Category: Tips and Suggestions

1. 7 Ways to Bring Colour to your Wedding Outfit

   Posted on 10:38am Thursday 1st Dec 2016

   Adding a touch (or a lot of) colour in a wedding is one of many ways to bring out your personality and that of your partner. Whether it is a simple 2-3 colour palette for your wedding decorations, or a full gamut of rainbow colours in your outfits, colour influences not only how the wedding looks, but also how it feels, the atmosphere on the day, and how you and your guests will remember your  big day in years to come. 

   

   The choice of colour is obviously a very personal one, and often depends on how you are feeling about your wedding. Broadly generalising, gentle pastels tend to evoke romance and dreaminess, a celebration of love; bright colours tend to indicate fun, laughter, joy and the excitement of the day; and deep colours give a more serious, classic tone, with deep red an obvious reference to passion in love. 

   

   Most people bring colour in the wedding decorations - chair covers, table centre pieces, buntings, etc. And of course, bridesmaids have always been the perfect carriers of colour, particularly if you have enough of them to create a rainbow! Here's a lovely example of bridesmaids in neon rainbow, by Etsy seller StaysiLee.  

   But, in recent years, adding colour in the bride's wedding outfit has become quite popular. While some are bold enough for a deep or strong coloured wedding dress (or even hair), which generally mirrors their strong personalities, pastel or very pale coloured bridal gowns are a gentler way of saying that you're not a traditional bride, without straying too far from the expected. I particularly love the ombre and dip dyed effect for adding colour - it's a bit of a half way house between colour and traditional colours. How gorgeous is that dress by Cleo an Clementine (also on Etsy).  

   For brides who still love to be in ivory or white, but want to have a little flash of colour, there are now many options, depending on how much colour you want to build in, and where you'd like to bring in the colour. Let's have a look at some ideas: 

   

   1. Coloured petticoats

   Although mostly seen on tea-length skirts, or knee high ones, coloured petticoats can also be worn on full length dresses. How much you show underneath the hem is really all down to you. With the petticoat shorter than the actual dress, it is not readily seen, but teases with movement. Having the petticoat longer by a few centimetres than the actual skirt length brings on a band of colour at the bottom of the dress - this is particularly effective with shorter dresses, as seen with this beautiful 50's style dress by Atelier 5 Couture.

   

   2. Contrasting dress lining

   A variation of the petticoat, is a contrasting lining is another way of adding a big splash of colour inside the dress, and is actually something that can be done with most dress styles. As with the hidden petticoat, a colourful lining shows the colour when you move about, walking and dancing, and can create some very interesting photo opportunities. This amazing photo from Pinterest is a great example of a bold print and colour effect in the lining. 

   3. Coloured Wedding Sashes and Belts

   Whether they come with the dress, or whether it is an individual addition, a coloured sash or belt accentuates the waistline with a bit of contrast. Sashes tend to be tied with bows or a knot, which can be positioned at the back, or the front. If the loose ends are quite long and hanging freely, they add vertical length as well as a horizontal contrast. Belts tend to not have hanging ends, and are either attached with a buckle, hooks or clips. As such, the effect is mostly a horizontal contrasting band, with or without embellishment.

   The colour in the sash or belt can be that of the sash / belt itself, or in the embellishment, as exemplified by the Blue Lily Magnolia sashes shown below. For budget brides, a very effective way of adding a coloured sash is simply to buy a double sided satin or gros grain ribbon in the colour, width and length of your choice. Up to 4cm wide ribbons are fairly easy to find online or in any good haberdashery shop, in a variety of colour. 

    

   4. The Bouquet

   Of course, the bouquet! Who doesn't have one at their wedding? Fresh flowers, artificial ones, fabric flowers, brooch bouquets, paper flowers, button bouquets, leather bouquets, the list and colour opportunities are endless. While natural flowers are the classic options for most brides, alternative materials provide an array of textures, colours and patterns that are not necessarily possible with fresh blooms. 

