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2018 is about to evaporate into the history books. Somehow! Somehow it came and went. You know that phrase parents always share about the speed with which your children grow: "the days are long but the years are short." Well, at BT, we rest our case. It was a great year though, so we thought we would do a 2-part recap of what we saw this year and Part 1 is about the trends we saw and tips we shared! Traveling with a Wedding Dress If you're getting married away from home - these are you expert tips! Beware of Knock-OffsYou know they are out there, but no one expects to be scammed. Read this. And shop local!  The Nitty Gritty for BridesmaidsYep! We provided tips for the bridesmaids as well.  Contributing blogger, Samantha Kent shared tips for getting your rest after the wedding and honeymoon.  Trends . . . !This year, we showcased ethereal wedding gowns, changes to what men can and should wear, plus prom wear for guys. Ethereal Gowns Ethereal, Boutique Gowns Color Palette for Men Prom Guys - Trends that work More than anything, we love sharing what we know with all of you - be it the trends we're seeing or the knowledge we've gained over the years. Looking forward to 2019!
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Plenty. And thank you for asking. Not everything is brand new between 2018 and 2019, but the best trends have prevailed. The joyous vibes, classic styling and effortlessly elegant look of Meghan Markle (now the Duchess of Sussex) on her wedding day in May made brides everywhere begin to rethink what being understated meant. I certainly saw it in my shop with a bride who chose a tea-length dress straight out of Audrey Hepburn’s Funny Face. She GLOWED and she rocked it. We all fell in love with simplified silhouettes, more classical shapes, fewer embellishments and ornamentation in order to let personality and style shine through. A super-simple dress does not have to be so pared down that it is dull and impoverished. The Duchess proved that. Markle’s veil told a story with its sewn in birds and elements representing the British Commonwealth, while her gown was elegant and modest.  The Duchess of Sussex  That veil.... be still ALL of our hearts... In our neck of the woods, there is this revival to a point, but there is also still a craving for gorgeous A-line dresses, ball gowns, a bit of sparkle and flair and plenty of flowy skirts. One trend that continues to be strong is the tiered skirt and use of Illusions lace both around the waist and at the neckline. When used sparingly, strategically and with little or no beading, this sheer element is an absolute knockout (pardon the pun). We’ve seen some side cut-outs that brides love, as well as deep V-necks, plenty of beading, a variety of laces and sheen, but we’re happy to say that modesty also prevails. Nothing over-the-top is going to rule in 2019. No Bob Mackie gowns for Cher in the 1980s. It’s a wedding, you guys. I love that so many of our brides at Bridal Traditions are modest but have imagination when it comes to what they want. They want to exude grace, a sense of unpretentiousness and make sure that the weight and magic of the occasion come through. There are still plenty of soft, flowy and feminine gowns out there for brides and bridesmaids as well. For the guys, the more form-fitting suit, especially the 3-piece suit, is still the only current game in town. Grooms want the slim, ultra-slim and more athletic cuts and Jim’s Formal Wear (JFW) specializes in these. While they have yet to release their latest collections to the public, we know that the 3-piece for grooms is still on point and trend and can be paired with just the right tie, socks and gear to complement a bride.  Finally, bridesmaids continue to be the biggest winners. Styles and colors are endless, classic, retro, elegant, sassy, fun and fit all body shapes. The trend for bridesmaids will be – again (pausing for cheers here) to wear a color of the bride’s choosing or on theme for the wedding, and then to choose a style that fits and suits them. It’s a fool-proof way to make everyone comfortable, happy and look great.  The biggest trend for 2019 will be authenticity. Be yourself. Choose based on your wishes and passions as a bride and groom (don’t forget location and season) and then allow the other elements to fall into place.
