Kerried Away Couture Helps You Select Bridesmaids Dresses Based on Your Wedding’s Season + Formality

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

We all love Kerri with Kerried Away Couture, who customizes dresses for all members of the bridal party around a plethora of events: rehearsal dinners, showers, the wedding ceremony, etc. Her design allows you to create the perfect dress for any occasion! We asked Kerri about fabric selections for brides - which fabrics fit which wedding styles, and as always, she offered her lovely voice to the subject! Read on to see what she had to say; she’s your girl for custom-made dresses!

Custom Kerried Away bridesmaid dresses for a fun, outdoor wedding. Photo by Joy Chambers Photography.

Photo above by Followell Fotography; photo below by Attanasio Photography.

Which colors/patterns we'll be seeing on bridesmaid dresses over the next year?

All shades of blue from light blue to navy are very popular with our brides getting married in 2012. Pale to bright yellow is becoming more popular as well which we didn’t see much of until meeting with brides for 2012 weddings. We are also seeing a trend of many brides choosing a color for the bridesmaid dresses that will make for nice neck ties, bows ties, and pocket squares. At Kerried Away we have recently added the option of ties and pocket squares which is perfect for brides who want to carry the color palette over to the groomsmen.

Are there any types of fabrics/styles that you would recommend for different seasons (winter vs summer weddings)?

The great thing about Dupioni Silk and Silk Shantung is that both are great year around. Taffeta is beautiful for fall and winter weddings but can also be used year around. Velvet is not widely used but adds an attractive element to a winter wedding and should be reserved for late November through January. Lastly, Cotton is great for casual weddings held in the spring through fall.

In regards to style, most are great for just about any time of the year. Adding wraps or bolero’s to the bridesmaid dresses for winter weddings would be something to think about. Darker colors, jewel tones, and metallic’s are very appropriate for fall and winter weddings although some of these such as black, navy, and silver are great year around.

Are there any specific fabrics that are becoming increasingly popular for bridesmaid dresses?

The raw silk we use has been very popular. We haven’t really seen as much of a trend in fabric as we have in color and style. At Kerried Away there are a many fabric options including Silk Taffeta, 100% Dupioni Silk, Silk Faille, Silk Shantung, Silk Blend, Velvet, and Cotton.

Photos by Attanasio Photography

In regards to wedding styles, does the length of a dress correspond with the vibe of the wedding? How do you determine the length of the dress based on the formality of the event? 

When choosing bridesmaid dresses it is important to consider the location, how formal the wedding will be, and the gown the bride will wear herself. If you are considering a more casual outdoor wedding cotton fabric or even printed fabric might be a great option. You might also mixed a solids with coordinatig prints. For outdoor weddings consider the weather as well. You probably wouldn't want to have the girls wear long sleeves for a beach or summer wedding but during a late fall wedding, sleeves could be just perfect. If you want all your girls to wear silk during your outdoor wedding consider picking a fabrci and letting the girls pick their own style.

For more formal weddings you can choose to go knee length or floor length, but the dresses should probably be a silk or taffeta rather than cotton. If your invitation says black tie, you should really consider floor length dresses for your bridesmaids. For more semi formal weddings we have alot of clients right now dressing up their knee length bridesmaid dresses with crystal brooches and belts that we make in house at Kerried Away. The great thing about adding a touch like this is that it make a fantastic gift from the bride and the girls can actually wear it again later.

Lastly, as you choose bridesmaid dresses you really should consider the brides gown as well. The bridesmaid dresses should never be longer than the brides gown so if a bride doesn't have a train, the bridesmaids shouldn't either. Also, you will want the dresses to compliment the brides gown not match the gown. Whether you know exactly what you want or are just getting started, Kerried Away is always happy to offer suggestions and assistance as brides look for the perfect bridesmaid dresses.

Re-wearable designs! Photo by Joy Chambers Photography

Kerri at her wedding last summer with her bridesmaids in their custom designed dresses (made by Kerri of course)! Photo courtesy of Divine Images. 

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Posted by Betsy-Intern | Filed under: Advice & Planning, Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories 0 comments »

JHenderson Studios Helps Us Get Smart: What is a Bridal Portrait Session? Is It A Good Idea for You?

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Because every couple is different from the last, JHenderson Studios doesn’t limit you to specific sessions, but instead allows you to customize your own packages based on what you want! One of those session that JHenderson offers is a bridal portrait session. Bridal portraits are a southern tradition and these sessions add to those special memories. Not familar with bridal portraits? We asked Jenna to tell us all about bridal portraits and how they can complement your wedding package.  

