Archive for July, 2009
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
 Simone Carvalli Exquisite pure silk, fine French lace, curve-hugging silhouettes and pooling chapel trains—these are the hallmarks of Simone Carvalli. We simply melt away at the sight of those incredible Simone Carvalli bubble hems and blossoming bustles, those screen-siren ruched bodices and hourglass-figure-flattering mermaid skirts. And the fit—fabulous!
Simone Carvalli’s new collection features plenty of styles for the bride who wants to make a major statement on her wedding day. Our favorite details include sparkling Swarovski crystals, dazzling beadwork and handmade silk flowers. And we love that these gowns are made to make the most of our womanly curves. Oh—and did we mention that a Simone Carvalli couture gown WON’T set you back the price of a down-payment on your newlywed nest?
Get star treatment as you experience these Hollywood-worthy wedding gowns when Mia Bridal Couture hosts a Simone Carvalli trunk show July 31 – Aug 1. Simone Carvalli representatives will be on hand to meet with brides at Mia, one of Houston’s most exclusive bridal salons (think Kenneth Pool, Elie Saab, Reem Acra…). Take advantage of this very special occasion to select the wedding gown of your dreams, glamour girl!
Posted in Fashion | No Comments »
Monday, July 27th, 2009
 Photo: Larry Fagala Soft, sensual, romantic. Today’s most coveted bridal hairstyles are leaning toward a more natural look, with accents of pearl, crystal, flowers or feathers for added elegance. Some of the most flattering styles include half-up-half-down, the loose French braid, the over-the-shoulder side ponytail and flowing waves lifted gently from the face with jeweled barrettes. Of course natural doesn’t mean unkempt. You’ll want your bridal hairstylist to assure your soft ‘do stays done through the day and night by applying the right flexible-hold product and securing hair accessories well.
For those of you with shorter locks, or a passion for vintage glamour, you’ll be pleased to know that ANOTHER hot trend taking hold of brides’ heads across the country is the retro-chic birdcage veil.
The birdcage veil is a short, circular veil that is typically attached to the hair with a comb or with pins. Most commonly, a birdcage veil is worn with a blusher—a section of veil that usually covers the bride’s face almost to her chin during the processional, and is pulled back to reveal the bride’s face for the ceremony.
Birdcage veils are typically made from Russian or French netting, which has an open pattern that covers but does not really conceal the bride’s face. Often adorned with feathers or silk flowers, birdcage veils also can be accented with vintage brooches or other heirloom jewelry (something old, something borrowed, etc.).
These sweet, subtle veils evoke Old Hollywood glamour, but are perfectly suited to modern hairstyles from textured bobs to gamine cuts to low, blunt ponytails. They look lovely over nape-bound updos, too.
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Katherine Heigl wore one over beautifully back-swept bangs for her wedding to musician Josh Kelley. Drew Barrymore sported a snazzy one over darling finger-waves at the “Grey Gardens” premiere (O.K., technically not an actual wedding, but brides aplenty took notice!). Reese Witherspoon’s character beamed from behind one during the wedding scene in “Sweet Home Alabama.” And you can get ’caged, too, Houston bride. For ideas, check out birdcage veil specialist Emma’s Bridal Boutique or click on our bridal gown & accessory vendor listings and start the search for your perfect veil.
 Photo courtesy Emma’s Bridal Boutique
Tags: birdcage veils
Posted in Ceremony, Fashion, Wedding Day Details | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
If you’ve ever attended a wedding, Houston bride, you know that the restroom is usually one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the venue. For starters, there’s the little matter of all that wedding-day weeping, which naturally drives makeup-wearers into the restroom for touch-ups. More than that, the restroom—particularly the ladies’ room—is typically the scene of lively conversations, sometimes even of happy reunions (there’s often so much going on at the wedding, that the ladies’ room ends up being where gals go to catch up on gossip and reconnect with old friends).
