A very Happy Canada Day from Limitless Events! We hope that this mid-week holiday is finding you relaxed, happy and well-fed (or about to be well-fed… and hydrated… and dessert-filled. You know, all the good stuff that a holiday brings!)
Now…. I came across an amazing chart a few months ago from the good folks at Buzzfeed that is an amazing resource for all things wedding dress. It literally dissects EVERY aspect of a dress and details the goods in handy charts for you. There is a comprehensive list of everything from materials, silhouettes, necklines, even sleeves all the way to veils and trains. This is basically Wedding Dress 101 and class is in session! And if that wasn’t enough, they also have some great timelines of what tasks should be done at what stage of your planning. A little like extra credit reading? So I’m passing it along to you all to keep handy!
To all the July Brides out there …. congratulations, ladies! The big month is here! Please don’t forget to pencil in a little ‘you’ time as the big day gets nearer - whether it’s a block of time to get a massage, facial or pedi, attend a weekly yoga class (or spinning, or Cross-fit or whatever gives you time to keep your heart and mind healthy!) or even a half-hour you set aside to read celebrity gossip online – it’s important to just BE, just you and no wedding distractions, even if it’s for a small window. Nerves are natural, and stress is inevitable, but being able to pull away for a little while can make all the difference in how you navigate little bumps in the road to your wedding day!
Years and years ago, I worked with an amazing lady. She was my manager in a retail store at the time, an outgoing and vivacious person who could make a connection with anyone, no matter how young or old. She was warm and hilarious, quick-witted and had an enormous sense of empathy. In short, she was our hero and when she moved up in the company, we were so sad to see her leave our store but the days she made visits, the non-scheduled staff would come in, just to see her.
Now, you’re probably wondering just where this is going, right? Shortly after I got married, we saw a picture of her on her wedding day – and we couldn’t believe it. The bride in the photo had a great dress, and we knew it was our manager, but she was smaller. Like, almost eight sizes smaller. At the time we knew her she was a healthy size twelve and she looked great, and prior to her getting married she was in the size ten to twelve range but on the day she walked down the aisle, she was a size four. By her own design and choice at the time, she dieted, worked out incessantly, sweated and sometimes starved her way to her dream size, to go along with her dream dress. For us who knew her for the awesome person she was, we thought she was already beautiful - long curly blond hair, a pretty face with a great complexion and a classic hourglass figure – we couldn’t believe that she felt like she had to be a smaller version of herself for her big day. The worst part? In retrospect, she wished she didn’t go through such a transformation because she felt like her wedding pictures didn’t look like her at all – she, and everyone else, didn’t recognize the person in the picture standing next to her husband!
I always remembered this story, because I think every bride we’ve met has a definite fitness and health plan in mind. Whether it’s to target trouble areas for a sleeker dress fit, or to use the upcoming nuptials as motivation to put a long-held weight loss plan into action, there’s always a plan in mind. But when does that plan become too much pressure?
I came across a really thought-provoking piece in the Huffington Post and I knew I had to pass it along…..
I think that Casey’s story is a great thinkpiece, because it helps to really dissect the issue and reshift the focus from what we think we should look like, to having strong bodies that take us through our journey – down the aisle and way beyond.
I’m sure that I’m going to sound like a broken record when I tell you guys (again) that I got married in an ivory pantsuit. Which I loved. Like, lovedlovedloved. But…. if I had to do it all over again (please avert your eyes and plug your ears pantsuit, because this might insult you just a teeny bit!) I DO have a dream wedding dress that I would have loved to float down the aisle in, in an alternate universe/sliding-doors situation, of course:
Julie Andrews, aka Maria in “The Sound of Music”
Look at the neckline and collar – she was Fierce before Sasha! And yet, the delicate buttons at the sleeves were so feminine. This dress was always my idea of perfection. And if that wasn’t enough bridal style, I always had an alternate to my dream dress:
I know, I know, it looks like I’ve got an old-fashioned sensibility, but this style of dress made an appearance not too long ago, just five years ago, and it was courtesy of Sarah Burton, Creative Director of Alexander McQueen. And the House of McQueen is anything but old-fashioned or stuffy!
The one thing that all of these dresses have in common (other than the ability to make me bow down and observe a moment of silence out of respect!) is the sleeves. It’s amazing how something so ordinary can elevate a dress to another level when you don’t see it all the time, you know? Strapless dresses are gorgeous and inherently romantic… but oh, the capped sleeves, the floaty long sleeves and all the sleeves in between can make you swoon! So of course, I was so ridiculously happy to see a Buzzfeed post this week celebrating a lovely bunch of dresses with sleeves and I knew I’d have to share! 33 Impossibly Pretty Wedding Dresses with Sleeves
I know that there are an infinite amount of choices for dresses… but it feels nice to take a minute and have a look at a little themed collection sometimes?
