After the Engagement...

Source: Style me pretty

So what does one do after being engaged? Most couples have no clue and to be honest, neither did I when I got engaged. So here are the top 5 steps on what you should do next.  


ONE: Pick a date

Source: Benign objects

This is extremely important as everything you plan is around this little number. You need to set the date so you can check if venues or vendors are available. 


Once you have a date, it makes planning the wedding real. You have a destination to go to and this is the start of your ride. 


With the growing diversity in the guest list, it is not uncommon to have people arriving from overseas. So, send a save-the-date notification, the earlier the better, giving your guests ample time to arrange traveling plans.



TWO: Have a head count

Source: MSW

Is it 100 or 200 or 500? Whatever the number, it is best to have an estimate before you set out your wedding budget. Which subsequently leads to booking the reception venue, ordering of stationary, catering numbers and so on. Yes, it can be daunting when doing a head count... concerns like - did you miss out anyone? should you invite your distant relative's partner whom you have never met? Should you invite children or is the wedding an all adult affair? You will answer these questions as you move along, the idea is to have an estimate first. 


THREE: Choose a theme
Themes come in many different types. And the best way to decide is based on how you want the wedding to look and of course, the cake, deco and stationary will follow. 

Source: Fat orange cat studio

Some popular themes:
Traditional - Think classic white weddings, church ceremony, princess dress, cathedral veil, etc.


Colour - the use of colours can make up the ambience. Such as white and sky blue gives a very boathouse/beach feel to the wedding, green and ice pink could portray a garden tea party feel... colour themes extend out to the outfit of the wedding party and sometimes, even the cocktail drinks!


Destination - get married in an exotic location with your closest family and friends, then head off to your honeymoon straight after! Sounds good doesn't it?


Nostalgic - bring on vintage, art deco with chandeliers, a masquerade party with feathers and masks, or a 1950s rock and roll theme for everyone to put on their dancing shoes.


Personal - this could play with the couple's hobbies, where they first met, maybe their lifestyle from high society to the causal modern chic couple. 

FOUR: Hold on

Source: Style me pretty

Juggling inter family tensions or any sort of tensions will be expected. Hold on!! Best way is to talk to key people within your family or friends, particularly someone respected whom might be able to help you. You do not want to be in the middle of drama when it is a week before your wedding. Try not to let difficult people get you down, but instead think of it as part of organizing a family celebration! 


FIVE: Start gown hunting

Source: Vera Wang

This is the fun part! But before you head off to the shops, do a little research first. FLip though magazines to see what design details catches your eye. Always keep an open mind as you never know what will suit you. Once you have seen a good few magazines, your style will slowly emerge and you will have a better idea of what type of dresses you like and you can begin the hunt!

Simply Perfect

We have been so busy that it took us some time to post up this wedding. Small and intimate of about 150 guests, the wedding was held in a little restaurant consisting of an outdoor area where the ceremony was held, followed by a cosy evening reception. 

I love small weddings which are attended by family and friends. Just like in this one, everyone knew each other and most of the evening was filled with bursts of laughter, hugs, smiles and just plain happiness (plus good food and fine wine!!).  

This wedding is definitely one of our all time favorites. Not only was the decoration and venue beautiful, the people involved in the event made the wedding more special. An old time friend of the bride and groom flew back from the UK, where he lives just to take on the role of the emcee. His speech was light-hearted and filled with joyous stories about the couple. The bride and her friends did some DIY and they personally made the favors themselves using pastel coloured paper clips and handmade magnets. The favors also acted like a place card which was very clever. 

 

The wedding theme was pink and each table was dotted with small square pots of pink eustomas, pink drops and some greens. Simple and sweet. The cupcakes were a HOT favorite. Placed perfectly on a 4 tier cake stand, each cupcake was designed individually with different shades of pink flower icing. They were later packed into little boxes for the guests to take for as a mid-night snack! 

When the evening came to an end, the couple told everyone to take home the little pots of flowers as yet another gift. A very thoughtful present as I took home two myself (with permission, of course) and have been using them as tea light holders. 

A lot of wedding couples think that you need to spend a fortune to create a dream wedding. But honestly, simplicity can sometimes be the true gift to the perfect wedding.

Delight Me with Shoes

Taken by Aloysius, 39 East

I was with a bride for her fitting yesterday and it was the first time I got a peek at her gowns. Each dress she had chosen suited her personality seamlessly and were of great taste. She is funny, witty, friendly and just a laugh to be with. So her dresses, like her, were full of life and strong in colour. Being unconventional, she mentioned that the colour of her shoes were going to be black!

Source: Abby Larson

Gone are the days when the bride wears white from "Head to Toe" (as Tyra Banks might say), these days, brides have become bolder, more fun and they know what they want. Especially when it comes to shoes, there is an increasing trend for the modern bride to wear a strong attractive colour. A perfect pair of shoes is something that you can wear again and again, and have people notice them all the time!

Source: Studio 28

You can play with the material and the design of shoes. Satin, velvet, patent and leather are very suitable with a wedding theme, just make sure you season them before your big day to prevent blisters. Louder accessories like gem stones, crystals, ribbons and other trimmings on shoes add personality to your outfit. So don't just go for the first pair of white shoes you see at the boutique, try on something different and have a fun picture taken with them! 

An evening at the Raffles

It was a lucky evening. We went from Plan A(outdoors) to Plan B(indoors) and back to Plan A (outdoors)as the weather cleared up in time.

The evening started with guests enjoying their cocktails in the Palm Courtyard of Raffles Hotel during sunset and swaying to the voices of Equivox. The couple made a small walk-in across the courtyard with guests throwing rice on them and flower girls blowing bubbles in the air. At the top of the East India room steps, they exchanged their personal vows which brought tears to the eyes of some guests!  

