How does a bride capture her personality and style, while still wearing a classy and elegant gown? Look to the runways for the newest trends! We are seeing a lot of vintage inspired gowns, and several designers are incorporating colors into their bridal collections. Some of the biggest names are Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Amsale and Badgley Mischka and they are making waves in the Bridal Fashion World. (pictured left to right: Vera Wang & Badgley Mischka Spring 2011)
Lisa's Flor Decor
If you are looking for a florist you can depend on to take your floral arrangements and decor to the next level, chances are you have heard of Lisa Hunter and her amazing work. Lisa is the owner/operator of Lisa's Flor Decor and she puts her all into making your day, even more fabulous than you could have imagined. I can say this because she transformed me from a bride who wasn't into flowers, to the girl who couldnt take her eyes of her centerpieces at her wedding because they were breathtaking. With the help of her husband Greg, she constructs pillars, altars, aisle runners, flower boxes and anything else you can dream up. In addition to Weddings she can also be booked for Bridal Showers, Prom, Valentines Day, or any other special event.Dont take my word for it though just let her work speak for itself.
Say Cheese!
There are many ways to capture the memories and kodak moments of your big day. From the professional photos or videos taken by your photographer, to candid snapshots taken by your guests. A photobooth gives you a combination of the two, because the photos are taken with a professional camera and it is just plain fun!
Photobooth companies often supply props and costume pieces that allow the guests to take as many playful pictures as they want. You can have your names and date or monogram printed onto the photo strips so that they become a keepsake for you and for your guests. Give your guests the option to keep half of the photo strip and place the other half into your scrapbook where they can write a personalized note to you. Keep in mind that in most cases you will get a cd with all of the pictures on it for you to enjoy, and make extra prints if necessary.
So in between the father daughter dance and your bouquet toss just throw on a cowboy hat and some oversized sunglasses and have a unique photo with your friends and family forever!
Check out these examples of Photobooth Fun, and don't forget to checkout our directory to find local photo booth rentals.
Let Them Eat Cake!
Awedding wouldn't be complete without watching the bride and groom cut the cake, and of course waiting to see if they shove cake in eachothers faces. After that, you finally get to the good stuff (the cake!) People will remember your wedding cake, not only what it looked like but how it tasted. As fun as it is to go cake tasting, the important part is to make sure the cake tastes great and lives up to your expectations.
Some of the top cake flavors are Red Velvet, Traditional White, Fudge, Stawberry, Lemon, Cheesecake and many more. You can also choose from various fillings such as White Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Raspberry Ganache, Chocolate Mousse, and Caramel. Keep in mind that your cake decorator or bakery may have a whole list of specialty flavors for you to try!
Some things to consider are whether you want to have a fondant or butter cream cake, and what flavors you and your groom would like. The cake decorator is going to need to know how many people you expect at your wedding so they can determine how large of a cake you will need. If you need a cake to serve over 100 people it is often recommended to order your wedding cake and additional sheet cakes to cut your cost. Sheet cakes are often half or even a third of the price of your wedding cake, and is used to feed more of your guests. So ask your cake decorator if this option is available if needed.
You could have a multi-tiered round or square cake, or have a custom cake made into endless shapes and objects. Check out some of these unique wedding cakes.
You can incorporate your theme into your cake, such as your wedding colors or monogram. Or personalize your cake with some of the adorable and even hilarious cake toppers like the ones below. The design options of cakes are endless and there are many talented cake decorators out there who specialize in bringing your dream cake to life. Keep it traditional or go way out, it's all up to you!
Are You a Spring Bride?
Spring is the time of year that just makes you appreciate mother nature and all of her beauty. The grass is at its greenest, the birds are chirping, everything is blooming and chances are love is in the air. So why not plan your blissful day in the spring time and take advantage of the lovely backdrop of nature! A great way to plan a successful spring wedding is to book a venue with both indoor and outdoor areas for your ceremony and reception. This ensures that if the weather takes a sudden turn for the worst you are still covered (literally, who wants to get rained on in their wedding dress?) Another positive, is that you should be able to have a wide array of floral options because most of popular flowers are going to be in season. A great way to lower your cost and keep your floral budget in check is to consider which flowers are in season and readily available in your area. If your florist has to have flowers shipped from out of the country, chances are your budget will be busted! A few of the top spring flowers are Tulips, Hyacinths, Peonies, Forsythia, Lily of the Valley, Freesia, Pansies, Poppies, Ranunculus, Roses, and Violets.
Check out a few of these spring beauties!
Game Time!
While there are 100's of Bridal Shower games out there, we have selected a few that should not only break the ice at the party but really entertain! What's In the Bag Before hand, have the host of the bridal shower make up a list of items that any women would have in her purse. Such as lip stick, cell phone, pens, pictures of family, etc. Assign each item a point value. The person with the most points wins the game. For larger parties, break everyone up into groups, and the group with the most points wins the game.
Hanging Out to Dry Each visitor is given a clothespin upon arrival to shower. They are told of two words they can not mention (i.e. "wedding", and the groom's name). If they do, they lose their clothespin(s) to the one who caught them mentioning the forbidden words. The one who has the most clothespins at the end of the day, wins the prize!
