Black Wedding Design

You want your wedding other than the others ...??

Try to using black in your wedding design !!

It used to be that using black in your wedding design was strictly taboo. Black was considered to be too somber to incorporate into a festive occasion. Times have changed, however, and there are some very chic and elegant ways to use black in your wedding.

When you think about black, most young people associate it with being stylish and sophisticated, as in the little black dress. If you ask your grandmother what black reminds her of, though, she is likely to answer a funeral. The trick is to use black in a way that invokes its stylish side, not its somber side. The way to achieve this is to think of black as an element to create decorative patterns and designs, instead of using it in big solid chunks.

For the perfect inspiration for an elegant use of black, you must view the Audrey Hepburn film My Fair Lady. The scene at the Ascot races is one of the most absolutely incredible uses of a black and white color scheme that you will ever see. The dramatic use of black and white patterns, shapes, and forms (the hats!) is the height of elegance and style. There is certainly nothing depressing about the way black was used in this scene.

Another place to look for ideas on how to use black to great effect is Truman Capote's famous Black and White Ball of the 1960s. The world's most fabulous people gathered, all dressed in black and white, and held one of the most famous parties of all time. Although you will probably not be telling your guests what to wear, you can definitely use this as inspiration for the attire for the bride and groom and the wedding party.

The place to start with your wedding design is the attire. There are many very stylish bridal gowns available these days with a black on white design. This is seen most often in the form of embroidery, often in a scroll design. The men are easy: tuxedos will provide them the elegant look of black and white.

For the bridesmaids, you will want to choose carefully. Although many wedding parties these days do wear simple black dresses, you might want to investigate other alternatives. A whole group of women in solid black dresses does get away from the festive feeling you want a wedding to have, no matter how practical they may be. Spend the time to seek out dresses that have a color mixed in with black.

If you prefer to keep a limited color palette, one very chic idea would be to dress your bridesmaids in pewter colored satin dresses with black sashes or ribbons at the waist. For the richest black possible, velvet ribbons would be ideal. You can finish off the look with dramatic bridesmaid jewelry sets created from jet black Swarovski crystals or fabulous black pearls. The interesting thing about using jet crystals in your bridesmaid jewelry sets is that they can read either as very modern or a little bit Victorian. Black pearls will simply look luxurious.

It is certainly possible to use black in your wedding design in a way that suits the occasion. Done well, the sharpness of black against white creates a crisp and elegant design scheme. Find ways to use black in your wedding that are creative and rich looking for a fabulously sophisticated effect.

By : Phie

Search for a Black Wedding Dresses

It may seem like a very not-so-traditional approach to a wedding ceremony, a lot of bride-to-bes out there is into finding their ideal black wedding dress. The idea may not be much of a hit compared to the traditional white dress; but it is indeed a great and a one-of-a-kind option.

If you happen to be the type who can't help but picture herself in a black wedding dress, then you must find out about the handful of bridal companies you might want to look through in order for you to score that unique gown.

The Wedding Wardrobe

This store has a variety of dresses to choose from, they offer not only one black wedding dress but quite a few more styles. One of the most popular selection that they have is the Xena, embellished with hand sewn beads, fully-boned bodice accentuated by a pull back corset. There's a mixture of jet black Swarovski crystals and AB on a plain black silk bodice. The skirt is a narrow A-line skirt with a front drape that is detachable and a full length train that is also detachable. It was originally meant to be a black wedding dress but now, it is available in white, ivory, antique ivory, gold, burgundy and red.

Nordstroms

Another great store to guide you in your search for the black wedding dress, no doubt is it a recognizable name. First established in 1901, currently one of the nation's leading fashion retailers that offers various high-quality apparel, shoes, accessories for men, women and children all over the country

You have big selection to choose from for your favorite black wedding dress. Their website also provides links to a different website that offers the same style of dresses just in case you can't seem to find the one that you like with them.

Remember

Certainly you'll get a slice of critique pounded on your unconventional black dress, but keep in mind it is YOUR wedding, it's your day, so disregard whatever other people say.

