Category Archives: Ceremony

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!

Flower Girls // Tulle & Tutus

Just in case our cupcake post yesterday didn’t quite brighten your day, take a look at these photos. What an adorable way to dress your flower girls!

Photos and ideas from Louisville Wedding Blog

Ceremony // Cute Kids

I was searching through a bunch of pictures of kids in weddings to get some ideas and these were just the cutest! Sometimes kids can be a bit unpredictable when it comes to having them be a part of the big day but if you’re thinking you don’t want to incorporate kids in your wedding, maybe this will change your mind.

I mean, just look at this face:

Event // 2013 Bridal University Photos

Live Music

Live music at weddings is hot, hot, hot right now. Live instruments and voices give a wedding instant ambiance and can add a new layer of emotion and excitement on your big day. There are so many options available for brides: An acoustic guitar strumming along as your father walks you down the aisle? A piano player during your cocktail hour? A gospel chior serenading you and your new husband as you walk down the aisle for the first time as Mister and Missus? I even heard a collegiate accapella group sing a love song that made me proclaim outloud for all to hear: ”I am sooooo having them sing at my wedding!”

Who didn’t get a huge smile on their face, when the gospel chior busted out “All You Need is Love” in Love Actually?

If you’re undecided, we’ve got a treat for your ears at the Idea Show! Joe Taylor, aka “Mr. Memories” will be serenading us all with his covers of old standards – Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. He’s the real deal, folks. Bircher & Bircher Music will welcome you into the tablescapes and idea display room. Mary Bircher plays the harp, and her husband, Tom plays the trumpet. Omaha Symphony musicians since 1981, Mary and Craig also perform with the Omaha Symphony Chamber Orchestra and Opera Omaha. If you’ve never heard a harp in person, get ready to be in a trance. One of the most beautiful sounds you’ll ever hear.

Newcomers to the Idea Show, Omaha Musicians Live will be in the Ballroom showcasing multiple musical artists. They are a new company in town that will make it so easy for brides. You can literally go onto their website, enter the date of your wedding, select a few criteria (acoustic, singers, etc?) and Voila! – you’ll get a list of all live musicians who are available on your date and meet your criteria.

See you at the Idea Show, ladies. All You Need is Love…

Inspiration // Barbecue and Boho-Chic

This backyard barbeque boho-chic wedding was nothing short of brilliant. This Bride and Groom met in the chemistry lab and their love blossomed from there. The laid back style and personal touches of this event were so incredible. The head table was handmaid by the bride’s uncle (how amazing is that?!), and the cute country style of the outdoor lounge area made everyone feel right at home. Dainty and quirky…oh how I loved photographing the details of this one!

a guest sign in table

Rain is always a risk when it comes to outdoor events. At this wedding it started raining JUST as guests sat down for the start of the outdoor ceremony. Everyone dashed for the tent where they took shelter as they waited for the storm to pass. When it looked as if it may be a while before the rain letup, cocktail hour suddenly began, which kept all of the quests happy. The clouds ended up breaking, giving way to the most ideal weather.

The casual theme of the wedding carried right into the food. A barbecue of epic proportions took place right before the guests’ eyes. Who doesn’t love wholesome down home food? Having casual cuisine is perfectly acceptable at weddings these days.

An outdoor fire pit called for guests to cuddle up and make some s’mores at the end of the night. An entire cookie bar was offered as well with all kinds of mouthwatering treats. I’d say that’s one perfect way to end an incredible reception!

photos by molly lo photography

Real Wedding // Kate and Mike Hewitt

From Wedding Essentials Bride Blogger, Miss Heartland: By the Monday before our wedding, I was checking the 10 day forecast every hour and it was looking like a 30% chance of rain and 85 degrees, not too bad for an outdoor wedding. Our final projects were punching holes in 350 lemon leaves,rolling 350 napkins, finalizing flowers, getting final numbers to the caterers, contacting all of the vendors to make certain everything was on as planned, etc. On Wednesday I had a relaxing lunch with my fiance and one of his best friends from England, then went on to all my appointments: waxing, spray tanning, hair, and teeth cleaning. I wanted to make sure I was in tip top shape for the most important day of my life!