Kimber Matney and Garrett Potts were married in October of this year in a ceremony outside the barn at Colin Creek Farms. Their wedding was a perfect balance of warmth, earthiness, elegance, tradition and fun. It's not always easy to pull off, but this girl did it. There were 150 guests, mostly consisting of the family and their close friends. The officiant was the Chaplain at the hospital where Kimber works, someone who's become a good friend. The vows were said on one side of the barn and then the cocktail hour was on the other side of the barn with beverages, corn-hole boards, and a popcorn bar. The reception itself was inside the barn and the weather for the day was absolutely perfect "with sunny skies and a cool breeze."  The Couple - Kimber & GarrettIt's hard to top using Kimber's own words to describe how this couple met: "We had friends in common so it all began with a movie date to see Grown Up 2, and I still have the ticket stub.. After the movie, we went to Cook Out for a milkshake and he said (later) that he just knew I was the one. The next day we went to dinner, started dating a week later and have been together since. It wasn’t always easy because we began dating in July and I left for college in August - and my school was 3 hours away. We made it though - the distance, the dorm, and nursing school."  "The most memorable moment was being able to walk down the aisle with my grandpa and being able to see Garrett waiting for me. We had joked about eloping, but he said being able to see me coming down the aisle was the best part of the big day."  Kimber chose well for her October wedding, starting with the season, the color burgundy and the couple's shared love of the outdoors as her inspirations. Their cake, centerpieces - which her grandmother made!! - and her own flowers show natural elegance with touches of burgundy and white. The cake looked like a birch tree with a “Willow Tree” cake topper that they display in their house now. The DressKimber: "I knew I wanted long sleeves. That was a must both from a design aspect and because of the season. Bridal Traditions was the first and only place we went. The first dress I tried on was actually the one I wore on my wedding day. I tried it on 9 more times after that first time. It was the best decision. It fit so well and flattered me in every way. The dress had multiple layers, fit the fall theme and cool weather. What ultimately "sold it" was knowing when that last button was buttoned. I saw the look on my mom's face and then my grandma came in later, saw it and nearly cried. I just loved the sleeves and all buttons up the back."     The future holds good things for these two. Kimber goes to graduate school in January of 2019 to begin working toward more education and so that she can become a Family Nurse Practitioner. We wish them nothing but a life of happily ever after as they go from adventure to adventure, continue remodeling their home and enjoying the little and big moments of life. Thanks to Cheyenne Kidd photography for use of Kimber and Garrett's wedding day images.    Last week, we posted a blog about a perfectly collaborative photo shoot - well-styled and including a fantastic couple, multiple vendors and wedding experts. It was a success and BT loved being a part of it. For those of you keeping score at home: here's part II! The CoupleThe couple who were a part of this shoot are adorable and endearing and sent a letter to the shoot organizers; Embellished Events for You and The Emerald Hill. We wanted to share a bit about them and more of the images from the shoot that feature them and their love for each other.  Meet Joli and Brent James. They have been together for 16 years, were high school sweethearts and now have a beautiful daughter, Jade who is 4 this month. They were married in October of 2009 and then asked to be models for this project. Here's a little snippet from what Joli sent: "When we wed I had just turned 19 years old and Brent was 22.. We weren’t able to afford a wedding so we choose to elope. We traveled to Tennessee with our parents and got married in our family cabin. My mom purchased a wedding gown for me, but other than that we didn’t really have the “traditional” wedding. The only pictures we have from that day are from a disposable camera! That was fine with us though, since we just wanted to be married. Now, to have some professional pictures of us years later in wedding attire is such a blessing! As you can imagine being together at such a young age means that you basically grow up together." The Supportive PlayersJoli: "We’ve loved each other through our worst and best. We’ve had our fair share of struggles, just like any couple, but we lean on each other and God during our valleys. I believe God made us for each other and helps us bring out the best in one another. He is my soul mate and I need him and I know he feels the same. There’s just something about young love: it’s deep and forever lasting." The VendorsAttire: Bridal Traditions
Cake: Nickel Pickles Sweet Treats Cupcakes: Sugar Rush Appetizers: Exquisite Additions Catering: Kirk's Catering Hair & Makeup: Beauty by Andrea Mesimer (also Bridesmaid) Coordination: Embellished Events for You Florals: Wildflowers Florals Photography: Waterhouse Studios Rentals: A Bushel and a Peck Venue: The Emerald Hill Bridal Traditions loved being a part of the Emerald Hill Bridal Portrait Shoot. It was a styled shoot, on location with multiple vendor, an adorable bride and groom couple (more on them in another blog) and the results are fantastic.  Brent and Jolie - picture perfect. The VenueEmerald Hill was the ideal spot for this vendor showcase and styled wedding shoot. We had gorgeous weather and the set-ups on location made for perfectly lovely backdrops and vignettes. The Details & Food We've said this before, but details help make a wedding memorable. Nickel Pickles Sweet Treats, Sugar Rush, Exquisite Additions, Kirk's Catering, Wildflowers Florals, and A Bushel and a Peck all added their expertise to the shoot and each brought their A game! Collaborations like these allow each vendor and participant to bring their best! For information on those involved - see below! The VendorsAttire: Bridal Traditions
