2011 Hot Gowns & Accessories

Here are some of this year's hottest bridal fashion trends...

Ballgowns

After several seasons of svelte silhouettes, the voluminous ball gowns are back! With a royal wedding this year, the traditional princess dress is poised to dethrone the curve-hugging mermaid shape that has reigned supreme in recent years.

Colour

Believe it or not, white wasn't always the norm for bridal gowns! Prior to Queen Victoria's 1840 wedding, any old colour would do. Gutsy brides will welcome the news that colour is slowly coming back. Soft shades of pink, peach and lavendar are turning up on this years' runways.

Statement Jewelry

Demure strands of pearls and diamond studes will never go out of style, but this year's best wedding accessories are big, bold and beautiful. Modern brides are choosing pieces of jewellery that express their personalities, and investing in items that can be worn again!

Rosettes

Flowers and weddings go hand in hand, so it's no surprise that bridal designers are encorporating them onto dresses in a flirty, feminine way. Where once rosettes were used solely as decorative details, they're now consuming the entire skirt with silky petals.

Black & White

This classy colour combination is everywhere in bridal fashion at the moment. Countless designers used black lace, embroidery and ribbon to add a dash of sophiciation to otherwise traditional white gowns. Shania Twain accessorized her white dress with a black sash when she wed Frederic Thiebaud on New Year's Day.

Hats

Renowned designers such as Caroline Herrera dared to be different this season by showing brides in jaunty hats instead of veils. And one can only predict that this very British trend will increase in popularity after April 29th's big wedding!

Tulle

Natalie Portman and her astonishingly beautiful Black Swan costumes by Rodarte have come from the big screen to brides! With tulle at the forefront of the fabrics for 2011, these pretty, airy and feminine gowns are being designed by all the big bridal names, from Vera Wang to Monique Lhuillier.

Mini-Dresses

For civil ceremonies, more casual or second weddings, nothing beats a short and sexy gown. This style is pretty and playful, with a subtle nod to the swining '60s. The key to pulling off this look is confidence - and a killer pair of shoes!

Lace

Thanks to a movement towards more modest gowns, this traditional fabric is also at the forefront of wedding fashion once more. Bridal designers such as Oscar de la Renta are using modern treatments and sleek silhouettes to update this heirloom fabric while maintaining its vintage charm.

Old Hollywood

These are some women who will never go out of style, and who continue to inspire - topping the list is Audrey Hepburn! It's no wonder the beloved actress has served as a muse for designers such as Romona Keveza in bringing back her classic style.

Wedding Gift Tips - the best and worst!

You'd imagine that buying the perfect gift for a wedding would be easy. Couples register for a range of items they want, and tell you exactly where to get it! But talk to couples a few years after the nuptials, and they're likely to say that the best gifts they got didn't come from their registry - they were sentimental favourites that remind them of the gift-giver each time they see it. Let's take a quick look at the good, the bad and the ugly options for gifts.

The Good
The key to a great gift is keeping it practical! Many couples regret not registering for a vacuum cleaner, and is definitely a practical and needed item.

If the couple are fresh out of school and just starting their lives together and building up their household items, it's a great idea to get them something for their new home. What about getting them a specialty item, such as poultry shears, or a tool to help them open stubborn jars and containers.

Keep the couples' interests in mind, maybe they are avid bikers? Or love to hike? Try getting them a hiking or biking book with maps in the area, consider the items you need when you are out in the wilderness (maybe some water bottles that are easy to carry or a new backpack), or if you have a bigger budget, even a new bike.

The Bad
Going off registry can be risky as well, and really depends on how well you know the couple and how open they are. So please consider the couple before venturing into some new and crazy gift idea.

Keep in mind the dietary preferences of the couple - a vegetarian couple just won't enjoy a professional meat slicer.

The (Potentially) Ugly
Making the gift personal is a great idea, however be sure to also keep it tasteful.

For a winter wedding, consider getting them some Christmas ornaments to commemorate their special occasion (and the season). The couple will enjoy placing this gently on their tree each year.

Making up a cookbook of your favourite recipes, or even some family secrets can be a great sentimental gift if you are a part of the same family, or your families are very close!

Again, if you are going off of the registry, be sure you know the couple well enough that the perfect gift isn't guesswork. If you have to ask a friend what you think the couple would like, stick to the registry!