“My Best Friend’s Wedding,” Cameron Diaz and Dermot Mulroney make a stylish getaway (Photo via YouTube)
Do you remember a time long, long ago (in the 1990′s) when it seemed like every wedding movie had a scene where the Bride and Groom would drive off in a car with a cute “Just Married” sign on their way to their honeymoon, while the wedding reception raged on into the early hours of the morning? Sometimes the car would be decked out with bottles, tin cans, balloons, sometimes fireworks. The exit was almost as important as the ‘I Do’s’. And EVERYONE would gather outside the reception hall to escort them out to the car and bid them a rowdy farewell…. It felt like if you didn’t see them leave, you were missing out. On everything.
We are definitely not in Kansas anymore.
Nowadays, the happy couple are also the partying couple, seeing their ultimate bash through to the last song. And for good reason – weddings have evolved into a party that puts New Year’s Eve to shame and just like a NYE party, it ain’t over until the last note dies off on the speakers and the house lights go up. What has taken the place of the exit is the entrance; your first foray as ‘Mr and Mrs’ has become a production all of its own. How the wedding party enters the room has evolved into a sometimes crazy, always cool and much-watched event that tells us a lot about them and can set the tone for the rest of the night. On rehearsal night, April and I hear snatches of conversation from the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and while they’re totally focused on the ceremony and making sure they are hitting all the marks for the day, plotting their entrances for the reception that night is never far from their thoughts. Come the day of the festivities, last minute ideas are floated around and as their names are called out by the emcee, they’re ready to make an impression! I’m tempted to say that the entrances are as planned out, if not more so, than the couple’s first dance. But what we love is that there is an entrance option for every couple and their party, whether it’s superhero-themed music and dynamic poses all the way to the fake-out where one of our couples was a no-show at the entrance doors but they appeared on a balcony in the reception room above a crowd that cheered for them and got increasingly louder until they made their way downstairs almost two minutes later! And one option that I think is amazing, for a couple who is maybe big on ideas but are shy in a big crowd, is the pre-recorded video that enables the couple to act out a scenario or have a plot that keeps them on their toes that culminates in their grand entrance. Below is a great example of a video:
YouTube is a great source of inspiration or examples of just how much fun you can have with a pre-recorded video that leaves you free to walk in with no stress whatsoever, having set the stage with a video that was filmed prior to the wedding day madness where nerves could be combatted and you felt way more at ease.
Yesterday on The Social, the ladies were discussing the idea of the first dance and the conversation led to entrances, so I’ve included the link below as I found it interesting and timely considering how much emphasis we’re seeing on entrances over the last few years!
Both the dance and the entrance can be fun and exciting andyet another chance to infuse a part of your personality and your own fingerprint on your ceremony. The beauty of it is, there’s no wrong way to inject a dose of who you are into your big day – so why not have as much fun as you want?
This past weekend, on a scorching Saturday in May (goodbye winter and hello HUMIDEX WATCH 2015!) with the threat of insane weather looming in the not-so-distant skies (seriously, at one point there was a ‘severe thunderstorm watch’ in effect, which also ominously called for heavy rains, strong winds and possible hail) Limitless Events welcomed in the Spring wedding season - congrats Jann and Nick! You guys not only survived the heat and foreboding weather forecast but were a lovely couple who hosted a fantastic wedding for your family and friends! All the best today, tomorrow, and always…..
Last week on The Social, resident fashion expert (and soon-to-be Bride) Erica Wark had a great segment on some smokin’-hot wedding accessories for the upcoming season and I was remiss in not posting them right away because they are definitely swoon-worthy!
Maybe because it’s been such a long, dreary winter and spring has reared her beautiful and promising head, but I found everything so fresh and inviting. Delicate, drape-y, bohemian-inspired headpieces? Yes, please! A decadent fascinator-esque bloom that can be perched jauntily? Amazing!! Art-deco inspired clutches? We’re in!!!
Speaking of smokin’-hot – what about the men? A man in a good suit is a beautiful thing but just what constitutes a ‘good suit’ changes with the seasons and just as bridal and wedding guest attire is continually offering new options and looks, men’s wedding day fashion is updating all the time too! Here was a segment on The Social a few weeks ago that showed the newest in new looks for men:
And things are just heating up! Wedding season is on and with that, we’re in for a fashionable, exciting ride! Make sure you visit us often and if you’ve got some wedding festivities lined up in the next little while - smile and BREATHE! You’re almost there and it’s going to be just fine! Enjoy the lead-up to your special day!!
