By Georgina Clatworthy

With the resurgence of the ballgown on the wedding catwalks, fairytale weddings have never been so popular.  So if the princess bride look is your wedding dream then take a look at our showcase of the best gowns available now: 

Hollywood Dreams

Raylia Designs

Demetrios

Alfred Sung

So what makes a wedding dress a Fairytale Wedding Dress?  Typically skirts will be full, very full, the archetypal ballgown.  Usually they are strapless with lace up backs & detailing will include embroidery, crystal beading & jewels.  Skirts will feature layers of tulle, pick-ups, bustles & overlays, with trains no longer than chapel length to add balance to the skirt width & to create a symmetrical silhouette.

Accessorize with opera length gloves, a crystal tiara & full length veil.  You can also add crystal chokers, bracelets & chandelier earrings for the full princess effect!

The typical fairytale gown will be pure white, but ivory, pale pink & even scarlet red are other popular choices.

 By Georgina Clatworthy  

Many wedding themes will center on a certain era or century, for instance a medieval theme or 1920’s art deco. Whilst others may center on the location of the wedding or take fairytales & fantasy as their inspiration.   Having a themed wedding means you have to pay extra special attention to the finer details, after all there is little point in having a theme if your guests cannot tell what it is! 

So having bought your wedding dress which coordinates beautifully with your theme you must then think about how you will style your hair for the big day.  Of course, your hairstyle has to compliment you, but it must also compliment your wedding dress & your wedding theme. 

Here is my pick of some of the best hairstyles for popular wedding themes: 

1920’s/1930’s

 Go for pixie style bobs, waves & glamorous side swept, set styles.

 Medieval Wedding

 For a medieval wedding choose romantic curls in a half-up half-down style with a small crown or tiara.  Alternatively add fresh flowers to braids & loose curls.

Beach Wedding

Beach weddings are so often casual, relaxed affairs so choose a simple hairstyle with loose curls, braids & half-up half-down styles.  Accent your style with fresh flowers, feather & silk flower fascinators & simple combs.

Fairytale Wedding

 Fairytale weddings can call for formal updo’s, romantic curls & ringlets or a combination of both.

By Georgina Clatworthy 

With summer now in full bloom many of you brides-2-b who are getting married after the summer will be turning your attention to your wedding decorations & finishing touches.  For those of you who are getting married in the fall months this will now be your main priority within your wedding planning.

I am never quite sure when Fall begins, some have it as late September & others mid October.  Personally I let nature dictate when it begins by noting the color change in the leaves on the trees outside my house.  So for the purposes of this article we will say Fall runs from mid-September to mid-November.

If you are planning a Fall wedding then here are a few ideas to help inspire you:

Colors: at this time of year nature gives us a wealth of wonderful colors to work with, from dark browns to burnt orange, amber, red, gold & yellow there is a wonderful spectrum to choose from.  As each color compliments themselves you can choose to work with many colors in your wedding details.

Patterns & motifs: instantly we think about leaves as a motif for stationery & other elements.  Try skeleton leaves for something a little different or choose a specific tree leaf which is local to you, for instance, oak, beech or ash.

Other suggestions come from harvest time, so think about pumpkins, corn bundles & seasonal produce.  Fall is a bountiful time & you may be surprised by what is on offer.

In terms of patterns, checks & ginghams are popular choices & ones which seem to fit the season very well.

Wedding favors: you will find a wealth of Fall inspired wedding favors to choose from, perhaps more so than any other season.  From leaf shaped bottle stoppers & bookmarks to glass coasters & scented soaps.

If you prefer to make you own try some recipes of seasonal dishes such as cider punch, spiced apple sauce & pumpkin soup.  Give out little Hessian bags with seasonal flower bulbs or back your own leaf shaped cookies. 

Table centers: some of the best I have seen have been created in hollowed out pumpkins sometimes filled with flowers or carved with the couples initials (jack-o-lantern style) & lit from within with a votive candle.

Choose natural looking containers for your center pieces such as wooden boxes, hollowed out tree logs or terracotta plant pots.  Keep flowers seasonal also & in traditional autumnal colors.

Food & beverage: if you haven’t sorted this out already then consider some of the dishes mentioned above.  Serve up pumpkin soup, a second course consisting of roast pork with seasonal vegetables & spiced apple sauce & finish with a dessert made with seasonal fruits such as blackberries & apples.

Welcome your guests with a glass of cider punch when they arrive & serve up rich wines with a hint of blackberry throughout the meal.

