Category Archives: Wedding Style Trends 2012

Signature Cocktails Made Simple

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Signature cocktails have become such a hot-ticket item for wedding receptions and other cocktail hour events that it has actually opened up an entirely new occupation: Cocktail designers. Once reserved for the extremely well-to-do, signature cocktails have been on the rise for several years and are skyrocketing to the top of the ‘must-have’ list for brides and grooms to be. According to the wedding channel, a ‘signature cocktail’  is “a custom designed drink (usually contains alcohol, but doesn’t have to) served at cocktail hours and wedding receptions.” How do you decide on the drink? Here are some hints and tips to make finding your signature cocktail easier.

 Bride AND  Groom need to work on this with either your caterer or bartender at your venue to create one together, although some couples insist on one for each of them. 

Choose one based on what kind of drinks you like. Although there are  a finite number of combinations, you can always add a unique garnish. If you love Hypnotique or Vodka or Limoncello, those should be the first ingredients you consider.

Choose a drink based on color if you want the drink to match your wedding theme. It may not be an exact match but if it is close enough it will make a huge impact. Imagine rows of  martini glasses filled with blue cocktails in a sea of blue flowers and bridesmaids gowns.

Make sure the ingredients are in season and readily available, especially if they are hard to find. Technically you don’t have to select the drink based on season but, a  pink-lemonade based drink will fare better in the summer months, just as an apple cider flavored drink is more suited for fall.

The best thing you can do is name it after yourself or something fun your guests will enjoy. Adding “-tini” or “-rita” is always fun especially if it illiterates nicely but, it must have the key ingredients of the base drink to be called that. Now that I think of it, ” Penny-tini” has a really nice ring to it!

Share the details with everyone; adding the recipe  to your wedding website, announcing it on place-cards and spreading the word in other ways always make a great conversation starter.

Any way you serve it, the signature cocktail has made it’s place at weddings and is hotter than ever before.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

 

 

 

Not Your Mother’s, Mother’s Dress – Find a Gown That Is Right For You

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I am 50. Yes, I’m 50! I have two sons who are 10 & 12 years old. Mathematically they could be my grandchildren. It is difficult enough right now for me to find a dress to wear to a wedding or other function and I cannot imagine how hard it will be for me when they reach the age they are ready to get married. Why is it so hard for women my age to find just the right dress? How much time do you have?

Most women my age who are not 100% comfortable with their bodies hide behind their clothing. They wear baggy sweaters, mom jeans and/or frumpy clothing most of the time. When it does come time to find a dress for the wedding of their child, they panic and all wind up wearing a long dress with a jacket. Here is a tip: THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME!. Satin jacket with crepe dress or crepe jacket with satin dress – it is nearly a uniform of the wedding mother who just can’t find anything else. There is also a double standard: we are told we can’t wear short dresses anymore no matter how great the legs but, designers consistently show strapless gowns for women who shouldn’t have worn them when they were 20 , much less when they become AARP members. Hardly fair, is it?

As a woman over 50 I can tell you that there are other options. Here are a few things to remember before you buy anything for your adult child’s wedding:

#1) Forget everything you read or see on TV. If you have great, shapely legs and want to wear a shorter dress, wear it! 4″ above the knee is about the limit for a host of reasons but, short skirts are not limited to the X or Y or Z generation.

#2) Accessorize. Find a dress you love in your size and forget about being perfect or looking like a supermodel. Make the most of a simple, elegant dress by accessorizing to the max! Great necklace and earrings, beaded scarf, or even a hat will draw the eyes to your face and away from the mid-section where you may be a little thicker than you used to be. A great pair of heels will also do a lot for your self -image.

#3) Wrap it up. Consider a wrap dress if your tummy isn’t as flat as it used to be. A wrap (around) dress can hide 10-15 lbs easily. If the fabric is right and you accessorize properly, you will look stunning. Diane Von Furstenberg gave us the quintessential wrap dress in the 1970’s and it has evolved into a garment that can literally be worn for any occasion depending upon the fabric.

#4) Who are you? Don’t forget your personal style. If you have always liked a certain type of dress, don’t shy away from it because you are older. Underneath the laugh lines, next  to the spanx, lies the same woman who ran cross-country, captained the cheerleading squad, pledged a sorority and later attended every PTA meeting. You are what you are and what you are needs needs no excuses.

#5) Undergarments are everything. You don’t need to wear a girdle or a corset, you don’t need to wear extra tight super control top pantyhose.  But, wearing the right panties and bra will make any gown look better.

I know how you feel. Every day someone tells you that you don’t look your age, in fact you don’t really feel your age.  You walk confidently down the street in shorts in the summer, you play tennis, ride horses, swim, or run. You feel like you get better each and every day until you are confronted with that hideous mirror in the dressing room and the fluorescent lights! Let me tell you – those lights are lying. You are better! You don’t need a face lift  butt lift or liposuction….. all you need is the right dress, just ask Helen Mirren!

