Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Bridal Accessories in Your Color!

Looking for a unique and colorful bridal accessory to add fun and character to your bridal gown? I am a big believer in the notion that color is healing and that it plays an important role in how we feel and how we express ourselves as people. As a result I think it is wise to take advantage of every opportunity to use color to uplift and express ourselves.
As a bride, you may not feel like you can go so far out-of-the-box as to wear a bright purple gown like the one I mentioned in our ‘Dita in white’ photo shoot. Or even if you want to, you may have any number of restrictions, as many brides do. For instance, if Mum is footing the bill and she gets a say in everything you wear, she may not, in a million years, go for a gown that’s not white. If you don’t want to spend all your time fighting with her about it, or dealing with her dissatisfaction on the day of your wedding, you might strike a nice compromise:
Pick a beautiful white gown, and then use accessories to introduce color to your look! You may have to look hard to find something you love, but the right accessories ARE out there. (and we can help you find them!) Consider wearing a hat instead of a traditional veil, as hats come in lots of really cool styles and colors. Also consider using your jewelry and shoe choices to bring color into your look. This way Mum gets you in a white dress, and she is so happy she cries, AND you get to have the color expression that you want. That’s a happy mini-marriage right there!
If you are looking for ideas about how to make your accessories work with your wedding colors, our line of colorful and fun accouterments, called Xharisma Bridal Accessories may have just the perfect thing for you. All the items in this line are available for both purchase and rental. We can also custom design all of your accessories in your choice of wedding colors. Contact us for more information.









Credits
Headpieces/ Accessories: Kkira Creations on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/kkiracreations
Models: Mauryn Kkira, Kristen, Shankar, Leah Santello, Megan Labonte,
Makeup: Christy Lavalee http://www.makeup-artistry.biz/, Mauryn Kkira
Photography: Dominic Chavez and Shannon Grant http://www.shannongrantphotography.com/

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Offbeat Wedding on a Sunday Morning- Breakfast Reception Included!

I am so thrilled to share this very fun offbeat wedding with you! It is the first real wedding I am posting on here which is really exciting for us.
There are so many reasons why it inspired me and you will soon see every single one of them.

First of all  it happened on a Sunday morning, there was breakfast for all the guests but it was not a destination wedding! The couple was sure that they wanted it to reflect them and they wanted be a wedding they would enjoy being guests at. They also didn't want it to cost them more than they cared to spend, so they got creative and clearly had plenty of fun with it!

The groom and the groomsmen!
The guys wore some fun outfits, and given that it was a summer soiree, their outfit choice was perfect. The groom didn't want to wear a suit or a tux but wanted to wear a waist coat, so he worked with that and found something he was not only comfortable in but something that he would enjoy wearing for the day! I think he did an outstanding job and he didn't just look dashing, his groomsmen looked pretty darn cool as well! I especially loved the way they used the colors they chose and that shoe choice was perfect! Another one of my favorite details were the pocket watches they all wore. Stunning! They also decided to go with different color ties so that they could play around with the very fun and floral print dresses that the bridesmaids wore! Who said everything had to match for it to work wonderfully?

The Bride's dress
Her dress was a  BCBG dress and on sale for $419. She only had to alter the neckline and it was a perfect fit after that! She looked amazing and not to mention  hot!!!!



The bridesmaids dresses
The bride Laura chose them from the Limited and they each cost $77. How cool is it that  all her bridesmaids had worn their dresses at least once by the time they wore them for the wedding because of how much they loved them. Who said bridesmaids have to be stuck with dresses they can never wear again? The bride was very pleased with that! What a way to be loving to your bridal party!



Location: They had both the ceremony and the reception at the Hyatt Hotel in East Boston.
Budget: $8, 000-$10,000 and they stayed in their budget!

Guests: 50 people
Invitations: DIY with a budget of $300.

The day
The couple was keen on starting on time, and they did, 10.30am, with the bride's brother in law performing the ceremony. The ceremony was 1mins long which they loved and I am sure their guests loved them for it too!

Reception
Champagne brunch- Mimosas and Champagne were served for cocktail hour.


Menu: Bacon, Sausage, Pancakes, Potatoes, Fruit and yogurt with granola, goat cheese, frittatas, coffee bar, and juice.

Toast: Bride's sister danced to 'you don't own me' along with the bridal party and the bride's brother. Inspired by the movie 'the first wives club.' Does this look like the coolest toast you have ever seen at a wedding or what? What a fun bunch! It seems like it would have been impossible not to have fun at this wedding!



Guest book: They had an interactive guest book in which guests answered questions that they were asked, had Polaroids of themselves taken and put on the page they wrote on



 
Music: They did their own music. Put together a list of their favorite songs.
Dancing: Yes there was dancing and the dance list was actually up to the guests. The guests made requests and the designated music person played it.


The cake was baked by the groom's mum and it looked beautiful!

Favorite things of the day for the bride and groom:
Laura said 'Brian crying, the dance toast, and we got to interact with everyone!'
Brian said 'When she came out and I got to see her...it doesn't really get better than that!'

The First Dance:
The couple danced to Etta James 'At last' and then shared the same dance with their parents midway through the song!



Centerpieces and Bouquets: White roses from Costco arranged by the bride in vases from Ace Hardware! The bridal bouquets were wrapped in a handkerchief and a sheer black ribbon, and they looked just gorgeous!



 Left out traditions: Bouquet toss and garter toss, instead the bride passed her flask on to her best friend before she left.



Other cool things to note:
The bride wore a flask in her garter!


Brian wore his grandfather's pocket watch!

There was plenty of dancing! If you ever wonder if people will dance at a day wedding let alone a morning wedding,  we have proof.  They absolutely will and they will do it happily and with as much joy as as they do it any other time of day!



The whole event run from 10.30am to 2.30 pm
Brian and Laura left in a water taxi for their hotel .


The Couple went out to dinner at Mortons that night since the event ended early! Their guests paid for their $100 dollar dinners!

Friday night they had appetizers with out of town guests. Saturday the girls had manis and pedis, Saturday afternoon, they had their rehearsal with everyone, Saturday night, the groomsmen threw the grooms bash, the girls had a bridal shower dinner and karaoke with friends. Sunday, they had time with everyone and realized that they had spent plenty of time with all their guests! They were happy

Other fun facts about this very fun and favorite couple:
Believe it or not, they met through a Craigslist ad!
Got engaged at dinner a few hours earlier than Brian had planned because Laura wouldn't stop quizzing him about when they were going to get engaged!
When Laura asked Brian when he was thinking of them getting engaged, exasperated that she wouldn't let it go, he whipped out the ring and asked "How about now?"
Laura was sure he had blown it because he had not gotten the ring she had expressed interest in, but she was wrong. Brian had in fact bought the ring weeks if not a couple of months earlier!
My personal favorite, Laura, had just put a fry in her mouth when she asked Brian when he was thinking the whole thing would be going down so she had a fry in her mouth when he proposed :)!
Later that night on their walk through the park, Brian made sure to point out where he had been planning to ask her to marry him :)!

They toured Paris for their honey moon which they left for a couple of weeks after their wedding. It was a month long!

Other fun pictures I can't help but share!






I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! Don't be afraid to share your thoughts and to leave a comment! I welcome those! Cheers everyone and many cheers to Brain and Laura for such a glorious treat! Thanks so much for being willing to share it with us! Congratulations to a fantastic couple!
Thanks to Kim Lucian for being willing to share the pictures as well!

Photography by Kim Lucian  of Kim Lucian Photography http://www.kimlucianphotography.com/Home.html
Jamie Harbor Assistant Photographer.