mind. Whether it is the spot where you went on your first date, or the locale of your first vacation together; make sure the setting for your proposal is going to be a place where she already has fond memories of, and will be thrilled to remember for many years to come.

323LP-PRINCESS-WHITE-W-1-1600PX-P

4. The Words

Once you have the ring, the parent’s approval, and know where you are going to actually get down on bended knee, there is the small issue of what you are going to say when you ask the love of your life to marry you. There is nothing more romantic than speaking from the heart, but when it comes to proposing, you also want to make sure that the words that are coming out of your mouth flow well, and that your partner can understand what it is you are asking them. We realize that proposing elicits many emotions, and there is no shame in having to stop to catch your breath along the way – but to put your best foot forward, we suggest you write out what it is you want to say, and then actually practice saying it out loud a few times. Doing this for your proposal will also prepare you for your wedding day, when you will have to speak your vows. As they say, practice makes perfect.

Majesty Diamonds is a family run, international diamond wholesaler and custom diamond jeweler focused on acquiring the highest quality diamonds possible. Our goal is to continue to strengthen our diamond wholesaling business and to continue responding to the changing needs of the global diamond market.