Bridesmaids Wearing Different Styles

When my sister planned her wedding the trend to let your bridesmaids choose their own style of dress was just starting.  She was a bride who wanted to make all of her girl’s happy and make the process as easy as possible.  So our instructions were to find a dress we wanted in any shade of purple.  Easy enough, we all thought.  What ended up happening however, was the opposite.  All of us bridesmaids had to coordinate with one another to make sure we didn’t wear the same style, or if we wore the same style, not the same color and so on.  Honestly it was a bit confusing and difficult to manage which was exactly what my sister did not want.  The end result however, looked beautiful, and this trend is here to stay. If you want your girl’s to shine in a style they love, below are some different ideas and tips to get exactly the look you are hoping for.

1.   Choose one dress shop for all the girl’s to go to.  Let the bridal party consultants do all the work.  At Twirl we help create your vision and make sure the girl’s don’t have to keep track of anything. 

 2.   Narrow it down to one designer, one fabric, one length, and one color.  This keeps the process as simple as possible and creates a look of different styles while at the same time upholds the consistency of all the other variables.

 

 3.   Shop before your girls and choose styles ahead of time.  There are several ways to go about it from here:         

• Pick a style of dress and assign one to each girl. If you are someone who is great at knowing what looks great on each of your girl’s this will be easy for you.  My sister can always pick out what I like when we go shopping together – sometimes better than me!

• Pick several (usually 3 is enough) different styles and let your girl’s choose.  You might end up with more girls in one style than the others and will need to be ok with that look.

• Pick several different styles and ask your girl’s to rate their top three.  You can then assign each girl to be in a different style – no two girls alike.  Some may not get their top choice but you have picked out cute styles that everyone loves so it shouldn’t be a big deal .

4.  Choose a shade of color and let your girls have free reign.  Let them know it doesn’t matter if they are in the same style, not the same style, fabric or lengths.  They can do whatever they want. 

  -Jenni

Sarah and Reggie’s Wedding in Maui, Hawaii

How fabulous are Hawaii weddings! Sarah and Reggie exchanged their vows @ at a private estate near Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii. Their photographer was Ruby Rideout with Dazzling Images. Their wedding planners were a husband and wife couple, Rick and Vickie Jackson, with Dolphin Dream Weddings who are based out of Hawaii. Congratulations Sarah and Reggie!! We wish you a lifetime of happy memories. Thank you for sharing your day with Twirl! 

Twirl and Scottsdale Fashion Week Tomorrow!

Come see Twirl tomorrow, November 6, at 7:45pm, as we showcase new Spring 2010 bridesmaid styles fresh off the New York runways!  This is the only preview of the new collections before store samples arrive between January-March.   Buy your tickets for our Southbridge show at the Scottsdale Fashion Week website .   We attended several shows last year, and the event is a blast!   It’s a great excuse for a girls’ night out in Scottsdale for some wine, food, and fashion.  Hope to see many of you there!

Bachelorette Parties

So – what is your idea of how a bachelorette party should go? I feel like there are two roads you can take.

1) Vegas Style! This is a weekend that will no doubt be hard to forget (assuming you can actually remember it). Fabulous dresses packed- 20’s cashed in for1’s – cell phones turned to silent – cameras charged and ready – human decorations to match each outfit and of course tickets purchased for those “special” shows. The nights start LATE and the mornings are hardly actually seen. You wake up hung-over, crawl down to the amazing buffet and stare at whoever is sitting across from you with a look of  “please kill me know”! Once you regain consciousness – the camera creeps out and the re-hashing beings. The whole day is spent trying to remember what actually happened and who it happened with (or to). Your stomach hurts from laughing so hard and you are literally crying the pictures are so funny! When the weekend finally comes to an end, you are all in need of a vacation from your vacation!

2) Girls Weekend! I’m thinking cabin, beach house or resort somewhere out of town with all your bridesmaids and close girl family members. You spend the weekend cooking, gabbing, drinking wine, shopping, lunching, drinking wine, watching romantic movies, laying by the pool, taking advantage of the spa, drinking wine and of course Girl Talk! This weekend is spent with those closest to you telling “remember when” stories while laughing so hard you are forced to cry. Old picture books are pulled out and no doubt the happy tears being. The girls that are married tell you all about the good times you have to look forward to and the girls that are single gush @ how happy they are for you (while secretly wishing they were in your shoes). It’s a calm weekend full of memories and reminiscing .

Either way you decide to spend your last “single” weekend – make sure you are surrounded by the people you love the most. That is where the best memories come from!

Congratulations Twirl Brides! We are so excited for you and your new adventure! We hope your Bachelorette party is a weekend you will never forget!

xoxo

Jen and Ryan’s Wedding @ the Pickering Barn

Jen and Ryan were married in Issaquah, Washington at the Pickering Barn (which is really an old dairy barn).  A few of their pictures were taken at a gas station which was actually the original Shell Station  (how unique and FUN is that)! Their pictures were taken by Ferrell Photography.  Jen’s bridesmaids looked amazing! Congratulations to Jen and Ryan!

