Fashion + Technology = Wedding Dress

OK so I confess to being a fabric nerd. I have always been drawn towards fabrics, how they feel, drape, move and even perform. So it should come as no surprise that I was intrigued by the developments that have been taking place in my home town of  Sheffield at Hallam University, where students from art and technology courses have been combing forces. Puzzled? Well the result of these combined collaborations is the DISSOLVABLE wedding dress

Dissolvable wedding dress

Considering the concept of throw away fashion and the idea that the wedding dress is possibly the most important garment a bride will ever choose to wear – and then wear it only once, the students designed a dress that challenged this notion.

Read more at http://www.shu.ac.uk/news/release.html?ID=649

Just be careful not to spill any champagne on it would be my advise!!

So this has got me wondering, what other ‘alternative ‘ fabrics have people used to construct their wedding gowns from? How about blushing bride, Rachael who made her dress from bubble wrap?

Rachaels wedding gown made from bubble wrap

…..and only if this is considered art is it accepatable…a wedding dress made from toilet paper!!!!

to read more………

www.huffingtonpost.com/tove-hermanson/toilet-paper-bridal-gown_b_440565.html

Wedding Reception Planning

For many  newly engaged couples the first step is to decide on a civil ceremony or church wedding . Once that huge  decision has been taken the next step is to start on your journey to find the perfect venue on the right day. OK deep breaths!!

Not a decision to be taken lightly. What style of venue are you both favouring, stately home, intimate restaurant, modern contemporary refurb, exclusive hire, hotel with accommodation for your guests? There are so many options out there and more and more venues appearing all the time. With the cost of the reception usually amounting to 15-20% of the total spend then this is probably one of the toughest decisions you will have to make when planning your big day.

You should consider what you want from your venue, great views, gardens for the children to run around in, accommodation, flexibility, and just as importantly what you DON’T want from your venue, small rooms with limited capacity if you intend to host a large wedding, restrictions on services you wish to use….’you have to use our resident DJ’ … for example.

For many couples the reception is the focal point of the day. A time when people can relax and mingle ( ok relax after the speeches, if you are giving one of them!!) The reception is the best vehicle for expressing your personality and stamping your individuality on the day. How you theme the wedding, the methods by which you decorate the room, balloons or flowers…or both etc. all these elements will contribute to the atmosphere of the reception, the fun part of the day. For some couples, details like crockery, cutlery and chair covers are an extravagance, whilst for other they are the icing on the cake and the finishing touches that help add that element of class. After spending 20%  of your budget on your dream venue including feeding your guests a hearty meal and having spent the afternoon sipping champagne you wouldn’t want the decor of the room to be compromised by burgundy banqueting chairs when your colour scheme is purple. Typically you can expect to spend a few hundred pounds to perfect the room with quality products.

Balloons and chair covers coordinated to fit in with the black and white theme.

Flower Power

As the Chelsea Flower Show is in full swing, why not take a look at these two sites and brush up on the difference between your alliums and agapanthus.

The bbc are covering the flower show with excellent coverage on Beeb 2, essential viewing every evening for me! And then the official site for Chelsea is jam packed full of fabulous images and ideas to spark your imagination.

If you haven’t selected your wedding flowers yet and need some inspiration then start to look around and research on the web. There are so many beautiful flowers available. Whether you are attracted to a flower because of its sculptural qualities, it’s depth of colour or its silhouette there is so much to choose from and information to be found.

Wedding’s in the UK this year appear to be focusing very heavily on greens and purples with the trend for the chair cover sashes ranging from ‘Cadbury’s Purple’ to soft lilacs and light pistachio green to deeper forest greens, these are always so beautifully coordinated with the floral arrangements for the table centrepieces or the hand held bouquets carried by the bride and her bridesmaids.

Seating Plan

With 1 month to go to your wedding, what’s every bridal couples nightmare….final seating plan arrangements!!! I know when I speak to people to confirm their final requirements for their chair covers order, 9 times out of 10 you are still awaiting a few people to confirm whether they can make it or not.  Well help is at hand for all those changes with this simple top table planner. I came across this tool quite by accident but I think it’s pure genius (they haven’t paid me to say that) I have just worked through the free trial and its so easy to use. The chance to see your room set out and identify male/female placements makes this thankless job a breeze. With the option of adding dance floors, cake table etc you have all you need to plan your room at your fingertips.

When considering your top table people often ask me whats the correct arrangement, well I think the straight forward answer is that every family is different therefore you need to be sympathetic to all concerned. Over the last few years I have seen top tables stretch upto 15 places long to the smallest setting of 2, just the bride and groom!! The traditional arrangement is a table of 8 with:

bride and groom seated centrally
Brides father next to his daughter and Brides mother next to groom
Grooms mother next to Brides father and Grooms father next to brides mother
and at the ends of the table best man, next to grooms mother and chief bridesmaid next to grooms father
This configuration follows the rhythm of female/male/female etc.

Of course no top table looks complete without our fabulous embroidered sashes