What is a bridal portrait photogrphy session?

JHenderson Studios: A bridal portrait is a photograph of a bride wearing her wedding gown that was taken prior to the wedding in a separate photo session. Traditionally, the photograph is enlarged and framed and put on display at the wedding reception.

From your experience, how common is it for a bride to have a portrait done?

JHenderson Studios: It's a tradition that is becoming less and less popular. Sometimes, when clients plan a bridal portrait, it is at the request of their mothers!

What purpose does a bridal portrait serve?

JHenderson Studios: Traditionally, bridal portraits were used as wedding announcements in the local newspapers (announcing the newly married couple), but engagement photos and/or a photo of the bride and groom are more common photography sessions today.  Bridal sessions give brides an opportunity to have a formal portrait of themselves in their wedding gown, without the rush and hustle of a wedding day.

When should a bride have her bridal portrait taken in regards to her wedding timeline?

JHenderson Studios: Several factors can determine when bridal sessions are scheduled. If you've ordered your dress, you need to make sure you allow plenty of time for it to come in and alterations to be made. If you're planning on having a photo on display at the wedding reception, you need to communicate with your photographer and make sure you have plenty of time to choose and order a print or canvas and have it framed prior to the wedding. Usually, my clients will schedule their session 1 to 2 months before their wedding.

What are some ways a bride can prepare for her bridal portrait? Do you recommend this being a trial run for her hair and make-up?

JHenderson Studios: The first step for a bridal portrait is the location. I suggest my clients think of somewhere other than their wedding venue that might be significant to them...perhaps the campus of the college they attended, or the church in which their parents were married. It's also important to make a plan for hair and make-up; a bridal session provides an excellent opportunity for a trial run. Brides often overlook getting a bouquet for their session, but having flowers can really pull it all together.

What about the wedding dress? How is it kept clean and new when the bridal portrait is being taken?

JHenderson Studios: Of course, we want to keep them as clean as possible, but it doesn't always require that the dress never touch the ground. I've had clients bring sheets to keep underneath their dress, and if you're going out in the middle of a field on a farm, this might be helpful, but if you're staying indoors, it's unnecessary and can slow your session down. Sometimes, dresses do get a little dirty, but typically it's only the underneath edges, which will never really show up in pictures or on the wedding day, and it can always be cleaned prior to your wedding. The best thing to do to keep your dress clean is to pick it up when you walk, and be sure your hands are clean.

What are some fun things you’re seeing brides do in their bridal portraits?

JHenderson Studios: I've had a handful of clients who elected to have their bridal session after the wedding. This gives us so much more freedom, because we don't have the worry of keeping the dress clean!

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Posted by Betsy-Intern | Filed under: Advice & Planning, Photography 2 comments »

Important Questions To Ask When Budgeting For Your Wedding Cake

Monday, April 30, 2012

At our recent Smart Bride Bootcamp session, Vicki Nelson (owner and cake designer of Signature Cakes By Vicki) gave our attendees a thorough run-down of what ordering custom wedding cakes entails. Brides commented that it was really informative so we thought we'd share it with you.  

Photo by Meishach Moore Photographers

Factors Involved In Custom Wedding Cakes by Vicki Nelson, Signature Cakes by Vicki

There are many factors concerning and affecting the price of a wedding cake. Below are the things that affect price:

• Number of servings is the base for any cake price: The number of tiers doesn’t tell the baker how many people you want to serve.
• The type of covering: buttercream, fondant, ganache, cream cheese icing, etc.
• Type of designs on the cake: piping, moldings, cutwork, damask, quilting, embossing, etc.
• Sugarpaste or gumpaste embellishments: handmade flowers, ribbons, sashes, bows, draping pearls, shoes, butterflies, dragonflies, custom panel work, etc.
• Color and finish: colored fondant, colored gumpaste, paint work on the cake or embellishments, metallics, edible glitter, etc.

Many brides come to me and say, “I want a simple and elegant cake.” Simple and elegant means different things to different people. It does not mean “plain and cheap.” Now, if it means sophisticated and minimal or modern and simple lines, then simple and elegant is exactly what they want. However if they are really trying to say that their budget requires the cheapest price that they can get, then they probably need to go to a grocery store.

ABG Notes: Simple, elegant but not boring. Definitely not a grocery-store cake!

Sometimes a bakery will have a really low “base price” but if you add any custom art at all, the price goes up significantly. For example: on “Black Friday” many retail stores sell products at a drastically reduced price to get the customer in the store, hoping that they can upsell them to a more expensive product. It’s called a LOSS LEADER. Ask the baker what their PRICE RANGE is. You may find that a baker with a higher base price, may have much more value for a custom cake. What a bride should really want is the most value for her budget. If you buy the cheapest cake available and it doesn’t taste good and no one eats its, it wasn’t a very good value. Here are some examples of different types of cakes and different ways they may be priced.

Cake Example 1 is a plain cake, Cake Example 2 is a “simple and elegant cake,” and Cake 3 is a very detailed, custom designed cake. All three cakes serve the same amount of people.

Plain cake

Example 1: Plain Cake (above)
Serves 150 people
3 or 4 tier round, square or hexagon (all one shape)
Buttercream icing
Buttercream dots or scrolls
Buttercream boarder around tiers
Fresh flowers by your florist
1 flavor of cake

Simple and elegant

Example 2: Simple and Elegant
Serves 150 people
4 tier round, square or hexagon
Ivory or white fondant
Royal icing piping
Gumpaste ribbon at base of tiers
Impression or cutwork on 2 tiers
Monogram
3 flavors of cake
Topper or fresh flowers by florist

Custom designed, detailed cakes

Example 3: Detailed, Custom Designed
Serves 150 people
4 or 5 tier choice of shapes (can be mixed)
Ivory or white fondant
Royal icing piped/molded
Lace like brides dress on tiers
Gumpaste ribbon around the
Base of each tier any color
Embossed, impression, or quilted
Colored details of choice
Sugar roses, orchids, and calla lilies on top of the cake
Swagging or ribbons
Monogram
3 to 4 flavors of cake

Do your research to find out what is realistic. TV show wedding cakes and groom’s cakes are elaborate and costly. So if you want an over the top, detailed cake with sugar flowers and lots of embellishments, or a sculpted one of a kind groom’s cake, find out what cake artists in the area are capable of making that type of cake. Check independent reviews and pictures to be sure that the cake designer is up to the task.

Vicki Notes: Groom's cakes start as little as $100 for a very basic butter cream cake and go up from there. Elaborate, sculpted, 3D cakes can cost over a thousand dollars and up. Don't forget, TV is magic! Reality is not.

Just because someone’s starting range is inexpensive doesn’t mean that they will be consistently the best price. Don’t compare a Kroger wedding cake that is a plain white cake with “buttercream” icing, little dots, and silk flowers on it with a wedding cake that is custom designed with fondant lace, ribbons, and sugar flowers on it. Compare apples to apples. Look for VALUE for your investment!,

After you have done your research, below are questions you might ask a cake designer in approaching how to spend your cake budget:

• My budget for my wedding cake is $(insert your price) for a 125 person cake. Can you work with my budget? What type of cake can I expect to be able to afford?
• I have $(insert your price) for a cake for 125. I really want a fondant cake with sugar roses and calla lilies. Can you work with my budget?
• What is your price range for sculpted groom’s cakes?

Thank you so much for sharing this information with us Vicki. For more great cakes from Vicki be sure to check out Signature Cakes By Vicki's website. Contact Vicki for your custom wedding cake design and be sure to tell her you found her on Ashley's Bride Guide!

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Posted by Tabitha | Filed under: Advice & Planning, Cakes & Food 0 comments »

Don’t Set Your Wedding Time Until You Know What Impacts Your Timeline, from a Photo Perspective!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Collection has put together a few photo tips for use when creating your wedding day timeline! That's right, when considering the start time for your wedding day, there's more than just when your venue is available or what time you think your bridesmaids and groomsmen will drag out of bed to get the day started. But that's why we have the experts help us with the details!

From Erin of The Collection...

So you’ve got the ideal location, the perfect dress, the most beautiful flowers and you’ve spent way too much time on Pinterest designing your fairytale wedding that now you also have your dream kitchen designed too. When I was asked to write an educational article for Ashley’s Bride Guide, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about - The Photography Timeline.

This very important piece of the puzzle is often taken for granted. Let me reword that. It’s not taken for granted so much as brides are not given a good, feasible base to build on.

You’ve looked at tons and tons of photographers and you’ve decided on one that you love. Their style, their personality, and their product fit your needs, and most importantly you trust them. Your photographer has an idea of how long they will need on your special day to shoot the type of photographs you fell in love with. As a bride though, you will set the framework for what they build your timeline off of and if they will be able to get those shots you have your heart set on.

Here are four things you should consider when it comes to your wedding photographs and before you send out your invitations!

1) Sunset + Your Ceremony Time

Whether you’re getting married inside or outside this will affect your photographs the most. A lot of couples like to have their outdoor ceremonies at sunset during the summer, it’s cooler for their guests and it is also more romantic! When you check the time for sunset, realize that the time shown means it will be dark, not becoming dark. If you are not doing any photographs after your ceremony, and you want to have your ceremony at sunset, I would recommend starting your ceremony no later than one hour before. A typical ceremony is usually around 30 minutes and there will still plenty of light for your photographer.

If you are getting married inside, depending on your location, your photographer may not be allowed to use flash during the ceremony. While cameras have come a long way, your photographs are going to look a lot prettier if there is some sort of light source. If the location you're using has stage lighting or overhead lighting, that might be enough. If you’re concerned, discuss the lighting setup with your photographer before you set your ceremony time.

2) Not Seeing Each Other Before

I will never tell my clients that they need to see each other before the ceremony, but this is an important timeline discussion. I know how much time I need for each portion of the day to shoot what my clients expect and how to achieve it in the least stressful way possible. If a bride and groom decide to wait to see each other until the ceremony, to get the photographs that my clients expect from me after the ceremony I typically need an hour and a half. Here is how that time breaks down.

Every photographer is different, but I like to have at least 30 minutes for full family photographs, 30 minutes for full bridal party photographs, and at least 30 minutes for bride and groom photographs. My clients tend to hire me because for the most part, I photograph in natural light; therefore, I prefer to start shooting 2 hours before sunset. I want to be done shooting 30 minutes before it’s dark. Having this amount of time, takes a lot of stress out of the photographs and gives us more time to make the most of your images. If you're rushed your body will show it - either you won't look at the camera or your body will appear tense. I try hard to make even those rushed moments fun, but it always helps to have a few extra minutes!

While we are on the topic of stress, you may also want to schedule a cocktail hour for your guests while you’re getting your photographs done, it’s a great distraction for them and you're not worried about people becoming impatient for your presence and for food.

3) Bride's Hair + Makeup

Hair and makeup takes a long time! Especially if you have one person to make you look beautiful and do all of the bridesmaids hair and makeup. The majority of the time I have had photographs run behind is because hair and makeup ran behind. Talk to your hair and makeup artist and ask how much time she or he will need. I would add some buffer time on top of that for reworks, a late bridesmaid, etc.

I personally only need to get 10-15 minutes to get photographs of a bride having her hair and makeup done. If your hair and makeup artist is telling you that it’s going to take two hours and I am supposed to start shooting at 2 p.m., I would recommend you see if you can start getting your hair and makeup done no later than 12:30-12:45. That is if they are coming to you. If you’re going to them, make sure to always schedule travel time.

4) Family Photographs

Oh family photographs. The part of the wedding where you hear “Where is Uncle Bob?” And then when you find Uncle Bob and get him in the group for the photograph. “Uncle Bob, stop talking and just smile.” As simple as these photographs can be, they can also be the most challenging, because many times you are dealing with the large group of people. This takes time!

Gathering everyone together (5 minutes looking for Uncle Bob), getting them in position, getting them all to look at you, getting the 3-year-old to stop picking his nose, getting everyone to stop telling the 3-year-old to stop picking his nose and look at you again, takes time. Some family photographs go super quickly, but you just never know. Discuss with your photographer how long they like to have for photographs and also discuss with them how many people (approximately) you’re going to want in those photographs. You may need to add more time than what is normal. No one wants the church lady getting angry at you because you need to be out of the building and no bride wants the guests to see her before the wedding. If this discussion happens beforehand it can make this area a lot smoother.

Take the time to discuss these four areas with your photographer and planner. My personal goal is to give my clients beautiful images and a stress free day. My timeline is built to do just that. You are hiring your photographer because you love their work and because you trust them. Utilize that resource and I guarantee you will not regret it.

All photos by Erin Lee of The Collection

We hope that all of this info from Erin is helpful and will set your timeline into a day that is clear, well executed. We hope everything about your day is perfect! And if you are now convinced that Erin is the photographer for you, make sure to mention that you saw her post on AshleysBrideGuide.com!

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Posted by The Collection | Filed under: Advice & Planning, Photography 3 comments »