       

   5. Coloured Shoes and Shoe Clips

   Moving a little bit away from the dress itself now, coloured shoes are extremely popular, in particular blue shoes, also acting as the Something Blue. Check out this little blog on the 11 most popular wedding shoes on OneFabDay.com, and you will find that none are in the traditional white or ivory. Indeed, coloured shoes are very attractive propositions from a usage perspective - with those, most of us will feel that at least we can wear them more than once. Colour matching is no longer an issue as it is now possible to have most style shoes dyed into a colour that you want, even those with embellishment on. For those who don't want full colour on their shoes, a little bit of colour can be added with shoe clips with some form of embellishment on. This gives a little bit more versatility in that the shoes can still be worn with or without the clips. 

   6. Hair Accessories 

   High up on the colourful list in the headpieces category are floral wedding crowns, which have become very popular in recent years, and fascinators, which are traditionally worn more by guests. Along with headbands and headscarfs, flower crowns and fascinators have got enough substance to create more colour than a standard tiara. As with alternative bouquets, floral crowns with artificial or alternative materials enable a wider colour choice, and colours that may otherwise not be available for natural flowers, for example, these bespoke red polka dot bridesmaids flowers for a rockabilly wedding. 

   7. Other Quirky Colour Inputs

   For those who love to add something else that embodies their personality, then imagination is their limit! Whether it is colourful statement necklaces and other jewellery, coloured veils, funky glasses or sunglasses, hats or coloured hair, jazzing up a wedding outfit, can be really fun and unique, as shown by this Rock n Roll bride. It all really depends on where you want the colour, how much of it you would like to show. 

   So, even if you're a traditional bride, don't be afraid of a little bit of colour and pattern! And if you looking for ways to brighten your wedding, hope that this blog has given you a few ideas. 

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   Blue Lily Magnolia makes bespoke and unique bridal accessories, including bouquets, hair acccessories, corsages, belts and sashes, boutonnieres, garters, and everything else a bride, groom or bridesmaids might need. Browse existing designs and ready-to-wear items on my Etsy store, or contact me for something designed and made specially for you. 

2. Making the Most of Wedding Fairs

   Posted on 4:33pm Wednesday 26th Oct 2016

       

   September and October are the autumn wedding fair seasons and I have attended quite a few this season, to see what's going on in the wedding industry, check out what's new, meet some suppliers and brides-to-be, and just have a little day out too. The first wedding fair that I ever attended was the National Wedding Show in Birmingham, before I got married, and it was massive! (And dare I say, expensive, but worth it somehow). Everything else after that has seemed rather mild in comparison, but here's my take on making the most out of wedding fairs. 

   Plan ahead: If you are attending a very big fair (by that, I mean a fair with hundreds of exhibitors rather than dozens), these are normally paid ones, but if you know suppliers who will be going, they may have complimentary tickets that they will gladly offer to you. Alternatively, often there will be some kind of promotional code to look out for to get a discounted price. It is worth getting a ticket in advance if you want to save a few pounds from the at-the-door tickets. And for large fairs, allow a good few hours to browse through everything. 

   Think about what you are looking for: It is perfectly OK to just browse without any intent, but if you want to make the most of the fair, write down a list first on what you would ideally like to find - photographers, cake makers, dresses, etc. If you can't find what you are looking for, you could always ask around at the fair anyway, and often people are happy to help and provide recommendations. 

   If you want to try dresses: Wear a strapless bra if possible, or at least one which allows you to tuck the straps in. Often the dresses that you will try will not fit, so be prepared to be open minded about this, and see beyond the poor fit. Bring your diary if you would like to follow up with a booking, and take plenty of photos (with a note of where each dress came from and their price) to be able to compare when you're home. 

   If you're just browsing: If you can, take photos of what you like, with the business card of the supplier next to the item that you like. It is so easy to forget who made that ideal sweet cart, or table plan that you loved at a fair. It is always good practice however to ask permission to take a photo - remember that no one wants their work to be copied. And please whatever you do, don't use the photos to ask others to reproduce an item at a cheaper price! 