Decorations: depending on your venue you could choose a harvest festival style decoration with bundles of corn, garlands of seasonal fruit & vegetables & standard copper beech trees.

As an alternative make your own bunting in fall colored gingham & patterned fabrics.  Arrange scented tea lights in amber colored glasses on tables & hang orange ‘pumpkin’ paper shades from the ceiling.  You could also collect freshly fallen leaves & make your own garlands, also using them as place cards by writing your guests names on them with gold marker pen.  Don’t collect leaves that are too dry as they will be too brittle to work with & look for leaves with an interesting array of colors.

 By Georgina Clatworthy 

2009 sees many couples having to compromise on their wedding budgets, largely due to the global recession.  However, having to cut back on cost has not meant having to cut back on style & this year sees the best weddings being the most glamorous.

Large weddings are out, mostly due to cost cutting, so smaller more intimate affairs are on trend.  This means that couples then have more cash to play with & are choosing glamorous details & finishing touches worthy of a millionaires wedding!

Wedding dresses this year are very much in the ballgown style with large skirts & an abundance of crystal accents.  This trend for crystal beading continues with bridal shoes & accessories with the return of crystal chokers, chandelier earrings & sparkling tiaras.

But whilst ballgowns may be the big news in wedding fashion, many designers have continued with last years hot look of mermaid & trumpet gowns, as well as some stunning modified A-line styles.  Crystal accents with a touch of vintage appeal abound & you could be hard pressed to find a dress that didn’t include them!

But whilst you may be thinking all this glamour will be costly, the industry has responded to the recession crisis & you will find many budget options available as the style hits the top across all price ranges. 

Crystal seems the keyword here, appearing not only on wedding attire, but in wedding favors, wedding cakes & bridal bouquets.  Colors are slightly more sedate with emerald green, latte, chocolate brown & shades of purple.  Metallic is also a hot color trend with schemes of purple & silver proving very popular.

All of this may sound a little over the top to most but this trend has the potential for producing some very stylish & elegant weddings.  Using each element in small doses is the key & adopting a less is more approach has become the buzz phrase of the year!

Consider an elegant scheme of latte, cream & chocolate.  Add brushed silver or gold in the form of charger plates, center piece containers & in your wedding favors & wedding cake. Scatter some table crystals across the table & hang chandeliers from the ceiling. 

As guest lists get smaller then the various elements of the wedding become more glamorous.  Menu’s feature sumptuous dishes, reception venues are more luxurious & the finer details more beautiful.  It could even be said that the credit crisis has been good for the wedding industry, making couples spend more on the little details with smaller retailers rather than spending big dollars with larger vendors.

So go on & plan yourself a luxury wedding with all the glamorous details & trimmings.  It is your special day & you deserve to have a wedding that looks a million dollars even if it didn’t cost it!

 By Georgina Clatworthy

Throughout your wedding planning you will probably be told about how important paying attention to detail is & how it is the finishing touches that will make your wedding unique.  But much of the time you are not told exactly what these details or finishing touches are!

Colors & themes:  you will probably have begun thinking about your wedding colors without any prompting; it seems natural to most of us to use a combination of colors for almost everything we do.  Be it weddings or simply getting dressed in the morning!  What is important now is that every little detail & every finishing touch matches or coordinates with those colors.

Details actually lend themselves to providing accent colors, which are often very bold & which many would shy away from using in any great quantity.  Consider a scheme of pale pink & cream – a timeless wedding classic!  Adding details in chocolate brown or antique gold would bring this scheme to life & add interest.

With themes you need to coordinate your details with not only color in mind but theme as well.  Table centers arranged in Grecian urns would look odd in a Medieval wedding theme.  Likewise an Art Deco wedding theme would look strange presented in a color scheme of aqua blue & chocolate brown!  With wedding themes it pays to do some research & collect together a scrapbook of images showing various details which you could use.

Motifs, patterns & monograms: these will all be things you will consider primarily for your wedding stationery & then continue in smaller details at your wedding.  For instance, wedding monograms are popular on stationery, labels or tags on wedding favors & decoration on the wedding cake.

Patterns can not only be incorporated into your wedding stationery, but also into your table linens, napkins, wedding cake & wedding favors.

Motifs are another important element used in weddings.  Consider how bells & doves have become synonymous with weddings although these days many brides will choose something less traditional.  If you choose a motif for your wedding invitations continue it on your wedding programs, menus & other stationery items.  Also include it on your wedding favors either in printed labels, stickers or tags.