Unfortunately, the restroom is frequently one of the most overlooked areas when it comes to wedding decor and floral. If your wedding site’s restroom is going to be a central gathering point, doesn’t it deserve a proper dolling up? Don’t your guests deserve to be immersed in the beauty and grandeur of your wedding even when they step off the dance floor and into the loo?
So, please pardon our toilet talk, but here are a few fantastic ideas for giving your reception restroom(s) the attention to which they’re entitled:
Petal Project: Carry through your wedding’s floral look by placing small arrangements, even just a couple of blooms, on the restroom’s sink counter.
Wax Works: If your venue allows, place votive candles on the sink counter, or incorporate them into the mini floral arrangements. Restrooms are the perfect place to use scented candles, which should be avoided in dining areas so as not overwhelm sensitive sniffers and conflict with food scents.
Sound Scape: If it’s possible to conceal a small sound system and set up speakers discreetly, have songs from your wedding playlist playing in the restroom—at a soft, conversation-friendly volume, of course.
Touch Up Stuff: If your venue’s restroom doesn’t already provide them, you should purchase items like hair spray, hand lotion, Q-tips, breath mints and Band-Aid Blister Block, and have your planner or venue staff arrange them attractively on the restroom counter (decorative mirror trays and glass sundry jars work well for this purpose, and can be gussied up with glass stones, floral and candles). For the men’s room, set out handkerchiefs, toothpicks, breath mints and hard candies. Your guests will be grateful, we guarantee.
Posted in Decor, Reception | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
 Invitation: Embossed Graphics of Texas Photo: Eason Photography
 Invitation: Tad and Faboo Your wedding invitation is much more than an informational packet instructing guests where and when you and your one and only will be tying the knot. It is the first opportunity you have to introduce guests to the style and tone of your wedding. Grand and elegant or cozy and whimsical? Celadon and coral or silver and sage? A well-chosen wedding invitation entices invitees and gives them a taste of the celebration to come.
Since there’s no second chance to make a first impression, it pays to know a bit about invitations, particularly the different printing techniques available to you. Houston’s finest stationers are experts in the latest—and most traditional—printing possibilities. Before you select the one who will create perhaps the most important invitations of your life, let our handy printing-technique guide give you the head start you need.
Engraving: Formal, elegant, timeless. Engraving typically utilizes copper plates to produce raised print, and works well with black ink on light paper. Engraving is time-consuming and expensive, but the cost goes down with the volume of invitations produced, making it a good choice for weddings with large guest lists.
Letterpress: This centuries-old technique is in vogue once again. With letterpress, words are stamped by machine, and letterpress print looks especially good with textured or handmade paper. Not as expensive as engraving usually, but still on the pricey side.
Lithography: Also known as offset, lithography uses plates, emulsion and light exposure to produce crisp, flat print. It allows for a vast range of colors and works well with almost any kind of print surface. Lithography is a versatile technique that costs less than engraving or letterpress.
Thermography: With thermography, ink is applied to paper then treated with a chemical and heated to produce a raised-print appearance. This technique can only be used with certain ink colors and paper types, so it has its design limitations. BUT, it is considerably less expensive than engraving, and produces a similar effect.
Digital: Fast, flexible, modern, inexpensive. Digital printing is a great option for contemporary invitations, short planning schedules and limited budgets.
Tags: digital printing, engraving, letterpress, lithography, thermography
Posted in Invitations | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
 Photo: Nhan Nguyen Photography
If you’ve always envisioned your wedding as a strictly adult affair, this probably isn’t a blog post you need to bother with. BUT, if like many brides, you are considering including one, two or a bunch of children at your wedding, you’ll want to read on.
Whether or not to have children at your wedding is almost always a difficult decision fraught with potential offenses and possible (but certainly avoidable) catastrophes. If you happen to either have children in your family with whom you are very close, or have children of your own, then there’s a good chance you’ll want to include these little ones on your guest list.
Of course, it helps hugely if your wedding is scheduled to take place fairly early in the day (tantrums are much more likely to occur late, when children are kept up past regular bedtimes).
