Whether you’re going to the countryside, chartering the high season on a yacht, or an outdoor casual wedding, celebrity wedding planner Colin Cowie has just the tips for your date to be comfortable at any venue! Some of his tips include not over-doing the nautical theme but incorporating blue hues, wearing lightweight fabrics and leaving black until after midnight. To see all of Colin’s tips read the article here!
If you’re looking for a wedding gown that is savvy yet budget friendly, look no further than the White by Vera Wang line at David’s Bridal! The Savannah Wedding Planner loves a good deal, and chose this wedding gown and sash to complete a gorgeous look for under $950! See her post here!
Sister Dresses
by Dan Rentillo
Congratulations! You’re engaged! Wedding planning can be a stressful process but choosing your bridesmaids’ dresses doesn’t have to be. Sister dresses—a popular new bridal party trend—allows brides to pick silhouettes for their party that are different in style but complement each other in color or detail, ensuring everyone looks great and feels confident. Here are some of my favorite picks in Apple, the color of the season.
Beautiful Bows: Junior bridesmaids can feel like a true part of the party while wearing a faux one-shoulder with decorative three-dimensional details.
Bold Bubble Hems: Form-fitting bodices create a gorgeous waistline while pickup skirts add volume and dramatic flair.
New Neckline Updates: V-necks flatter a variety of body types and provide extra coverage larger busted women.
Long & Flowing Gowns: One-shoulder necklines add a modern twist to a figure-flattering ball gown skirt.
Happy shopping!
Karen Bussen, Celebrity Wedding Planner & Author
It’s Elemental: Coordinating the Details of Your Winter Wedding
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…for a wedding! The crisp air, the festive mood and perhaps, even a romantic snowy backdrop. Here are some of my top tips for putting together your mid-winter celebration in simple stunning style.
It’s all about layers! Just like your winter wardrobe, the best way to think about your winter wedding theme is to add layers of elegant seasonal details throughout all the aspects of the celebration.
Let the season inspire your look. Once you’ve selected your venue for the ceremony and reception, choose a gown and accessories that will make you feel like a snowy princess. To me, winter weddings have a timeless feeling, so why not create a vintage theme for your whole wintry celebration? I adore this glamorous faux fur capelet.
Lace up your bouquets. I love lace both as a vintage detail and as a winter element—it reminds me of the intricate patterns of snowflakes. Why not have all your ladies carry delicate white bouquets trimmed in lace? These pretty posies are from my book, Simple Stunning Weddings.
Inviting ideas. Your invitations are the first style element your guests will see, so get the winter mood started with a little extra sparkle. This elegant Treasured Gems invitation is a layered piece, with a bright white card on a silvery quartz background, perfect for the season. Add an accent bow in white, or bring in a deeper winter hue like this deep burgundy for an extra “pop.”
Let there be light. Luminaries aren’t just for summer weddings and not everything at a winter wedding needs to scream “snowflakes.” There is nothing more beautiful than candles on a cold afternoon or evening. Imagine the snowy path to your ceremony or reception lined with these angelic white luminaries.
For your tables, choose accents with a little sparkle. I want these pearlized pillar candles for all my holiday parties, and they’d make a stunning tablescape. Arrange them atop mirrored squares or circles for a gorgeous centerpiece then give the candles to guests (or take them home yourself) to make your mantle or table beautiful all season long.
Karen Bussen, Celebrity Wedding Planner & Author
BLOOMING BASICS: Choosing Flowers for Your Big Day
Beautiful flowers add magic and romance to your wedding celebration, so choose them carefully to reflect your color palette, your personal style, and your budget. For me, flowers are a passion, and I’m excited to share some of my favorite tips to help your big day blossom into everything you’re imagining.
Shop smart. After deciding on your mood and overall décor, compare at least two written proposals from recommended florists, and check references. Seasonal flowers are often less expensive, so ask your florist to help you with what’s best at your time of year, or what substitutions can be made to help save money. 
Also, find ways to get double duty out of your floral décor. I made these sweet dahlia escort card bud vases which had three uses—cards attached to the stems told guests which table to sit at, then when the guests carried the bud vases to their tables, the “arrangement” became the centerpiece. At the end of the night, everyone took their bud vase home as a pretty guest favor.