Maid or Matron?

The first nine times I was a bridesmaid, I was just that – a bridesmaid.  Then my best friend, Jen, asked me to be her Maid of Honor.  I was so excited to have coveted this role - to get to be the one to plan her bridal shower and bachelorette party, and to stand right next to her as she said her wedding vows.  That was until someone reminded me that my wedding was a few months before Jen’s, and that I would technically be her “Matron” of honor.  WHAT?  Matron?  When I thought of the word, I felt old and wrinkled, washed up like some lady with 10 kids who stopped washing her hair from being so tired.  I was only 35, but being a “Matron” was making me feel much closer to 65.  It made me want to change my wedding date.

Spending most of my life following rules, I do tend to break them if I deem necessary.  When Jen asked how I wanted my title to appear on the program, I told her to rebel and go with Maid instead of Matron.  After all, I was still just a newlywed myself – surely there was some sort of statute of limitations regarding this.

I thought nothing of it, until at the wedding, two different people said something to me about how I wasn’t technically a “Maid” of Honor anymore, but a “Matron”.  Are you kidding me?  I got called out on a technicality? 

It got me  thinking – who decided (umpteen years ago, I’m sure) on this rule of wedding lingo?  I did some research via Google, and was surprised to see that this topic was all over the place.  I found ‘expert’ advice, opinions, etc.  In the end, I concluded that these terms were made up in the days when women wore corsets, and that you should be called whatever you want to be called.  Maybe we should just start a new, more modern title – “Diva of Honor”.  Any other ideas?

Below – Jen and I as each others’ Maids of Honor. 

 Photo by April Greer

Photo by Harrison Hurwitz

-Keri

Bridal Parties

Taking a quick break from the Friday bridal posts to share a few of my favorites from the past!

I LOVE Melissa Sweet – and the color is amazing!

If you are going to do a “true bridesmaid pink” – this is it! Jim Hjelm is the designer behind this perfect pink color.

I am totally into the one-shoulder look! Jim Hjelm rocked it again.

Who doesn’t love THREAD! They really do know how to design a “mean” little black dress. These ladies rocked it!

Thank you to all the ladies who have let Twirl be a part of their special day! You all look amazing!

Bridesmaids Buying Gifts

It’s true, bridesmaids – on top of spending money on your bridesmaid dress, shoes, hair stylist, make-up artist, bridal shower, and bachelorette party, you do have to buy gifts for the happy couple!  But how much do you have to spend?  Can you buy off the registry or are you supposed to get creative?  Can you count a really big shower gift as the wedding gift as well?  I hear these questions from girls all the time, so I am here today to answer all these, and help you stick to your own budget while still making a great impression with your gifts to the bride and groom.

**How much money do I have to spend on a shower and wedding gift?  As a rule of thumb, you will spend more on a wedding gift than on the shower gift.  I would recommend at least $40-$50 on the shower gift, and $100 on the wedding gift.  This depends on your own personal budget, though, so don’t freak out!  If you can’t spend this amount, find someone to go in on a gift with you so that it’s more affordable.  I’ve mentioned this before, but there is nothing wrong with group gifts.  Personally, I love them because the bride and groom get something fabulous, and no one had to break the bank to buy it for them.  My best friends bought my husband and I the Dyson Animal Vacuum when we got married, and I was thrilled.  It’s a $600 vacuum that we never would have bought for ourselves, but they knew how much I needed it (due to my furry beast of a dog), so they all pitched in.  Sentimental, no, but they did plenty of sentimental things for me for my wedding.

**What kind of gift am I supposed to buy for the bridal shower?  Pay attention to the theme of the shower, and that will guide your gift buying.  If you’re in the wedding, you are likely helping to plan the shower so make sure you talk to the bride about this.  If she wants a personal shower, that means fun stuff for the bride…lingerie, pampering products, fun things to take with her on her honeymoon, etc. 

If she wants gifts off her registry – easy.  Buy her gifts off her registry.  Some couples are just starting out and really need all that stuff, so even if it seems boring, know that you’re buying something to help her make a home. 

**Can I buy combination gift for the shower and wedding?    NO!  This makes me think of my poor dad, whose birthday is Christmas day.  He spent his childhood getting those combo gifts, and my mom has always made sure we separate the two events.  So maybe I have a personal bias on this one, but no one ever wants to get a combo gift.  Just don’t do it.

**Should I buy a wedding gift off the registry, or should I get creative?  I think either is fine here.  If you are short on cash, get creative.  For the wedding, the bride and groom are going to receive tons of gifts from their registry, so a few sentimental gifts from their bridal party will be fun for them.  One of my girlfriends had the musical notes from the bride and groom’s first dance printed out, and framed the page with a photo from their first dance.  The photo is still hanging in their house, and is a great reminder of their special day.  If you spend a lot of time with the bride and groom, you could also put together a photo album that tells the story of their relationship, and leave room to add photos of the wedding and honeymoon.