Cake: Nickel Pickles Sweet Treats Cupcakes: Sugar Rush Appetizers: Exquisite Additions Catering: Kirk's Catering Hair & Makeup: Beauty by Andrea Mesimer (also Bridesmaid) Coordination: Embellished Events for You Florals: Wildflowers Florals Photography: Waterhouse Studios Rentals: A Bushel and a Peck Venue: The Emerald Hill Theirs was a late summer wedding with mostly tradition, some non-conformist elements and only a couple of minor snafus. Sarah and Daniel tied the knot on August 25th at Calvary Baptist Church surrounded by friends and family.  Something Traditional, Something NewWhile the ceremony and vows themselves were traditional, this couple did make some departures from the norm. Their bridesmaids and groomsmen were seated during the ceremony, the ring-bearer was in his 40s, with the flower-girl in her 50s and the processional music was contemporary, versus the customary wedding march and other hymns. The groomsmen skipped the jackets and boutonnieres and decorations in the massive church were kept simple and minimal. And while the pair did not see each other before saying their I Dos, they were together. Sarah and Daniel were led into a room blindfolded where they prayed together over their wedding and about the life, longevity and health of their marriage.     Sarah: "Our photographers kept us laughing to ease our nerves-mostly mine. I could hear Daniel and the groomsmen laughing from down the hall. I was so nervous, I was worried about how many people would be there, what was going to go wrong, and if I was going to remember what hand the ring was supposed to go on. I was a wreck. But after the bridal party went down and it was finally my turn all the nerves started to melt away. I held my dad’s hand for dear life and walked down the aisle. Daniel and I didn’t look away from each other the whole way down, both of us on the edge of tears. The ceremony was beautiful, our pastor and his family sang, and his message was beautiful." There were a couple of stressful moments, as well. No great or memorable wedding should be without them. The first was when the groom and his ring-bearer lost the rings. Yup. Gone. When Sarah's mom was called to the room and saw them laughing, she assumed they were joking. Fortunately, the three of them found both rings after nearly a half hour of searching. The second snafu had to do with the sound system, but that was solved by hooking up Daniel's father's laptop and all ended well.  After the Ceremony"Our reception was nice, it was very DIY, we had succulent, moss, string lights, rocks, and dinosaurs spray painted in gold glitter for our centerpieces. We had a dinosaur and succulent cake topper as well as gold glitter accents. Instead of a guestbook we had our guests sign Jenga pieces. We wanted to have fun with our reception in all aspects even our food, we had Jamaican food served at our reception. Our cake was a naked lemon-flavored cake. Even our exit was different; we had our guests toss colorful pompoms and we left in Daniel’s friend’s car."  "We had arranged with the photographers to have a different place to take bride and groom pictures, so we went to downtown Elkin and took some pictures together. We didn’t have a lot of time to take pictures because we had also arranged with our photographers to go to FaithFest, a concert in Wilkesboro and take pictures of us there. Daniel was able to talk to the pastor who organizes the concert and he arranged for us to be special guests, we were introduced on stage and we were able to meet two of the artists that performed, Mandisa and Casting Crowns." About the dress . . .Sarah did not want the long gown and train or the big flurry marangue we often associate with brides, nor did she want a modern sheath or strapless number. Sarah loved Audrey Hepburn's wedding dress from the movie Funny Face. It had a nipped in waist and was tea length. She also loved the lace detail and bodice of Princess Kate Middleton's dress from 2011.
Sarah came to BT and found both!! "I actually got everything I wanted in a dress. I bought a dress that had lace detail and buttons that covered a zipper. It was under 1,000 dollars and it was tea length! Since we got married in august I didn’t want to be in a heavy gown or a gown that had long sleeves or was hard to be in for a long period of time because it was August. We were getting married at 10 am (I had to be in my dress at 8 am) and I was in my dress until almost 3 pm. I wanted something easy to wear that was really pretty."    It was an honor and a privilege to work with Daniel and Sarah on their wedding, since I have know Daniel and his family for many years now. We were even part of his sister's wedding a few years ago. My fondest memory is them telling me all about their different plans and how excited they were to be getting married and having their dream wedding. As we were choosing the groomsmen and bridesmaid attire we (Sarah and I) did have to reign Daniel in a couple of times from getting too far out there, it was great fun and we shared so much laughter (mostly at Daniel's expense, but he's a good sport).
Prom Season in November? It is if you're looking for savings on beautiful gowns now. Take notes, sweet young ladies, because here are the details. ALL in-stock prom dresses are marked down to $100! Every. Single. One. Forget the original price. If you loved it before and we still have it, it's simply 100 smackers. Actually, we prefer US currency. $100 for each gown.. This blowout sale is for THREE DAYS ONLY - November 15, 16, and 17th. Make your plans, grab your clothing advisers and besties and join us. No holds or layaways - Cash Only. The Color of Envy Is green your school color? Are you Irish? Do you just look great in the color? Green and gold, green and black, luscious fabrics, flowy skirts and plenty of flair. And if blushes, creams, beading and lovely cut-outs are your thing, we understand and you have options at Bridal Traditions. Pretty in Pink wasn't just a movie - it's a lifestyle. Coco Chanel was using creams and blushes with tulle (combined with sultry black eyeliner) long before you were born. But we've got 'em. Interested? Blush, but not bashful  Runway InspiredBelow says "Runway." The cuts and colors show a sense of New York or Paris Fashion Week. They have elegance, fun florals, fantastic necklines and no wedding poofiness. Want something that is both understated and a stand out? We have it.  RedYes, red. It never gets old. It says fun. It whispers about Old Hollywood and the girl wearing it has confidence on a Tuesday. Red is always a head-turner and gowns like this one, with the cut-outs in the back, detailing and draping skirt as you walk are memorable. $100.  And much more during our sale at BTDon't forget to mark your calendars for this sale: November 15th, 16th and 17th (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) when all of our 2018 gowns will be $100. We're gearing up for 2019, but still have gorgeous options in stock.