-Penny Frulla For Bridal Expo Chicago

 

Does Music Influence Fashion – You Bet!

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Thinking back to my youth, I remember watching Elton John and Kiki Dee performing on a variety show, probably the Hudson Brothers (Kate Hudson’s dad and his brothers had a one hour weekly show with musical guests and comedy sketches). Kiki Dee was wearing light blue overalls and had her hair super straight. I wanted straight hair and light blue overalls so bad that I convinced my mother to let me learn how to sew so I could make a pair just like them…. and I did. It wasn’t until the late 1990’s that I was able to achieve the straight hair.  Several  years after the blue overall experience,  I saw Madonna in a bustier and fluffy skirt and that became my next must-have. I wore crazy skirts like Cyndi Luper, crimped my hair like Whitney Houston and would have tried to copy every one of Cher’s Bob Mackie gowns if I thought for a second I could get away with it. In case you can’t tell, I think music is a huge influence on fashion.

Oddly enough, the effect music has on fashion is a trickle up theory, of sorts. An artist wears something in concert or video, their fans go wild, begin to copy it, and then works it’s way up the generational ladder until it is mainstream fashion.  Gwen Stefani was a huge influence on fashion in the 1990’s bringing some glam to the grunge look. She was so successful that she even started her own clothing line, which is now the norm for many female artists. The grunge look was not my favorite but, looking back it had to be cost effective since cleanliness was definitely optional.

Yesterday, I returned home form the market to learn the sad news that Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 48. Whitney Houston was one of the greatest vocal talents of my lifetime,  a powerhouse, a woman of heart and soul who shared her talent with the world and her style greatly influenced fashion.  Her inimitable style and talent will be missed as she enters the ranks of one more soul who left this world way too young.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

 

Music To Your Ears

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We all know that the musical score of a movie can have huge influence on our perception of  that movie. From the pulsating terror achieved in films like Psycho and Jaws, to the triumphant victories in Star Wars and Pirates of The Caribbean, it’s hard to think about a great film without also being influenced by that film’s score. Your movie is your wedding  and it needs to be carefully ‘scored’, paying close attention to the theme, time of day and number of guests.

Consider this:

There should be no point in time from the moment the first guest arrives until the last guest leaves where there is no music. As the guests arrive, have a harpist  gently playing at the front of the church.

Music is such an important aspect of life that it is impossible to over-emphasize it’s importance. If there is a lull in the music, guests can get fidgety and cranky.

During cocktail hour, have a string quartet playing near the bar. This way people will be  less likely to notice if there is a line at the bar or diminishing appetizers.

You can have a band and a DJ. Having both will give your guests an even wider array of listening pleasure and trading off can give the band a much needed break. However, if  you choose only the band make sure you have music playing while they take their break.

When you have your wedding video edited, make sure you have the proper ‘soundtrack’ as well.. Having just the right music and editing will make it more like an actual movie and less like a home movie.

Since the music is such an  important aspect of the day, don’t leave anything to chance, make sure you check the references and credentials of every music professional that you interview and ALWAYS have a backup plan just in case.  

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

 

Personalizing Your Wedding Invitations

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Wedding invitations have evolved into something so personal and unique that you can actually get a feel for the wedding itself just by seeing (and touching) the invitation. Whether you choose parchment, custom engraving or print the invitations yourself, there are dozens of things you can do to spice up the first impression your guests will get of your wedding.

Photos – Consider incorporating your engagement photo into the invitation to make an impact.

Verses – Using your own words, maybe some sort of prose, will add an artistic flair.

Incorporate – Use touches of your culture with color and font.

Sparkle – A little sparkle never hurt anyone, right? A touch of glitter, a rhinestone or iridescent ink is very exciting.

Do not add confetti – no one likes opening an envelope with confetti in it.

Address – Consider calligraphy instead of printed address labels, it really makes an impact.

Stamps – Using a stamp with a specific theme is a nice idea. Take it a step further by using  custom photo stamps for all of your wedding postage.

Postage –  Making sure you have the correct postage will save a ton of headaches. Can you  imagine having 150 invitations returned?

The most important thing to keep in mind when selecting your wedding invitations is that you don’t forget your personal style. Keep the event and location in mind and let that dictate the style of the paper, ink, font and wording.  With literally hundreds of choices, it can get very confusing but, don’t despair – there is a style out there just right for you. 

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

 

 

 

 

Defining Marriage – Confusing? You Bet!

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Nearly 80% of all weddings take place in a church, synagogue or other place of religious worship. I found this shocking. Mainly because, I thought that it would be the opposite, that  more weddings were civil ceremonies held at reception sites, officiated by individuals licensed by the state rather than performed by ordained members of various religious institutions in a house of worship.  In fact, ‘church’ weddings are on the rise. However,  it is technically not the signature of the priest or rabbi  that makes your marriage legally binding, it is the stamp by the state. So, the thing that  makes the marriage legal has nothing to do with religious affiliation or lack thereof.  If you are keeping score, this means that technically ALL marriages are ‘civil unions’ but, not all ‘civil unions’ are marriages.