How Well Do You Know The Bride and Groom? Ask the bride and groom 20 or so facts about them before the shower. Print the questions out on a sheet of paper and pass them out to the guests. The guests will have to read the questions and facts and determine if they are about the bride or the groom. Example "they graduated highschool in 1995" "the bride or the groom has had 4 speeding tickets" "the bride or the groom is allergic to cats" etc. Make the facts funny but also facts that friends and family would know about them, chances are even the parents will get some of them wrong. Who ever guesses the most right wins.
Bridal Bingo Make "Bingo Cards" with 25 empty spaces (5 across, 5 down). Have the guests write in the gifts that they think the bride-to-be will receive. As she opens her presents, mark off any of the presents written down. Or instead you can use household items that the guests think the bride will need. As soon as someone has "5 in a row," shout "BINGO!
Scrambled Words Make a list of several words associated with weddings (i.e. marriage, husband, wife, bridesmaid, groom, bride, honeymoon) and then scramble them. Give the guests 2-3 minutes to try to figure them out. The guest that figures out the most correctly win the prize.
The Apron Game Buy an apron and have the bridal party buy lots of utensils to pin on the apron. Make them practical and a couple of things they would never think of buying until they need them. Pin all of the items on the apron. Have the bride wear the apron in front of all of the guests. Have her walk around the room for about 2 minutes. Then have the bride go into another room and have the guests try to list as many things as they can remember seeing pinned to the brides apron. The person with the most wins! Then tell the bride she gets to keep the apron!!
Make the Bouquet Take paper plates and simple things like tissue paper-toilet paper-construction paper - anything that you can "simply" decorate with and tell the guest to make her bouquet for her wedding by sticking everthing on the plate together (which is usually a mess). They only have one minute to complete their masterpieces. It's funny. Then, have the bouquets "judged" and the one that wins is thrown by the bride, and the one that catches it is the "next one to be married" and wins the prize. It is a lot of fun to see what people can create in one minute.
What is your favorite bridal shower game? Email us at info@the530bride.com
Wedding Hairstyles
Whether you have short, medium, or long hair you have probably spent a lot of time thinking about how you would like to wear your hair on your wedding day. If you plan on having a professional hairstylist or a friend do your hair, you should try to narrow it down to a couple different styles.
Set up a trial with this person so that you can test out the different styles, and so that the stylist can get used to working with your hair. If you have curly or extremely fine hair, the stylist will need to prepare by having the right products and pins etc to make sure everything goes smoothly on your big day.
Plan on bringing a veil even if it isn't the veil you will be wearing on your wedding day. This gives you the opportunity to see the different options you have with your veil and see what feels the most comfortable and secure.
If you are considering using hair extensions, the trial would be a good chance for the stylist to determine the length and how many extensions they will need to complete your look. Sally's Beauty Supply has an affordable selection of hair extensions of many different colors.
When considering if you should wear your hair up or down, make sure to think about the time of year if you are going to be outside. If its the middle of August and its hot outside, you might not to have your hair down because you may get overheated. If its fall weather and there is a possibilty of wind you may want to have your hair secured in an up-do to avoid your hair being in your face for your wedding photos. 
You can add accessories like hair pins, clips, feathers or rhinestones to add a little drama to your ensemble, it's your day afterall!
The Bridal Shower... Let the Games Begin!!
As a bride-to-be, the Bridal Shower is pretty exciting because it means you are getting pretty close to the big day and your friends and family want to help you prepare for your new life with your hubby-to-be. There are endless ways to celebrate this fun day, and chances are your Bridesmaids or Maid of Honor are pretty excited to get to plan this for you so let them make all of the plans!
Bridesmaids/Maids of Honor - if you are here because you are getting the ball rolling in planning this event you are in the right place. Lets get some pointers out there to make sure you have your bases covered.
♥ Set the Date (which means you have to make sure the bride and her family members can make it) so give yourself a lot of time for planning and for collecting all of the addresses for the invitations. Shoot for having the invitations out at least 4 weeks in advance.
♥ Choose a location - do you have a large family room or outdoor area at your home? If not try to network with other friends or family members of the bride to find a spot that works for you and the number of guests you think will be attending. See our list of venues both big and small to find a location that can accommodate you.
♥ Delegate! We all have a life outside of being an awesome bridesmaid or maid of honor so don't try to take it all on by yourself. Ask the other girls in the bridal party or family members to pitch in to ensure everything goes smoothly.
♥ Decor - Consider a theme, colors & patterns, flowers or other decorations. Although you do not have to stick to the brides wedding colors, it is nice for everyone to get a sneek peek before her big day. Incorporate interactive decor something that will create chatter to break the ice, such as large feathers, a wishing tree, a scrapbook with supplies for guests, a candy buffet etc.
♥ Food - Depending on how many guests are expected to attend you should consider selecting snacks and foods that will appease the entire group, so try to give options. Veggie, Fruit, or Meat/cheese platters go over pretty well. If the event is near the lunch or dinner hour make sure to provide a sufficient amount of food because your guests will come hungry! For a large group, catering is often your best bet because they can make sure that all of the food is prepared accordingly and kept at the right temperatures. The last thing you want to do is slave away in the kitchen and miss all of the kodak moments. Don't forget the sweets, it wouldn't be a party without cake, cupcakes or candy.