   Don't be scared to talk to suppliers if there's something that you're admiring in their work or feeling curious about: If you're worried they'll pounce on you with a sale, you can gently tell them that you've already got whatever they're selling. If you like something they have, it is always nice to start a little bit of a conversation and who knows, perhaps they might give you some ideas on other items that you haven't yet sorted out, or advice on your wedding, or they might be able to solve another problem that you have. Or you may even get some sweeties or a little giveaway out of it! 

   Go round the stands at least twice: First time round, just have a look around to see who's here, and what they do. Go round again the second time with a list in your mind of who you actually want to speak to and what do you want to ask them. 

   Catch the Catwalk: Plan your arrival and departure such that you will get a chance to see the catwalk, if there's one. Even if you've already got a dress, have a look at the ladies on the catwalk to see the dos and don'ts of walking down the aisle in your dress! 

   If you do book anything: Remember to ask how long is your cooling off period, and when do deposits need to be paid. Most suppliers will give you a cooling off period of between 1-2 weeks (unless your order is short notice) to allow you to change your mind, but if you have a made a deposit payment, be clear on whether you will get this back if you cancel within the cooling period. 

   When you get home: Don't chuck these leaflets straightaway, who knows, you might find a little gem in a few weeks when you need it! A good way to not lose contacts is to use social media to Like or Follow suppliers you think might be of interest in the future. 

   And that's it from me for wedding fairs! 

   If you have some more advice to add, please comment! 

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   Blue Lily Magnolia makes bespoke bridal accessories and accessories for special occasions. Based in Nantwich, Cheshire, UK, everything is designed in-house and handmade, creating unique pieces. 

3. Guest Blog! This month, our sister partner, Ateliers 5 blogs about their top tips on discovering your style

   Posted on 4:17pm Monday 1st Aug 2016

   

   Based in Chester and Nantwich, UK, Ateliers 5 makes gorgeous bespoke wedding dresses and occasion wear, starting from the design process to the finished item. Having developed a unique system of helping clients visualise what works best with them (Silhouette Styling System), this month, they share with us their top tips on how to discover your wedding dress style. 

   The wedding dress is the piece de resistance in all weddings. The one thing that everyone awaits to be revealed in anticipation. The only thing that makes you stand out from the rest of the party, and the main thing that makes you look like the dream bride. But many brides-to-be find it difficult to find their style. It is easy to find beautiful dresses, but less easy to find beautiful dresses that suit your personality, body shape, wedding theme and make you look you, with an extra va-va-voom. At Ateliers 5, we work hard to try to do just that - making dresses that are not just pretty, but that suit everything. And here’s our top tips for you, when you’re trying to discover your own style.

   1) Who do you feel most like in the public world, from a personality perspective? Who do you aspire to be? Check them out, and see what they wear at formal occasions or what they have worn for their weddings. Are there anything that they have worn that you like? By getting ideas from this type of inspiration, you can first get an overall idea of the personality based dress styles to start off with.

    2) Browse as many dress styles as you can - whether from magazines, or online. Keep cuttings or a Pinterest board. After a while, you will see a recurring pattern of the things that really pull you, and you can build from there.

    3) Keep an open mind. It is good to start with something in mind, but be prepared to try something a little different in a shop or studio. If nothing else, this will simply confirm your style. Alternatively, you might be pleasantly surprised by finding that something you never considered actually looks good on you and feels right.

    4) Take photos of yourself when you like something that you’ve tried on. This is especially important if there are several dresses or several styles that you love. You can always review them later on with friends and family. And don’t keep it just wedding dress photos. If you find a feature that you like in a fashion shop, e.g. a particular neckline, or sleeve, just snap away!

    5) Know your body and work with it. Be honest with yourself, and ask yourself what is your best assets and the body parts you would prefer not to be on show. If you don’t like your arms, don’t get styles that emphasises them. Likewise, if you love your slim waistline, find styles that would enhance that.

    6) Finally, make it fun! Finding your dream dress should be an enjoyable journey, so take it easy and take advantage of the pampering!

    Ateliers 5 will be exhibiting at the National Wedding Show in Manchester on the 22nd-23rd October 2016. Visit them at stand C12, and get a discount on booking your tickets by using the code below!