Of course that takes us into the whole same sex marriage debate.  Miriam Webster defines civil unions as: “the legal status that ensures to same-sex couples specified rights and responsibilities of married couples“. However, aboutcivilliberties.com states: “Civil unions are legal contracts between partners that are recognized by a state or government as conferring all or some of the rights conferred by marriage, but without the implicit historical and religious meaning associated with the word ‘marriage’.” No mention of same or opposite sex. I was married in the Cook County Courthouse in a civil ceremony… no priest, no rabbi, no minister. Therefore, although I am legally ‘married’ to my husband, by definition it is still a civil union. However, technically it is referred to as a ‘civil marriage’ . You see, because we have different chromosomal makeup, we are allowed to be legally married.  Are you still with me?

If you are confused, welcome to my world. But, lets get back to the church for just a second.  Centuries ago, people who wanted to be joined together for life simply set up house together (mutual consent), no questions asked. No ceremony, no gown, no DJ or flowers. Somewhere around the middle ages, things got confusing. Some countries required the government to sanction marriage, some required sanctioning by the ‘church’. Realistically, this was done to document, track and control marriages and probably to make a profit somehow.  To this day, some states still recognize common-law marriage which is based on  length of co-habitation and mutual consent.

Without getting into a detailed  history of marriage , let’s fast forward to the year 1999.  Bombarded by requests for marriage licenses by same sex couples, Vermont lawmakers took matters into their own hands and decided to create a parallel license (equal to marriage in everything except name) to issue to same sex couples wishing to be afforded marital rights. Thanks a lot, Vermont…. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! If I understand this properly  (please correct  me if I don’t), “Civil Union” licenses were created to appease some voters  without offending the other voters along the way. In order to be completely politically correct, perhaps it should be called a “Duplicate  Chromosome Union” license. This way individuals with gender re-assignment wouldn’t have to have an additional parallel license.

This brings us to 2012 where  you can have a civil ceremony and civil marriaige  but, it isn’t considered a civil union.  You can have a civil ceremony which can be a civil union but not a civil marriage. Fortunately more churches are accepting of all kinds of marriage, unions and cermonies and are willing to accept the religious and cultural differences of couples everywhere. Perhaps that is why ‘church’ weddings are on the rise. Stilil shocking to me but, then again, I’m still trying to figure out who came up with the idea of a  ‘parallel’  license.

Click here to find out some of the best matrimony sites from where you can find your life partner.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Cake Toppers – Creative Trends

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Like a gorgeous ribbon tied beautifully around a package, the cake topper is the finishing touch that makes the entire package come together.  Let’s face it, even the most beautiful cake needs a little something on top to complete the look. Wedding cake toppers are traditionally a representation of a bride and groom in formal wedding attire sitting atop the cake.  This custom was dominant in US weddings in the 1950s where it represented the concept of togetherness. It is important to note that cake toppers have advanced a long way since your parents or grandparent’s wedding. Seldom do couples even look for the standard  cake toppers where the only decision is to try to find one of the little plastic couples  that resemble you in hair or skin color. Couples today can use the cake topper to signify the silly, irreverent or romantic spirit of their relationship. Don’t be too worried if your fiance is not jazzed about cake toppers just yet. Wait until he sees the options (now) available, then you can sit back and enjoy as he delves into the wonderful world of wedding details…. and this one can be downright fun! What’s hot in cake toppers for 2012?

Romantic – Choices to express romance include Lladro figurines, doves, or hearts  made of various materials. It isn’t about cost since there are options made for every budget. Although a beautiful Lladro could set you back  hundreds of dollars,  a simple  plastic sculpture of intertwined hearts can cost less than lunch.

Fun- Bobble head likenesses, a cute Lego or cartoon couple, a whimsical wire sculpture. Maybe a  couple doing something you both enjoy like surfing or fishing. Perhaps you want to focus on your profession;  firefighters, police and military cake toppers are very popular and easy to find.

Monograms – Monograms are HOT! You can do the traditional monogram with your first initials on either side and your shared last initial in the middle, you can do just the last initial or  just your first two initials intertwined. Rhine-stoned cake toppers gained so much popularity last year that some companies have begun offering them with colored stones so you can match your wedding colors! WOW!

Same Sex – With a handful of states passing legislation that same sex marriages are legal (and hopefully more to follow), it is now easier than ever to find a variety of cake toppers depicting same sex couples. Bravo.

Ethnic – Cake toppers are also widely available in a variety of traditional ethnic wedding attire so you can mix your Asian, African, Hispanic or Middle Eastern heritage with a traditional American wedding cake.

Today’s couples have limitless styles to choose from since so many companies offer custom cake toppers. My only advice to to future brides and grooms is to get something  you love, something you can afford and something you will want to keep forever, it is a wonderful keepsake  and would look great on top of your future anniversary cake.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago