Add a Dash of Colour!

If you want to inject a bit of colour into your wedding outfit, but you still want to go for the traditional white/ivory dress, why not do so by wearing a pair of coloured wedding shoes! Let's face it, where does it say they have to be white/ivory?

A woman's shoes say a lot about her - let's face it - we spend enough money on them and it is one of those items you can never have too many of!

There are so many beautiful shoes to choose from in an array of pretty colours that it should be easy to find a pair that will co-ordinate with the rest of your wedding scheme colours. Try to tie them into the colour of your bouquet ribbon or the flowers in your bouquet. Even if you cannot find the exact colour - there are a companies who can dye your wedding shoes to your colour choice.

Remember the golden rules when it comes to your wedding shoes:

1. Always try your wedding dress on with your chosen shoes before your final fitting.

2. Wear your shoes in around the house a few times before the big day - there is nothing worse than suffering with sore feet from new shoes.

Alternatively - you could wear a coloured petticoat under your wedding dress - these look so pretty, particularly if you are opting for a 3/4 length or shorter wedding dress! the splash of colour will be seen as you sashay down the aisle - very contemporary and bold!

A great example of a real life bride wearing a cerise pink petticoat can be seen here on the Rock My Wedding Website

Happy Planning ♥

Buttonholes - where do they originate from?

Buttonholes are one of those traditions that nearly every bridal party follows but none probably know why and where the idea originally came from!

So where did it come from? Well, I am reliably informed that it originates from ancient Greek times when the groomsmen wore little bouquets of flowers and herbs close to their hearts in a bid to ward off any evil spirits.

Then in medieval times, Knights of the realm romantically attached the colours of their beloved to their chest as a public display of their love - aaahhh!

And so to modern times; the men attach a single bud or a miniature bouquet of flowers which typically co-ordinates with the wedding colour scheme, to their lapel. The traditional choice is a single rose or carnation but these days couples are more adventurous in their choice of buttonhole and will often opt for something more exotic such as an Orchid or a Lily. The Groom typically wears something different to the rest of the groomsmen and the Father of the Groom.

Whilst the menfolk tend to keep it simple, the ladies' corsages will often be embelished and so more elaborate and ornate. The trick is to keep them light as attaching a heavy corsage or buttonhole is a nightmare particularly to sheer and delicate fabrics.

You are never going to be able to co-ordinate a corsage with every female member of the bridal party's outfit so try not to go overboard and take advice from your florist who should be well-versed in this.

And remember - a gentleman wears his buttonhole on the left, a lady wears her corsage on the right!

Added 07/01/11 - Click HERE for some inspiration for your buttonholes:

Happy New Year & Congratulations!

Firstly - Happy New Year! And we hope you have a happy & healthy 2011!

We know that there will have been a fair few proposals of marriage over the Christmas and New Year celebrations so we would also like to congratulate all you newly engaged Mrs2Be's!

Now the planning begins! But fear not - you are not alone - we have plenty of useful tools and articles to help you to plan what is probably the biggest event you will ever plan in your life.

The trick is to be organised and get others involved to help. Start early so that you give yourself the best possible chance of remaining calm and stress free!

Remember to take time out for yourselves as a couple as planning a wedding can be all consuming.

For more help and advice visit www.Mrs2Be.com.

Happy Planning! ♥

Your Invitation to a Royal Wedding

So it is to be Friday 29th of April 2011 at Westminster Abbey! I wonder how much involvement Kate & William will actually have in this afterall that is only 5 months away and this is no ordinary wedding!

It will be interesting to see just how "modern day" this young couple are in their choices. Obviously a lot of what they do will be governed by royal tradition, but I suspect we will see some breaks with tradition from them too.

I also wonder how many other couples will rush to book their wedding on the same day, or whether it will have the opposite affect.

I for one am going to bag my place on the sofa with drinks and nibbles to hand so I don't have to miss a thing!

How exciting - a young Royal Wedding - just want the country needs right now!

Happy Planning ♥

Charlotte Balbier's Stunning 2011 - Sneak Preview

Charlotte Balbier has done it again - her 2011 collection is truly stunning and is the largest to date. The new collection is a romantic mix of quintessential English designs in her "English Tea Party Collection" with the exotic romance of her Scillian roots and chic-ness of her French roots in the French Savoir Faire.

This stunning gown shown here is part of the Sabella Collection, named after her Sicilian Grandmother. This gown is called Olympia and you can see more of Charlotte's collection soon on our wedding website www.shelaghm.co.uk - so keep checking back!