Ahoy Bridey?

Yesterday the Chicago Tribune ran an article about weddings on cruise ships. Apparently the number of couples choosing to get married on a cruise is increasing exponentially. The most popular cruise ship line mentioned in the story, Carnival Cruise, expects to have 2400 weddings on their vessels this year.



The idea of getting married on a cruise is an intriguing one. Pretty much everything is taken care of for you so I imagine that it would greatly cut down on wedding planning stress. Also a lot of the options mentioned in the article are extremely affordable. If the bride and groom decide to get married without guests, a cruise ship package can start as low as $1195. That includes the ceremony, flowers, a cake, and the photography.

One of the biggest decisions that cruise ship couples have to make is whether or not they want guests at their wedding. Obviously guests increase the price tag but not by as much as you might expect. The same cruise line quotes guests, an hour-long open bar and hors d’oeuvres as $1635. They don’t specify the number of guests though, and I am assuming that that quote is for a very small wedding, but that’s still surprisingly affordable.

Another benefit to getting married at sea, is that couples can combine their wedding and their honeymoon which basically slashes your budget in half. The only downside to that is if you have guests at your wedding, then they’re also on your honeymoon. Not very romantic.

Not all couples who decide to get married at sea are doing it to cut costs though. One couple mentioned in the story plan to have over 100 wedding guests at their nautical ceremony!

What do you think? Is a cruise wedding something you would ever consider? It’s not my style but I think there are a lot of advantages to having one.

Best of NYFW: Wedding edition

New York Fashion Week fall 2010 ended a couple of weeks ago. I followed the shows closely, as I always do, but this season I paid attention to looks that could double as bridal outfits or wedding attendee clothes. Here is a round-up of my favorites.

Rachel Roy


This Rachel Roy dress is absolutely divine. It would be such an ethereal and chic wedding dress. I am obsessed with the gently cinched waist. Strapless wedding dresses are so ubiquitous that I fear they are quickly becoming passé but I still love them, I can’t help it. This dress is especially perfect.

Erin Fetherston


This Erin Fetherston dress is so pretty. I love the mod, 60s feel. I think it would make a gorgeous wedding dress for a slightly offbeat bride. I would like to see it for a day wedding. I think a short wedding dress can be so fresh and unexpected; I wish more brides would take the risk and go short. This ban.do headband would be perf with the dress.

Lela Rose


I was so happy to see that one-shouldered dresses are still going to be in for the fall. I have about ten of them, so it was good news for me! I think most brides would shy away from a one-shouldered wedding dress since it’s so trendy and rightfully so, you don’t want your wedding photos looking extremely dated in six years. That said, your rehearsal dinner is a great place to have some fun and go a little trendier. This beautiful, romantic Lela Rose dress would be lovely for the bride’s rehearsal look. I think the gold mini-sash really completes the look.

Tracy Reese


Tracy Reese is one of my favorite designers and I almost keeled over when I saw this dress. I adore the styling: the absurdly girly dress, the sexy lace tights, and the tough boots = perfection. This dress could absolutely double as an amazing maid of honor dress. The ballerina-inspired poufy tulle skirt makes me happy just looking at it. Trust me: your maid of honor will thank you if you put her in this.

Alice + Olivia


This dress is so adorable! Wouldn’t bridesmaids look so darling in this strapless, tiered, bubble-skirted number? It’s Alice + Olivia and you can never go wrong with Stacey Bendet's quirky sensibility.

Diane von Furstenberg


Finally this last look would be beautiful for a wedding guest. I like the strong but poufy shoulders and the deep V neckline. Of course Diane von Furstenberg is the wrap dress queen so I think that detail makes the dress even more special.

Thoughts? Would you wear any of these pieces to a wedding? Hope you like the picks!

all images from style.com

Monday Pick-Me-Up: ban.do edition

Hello Gorgeous!



How dramatic and beautiful is this ban.do flower? A wedding planner that I interviewed for an article told me that veils are out and hair accessories are in. This would be such a great alternative to a veil. I always think brides don’t wear enough color but this would take care of that problem!

I would style it exactly like the girl in the photo: a bold lip color and no jewelry. This is the only accessory a girl needs! Buy it here.

Wedding Traditions Guys Hate

“The Groom With a View,” a funny male blogger who writes about weddings, recently posted about wedding traditions that guys hate. If you’ve been following my blog you know that I have posted a bit about the origins of wedding traditions and I recently wrote an article about ways to modernize out-of-date traditions. Naturally I was very excited to read The Groom’s opinion on dull traditions.

Two that he mentioned were the first dance and the cake cutting. I agree to a certain extent about the first dance, it’s boring for guests to just sit there and watch the couple awkwardly slow dance while gazing into each other’s eyes. Additional points are subtracted if the couple selects a horrible song like Olivia Newton John’s “I Honestly Love You” (seriously, haven’t they seen The Wedding Planner?)