The color black has been stereotyped with death and grimness, however, the color black is rumored to protect one from pain and misfortune because the color can repel the vibrations from negative energy.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Searching-For-a-Black-Wedding-Dress&id=1226519

Black Wedding Dress

Black wedding dresses are the choice of many brides today, as they pick this color not just for the slimming effect, but for the classy and elegant aura that it projects. Black doesn't have to feel funereal if the dresses are in the right designs. Not only that, these dresses are great if you want to make a statement.

Black wedding dresses are usually associated with themed weddings such as Halloween. But those aren't the only times when you can have a black wedding dress. If all black is too much for you, you can incorporate this color with other colors like white, silver of red. These will make the black less sombre and perfect for your wedding. Fabric wise, choose material that is light and airy and avoid dark and heavy makeup. This will make the black more suitable for a wedding.

Style wise, these dresses are most suitable when they come in close fitting gowns, which is very flattering. You can also opt for full ball gown skirts, but they should be paired with a tight fitting bodice. Go strapless, or if you must have sleeves, pick sheer sleeves. When wearing a black dress, choose simple jewelry that will not overpower you and make you look cluttered. That way you will be the picture of sheer elegance.

When trying to purchase your perfect black wedding dress, you need to do your shopping much earlier as there are not that easy a style and color to look for. You also need to be open to other alternatives such as bridesmaids' dresses or prom dresses that are readily available in black. Another alternative is for you to order your black wedding dress online, or o have one custom made for you. That way you will surely find the right style and design made just for you.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Black-Wedding-Dresses-Do-They-Look-Too-Funereal?&id=2597431

Special Occasion

So with the impending doom that is Amy leaving for Texas….Jesus, Texas of all places…we have decided to destroy both our little wine fridges, drink everything before she goes, then start all over again. Buying new things and tucking them away to share with one another on visits and when, (notice I didn’t say if) she comes home. I was so down for this idea, at first because her little fridge is far better stocked than mine, I just got mine, and because I save these wines for just these occasions, sharing them with people that love them, that I love and that love me. Sure I had all these fantasies about fancy meals, the hottest new restaurants…I’m all about absolute indulgence but something about this plan…seemed even more so.

The idea occurred to us, well her, the night we had a real talk about her leaving. We had been boozing it up all evening and went back to her place to feed the dogs, that’s when she said it, “I’m going to open that Dagueneau Silex in my little cellar” I tried to stop her, “Dude don’t, you’re all buzzy, we’re all pretty lit, save it” she looked at me with that face of hers and said, “Save it for what?” I didn’t have an answer for her. We sucked back the Silex and she returned to the fridge to grab a bottle of Dagueneau Pur Sang, really tried to stop her this time, but she wasn’t hearing it, we were to drink that wine, that night, after all that we had already consumed…her answer to each protest, “Who else am I going to drink these with?”…Good point.




So that night after a meal of chicken wings, French dip sandwiches, Gin & Tonics, Martinis and shots of some kind of Irish Whisky we drank a bottle of Dagueneau Silex and half a bottle of Pur Sang, the only occasion being our love of remarkable wines and one another. What I first saw as, “wasting” I now saw as the way it should be…an appreciation and celebration of friendship, wine and how one brought us the other, perfect.

So last night was “date night” and this time our Merzie, (Merritt, the adorable girl in the middle of the Sam and Amy sandwich at the beginning of my last post) was able to join us. When we first started our little ritual she was always there, but a second job keeps her tied up on Thursday nights so last night, well it was a rare treat. We were heading to a favorite Chinese place in Monterey Park, a place we all love and has been rotation for years. I grabbed some Rose before I left the shop, tossed them in the fridge and waited for the girls to close the shop and head on over. I poured myself a glass of Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc, ($8.99) appreciating it for its simplicity, soft, plump almost sweet fruit and a clean finish, not complex and not trying to be…love it for that. I started thinking about how much I freaking love this less than noble grape and of course from there my mind shifted to the Loire, from there to Didier Dagueneau, how I wished I had gotten the chance to know him a little better….Sauvignon Blanc, friendship, Loire, Dagueneau…cellar!