On Thursday the butterflies began. By then a few things had to be changed with the “wedding plans,” but I promise you it didn’t do any good getting mad, it just made everyone else stressed out too. We quickly learned that the most important thing was still going to happen, Mike and I were going to be married in 2 days. My mother and our wedding planner, Juli, tackled all of the changes that were taking place in the background! Every bride needs a mom, a friend, and a wedding planner to help with any of the stressors that inevitably come up, no matter how much you’ve planned.

Friday started off as a day of pampering for the girls and a fun day of golf for the guys and then came the rehearsal dinner at Firethorn Golf Course, hosted by my fiance’s parents. Once the (delicious!) food was served and everyone had a few drinks, the night turned a bit emotional … Both sets of parents got up and said a few words and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. Their words were so encouraging and touching, neither of us had ever been happier than we were that moment. Then our friends said such kind things, we realized how lucky we both were to have such a huge support system around us!

The Big Day

At 6:30 a.m. I jumped out of bed with a grin on my face which lasted nearly 48 hours. I ate breakfast with all my best friends and we were off to W Hair Studio to get dolled up for the day. We caravanned out to the wedding site inMalcolm,NEand everything looked magnificent — like straight out of a movie, I was speechless. The tent was set up, the decorators were perfecting every detail, the caters getting final numbers squared away, Juli was running around like crazy, and me … I was surprisingly calm, to be honest.

One of my bridesmaids said, “I mean this out of love, but I totally imagined you would be bridezilla, but you are not.” There was nothing to be bridezilla about, ohhh well nothing except the 50% chance of rain and some severe storms, that were set to come through at or around 6:00. Did I mention that our ceremony was outdoors and that it started at 5:30 p.m.?

The last thing I said to my father before beginning our trek down the isle was, ” Please make sureto not let me fall okay?” The guests were all smiles while watching, the music was beautifully playing and I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in all my life, this very moment while all eyes are on you, you realize how unbelievabl yblessed you are and that life always happens for a reason. As we said our I Do’s, two geese (which are said to “mate for life”) flew by in the background. It was quite the omen and everyone at the ceremony was awestruck. I think someone asked, “Didthey plan to have those geese fly by?”

The Rain

As soon as we were pronounced husband and wife, we ran down the isle, and not a second after we got inside, the rain came a pouring!!!! All of our guests sprinted down into the reception tent. Yes, the storms were coming, Yes it was going to rain on our wedding day, but guess what… it held out for the ceremony and hey, a little rain is good luck (I could havegone without the 60 MPH winds that nearly knocked the tent over, but hey, what can you do).

Ever After

We all ran down to the tent, trying not to get soaked in the process. I took a moment before entering to “take it all in.” It was another one of those moments of, awe that I wanted to push pause, to see that this many people came here for us, to watch us get married was such a beautiful moment. We spent the rest of the evening soaking it all in as husband and wife, we danced to our amazing band, DFUNK, talked to all our guests, laughed, cried, and most importantly we loved every minute of it together. We knew that this was the beginning of an absolutely amazing life together!!!!!!!!

Photography – Taura Horn Photography

Graphic Design – Amalia Van Bloom

Caterer – Catering Creations

Band – DFunk

Flowers – Stem Gallery

Hair and Makeup – W Hair Studio

Gown – Ellynne Bridal

Men’s shirts and ties – Men’s Wearhouse

Her ring – 14 Karat

Inspiration // Quirky Brilliance

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This wedding was anything but typical. It was full of funky details, vibrant colors, and combinations that you wished you had thought of yourself. The out of the box designs and attention to the smallest of details put this event into a category all of its own. The best part about it was the bride herself envisioned all of it!

The aisle was even part of the quirky brilliance of the wedding…it was a crooked path made entirely with rose petals. And the brides bouquet–it matched no other flowers but somehow was perfectly mismatched with everything else.

You just couldn’t ignore the green and black with pops of salmon at the reception. Monogrammed napkins, handmade drink stirrers, a color coordinated candy bar, amazing two tiered wedding cakes, the bride had her hand in almost all of it. Even the food fit the theme perfectly…all fun, comfort food that no one could say no to.

