Old Wedding Trends That Are Back

They say that if you wait long enough, everything comes back into style. This is even true of weddings, although thankfully we have not yet seen the re-emergence of puffy sleeves! Read on to learn which old wedding trends have come back into style – who knows, you may even want to use them in your own wedding.

The fashion of bridal gowns goes in cycles just like any other type of fashion. A few years ago, most of the high end gowns were streamlined, minimalist creations made from fabrics like silk mikado or satin. These days, brides are looking for gowns that are not so austere, and one of the biggest trends to re-emerge is the tulle skirt.

Tulle skirts, which were incredibly popular for years, fell by the wayside as being too “bridey”, and there came a point where they were considered to be a bit tacky. Not anymore; these days all of the top designers are offering tulle skirts for their brides, so if you always loved the lighter-than-air look of tulle, you are in luck.

There is another bridal gown trend that has come back into vogue recently, which is less sparkle and more fabric details. Designers are working more with details such as ruffles, fabric flowers, and pleating to make a statement. A good complement to the softer feeling of the bridal gowns is lustrous pearl bridal jewelry.

Another wedding trend that has been coming back around is the buttercream wedding cake. After years of smooth as glass fondant, brides are going back towards traditional buttercream frosting, which actually looks like, well, frosting. Buttercream is also much more delicious than fondant, and less expensive to boot. The classic buttercream wedding cake looks perfect toped off with beautiful fresh flowers or even a vintage bride and groom cake topper.

What Is Out For 2009 Weddings

Weddings are a funny thing; one year a trend can be red hot, and the next year, it suddenly seems overdone, out of style, or simply “so last year”. Naturally, brides want to avoid any of these things that will make their weddings feel out of place or cliché! With that in mind, these are some of the wedding trends that are out of fashion for 2009.

Colors go in and out of fashion for weddings just as they do for clothing each year. This has happened to pink and espresso or Tiffany blue for wedding colors. As pretty as these colors are, everyone is tired of looking at them! The hottest colors for weddings this year include combinations like lime and tangerine or cherry and lime. When in doubt, you can also choose to go with the one wedding color that is never out of style: white.

What about bridesmaids?  What is definitely out is making your bridesmaids all match. Much more modern is to choose dresses for each girl that have a certain flow between them, but that are not the same cut or even the exact same color. This is true both for the bridesmaid dresses and their accessories like shoes and jewelry. When brides are picking out bridesmaid jewelry to give as a gift to each attendant, they are trying to find the pieces that are perfect for each woman as an individual.

Another thing that seemed so innovative a few years back was to have serving stations at your wedding reception. Guests could circulate between different small tables offering a wide array of tasty foods. It was a stylish alterative to the old-fashioned buffet. For this year, however, the serving station has been pushed aside in favor of seated dinners at long rectangular tables. The long tables lend themselves perfectly to the alternating high/low centerpieces that are in vogue right now.

Oscar Style For Your Wedding

For the most glamorous wedding style, take your cue straight from the red carpet! Celebrities are always the first to showcase the latest fashions, and on Oscar night, you can see the most fabulous styles of all. Add some high fashion and glamour to your wedding by wearing an Oscar inspired bridal ensemble.

One of the hottest trends at the Academy Awards was gowns with one shoulder. This style will give your bridal ensemble instant glamour and elegance. This dramatic asymmetrical look was featured by stars such as Kate Winslet and Alicia Keys. Many of the one shouldered gowns also had beautifully draped fabrics, enhancing their Greek goddess effect. A necklace does not sit well with this type of neckline, so again, take your cue from the stars, and accessorize your gown with a pair of big fabulous crystal chandelier earrings.

Speaking of high style meeting bridal style, some of the actresses at the Oscars wore gowns that could easily have been wedding dresses. Cream was a popular color this year, and there were many gorgeous gowns to be seen in this soft color. Stars like Sarah Jessica Parker wore gowns that would have looked just as perfect walking down the aisle as the red carpet. With these looks as your inspiration, choosing an Oscar inspired bridal gown will be a snap.