Red had been chosen for the theme, which complemented the classic look of Raffles Hotel. Deep red roses were used in the flower decorations and the wedding party wore pink cymbidium orchids tied with red satin ribbons. Each guest was given a chinese style porcelain teacup  wrapped perfectly in black boxes(favours) and a small note listing out 10 random facts about the couple.   

The evening continued with a string of speeches by the Father of the Bride, the Groom and the Bestman. Live jazz music was provided by Shili and Adi throughout the night making the evening even more intimate, relaxed and romantic. 

Our Love for Veils

Source: Sara Gabriel

Have you wondered how the tradition of brides wearing a veil came about? I mean, it is rather random that this tradition or some might say culture, has travelled from East to West or West to East. 
In Asia, the Chinese wear the red veil and in the west, they wear the white veil. Whatever the colour, the groom lifts it when claiming his bride. So why do brides wear the veil? Here is a fun fact: 


Long long ago, when marriages were arranged and before the word dating was invented, it was a custom that the groom did not see his bride until their wedding day. Part of the wedding ceremony included uncovering her face. This custom was followed by the Romans, the Hebrews, the Hindus, the Chinese, and many other ancient European and Asiatic people. 


The veil was worn as a protection against evil spirits and the evil eye (this was a long time ago!). The bride wore her veil as a disguise so that these evil spirits, jealous of her happiness would not know who she was, and therefore, could not hurt her or create havoc on her wedding day. 

Source: IWCP

Today, we have such a large selection of veil designs and your choices are endless. Let us go through some basic ones with you.

Blusher: This is a short single layer veil which is usually worn over the face during the ceremony and then pulled back over the hair.


Flyaway:  Multi-layered shoulder-length style, ideal for keeping the detail on the back of a dress on show.


Elbow: An elbow length veil is usually attached to a headpiece and extends down to your elbows. 


Fingertip: With your hand by your sides, the ends of the veil will reach your fingertips. 


Waltz: The waltz veil is sure to create an impact and will work well on slimmer fitting dresses, even those without a train. This long veil will flow from your headpiece right down to your ankles.


Chapel: The chapel veil is a beautiful and traditional choice the flows down over the train of the dress. This is a formal choice and best compliments a traditional gown with a long train.


Cathedral: This veil extends 3.5 yards from the headpiece. Make sure if you opt for this choice, the rest of your gown is substantial enough to carry off this look. 

Besides the length, you can also create a different look with the textures and finishings of veils. These are some designs by Sara Gabriel. 

Birdcage

Birdcage: Our personal favourite. This chic modern veil just blows us away. Birdcage veils can be worn with a fascinator or fresh flowers.

Mantilla

Mantilla: This Spanish inspired veil is usually made of lace trimmings. It falls over the head and can be worn alone as it does not require a headpiece to keep it in place.

Silk Trimming

Silk Trimmings: This piece is a classic. Works well with most gowns and gives of a very simple but elegant finish.

Multi-tiered

Multi-tiered: If you like to add some volume to the veil, opt for a multi-tiered design. 


The veil is an essential accessory for you as a bride. It can complete your look or it can destroy it. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you pay attention to this little head piece! This is truly the "other half" to your gown. 

Wines, wines and more wines

Wines at The Wedding Stylist

Sometimes people do ask... what does a wedding planner bring to the plate? The obvious answers are - the planning, getting the wedding couple organised, sorting out the resources, finding the venues, etc...  

What makes a wedding planner more special, adding value to herself/himself? That answer to me is their network. With this, couples get discounts with vendors and whomever the planner works with. Isn't that what you, as a client would want? Having someone to do all the negotiating and helping to keep you within reasonable budget? 

The Reds

Today, I collected some wines for my client. They are holding an engagement party and wines have been a hot topic for weeks. What sort of wines, how many bottles, do they buy the wines from the venue or to get them separately? What is the corkage charge? We punched in some numbers and the answer was pretty obvious. 


1) Buy the wines separately
2) Negotiate a lower corkage charge
3) Save money

The Whites

At The Wedding Stylist, we work with a particular wine vendor and they are fantastic! We have worked with them for over a year, not just for weddings but for other events as well. Their selection is wide with imports ranging from New Zealand, Italy, Spain and many more. Having such a variety, there is only one way to go about picking the wines. The couple will be having a mini wine tasting session. They have ordered 18 different types of wines. I am not a wine connoisseur myself, but in this field, you do pick up some tips here and there. So, this weekend, I have been invited to join in this wine tasting session, let's just hope that I can still find my way home  after the many glasses of reds and whites.


Oh yes, if you are wondering... do couples get a reasonable discount? I can only say that most have been happy, some have been ecstatic and some have kept in touch with us, just to order more wines.  

Our all time favourites

We love wedding dress shopping. Especially when our clients are as excited as us and are willing to try on as many dresses as it takes to find the perfect one. 

Like most wedding planners and brides, we have our favourite international designers that give us inspiration and ours consist of the above. If you can afford the best, have the best. If not, there are always good alternatives like J Crew. Here at home, it can sometimes be quite limited. Most bridal shops are... well.... packaged bridal shops. They rent you the dress typically 10 times your mass , throw in the photographer and include the flowers. But doesn't that take away the fun? We are traditionalist, the dress should be worn for the first time by you, fit perfectly for you and only you. Nothing off the rack and nothing worn by 20 other brides before you. The dress is sacred, something intimate between you and your body. 

We usually advice our brides to make that special dress from scratch if possible, so it truly belongs to you and showcases your real personality. It is so important to find a designer you click with, a designer that understands what you are looking for, is attentive to details and works with you all the way.