Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

We love when brides find a creative way to ask their best gals to be bridesmaids. Thus when I saw this card, available from The Dessy Group, I couldn't help but share!

Each card can be customized with one of the dozens of dress colors avialable from The Dessy Group's collection of dresses (the Alfred Sung and Dessy Collection dresses are availabe at Something White):

There is also an option to create cards with your wedding colors and print at home for free. Here is one that I mocked up:

Asking Your Maids

When Rebecca asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding she got adorable handkercheifs embroidered with our initials. If you are looking for something a bit more out-of-the-box but with the same cute-factor, check out these adorable hankys on the BHLDN website. $28/each.

 Will you by my maid of honor? hanky

Will you be my bridesmaid? hanky.

Bridesmaid Glamour

If the light and flowy bridesmaid options that seem to be all the rage these days (and not without reason as we LOVE this look) are not quite chic enough for the glamourous wedding you are planning, check out these new styles from The Dessy Collection now available at Something White.

Want to stop in with your maids to try them on? Call 216.447.9620 or email appointments@somethingwhitebridal.com to schedule an appointment.

Tie One On: Groomsmen Ties

One of our brides recently told me about her fabulous tie find: The Tie Bar! With hundreds of options in terms of color and style these 100% silk ties got for a mere $15!!  Like you may be, our bride was skeptical, but after ordering a single tie to check them out she was sold! As I recall spending hours trying to find a tie that matched our colors and theme, this site sure would have come in handy - hope it saves you some time!! (and has your groomsmen looking stylish!)

In addition to your standard tie, The Tie Bar offers bow ties, skinny ties, extra long ties and boys ties.

With 40 pages ties in the "Striped Ties" category alone you are sure to find a perfect fit. This is page 29 :)

This Just In: Adorable New Maids!

Us lucky Something White gals get visits from Santa more than just once a year! Only instead of the sleigh and pretty wrapping paper he shows up in a big brown van and delivers our presents in nondescript cardboard boxes. To complete the disguise he goes by the alias "Kenny the UPS Guy."

Just the other day he brought us some wonderful presents in the form of adorable new bridesmaid dresses from Alfred Sung! If you (or your maids) want one of these beauties for our very own just stop into Something White and we'll have Santa Kenny deliver one for you in 8-9 weeks :)

 

Bridesmaid Gift Idea

This idea is close to my heart because I did something similar for my wedding. To ask each girl to be in my wedding I had vintage handkerchiefs embroidered with their monograms and then wrote little notes. I liked this idea because it gave the girls something useful to use on my wedding day. I only wish I would have asked my photographer to take a photo of all of our hankies!

I also love this idea of tying a cute little stamped note to each hankie and giving them to the bridesmaids (or moms, or even guests) on the day of the wedding. Oh how I love details!

image via elizabeth anne designs

Tux Rental Alternative

When Chad and I were planning our wedding he decided to wear a black suit - and seeing as he didn't have one he thought this was the perfect excuse to purchase the Brooks Brothers suit he had been coveting for years.

Since Chad was wearing his own suit it didn't seem fair to ask his groomsmen to rent matching black suits, so we asked them to just wear a black suit they already had (or rent one if they didn't). In the end, a black suit is a black suit, and if there were any differences between them we sure didn't notice.

It was a nice way for the guys to save money on a rental and even though Chad didn't save he at least put money towards something he has already worn again and again (I am actually quite jealous that my dress is only suitable for wedding day wear.)

Still worried about tying the guys look together - we gifted them these matching Vineyard Vines ties - done!

Chad's other accessories: a tie that matched the bridesmaids and yellow cufflinks.

New Alfred Sung Bridesmaid Dresses

We love this time of year for a few reasons: first, because fall is here and we love the crisp air and the taste of cinnamon in our coffee; second, now that wedding season is winding down we get to see pictures of all our bride's at their weddings and third (and probably most exciting) we get to see all the new collections from our designers! Alfred Sung has debuted their new line and it looks amazing! I love how they keep reinventing bridesmaid dresses. Below are some of my favorites and they will be in our shop in the coming months!

