Ruby V? Cornflower Tea? Watermelon Spaghetti? Platinum Tank?

At this point, anyone’s fiancee is wondering what the heck you’re talking about!

On the flip side, anyone’s bridesmaid knows EXACTLY what you’re talking about….(drum roll please….)…..Bridesmaid dresses!!

Some see it as a moment of excitement, some have a moment of panic, and some experience mass confusion. However, whether there’s one of them or twelve of them, the girls have to have dresses and YOU have to choose them!

Bridesmaid dresses come in all styles and all colors. The styles have changed dramatically over the years and so have the color opportunities. As the bride, you have to choose the color and style and traditionally, your maid or matron of honor goes with you to help choose ‘the one’ that will look great on all of your maids. While there is a chance that the strapless tea-length olive number will look fabulous on all 6 gals, there is also that chance that it won’t.

Lots of things should be taken into consideration when choosing dresses for your crew, like body type, budget, and season among others.

Some of us are chesty, some of us are hippy, and some of us are…well….’butty’. Then there are some of us that could pass as part-time supermodels! We’re all shaped differently and that means that one dress may not suit everyone equally. Many brides have chosen to allow the maids to choose the style that suits their body type best as long as they’re all the same color, while some brides allow the maids to choose a color (within reason of course) as long as they’re the same style. Be flexible with your choice because these girls are proud to stand by you on your wedding day….the last thing you want them to feel is embarrassed with how they look. A recent suggestion from a Lavish Bride’s mother is to buy fabric for each bridesmaid and tell them to find a good tailor and have a dress custom made (pending your approval of the tailor’s design!).

While that Ann Taylor Bridesmaid dress for $300 looks great, you may want to reconsider if all of your bridesmaid can’t swing the price tag. There are so many dresses at so many price levels that you’re bound to find one that everyone can afford without breaking the bank. Remember, they will be throwing you a shower, pitching in for a gift, paying for their hair and/or nails to be done, buying new shoes, and possibly footing the bill for a hotel room after the reception….take the time to consider your options.

Of course, the season may have an impact on your decision of the type of dress you want your girls to be in. A heavy satin or….*gulp*….polyester (yes they still make them)…..can be very uncomfortable in the summer, especially if there is any type of crinoline petticoat underneath. Those pictures will last you a lifetime….don’t memorialize your bridesmaids with sweat dripping down their brows!

All in all, it is YOUR wedding, but keep those lovely ladies in mind when choosing what they’ll be wearing on your big day. And don’t fall for that old trick of ‘the worse the bridesmaids look, the better the bride looks’! Everyone is always enamored with the bride! Your bridesmaids are the icing on the cake….but YOU are the cherry on top!

Happy Shopping and Stay Lavish!

~Lavish Lisa

Terrific Traditions and Inspired Innovations: Bouquet and Garter Toss

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES! ALL THE SINGLE LADIES!

This isn't just a smash hit from a bootylicious diva, but four words I dread when attending a wedding. They mean it's time for the bouquet toss, and time for me to hide behind the closest bridesmaid!


It is believed that the woman who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry. I like this part - I'll take any luck I can get to get me to the altar next! Then, the groom usually retrieves the garter from the bride's leg and tosses it to the single men. The same luck applies to he who catches it. From there, the single man places the garter on the leg of the single woman. Here is where my red flag goes up. I'm not real keen on the idea of some guy I've never met sliding something lacy up my leg, especially if he's been hitting up the open bar all night. Even more mortifying would be a relative catching the garter. There' really no need for Uncle George to adorn me with something found at Victoria's Secret. Awkward!!


So, what's a girl to do? As a planner, it's my job to give the bride the wedding she desires and deserves, so I'd never tell her to nix this tradition if she wanted it. As a guest, I'll continue to do my duty; shuffle reluctantly to the dance floor when called and dodge that flowery bullet. I do, however, have some suggestions for brides, or bridesmaids who share my sentitment.




1. Personalized item for all: The bouquet/garter toss tradition has it's roots in the 14th century, when wedding guests would tear off pieces of the bride's garments, because they were thought to bring luck. When the newly-wedded women got tired of being attacked, they began throwing personal items, like their garters, at the crowd. In keeping with this idea, you can throw, or pass out, something personalized to all the single women. These items could be monogrammed chocolates, single flowers like those in your bouquet or t-shirts silk-screened with your favorite saying, song lyrics or silly picture of you and your groom. You could also give the girls scented candles, tubes of your favorite lip-gloss or mixed CDs of your and your hubby's favorite songs. Anything goes with this idea, as long as it's something near and dear to your heart. Just make sure you have some idea of how many single ladies you've invited! (This also works for the groom and garter toss.)


2. Cheers: You can toast your marriage with your single friends by taking your favorite alcoholic shot with them. Underage single guests can participate with sparkling cider, juice or any drink they have on hand. They could also be given a piece of chocolate to eat at the same time you take the shot.


3. Anniversary Dance: I really like this one. The DJ announces that you'd like for all the married couples to join you on the dance floor when they hear the number of years they've been married. Years are announced, starting with 1-5, and increase in increments of five. Once 50 years is announced, each year is announced separately until the longest married couple is found. They are then presented with the bouquet and garter.


4. All the ladies (and gentlemen): If you don't like the idea of singling out all your unmarried guests, have all the women and men participate in the bouquet and garter toss.


5. When in Finland, do like the Finlanders: You, the bride, are blindfolded and the single women make a circle around you. You turn slowly in one direction, and the women, holding hands, circle around you in the opposite direction. The women stop, and you hand your bouquet to the woman facing you. She's the lucky winner!


6. Just rig it!: If there is an engaged couple, or soon-to-be engaged couple in attendance, you can always plan for the bouquet and garter to go to them. Just make sure you've cleared it with the couple, or know they'll appreciate the surprise. Also, tell your wedding party to inform the other guests that Ken and Barbie are meant to catch the tossed items.


Whether it be the traditional way or something new, anything goes when it comes to the bouquet and garter portion of your reception, so do it your way and have fun! And for all the single ladies, like me, who cringe at the thought of this, be a good sport and go for it. Who knows, the man who catches the garter might just be your knight in shining armor!


Till the next Terrific Traditions and Inspired Innovations...


xoxo,
Stephanie

The Lavish Divas

Yesterday was our scheduled Lavish meeting in Pittsburgh. These ladies are just the best (and good sports too! See the pictures below!). We had a fun little amateur photo shoot based on a fun set of wedding pictures I saw on Style Me Pretty, photos by Jeremy Lawson. I had the girls each write their names on the board for their headshots...then they each had to write a quote of some sort! Stephanie, God bless her, chose "I'm not short I'm fun-sized!", I chose "Those who can't wed PLAN" (sad but true!), Jamie chose "Put a ring on it!" for good reason, and Lisa...the big hearted of the group chose "All you need is love". So we had a great time at our meeting, it was more fun and less work. Check out the pictures and look for more of them on our website later today!






xoxo,
The Lavish Divas

David Tutera's My Fair Wedding Tour!

Today was one of those days that define my professional happiness! A couple weeks ago I got a call asking me to assist in running David Tutera's My Fair Wedding tour stop in Cleveland. I was so honored to be asked as I've never met David...and there are 4 wedding industry pros I've been dying to meet. David Tutera. Preston Bailey. Sylvia Weinstock. Vera Wang. So today I got to cross the first off my list. At this bridal event, very handsome "groomsmen" and beautiful "bridesmaids" (all models) walked amongst the crowd and handed out Godiva chocolates and Kodak cameras on silver platters! The brides all received a gift bag full of all sorts of goodies from Sephora, Pottery Barn, Swarovski, Godiva, and more! David answered question after question from eager brides-to-be in a small group setting. It was very personal and very informative. He is truly a creative genius. WE Tv also gave away a $2,000 shopping spree. A lucky young GROOM won the prize and got to walk around the Beachwood mall with the personal shopping assistance of David Tutera. How fun!

I had the opportunity to personally meet and chat with David about the industry, about Lavish, and about where we saw trends progressing. I now feel more inspired than ever to produce extraordinary, Lavish events and got TONS of amazing ideas from the man himself!!!

Here's a couple of shots from the day...by the way, his suit ROCKED. And that face he is making was the result of someone telling him that they chose GREEN for their bridesmaids dresses...his least favorite color is green (I knew that. The girl who told him that didn't. That was a fun little inside secret!)

2009-2010 Bridal Fashion

Oh. my. goodness. I was thumbing through the latest "Elegant Bride" today...one of the dozens of magazines that I consider a must read each month. I flipped to an ad of Martina Liana gowns. There were two on the page, they were rather different but I loved them BOTH SO much at first glance. Then I read the little caption that said "TWO DRESSES IN ONE! Simply remove the overskirt and reveal a tea length lace dress". SOLD!!!! What a brilliant idea!!!



And then there's Vera Wang's latest collection that is also absolutely incredible. I love the non-traditional colors--LOVE the green. Let it be said--if there is a bride that is wearing a green vera wang gown for her nuptials, Lavish Events will give you the most insane deal ever!!!

Not at all related to weddings or events....

THESE just saved my life. I haven't even gotten them yet, just freshly ordered! They stick to your desk or even on the wall, and keep all of your USB and other cords in order. Ahhh genius. Had you given me another month, I would have invented something like this myself, just not as genius! Thank you so much to Maria of Lela New York for Tweeting this for my discovery!

I'm on a first name basis with my UPS and FedEx guys...

A large part of what Lavish does for weddings is transforming the reception site into a completely different environment by means of our wedding decor. To do that, I get shipments about twice a DAY in the weeks leading up to a wedding. Today happened to be Mary K's shipment day apparently. I signed the little brown signature box 4 times already today, and it's only 10:30am! I opened 13, count 'em, 13 large boxes stuffed full of beautiful antique birdcages, glass bell cloches, all types of greenery (moss, duckweed, spanish moss, etc etc), artificial birds and birds nests, bird eggs, beehive lanterns, and more! I cannot WAIT for this wedding, it will be beautiful! Stay tuned for images of the final product!

Lavish Events September Newsletter

Now that the busy wedding season begins to wind down, we can officially get to the fall newsletter. Please take a look--there's lots of new happenings going on in the Lavish office!

Click HERE to check it out!

New from Lavish:::: CLICK CHICK IMAGES

Lavish Events is pleased to announce that we'll now have photography services on board our multi-service ship!! Some knew it was coming, and some didn't! So for those who didn't, please take a moment to browse the mini-site by going to the Lavish Events website and clicking on the link in the upper right hand corner that says CLICK CHICK. You can also go straight to the full site here.

While Event Planning is still our main focus, I will be snapping away engagement, family, boudoir (verrry special gift for your man!), model, and all sorts of other photos. I'll even squeeze in a couple of wedding shoots on days where Lavish doesn't have an event booked!

So please, browse the site and book your shoot for any reason today while the prices are still at introductory rates!!!