Funny Wedding Theme Ideas

While some people take their lives very seriously, there are some who, like a delightful breath of fresh air, take even serious affairs much more lightly. Their wedding day is no exception! Here are a few funny weddnig ideas for the lighthearted.

Vows
Creative and funny extras added to your vows can inject a sense of humour into the traditional wedding. An extra promise: "I promise to make your favourite chocolate chip pancakes on Saturdays," "I promise to not ever forget that every year we have an anniversary to celebrate," "I promise to cheer for your favourite team," and "I promise to wash the dishes" all add a bit of humour and a sense of individuality to the ceremony.

Funny vows additions can reflect the theme of your wedding, recognize a favourite funny poem or story, or hint at a favourite shared hobby or interest. When infusing humour into wedding vows it's important to remember not to go overboard with humour, to be tactful with it, and to discuss any funny vow additions with the soon-to-be-spouse beforehand to avoid any uncomfortable situations.

Favours

With funny wedding favours, the bride and groom can have as much fun selecting them as their guests have receiving them. Fortune cookies make great wedding favours if they are custom made with wacky quotes and sayings, maybe your favourite jokes, or instead of "fortunes" they can have "misfortunes" instead.

Joke novelties including exploding cigarettes, whoopee cushions, spicy chewing gum, etc. are also favourite humourous wedding favours. When choosing funny wedding favours, you should match the favour to the theme of the wedding, or to the personality of the guest, or relate them to well-known funny incidents between you and your partner.

Cakes

Wedding cakes for humour-filled weddings can be decorated to depict a favourite hobby, or sport team, or bone of contention (ie. a cake shaped like 2 giant TV remote controls). Silly wedding cakes should be decorate with funny cake toppers to complete the look. A funny wedding cake decorated to depict the groom's favourite hobby, fishing, might be topped with a fishing bride reeling him in. Or a cake decorated in the colours of a favourite sports team might have a cheering bride and groom, decked out in their team's fan gear, as its topper.

Themes

Some fun-loving couples dress in costumes on their wedding day and the rest fo the theme (decorations, colours, favours, cake, etc.) follows suit. Some favourite wedding day costumes/themes include: clowns, masquerade ball, famous people, movie characters, storybook characters, Halloween, Superheroes, mimes, cowboys, fairy tales, and famous love stories (Romeo and Juliet, Gone with the Wind, etc.).

Although marriage is a serious commitment, it should be approached with an imtact sense of humour. What better way to start a life of ups and downs together than to begin a marriage on a silly, fun-loving note? A funny wedding theme might be just right.

Veil for Summer Weddings

Summer weddings are very popular, and usually have gorgeous weather - but that lovely sun comes with lots of heat as well. No bride wants to look flushed in their wedding photos or have to fan themselves to stay cool during the reception. While the location of your wedding and your dress may be effected by the warm weather, you may be surprised how well the right veil can help your flawless wedding look remain perfect.

Shoulder Length
If you are a summer bride sporting a strapless gown, a short wedding veil can perfectly accompany your ensemble. Most short veils are elegantly cut above or around the shoulders. This design can not only provide you with a classic look that accentuates your shoulders and chest area, but the short veil can actually help to decrease perspiration created from lack of air flow.








Fingertip

Fingertip wedding veils are amongst the most popular veils for summer brides. The fingertip veil consists of layers of fabric that strategically extend down to where your fingertips end, drawing the eye to your hip area. Fingertip veils not only help to accentuate your body by providing you with the illusion of a longer, dove-like neck, but they can also coordinate with almost any type of wedding gown.


Elbow Length
Similar to the fingertip veil is the elbow length, another popular summer selection. The beautiful layers of fabric that create this veil are slightly pulled in order to highlight the contours of your face. While this veil works to accentuate your body in all the right placess, it only extends down to your elbows demanding attention at your waist. Many brides who plan on wearing their hair in a goregous up-do will choose the elbow length to finish off their look.

Cathedral Veil

For the summer bride that wants to wear a longer and more traditional veil, the Cathedral extends beautifully to the floor. Cathedral wedding veils are meant to be worn with floor length weddign gowns. Most experts believe that this veil looks the best when paired with a dress that dons a train as well. Cathedral wedding veils can either be solely behind your back, or can be combined with a blusher veil for an extremely traditional look. A blusher veil usually hides the bride's face during the wedding ceremony, and is removed at the end right before the reception. Cathedral veils are known for highlighting your beautiful dress.

