What fun in our Betty Ford reading to turn up these happy wedding photos from 1948. An ‘encore bride’ (who spoke openly about her divorce – not common in those days) she wore a gorgeous satin two piece suit with matching hat and shoes. As flower folk we love the (now) vintage look of the ribbon actually smack in the middle of the bouquet. Why not? Double faced satin ribbon is so luscious – why not highlight it rather than hide it around the stems?
Enjoy the pictures, our thanks to the Ford Library for keeping them in the public domain.
How can 26.2 miles help with going down the aisle? Well, like wedding planning, training for a marathon starts months in advance. Wise runners are methodical and have some simple race day routines that, if followed, can ease the minds (and feet, and nerves..) of brides. We’ve picked out some winners:
Get a good night’s rest before the big day. Runners know that if you don’t go to sleep at a decent hour, your energy won’t hold out the whole race. Make sure you don’t stay out too late at the rehearsal dinner, or hanging with your girls.
Eat breakfast. Runners eat light, and early so as to digest, but food=fuel=crucial. As for brides, eat small snacks throughout the day and hydrate. The last thing you need is a headache or a fainting spell.
Test all your gear, and don’t try anything new. Marathoners stick to what they know – even new sunscreen on race day is a no-no. Brides should follow suit – shoes should be ‘broken in’ and make-up tested for allergic reactions. The hairstyle should have a trial run. Let your motto be “No surprises.”
Comfortable, well-fitting shoes are non-negotiable. You just can’t run 26.2 miles in uncomfortable shoes. You shouldn’t get married in them either. Don’t make blisters your most vivid wedding memory. Pretty and comfortable are not mutually exclusive
Breathe, stand up straight and enjoy your moment. Marathoners have always followed what we give as our essential bridal advice. So keep your eye on the finish line! Born to run, baby!
What’s the one thing everybody knows about cage fighting? No holds barred. No rules. Can that apply to the bridal design world? Read on. And if you got to this blog by googling “cage fighting bride?” you have got to email me. Because that’s awesome. Etiquette books contain mountains of good advice- and we owe the people who write them a great debt of gratitude. Receiving line order and invitation wording – couldn’t do it without them. People notice sometimes though, that we don’t keep a lot of wedding planning books around the store. Happy to share why: we believe in the “Ultimate Fighting” school of wedding design. We operate by nobody’s rules but our own, and as far as we’re concerned, there are no rules. That works for us on a few levels.
1) There are no rules for us in the way we design. Nothing is off the table, and so all our pieces are developed as individual ideas. We don’t do the cookie-cutter follow the trend thing.
2) There are no fashion or style rules. If a bride loves and wants a baby blue and pale yellow theme for her December wedding, we aren’t going to talk her into more “seasonal” colors. Velvet in summer, rhinestones in the morning, snowflakes in July…we color outside the lines.
"out of the box" Prom entryway display - La Quinta prom 2011
3) There are no rules for who our clientele will be. We would never turn away a wedding for being too small. Everyone’s celebration is important, and deserves beautiful wedding flowers. We take a budget, work out what can be done, and make it beautiful.
4) Since we allow our ideas to develop from the ground up, it passes on the “no rules” ethos to our brides and quinceaneras. They can tell us what they truly dreamed- not just what they think we can do or what the girl next door had at her event. We really listen – we don’t impose a vision of how things “should” be.
So as you plan (your wedding, or your client’s), make sure you’re following your instincts, your dreams and your heart. Don’t bother so much with rules. And the only holding that matters, is that of hands, and hearts.