In May of this year, Evie and Shane were married at Fussel Farm in Millers Creek, NC. BT was thrilled that we were chosen as the place for Evie to buy her gorgeous gown and for Shane and his groomsmen to be outfitted for the ceremony.    Evie purchased her dress during our NBSE (National Bridal Sales Event) and her only change to to swap belt for another at our boutique. She looked gorgeous. The fellas were dapper and elegant as well, and honestly the the proof is in the pudding. Let's let the photos from Cheyenne Kidd do the talking!         We recently blogged about the benefits to buying your gown in store vs online. There are certainly benefits to shopping online, but the bottom line - in our humble opinion - is that you should purchase your items from a local shop where they are interested in getting to know you, listening to you and accommodating you. Our friends at JFW are at it again with their own helpful takes on the subject, so as a followup, here are their reasons for shopping local and in store!  photo credit: Artem Bali THE TOP FIVE REASONS TO BUY LOCAL You will receive better customer service than you would at big box stores. Local retailers go the extra mile because they depend on your satisfaction. Local retailers give back to your community through donations and advertising dollars. We pride ourselves at BT on being heavily involved in our community and in promoting community events.  photo credit: Brett Sayles Tax dollars spent in your community support local schools, police departments and firefighters.
You help create and sustain local jobs. Small businesses are the largest employers nationally. Go green and reduce your environmental footprint through shorter trips to a local store. We agree whole-heartedly. We not only give back in our community, have hired people who are BT regulars or collaborators, but we keep up with many of our clients long after the purchase is just a memory. The team at JFW does it again with their dandy tips about men's formal wear. We're calling this TUX 101. Sounds like a primer, but it may very well be all you need to know.  photo credit: Scott Webb @scottwebb "Let’s face it. Most men may only wear a tuxedo a handful of times in their lives. So it really is no wonder that we get questions about how to wear a tuxedo on almost a weekly basis as bridal experts. Black tie attire is fairly simple to achieve. However, there are some rules that should not be broken and some that are free to be broken, in good taste of course. This is by no means a comprehensive listing of formal wear etiquette. However, it should be sufficient to get any gentleman off to a good start. Here are The Commandments to properly donning a tuxedo at your next formal event thanks to JFW. "1. When wearing a single-breasted tuxedo, thou shall always wear a cummerbund or vest. The primary concern is to conceal the bit of white shirt fabric that will show between your bottom coat button and your waistband."  "2. Thou shall never button all the buttons on your tuxedo coat. The only exception to the rule is when wearing a one button tuxedo. On two, three or four button tuxedo styles, the bottom button should always remain unbuttoned." "3. Thou shall not wear a belt with your formal tuxedo trousers. In fact, tuxedo pants should not have belt loops… ever." "4. Pleated front shirts are not necessary. Although they are more formal and traditional, oftentimes a man looks best in a microfiber, plain front shirt with a laydown collar."  "5. When wearing a bow tie with a wing collar shirt, the wings should fall behind the bow tie." "6. Thou shall wear formal shoes with your tuxedo ensemble – preferably a patent leather shoe style."
"7. When wearing a cummerbund with your tuxedo, the pleats should face upwards." "8. Thou shall wear a pocket square. They are a must to complete any formal ensemble. Choose a white satin pocket square with a black bow tie for a classic look, or choose a colorful tie and pocket square to liven up your look."    "9. Don’t be afraid to add color to your ensemble with the use of formal accessories. Unless you’re attending a White Tie function where pique accessories are required, colored accessories are fair game. It’s not necessary to match, but you shall try to at least coordinate with your date’s attire." "10. Thou shall wear suspenders with a tuxedo. However, in the event that your pants stay up without suspenders, they are not necessary." "11. Thou shall not wear pants with cuffs. Traditionally, formal trousers should have a satin stripe down the side of the pant, and they should feature a straight leg hem." "12. Thou shall wear white and ivory dinner jackets only during the warmer months (Memorial Day to Labor Day) unless you are visiting or live in a warm weather climate." "13. Know your dress code definitions: White Tie Invited, Black Tie Invited, Black Tie Preferred. If you think the organizers of an event meant something else, do not be embarrassed to inquire, since it would be far more embarrassing to show up in the wrong attire."
"14. Smile; you’re going to look great in your tuxedo!" |
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