Monica's Floral tips!

Aside from the bouquet you spring for each Valentine's Day, chances are you’re a stranger when it comes to flowers. However, now you are a bride–to–be planning your dream wedding, and suddenly you must make decisions on bouquets, boutonnieres, reception centerpieces and ceremony arrangements. Overwhelming? I know! Fortunately, I ‘m here to guide you through this process so you can enjoy planning your wedding flowers without wilting from the stress.


Wedding flowers are one of the most important elements of your big day. Not only do they provide color and scent, but they symbolize life, growth, and rebirth. Good wedding flowers are also a conversation starter and after the food and dress, one of the one things that guests will remember the most.

Discover your Style:

Close your eyes and envision the perfect look to your wedding. Will it be formal or casual? Elaborate or simple? Bold or neutral colors? Are you a traditionalist in favor of roses or lilies, or do you favor a more contemporary floral theme incorporating grasses, fruits and herbs? Your wedding flowers are more than eye candy; they set the ambiance for the entire event. Knowing your wedding style is a start in the right direction, because you’ll want to choose blossoms that match the formality of your wedding day.





Pick Your Palette:

Your color scheme should flow directly from your desired style. Today’s floral trends embrace many aspects going from wedding flowers in traditional whites and pastels to modern and adventurous dark hues and citrus shades. Flowers in matching shades or cool contrasts are breathtaking, but make sure they coordinate with your overall wedding theme. Choose your wedding colors accordingly, and your wedding will express your spirit. Gone are the days of adhering to light pastels and muted shades in wedding decorations. Today's brides are opting for bold and interesting pairings of colors in their wedding flowers and floral schemes. Not afraid of mixing purples and orange's, the post-millennium color palette is expanding.




If you are still not sure where to begin, bring a bridesmaid dress fabric swatch when you meet with your florist and choose coordinating shades.

Seasonal Wedding Flowers:

You know your floral theme and you’ve chosen your color scheme. When deciding on the specific blooms your want in your arrangements, be sure to consider the season in which you are getting marrying.







Another option you might want to consider is mixing it up a bit by incorporating produce. One of the hot trends in wedding flowers is arrangements featuring fruits, herbs and even veggies as a playful and fun approach. Their naturally vibrant colors coincide with the daring color trend. Many brides are also turning to the woods for inspiration. Green grasses add dimension and structure and can elicit a warm, summery feeling.






Hiring a Florist:

Even the most creative and artistic bride will benefit from a florist’s professional capabilities. Your wedding day will be full of activity, and you won’t want to spend vital hours fumbling with the wiring of each bouquet. A florist is not necessarily a budget breaker; a good one should be able to work with any floral budget.

Floral Budget:
Let’s face it determining how much wedding flowers cost is probably not the aspect of your wedding you’ve been dreaming of since grade school. You may see your floral budget as the biggest nemesis between you and your wedding flowers. If you plan wisely, however, you should have enough money to create the floral theme of your desires. Expect to spend about 8-10% of your overall budget on wedding flowers.


What flowers are you planning to use for your wedding? I'd love to hear just email me at
Monica@theprincessbridal.com and give me your ideas of your wedding flowers so I can post them on the blog. Thanks Monica



Pictures by web site:
www.petalsbydesign.com
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thesavvyevent.blogspot.com

Bridesmaids Dresses Start with your Florist

You have found the Wedding dress & the venue...next bridesmaids dresses.

Lots of decisions.

First things first, it's your wedding..when it is your Bridesmaids wedding you will wear whatever crazy color or ugly dress they choose, you will spend too much money on a dress you will only wear once. You will do this because you love them, they WILL wear the dress you ask...don't stress out about whether they love it, They love you...enough said.

Now, being the loving friend that you are, You're going to consider price as the most important factor but in reality the right color choice will make your Bridesmaids willing to spend more because they will actually wear it again in the right color & style.

So how do you decide on the right color? Start with your florist. Yes, I said florist. Your floral will be in all the pictures so you want to Love it. You will not look back and say my Bridesmaids dresses were so cute but you will be happy in ten years that your favorite flowers were in your bouquet & in your decor. Look at what's in season to make your floral cost effective then choose your favorites. Now you have your color palette.

We love The Dessy Group, which has five diverse collections. Dessy Collection, Cynthia Rawley, Lela Rose, Alfred Sung, After Six. Yes, the price point is a little higher but the fabrics are better, silk dupioni, peau de soie, yes your bridesmaids will wear these beautiful dresses again. Another great designer is Bill Levkoff, super cute dresses with a body conscience fit available in satin, European satin & iridescent taffeta. A budget friendly designer is Mori Lee Bridesmaid, The Ava Collection & Affairs Collection. These three collections come in Chiffon, Taffeta Or Satin & offer shawls with most styles and optional jackets. These are just a few of our favorites but there are tons to choose from. Choose a style that compliments your wedding dress. Consider different styles for each Bridesmaid in the same fabric & color.

