Father of the Bride is one of my favourite wedding films. Released in 1991, it is a beautiful movie about family, love, letting go and a wedding!  Although fashionably speaking some aspects of the movie are a bit dated there are still a variety of inspirations that brides to be can get from this film.  

The film, a remake of the 1950’s Spencer Tracey and Elizabeth Taylor classic is set in San Marino, California where a middle class, athletic shoe company owning father, George Banks ( Steve Martin) who is adverse to change, has  a young daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) who has just returned from a study exchange in Rome to announce that she is engaged, after only 6 months of dating her yet to be introduced fiance, Bryan Mckenzie (George Newbern). The father, George, has not quite come to terms with the fact that his daughter is all grown up. As a result as he moves through the process of planning an extravagant wedding he goes slightly insane and gets himself into all sorts of scrapes, exasperated by a kooky and heavily accented foreign wedding planner, Franck Egglehofer (Martin Short) and by the wealth and pets of his new “in-laws” the McKenzies. Withthe good advice of his wife Nina(Diane Keaton), George finally accepts that change has come and his daughter is grown up and the film ends witha beautiful and heartfelt wedding. The film tugs at the heartstrings with its father-daughter relationship set against the background of change manifested through the wedding. There are many funny moments created by the flamboyant wedding planner franck and the need for George, the father of the bride, to keep the wedding costs to a minimum (he gets excited when he finds out a guest they invited was dead), a situation most brides and grooms will find very familiar. The film is a great source of inspiration for brides and grooms to be, as well as being a movie that makes you feel good.

Inspirations

Reception

This film can change the way you think about wedding receptions. Having a reception at home is considered to be an unusual choice, but after watching this movie you can learn that it can work beautifully. In the film the entire house is transformed for the reception including the addition of flower beds and swans to waddle at the front of the house. If you have a house with ample size this could definitely be a consideration and by watching the film you can see an example of a wedding at home done right and what is required if you are thinking of having a wedding at home. From moving out all the furniture to placing extra lighting and heating  in the house the film explores this issue wonderfully. Also the way in which the house was decorated is also a great source for ideas if you are planning an at home wedding. The entire house was decorated with flowers including the exterior. Fairy lights were also extensively used.

The film also made me fall in love with the idea of a marquee for a wedding reception. If you have watched this film, you will know what I am talking about. The marquee is located at the back of the house and is where the eating and dancing takes place. It is beautifully decorated and makes it feel as if you are in another world as opposed to a backyard.  Through the use of fairy lights, candelabras and dark green foliage the film exquisitely creates  elegant reception decor. Marquees always have a special feel, the white and softness of the walls help to create the feeling of elegance and romance, and this is successfully recreated in the film. If you are thinking of having a marquee for your wedding watch this film to get beautiful decorating ideas.

Songs

I was also inspired by the beautiful score and songs that feature throughout the film. The music was directed by acclaimed film composer Alan Silverstri.  The movie has a combination of songs and original scores.  There were two major inspirations that I took musically from the film. One is the main song featured in the film,  ”The Way You Look Tonight” adapted by Steve Tyrell and arranged by Alan Silverstri. From the score that leads into to Steve’s interpretation of the song, it swept me up with its jazz and big band notes and to this day I would have to say that this is one of my favourite first dance songs. Its slow and romantic without being overly soppy. In short, a great idea for a first dance song. Listen to it here

Another major inspiration was the song that Annie, the bride, walked down the aisle to, Pachelbel Canon in D. This instrumental music created by Johann Pachelbel in 1680 is often used at weddings but for the entrance of the bridal party, and you will probably recognise it easily. In this film the song played for the procession of the whole party including the bride. It was a perfect choice and this classical music works very well with weddings and inspired me to consider this song for a brides processional entry into church, not just the bridal party.

There is another score within the film directed by Alan Silverstri called “Annie’s Theme” which is a beautiful piece of music which recurs throughout the film. This beautiful piece makes for great background music for a wedding. Consider using it for the background to your wedding, or perhaps during the signing of your marriage certificate by yourself and your witnesses. Listen to it  here:  

Other memorable songs that feature in the film and on the soundtrack include My Girl The Temptations, Chapel of Love The Dixie Cups, (Today I Met) The Boy I am Going to Marry Darlene Love and I’m Your Man David Darling. The soundtrack makes you feel just as feel good as the movie and fits perfectly with the film!