The best thing about this wedding was it was a reflection of the bride and groom themselves. When it comes to your wedding think about the things you like. Let your own personal preferences (even quirks) inspire you…and then you can let Pinterest help you from there!

photos by Kristin Spencer

Inspiration // How to plan a weekend-long wedding

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I’m coming down from a high of the most fun, never-ending double-weekend wedding celebration! It was such a great time, that I’m re-thinking how I see my future wedding being played out. Let me tell you about it…

Part 1: Friends and family from Omaha, Chicago, Iowa and southern California all meet on the beach on the central coast of California. See the groom is from Nebraska, the bride is a California girl. At 9am – we all meet at the beach house (rented by the bride’s parents) where we were all staying. After we claim bunk beds – yes, bunk beds! — we do a a quick rehearsal on the beach. Did I mention the officiant is the BFF of the bride and got ordained on the internet. He was proud to wear his “Minister” T-shirt during the rehearsal, courtesy of his Minister Kit complete with parking pass! No worries, he took his role very seriously, and blew us all away with his ministerial skills. We called him “The Rev” for the remaining of this wedding adventure.

Sandwiches were delivered to the house for lunch. Then we piled onto a limo bus to go wine tasting around wine country. It was beautiful! I didn’t want to come home. We ended up at a mexican restaurant where we had endless margaritas and nachos. We walked back to the beach house and played football on the beach, built a bonfire and made smores late into the night. It was the perfect day.

Part 2: It’s Wedding Day! I’m coordinating the set up of the ceremony and mini-reception with 10 guys who surprisingly took their job as the set-up crew pretty seriously. “Which way do we face the wine bottles?” “How many shells go each table?” “Do you think we need another keg?”

The noon ceremony was heart-felt, the bride was beautiful, and the shells all found good homes with the bride’s 5 year old cousin. We cleaned up, took naps, then repeated the same football-bonfire-smores routine that evening. For two days straight, we did nothing but laugh. It was sad to say good bye to everyone, but we all knew this was only halftime in this epic wedding.

Part 3: Two weeks later, the same crew is back in Omaha – Yay! We all meet at a groomsman’s house the Friday before Memorial Day. We’ve rented Olly the Trolly to take us around for the day to our favorite “establishments”. Unexpected surprise – the groomsman hosting the event had T-shirts made for everyone! There were 3 different shirts designed all including funny images and quotes from the wedding weekend two weeks before. Depending on which t-shirt you had determined which team you were on. There were challenges for teams to complete throughout the day.

Part 4: The following day we all had a pool day at the groom’s parents house. A perfect sunny day that included more laughing, of course.

Part 5: It’s Reception Day! The gals spent all day getting our hair and make up done. False eye lashes are key! Amazing, fun, beautiful party at a top-notch country club in town. We ROCKED that reception. Apparently, playing Whitney’s “How Will I Know” is the key to getting guys on the dance floor. Who knew?

After Hours: Headed to a favorite dive bar in town, because no one was ready to say good bye. Alas, 2 am came and lots of hugs around to all. Sad. Felt like summer camp just ended and you knew you had to wait until next summer to see all your friends again.

Looking back, I don’t think I could ever forget about this wedding. I had so much fun and made some amazing new friends. It got me thinking, why should weddings be just one day? It’s your WED-DING! Make it last for a year! I always hear brides say it goes by too quickly. We made vacations out of the two trips, and I know we’d all agree that we had more fun on these two mini-trips than we’d ever had on a vacation before.

Disclaimer: It took a village to plan this. But all the details were thought out – meals, transportation, where we would be sleeping at, etc. I was so impressed. This article from The Knot has some good tips for planning weekend weddings. Martha Stewart Wedding’s Idea of the Day was Tips for Planning a Flawless Weekend Wedding. The bride and groom made it easy to have fun and enjoy ourselves. So now we’re waiting for the other couples in our group to get married so we can ‘go back to summer camp’. Cheers!

Real Wedding // Chris & Melanie