A New Way to “Preserve” Your Wedding Dress

Here’s a new way to preserve your wedding dress – and it’s not in a box under your bed.  Rather, it is a gorgeous textured painting to a hang on your wall.  Bethany Thomas, owner and artist of Commemory® Fine Art, creates custom paintings of wedding dresses that feature a bride’s unique style and personality.  Bethany uses texture to create interest and will include words or sayings that are meaningful to that couple.   A beautiful love story hanging on your wall.   I love this idea for our consignors!  While you might be passing your gown on to another bride, you will still be able to cherish it and see it every day.  Of course it is also perfect for our brides-to-be!  Maybe a special gift from the mother-of-the-bride?

Bethany recently sent us a sample of her work which I have for viewing in our showroom.  It’s Kitty Chen’s “Daisy” gown.  Isn’t she beautiful….

All Bethany needs are photos of your dress, the colors of your wedding, and personal elements that you may want to incorporate – like the style of your wedding invitation, your vows or lyrics from your first dance. Paintings start at $400 for a 12”x12” – the perfect size to place on an entry or bedside table.  I have a few $50 gift certificates which I’m happy to mail to you!  Just email julie@encorebridal.com

See more examples and learn about Bethany’s process here – bethany-thomas.com

Tags: bethany thomas, commemory fine art, custom wedding paintings, wedding dress paintings, wedding gift ideas

7 Creative Uses for Your Mom’s Wedding Dress

I was inspired by a conversation I had with Becky Tanenbaum who works for J.Sheer.  We were talking about all things wedding dress when we began discussing ways that brides can incorporate their mom’s wedding dress into their wedding day, without actually wearing it.  If you’re like a lot of brides, you love the sentimentality of your mother’s dress, but don’t necessarily want to wear it down the aisle.  If she’s ok with you cutting and using pieces of it, here are 7 creative ways to incorporate her dress into your wedding…

1. Wrap a remnant of your mom’s gown around your bouquet-

2. Use the lace or fabric as your veil edging-

3. Use embellishments or fabric to create a custom garter-

4. Or a sash-

5. Or a bolero jacket-

6. Use the fabric to create a Chuppah-

7. Use the fabric to create a stole for your priest to wear-

I bet you could come up with some other creative ideas and I’d love to hear them!  Please comment to share them!

Tags: chuppah, mom's wedding dress, mother's wedding dress, stole

The Search For Bridesmaid Dresses Made Easy

You’ve found your dress, and you have your color palette – now it is time to choose the bridesmaid dresses.  Does everyone wear the same dress or all different?  Long or short?  Strapless or straps?  One color or many colors?  There are so many different options and price points!

We’ve found three places that can make the search for your maids dresses easier…

Bella Bridesmaid

With 41 stores nationwide there is a store in nearly every major city.  Bella Bridesmaid carries dresses from more than 20 of the most sought after designers including Jenny Yoo, Anna Elyse, and Lela Rose.

Design Studio by Dornink

Dornink’s online service allows brides to create the bridesmaid dresses of their dreams.  You select every detail, including the neckline, bodice, and skirt, as well as fabric, color, and accents.  The dress can be created and shipped to you directly from Dornink Studio, or the image can be emailed to a seamstress of your choice.  The estimated cost given for the dress seen above was $180-$240.

Weddington Way

Have bridesmaids that live in many different places?  Simplify the dress search by using Weddington Way’s online store.  Once the bride registers and enters her bridal party she can share her favorite designs with her maids and track when gowns were viewed, which gowns were ranked the highest, when the her maids completed their orders and when the orders shipped.  There are more than 7 different designers to choose from including Alfred Sung and Dessy.  Prices range from around $100 – $400.

Tags: bella bridesmaid, bridesmaid dresses, dornink, weddington way

Expert Picks – Best Music for your Wedding Highlights

Choosing the music to accent different parts of your wedding can be one of the most difficult tasks in wedding planning.  We’ve asked 2 experts to give us their top picks for the ceremony and reception highlights.  Here is what they have to say…

KC, VOX DJs

Processional:  “Waiting On An Angel” by Ben Harper, (Hear it)

“Waiting On An Angel” is such a beautiful song , with lyrics like “Find myself a resting place in my angel’s arms” —what better         message for a wedding ceremony? And while the Groom is waiting at the altar for the beautiful Bride, it’s the perfect cry for love.    “Waiting On An Angel, one to carry me home…”

First Dance: “Marry Me” by Train, (Hear it)

I know it’s a little cliché to pick this one now at the peak of its popularity, but such a beautiful song for a beautiful moment. “Marry   Me, today and every day.” Although a lot of couples cross this song off the list mentioning  that they don’t like the lyric “If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this café…” I actually like that lyric. It comments on the chance opportunity of love. Some people have found love through friends, through being set up, through Match.com, or through a class in college. And some have found that love by “saying hello” in a café and striking up a conversation.

Father – Daughter Dance:  “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion, (Hear it)

Celine Dion song? Yeah, I know. But it is the ultimate tribute song to your father. Let the lyrics of this song take you away.
Such gratitude.  “I was blessed because I was loved by you”. Such a powerful dedication to her father.“I’m everything I am, Because you loved me…”

You can find me weeping behind my DJ tables whenever this song is picked for the Father/ Daughter. Hold it together, Mr. DJ!

Michael Greenfield, Ace of Hearts Entertainment

Bridal Party Entrance: “Catch The Wind”, Cat Stevens (Here it)

Processional: “Something”, Beatles (Here it)

Recessional: “Linus and Lucy” – Peanuts Theme Song (Here it)

First Dance: “You Are The Best Thing”, Racy Lamontagne (Here it)

Father-Daughter Dance: “Close To You”, The Carpenters (Here it)

While by no means am I an expert, I wanted to add a few of my favorites…

Processional – Marc Cohen, “True Companion” (Hear it)

Recessional:  Barry Louis Polisar,  “All I Want Is You”  — A folk song for a non-formal ceremony  (Hear it)

First Dance:  “For Your Precious Love”, Otis Redding (Hear it)

Father- Daughter Dance: If the bride is choosing the first dance song, I think it should be a song dedicated to her father — not a song dedicated to herself (such as “Isn’t She Lovely” or “Butterfly Kisses”).  However, I think it would be appropriate for the bride to ask her father to choose a song for this dance – in which case the song would be dedicated to the bride.  For a song dedicated to the father – “Kind and Generous”, Natalie Merchant (Hear it)

Tags: ace of hearts entertainment, father-daughter dance, first dance, processional, recessional, Vox Djs, wedding music

From Etsy to Wedzu – A New Marketplace For Indie & Handmade Weddings

Who doesn’t love Etsy?   You can find the most  fabulous handmade jewelry, decorations, and whatnot, often at unbelievable prices.  The problem is there are so many products on Etsy’s site that finding the perfect whatnot can take hours.  As a result, several etsy-like sites have been popping up targeting a specific market.  Enter Wedzu – a new site for Indie and Handmade Weddings.  Many of the items and stores on Wedzu can also be found on Etsy, but with wedding specific categories, searching on Wedzu is even easier.  Here are some of my favorite Wedzu finds:

Photo Booth Props – Whisker Works, Wedding Cake Topper – The Small Object,

Personalized Boutonniere – Fritz Rosenow Bespoke Boutonnieres,

Anniversary Sign – Signs of Vintage

Tags: boutonnieres, cake topper, photo booth, wedding decor ideas