Click on the following to grab your own copy of the soundtrack Father Of The Bride: Music From The Motion Picture

Mother of the Bride

Although some of the wedding fashion is dated, there is still a lot of wedding ideas and themes that can be taken from this film. The Mother of the Bride, played by Diane Keaton, has an amazing cream/gold beaded suit that she wears to the wedding. The square cut suit works perfectly for her role as Mother of the Bride as it is formal yet feminine. This suit would still be in vogue today and  could easily be emulated by Mothers of the Bride.

Signature shoes

In the film, the bride wears athletic running shoes specially made by her dad to her wedding. Wearing unique wedding shoes is a growing trend and this film inspired me to consider and advise people to try for unique shoes on their big day. Due to the nature and length of a wedding dress it is most likely that your guests will not see your shoes so feel free to wear shoes as outrageous  and special to you as you like. It is a nice way to add a signature touch to your wedding. For example if you favourite colour is purple, buck tradition and opt for fabulous purple stilettos!

Wedding Planner

Seeing this film as a young girl, I didn’t know that there was such a thing as a career as a wedding planner. I thought all brides organised their wedding themselves. Seeing this film planted the seed in my subconscious that one day I would either be a wedding planner or that I would have one at my wedding. Seeing franck’s (Martin Short) amazing wedding planning store filled with mock table decorations and wedding favours will inspire you also if you are considering becoming a wedding planner or considering hiring one for your wedding.

Annie’s Dress

Although slightly dated, the bride’s dress in this film can be a source of inspiration for winter brides. Waking up to find the world covered with snow on her wedding day, it is lucky that the bride had chosen the her long sleeve lace dress with full skirt. The use of long lace sleeves for winter brides is a perfect choice as bride can keep warm whilst still revealing skin. Another beautiful feature of Annie’s dress is the gorgeous big bow at the front of her skirt. Winter brides can definitely get some great ideas from this wedding dress.

Church

The Church in this film was beautifully decorated with flowers and candles and it inspired me to consider a  focus on church decorations for weddings. Most weddings tend to not place an emphasis on decorations for their church/civil ceremony but bear in mind that this is where the most important part of the day happens, the part where you will actually become husband and wife. Due to the significance of this I believe that brides should try and decorate their church as much as they can. If you cannot afford to decorate both your church and your reception consider using the same decorations for both and save costs by asking relatives to transport the flowers and decorations from the church to the reception place. Also consider artificial flowers for the church/civil ceremony to save on costs. If you have an unlimited budget, look to this film for some great ideas on how to create beautiful church decor.

If you are getting married, or just happen to love watching wedding movies, you should watch this film. Its definitely a feel good wedding flick which can also give you inspiration for your big day! From the funny characters, quirky quotes, romance, family values and to most importantly a wedding this flick will quickly become one of your favourites.

Click on the following to grab yourself your own copy to enjoy!Father of the Bride (15th Anniversary Edition)

(source of pics: hookedonhouses, imbd.com)

Any couple getting married should be unique and incorporate their sense of style and personality into their big day. In this review, the bride and groom have embedded their taste into every facet of their wedding but did they take their sense of style too far?

Location:  Dockside Darling Harbour, Sydney

Sydney couple Yanna and Kosta Elsefees, inspired by their love of Gun’s and Roses and wrestling decided on a theme of rock and roll for their  Greek wedding. Set against the colours of black and hot pink, the couple married at a  Greek Orthodox church in Kogarah followed by a reception at Dockside, Darling Harbour, Sydney. The bride incorporated the rock and roll style with a $9000 gown with a  heart shaped plunging neckline bodice, embroidered with pink crystals,  a short ruffled tulle skirt with detachable long train and a short fascinator for her veil. This dress was inspired by the Gun’s and Roses song November Rain. The groom wore a white suit and shirt with no tie. The bridesmaids kept pace with floor length black gowns with hot pink bow belts, plunging neckline included, and the groomsmen channelled the gangster look with black suits and t-shirts with hot pink suspenders. The theme of hot pink and black was reflected in their cars, 3 stretch hummers, one in pink, two in black  and their reception decor which consisted of black tablecloths, black chairs covers with hot pink bows,  modernised chandeliers, crystal filled martini glasses topped off with a hot pink and black polka dot cake toasted with playboy insignia champagne flutes .  

