Author Archives: heidi

Fashion Friday // Illusion Necklines

We’re seeing this trend lately for bridal gown: Illusion Necklines

Similar looks can be found at Ellynne Bridal, Sublime Bridal or David’s Bridal.

Miss Thirteen // Bridesmaid dresses

How do you pick a dress for five different women to wear?  I knew that I wanted them in a hue of gray but the rest was a mystery. How do you choose what someone else wears? I just couldn’t do it.

I looked around at places with my sister, the matron of honor, but she was eight months pregnant at the time and couldn’t try anything on so I decided to wait, get all the girls together and then go shopping with everyone to find the right dresses.

We picked one bridal salon that had a good, but not over the top selection of dresses. I think this is important because bridesmaid dresses can all start to look the same after a while.

My original thought was to have each bridesmaid pick out a dress they like by the same designer in the same fabric and color. As we started trying on dresses it turned out they all had fairly similar tastes.

After all the maids had tried on a dress or two I was able to narrow it down to a long, chiffon gown. Since our wedding is in late October we could have gone with a long or short gown but we are still debating on indoor or outdoor so I felt it was safest to go long, just in case the weather is colder. You definitely need to consider the time of the year your wedding will be and if you will have an indoor or outdoor wedding when picking attire.

After trying on almost every long dress at the salon, we narrowed it down to two dresses. It came down to which was most comfortable on everyone. One had a lower bust line than the other and for the girls with bigger ‘girls’ (like me) I know how important it is to feel covered when wearing strapless dresses. Without even putting it on, I knew I wouldn’t like it and not all the girls would have felt their best in it. So we went with the second dress.

It was a much easier process than I thought it would be as all my maids are very easy going. Even though it is my wedding, I wanted each of them to feel good about themselves and what they are wearing and I think we accomplished that task!

I can’t wait to see everyone this October!

Vera Wang LOVE

Check. Out. That. Bling.

We’ve shown you the Vera Wang WHITE  collection and the Vera Wang BLACK collection at David’s Bridal. Not enough Vera? Now you can go all Vera. The stunning Vera Wang LOVE collection of engagement rings makes it the perfect trio. Not only did we fall in love with this look, but some of the rings also have sapphire stones in them. I mean, have you thought about your something blue? This something blue is one that can stay with you even after your wedding day is over.

What if it rains?

April showers bring May flowers — except for Omaha when winter decides to stick around for awhile making May a rainy month. So now what? So now if you’ve planned a May wedding (or any month for that matter) and it smells like rain the morning of your bid day, what do you do? Well, here’s some advice from our Wedding Essentials experts:

1. Always have a rain plan.
Keep the weather in the back of your mind when searching for outdoor wedding venues. A venue that has an indoor and an outdoor option might be your best bet — just in case.

2. It actually does rain.
Make the most of it. Don’t let it rain on your parade! Throw on some cute rain boots and grab an umbrella (pick one with a bright color to down out the dreary weather) and take some photos. And that puddle? Go for it. I know you want to jump in it!

3. Remember: Rain on your wedding day brings good luck!

Photo: Lane Weddings

Trends // Mother of the bride

There’s a few new trends we’ve been seeing in mother of the bride attire for 2013, so here’s a few pointers:

  • Get rid of the shawl. If there’s one things at weddings that absolutely screams “mother of the bride,” it’s the shawls and short jackets. But if you’re not too keen on wearing a sleeveless dress or showing off your shoulders, you can easily go from sleeveless to sleeve lace. The three-quarter length sleeves in lace will help keep you cool for summer weddings (and help you ease out of the typical “mother of the bride” look).
  • Go for cap sleeves and illusion necklines. If you’re debating between the two, go with the illusion necklines — those a really on the rise in bridal trends and formal wear across the board.
  • Go for neutral colors. Try on the browns, nudes, blacks, golds, greens or any pastels to see what fits your brides color palette the best. Any of these are bound to match.
  • Go for layered fabrics. Lace over any fabric will add some elegance to your dress. Ruching and pleats at a diagonal are highly flattering.

Mother of the bride attire is getting more and more diverse with different fabric options, layering and style — so try on a few different ones to see what your bride likes best. Similar looks can be found at David’s Bridal!

Sweet Friday // White Wedding Sweets

Happy Friday! The snow is gone (thank goodness, right?) and spring weddings are getting started. These sweet white treats are perfect for spring and summer weddings. Even if you have a winter wonderland planned for your big day, these the perfect icing to a wintry day.

Find more of desserts like these at The Cordial Cherry. P.S. There is a TON of chocolate on that website that may give your sweet tooth an instant craving (you have been warned!).

Delectable desserts can be found on our Cakes and Sweets Pinterest board, too!

Sweet Friday // Thin Mints + Samoas

About a month ago my sister bought five boxes of Girl Scout cookies from a co-worker. We both love Thin Mints (Samoas/Caramel deLites are also a favorite). She brought them home, set them on the counter and then left them there. I’ll let you guess whether or not she had a full five boxes still sitting there when she came home from work that day.

But believe it or not, there is something even better than a Girl Scout cookie: A Girl Scout cookie in a cupcake. Yeah, it’s a real thing. We found these ones at a local vendor (Gigi’s Cupcakes). Even though there might be a mountain of frosting on top, they sure do look incredible — but that’s probably because they happen to be my two favorite Girl Scout cookie flavors.

Samoas (also known as Caramel deLites): Vanilla cookies coated in caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut and drizzled with chocolate stripes.

Thin Mints: Mint-flavored chocolate cookies dipped in chocolate

More sweet treats can be found here.
Similar preferred vendors: Alotta Brownies, Nothing Bundt Cakes

Miss Behavin // Showered with love

We have all been guests to showers with games, questionnaires, delicious food and of course our loved ones. As a bride, showers are a time for you to realize how truly blessed you are to have such great friends and family. My aunts hosted a Pampered Chef shower in my parents’ home, Mr. Behavin’s family hosted an amazing shower in his hometown, and most recently, I had one by my lovely bridesmaids.

A few tips:
1. Instead of a guest book have your guests sign thank you note envelopes. This will save you a lot of time looking up and writing addresses!
2. This tip is if your guests are there while you open your gifts. As you open up your gifts, invite the gift giver to sit with you. Then have your Maid of Honor take a picture of you with the gift and the person who gave it to you. This helps when writing thank you notes and would make a super cute photo album.
3. Since I am not originally from the metro area, my good friends were not able to come to my hometown shower. So my sister (MOH) and the bridesmaids put together a shower for me and my ‘local’ friends. We chose to rent a room at Breezy Hill Vineyard outside of Neola, Iowa! Free wine tastings and they allowed us to bring in our own food. They even gave us suggestions of foods that go with their wines! Plus I was able to have my favorite wine: Misbehavin’! It was such a great time.
4. Thank your hosts. A thoughtful note or small gift would be lovely. I gave my bridesmaids each a bottle of my favorite wine, wine charms for the party, and some chocolate. You don’t realize how much time they put into these things! The deserve a BIG thank you!

As you can see, thank you notes are something, I feel, that are very important. A few weeks ago, I spoke with Mr. Behavin’s aunt about thank you notes. She was told they were not a part of modern weddings. So stick with me, my fellow brides… Get out your pens, stamps, and stack of pre-addressed thank you notes! Let’s keep this tradition of kindness alive!