Yes it's great to get everyones opinion but remember this is your decision, so make it.

Wedding dresses Plus sized

So today I am going to talk to the curvaceous Bride, bootylicious, big boned, bodacious girls.

You are engaged & excited then you start dress shopping....let the frustration begin. Every magazine you look at has little tiny girls, how do you get a vision of what a real girl will look like?? First you hit the big ones DB & AA (I'm not talking about Dooney & Burke or Alcoholics Anonymous). All you find are dresses that look like every other Bride but not the confident beautiful woman you are or you find the tent dress that hides all the curves. So now you head to a boutique where they have a limited number of dress in your size, breathe in & stretch....we have the right shape, give yourself a chance, open your mind, (have faith in your consultant, she has seen ALL the dresses on a body)...TRY on dresses.

Your Honey loves your curves, he loves everything about you. Your wedding dress should compliment your assets, forget about your flaws. When we forget the flaws & highlight the assets...NO one will notice the rest, they will see what your Honey sees, a beautiful woman in love.
Remember that ruching is your friend, it will make your waist look tiny & your tummy disappear. Try on dresses that are outside your comfort zone, dresses that look like nothing on the Hanger may make your body look great. It's all about THE shape.
So let's talk about shapes. A-line - This gown is going to compliment your bust & waist then float out at your hips. This shape is great for a curvy yet proportionate girl.
Ball - This gown is good for the Bride who wants to look like a Princess. The Bride who is pear shaped or the Bride who wants something more traditional.
Trumpet - This gown is fitted to the hip, Then flares out. This gown is for the Bride who doesn't want to hide her curves, she feels confident & sexy...& it shows.
Straps or strapless...the designers have made that a little harder. Its hard to find a beautiful dress with straps, but fortunately we can customize so you can get the dress redesigned to meet your needs & your vision. The designers have heard that some Brides need jackets for their church or temple or maybe they just want a little more coverage. (check out or new jackets by Enzoani).


Remember ladies this is the best time of your life, now is not the time to crash diet. Your Honey loves YOU, so don't stress yourself out trying to fit into a certain size. Wedding dresses are Europeon sizing so it is totally different than ours. Once you have ordered your dress, ideally you want to stay the same or lose no more than ten to fifteen pounds otherwise your alterations cost will go up! You are going to look beautiful, because the wedding is about the commitment to each other & love makes us all beautiful.

Wedding Dress 101

So you are engaged! Excited! In Love! A little overwhelmed ;-). You have ideas for venue or maybe you've booked a venue. Now it’s time for Wedding dress shopping.
Step 1- Internet shop Bridal Designers on The Knot or check out your favorite wedding magazine (mine are Martha Stewart Wedding & The Knot Texas)
Step 2 - Cut out pictures of all your favorite dresses. (Even if the shop you visit doesn't have those dresses, they will get a good feel for what you want)
Step 3 - Schedule your appointments. (Come see ME!) Appointments vary from shop to shop, typically an hour to an hour and a half.
Step 4 - Choose your posse, carefully. Mom, BFF...3 or 4 KEY people otherwise you will be overwhelmed with opinions.
Step 5 - GO try on dresses! Stretch outside what you think you want. If you are drawn to a dress that is different than what you TRY it on.
Step 6 - Compare details. Narrow down to final four dresses.
Step 7 - Forget the details, forget your family's opinion, forget The Honey's ideas. Put yourself in the Moment. Be The Bride, Feel like the Bride...sounds corny but you really are going for the dress that makes you FEEL like it’s your wedding day.
Have fun & go out there & find your dress.

What's your Dream?

Brittany & Logan Merrit, married Sept 09. Wish you could see the Bride's shoes Navy blue Benjamin Adams, the Groom wore custom Ed Hardy tennis shoes

What’s your dream? Can’t you just see the guy from Pretty Woman walking up the street asking “What’s your dream?” As a girl, we dream of the perfect wedding, the man of our dreams, living happily ever after. Wedding planning begins! Step One: Define your dream, your vision Start with the venue & time of day. Create your inspiration board or scrapbook. Pull all the pictures that have a feel or even just a sliver of what you envision for your wedding dream. Dream of NO Budget. Allow yourself to have fun with it. Dream big. Big vision, small budget? Now fine tune & be realistic. Now BUDGET! Find your vision within your budget. Which DIY, is do-able, which requires help, which is great as long as someone else is doing it? Don’t have a magazine wedding, be creative, be yourselves, YES take bits & pieces from all the great bloggers & creative wedding artist out there but don’t forget to make it about the two of you. The Wedding is the means to an end….Marriage.