Flowers: Even if you don’t intend on using them for your table centers you will still have some floral elements such as your bouquet & bridesmaid posies.  Ensure your flowers coordinate with your wedding style & colors, for instance if your wedding has an Asian theme choose exotic flowers like orchids & other blooms like lilies, chrysanthemum’s & dahlias.  If your wedding is traditional in style then choose traditional flowers like roses, lilies & baby’s breath.

Wedding favors:  coordinate your choice of favor with your wedding style or theme & if there is a color choice coordinate that as well.  Do the same with your packaging, choosing color coordinated packaging &/or decorations such as ribbons, tags & stick on embellishments.

To finish here is a handy list of all the finishing touches & little details you need to consider:

• Colors
• Theme
• Motifs/monograms
• Patterns
• Flowers
• Table centers
• Wedding cake & topper
• Wedding stationery
• Wedding favors
• Your accessories
• Your attendants accessories
• Your table linens, crockery, cutlery & glassware
• Decorations for the venue
• Guestbook

 By Georgina Clatworthy

Being a city bride can mean her wedding takes on a totally different look to those of her urban or country counterparts.  For a start the city bride may find herself at the cutting edge of city chic, a host of stores & vendors at her fingertips & supreme organizational skills!

Cities move at a fast pace & everything can change in the blink of an eye, the city bride will no doubt have her finger on the pulse of what’s hot & what’s not & a wedding that is bang on trend & uniquely ‘her’ is all that is expected of her! 

For instance, her wedding dress will be a couture creation which may raise a few eyebrows but will definitely leave the guests in a state of awe in its wake.  Or perhaps she will go for something completely different.  Black perhaps or latte?  Maybe a short number or a stunning Oscar worthy creation?

With a host of designers on her doorstep & an ample budget her only decision will be choosing the right designer name for her.

Her reception will be at a venue that is a regular haunt; a trendy wine bar perhaps or a hotel function room with a reputation to match its hefty prices.  There won’t be a long guest list but those that are invited will want for nothing.  From stylish canapés & cocktails to vintage champagne; they will eat & drink the finest available & finish with a slice of wedding cake made by a cake designer to the stars. 

She may handle the wedding planning herself, but leave the finer details in the capable hands of an events manager or wedding planner with celebrity credentials.  The reception will echo with whispers of ‘yes – she got that guy in, you know, the one who did Brittany’s wedding!’  And at the end of the day the guests will walk away with a goody bag filled with designer delights, because she saw it in a magazine & simply had to have the same!

Some may call her materialistic others will call her driven.  For the city bride knows what she wants & where to get it.  There will be no frilly details or whimsical touches (unless they are on trend of course), style, elegance & sophistication are the order of the day; a traditional wedding with a contemporary twist.

She won’t turn bridezilla either.  Nor will she stress about spelling mistakes on the invitations or the champagne being the wrong vintage.  No, for her wedding planning will run with military precision leaving those around her wondering quite how she does it & slight envious that she can!

 By Georgina Clatworthy 

Weddings don’t have to be grand formal affairs with function rooms & posh wedding favors.  Planning your wedding with nature in mind can result in a wedding that is fun, relaxed & full of adorable details that are unique & personable.

Here are a few tips to help you put together a beautiful wedding, inspired by nature.

The venue: It has to be outdoors.  Think about parks, woodlands or gardens.  You can erect a marquee if you feel the need for shelter perhaps from the sun & as somewhere to retreat in the cooler evening temperatures.

The reception: Treat you guests to gourmet picnic baskets & provide them with picnic blankets to sit on.  Serve up dishes made with seasonal produce, which could also be organic & locally grown. 

Decorate the venue with garlands of fresh flowers & foliage.  For a fragrant air incorporate fresh herbs as well.  Use candles for decorative lighting & paper lanterns hung in colorful clusters.

Details: If you do provide tables & chairs go for rustic looking wooden ones & make table centers of fresh herbs & seasonal flowers in small metal pails, enamel jugs or jars. 

Choose a simple wedding cake design & decorate it with sprigs of fresh herbs & wild flowers.

Instead of a guest book ask your guest to write their messages on small pieces of paper & peg them to a tree or line to create a wishing tree. 

Use natural elements for place cards such as apples, pears or citrus fruits.  Simply write the guests names on small strips of paper & pin them onto the fruit.  For decorative accents choose butterflies, birds & cute bugs!

For colors choose green as your main color & accent it with white, natural tones of brown or cream.  For a more vibrant scheme incorporate citrus yellow, with lemons as a decorative accent throughout.  Or use several shades of green & choose a single flower as a signature, such as a dog daisy, for a pretty scheme with a country feel.

You can incorporate patterns as well such as gingham, polka dots or checks.  Using these patterns in accents such as ribbons adds a vintage touch to the whole scheme & a homely feel.

Wedding favors: Stick with the natural theme & give seeds or flower bulbs, coordinating them with the flowers you have used for your wedding.  Give out recipes for favorite foods from your families, such as cakes, pies & savories. 

Give little pots of fresh herbs or special herb mixes that you have put together yourself & presented in a small tin or linen bag.

If your budget will run to it then tree seedlings are a popular new trend for favors.  They make a gift that will last forever (hopefully!) & they are good for the environment!

Flowers: Choose seasonal blooms which are locally grown.  You could even grown your own flowers at home planting them early enough so they will be in full bloom by your wedding date.

Wildflowers are a great alternative to garden flowers & make stunning but understated displays.  Daisies, chrysanthemums, stocks & hydrangeas are all popular choices & don’t cost the earth either.

Choose pretty hand tied bouquets for yourself & your bridesmaids, simple arrangements for your table centers & a floral ring for your flower girl – give her a basket of wild flower petals to strew in front of you as you glide down the aisle!

 By Georgina Clatworthy

Now that summer is here my thoughts are turning to wonderful summer wedding themes.  Here I have looked at a tropical theme which provides a colorful & eyecatching color palette.

Whether your wedding is on a distant tropical shore (you lucky things!) or closer to home, this theme will work anywhere & really gives a sense of anything goes!  Here is my take on creating a tropical wedding scheme that everyone will love.

Colors: Go for vibrant fuchsia pink, bright red, orange, lime green & aqua blue for a fiesta style scheme.  This opens up many possibilities for your decorations, accessories & flowers – something your florist will love you for!

If you want something a little more subtle then choose a combination of two colors teamed with white.  For instance, try combining fuchsia pink, aqua blue & white; or lime green, aqua blue & white.  

Locations: As mentioned this scheme can really work anywhere.  Beaches perhaps offer the best venue, but gardens, marquees & open spaces can work equally as well. 

This theme doesn’t have to be confined to a summer wedding either.  Beat the winter blues by using for a winter wedding; just find a location with a large room so you have a space that is light & airy – opulent ballrooms would be a step too far with this scheme!

Food & Drink: If you are outside then a B-B-Q is perfect with some tropical inspired dishes. 

Serve up a refreshing lemon sorbet for dessert – the perfect foil for spicy Jamaican food!

Serve up Pina Colada’s during cocktail hour or some white rum punch complete with added tropical fruits.  For the non-alcoholic drinkers put together a refreshing fruit punch instead.

Decorations: Look for some colorful paper garlands, funky garden candles for outdoors & colorful glass candle holders.  Make your centerpieces from carved fruits & provide your guests with some colorful confetti in the form of orange & pink rose petals.

If you are having an outdoors buffet then let your guests help themselves with some colorful picnic tableware & glasses.  Afterwards they can relax on a fun hammock or take some shade under a colorful parasol.

Place Cards & Wedding Favors: Make pretty name cards from cocktail umbrella’s by adding a name tag wrapped around the stick.  Or print your own name & table number cards at home, add in some colorful tropical motifs such as hibiscus flowers, pineapples & pink flamingos.  Why not make your table numbers places instead by using postcards from your favorite tropical paradises.

For your wedding favors your could give out fun shaped cookies, candies in palm tree shaped boxes or create beautiful favor boxes by adding a gorgeous tropical flower head to the top.

Finishing Touches: Have your wedding cake made with tropical fruit flavors either in sponge or in a cheesecake variety.  Choose a different flavor for each tier & make sure they are colored accordingly, for instance one orange, one lemon, one lime; fill in the space between each tier with corresponding fresh fruits.

Have your guests entertained with a steel band.  They will create the laid-back feel of the Caribbean & get your guests in the party mood.

 By Georgina Clatworthy

Many couples will probably be looking at ways to reduce their wedding budget at the moment, but it seems that many of them are refusing to compromise when it comes to planning their dream wedding.  After all, this is supposed to be the most special day of your lives, why shouldn’t you have it all?

But if your budget is not saying dream wedding, then don’t panic, a big bank balance is not the only way to achieve your perfect wedding day.  If you are looking for a fairytale wedding without the price tag then follow these top tips to find out how to achieve it.

The Fairytale Venue

Your choice of venue will help to coordinate your wedding style & will dictate the overall look of your wedding day.  A dream venue often comes at a price, but you can get as much as 50% of the booking price by having your wedding during a less popular time of year & during a weekday.

Another tip is to look at places that may not advertise themselves as wedding venues but which would be more than happy to accommodate you.  Look at museums, restaurants, inns & parks.

The Fairytale Wedding Dress

Your dress will be the most important outfit you will ever purchase, so it has to be perfect.  Couture gowns will cost you thousands, but there are other designers out there offering similar designs at much lower prices.

Another option is to look out for designer sample sales where you can snap up a stunning dress for a bargain price.  Check out websites like EBay or your local classifieds for new, nearly new or worn once gowns as well.  With both of these options you will probably have to pay for dry cleaning & maybe alterations too, but you will still come in well under the cost of a brand new dress from a designer boutique.

The Finishing Touches

It is the small finishing touches which add to the uniqueness of your wedding.  All those things such as wedding favors, decorations & your wedding cake are what go to making your wedding personal to you both.  But all of these combined can cost a serious chunk of your budget.

Get creative & make your own decorations, table centerpieces & wedding favors.  It isn’t hard to do & you will plenty of inspiration online & in craft stores.  If you have someone in the family or amongst your friends who can bake then ask them to make your wedding cake.  They don’t have to ice it, you can employ a professional then to apply the decorative touches.

Making your own stationery is not difficult either.  You can buy kits from craft stores or if you are familiar with card making you will know you can buy everything you need separately.  There are also websites with printable designs to download & print out at home.

The Fairytale Wedding Reception

Your wedding reception & evening party will be a big expense, mainly because this will be the biggest party you will ever throw.  Save money by having a buffet instead of a sit down formal meal or go for a traditional afternoon tea or canapé reception with cocktails.

Put together your own buffet with the help of family & friends, you may be surprised by the quality of the food you can put together at a fraction of the cost of professional caterers.

Save on hiring a professional disco by using an MP3 player instead, just make sure your venue has an adequate sound system for you to use & delegate someone to be in charge of keeping the music going.  You can load it with a variety of songs to suit all ages & tastes.  A good tip is to ask your guests to nominate their favorite songs on their RSVP cards.

 By Georgina Clatworthy

Black & white is possibly one of the favorite wedding color schemes of all time.  It oozes sophistication & elegance & is very easy to put together.

I have put together two black & white schemes to inspire you.  The first is a vintage style scheme & the second a modern, contemporary scheme.

Vintage Black & White

This scheme relies upon the use of heavy patterns such as toiles, damasks & florals.  It is feminine but not overly so, so it should please the groom as well!

This scheme would fit many different styles of venue & wedding styles.  You can dress it up for a formal wedding or tone it down for a more casual affair.

Dress your bridesmaids in dresses with a black & white pattern, either printed or embroidered.  You should look for a wedding dress with a vintage style & add some black accessories such as a belt or fancy jewelry.  If you are having a casual wedding then look for a less formal gown & wear a black silk flower in your hair.

You can add some feather butterflies to your centerpieces & other floral arrangements & dress your tables with damask table cloths & pretty vintage style china in plain white.  Balance the busy patterns with some plain elements or a simple geometric pattern, for instance add a black & white dance floor to the center of the room which will draw the eye.

If you wanted to add an additional color you could try blush pink for a truly vintage feel or swap pure white for pale cream or ivory to soften the look.

Modern Black & White

This scheme is for uber sophisticates & is extremely elegant & stylish.  It relies on clean simple lines & geometric patterns to add symmetry.  There is nothing flouncy or fluffy here either but the scheme is not cold or hard to the eye.

Avoid the over use of pattern as this would be too busy & look over done.  You may prefer to use patterns in small doses, such as ribbons on menus & patterned napkins.

Your bridesmaids can be dressed in stylish black dresses with white sashes, whilst you choose a modern mermaid style gown with a black sash or if you prefer simple black jewelry.

For your flowers look to the elegant calla lilly in black & white.  You can choose to use one color on its own or mix the two together if you feel it is too overpowering.

If you wanted to add additional colors try grey which is very trendy at the moment or for a gothic feel you can add scarlet red.  Add sunny yellow for a spring wedding in the form of contemporary flower arrangements.  The yellow acts as a nice foil to the static black & white.

There is a temptation here to add in sparkly crystal & mirrored accessories.  Personally I would avoid using them as it could make your scheme look like a tacky nightclub.  That said though, a few mirrored coasters under your centerpieces could add a nice accent to your tables.

This scheme would work best in an environment which is all white.  Imagine a grand ballroom with white marble columns & floors & plain white walls with crystal chandeliers.  A tall order I know, but you get the general idea!