Photo by William Geddes from Simple Stunning Wedding Flowers.
Let your floral choices blossom everywhere. Add a floral motif to your invitations—did you know the David’s Bridal site has a whole section of invitations with floral and botanical themes? I love this beautiful budding design.
Let your bridesmaids bloom. Choose bouquets that complement your ladies’ style and dresses. I love the new trend of creating a slightly different bouquet for each bridesmaid—it makes each girl look and feel special.
Have your dream bouquet! No matter your budget, you, The Bride, should carry your favorite flowers. And here’s a little tidbit of floral history. Your groom’s lapel flower is called a boutonniere. Tradition says that he should wear a blossom as if plucked from your bouquet. Isn’t that sweet?
photo by William Geddes, from Simple Stunning Weddings
The key to beautiful wedding flowers is equal parts inspiration and organization. Use the tips here and I promise you’ll watch your wedding vision bloom before your very eyes!
Nicole Brewer, Celebrity and Plus Size Fashion Expert
While scorching temperatures are breaking records nationwide, it’s hard to even think about the fashionable frocks you’ll want to wear this fall. But while you’re trying to stay cool and catch those department store deals for what to wear this summer, here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come in fall fashion.
Red: The New Neutral 
This fall, designers have us seeing red! Whether monochromatic or tastefully combined with cream or black, crimson has staked its claim as fashion’s new neutral. Even LBDs get a red makeover with little red dresses in every shape and silhouette to transition from day to evening and from work to weekend. For you to decide: don the season’s hottest color from head to toe or modestly infuse the warm, rich hue with sexy separates like a red hot overcoat? This one-shoulder Apple red dress is a modern and chic way to inject the color of the season into your fall wardrobe.
Wild West
Navajo inspired prints, western plaids and prairie style silhouettes remind us of an era when everything was simpler. Handmade crocheted knits, skillfully crafted lace blouses and fringed ponchos revive age-old techniques in a modern way that’s all about freedom, independence and effortless style.
Disco Days & Nights
A flattering nod to the fabulous sportswear of the 1970s, maxi dresses, full legged trousers, pantsuits, jumpsuits and deep v-necks are back and better than ever. Like the stylish Charlie’s Angels, daring long coats, floor grazing hemlines and belted waistlines create long lean silhouettes with plenty of high slits to reveal sexy leg lines.
Sparkling Gowns
Gowns get gorgeous with all-over sequins and strategically placed palettes that reflect light and capture every bit of glamour this season’s long evening dresses have to offer. With long sleeves, short sleeves or no sleeves at all, the hypnotic shimmering details take center stage. From the simplest scoop neck to the dramatic deep plunge, nothing upstages the subtle luxury of fabrics that shine. This long chiffon strapless dress is the perfect way to incorporate flashes of subtle brilliance and sparkle into your special occasion look.
Geometry Lesson
Geometric shapes are popping up on everything in sportswear and ready-to-wear. Color blocking, 3-Dimensional prints and even argyle patterns look fresh and new on simple knits, retro sweaters, dynamic dresses and skirts and even outerwear. While at times unexpected combinations can be quite puzzling, the resurgence of right angles magically works to create unmistakably clean lines.
Charm School
The royal wedding has certainly made an imprint on the season’s runways with dreamy, delicate details.
Vintage lace, prim and proper pleats, fantasy florals, and whimsical chiffons continue to dominate evening wear looks. Designers have gone beyond the strapless silhouette to create dramatic and interesting arm treatments: one-shoulder, sheer shoulders, lace shoulder appliques and drop shoulder draping overlays. These modest styles are grown up and sophisticated, flowy and fitted in the appropriate places, and ready for the red carpet and your wedding day. This long sleeve lace style jacket is ideal for the bride looking for a bit sheer coverage on the big day.