When you are getting all glammed up for your wedding day, don’t forget about the finishing touches that will make your look outrageously fabulous. You will, of course, need plenty of sparkling wedding jewelry, but also look for the most stylish shoes, and the perfect little clutch. Complete your glamorous look with star-worthy hair and makeup. Don’t be surprised if when “Here Comes the Bride” starts to play you feel almost as though you were strutting down the red carpet instead of gliding down the aisle!

Trendy Wedding Hairstyles

How you wear your hair will have a huge impact on your wedding day look. It can be elegant and romantic, or it can be something you will regret in later years (’80s bang ball, anyone?). To make sure that your wedding day hairstyle is a “do”, check out the latest trends.

Romance is the key for all of today’s most popular hairstyles. Your hairdo should look fresh and easy, not overly styled or contrived. You definitely do not want your hair to look stiff or heavily sprayed. It should look as though you could remove a few pins and let it tumble over your shoulders in a sexy cascade (even if it is really held together by fifty pins and a whole can of hairspray!).

These soft styles are often gathered back away from the face. One thing that you do not see in the wedding magazines these days is bangs, especially the kind that are cut straight across the forehead. If your wedding is at least a few months away, that should be enough time to grow out your bangs long enough so that your stylist can sweep them off to one side for a fresh and current look.

Most of the trendiest wedding hairstyles involve pulling the hair back into some sort of knot or bun. It is from there that you see many variations. As with the natural waves, these are loose knots, not tight ballerina buns or pristine chignons. Even more interesting are the intricate knots and buns that stylists are creating by twisting braids together at the nape of the neck. For your hair bridal jewelry, finish off the look with a scattering of beautiful crystal or pearl pins tucked into the knot.

Hip, Cool Bridesmaid Dresses

Who says bridesmaid dresses have to be big, frumpy, or downright unattractive? Many brides are treating their bridesmaids to dresses that are hip, fashion forward, and fabulous enough to be worn to their next cocktail party. These are some of the things to look for in the coolest, trendiest bridesmaid dresses.

It is the cut that sets a hip bridesmaid dress apart from the pack. Look for interesting, fresh-off-the-runway details. Good choices include one shoulder dresses, strapless, bubble hems, and deep sexy v-necks. These bridesmaid dresses will have unique designs, such as a combination of chiffon and satin, tiers, or a baby doll style.

Fabrics for updated bridesmaid dresses typically are flowing and fluid. You will definitely not find any petticoats! Popular choices include chiffon, charmeuse, and tissue taffeta. Stiff and formal fabrics do not work when you are going for a modern and updated look.

The right accessories will make all of the difference in the finished effect. To keep the bridesmaids looking hip and current, you will need to take care with their accessories. If you add a traditional strand of pearls to a deep-v dark aubergine dress, you will ruin the effect. When you are shopping for bridesmaid jewelry gifts, your mantra should be unique, stylish, and hip. The jewelry gifts that you give to each bridesmaid should be pieces that they will want to wear again, such as long crystal earrings and pendants. For the perfect finishing touches, think about strappy sandals, beaded or fabric clutches, and a wrap in case it gets chilly.

Ultimately, the bridesmaid dresses that you choose are a reflection of your personal style and taste. If you gravitate towards what is cool and modern, then your bridesmaid dresses should also be hip and stylish. The right bridesmaid dresses will add a fresh and fashionable edge to your wedding party.

Popular Wedding Trend: Orange Flowers

When you think of wedding colors, the ones that first come to mind are probably white, ivory, and that perennial favorite, pink. These colors are as popular with brides as ever, but there is a more surprising color that is in style for wedding flowers. The new hot color for bouquets and centerpieces is orange.