Whilst you cannot say the wedding was an elegant and stylish affair, as the plunging necklines can never allow this, once you look past the inherent deficiencies there are certain aspects of this wedding which give it merit.

Who said less is more

When it comes to her wedding dress and her bridesmaids, Yanna seems to have gone with the less is more theory. With her short tulle skirt and her bridesmaids plunging necklines it is obvious that Yanna was seeking a sexy look to placate her rock and roll theme. But what the bride should have considered is that you can still be a sexy bride without looking like you work the streets at night. Sometimes less is not more. Had the bride considered a moderately higher necklines for herself and her bridesmaids she still could have been sexy without comprising on taste. Additionally having a short skirt with detachable train would also have worked had the front not been so short, or in my opinion, full length the whole way around. After all there a lot of permutations of the basic style of the brides dress, a bodice with ruffled skirt, just with more material. Also the bridesmaids dresses,  had their neckline been a little higher,  were actually appropriate for the theme of the wedding.

Fascinator

The choice of a short fascinator in lieu of a veil by the bride was an ingenious choice. The bride did not want a long veil covering her dress and so has opted for the fascinator, a great decision. Additionally the bride has cleverly swapped the fascinator for a crystal hairpiece for the reception. Replacing the veil with a flower, hairpiece or some form of accessory is one of my top weddings tips, as brides in wedding reception photos can sometimes look like a guest in a white dress without some form of distinction, especially when a brides dress is very simple. Even though Yanna is not wearing a simple wedding gown,  by replacing her fascinator with a hair piece it is simply impossible for this bride to be confused as a guest.

Gangsters?

A fatal mistake that most couples make in planning their weddings is dressing the groom/groomsmen in suspenders, top hats, black shirts (one of my most hated looks for men) and long coats. I understand that couples think this adds a vintage gangster feel to their day but most of the time it looks like the groom/groomsmen are going to a gangster dress up party. People who have had a wedding with the groomsmen dressed this way might disagree,  but if you view wedding photos of such weddings carefully, you will understand that it really can look like a dress up party. Here the couple have made a similar mistake dressing the men in black t-shirts and hot pink suspenders. Black Shirts on the men in a bridal party look particularly bad if not done is a sleek way. I would advise to steer clear of a black shirt unless your wedding theme is actually 1920’s gangster, where the black shirt works extremely well.  The use of  t-shirt in black at this wedding makes the look even worse. These groomsmen look like waiters at a hens/bachelorette party.

Are the 80’s back?

The bridesmaid are beautiful women but their beauty is diminished by the dated and poofed up curly hairstyles they wear. Small curls are no longer in fashion, neither is overly teased hair.  Some brides, including Yanna make the mistake  of having the hairstyle that they choose for the wedding when they first dreamed of it as a little girl. Hairstyles change as quickly as fashion and whats in vogue now is not what was in vogue 20 years ago. If the girls had bigger, GHD curls it would have suited the girls better. Alternatively the girls could have had their swept to the side and curled for a more elegant look.

Chandeliers and Cars

Typically, chandeliers create a very fancy and stately feel to a wedding reception. They are traditional and old world. In keeping with her quirky theme the bride successfully has added modern style chandeliers to her reception. The shape of the crystals in the chandeliers is rectangle which works wonderfully with her edgy theme. For cars, the couple decided on stretch black and pink hummers for their affair. This was the perfect choice for the wedding as Hummers are the cars of rock stars, and thus truly reflected their theme.

Consistency

Whether you consider this wedding tacky or not, one cannot argue that the couple have seamlessly kept a consistent theme through every aspect of their wedding. Brides should take note that consistency is the key to flawless wedding, whatever your individual taste. Through consistency you gain symmetry, through symmetry you create beauty. Although personally I would not make the choices the bride and groom made, it is obvious that they have kept to a vital key to a wedding.  The extent to which the couple maintained the theme is admirable. The bride had pink streaks throughout her jet black hair, and the couple toasted the night with pink champagne.  The bride even walked down a red carpet aisle! There was nothing in this wedding that did not fit the rock and roll theme intended by the couple and for that the bride scores extra points.

Make your wedding yours

No matter what you might think of their style this heavy metal loving couple were successful in expressing their personality in their wedding. From the pyrotechnics and wrestling songs used for their entrance into the reception, their playboy champagne flutes and down to the brides racy dress, the couple were true to themselves and the wedding reflected who they are.  This is best expressed perhaps, by the bride herself who commented in the Herald Sun, “”I’ve seen a few comments with people saying things like ’slapper’ and whatever but, you know, it was my wedding. That’s how I wanted it and I loved it.” The bride also commented that her guests went to her wedding and said “Yep, this is Yanna“. What can be learned from this over-the-top affair is the need for brides and grooms to make their wedding special to themselves and to express their personality.  As the bride herself said “I don’t want to change it because people will think different of me“.

Rating: 4.5/10

Although the bride and groom have successfully stuck to their wedding theme and kept the consistency they have failed to impress with their attempt to appear sexy. Your wedding day is still your wedding and a sacred ceremony.  Appearing in church with an extremely low neckline was not a good choice and it cheapened the look of the whole bridal party. Had the women covered up a little more and modernised their hairstyles  there was potential in the looks chosen. That being said,  I respect that the bride and groom choose to have their wedding exactly the way that they wanted, which after all, is most important as it is their day.

What we have learnt

• Sometimes, less is not more
• Consistency is the key
• Tailor your cars to your theme – do not mix a Ferrari with a vintage themed wedding
• Do what you want to do. Take inspiration from Yanna and Kosta’s courage to have their wedding exactly the way they wanted it.

(source of pictures: Daily Telegraph)

In a world first NYC couple Erin Finnegan and Noah Fulmor tied the knot in a zero gravity wedding ceremony.

The ceremony was conducted on a specially crafted Boeing 727-200 plane, G Force One, which creates weightless flight experience without going into space. The ceremony was conducted by Richard Garriott, the owner of Zero G the company that creates the specially crafted planes, who is also a celebrant. The plane was flying over the Gulf of Mexico when the ceremony was performed.

Through the use of “parobolic flight manoeuvres” including rising and descending sharply the couple and their guests experienced the weightlessness of being in space and the effect of zero gravity.

To honour the theme of their ceremony the bride wore a white billowing pant suit with earrings consisting of tiny planets and the groom kept up the theme with spacecraft shaped cuffs. The bridal party wore blue space jumpsuits.

This was certainly a different way of celebrating a ceremony. For a wedding ceremony with a difference consider an activity that you and your partner love and try to incorporate the activity into your ceremony.

(source of pic: Daily Telegraph)

This has to be one of the most amazing speeches I have ever heard at a wedding. In the video below, the groom gives a speech thanking his parents, in-laws and bride which is polished to perfection. It is obvious that the groom wrote and memorised the speech but the words that he has used and the language he has adopted make the speech timeless and unforgettable.Watch with a box of tissues.

Grooms take note!

Having a beach wedding? Eschew the traditional ring cushion and consider incorporating your beach theme by using oysters shells, clam shells or pieces of coral to present your rings during the ceremony.  Shell ring holders are a cute and original idea for your affair by the sea.

Australian bride Marnie used clam shells with ring cushions tucked inside for her 2008 Gold Coast wedding.

The best thing about this is that this unique idea doesn’t need to cost a fortune. You can simply find some special shells on the beach and buy little ring pillows to secure your rings to and place within the shell.

Apart from shell ring holders beach brides can use:

Most brides, when planning their wedding, tend to stick to generic styles when dressing their bridesmaids, mainly floor length and block colour dresses.  They also tend to dress their bridesmaids in shiny, and sometimes cheap looking fabric.  We have all been to so many weddings where bridesmaids fit this bill that we often forget to think outside the box.

Thinking outside the box for your bridesmaids dresses can be done in a number of ways.

Head to the Shops

Scouting high end shops and designer stores, can result in beautiful, high quality off the rack dresses that you can find to fit your bridesmaids. Now, I am definitely not advocating that brides go to their local store and pick up a cheap, off the rack dress. What I am suggesting is that certain high end designer stores can be a source for beautiful dresses for your bridesmaids. In the wedding below, the bride Nadia happended to walk into a Lisa Ho store, the Australian designer, for herself and discovered these beautiful  dresses. She would never have thought of this design/type of fabric of her own, but in seeing the complete dress in the store she fell in love with the design and purchased the dresses straight away . The soft paisley and floral design on the dresses worked perfectly with her Bowral wedding.

Perusing stores can also help give you ideas on which you can get your bridesmaids dresses custom made emulating the design in store. A benefit of buying dresses off the rack is that you can buy the dress in multiple sizes to fit each bridesmaid as required.

Here are some stores/designers you can scout in Australia:

Lisa Ho
Collette Dinigan
Scanlan and Theodore
Seduce
David Jones
Myer                                        
Wayne Cooper
Morrisey
Alannah Hill
Leona Edminston
Sass & Bide
Alex Perry

Consider Patterns

You don’t have to stick to a block colour for your bridesmaids. As seen in Nadia’s wedding above a soft patterned dress can be chic, stylish and unique which will have your guests talking. Brides should think outside the box and consider paisley prints, floral or abstract prints for their bridesmaids. Remember if you are going to choose a patterned dress  it might be difficult to match your groomsmen cravats/ties to the dresses. A good tip for a multifaceted dress is to match the cravats/ties to the main colour on the pattern, or the colour which stands out the most on the dress.

A Dress They Can Really Wear Again

For those who have seen the movie 27 dresses you will remember the recurring punch line uttered by brides to their bridesmaids as they are wearing their ugly, unflattering dress chosen by the bride ”and the best thing about it is that you can cut it short and wear it again“. I have actually had a bride say this to me when I was a bridesmaid! The reality is that due to the typical nature of a bridesmaid dress most bridesmaids will probably never wear the dress again. The generic bridesmaid styles are floor length and very formal looking rendering them unusable for most functions that their bridesmaids will attend. Keeping up with the theme of buying your bridesmaids dresses from the shops comes the idea that you can also choose “cocktail/party” dresses for your bridesmaids which can still look fantastic and which will really have your bridesmaids wearing it again and again. In the wedding above the bride, Amee,  has chosen a two tone black and white party dresses which her bridesmaids can wear again to any another occasion, yet looks stylish and elegant for the wedding.

Embellish It

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and embellish your bridesmaids dresses. The Bowral bride Nadia, decided to wrap a patterned belt around her Lisa Ho bridesmaids dresses to create a shape for the girls waist. Although a little unorthodox,  it  worked very well with the dress and flattered the girls shape, showing off their waist.  In this photo you can see how Nadia, the Bowral bride has placed here patterned belt to creat a shape for the bridesmaids. If you are going to embellish with a belt ensure that the style matches the dress and sits well on every bridesmaid.

Ways to embellish a bridesmaid dress

• Belts
• Bows
• Sashes
• Heavy necklaces

Tip: See Alannah Hill for great accessories which can complement your bridesmaid dresses.

Mismatched Bridesmaids

I will go into further detail about mismatched bridesmaids dresses at a later date but from the point of view of this article,  brides can think outside the traditional bridesmaid box and adopt different styles for each of their bridesmaids. If you want something different you can consider 

• Completely different dresses
• The same dress in different colours
• The same dress in different tones of a colour, for example cream, champagne, gold and brown.
• having different hairstyles for each bridesmaid

When deciding to have mismatched bridesmaids, a bride must consider very carefully how this will look. Symmetry and consistency in a bridal party is what creates great photos. There still needs to be some element of continuity with your bridesmaids. The continuity needs to subsist not only because consistency makes for great photos but also because your bridesmaids still need to look like your bridesmaids. Without something binding all your bridesmaids together, whether it be the colour of the dress or the style, you risk your bridesmaids simply looking like your guests, especially in your wedding photos.  Indeed at the wedding reception, bridesmaids will not be holding their bouquets and thus are much more vulnerable to looking simply like a guest at the wedding unless the bride has managed to style the bridesmaids in a way that makes them identifiable and in some sort of unison.

To keep consistency in a wedding without having uniform bridesmaids, a bride can ensure that all bouquets for the bridesmaids are exactly the same. Additionally if you are going to have different style dresses you should keep the jewellery and hairstyle of all the bridesmaids the same so they can be easily identified as bridesmaids.  The wedding of  singer Tamara Jaber is an example a bride successfully having mismatched brides who look stylish yet still coordinated. Here the bride has opted for different style of dress with different hairstyles for each bridesmaid but the consistency needed to pull the bridesmaids all together is found in thematching bouquets and same colour dresses for all the bridesmaids.

 (source:929.com)

How about this for a unique wedding cake! Rhiannon Elliott and Cameron Swan wanted an old fashioned and English theme to their Hunter Valley wedding.  To incorporate this theme the couple decided on a vintage cheese wheel cake.

The cake comprised of 7 tiered cheese wheel stacks served with crackers and quince paste. The cake was designed by Duncan Elliot, the brides brother.

This is a great idea for brides who love cheese or who are having a country/ old fashioned wedding. You could consider this type of cake also if you are having an Autumn themed wedding. Most importantly it shows how brides can be unique when designing their cake.

Talk about giving new meaning to the word cheesecake!

(source of picture: smh)

You cannot have a wedding without a marraige proposal! I love to hear proposal stories, I find them romantic, from the most elaborate to the most simple, they are all special.

Kelly and Michael

Kelly and Michael had been dating since they were 17 and now aged 24 and 25, they had discussed marriage often. When Kelly embarked on a big European trip with friends she knew that when she got back she would be proposed to, although she did not know when or how. As the couple had discussed getting married the groom still wanted the element of surprise. Two weeks after her return from her sojourn, Michael informed Kelly that a work colleague was having a birthday lunch at his house, about two hours drive from Sydney, where they were both living at the time. Kelly, did not like the idea of spending her Saturday with a bunch of work colleagues that she barely knew. The night before, Kelly was discussing with her friends her abhorrence of having to drive down the coast the next day to mingle with “boring accountants”. On the saturday Michael picked her up. On the whole way down Kelly complained and even reverted to singing a phrase “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go”. They arrived at a beautiful house right on the beach. To Kelly’s surprise, no one was there yet, not even the supposed owner of the house. Michael preceded to “call the owner” who said that he had popped off to the shops and for Kelly and Michael to go in through the back door which was left open. As they walked in, the house was empty but a beautiful seafood platter and wine had been laid out on a table. At this point Michael told Kelly that no one would be coming and then got down on his knee and popped the big question! Needless to say Kelly was taken by surprise and they are returning to the beach house Michael had rented for their one year anniversary.

Rita and Mat

Like the couple above, Rita and Mat had been dating for a while, and they knew that they  would eventually get married. Rita had wanted to get engaged earlier in the year but to her dismay Mat had not yet popped the question. On a beautiful sunday day Mat suggested that they go for a drive to a restaurant on the beach for some lunch. Rita had a big party the night before and was feeling a little worse for wear. She was reluctant but agreed to go. They arrived at a beautiful restaurant where they were given the best seat in the house, which Rita found odd considering it was quite busy when they arrived. Rita struggled to eat the food, still feeling a little sick from the night before. After lunch Mat suggested they take a stroll along the beach. As they stopped to rest on chairs Rita sat down thinking, “this would be perfect for a proposal, when Mat proposes I would like it to be like this”. As Rita was lost in her thoughts she saw Mat proceed to kneel down with a ring. Mat had been carrying the ring loose in his pockets as the box was large and would have been noticed by his bride. She had not noticed how he had been checking his pocket constantly throughout the day. Needless to say the proposal was perfect for the bride.

Lisa and Rick

Lisa and Rick had their first date in the blue mountains and had often returned to this particular spot whilst they were dating for picnics. The spot had a particular large rock that sat on the cliff overlooking the view. On their four year anniversary of going out Rick suggested that they return, as usual to their spot for a picnic. Once arriving they proceeded to unpack and prepare their picnic when Lisa noticed something different about the rock. There, carved into the rock was “Lisa, will you marry me?” Lisa was shocked and surprised . Now, Rick’s proposal is immortalised forever, craved into their special rock.

Top Gun Proposal

This was a beautiful and very cute proposal. The groom, knowing that they were both fans of Top Gun and being a cadet decided to surprise his bride with a reenactment of the moment in the movie where Tom Cruise tries to woo a girl at the bar by getting him and his fighter pilot colleagues to sing “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers.  Needless to say, with effort like that the girl said yes…See the video below

Enzo and Rachael

Enzo and Rachel had only been going out for 6 months when he decided to propose. Telling her they were going to go for a picnic at their local park at dusk, Rachel was not impressed. Why couldnt’ they just eat out? As they got out of the car and went to settle down, Enzo told her to look in the direction of the hill behind them. There, lit up in candles was “Will you marry me?”. Rachael was surprised, but even more so after she said yes. As soon as she agreed she noticed her family come up over the hill and towards them, followed by the grooms family. The family had been hiding behind the hill the whole time and had helped to light the  many candles. Once the whole family had joined them the picnic turned into a celebration with the whole family.