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Custom Veils

Although short, fingertip, elbow and cathedral wedding veils are the most popular designs for summer weddings, they are not your only options. A summer bride can also turn to customization to provide them with a unique veil for their special day.

When creating a wedding veil, it is important to choose a style that really speaks to you, as well as the type of wedding you have planned. While some brides choose a veil that portrays simplicity and classic elegance, others stride for a veil that speaks creativity and unique style with added embellishments such as crystals, pearls or beading.

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Floral Design

For summer weddings, veil options come in a variety of different patterns such as the ever-popular floral design. When choosing veils that don a bold pattern, such as the floral motif, it is important to make sure that the design compliments your wedding gown instead of overshadowing it. The general rule is that your wedding gown is the center of attention and every other details merely helsp accentuate its' beauty.

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Lace

Lace is very popular, and very common, fabric used on many gorgeous veil designs for decards! Adding lace to your veil is a great way to maintain the elegant and traditional look of a beautiful and classic bride. Lacey wedding veils are usually best accompanied by breathtaking pearl jewelry.

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Trimmed

When creating or purchasing a wedding veil for a summer wedding, it is essential to consider the trim of your veil. In past years, wedding veils and trims have been various shades of white and off-white. However, newer trends have allowed for an explosion of colours to be subtly incorporated into your veil. Adding colour to the trim can work extremely well for any summer wedding dress, and can coordinate with your overall wedding colour scheme. With the new trend of colour-accented gowns, your entire ensemble can be beautifully accented in your favourite colour.

Blusher

Like the look of a blusher? Then just wear that alone! This allows you to still maintain the classic look, without doning the whole veil as well. Just a hint of elegance and tradition in a new stylish way.

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Thanks to newer trends in wedding veils, there is no longer one style that fits all. You can easily find the wedding veil that is perfect for your summer wedding by highlighting all of your best assets. The perfect wedding veil will also help make you feel like the most beautiful bride in the worlD1

Butterfly Release and Other Wedding Trends

The tradition of a bride and groom departing their wedding reception in a cloud of thrown rice has long since past. Not only is the concept of rice throwing an old trend, but it also presents problems for the environment with birds eating it, and it makes a HUGE mess for the venue to clean up (meaning extra costs for you).

Looking for a dramatic send-off?! There are lots of several unique trends in wedding send-offs that are fun and mess-free. A growing favourite among wedding parties has become the release of live animals. Dove releases have been a part of different ceremonies throughout history. However, doves are expensive and must be handled by professionals, limitied guests involvement. In lieu of releasing birds, one of the newest trends is to release live butterflies.

Releasing butterflies has many different options for who you want to be involved. Some couples prefer to have the bridal party send out a cluster of butterflies, but it is becoming more common to see each wedding guest release a single butterfly. A great advantage to butterflies is that they can be handled by all of your guests, without age restrictions. Many companies provide the inexpensive butterflies in individual boxes or other personalized butterfly favours for guests to take home. Guests will love to see the beautiful butterflies floating from bouquet to bouquet or landing on a guests' shoulder. These all make for fantastic photo opps as well!

Butterflies also carry a heavy symbolic weight. Because of their transformation process from caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly, they represent a transition and renewed life. Just like the butterflies, the newlywed couple are emergine to take their first steps in their new life together. Butterflies also symbolize celebration and happiness -all very fitting for your special day!
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Like the idea, but want to integrate it differently or in additional ways to your wedding?! Try these ideas...



During the Ceremony, couples may choose to release 2 butterflies representing themselves as part of an outdoor service in place of lighting a unity candle.
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At the Reception, you can have anything from ...
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butterfly themed wedding cakes to













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favours to













decorations, thank you cards,









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and even place card holders.











Butterfly releases or favours will not be forgotten anytime soon by guests or the couple. It does not matter where they appear throughout the day, a butterfly release promiuses a unique experience that is sure to showcase the special day in an all-new light.

Wedding Cake Style Ideas

Here are some fresh ideas, and a few bold statements, that you can make with your wedding cake. These are great new trends that we are seeing lots of now to add a spice of personality to this traditional element of your wedding.



Graphic Sugar Appliques
Big sugar flowers are still lovely, and very popular, however the latest in wedding cake add-ons isn't your typical garden show anymore. More abstract sugar-made designs seem to be bursting from the cakes. A few pretty applique ideas can be seen below, as well as paisley, ruffles, lace cutouts and starbursts are coming to the forefront.

Creative "Stamped" Patterns

For a unique, one-dimensional look, ask your baker to "stamp" a fun pattern onto your cake using a paintbrush or edible dye and a stamp. The bold result creates a very different look. Don't go overboard - you'll want to limit the designs to just a few tiers to keep it from looking too busy.

Chandelier Inspired

Always loved lighting and chandeliers?! Have your wedding cake reflect your interest. You can ask you baker to include chandelier elements on the cake, or even have it set up to look like a chandelier on display.

Fabric Fun

Skip the typical allover buttercream swirls - the new way of texturizing a wedding cake is with fabric-like elements, like all-over white fondant designed to look like eyelet or crocheted lace. You can work in the design of your dress to make the cake look similar in style. Ask your baker to frost delicate lace-like accents around the tiers or to use sugar appliques to create a ruffle look.

Retro Accents and Colours

It really is true that trends come back around, and now we're seeing retro make an appearance on cakes. Go for black-and-white, or even a mint green-frosted cake, softened with a small, black bow on the bottom tier for a funky '50s look. Or get a classic Grace Kelly-inspired style by askign for a white cake banded with champagne ribbon and accented with a sparkly silver brooch. In the same way, throw back to the 1920s with pink and gold-toned frosting and flapper-esque accents, like edible beads and sugar-painted feathers.

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Cake Buffets
There's no rule saying that you are only allowed to have one cake, so order what you want. You can have a trio of coordinated cakes for your cake table, or an assortment to offer guests. This is great if you have specific dietary needs, such as lactose intolerance or gluten free. To get the cakes to match, come up with a design, motif or colour scheme to work with, and ask you baker to vary the design from each cake. It's eye-catching and a great alternative to a stand-alone.

Middle Tier Treatments

Traditionally the focus on the wedding cake is all on top, but this does not need to be the case. Consider moving the cake topper or some decoration elements to the middle cake tier for an entirely new look.

Top Groomsmen Trends

While we all love to focus on the bride and bridesmaids for the wedding, some considerations do have to be made for the groomsmen as well. Here are the top 5 groomsmen trends we are seeing now!

Bye-Bye Bow Tie
Today, being a stylish groomsman has a lot to do with what's worn underneath the jacket. We're seeing tuxedos with long (not bow) ties, and with vests instead of cummberbunds. Check out cravat (long) ties, non-pleated shirts, and three-button jackets for a more modern look.

Beyond the Tux
If you're having a casual affair, go ahead and ditch the tuxes. Instead, dress the guys in blazers, and match something in their outfits (a pocket square, a tie, a belt, their socks) with the overall colour scheme. For a great casual look, have your party wear khaki pants they already own, and ask them to get the same navy blazer. Another way to coordinate? Order extra fabric from the bridesmaid dresses to make matching ties for the groomsmen - this is a great way to create a unified wedding party look. Looking for a more funky idea? Try getting sneakers made for your groomsmen with their names, and incorporate the wedding colours there!

Don't Forget Gramps
Many grooms are paying respect to their elders by getting them matching tuxedos. Even if grandpa isn't officially in the party, this is a great way to make him feel like he's a part of the celebration. If you don't want him to look identical to the party, have your grandfathers wear the same style tux and shirt, but a slightly different shade of tie than the groomsmen. That awy they'll still be noticed as special, but they'll be distinct from the party.

Wearable Gifts
If your groomsmen are white-collared business types, chances are they spend a lot of their workweek in a suit or blazer, give them a unique, personalized gift that will add to their wedding day style and that they'll also be able to use again and again. Cufflinks with their initials are a great gift, or you can go for styles that suit the personality of the guy who'll wear them. The men in your party will appreciate the thought, and they'll also be thankful that they don't have something identical to the other men at your wedding. Like the sneaker idea?! They can be considered the groomsmen gift AND worn that day too.

Vary the Boutonnieres
It's nice to have the wedding party somewhat coordinated, but it's totally acceptable to have the best man's boutonniere be different than the other members of the party. Another idea? Make every single groomsman's boutonniere different, but match them with the bouquet of the bridesmaid he escorts down the aisle. Decide what each pairing will be using different colours of the same flower, or all different flowers in the same colour. If the men in your party object to donning flowers of any sort, or if you want a more masculing look, consider boutonnieres of wheat, herbs or leaves.