♥ Entertainment/Games - Keep your guests entertained and keep your bride happy! If the games and entertainment flows smoothly the entire event will be a hit. Offer game prizes to get people into the games, they dont have to be expensive but anything from a candle, perfume, picture frame, gift certificate etc. Now before you start planning anything too spicy just make sure everything is age appropriate so that no one is offended or feels uncomfortable (save that for the bachelorette party!)
♥ Gifts - help your bride keep track of all of the gifts that she recieves to ensure that she has no problems writing thank-you cards to all of her guests.
♥ Have Fun and know that all of your hardwork means the world to the bride, so enjoy the party!
*For some Bridal Shower game ideas check out this post with a list of fun games!
To veil..or not to veil...
When you picture a bride, do you think of a woman in a white dress with a veil and a bouquet of flowers?
Although there are many different variations of wedding traditions among different cultures, It is fair to say that most people still associate a bride with a flowing white veil.
Traditional, but not a mandatory accessory these days because times have changed; but where did this tradition come from anyway?
We have consistently found evidence of veils being worn as early on in Europe as the time of the Crusades. At a time of arranged marriages, the groom would often be seeing his bride for the first time when he lifted her veil.
Veils were used as a symbol of virginity and purity for brides given to their mates. Through the years the veil styles have changed somewhat dramatically.
Veils come in many different lengths, from single up to three tiers (layers) and can be anywhere from short blusher veils to floor length or cathedral length which is up to 120 inches long.
In addition to a veil many brides also wear a headpiece such as a tiara, headband or clips. Depending on the hairstyle you choose for your wedding day, you have a lot of options for how you want to wear your veil if you decide to wear one.
For more helpful info on veils, or custom veils online checkout http://www.veilubridal.com/.
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On the road to 'I Do' Lisa and Justin
Lisa and Justin are one those fun couples that are always up for an adventure and they are definitely the life of the party. That’s why we know their wedding will be no exception, and we know the couple will be dancing the night away. Did we mention that the groom can do the worm? Just ask him and he will show you!
Justin literally proposed to Lisa under a waterfall in Burney Falls and of course she said yes! So after 5 years of dating, this couple is on their way down the altar. They have set their date to August 13, 2011 and will be getting married in Chico, CA.
The ceremony will be held outdoors at the beautiful private Miller Mansion in Chico, followed by the reception at the nearby Arroyo Room, flowers will be arranged by Chico Florists.
Her bridal party will be wearing black tea-length Alfred Angelo gowns with pink accents, and the groomsmen will be wearing black tux’s with a pink accent to follow her theme.
We will be highlighting Lisa’s progress in her wedding plans so check back for updates!
Update: Lisa's Bridal Shower had a black and pink theme with zebra print & feather accents.
Her cake was made by Christy's Creations, and matched her theme perfectly.
Lisa and her sister Kelly who is her Maid of Honor, each with a Star Gazer Lily which is Lisa's Wedding Flower.
*Update*
Lisa had her Bachelorette Party in San Francisco, CA the weekend before her wedding and The Holiday Inn on the Wharf was the perfect spot!
With a light up Bachelorette Sash, a very cute little white dress from Forever 21 and her entourage of ladies, Lisa was ready to hit the town.
Ruby Skye was the destination for Saturday night, and this club exceeded expectations, look out Las Vegas!
My baby sister got married...
Veronica was reluctant to start out with a feature of her own wedding...mostly because she hates being the center of attention...welllllll....since I'm the one doing the typing today... I say we start with a feature on my beautiful little sister and her beautiful wedding. Veronica became Mrs. Enns on October 10th, 2010 in Chico. It was a gorgeous day and a gorgeous ceremony. Here is a little video slideshow I put together...
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryQp9qWrEAU]
Just so all of you ladies (and gents) out there know that we know what you're going through. Planning a beautiful wedding is hard work...but so worth it in the end....and we hope that we can help!
-Alisha
Congratulations!
If you are here you must be getting married! (or your best friend/sister/roomate is!) Here at The 530Bride we want to give all our Northern California brides (and grooms/bridesmaids...etc.etc...) a place to go for all your style and wedding planning needs when it comes to a 530 wedding!
We will be giving you style, beauty and health advice and information as well as connections to local vendors and venues.
Visit our About Us page to learn all about the genious behind the scenes (lol) and for contact information. We welcome any and all input as well as requests from brides who would like to be featured as well as vendors who would like to be listed!
Stay tuned for our big website launch which will be featuring fabulous giveaway packages...
Veronica and Danny 10-10-10
Veronica was reluctant to start out with a feature of her own wedding…mostly because she hates being the center of attention…welllllll….since I’m the one doing the typing today… I say we start with a feature on my beautiful little sister and her beautiful wedding. Veronica became Mrs. Enns on October 10th, 2010 in Chico. It was a gorgeous day and a gorgeous ceremony.