And, naturally, you’re more likely to be comfortable with kids at your wedding if you welcome the whimsical spontaneity that children often bring, and are OK with some things not going exactly as you had planned (perhaps your little nephew simply refuses to wear anything but his beloved green dinosaur T-shirt, or your best friend’s young daughter decides to belt out the ABC song during your ceremony!).
If you do decide to have wee ones at your wedding, here are five top tips for maximizing their (and your) enjoyment, and minimizing meltdowns.
1. Keep Them Occupied: Nothing breeds crankiness and chaos more than boredom. If you plan to have children at your wedding, make sure you have plenty for them to do. This may mean hiring a professional children’s entertainer to tell stories, paint faces, etc., or a childcare provider (or two) to take the kids on a “discovery stroll” or lead a scavenger hunt. If your venue has space, you may want to set up a separate “screening room” where you can play kids’ TV programs or movies on DVD.
2. Feed Them: Kids tend to be finicky eaters, and they tend to behave better when well fed. Keep their bellies full and their attention occupied by providing kid-friendly meal items served at low, easy-to-reach tables. Good choices include finger foods like chicken strips, mini burgers, cheese pizza, veggies and dip, and fresh fruit, along with juice boxes or milk boxes to drink. Try to avoid serving them sweet treats, which inevitably lead to sugar-fueled hyperactivity and the inevitable post-mania crash.
3. Give Them a Role: If possible, include invited children in your ceremony by giving them tasks. Sure, there’s usually only one ring-bearer or flower girl, but who says you can’t have three darling little girls holding tiny nosegays beside your bridesmaids, or two handsome boys handing out programs to entering guests?
4. Let Parents Prep in Peace: Try to provide childcare during the hours prior to your wedding to allow guests, especially members of your wedding party, to get themselves ready. This is especially feasible if you are getting married at a hotel or club where a room can be set aside for kids to eat, nap or play while parents get gussied up elsewhere on site.
5. Don’t Force the Issue: A wedding can be an intimidating environment for a small child. Don’t try to force a resistant child to leave his parents’ side, or to participate in activities if he doesn’t seem inclined. Most children need a little time to warm up to the situation and will naturally gravitate toward other kids who are having fun when he is comfortable and feels safe and ready.
Posted in Ceremony, Reception, Wedding Day Details | No Comments »
Monday, July 13th, 2009
 NYC Cake Decorators Wedding Cake Walk Wedding cake shapes and decoration styles come and go, but a moist, luscious, delicious cake is always in style. For pure cake yumminess it’s tough to beat red velvet. Despite its humble associations—church picnics, backyard gatherings, grandma’s house—this rosy-hued favorite dresses up gorgeously for weddings. Brides in the planning stages for autumn and winter weddings take note: What could be a lovelier addition to a seasonal reception than a cake the color of turning leaves?
Red velvet cake is an eternal Southern favorite that’s fast becoming a wedding star on the national stage. Part of its appeal is its inimitable flavor, which typically comes from a combination of cocoa powder, vanilla and buttermilk, all covered with a rich, sweet, ever-so-slightly tangy cream-cheese frosting. Then there’s the surprise and excitement (not to mention excellent photo op) of cutting through wedding-white frosting to reveal a brilliant ruby cake underneath (red velvet cake gets its sensational hue from nothing more complicated than a good dose of red food coloring).
We love the idea of a red velvet cake done up in formal black-and-white, or decorated with dewy red rose petals, for a more romantic look.
Talk to your wedding cake baker about other red velvet wedding cake ideas—Cupcake tower? Gift-box cake done up in red or silver “ribbon?” Red velvet overlay for the cake table?—and check out these images for more inspiring ideas.
 Louisa Morris Cakes  Pink Cake Box  Artsy Carmen  Whisking on Pens & Needles  Martha Stewart Weddings
Tags: red velvet cake
Posted in Food | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
They throw unforgettable bachelor and bachelorette parties. They wear what we pick out for them without comment or complaint (and pay for it, too!). They stand by our side on the most important day of our life. They are our bridesmaids and groomsmen, and they deserve our love and appreciation—and a little something nice for their trouble.
