Bridal Shows

You’ve got the ring, you’ve called your family and friends to share your good news, and now, you are registered to attend a Bridal Expo to start the journey of planning your big day.

Depending on where you live, and the time of year, you will most likely find a wide variety of expos, trunk shows, boutique events and Bridal seminars to attend, all geared to helping you plan the perfect day. Each show has its own unique, creative format for providing this information.  Feeling overwhelmed as to which showcase(s) to attend? 

Here are some tips and tricks to help you figure out which shows are best for you to attend:

Define your expectation of the show

What are you looking to get from the show? If you are looking to gather information and special offers from a large number of vendors about their services, then one of the larger shows is a great place to start. If you are looking for design inspiration, be sure to look for a show that is being hosted by a décor company. Wanting a better idea on how to start planning your wedding? Look for a show that features a wedding planner to help point you in the right direction.

Decide how much you are willing to spend on a ticket?

There is a wide variance in the cost of these events, some are free and some can cost upwards of $100. One factor in cost is what kind of food and beverage, if any, is being served. Another consideration is what you, as the bride, will take away from the event. Will you get a Swag Bag full of goodies? Some of these events are hosted as fundraisers for different not-for-profit organizations as well.

Are you looking for an intimate experience or a large crowd?

Some events will draw hundreds of brides and their friends and families. Some smaller shows will only have 10 – 20 brides in attendance and will offer a more intimate experience for the attendees.

What shows are your already selected vendors participating in?

If you have already selected a venue, florist, photographer or some other vendors for your big day you will want to find out what shows they are participating in. It is likely that the vendors they work with will also be in attendance. This is a great opportunity to meet those vendors in person and set-up appointments to discuss their services.

No matter which show(s) you decide to attend you will surely have a good time and take away information that will help you plan your day.

Best of luck, and hope to see you at one of our events!

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now),

Olivia

Something Old, New, Borrowed & Blue

This old poem rumored from the Victorian era poem symbolizes five tokens. If a bride holds a piece of each symbol when she gets married, her marriage will be happy and filled with good fortune. We all know getting married is wonderful but the marriage part is a new and challenging adventure for the couple, and they can use any advantage they can get!

The “old” means something from the bride’s past and usually a token from the Bride’s family to continue a part of her family’s history. It could be the Bride’s Mother’s gown or veil she plans to wear on her own wedding day. It could also be her Grandmother’s pearl earrings that she inherited. A new twist to this is to include something you may have something of your Father’s or Grandfather’s. A pocket watch tucked in your sash or the love letter your Grandfather wrote your Grandmother tucked in the bible you are holding in your hand while walking down the aisle.

The “new” part means optimism and hope for the bride’s new life. New tokens or items are easy. It could be the new shoes on the bride’s feet, or new jewelry given to her by her parents or groom. A new twist to this is as simple as getting a new haircut or style that day, or getting married in the couple’s new home.

The “borrowed” tokens usually are from important people in the bride’s life who have had the good fortune of a good marriage, and would like to share that fortune with her. It can be Grandma’s engagement ring attached to her bouquet. A twist to this is a key from her parents’ first home attached to the bride’s bracelet, or to make her feel a part of your special day, something of your mother-in-law’s.  

The “blue” token symbolizes purity. A long time ago, wedding gowns were made of blue fabric, not white. Nowadays, brides use blue shoes, handkerchiefs, a garter, and sashes to name a few.  A twist to this is just simply using a blue ribbon to wrap the bouquet or wearing jewelry with blue gems. Blue sapphire earrings will definitely make a blue statement. Instead of heels, why not blue cowboy boots if you’re a country western bride.

The silver sixpence in your left shoe means money, honey. Financial security may not be the most important thing to hold a marriage together, but it is definitely important, now and more so in the past where women were not allowed to own property. New twists to this are a copper penny in your shoe or have the groom put one in his shoe too. The groom was the original wearer of such sixpence back in old Scotland. Better yet, purchase a keepsake sixpence for authenticity.

