Wedding Dress Lesson: Who Needs An Inspiration Notebook?

Sometimes all our clippings, idea boards and swatches can seem like our most important possessions. But in fact, the heart and soul of your wedding is not among your bookmarks, pins, or inspiration notebooks.  My wedding dress was made by a creative, talented woman who basically took the ideas right out of my head. She asked me to pull some photos from magazines, and boy did I! I had a thick reference file all set to go. But at the airport, waiting for my plane to fly home to Chicago to meet her, I realized my treasured idea binder was on my vanity.

My airport wedding dress inspiration photos, and my first fabric swatch.
My airport wedding dress inspiration photos, and my first fabric swatch.

I had to start over. I hit the airport newsstand and picked up whatever random bridal mag they had, and started sorting through ideas on the plane. I found myself drawn to a dresses i never would have pulled out a week before- covered with ruffles? touch of color? I went with it it and told Julia my designer who ran with it. I got a tailored top with gorgeous ruffled skirt covered in hydrangea blossoms.  I don’t know what my dress would have looked like if I had brought the “right” pictures. All I know is that even without my precious design notebook, I knew myself and I trusted the person I hired. And I can’t imagine having worn anything else.

The beautiful final product
The beautiful final product

A Back-Up Plan For Your Wedding Day. Rain? Snow? Heat? Be Covered.

This weekend’s heat wave /extreme weather caused difficulty for many California brides, grooms and planners.  Choosing wedding locations in California like Palm Springs, perfect for destination weddings, often make people think they don’t need to worry about weather.  Here’s the bottom line:

If any part of your wedding will be outdoors, always have a back-up location.

I’ll repeat.

If any part of your wedding will be outdoors, always have a back-up location.

2013.5.3 tall,dram white
Get the flowers (and your guests) out of the weather)!

Wherever your outdoor venue is, make sure that you or your planner make arrangements for a space nearby to be available in case of bad weather.  That could mean a tent, the church basement, or a banquet room inside, but make sure you have somewhere to go, and people designated to direct guests.

Chances are, you won’t need your back-up location.  But looking back at  the last year’s tornadoes, hurricanes and heat waves, you’ll surely breathe easier.

Live well, and love well,

-Dinah

The Wedding Movie of the Week: Classic Screwball Comedy- The Philadelphia Story

Why do I love The Philadelphia Story? Truly, madly, deeply love this film? When you put Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart in one movie about newspaper reporters sneaking in to a society wedding, you’ve already got an amazing thing going. Toss in a sarcastic little sister, various hidden agendas, and clever 1930s comedy repartee (perfectly timed) and the clouds part, the angels sing, and you’ll fall head over heels in love…with The Philadelphia Story.

The great wedding themed movie, The Philadelphia Story
The Philadelphia Story – a comedic gem to check out when your family is making you crazy with wedding planning!