Melissa and George

Melissa and George were first introduced at bar in Sydney overlooking the harbour. On their 5 year anniversary of dating George had a soccer game in the morning and suggested that after that, they should go to this bar, where they had met years ago for a drink, where some friends might catch up with them. Melissa went to the game and then proceeded with George to the bar to have a few drinks. As they were sitting on a chair overlooking the harbour George was waiting for the right time, but due to the popularity of the view there were a number of tourists around taking photos and sitting near them which prevented him from asking.  Finally, after much delay, he got down on his knee, in front of the bar patrons and tourists to ask for Melissa’s hand. The tourists enjoyed the spectacle just as much as they enjoyed the view.

The Arm Bouquet, also known as the side bouquet, presentation bouquet or pageant bouquet is a modern alternative to the traditional posy bouquet. This style rose in popularity a few years ago but recently there has been a decrease in the amount of weddings with this style of bouquet. The style first emerged in the 1930’s but is generally considered to be a more modern bouquet.

The reason for the decline is that the arm bouquet is very hard to get right and also hard to incorporate into your photos. This is due to the nature of the bouquet and the manner in which it needs to be held. I am not suggesting that brides should not consider this style of bouquet but brides need to consider the pittfalls in choosing this style. If done correctly, it can look extremely chic and stylish.

Walking down the aisle

As the name suggests the Arm Bouquet is held across your arm. Holding the bouquet extended on one arm and having the other arm extended to hold the person walking you down the aisle in some cases might be awkward for brides, especially if you have a small aisle.  Having spoken to a bride who had this style it also feels quite uncomfortable having both arms bent as you totter towards your future husband. Consider the width of your aisle and who is walking you down the aisle when deciding on this style.

During the ceremony

Throughout the ceremony the maid of honour holds the bridal bouquet for the bride. You will need to consider what style of bouquet your maid of honor will have as she will be holding two bouquets through the ceremony and the ease at which she does this depends on the style of bouquets. If your maid of honour has an arm bouquet also she can possibly place your arm bouquet on top of hers, although she must remember to not squash the bouquet underneath. Alternatively if your maid of honour has a traditional posy or hand held bouquet it might be very difficult for her to hold the arm bouquet which will require the use of her arm as well as having her hand being occupied with her own bouquet. Apart from the comfort factor is the consideration that the maid of honour needs to undertake dress fixing duties throughout the ceremony, as well as periodically handing back your bouquet and will need a hand free to do this. Perhaps you could arrange for an alternate bridesmaid to handle your bouquet or place it in an easily accessible area to you during the ceremony.

 (source: projectwedding)

Photos

As beautiful as this style can be,  in photos, if not held correctly, the bride and bridal party can look a little awkward. If you and your bridal party all have arm bouquets you will need to consider that all arms will be bent in the photo as opposed to being held low and in front of the dresses. In some weddings I have seen bridesmaids who do not know how to hold the bouquet correctly end up affecting the symmetry of the wedding photos. A good idea would be to practice holding arm bouquets at your ceremony rehearsal with your bridesmaids by grabbing a bunch of long stemmed flowers to distribute and be held during the rehearsal.

Does the bouquet match your dress?

The arm bouquet is very modern and works best if your wedding style is modern. Brides especially need to consider the modernity of their dress when considering this type of bouquet. Traditional dresses are most suited to posy’s, tear drop and and cascading bouquets as opposed to the arm bouquet. Having an arm bouquet with a traditional lace princess style dress will be conflicting.

If you dress has very heavy detailing on the front which would normally be covered by a traditional bouquet you could consider an arm bouquet to ensure the detail on your dress is not hidden. Also consider an arm bouquet where your dress is slinky and in modern a-line styles.

Flowers

Certain flowers work best with arm bouquets and you should discuss this with your florist for the best options. Long stemmed flowers work best. For example you could consider tulips, delphiniums, long stemmed roses, gladiolus or calla lilies. If you like flowers which are not long stemmed you could arrange them on a bed of foliage to give the length required for the look.

 (source:weddepot.com)

Consistency

Aesthetically speaking, symmetry and consistency works best with weddings. Although I have seen some beautiful weddings with conflicting styles of bouquets it is very hard to get this right. It is suggested that if you have an arm bouquet so should your bridesmaids and vice versa. The main reason for this is aesthetic. With different styles, in your photos,  some arms will be extended whilst others are in front, and symmetrically speaking, it affects the continuity of your look. Having the whole bridal party with the same style will look more consistent and make your wedding look better coordinated.  