I dug around, (dug around makes me sound like I have a bunch of wine in there….so not true, I basically I “picked” over my 12 or something bottles) and found a bottle of 2002 Dagueneau Buisson Renard, ($...no idea, it was a gift but the last vintage was around $75.00) and popped it in the fridge with the Roses I had intended to take to dinner. Returned to the couch and my glass of Pomelo, feeling even more excited about date night. The girls were on their way, I had Sauvignon Blanc in my glass, the hubby was beaming…he loves it when he has his 3 girls, makes him feel all pimpy, Dagueneau in the fridge, now this….this was an occasion, an occasion worth pulling out the very best.

I was feeling genuinely happy for the first time in days, just then my unbearably cute neighbor came out to play. He was sitting on his stoop, big red fire truck at his side, chatting at his Mom with the big voice of his…sigh, slapped a little more happy on me. I went out to talk to him, got to hear all his trip to the fair, the rides, the games, the fish he won….melt, melt, melt. Amy and Merritt had arrived and were making their way back to our apartment, (we live way in the back) so I had just enough time to conspire with my cutie pie neighbor, I wanted him to give Amy a very specific greeting, he agreed to help. As the girls rounded the corner their faces lit up, they adore him too, and I said to Tyler, “Tyler, what did you want to tell Amy” he stood there, looking coy at first, “oh no! He’s not going to do it” I thought but he turned to Amy, big blue eyes directed at her, he opened his little mouth and in his biggest Tyler voice said, “Texas Stinks!” ….awesome.



We made our way inside and chatted over a glass of 2008 Zaca Mesa Z Gris, ($15.99) we thought it was lovely. Delicate, restrained, and pretty elegant. We drink almost exclusively French Rose, all three of us find the domestic versions a tad too fruity for our palates and I’m sorry, but I don’t find any minerals in the domestic offerings. I’m not saying the French ones are better mind you, I just like them better, so we were quite pleased with this little wine…very balanced. We finished our glasses, grabbed the wines from the fridge and headed out to dinner.




When we pulled up to our beloved restaurant my heart sank, a big NOTICE sign on the front door, shit. We walked to the door and saw that their liquor license had been suspended, indefinitely; we were so bummed, both for our dinner plans and for them. We walked in anyway and asked the little guy at the front, “Are you not able to serve wine?” he looked at us, (he had seen us hundreds of times) and said, “Yes, for you we can” and led us to a table off the main dining room. I felt really funny about it, I didn’t want them to get in any trouble, we kept telling him it was fine, not a big deal, we would still have dinner but he insisted and brought us wine glasses. “You know, people drink tea in these glasses too” he said with a grin, he asked me to give him the bottle we wanted opened, I handed over the Dagueneau, he hid it with his tray and took it in the back to open it. He returned with the wine in an ice bucket, covered with a napkin, the whole scene just felt so cool in that Speakeasy kind of way.

The Dagueneau was f’ing brilliant, intensely floral, gentle spicing, it had picked up more weight and texture as it rested, so it spread across the palate like a white Burgundy. It kept evolving in the glass, picking up notes of quince, guava, lime rind and flint…it was sublime, absolutely perfect wine. We didn’t want to pound it and to be honest it was NOT the best match for the food so we asked to have one of the bottles of Rose opened. We sat there, in a semi-private room of one of our favorite joints, glasses of Dagueneau, teacups of Rose, picking at platters of glazed veggies, fried rice, kimchee, and sauced shrimp, an occasion.



We were stuffed the restaurant was now empty, the wine almost gone, basking in the glow of yet another great date, our little wine smuggling friend appeared with two teacups full of water. We were confused, they had never brought fingerbowls or anything before, but as he placed the bowls in front of us he said, “We know you smoke, please stay, enjoy the rest of your wine with a cigarette” jaw dropping. We refused a number of times but he just kept saying, “The sign is off, we’re closed, please stay and really finish your meal”. It was surreal, felt so strange but something about it was just….well, it was just perfect…an occasion.



I sat there, smoking….inside, and finished the last bit of Dagueneau surrounded by three of the greatest people I know, I was glowing, just glowing. Our little buddy brought us glasses of plum wine and went back to enjoying his staff meal and playing cards, we finally had to ask for a check, we tipped HUGE, thanked them profusely and piled in the car. I didn’t want the night to end, how best to avoid that? “So you guys wanna go for a drink?” works every time.



We ended up heading to a bar, a bar where we know the bartender….he’s my little neighbor’s Dad, we walked in, he shook his head, looked at Amy and said, “Texas sucks!” could not have asked for a better ending.

