A Wedding Story: Gwen!

This week’s Wedding Story comes from Massachusetts native Gwen Goulet, who had a beautiful Fall wedding last year. Let's hear Gwen's story...

When did you get married?
We got married 9.12.2009

Kristin Greene of Simply Beautiful did all the makeup for Gwen’s big day.

Where was your ceremony? Reception?

We had both the ceremony and the reception at the beautiful Kirkbrae Country Club, Lincoln, RI.

What made you choose that reception location?
My husband and I are both active, outdoorsy people and we loved the beautiful view of the mountains that surround Kirkbrae. We also got a great vibe from all of the staff at Kirkbrae, and it doesn't hurt that their food is to die for!

On the top of Gwen’s wedding cake stood figurines fashioned after the night they got engaged. Gwen had been in a tutu and her hubby? Batman!

What was your favorite aspect of your wedding?
My favorite aspect of our wedding was that we were able to take time before the ceremony to take our pictures. The ceremony and the reception flew by so quickly so by doing pictures before, it gave us the opportunity to spend some time together having fun, letting loose and getting rid of the pre-wedding jitters! Later we were able to enjoy the entire reception with all of our friends and family without any interruptions.

What was the best resource you used during the planning process?
The best resource I had while planning the wedding was the small group of girls that I met on the Rhode Island page at The Knot. Some of the girls were planning their weddings at the same time while others had already gotten married so the advice and ideas were endless. I don't know where I would have been without them!

In front of her centerpieces, Gwen used baby pictures of her and her husband as their table numbers!

What's the one thing you would have done differently?
Ask more questions and don't be afraid to ask for discounts, promotions and special pricing!
Any advice for future brides?
Don't let the small things ruin the your sacred day...life is too short to worry about things that you can't change! It poured rain our entire wedding day...even during pictures but we got some of the most beautiful pictures and still had an amazing time :)

Very true, Gwen; Love your positive outlook. Your wedding pictures are absolutely stunning; it's hard to believe that it was pouring that day!

Photo courtesy of Berry Photos.

If you'd like to be a Featured Wife or Bride, please email me at legallybride@hotmail.com

Nuptial Trends: Ruffles!

This week I thought we’d look at an increasingly popular trend in wedding attire: Ruffles! We’re seeing this pop up not only in bridal gowns but also in bridesmaid & flower girls dresses & accessories!

Here’s a few bridal gowns that feature ruffles in a more formal and fancy way.

 

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You can also do bridal gown ruffles in a more casual way, like on these dresses.

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And it’s not just long dresses that are showing up with ruffles! Check out these short beauties…

 

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Ruffles are not just for brides, though! Here we see some ADORABLE floral ruffles for flower girls.

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And of course don’t forget about your beautiful maids; Ruffles are IN for them as well!

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Where do wedding trends come from? Fashion of course! Let’s check some of that fashion out…

Dresses from the Limited

and David’s Bridal

 

Blouses from J. Crew

and the Limited

 

Headbands from the Limited 

Purse from Juicy Couture

Clutch as seen in Marie Claire

Handbag as seen in StyleHive

Booties as seen on Vie Couture

Tall boots as seen on Mrs Magpie

Ankle boots as seen on Shoewawa

What do you think about this Ruffle trend? Would you opt for a dress of this style?

A Wedding Story: Mrs. Hesson

This week’s Wedding Story comes all the way from Houston, Texas! I’m happy to feature Mrs. Hesson of the adorable blog i.m.t.l.y. {i more thank like you}. Read on to hear more about her fabulous wedding!

When did you get married?
We got married on August 22, 2009.

Where was your ceremony? Reception?
Our ceremony was at the beautiful Second Baptist Church, where my husband and his family are members, and our reception was at The Houstonian Hotel.
What made you choose that reception location?
We knew we wanted somewhere that was close to the church we were getting married at so we started our search around there. The Houstonian was probably the 3rd place we looked and we instantly fell in love. It was just my mom and I who went to see it the first time. She had heard about it, and had been there for a work event. We loved how secluded it was. It's just a gorgeous hotel on the inside and outside. We knew it would be perfect for our big day!

What was your favorite aspect of your wedding?
Oh goodness, this is a tough one! I enjoyed everything about our wedding, other than it having to end. It was the perfect day! And while the ceremony was just wonderful, our reception was such a blast. I just loved everyone being there. My husband and I have such wonderful families and friends and almost everybody we invited was able to make it to share in our big day. It was the party of the year and it was so great to see everyone having fun and enjoying their night just as much as we were!

What was the best resource you used during the planning process?
The knot was my best friend during the wedding process. Along with plenty of bridal magazines and books that I had accumulated over the 13 months that we were engaged. I had a couple friends that were engaged at the same time that I was, so it was nice to have somebody to turn to when I had questions about certain ways to do things. And my mom. She was a gem during the entire process. We did everything together!