Bridesmaid Dress Trend: Mismatched

We have had a lot of bridal parties lately where the bride chooses a color and allows each bridesmaid to choose from a choice of styles. Not only does this help ensure a flattering fit and increase the likelihood of re-wearability, but it looks pretty darn cute in pictures too!

Flip Flops for All!

One of the gifts I gave my bridesmaids where some fabulous, albeit very tall, yellow heels to wear with their dress. Thus the second gift I gave them was a pair of yellow flip flops to change into at the reception. With so much going on throughout the day though I have always found it difficult, when a bridesmaid, to haul around a bag of stuff amidst the activity, so I decided to have the flip flops pre-set out by each girls seat at the reception.

I was taking to a friend the other day who had plans to one-up the flip slop sharing plan at her wedding by not only giving them to bridesmaids but also putting a basket with various sizes in the women's restroom for anyone afflicted with uncomfy shoes.

Asking Your Maids: Sweet and Simple

When I was planning my wedding I tried to think of a cute way to ask girls to be my bridesmaids. I eventually ran out of time and just asked them. Too bad I had not come across these cards on the Paper Source site earlier! Sure they are not super-elaborate but definitely a notch above the phone calls I was doling out. Find them here.

Wedding Update Wednesday: Bridesmaid Dresses!

You would think that since I own a bridal shop I would have had my bridesmaid dresses picked out and ordered the week after the engagement. However I think that instead of making me proactive it gives me a (perhaps false) sense of security so I actually hemmed and hawed for quite a while before eventually pulling the trigger.

In the end I gave my maids their choice of three gowns by The Dessy Collection all in the same color and in the same fabric:




Style 2802 in Taupe



Style 2804 in Taupe - we will hem short



Style 2787 in Taupe

Keep in mind that while many brides still choose to have all of their maids wearing the same style, it is perfectly acceptable to offer a choice of styles - this can often be helpful if your bridal party has varying body types. It also ensures that they will get more use out of the dress if they can pick the style the like the best. You can still tie everything together by getting all of the dresses in the same color or fabric. You can also try the same dress in different colors. A few other things to keep in mind:
- when ordering gowns, be sure to account for the time it takes to get alterations (3-4 weeks is the rule we go by) in addition to the time it takes for the dresses to come in
- If one of your brides is pregnant don't fret! Maternity styles are often available and bridal shops should be able to steer you in the right direction in terms of measurements
- If you want to stick to a certain budget (always helpful to your maids) be sure to also take the cost of alterations into consideration (at Something White we offer a flat rate of $25 for standard maids alterations) in addition to the cost of the dress.

~Karin

Groomsmen Gift Idea

If flasks and mugs aren’t your grooms taste and he is stumped on how else to thank his groomsmen, why not suggest he take all his groomsmen to a tailor for custom made dress shirts. There are many tailors that allow you to chose the fabric, neck type, body length and cuff type who will then construct a custom made shirt, many times in as little as two weeks, for as little as $150 depending on fabrics. If you are in the Cleveland area we highly recommend Davide Cotugno in Brecksville, they have a great selection of fabrics and are very hands-on to ensure a perfect fit! If you aren't in the Cleveland area many chains like Brooks Brothers and Thomas Pink also provide custom made shirts. I’m sure each groomsman would greatly appreciate a perfectly fitting shirt, and if you are not having tuxedos at your wedding you could even have each groomsmen wear their customized shirt under their suit!

Bridesmaid Invitation

Being a bridesmaid comes with a lot of responsibility: throwing a bridal shower, assisting with the selection of bridesmaid dresses, throwing a bachelorette party and having countless discussions with the bride on cakes, dresses, flowers , seating arrangements etc etc etc. Bridesmaids do so much to make the bride feel special, why not return the favor and make your bridesmaid feel special by asking them to be in your wedding party in a unique way; like a message in a bottle. Etsy seller Jessica, profile name MiniatureRhino, offers letter service via a message in a bottle. Jessica will type out your provided text on vintage book paper using a vintage typewriter, she will then seal the little letter with red wax and your preferred letter stamp (perhaps your new last name letter) then a hand stamped copper key will be tied to the vial with twine. The little bottle containing your message is then wrapped in a tiny box and sent on its way! What a unique and special way to invite your best friends to be part of your big day!

~Rebecca