July 2009 favourites

I can't believe how quickly this month has gone. Where is the time going? Apologies for the (mostly) website images, but here's what I've been loving this month:

Revlon Colorstay Foundation Oily/Combination skin - shade 150 Buff

What a fab foundation! It gives excellent coverage without caking or drying out. I normally wear MAC's NC15-20 and think Buff is a pretty good match. That said, I guess I could go a shade lighter if need be. When I use this, I don't need to touch up through the day, and can cut back on my use of concealer and face powder. I've never experienced that with a foundation before, let alone a drugstore one! Amazing. I love the one for Normal/Dry skin too as it gives a much more dewy finish.

Barry M Lip Paint - 113

This is a pretty sheer pink lipstick with a white frost. It's absolutely gorgeous on its own, but I love applying it on top of other colours to add a sheen without wearing gloss. It is essentially MAC's Bubbles lipstick, but a lot more pink. Although it looks bright and vivid in the tube, the pink isn't as noticable when it is on top of other colours, it just adds a new dimension to your lips. I love pairing it with Barry M Lip Paint, 53 Coral. So gorgeous and summery - not that we've had much of a summer!

Lush Porridge Soap

I've had this for about 3 months, but have been put off using this for the longest time. I bought it because of the hype from MakeUpByTiffanyD and AllThatGlitters21, but everytime I tried to cut a bit off from my huge chunk, it crumbled. Also, it didn't seem to smell as good as I remembered in the shop, but then again there's a mixture of smells going on in Lush. I ran out of my beloved Honey I Washed The Kids soap, so bit the bullet and tried some Porridge. WOW - I'm so glad I did! It is an amazing exfoliator and it actually smells scrumptious once you get it lathered up. It's definitely one of my top 5 soaps from Lush. It lathers up a treat and the oats in it really scrub away dead skin. It's a harsh exfoliator, but it doesn't feel like it... I think it must be because the soap is lubricating it so it just glides along your skin.

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

This smells absolutely divine. It's not a clinical lemon scent (like lemon kitchen cleaner), but a fresh lemon scent, like real homemade lemonade. Yum! It's not greasy, so you are able to apply it throughout the day and use your hands as normal. It softens the cuticles in a matter of minutes, and gives a lovely sheen to the nails too, making them look really healthy. And a bonus? It's multi use! It banishes dryness on cuticles, heels, elbows, knees... and can even be used as a lip balm!

Boots Botanics Make Up Remover

I cannot say enough good things about this amazing product. Stubborn waterproof mascara? MAC liquidlast eyeliner? Blacker than black smokey eyes? Removing them is so easy with this. Baby oil used to be the only thing that would remove my mascara, but it left my eyes red and sore afterwards. This doesn't, and I don't get that annoying oily film over my eyes either. Plus it's less than £3. Bargain!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in 'Tattle Tale'

I've been using this as a base because my UDPP is a little drying on my lids, and I love it! It's a pale shimmery cream colour, so can be used under any colour eyeshadow, or for lazy days you can wear it alone. Slap a bit of this from lashes to brow, a bit of wedge in the crease and some mascara and viola! A simple, quick, and pretty everyday neutral eye, that you could even jazz up with a coloured eyeliner. Oh, and it really is creaseless.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eyeliner in 'Electric'

This is my favourite eyeliner EVER, not just for July. I love turquoise and teals on me. You all probably know how fab UD 24/7 liners are by now. They're creamy, super pigmented and come in a wide range of colours. It takes about 30 seconds for them to set, so if you want to smudge your liner a little then you have to work quickly. It's so worth it though. This has little flecks of silver shimmer in, so smudging it out bring a whole new effect. Plus, they're waterproof! Once those bad boys have set, hardly anything can budge them - except my Boots Botanics make up remover, of course ;)

MAC 226 Eye Brush

Okay, so I've only had it a week... but seriously, how did I survive this long without it?! It's really soft so is perfect for blending, but is precise enough to use in the crease or outer-v. It practically does the work for you! I wish I had bought another one now. Ho hum. Fingers crossed MAC will make it permanent soon!


Hope you get a chance to try these out. I love them!

It's Here!