What's the one thing you would have done differently?
Once again, a toughie! There's really nothing I would change. The only thing I would have attempted to do different is to have allowed more time for pictures. Since our wedding was a formal, evening wedding at 7:00, it was tough squeezing all of our picture time in there. AND, I can't believe I'm going to admit to this, because I swore up and down I'd never do it (and didn't), but I think I may have listened to my photographer and considered seeing my husband before the ceremony. I know, I know. I always had that "you won't see me until I walk down the aisle!" attitude, but it would have given us way more photo opportunities and I do wish we had those.

Any advice for future brides?
Just relax! And enjoy your day to the fullest. Because it truly does go by SO fast. Enjoy every moment of the planning process all the way leading up to your big day. Because at the end of the day, you're going to MARRIED to the man of your dreams either way, and it will all be worth it! Take in every minute of it. I remember at our ceremony I just stared into my husband's eyes, not wanting to forget that moment. It's all so special.

All photos courtesy of Stacy Cross Photography.

“I Do” Ideas: Out of Town Bags

This week I thought we could shed some light on how to put together your out of town bags! Where do you get OOT bags? What goes in them? Who gets them?

The first step is to choose the bag or container, and remember to think outside of the box!

You can use traditional bags or boxes, like these found here and here:

Or you can get creative; really anything goes! Here are some fun ideas:

- Tote bags that you can personalize with stencils or iron-on’s

- Pails or buckets (perfect for that beach or destination theme!)

- Personalized woven bags for eco-friendly brides

- Personalized CITY tote bags (LOVE these by the way!)

The next step, of course, is filling the bag!

Here are some ideas:

A Welcome Note; welcoming your guests to town, thanking them for traveling and telling them you’re looking forward to celebrating with them at the wedding!

Regional-themed items; handmade items- perhaps some locally bottled wine from Sakonett Vineyards, distinctive local snacks- like Del’s lemonade packets and more favorites from your towns!

Area Maps are especially helpful for out of towners who need to get to a few different spots

Entertainment Guides including restaurant or activity suggestions would be nice for those who may be arriving a day or two early and are looking for places to eat or things to do

Water and Snacks; because your guests may be first finding their bags between the ceremony and the reception and may be hungry or just need something little to hold them over before dinner at the reception! You can do personalized water labels like these:

Special Details; like a map to the reception, a timeline of the day/or weekend, information on shuttle services available, directions, list of phone numbers of family members that are available to help if needed

Travel-size sundries are always appreciated in case anything is forgotten or to make your guests feel more at home (soaps, toothpaste, aspirin)

Fun items for those guests traveling with children, including crayons & a coloring book or some mini travel games

Personalized Items for your guests to remember the day by (t-shirts, pens and coffee mugs are fun ideas!) Check out these personalized koozies

Finally, here are some examples from a few local brides!

Heather’s out of town bags

“I wrote a little note welcoming the guests on the RI postcard. Inside the bag I had water, snacks (cheddar bunnies, Cape Cod potato chips, trail mix, etc.), a tiny bottle of wine from a local winery, maps of Narragansett (with things to do) and directions to the rehearsal dinner and wedding. I bought the bags at Target and got the postcard at the Christmas Tree Shop.”

Shanna’s out of town bags

“We had four out of towners, all on my in-laws side. We sent them a brown box filled with a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card, mug, a Mesa 21 gift card (our favorite restaurant) and some of the essentials – like water, chips and sweets. We also included some sweet bread and muffins from my family bakery. I tied it pretty with a gold ribbon and card.”

Holly's out of town bags

Holly’s OOT bags included local favorites like Autocrat Coffee Syrup and Cape Cod potato chips and were packaged in reusable bags from Whole Foods.

Jennifer’s out of town bags

“The big grey envelope has pamphlets I made with info about local restaurants, things to do (museums, zoo, etc.) and also DIRECTIONS. One whole page was directions to and from the two hotels where the room blocks were, directions from both hotels to the church, from the church to the Casino, and from the Casino back to both hotels. I will say this - no one got lost!

As far as what went in the bags, we got the tourist magazines, some hot chocolate packets, lemonade packets, organic lollipops, water bottles, postcards, and a postcard with info on the After Party brunch at my ILs' house.”

Jennifer’s OOT bag pictures courtesy of Melissa Robotti.

Tana's out of town bags

Tana’s OOT bags included some local treats, waters & snacks, local restaurant guides as well as a welcome booklet!

Last but not least, my out of town bags!

We chose to use traditional beach pails (shovel included!) to go with our Rhode Island theme. On the front of the pail, I attached a note that said “Welcome to our Wedding Weekend Love, Jay & Jen” with little pictures of a whale and a lobster. Inside the buckets were an issue of the magazine Rhode Island Monthly, 2 bottles of water, an “I Love Rhode Island” shot glass, Rhode Island postcard, a toothbrush & toothpaste, a packet of tissues and a handful of snacks (including some local favorites)

I’d love to hear what you did for out of town bags; please share!