Different shades of...white?

It's time to talk about the different colors of wedding dresses (bet you didn't realize you have options?). The options out there are seemingly endless! But the realty is, there's several different color names for the same color. For example: one designer may say the dress comes in " Champagne" but another designer may call it "Honey", others will use words like "taupe" or "nude". I'll be honest, each season I roll my eyes at the new options that designers come up with (do we really need 4 different names for the champagne color?). Not to worry though! Your bridal stylist will help you navigate this and find the perfect dress for you!

So let's dive in and start with the biggest misconception: IVORY vs WHITE.

Ivory is what we refer to as "bridal white". About half of our sample gowns are in ivory, the other half are in a speciality color (more on that later). We tend not to have samples in a true white, which actually has a blue undertone. Many brides come in thinking they want the traditional white dress. When we show them white vs. ivory, they choose the ivory.

Ivory has warmer undertone. It's important to know the difference when planning your whole wedding look. If your dress is Ivory you'll want to make sure the flower girl is also in ivory and that your veil matches accordingly.

Now let's talk about the specialty colors.

Many dresses come in other colors such as champagne, blush, nude, or honey, we even have a couple dresses that come in smokey lavender! This is where it gets complicated as each designer has their own color chart and several different shades, BUT not every dress comes in the same color options. Are you still with me? Like I said, your bridal stylist will be your best resource to help you find exactly what you want.

Lace dresses will always have IVORY lace and the color comes from the underskirt. What is great about this is you really see the detail of the lace and beading. Check out some pictures below of our darker tones compared to the ivory.

I hope this will help you in your journey to find the perfect dress! My advice is go in with an open mind. Try on some colors, and try on some ivory! I'd say we order about 50% ivory dresses and 50% in darker tones so weather you want the traditional bridal white or a modern twist, you can't go wrong!

Something Blue

I'm sure you've all heard the saying, "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Penny in your Shoe". I'm here to give you a few ideas on your SOMETHING BLUE!

1. SHOES

For my wedding I wore shoes as my something blue. I had a really hard time finding the right pair of ivory shoes but ended up finding a super cute pair of blue flats! Whether you are looking for something simple or want to go the Carrie Bradshaw route, I think blue shoes are a great way to go (plus you're more like to wear them again).

2. GARTER

A frequent request we get is a blue garter. You can choose something lace or surprise your groom with his favorite sports team (obviously if the teams color has blue in it like my favorite team 😉). So many options available from Simply Charming!

3. THE BOUQUET

Depending on your wedding colors, adding some dusty blue flowers will add a pop of color to your bouquets. Check out the Taylor Bouquet from Something Borrowed Blooms (you can also check the "borrowed" item off the list too!) I love that the hint of blue is very subtle so it will complement other wedding colors nicely. Of course you could go much more bold with the flowers! It all depends on what you are going for!

4. BOUQUET CHARM

I found this super cute bouquet charm on Etsy! I am definitely love this idea!

5. JEWELRY

I am a huge fan of sapphire and think a small piece of sapphire jewelry is the perfect touch for any bride. Check out these Mariell earrings available to purchase from Amour Bridal.

The Modern Registry: From Dowries to Donations

The act of giving gifts at a wedding is ancient… literally ancient as in 3,000 BC, and originated from the practice of paying a dowry to the bride’s family. A dowry was typically paid in the form of land, animals, precious metals or jewels and served several purposes. In some cultures they were paid as protection for the bride from abuse, divorce or the husband’s untimely death. In others, such as medieval Europe, the dowry became a way to determine how desirable a woman was for marriage as well as a show of her family’s power and wealth. In the more recent centuries it transformed into something much more similar to a modern registry by it’s main purpose being to help the young couple getting married to set up their new household. Macy’s invented the actual gift registry as we now know it in the 1920’s where couples could create a list from products carried by Macy’s that their guests could reference.

Not much has changed too drastically on the registry front since Macy’s led the way for couples to actually get things they needed rather than a herd of cows or hunks of precious metals. Of course, as with everything else, the internet made registering, purchasing and sending gifts possible all while bingeing Say Yes to the Dress from the comfort of your couch so it seemed for a while that the act of registering had reached perfection. Not so. Recently, this 16,000 year old tradition has gotten another face-lift. Due to increasing numbers of couples living together before marriage their households are mostly set up at the time of the wedding. Couples are no longer spending hours on a Saturday afternoon scanning the bar-codes of every toaster, blender and china pattern Pier 1 Imports has to offer, instead, they’re basically just asking for cash. To be clear, it is definitely still super tacky to ask for cash straight out so hold off on adding that you don’t accept bills smaller than a twenty to the bottom of your invites, however, there is a correct way to do it.

Wedding planning websites as well as some specific funding sites now have features that allow you to accept donations. You can ask for general donations that go towards your new life as a married couple or you can specify what your guests donations will be used for such as your honeymoon or the purchase of a new home. Opting to go the donation route is also incredibly easy now that sites like The Knot, WeddingWire and Zola

are building this function directly into their platform allowing your guests to RSVP, select meal options, get all the information on location and travel accommodations as well as donate to the couple in place of bringing or sending a physical gift. Understandably, some couples are still hesitant to use donation functions or apps because it is still just asking for cash but in a polite way. Sorta true. However, putting a personal spin on the donations and where they’re going or giving your guests something in return for their donation takes it out of the tacky realm and lands it safely in the socially appropriate area. I was part of a wedding this past June that did this and, in my opinion, did it the right way. The couple used a website called Honeyfund which is a free site where you can set up a custom registries for the honeymoon, wedding, universal or cash. This means that you can create a registry where people can simply give you cash or you can customize it to give your guests specifics on where or what their money would be used, for example, being able to donate $25 towards the couple’s bar tab or $50 for them to take a surf lesson together at the resort or location where they are honeymooning. The couple whose wedding I was honored to be a part of offered tiers of donating, so for certain dollar amounts donated you would receive so many tickets for drinks at the bar during the reception, such as $50 donated got you two free drinks at the bar. This was a great way for the couple to get what they wanted (an amazing two weeks in the Mediterranean) and for the guests to feel appreciated for their presence at the wedding rather than their wallet’s (also a great night of partying with friends and family). I think that this new way of registering is absolutely awesome and can have long-term benefits; especially for young couples also dealing with some of the highest debt and cost of living rates our country has ever seen, as long as the couple and the guests put as much emphasis on the celebration of the exciting adventure that is marriage and not just who gives them what and how much.

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