New! Virtually Try On Wedding Dresses, Rings and more!

Now trying on a dress, finding an engagement ring, or even a new hairstyle can be done on your couch at home! Let’s face it we are all busy and limited on the time. Why not narrow down your choices by “trying on” things virtually?  You can decide on your top picks before you even arrive!

If you haven’t gotten engaged yet (hopefully that will be your Christmas present..my fingers are crossed for you) or you recently got engaged and need a wedding band, Tacori has an awesome “Try It On” Virtual software you can download for free that allows you to try on wedding rings anywhere.  All you need is a computer and a webcam.  Just print out the ring cutout, place it on your finger and virtually try on different rings.  This tool will help you decide what shape stone you like best (round, oval, etc) or what wedding band will work best with your engagement ring.

Finding a wedding dress can be a bit overwhelming.  With so many necklines and styles you never know what style will work best for your body shape.  Brides has designed a software that allows you to virtually try on wedding gowns from your home.  You can decide to take a picture of yourself (make sure to look up their picture tips before taking your picture) or pick from a group of models with a similar body shape and “try on” dresses.  I love the idea that you can already know what styles look best on you before going to the bridal salons.  Most salons block out a certain amount of time for your appointment and if you don’t know what styles you like you may try on five dresses that don’t flatter your body!

Before:

After:

Brides also offers a way you can create your wedding day look with hair and makeup.  The makeup worked really well…..there are many different shades to choose from and looks very real.  With this tool you can get a very good idea what colors will work best with your skin tone for your wedding day.  You can also “try on” different hair styles and colors.  To me, this wasn’t as realistic as the makeup but still gives you an idea of which hairstyles work best for you.

Before:

After:

I would love to hear your feedback on these fun tools to help you create your wedding look. Both of these sites also allow you to share these through Facebook or Twitter so friends can comment on what they like best (only if you want them to). If nothing else, I promise these virtual sites are lots of fun.  I “tried” on rings and makeup for hours!!

Happy Planning!

Sources: www.tacori.com/tryiton, www.brides.com

 

Different Bridesmaid Dresses

A growing trend I absolutely love is having bridesmaids wear different dresses!

One of the most popular ways to have bridesmaids wear different dresses is for the bride to choose the fabric as well as the color and let the girls choose the shape they feel most comfortable in.  This allows the bridesmaids to pick out a shape that flatters their body but still providing continuity between the girls by having them all in the same fabric and color.

Another way to make your bridesmaids wear something different is to ask your girls to pick their own bridesmaid dresses!   To be honest, when I first heard about this trend I thought it would never work…..how could they choose their own dresses and still look good standing next to each other?   I think the key to this is to make sure you as the bride are specific in what they can wear.  Depending on the look and feel of the wedding you can decide how different you want their dresses to be.

My suggestion would be to give them an overall feeling for the wedding and what type of dresses you think will complement that style.  Give the girls a certain color palette and decide how creative you want them to be.  For example, ask all of your girls to pick a tea length dress in any shade of blue.  Make sure you let them know what styles or colors you don’t like so they are clear on your likes and dislikes before they begin their search.

If you want them to really show their own personality and style you can give them a couple of colors that go along with the wedding and let them choose the style and look.  I say this is your wedding so even though you are giving them some creativity you can be as involved as you feel necessary and ultimately make the final decision.  In the end your girls will feel confident and comfortable in the dress they chose and look fabulous!

If you are thinking about asking your girls to wear different bridesmaid dresses we would love to hear about it!

Sources: www.sdweddinginsider.com, www.people.com, www.thebrideofoklahoma.com, www.ruffledblog.com, www.stylemepretty.com

Ways to Ask Your Friends to be Bridesmaids!

Gone are the days of asking your friends to be a bridesmaid over the phone or asking via text message! We want to give you a few fun ways to ask your friends and family to share in your special day.  With a little time and creativity you can come up with your own way of asking your girls to be in your wedding.

Here are a few ideas to help you…

Take a few pictures of yourself holding letters and words that say “Will You Be My Bridesmaid?” then put them together to make a cute card to send them!

Do you remember making these cut out cards when you were in school?  Well this is the same thing, with a twist.  Put their names on the “girls” and include this in an envelope with some great stationary asking them to be your bridesmaid!

I thought this was so great!  Use pictures of your bridesmaids to make a card and leave a blank picture in the middle with the words “Without You in the Wedding Something Would Be Missing….Will You Be My Bridesmaid? ” Love it!!

Find a cute bridesmaid frame (or make one yourself) with a picture of you and your future bridesmaid.  Use letter stickers to stick on the picture asking them to be in your wedding!

You can’t go wrong with a bottle of wine to ask your friends to be a bridesmaid!

This is my favorite idea yet!!   Take a wooden box, this is a cigar box, and paint the box in one of your wedding colors. Put the words  “Will You….” on the outside of the box and on the inside put “Be My Maid?” In the inside you can put lots of fun things inside to give your bridesmaids an idea of what type of wedding you are going to have.  You can include things like paint swatches to show them your wedding colors,  a few inspiration pictures of dresses you would like them to wear. I found this adorable do-it-yourself project on  Rinse. Repeat to learn how to do this yourself!

I hope all of these ideas have inspired you to come up with your own way of asking your bridesmaids.  We would love to hear about how you asked your bridesmaids!

Sources: www.weddingchannel.com, www.etsy.comRinse, Repeat,  www.oncewed.com