We at the Houston Wedding Blog come across a lot of good bridal party gift ideas in our line of business (and will always share the best of them with you!), but when we encountered Vivabox at a recent gift show in Los Angeles, we were truly impressed. These themed gift boxes give recipients a “taste” of the good stuff, then allow them to choose the items they want most, making them a great gift choice for groups of people with different passions and preferences, who all share one thing in common: our eternal gratitude.
Here’s how Vivabox works:
Vivabox themes include Wine, BBQ, Spa, Coffee and Fragrance, among others. Say your groom-to-be selects the Wine Vivabox for his best man. That lucky lad will receive a sleek, well-designed box containing a copy of Wine Spectator magazine’s must-have guide, Essentials of Wine, and a menu of wines from which he can select six choices that will be delivered to his door. Your groom’s right-hand man also gets a subscription for 12 issues of Wine Spectator magazine. How cool is that?
Want to lavish your bridesmaids with luxury fragrance, but don’t know which scent each girl prefers? The Fragrance Vivabox contains 10 designer-fragrance samples–five for her, five men’s scents she can try out on her guy (ladies’ choices include Dior J’adore, Lolita Lempick Fleur de Corail and Juicy Couture) and a gift certificate she can redeem at Sephora for one full-size bottle of the perfume of her choice.
You get the idea.
What we love about these versatile boxes is that they allow you to show that you know your bridesmaid or groomsman, but they also give the gift recipient the freedom to choose what he or she wants for himself or herself (without the impersonal quality of a gift certificate). What could be a more thoughtful token of your appreciation, Houston bride?
Posted in Gifts | 3 Comments »
Monday, July 6th, 2009
No matter what shape or size you are, Houston bride, chances are you could probably use a little extra help fitting perfectly into your perfect wedding gown. That’s where wedding shapewear comes in. A good foundation garment is a bride’s best friend—essential for firming, flattening and enhancing your figure and showing off your dress at its very best.
Choosing bridal shapewear can be a tricky task. You want a piece that works body-contouring magic, but you also want to wear an undergarment that’s worthy of your wedding day. Here’s a bit of advice: When it comes to bridal shapewear, go for invisibility and comfort. You can always slip into something slinky, lacy and wedding-night sexy after the guests go home. What’s most important on your wedding day is that you feel confident, comfortable and gorgeous in your gown. After all, there’s nothing worse than having to hoist a bodice or suck in a belly bulge as you pledge your eternal love to your betrothed.
Of course, prioritizing function over femme-fatale fashion doesn’t mean resigning yourself to a grandma-style girdle. Here, instead, are two of our top bridal shapewear picks:
A Little Assistance, Please
Ah, Spanx, what did we ever do before you? No, these are not the most glamorous undergarments you’ll ever encounter, but for sleek, simple, effective body contouring that completely disappears under even the most form-fitting gown, nothing beats Spanx.
The Hide & Sleek Hi-Rise Body Smoother, with terrific tummy- and bottom-smoothing power, is a seamless, no-legband garment that ends just below the braline—perfect for almost any dress style.
Major Support
For fuller figures and ample bustlines, Va Bien is a lifesaver. Our top choice is the Ultra-Lift Seamless Bustier (Va Bien style 1503), which features incredibly strong support, super-soft microfiber material and silicone-treated elastic for an extra-secure bustier grip. All this, and removable straps and garters, too!
There are, of course, many more shapewear styles to choose from. Your selection will depend upon factors like your dress silhouette and material, bodice style and tightness, and whether you plan to wear stockings or not. No matter what undergarment you ultimately choose, remember: Always bring your bridal shapewear with you to your gown fittings to ensure a flawless fit.
Posted in Fashion, Wedding Day Details | 3 Comments »
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