**Do I have to buy a gift for the bachelorette party?  Yes, but just something small and fun.  I’m afraid to give ideas here because most of my bachelorette party experience involves gifts I wouldn’t share with my mother….maybe not appropriate for public reading.     You know what to do – get online and have fun with this.  Just be respectful of your bride.  If she is very conservative, don’t shop at the dirty stores for her!

-Keri

Twirl Chandler Grand Opening Re-Cap

We wanted to share photos from our grand opening party at Twirl’s new Chandler location last week – it was fabulous!  We are truly humbled by all the sponsors that donated their time, products, and services to make the event such a success.   We’re also extremely grateful to all the brides, vendors, friends, and family who came to support us.  Thank you!

Above, Twirl Chandler Owners:: Devan, Keri, Rob, Jenni, and David

Cicely, from Life Design Event Planning, was the mastermind behind the theme of the party, and perfectly coordinated all the little (and big) details.   Thank you, Cicely – you are a rock star!

We also want to thank these uber-fabulous industry friends for sponsoring…

Graphic Design :: Highrise Creative  
Catering :: Put a Fork In It 
Linen Rentals :: Southwick Linens
Paper Products :: The Invitation Lady 
Florist :: Your Event Florist 
Photographer :: Willo Art
Beverage Provider & Service :: Pour Masters  
DJ :: Creative Touch Entertainment
Make-Up Artist :: Corinna Cook 
Hair Stylist :: The Alternative Wedding Solutions 
Table Rentals::  Tablelicious and Tri-Rentals

Jewelry for Models :: Liz Love Collections 

Check out our Twirl Slide Show from Willo Art!

Best Dressed Bridesmaids

Our guest blogger is Brooke, a bridal party consultant at Twirl and the author of her own blog, JustBblogging.com.

I have been a guest to many weddings and had hard enough time deciding which dress I would wear to the bride and groom’s special day. Little did I know when it came to my own sister’s big day I would need so many different outfits for so many events! From the day she became engaged to the actual event, I was worrying every step of the way about what to wear. Thankfully I had already brilliantly picked out our bridesmaids dresses by Thread from Twirl so I knew I had one ensemble taken care of.  

Now that I’ve been through it,  I wanted to help all of you bridesmaids out there with what is appropriate and fun to wear when being involved in a bride’s special day.

The bridesmaid luncheon was the first of many events to come. This wedding was a marathon, not a sprint, to the altar.  A luncheon is casual but intended to be girly. All 12, yes I said 12, bridesmaids took this chance to bring out their feminine spring dresses one more time before Fall was really going to hit Seattle. J Crew  is a great place to find something classic with feminine details for this event. The Slub Silk Daydream Floral Lorelei dress shown screams luncheon.  Pair it with gorgeous jewelry and a great belt and you’re ready to lunch with the bride one more time before she’s a Mrs.

For my family’s special event, my always-creative mother put together a ‘Travelers Dinner’. A lot of our family and friends live in Washington State, where the wedding was held, so this was a time to celebrate with them before Whitney and Matt’s big day. We were blessed with great weather in Seattle that weekend which only meant we couldn’t dare be indoor. The party revolved around the wood fire pizza oven brought by a local restaurant that coincided with the Italian theme.  For a casual dinner you can take off your heels, slip on some flats with some jeans and a cute top, and enjoy the atmosphere. My most important tip outdoor events…bring a sweater! Anthropologie has great sweaters that are light weight for those of us down in Arizona, but they also have cozy cardigan coats if you are traveling elsewhere with a cooler climate.

Finally it came to the last event before the big day, the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. That cocktail dress hanging in your closet waiting for a night out is the perfect choice for this last affair. Remember though ladies that you already had the bachelorette party, so keep it respectable. If in doubt, little black dresses go a long way. BCBG has unlimited black dresses for you to fill your closet that you can wear over and over again to new events. The little black dress is an icon for a reason and viewed classic. Show your personality with your accessories if you want that metallic or pop of color. Make sure you’ve walked in your heels a couple times so that you don’t trip down the stairs during rehearsal like I did…

The day of my sister’s wedding was a calm one. I don’t know how she managed to be so graceful but she handled the morning with undetected worries. I, on the other hand, was worrying about my speech and couldn’t believe it was my big sister’s wedding day, but was so happy for her and Matt. The last thing I needed to worry about that day was what I was going to wear.  Fortunately, I was able to choose my favorite dress at Twirl; the Stella by Thread.  Whatever bridesmaid dress you are wearing, just be sure to bring all the appropriate undergarments for your dress and the day will be problem free.  Once the bride and groom have said ‘I do’, you have made it through all the wedding worries, it’s time to celebrate having no clothing catastrophes – and most importantly, time to celebrate the new Mr. and Mrs.  My own last hope and tip to you is that don’t show up to the morning after brunch in your sweats or bridesmaid dress! 

Sincerely, B