Strut Bridal

Awesome Details for Your Vintage Wedding

Vintage-inspired weddings are all the rage right now, but finding the perfect vintage-inspired wedding dress can be tough, as dress makers are slow to catch up with trends. And sometimes, that all-lace fitted gown or the fluffy tea length wedding dress might not work best for your body type. But don't dispair--we tell our brides that dresses can be blank slates that you can dress up or dress down, or make vintage-looking, just with the accessories you wear and the details you plan for your wedding.

Here are some fun ideas for your vintage inspired wedding:

1. Wear a headpiece that works with lace:

2. Look for an engagement ring that can work with vintagey details, like these settings from DeBeer (the top one is our favorite!):

3. Have fun with your cake! This one, covered in small pearl-like balls, looks delicately retro. We also love the layered ombre cake:

Work with your wedding planner for more ideas for great details that can really make your wedding amazing. You can also check Pinterest for inspiration and Esty for awesome home-made products!

Our Favorite Spring Wedding Bouquets

We got the newest Martha Stewart Weddings magazine and fell in love with the spring wedding bouquets they were featuring. Here are some of our favorites!

We love wedding bouquets with a mix of textures and colors and found this combination of stripes on the leaves AND on the ribbon really striking! This bouquet has lady slippers, roses and ranunculus and would look great in a garden or seaside wedding (the stripes are a bit nautical looking!).

These wedding flowers are a bit wilder and tropical with orchids, beauty-berry, lavender tillandsia and variegated tradescantia. It would look great in an outdoor setting, such as Boojum Tree.

The simple green and white combination in this wedding bouquet is just elegant in it's simplicity. The mixed textures of mint, hellebores, ranunclus and parrot tulips give it visual interest, but the antique buttons and locket add warmth and vintage details.

This amazing bouquet features white hydrangeas, ranunculus, rosebuds and silk velvet poppy pods. But the stand out features are the gold accents and blue jacquard ribbon. This is such a romantic bouquet--we see it at a B&B or garden wedding.

Don't forget to bring photos of your favorite bouquets when you meet with your florist!

FAQ: What's the Difference Between a Fit and Flare, Trumpet and Mermaid Wedding Dress?

We get this question a lot from brides who wonder which wedding dress style will look best on them. Recently Brides magazine answered this question with a great visual showing the difference between a fit and flare, trumpet, and mermaid wedding gown:

You can see that the difference between them is basically where it flares out from your body, either just past the hips, mid thigh, or around the knee. We tell our brides that mermaid wedding gowns place the most emphasis on the hips because they come back in at knee, so you'll be showing off the full curve of your hips in this style. Brides that want to de-emphasize their hips will want to chose one of the other silhouettes.

We also often say that mermaid wedding gowns are the sexiest style because they show off your shape the most. As the article noted, they do restrict movement. So if you're looking for comfort over style, you might want to chose a trumpet or fit and flare. 

Lately we've noticed an increase in requests for mermaid gowns, and we're thrilled that our Arizona brides are exploring these options. We'll be looking for more mermaid gowns at the upcoming bridal market next month!

Get Inspired on Pinterest!

In the olden days brides would bring us a stack of magazine photos of wedding dresses they liked when they came gown shopping. Now, though, our Arizona brides are starting to send us links to their inspiration boards on Pinterest, and we think that's great! Not only do we get an idea of your personal style, but we can check out other details you're planning for your wedding.  

If you haven't yet joined Pinterest, it's super easy. You create an account, and then, as you poke around Etsy (ok, the whole internet, really), you push the "Pin It" button and it will post a pic to your inspiration board. And you can have separate boards for all your wedding faves, like, dresses, flowers, centerpieces, etc.

So far we've done just a few boards for some of our favorite wedding gowns (and this season's hottest wedding dress trends), so feel free to follow us (StrutBridal) and we'll happily follow you back! 

Wedding Dresses with Feathers

It's true--while wedding dresses with ruffles and flowers on the skirt are big, feathers are making a statement of their own. As the December Brides magazine spread noted, it's good to feature feathers on just one thing, like the dress or a killer handbag, instead of going all-out. Here are some of their picks:

We, too, love feathers and bought this gorgeous plus size wedding dress with pickups and feathers:

It should be in our Phoenix wedding dress store around mid-January. We can't wait--we love the dropped waist, ruched bodice, and light organza skirt. 

We also love feathers for prom 2012 and bought this awesome plus size short prom dress in black.

Although it looks like a super short mini prom dress, we promise that, unless you're 5' 9", it's really not that short!

Give us a call if you'd like to see either dress!

How to Wear a Blush Wedding Dress

You saw in our recent post on 2012 fall wedding dress trends that colored wedding dresses will be next fall. Colors include blush, peach, pearl, champagne and even silver. Well, Bridesmagazine put together a little cheat sheet for how to pair blush colored wedding dresses with metals for a perfectly luxe yet vintage look that we love!

Our colored wedding dresses will be arriving November '11 through February '12. Give us a call to schedule a time to check them out!

FAQ: What Is that Ruffle Thing?!

Ladies, that ruffle thing you've seen on jackets, dresses, blouses and now wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses is called a peplum. They originated in the 19th century. They've been in style on and off but we've seen a resurgence in them on formal wear since 2009. And now, they're invading bridal. Here's a photo of a Jennifer Salzman wedding dress with a peplum:

Peplums can be long or short (sometimes they just look like a flounce on the bottom of a shirt) and one layer or many. Here's a great blog post showing peplums on the runway. You might think, "Wow! I never knew there was a name for that!"

So, you might be asking, do these work for plus size wedding dresses? Well, it depends on several factors, including:

• The material used (is it stiff or soft? how does it react to the curve of your body?)
• How big the peplum is and where it falls
• Where the bride carries weight

Here are some examples of peplums on wedding gowns:

The peplum can either hide or accentuate tummies. In bridal they can be made of any fabric, including lace and organza. We can't wait to see if curvy brides embrace this trend. And we think we're getting in a bridesmaid dress with a peplum this fall!

So let us know... what do you think of the peplum?

2012 Wedding Flower Trends

We asked local wedding florist Boka for some insights on wedding flower trends for 2012. All images are of their most recent work.

We know that most weddings are thought out and planned far in advance; its practical and helpful. This will also enable you to learn what the upcoming seasonal trends are, as well as which have been introduced and possibly carried over from the previous year. Like fashion and interior design, wedding flower designs have their trends, and these are transcended and highlighted in the bridal planning.

 

Romantic and vintage is the flower wedding fashion influence for 2012. The abundant use of flowers and those that have a high petal count remain to be in demand. Meaning large bloomed flowers that give the appearance of being in full bloom that have that hand picked appearance like those found in an English garden. Flowers like roses, peonies, ranunculus, hydrangeas, lisanthus and anenomies to name a few. Whether combined with others or used independently the look is ample!

 

The shape also contributes to the old world romantic look to the bouquet. The tight round hand tied bouquets with clusters of flower groupings in the arrangement are what make this suggestion.  This will continue to be highlighted in 2012; a greater use of texture and the variety of texture will be featured. Including the popularity and interest in the use of miniature succulents and cactus like foliage in the bridal bouquet design. So out with the waxy foliages and in with those like Dusty Miller a velvet feel and dusty gray/green color foliage. Feathers too are also being added as a fun accessory to the bouquets, adding whimsy and character; plumes soften and give movement and they come in a big color range to add more pop to the bouquet.

 

Adding to the romantic 2012 feel, we are going to see more creative detailing found on the bouquet handle. Covered with velveteen ribbons and damask fabric ribbons layered and topped with vintage looking pins and brooches and the continued use of rhinestones, and pearls.

 

Not only is the round tight concentric sphere shape ideal for the 2012 wedding flower bouquet trends but also these topiary like designs are going to be seen on the table centerpieces as well as the ceremony arrangements. Spheres everywhere, adding to that English garden romantic design. This shape can be displayed as hanging pomander balls with colorful scented carnations, roses, hydrangeas and chrysanthemum buttons to name a few. You may hang multiple sizes with a variety of flowers from pew stands and aisle arrangements, to hanging tree ornamentation, to being placed on top of large urns or glass cylindrical glass vases for either the ceremony as well as the reception table centerpiece. Also the continuation of multiple and variations of smaller vases lining the center of the oblong tables with mix matched single stemmed flowers loosely arranged in the collection of fine vases. Along with lots of branches seen colored and adorned with mini orchids attached to their limbs while secured in elegant pottery.

 

Creativity is going to be visible in 2012 flower fashion and making the arrangements and ornamentation personal. From themed events with cultural influences with endless selections to personal touches with deep routed meaning let this help create newer and more inventive trends for the future bridal party and event.

For more information about wedding flower trends or to get a quote for your wedding, please contact them at:

 

Bokā (bō káy)

Karen bever|wedding & Event Floral designer

P|480.444.6419 f|480.786.5270

www.bokaeventflorals.com

Fall 2012 Wedding Dress Trend Report

We've returned from the bridal market and couldn't be more excited by the amazing wedding gowns we saw. And, of course, we're thrilled to pass on our wedding dress trend report to brides who can't wait until these gowns are in the store (because it's never too early to start planning!).

Remember, gowns that we've recently ordered will be arriving in stores November '11-February '12. With a 3-5 month lead time for custom orders, these gowns are perfect for brides getting married in fall 2012 and beyond.

Here are the top 2012 wedding dress trends we saw:

1. Textured skirts. Love feather, flowers and flounces? We're excited to report that these textured skirts remain hot. We saw ruffles, flowers of many shapes and sizes (from airy petals to giant swirls), and even a few feathered skirts. These textured skirts are on all silhouettes, from ball gowns to mermaid and trumpet style wedding gowns. Here's one example:

 

2. Tea length. We were pleased to see a bigger variety of tea length gowns. Not all are super poufy and formal, and some are going even a little shorter. We're excited to bring these into our Phoenix store this winter.

3. New colors. We're moving beyond basic white and ivory--this season wedding dress designers showed gowns in blush, champagne, peach, silver, pearl and gold. Our brides have been asking for gowns in colors, like the one below, and we're thrilled to be able to bring them to you!

 4. New fabrics. We have a satin-backed taffeta trumpet gown that gets rave reviews. Brides love the luxurious feeling; we love the variety! Finally wedding dress makers are developing some new fabrics.  We can't wait to show you the new crushed organza from one of our favorite brands. It's the lightweight fabric you love for outdoor weddings without the sheen from regular organza. We promise you'll be wowed!

As always, we've ordered our gowns in curvy girl and plus sizes 12 and up. We've picked the best plus size wedding dresses out there. Give us a call to find your perfect dress! 

 

Love Shiny Things? 3 Easy Ways to Bling Up Your Wedding

Weddings can bring out a love for all things shiny in even the most "ungirly" bride, so we thought we'd pass on a few easy ways to bling up your wedding. We love these new Tiffany handbags. They come in a variety of colors so you can coordinate with your wedding colors. Buy one for your wedding day essentials or even for a bridesmaid gift!

 

We really love this super-easy, DIY centerpiece idea. You just take two hurricane candle holders, one larger than the other, and put shiny confetti in between the two. Add a candle and you're done! They use a monochromatic color palette, but you could do an arrangement using each of your wedding colors, or you could mix them all together!

 

Dress up your place settings with these charms turned into napkin rings. You can find little charms at most craft stores, so think about your wedding theme (like the fall leaves, snowflakes, etc.) or a charm that represents something important to the two of you (your love of baseball, a favorite flower, etc.).

 
Adding something with a little shine can really dress up your table with little cost. Leave us a comment for other easy-to-add-shine ideas!