So why choose orange for your wedding flowers? Well, for one thing, it is unexpected. If you attend five weddings over the course of a summer, and three are pink, one is all-white, and one is silver and white, choosing a different color palette will feel like a breath of fresh air, and will help your wedding to stand out from the crowd. Orange is also a color that can feel contemporary and hip, or rich and cozy, depending on how you use it. It offers a surprising amount of versatility.

I have seen orange flowers used for weddings in some wonderful arrangements. One bride I knew was having a fairly informal wedding on a ship. For her centerpieces, she grew wheatgrass in low containers, and then on the day of the wedding, she “planted” bright orange gerbera daisies into them. It was the perfect pop of color for her cheerful summer wedding. She brought the touches of orange throughout the wedding – the men in the wedding party wore pale orange ties, and she gave orange crystal jewelry as bridesmaid gifts to the women in the wedding party.

For an intimate winter wedding, a lovely effect is to create table wreaths of terra cotta roses to use around hurricane lanterns. I once attended a wedding that used this type of orange centerpiece to great effect. The bride carried a bouquet of the terra cotta roses mixed with hypericum berries, and it was the perfect accent for her ivory gown.

Orange is a color that is rising in popularity for weddings, and yet it is still offbeat enough to feel fresh and original. It can be used for all different styles of weddings in a really beautiful way. If you are looking to make your wedding bouquets and centerpieces unique and vibrant, you should definitely consider using orange colored flowers.

Surprising Wedding Trend: Butterflies

Every wedding needs that one special element or theme that will bring it all together. Sometimes that concept can be rather unexpected. One surprising wedding trend right now is to beautify your wedding with butterflies.

There are countless ways to incorporate butterflies into your wedding design. Since they are associated with flowers, that is a good place to start. A tight round bouquet with multi-colored flowers would be even more gorgeous with one or two butterflies adorning it. Look for butterflies that are made from either sheer fabric or feathers, with little clips that you can use to attach them to things.

The wedding cake is another great place to use the butterfly motif. You can use more of the fabric ones, or have your baker create them out of gum paste. It would be just beautiful to have a cake with elaborate frosting flowers, and then to enhance it with graceful butterflies. What a romantic design that would be.

Butterflies can also adorn the bride herself. I have seen stunning bridal gowns that have pastel butterflies embroidered on the bodice or on the train. As long as they are done in a soft color palette, the effect can be subtle and sophisticated. Of course you would want to avoid anything that looked too childish.

For the bridesmaids, there are a few great ways to include them in the butterfly theme. Rather than going overboard with butterflies all over their dresses, choose more subtle accents. A single small butterfly clip in the hair of each attendant would be very pretty. Another idea is to forget about adorning the bridesmaids with a literal representation of a butterfly; instead bring out the luminous colors from your motif by giving them crystal bridesmaid jewelry.

The one type of butterfly to avoid using in your wedding is a live one. Although it looks beautiful to release a box of the fluttering creatures at the end of your ceremony, the sad truth is that they rarely survive very long. It is much better to use faux butterflies as a way to make this wonderful theme come to life.

Elegant Two Tone Wedding Gowns

Looking for a wedding gown that is both hot off the runway and also very elegant? One of the most beautiful trends in gowns for 2009 is the two tone effect. These gowns have a subtle contrast that makes them look special and unique.

Two tone gowns are a lovely way to take your dress beyond basic, without necessarily doing anything too avant garde. The contrasting tones are usually subtle, such as white and ivory, ivory and champagne, or cream with blush. There are a variety of different ways in which the two colors can be juxtaposed.

One of the simplest two tone concepts is to have a contrasting sash on the wedding gown. This is a very easy way to add a bit of interest to a clean silhouette. A very pretty look is to pull out the color from the sash into your accessories. For instance, if you have chosen a gown that is ivory with a blush colored sash, then look for pearl bridal jewelry in gentle shades of blush or rose.

A very pretty two tone wedding gown style is the double layered dress. In this style, there is one solid piece of fabric, either a sheer or a lace, layered on top of the second color. This is a great option for the bride who is afraid of cutting up her silhouette with bands of contrasting colors (particularly true for petite brides). It allows you to have the depth and interest of two tones without any distracting breaks in the dress.