Show-Stopping Coats
Outerwear often has a strong presence on the runway, but this year designers stretched our imaginations with a wide variety of statement coats separated only by their well -defined details. Oversized cocoon shapes, utilitarian coats, fur embellished bomber jackets, pimped out parkas, this season’s coats stand out with toggles, zippers, fringes, plenty of pockets and futuristic tailoring. From cool, clean lines to voluminous silhouettes, fall coverage options don’t just include coats – parachutes, luxurious wraps, puffer ponchos, dramatic capes and coat-cape hybrids are also on-trend.
Runway Recap
With everything from inventive belted swing coats to long, floor-sweeping dresses, fall fashion welcomes back the waist! The Red, Disco Days & Nights, Geometry Lesson, Charm School and Wild West looks all feature great ways to show off your figure. By placing emphasis on the waistline, long flowy dresses look new, fitted sheaths look edgy and man-tailored suits look better than ever!
Matching is out and mixing is in. So, go for your own style clash and dare to pair prints with stripes, florals with plaids, and geo prints with polka dots. This fall, it’s all about expressing yourself. Complete your look with an unforgettable overcoat and re-define your own signature style.
Karen Bussen, Celebrity Wedding Planner & Author
THE GREEN PARTY: Infuse your Engagement Party and Rehearsal Dinner with Elegant, Eco-friendly Details
Perhaps you’ve already given some thought to adding a few “green” touches to your Big Day. Maybe you’ve considered using local, seasonal flowers to support farmers and cut down on fuel and shipping needs, for example. Congratulations! Every choice you make can have a positive effect on protecting our planet, a goal we all share.
But with every wedding comes a number of “Satellite Celebrations” – those smaller parties, like your engagement party, shower and rehearsal dinner, to name a few. If you’re an Earth-friendly bride, you can look for ways to entertain with “less waste and more taste” all the way to your “I do’s”! Here are some of my favorite tips:
Green your invitations. While I am a firm believer in printed invitations for the wedding celebration itself, it is totally acceptable (and very environmentally aware) to use an electronic invitation service to let guests know about the smaller celebrations. I like www.evite.com for its fun and customizable designs, and it’s a piece of cake to track replies, which makes every bride’s life easier. If you prefer to print a card, consider choosing an eco-friendly option, like this one from www.davidsbridal.com
Throw a 100-mile party. The same concept I mentioned above about local flowers? Apply it to every part of your engagement party or rehearsal dinner. Try to feature food, drinks and other elements that are produced within 100 miles of the celebration. If you’re hosting the event at home, plan your menu around what’s in your local greenmarket. At a restaurant or country club, ask the chef to come up with delicious options that celebrate what is best where you are.
Me shopping for flowers at a farmer’s market
Design edible décor. Instead of typical flower arrangements, arrange baskets or bowls of nibble-friendly food on your tables: think small items that are easy to eat, like hunks of parmesan cheese, a selection of olives, nuts, fresh grapes or figs and crunchy breadsticks. Your tables will look abundant and feast-like, your guests will have fun sampling different flavors and nothing will go to waste at the end of the party because your guests will eat the décor! Nestle in votive candles (soy, of course!), add a clever mushroom place card holder for each guest and you’re good to go green!
Recycle your style. Paint old wine bottles and turn them into candle centerpieces. Gather those old vases everyone has around from a long-ago floral delivery and turn them into lanterns.
Mix recycled items and new elements for a super-chic style combination that also happens to be ever-so environmentally friendly. Think about ways to reuse any new décor you purchase for your wedding parties. If you’re hosting a rustic celebration, for example, check out these fabulous chalkboard signs—you can use them again and again on buffets, gift tables, or bars at all your casual get-togethers.
Don’t forget to share your good fortune. There’s just nothing as green as embracing the Three R’s. Reuse, Recycle, Renew. After each party, find ways to donate your leftovers to help others. Food can sometimes be difficult to donate because of legal restrictions, but check with your caterer to see if they are affiliated with a food bank or community kitchen. Décor (vases, candles, paper, and streamers, for example) may be able to be donated to a local school or arts foundation. Here in New York, my company gives leftover décor and supplies to Materials for the Arts www.mfta.org , a huge warehouse where schools and arts organizations can go “shopping” for props and elements for projects and productions. Check out what organizations are working in your area.