It's here! It's here! My favorite magazine, Where Women Create! And it's fabulous as always! Filled to the brim with lots of eye candy and inspiration! This magazine never disappoints.

As always there are fabulous artists in it like Mary Engelbreit and oh so many others!

Nicol Sayre (one of my absolute faves!) is in there and what a beautiful studio she has! Such treasures and inspiraton!

Ruth Rae an absolutely fabulous artist and another fave is also in this issue and Ruth has a super cool studio filled with sooo many fun things to create and play with!

Joanna Figueroa another great artist is also in this issue. Joanna is actually fairly new to me and that's another thing I love about Where Women Create is that I can meet artists that I'm not familiar with or don't know much about and learn about them and their works.

When I first picked it up I went immediately to Nicol and Ruth's pages and drooled over them and then quickly flipped through oohing and ahhing the others, not knowing where to start! I'm now waiting for the drool to dry, so I can read the rest of the magazine!

Heirloom Party

Marie over at Emma Calls Me Mama is having an Heirloom Party, so I thought I'd join in the fun and post a few family pieces.

This first one is actually a friend and a family heirloom. I have 2 of these glass baskets---the other one sits in the matching cabinet right next to this one. One basket is from my mother and the other basket is from my grandmother--Grandma Long. I love these baskets and they always sit in a special place of honor.

The little teddy bear is what I call a friend heirloom and he was handmade by my dear friend Donna Balfanz. One of these days--in the far off future--I will hand him down to my youngest daughter. He also always gets a special place of honor.

This little cottage piece is one of my favorites and was handed down to me from my other grandmother--Grandma Juanita. It's always so special to have something to remember your grandma's by.

The rocking chair is a piece that my folks have had for many, many years and actually belongs to my brother, but I get to babysit it for him. Hopefully he'll forget it's his or that I have it. hehehee!

Roy Rogers here is actually a cookie jar that belongs to the husband, that came to him through my folks--sort of. The husband always loved Roy and so did my brother, so mom never could decide who to give him to. And in our family we often tease my folks that we have our "Post It Note" on a certain thing(s). And the husband and brother always teased each other about who would end up with Roy. Well it ended up that my brother got him, which was quite alright, however he decided that he really needed to give him to the husband, so one time while we were visiting him, he surprised the husband by giving him Roy. All the way home ( a 3 hour drive) I heard over and over how he just could not believe that the brother had given him Roy. He was tickled pink and he still is!

Well that's just a few heirlooms that I thought I'd share this time, so if you'd like to see more please don't forget to stop by Marie's and see everyone's heirlooms or maybe post yours for us to see.

Just Awesome Cinema: Chocolate (2008)

According to the good 'ol Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism, Autism is a brain development disorder that affects social skills and instills restricted and repetitive behavior. Lacking any medical credentials to my name, I can only boil it down to what I once heard from one of my elementery teachers: "It's like being trapped in your own reality". Now, why the Intro To Medical School beginning to this post? Because the main protagonist of Chocolate, Zen(Yanin Vismitananda), suffers from this malady.

The 2008 Thai martial arts film, from the makers of the spectacular Tony Jaa flick, Ong-Bak, is really a surprising entry into the genre of knuckle-dragging, head-smashing, hand-to-hand action...surprising because it is story first, action second. Similar to the Jet Li/Morgan Freeman flick Unleashed, Chocolate focuses on crafting characters, which is often not the case in most martial arts films. Of course, unlike Unleashed, I found the premise belivable to some degree; while I enjoyed Unleashed, I found myself distracted by the minor/major plotholes, like how could or how was Danny(Jet Li) trained in martial arts without someone knowing the strange situation he was raised in? But I digress.

How I find the situation of an autistic martial artist belivable will be expounded on. Essentially and surprisingly, Chocolate starts before Zen's birth, with Zen's mother, a sexy Thai gangster's girl named Zin(Ammara Siripong) and her father, a Japanese Yakuza named Masashi(Hiroshi Abe), being held at gunpoint at a table by the film's antagonist, Thai gangster Number 8(Pongbat Wachirabungjung), and his crew(which includes a very mascaline she-male, who is his lieutinant). Masashi proposes an alliance with Number 8, but 8 rejects it. After the confrontation, it is hinted that Masashi and Zin get romantic with one another. It all builds up to a violent sidewalk cafe confrontation between 8 and Masashi and his Yakuza crew, which ends with Zin switching sides and joining Masashi. Afterwards, Zin urges Masashi to return to Japan, for fear of retribution from 8.