I have mixed feelings about cake cutting. How can you not cut your own wedding cake?! Also I have no problem with watching while the couple cuts their cake. It doesn’t even take very long. However I hate it when couples smear wedding cake all over each other’s faces. It’s not cute and no one enjoys seeing it.

I was a little surprised to hear that the Groom doesn’t like sitting through normal cake-cutting though. His argument is that it stops the flow of the party. Ultimately though, the couple is footing the bill for a fun party, I think you can sit through their photo-op with their pricey cake that you are about to enjoy!

What do you think? Which traditions bore you? Do you plan on cutting your wedding cake and having a first dance?


Guys are happy to eat your delicious wedding cake, but apparently they get bored watching you cut it!

Males of Honor

Australian news site, AdelaideNow, recently posted an article about brides asking their male friends to be part of their wedding party. The so-called “Man of Honor” is the bride’s closest friend and he fulfills the Maid of Honor role that traditionally was held by the bride’s sister or closest female friend.



I think this is a great idea! If your closest friend is a guy or if you have a brother who is very special to you, why not have them as part of your bridal party? On the flip side, I like it when grooms choose their sisters, female cousins or best female friend as their “groomswomen.”

In the past the bride’s brother or the groom’s sister were banished to the other side of the bridal party. In a lot of cases, having the groom’s sister be one of your bridesmaids seemed to be an obligatory request and where’s the sincerity in that? Regardless of gender, the guys and girls who mean the most to the bride and the groom should be allowed to support their actual friend and not symbolically stand on the other side of the altar.

What do you think? Would you ever ask a boy to be part of the bridal party or a girl to be a groomswoman? Why or why not?

PS. Made of Honor was a terrible movie but Michelle Monaghan had the right idea in asking Patrick Dempsey to be her Man of Honor!

Monday Pick-Me-Up : Stuart Weitzman edition

I am in love with these beautiful Stuart Weitzman Paradise pumps. I love the pleated bow and jeweled buckle. The ruby color is so pretty and rich.



I think these satin shoes would be lovely for any wedding attendee and I would personally love to wear them on my wedding day.

Stuart Weitzman is my sister’s favorite shoe designer so I am eager to hear her thoughts. What do you think of them? Would you wear them on your wedding day or to a wedding?

Get them here.

Valentine's Day Weddings

Valentine’s Day is obviously one of the most popular days to get married. This year the Chinese New Year also falls on Valentine’s Day. Ordinarily this would be considered a doubly “romantic” day for Chinese nuptials. But February 14th 2010 marks the start of the Chinese year of the tiger which is considered a “widow year” and is hence very unpopular for weddings. The Guardian ran an article last week about Chinese couples rushing to get married before the Chinese New Year. Apparently as many as 300 couples were gathered at one Beijing office within an hour of its opening.



What are your thoughts on getting married on Valentine’s Day? A lot of couples also choose to get engaged on February 14th. It’s such a cliché day that I would personally never want to get married or engaged on Valentine’s Day. I also wouldn’t want to get engaged on any other major holiday or my birthday. To each their own though.

How do you feel about getting engaged on a specific holiday? Would you like it or do you feel like it takes away from the uniqueness of your special day? Let me know!

Something Blue Ideas

I already posted about the history behind having “something blue” on your wedding day. (In case you missed that post, it represents fidelity and purity.) I like the idea of making your something blue, part of your wedding outfit. Blue shoes, clutches or headbands, all add a beautiful pop of color to your look.
Here are some of my favorite picks:

Shoes

These suede pumps are from Elizabeth and James, one of the Olsen Twins’ lines. I love the button-like detail.


I like the metallic finish on these beautiful Giuseppe Zanotti open-toe pumps.



At less than $100, these Fergie shoes have the lowest price point.

Clutches

The flower detail on this Nine West wristlet is cute and at under $50, it's cheap!


I like the ruching on this satin clutch.




In honor of the tragic passing of Mr. Lee McQueen, the luminary British designer, I wanted to include this modern, art-deco influenced Alexander McQueen clutch. Love the geometric print. RIP Mr. McQueen.

Headbands

At $200, this ban.do headband is pricey for a hair accessory but it’s also so bold that the bride could skip additional jewelry.



At $38 this headband is much more affordable but no less scene-stealing.

Hope some of the featured items inspire you! I think every bride should have fun with her "something blue." I also think that any of these items would be beautiful on any girl, engaged or not!

Let me know what you think!

Child Marriage in Rajasthan

This weekend The Irish Times ran a story about child marriages in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

Apparently the Rajasthan government recently decided to register all marriages, including child marriages and activist groups there are worried that this will encourage child weddings.

The article explains that while the origin of child weddings isn’t known, it is believed to date back to the 10th century. Child marriages are apparently an “open secret” in Rajasthan. The legal marital age in India is 18 for females and 21 for males, making all child weddings illegal, so it is absurd that they would even consider registering them. The article explains that single women are given the lowest status in communities which practice child marriages, so one of the reasons why parents decide to marry their infant daughters is to ensure that they don’t remain unwed as adults. Another reason the article posits for infant weddings, is that all brides are required to have silver bracelets and anklets and since children have smaller wrists and ankles than adults, it costs less to provide them with the necessary jewelry.