When choosing your veil, what usually works the best is to match the color of the tulle to the main color of the dress, and any trim to the deeper shade on your gown. So if you are wearing a silk white wedding dress with a contrasting blush sash, choose a veil that is also diamond white, perhaps with a blush satin bias trim around the edge.

A two tone gown is a great way to indulge in a current bridal trend without looking trendy. It is a subtle enough effect that it will stand the test of time. This allows brides the wonderful feeling that their wedding day look is both current and classic.

Cutting Edge Wedding Dresses

What makes a gown cutting edge? Well, for starters, it has to deviate from the norm in some, if not all, ways. It should be unique. A cutting edge gown should also be one that cannot be carried off by just anyone: it requires a special sort of bride to wear it.

One style that you see on runways is wedding dresses with mini-skirts. On the top, they basically look like any other gown, but once you get to the bottom half…well, there really isn’t much of a bottom half! This type of wedding gown should, first and foremost, only be considered by brides with great legs.

A mini wedding gown would be a very chic style for a City Hall wedding, or perhaps for one on a beach. If you want to give it a more elegant look, wear it with a long, plain veil. For a more avant-garde effect, a little pouf of netting on your head is all you need (see Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama). A dress that makes this bold a statement should be accessorized with restraint. A few pieces of wedding jewelry and pretty shoes would be the right finishing touches.

For a style that could work on a bride of any age, check out the menswear inspired bridal gowns. They are created in standard white or ivory bridal fabrics, but have details like tailored jackets over a full skirt. This type of wedding dress is perfect for brides who have always loved the look of a woman in a sexy tuxedo as evening wear. It could also work as an equestrian inspired bridal gown.

For the ultimate in sexy, turn to one of the cutting edge gowns that have holes or cut-outs in them. Some have sheer lace panels in the bodice, while others have actual parts of the bodice fabric removed to reveal skin. They are often paired with full skirts, which does help to tone down the avant-garde nature of these revealing gowns a little bit.  Prepare to shock your grandmother!

For brides who like drama, choosing a cutting edge wedding gown can be the way to achieve it. These styles are not for everyone, but they certainly will allow a bride to express her own unique style and taste. Having a gown that really feels like you is a great way to make your wedding even more fun.

Hip New Wedding Color Schemes

Are you the type of bride who always wants to be on the cutting edge of fashion? If that sounds like you, then you will want to be sure that your wedding is as fashion forward as you are. These are some of the hippest and freshest looks for wedding color schemes right now.

The key to creating a really great color scheme for your wedding is to choose an interesting pairing of colors. The right colors, when used in combination, can really make everything pop. Instead of traditional gold, white, or silver, think about using bright colors in fresh new ways.

Hints of lime or chartreuse green are one of the top color trends for weddings. Pair the bright green with another strong color, such as aqua blue or a bold red. It may sound a bit garish at first, but when done well, the end result will be very stylish and unique.

Also consider the color combination of pink and red. This is another one that might make you pause at first – weren’t we always told that pink and red should never go together? That old rule is out the window, as brides are discovering how great those two tones can look together.

There are so many creative places to employ your color scheme. To really make it work, you will want to carry it throughout the wedding in large doses. This will give your décor a unified look, and really make the bold colors pop.

You should definitely plan on using your chosen colors in the bridesmaid dresses. For instance, you could do an aqua organza dress with a chartreuse sash for a fresh summer wedding look. To keep the theme going, give your attendants bridesmaid gifts in your wedding colors. There are lots of ways to do this. You could give them tote bags in lime with a red monogram. Or order custom bridesmaid jewelry as their gifts; combine red and pink Swarovksi crystals for a fabulous effect.

Whichever color you choose, be sure to own it. Using one of these hot new color pairings will give your wedding a fresh and hip style. Expressive use of color is a wonderful way to make your wedding unforgettable.