A few weeks ago, there was a celebrity couple’s therapy revelation that was generating a lot of conversation, both in the entertainment world and beyond: Veronica Mars and the guy from Punked, aka Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, revealed that they’d been going to therapy since they were in their early days of dating. And while they explained that they needed guidance and the tools to navigate their respective trust issues, they readily admit that they wanted guidance and a better understanding of themselves to help them work through things as they arose. "Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard have been in couples therapy since they met" - Page Six
Online cynicism ran rampant with side-eyes and cries of ‘trouble in paradise!’ and I had my own ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’ opinion at first but when I really thought about it, I wondered if this wasn’t a genius idea! I mean, relationships are never completely stress-free, but maybe they’re on to something here; arming themselves with the paddles they need, to help steer them through the inevitable poops in the creek of life that come up throughout their partnership. If you think about it, to some extent we’ve had counsellors from childhood to early adulthood; our parents and family members serve as both counsellors and referees in our interactions between us and our siblings, cousins and friends. Teachers have the unenviable job of guiding us as we live in the smaller-scale world of the classroom, where a small army of similar and dissimilar personalities have to work together in respect, trust and perseverance. Even in our circle of friends, we are all counsellors to each other in an unofficial capacity – why do we shy away from help when we’re adults?
When couples are planning their weddings, we can sometimes see happy-go-lucky couples become frazzled as they get sideswiped by the stresses of managing family issues, balancing individual wants and needs, all while planning a big party with an equally big price-tag. Money and family drama are two of the biggest stresses in anyone’s life, but the juxtaposition of just how stressful these things can be against the picture-perfect wedding that they have in mind can really throw even the strongest of brides and grooms into a bit of a funk. For couples having a church or temple wedding, marriage counselling is a prerequisite for their wedding, and most people who do it come away with an appreciation for both the process and what they learned. But what about once the party’s over and ’happily ever after’ (in other words, real life) comes along? Maybe we’re looking at counselling all wrong! What if instead of seeing it what we do when things aren’t working, we should be looking at it like money in the bank of life experience that we keep depositing into, padding it up for a rainy day? Sometimes there are things more valuable than dollars and cents, could marriage therapy be the new currency worth looking into?
Once upon a time, there was a Princess who lived in a city not unlike the one we’re in now. Life could be happy (summer vacations) and life could be difficult (hitting puberty); it was a daily adventure filled with risk (high school fashion) and angst (her crush had his very own crush.. on her best friend) and there were nights spent dissecting the latest hallway drama, glances or accidental/non-accidental meetings with a potential or former McDreamy/McNightmare. But through all the trials and tribulations, she always dreamed of the day she would meet her Prince, and imagined just how perfect her wedding to said Prince would be. Her mind’s eye saw everything in vivid detail - the ultra-romantic engagement and the way her Princess-cut ring looked on her finger; her strapless bodice and tulle-skirted dream dress and shoes that she would dazzle everyone with when she walked down the aisle, the bridesmaids in their perfect dresses and bouquets; and of course, a fairytale reception filled with magic, romance and memories to last a lifetime.
After what felt like an eternity, her Prince did find her, true to her expectations and everything she wished for came to pass….and they lived happily ever after.
They were divorced six years later.
Sometimes happy endings don’t happen right away. Statistics show that roughly a third of all marriages end in divorce. But partnerships aren’t a dying concept; some of us are just taking an alternate route to our happily ever after. And if the right person comes along after some serious recovery and soul-searching and field-experience (hey, it’s scientific, there could be some research that brave and intrepid folks have to embark on) that renews our faith in wedding bliss – there feels like a lot of rough waters to navigate if a wedding is on the horizon. Can we do the same things the second time around, like the showers and Bachelorette nights? Can we have a walk down the aisle that is fresh and new when it’s a re-do? And is a white dress off the table?
Bridal Guide has a great article that answers a lot of second wedding questions and concerns:
There’s no reason why a first wedding should be anyone’s only wedding, and everything else pales in comparison or should be downplayed; every bride deserves to have the day she wants, whether it’s her first or ninth (I’m looking at you, Zsa Zsa Gabor!) And no matter what anyone tells us, sequels are a beautiful chapter in the continuing story of us and should be respected as such!