Reading this article was so depressing. The thought of children as young as two being married is horrible. In some cases the child brides are married to child grooms, and while this is obviously still an infringement on their human rights, this seems slightly less horrific as they are allowed to live with their parents until they reach puberty. The accounts of child brides being married to adult men who force them to consummate the marriage when the bride is only 15, are far more appalling.

I obviously knew child marriages still existed but I hadn’t thought about them in some time, so this article was a sobering reminder. I posted about the archaic, sexist origins of some wedding traditions a couple of days ago and I commented on the disparity between the violent history behind some weddings and the modern concept of the wedding being all about the bride. It was important to remember that in some parts of the world, things have not changed as much as we would like.

Monday Pick-Me-Up: Christian Louboutin edition

Last week, I had some negative things to say about Christian Louboutin shoes. But in actuality he’s my favorite shoe designer and I absolutely plan to wear Loubs on my wedding day, so I decided that this week’s virtual shopping trip should be a pair of his shoes to make up for my comment last week.




I absolutely love these slingbacks. I think they would look best with a shorter or tea-length wedding dress. They’re so pretty it would be a shame to hide the studs or the peep-toe.

These would also work as bridesmaid’s shoes or even wedding guest attire. Be careful though, you don’t want to steal the bride’s thunder!

What do you think of the Loub slingbacks? Would you wear them to a wedding? They’re so gorgeous if I had them, I would wear them every day! You’d have to pry them off my feet.

Bizarre Wedding Origins

In doing my research on the origins of wedding traditions, I came across something fascinating: a ton of the origins are related to superstitions surrounding evil spirits.

For example in ancient times bridesmaids actually dressed identically to the bride and their entire purpose was to confuse evil spirits who wanted to steal the bride’s happiness (they wouldn’t know which one she was.)

This is also the tradition behind the groom carrying the bride over the threshold. He needed to protect her from the evil spirits which were lurking beneath the threshold.



Yet another one is guests giving the newlyweds a noisy send-off after the reception. Guests would ring bells and clap loudly to discourage evil spirits from harming the couple.

A lot of other traditions were related to the concept of kidnapping or capturing the bride. The reason that the bride stands on the groom’s left side is that he needed to have his right hand free to defend himself against any men who tried to “steal” the bride from him. The groomsmen were expected to help the groom when he captured his bride and also assist in fighting off other suitors.

It’s so interesting to consider the decidedly unromantic origins of traditions that, today, people consider part of the most romantic day of your life. It’s also interesting to be reminded of the violence behind ancient weddings; the kidnapping of the bride or marrying her off against her will. The juxtaposition between the lack of agency that women in those times had with the contemporary concept that a wedding is all about the bride’s desires is
intriguing.

Have you ever thought about that juxtaposition?

And a Sixpence in Her Shoe

I mentioned in a recent post that I am intrigued about the original meaning behind popular wedding traditions. I am working on an article about this and I’ll post the finished article soon but in the meantime I want to talk about some traditions that didn’t make it into my article.



First up is “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue.”
I had thought that this saying, which is an ancient Hebrew tradition, was all for good luck but apparently each part means something different. The old and new items are supposed to signify the transition of the bride from a single woman to a married one. The borrowed piece is meant to symbolize the community aspect of the wedding through her family and friends’ involvement. Lastly the blue item is meant to represent purity and faithfulness.

I interviewed Tracy Butler, 26, from Annapolis, MD about her upcoming wedding. Tracy is getting married in 18 months to her fiancé Jon and she plans to follow this tradition. She is going to wear her grandmother’s ring which will represent something old and something borrowed. Her dress will be her something new and she is going to wear blue shoes for something blue.

I really like the idea of doing something unexpected with the blue part. Blue shoes are a cute idea and I also like the idea of having a blue clutch, blue flowers or even blue nail polish!

My grandmother, who was from England, always used to add “and a silver sixpence in her shoe” to this tradition. The sixpence is for luck and some British brides include it as well. I am not sure that they actually put it in their shoe as I can’t imagine that would very comfortable!

Do you like this tradition? Did or will you follow it? I’ll be posting more about wedding traditions over the next few days.

Monday Pick-Me-Up : Badgley Mischka edition

I always suffer from the Mondays. So as a little pick-me-up, every Monday I'll post a bridal wish item. It'll be lovely potential bridal piece, but, in the tradition of my favorite wedding looks, it will also be something that any girl can wear for any special occasion.

This week's pick are these gorge Badgley Mischka heels. They remind me of these, but I don't like the Loubs quite as much. The petals look surprisingly cheap in person. My sister considered getting them but she ultimately decided that they weren't worth it and I think she made the right decision. Randomly enough she got these Badgleys instead.

What do you think of the Badgley shoes? And how do you deal with Monday blues?