During these ultra-modern times, a bride and groom still yearn for the traditional because deep down, they believe in it, but go ahead and put your twist on it.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now),

Olivia

Top 5 Reasons Pintrest Can Help Plan Your Wedding

From the dress and the flowers, to the food and the linen, Pinterest seems to have everything, down to the last detail. Young women and even some men are now using the recently popular website Pinterest to plan their dream wedding. Pinterest can save a bride a lot of time and money because the content is mostly free, it has endless possibilities, and it is very easy to access. We counted down the top 5 reasons why Pinterest can help a bride plan their dream wedding, and here they are:

1. Organization is Key

I am sure most of us when we were little, would cut out pictures from Bridal Magazines, or write down ideas that came to us about our dream wedding and store them away in a secret spot. Well now there is a more convenient and less time-consuming way to do this. Pinterest allows users to do all of this but by using online sources with infinite possibilities and is stored in an online file or “corkboard”. Each user can make as many corkboards as they would like and can label each board to make planning easier and more organized. Example titles of these boards could be “Wedding Dresses”, “Table Settings”, “Invitations”, and“Wedding Cakes”, the list goes on and on.

2. Various Pins from Various Users Can Give a Bride Many Options

Over eleven million people are now using the Pinterest website. With this many people, comes a lot of ideas and a lot of pins. Brides to be can use search words such as “wedding” or “wedding dresses” in order to pull up hundreds of thousands of ideas for inspiration for their own special day. Brides can search words as specific or broad as they would like. Pinterest has just about every possible idea and every possible detail for a bride to see what captures her attention and what goes along with her vision.

3. Most “Pins” Can Directly Connect A Bride

By just a click on a photo, users can be directly connected to the website where an item, such as a dress or centerpiece can be purchased. Or if the bride would like a recipe for a certain meal to be served at their reception, all she has to do is click on the picture and a recipe will be pulled up instantly. Pinterest is a way to see what the bride wants and it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 and she can have it. Convenience is also key.

4. Follow the Experts

Experts, planners, and wedding magazines are now on Pinterest and are pinning hundreds of beautiful and creative ideas for Brides-to-be. They can pin their own creations, their ideas, and what they believe is the latest trends for weddings. Their boards are open for any user to view and brides can repin any ideas they might want to use for their special day.

www.pinterest.com/oliveaire/

5. Receive Feedback

While brides are pinning and grabbing ideas for their big day, they can ask and receive advice on what their family, friends, and even complete strangers think about their ideas and their vision. This makes it very convenient and can help guide a bride to what she truly wants. Serenity will also be an effect because the bride will be more confident in knowing that others love her ideas as well.

 

From all aspects of wedding planning, Pinterest will not make everything come together, but it definitely will help in the inspiration and organization processes. Planning a wedding can be the most stressful time of a woman’s life, and with the helpful tips, convenience, organization and ideas that Pinterest provides, planning for the special day can be just a little easier. 



BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now)
Olivia  

Buff and Beautiful

Every bride has a vision of what they will look like on their wedding day. In most of our daydreams we are a little thinner, have hair worthy of a shampoo commercial and clear, glowing, skin. If only we could daydream that into life.

After doing some research on how to get the most bang for our buck in wedding prep, here are some helpful tips:

•Hydrate! Water intake is important for our body to function well, and it keeps our skin looking young and supple. You’ll also stay young by…

•Getting your zzzs. I know, it’s easier said than done, but try to schedule some rest for yourself. You’re make-up artist won’t have to worry about bags under your eyes, and you’ll have energy to…

•Exercise your stress out, go for a jog or take a kick-boxing class to work out your wedding related anxiety. Be sure to…

•Balance your workout. There is too much of a good thing, so don’t just jump on a treadmill and call it a day. You will see your best results if you incorporate weight/resistance training. You don’t have to bulk up, but aren’t we all hoping for toned arms ala Jennifer Aniston?! Also try to make time for yoga to de-stress and keep those muscles looking long and lean. Speaking of balance…

•Balance your diet. Eating a balanced diet can help keep your hormones and emotions in check, which is important leading up to such a big event. Beware of caffeine and sugar, they are not your friend in this time. But it is important for you to…

•Find a friend! Working out and eating healthy is much easier if you have someone else in your corner. I bet your mom, sister or one of your friends is also hoping to shape up for your wedding. Set time each week to exercise together, and check-in regularly on your progress

The days and weeks leading up to your wedding are sure to be full of fun, but also stress and anxiety. Take time for yourself and you will look AND feel better for your big day.