Later, pregnant with Zen, she finds a place to stay and takes care of the baby. Hear, we learn that Zen has autism(i.e. "special needs") and need to be raised in a special way. Through the montage of scenes showing Zen growing up, she is given candy when she is crying one day by her mother, which becomes a trademark of sorts(hence, the name of the film). However, one day, when Zin decides to send a letter to Masashi to tell about their daughter, it is discovered by Number 8, who decides to punish the mother in the most horrible way(I'll leave that for you to see.)

Mother and daughter move again, and this time next to a Muay Thai dojo. By simply watching the training kickboxers, as well as Tony Jaa films, Zen begins to develop her potent martial arts skills. Around this time, Zin also takes in another child, a heavyset boy named Moom(Thaphon Phopwandee). Moom becomes the pesky brother to Zen, sneaking up on her(and getting elbowed for his trouble) and trying to throw things at her...which, no matter how hard he tried, she would easily catch every time!

Of course, in their teenage years, Moom has turned his pestering pasttime into a business, providing street demonstrations of Zen's catching skills to the public for spare change. When a gang of deliquents try to bully the duo, Zen springs into action(with one of the prettiest and funniest "Buzzsaw Kicks" I've ever seen!) and beats a few of them. It is later learned that Zin has developed a disease(I assumed it was cancer, and Wikipedia seemingly comfirms it on the Chocolate page), thus the reason Moom and Zen are doing the performing in the first place: to raise money for treatment and drugs. However, the drugs are very expensive, and the money they are making is not enough. All changes when Moom finds an old book, a relic of Zin's gangster past, with numbers of people who owe her money. And thus, the game begins.

Ms. Yanin, as Zen, is spectacular. Seriously, she nails it as an awesome martial artist and an autistic young woman(in my humble, lacking any medical training, opionion). In fact, the cast was wonderful, from Zin as a mother trying to escape her gangster past, to Moom as a foster brother looking out protectively for his autistic sibiling, to Number 8, who tortures Zin and her family over jealousy. I loved the story provided by the movie, and think it is really moving(espically the ending).

As I mentioned beforehand, I found the premise of an autistic martial artist, one who can simply watch and developed deadly hand-to-hand fighting skills, very belivable. Why? There is a realistic concept called "autistic savant", where a person with autism can develop genius skills in a mental area, such as playing music(without training) or very acute mental calculation. According to Wikipedia, savants, in general(autistic or not) can possess photographic memories. So, Zen, watching those kickboxers and Tony Jaa films, could easily be considered an autistic savant with genius-level skills in martial arts.

I hope to see Ms. Yanin in more flicks from Thailand, because Chocolate is awesome.

See The Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKw5pmI48EM

Sacred Colours

photography ©Petra Voegtle
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If at first you don't succeed...

...try and try again, right? Well I've tried and tried and tried, and still can't get winged liner right. Until today. It's the first time I've ever been quite pleased with my winged liner! I haven't been in a make up mood all week, and even today I wasn't wanting a full face. I did a really minimal eye and was just reaching for my mascara when I saw my new Urban Decay liquid liner, sitting unloved since I bought it last weekend. As ever, please excuse the phone camera picture:

What do you think? I'm not normally one to blow my own trumpet, but TOOT TOOT! Pretty decent right? I think the fact that I used a coloured liner is a lot more forgiving, but still, I'm pretty impressed.

On my eyes I used:
Benefit creaseless cream eyeshadow in 'Tattle Tale' from lashes to brow
MAC eyeshadow in 'Tempting' in the crease
Urban Decay liquid eyeliner in 'Minx'
Max Factor Masterpiece waterproof mascara

And on my face I used:
Revlon Colorstay foundation - oily/combination skin in Buff
MAC Studio Sculpt concealer in NW15
Benefit Powderflage

Please ignore my paleness. As I said, I wasn't wanting a full face today, so no bronzer, no blush... I didn't even fill in my brows! I used a little bit of GOSH Darling for the sake of the full face shots, but I wiped it off and put some Naked Honey Skin Salve on afterwards.