How to do it right

Despite the above considerations there is a way that bride can do this style right.

• Have flowers that suit the arm bouquet
• Make sure the modern style of the bouquet matches your dress
• Consistency -If you decide on an arm bouquet, continue this style for your whole bridal party 

(source: vintageglam.com)

Saving a part of your wedding cake to eat on your 1 year anniversary is an age old tradition. The tradition originated from the belief that by the time of a couples first wedding anniversary there would be a baby and the couple could serve their wedding cake at the babies christening. This came from an era where the sole purpose of marriage was the procreation of children. Today, marriage is a little different, but the tradition lives on.

There are some people who disdain at the idea of eating one year old cake and there are certainly  both pros and cons to adopting this tradition but if you decide to save your cake it can give a ceremonious feel to 1 year celebrations and is great way to reminisce. (source of pic: Brides in Bloom)

The tradition involves freezing the top layer, or a certain portion of your cake. Some couples like to save enough to invite family and friends over on their one year anniversary to eat the cake. If this sounds like a tradition that you would like to do there are few things you need to consider and plan for.

What is your cake made of?
If you want to freeze your cake its best if you steer away from vanilla or chocolate based cakes and consider fruit cake. Fruit cake is most likely to remain fresh and taste good after a year. Although other types of cake can go the distance, for example a friend had a cheesecake that lasted, it is suggested by most bakers that you stick to fruit cake. You should ensure that there is fat in your cake and cake products as fat will help to lock in the moisture of the cake. If your cake is cream filled you are probably better off not freezing your cake at all. Additionally cakes without icing tend to last longer than iced cakes.

Two Tastes One Cake?
Depending on the style of your cake, you could consider only have the top layer as a fruit cake and the rest of the cake in a flavour of your choice. This would enable you to save the top layer (being fruit cake it would remain fresh) but also be able to eat a tantalizing butter cream cake on the night.

Don’t Like Fruit Cake?
Some people, myself included, are not too keen on fruit cake, even in the smallest portions. If you cant resist having a delicious butter cream or chocolate filled cake but still want to take part in the tradition of eating your cake on an anniversary you could consider saving your wedding cake for your 1 month anniversary. This is still a special day which most couples celebrate and in this way you can have the tradition and eat your (yummy) cake too

How to Freeze Your Cake
If you are considering saving your cake, make sure you freeze it correctly, otherwise all your efforts might be in vain.

There are a number of things that could go wrong when your saving the cake including the food going off firstly but also the “burning” of the cake. This occurs when the cake freezes and forms into ice crystals which burn into cake and make the cake inedible. There is also the issue of bacteria. The icing on wedding cakes is normally fine to be frozen but be wary of icing which contains products such as egg and cream that is cooked as this can go off quite easily.

It has been suggested to harden your icing you first place your cake in the freezer without any wrapping for a couple of hours till the icing is hard and then commence the wrapping process. The way in which you wrap your cake should be to prevent condensation. You should get wrapping that is moisture proof. Good ways to preserve your cake is to wrap in a saran wrap covered with a few freezer bags. Wrapping your cake in greaseproof paper, foil and some freezer bags is another alternative. Consider using freezer ziplock bags. When you wrap your cake try to wrap it tightly, to ensure that there are no air bubbles in the wrapping, where condensation and icicles can form. Your aim is to keep your cake air tight.

Once you have wrapped your cake place it into a box. If you can, place your cake in a non defrosting freezer.

Defrosting

If you don’t want your defrosted cake to turn soggy, defrost your cake by pulling it out of the freezer and into the fridge before you let it stand, rather than taking the cake straight from the freezer to the kitchen bench. Alternatively you can thaw your cake out in front of a cool fan so the cake sweats out and does not become soggy. The goal is to not thaw out your cake quickly as this can ruin the taste.

Taste

Will all things being said you must remember that you are eating food that is a year old so there is no guarantee as to the taste. I have heard conflicting reports over what one year old wedding cake tastes like, some say it tastes just as good whilst other brides have had to throw their cake out. If you freeze your cake correctly it should still maintain its flavour

Re-create your cake
If eating one year old cake doesn’t sit well with you then you could consider getting your cake maker to recreate a smaller version of wedding cake for your one year anniversary. There are some cake shops which add this into their cake packages so keep an eye out for it or perhaps ask for it be added to your package.

Boun appetit!