A bit of advice though please ladies... How big should my wing be? It doesn't seem big enough but when I try to make it bigger, I feel like a clown and wipe it back down with a q-tip! xx

Wedding Dress and Feng Shui

Did you know that the traditional Chinese bride has always been dressed in red? It is believed that wearing red on your wedding day stimulates joy, love, and strength within an individual and therefore the couple. Red is also strongly associated with the following combinations- prosperity and abundance, fame and reputation, love and relationships. This exciting and vivid color promotes romance, wealth, and happiness. What more reasons does one need to wear an elegant red wedding dress?

And a color so close to red is orange. Orange is associated with purpose and organization and can be used to strengthen concentration and creativity. This positive color offers the ability to portray enthusiasm and ambition as well as encouraging a lifetime of warm communications with her love one, especially when it is her second wedding.

A vibrant yellow is what brides want to wear if they want to brighten and bring lighter energies to their wedding. Strong yellow colors are associated with intuitive insight, joy, creativity, and wisdom. They encourage the ability to be flexible and adaptable. And doesn't the bride (and the rest of the wedding party) need the ability to be flexible and adaptable?

Are you having a winter wedding? Then please wear lighter yellows or ecrus which are the couture color du jour to wear. These colors are associated with the element of earth and promote good health. Pale yellows or ecrus also are unifying colors and encourage the bride and groom to always answer..."I do".

Are you environmentally inclined? Or have a bit of Irish in you? Then a gown of any shade of green will be best. Wearing green on your special day is an auspicious choice for a young bride. Green is considered to be a restful, refreshing color that can produce an atmosphere of balance. It is also believed that green symbolizes optimism as well as an eagerness to expand the couple into a family. One plus one equals two...or do we hear four?

Have you dreamed all your life of a beach/water wedding? Then the color for your gown on this special day ought to be blue. For blue is associated with exploration and adventure. Blues are simply heavenly as they encourage cool heads and calm hearts, which are most important when children are an integral part of the ceremony. Imagine the bride and groom dressed in blues resulting in an air of trust and peace for all to experience. Ugh!

And of course, there is always the western tradition of wearing white. Western belief is that white symbolizes confidence, purity, and poise. Within Feng Shui, it is also associated with the combinations of love and relationships, creativity and children, and helpful people and travel. Since white blends all of the colors, it is a symbol of harmony and purity. Need I say more?

Yet lest not forget, regardless the colors of the wedding...in all their glory the Bride and Groom will shine their radiance on this day that they become Husband and Wife. So when you hear, 'Here comes the Bride, all dressed in...'Stand, smile, and turn to see the bride all dressed in.

By : Phie

Beach Wedding Dresses

Beach weddings are fast becoming a trend now days. A lot couples want to move away from traditional weddings and have started opting for theme based weddings. And beach wedding is one of the more popular ones. The reasons why beach weddings are popular are that these can be arranged in a relatively shorted duration, can do with less decorations and is comparatively informal than traditional one.

So, if you have decided to have your wedding at a beach, you are going to pick up a dress which goes with this theme. The traditional gown and veil won't do. Think about it, you are going to make a mess of your beautiful dress on a beach if it is a long flowing white satin gown with a long train. The dress could end up in a mess. While choosing your dress you will have to make sure that you are very comfortable in it. Since the wedding is on a beach, it should not be long.

You can go for a lightweight material like chiffon, silk, linen or satin. It is best if it is pretty simple. A simple yet elegant wedding dress would add to the romantic setting on the beach. A sarong would make a lovely wedding dress if you can carry it well along with a nice halter top. You can also go for a strapless or spaghetti straps which would look very beautiful on the beach. You can also go a bit different than traditional white dress. There are various themes within beach theme like Hawaiian theme, carnival theme etc. Hawaiian theme would make a very good and colorful choice. Its your choice, have it your way.

Apart from the dress, special considerations should be given to the wedding footwear as well. Nice heels matching with the wedding dress may look good but they would be impractical to wear on a beach. For a beach wedding, brides should opt of either flat sloes or even barefoot. Sand can be pretty hot during summers therefore keep that in mind if you are planning to be barefoot.

By : Phie