Stumble It!
Contest: Mega-Giveaway
In celebration of the end of summer and the beginning of cooler months, we’re excited to feature a mega-giveaway that's designed specifically with you, a one-of-a-kind bride, in mind! Here at Southern Weddings, we like to think of our brides in terms of their own personal style. Whether classic, relaxed, vintage or modern, each bride has her own unique flair and corresponding design inspiration for her big day. Since everything from your wedding day jewelry to your garter should complement your personal style, we’ve selected items from some of the best vendors to help make your memorable day even more wonderfully you!
The classic bride will leave her groom breathless with a perfectly vintage (and wonderfully versatile!) hairpiece from MGMart and dreamy German pendant glass earrings and delicate ivory floral hair clips from Twisted Crystals. Come reception time, Julianne Smith’s lovely blue-and-white garter is sure to add just the right hint of feminine fun!
The relaxed bride will offset her wonderfully fun and laid-back personality with equally vibrant Julianne Smith garters, a sweet floral ring pillow courtesy of evie s., rustic hairpieces from MGMart and personalized tableware from La Plates.
The vintage bride will make an appropriately dramatic entrance in a luxe pair of earrings from Bel Canto Designs, a sophisticated black-and-white sash and bridesmaid hairpiece from Twisted Crystals and bridal hairpiece from MGMart. A chic feathered boutonniere, courtesy of Twisted Crystals, promises the handsome groom will look just as striking as his stylish bride.
The modern bridewill wow in a delightfully fun pair of pink earrings from MGMart, bright turquoise and jeweled bracelet from Stella & Dot and a color-coordinated Twisted Crystals set complete with matching sash and hairpieces.
To Enter: No two brides are just alike, and the SW girls want to hear what kind of bride you are! Are you a classic bride who repsects tradition and opts for simple elegance or maybe a vintage bride going for all-out glitz and glamour on her big day? And what about our modern ladies who know just how to put a fresh, modern spin on old favorites and often choose to forego the customary for the unconventional? Of course, we can't forget the relaxed bride who will feel most at home celebrating with friends and family at a down-home, outdoor reception in her parent's backyard. Leave a comment on this post about your unique bridal style and be sure to tell us exactly how you plan to make your personality shine through during your I-Do's. We will select four winners: one classic, one relaxed, one vintage and one modern bride. Let September commence!
The contest will end at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, September 9. I can’t wait to learn more about all our lovely brides-to-be!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 05:00PM
Reader Comments (85)
It's difficult for me to classify what kind of bride I am, exactly, but if I had to choose, I would call myself a relaxed bride. My fiance and I are having a small 40-person wedding at his family's lakeside cottage. I'm wearing a tea-length dress with a birdcage veil. He's wearing grey slacks and a silver vest. We are reading an ee cummings poem as part of our vows. We will rent boats and let our guests watch the sunset from the water. Then we'll come back for delicious food and lemonde cocktails. I will eat my entire meal and hug every single guest in attendance. I will hold my new husband's hand and toast to our new life together. Our decorations will be simple, sweet, and pretty: yellow paper lanterns, tea lights, fresh white flowers in low glass vases. And of course, there will be dancing under the stars, on the deck right on the water. Afterwards, when nearly everyone has left, I can see us sitting with our legs dangling from the dock, drinking beers and laughing about the day. (Thank you for this contest, ladies--I love your blog!)
As with probably every bride, its hard to pinpoint exactly what my style is. I'd have to say though, that in one aspect of my wedding, I'll be very modern, putting a twist onto an old song. My fiance had joked in the past about walking down the isle to a choir, but little does he know that I have planned to walk down the isle to our song (Baby I Can't Wait, but NuShooz) sung by a women's chorus. Out of everything for our wedding I'm most looking forward to seeing his face as a bunch of women in robs walk down the isle, get into place and then when he's expecting to see me walk down the isle to a traditional wedding song, instead I'll come out to our song sung the way he joked it would be.
I'm a relaxed bride.
I think I'm a vintage bride. I love the birdcage instead of a veil. I love the short dress instead of the long formal one. I just love the old look of it all and so unique!
Ah! It is hard to choose just one -- I really think I'm a combination of classic, relaxed, and modern! I think if I had to choose one, though, I would choose relaxed. We've really run into quite a few snags (unethical vendors stealing money, not so great friends, etc) and we just took it in stride, and never let it have a negative effect on our wedding. We've kept it really simple - 25 guests, a quick ceremony in the courtyard at our hotel, and then we'll take everybody out to lunch at our favorite restaurant. We're forgoing a lot of traditions to keep it simple and relaxed -- just like us! :)
I am a vintage Bride. We are getting married next June at My Old Kentucky Home. It is the perfect southern wedding for a vintage bride. I am riding in on a classy carriage coming from the back of the Home. It's going to be so special. I found the perfect dress to fit in our vintage southern theme. I am getting a birdcage veil made for me, and I'm trying to find the perfect pearl jewelry. We are serving our drinks in mason jars, and finding some old tins to put our flowers in. I can not wait for our southern affair!
I'd have to call myself a vintage vibe. I have a new dress, but some of small touches on it really remind me of a different era. I was hoping for something that I could have worn 50 years ago and 50 years from now, and I think I found it!
Is it bad that I want all 4?? :) I think I'm a pretty fair mix of classic and relaxed. As much as my fiancee and I wanted a small wedding, we both come from big, close families, and are looking at over 100 people with just immediate family. So while it won't be small, it will be still be casual- navy blazers and khakis with navy and apple green ties for the groomsmen, short navy strapless dresses for the girls. My dress is pretty simple though I did fall for some beading and trim! But there are some things I treasure doing the traditional way-- having my nephew carry the ring bearer's pillow from my parent's wedding, using my fiancee's great grandmothers wedding band, using the same processional my parents did.
I would definitely say I am a vintage bride. I am constantly inspired by anything from decades past. My FH and I decided to plan a lower-middle class 1930's style wedding with lace and ribbon and my grandma's antique stemware for centerpieces.
I would classify myself as a relaxed bride. I am wearing a perfect ivory tea length gown, my girls are wearing navy dresses of their choosing, and the boys are wearing gorgeous grey suits. We are having a sweet, simple ceremony surrounded by some beautiful trees that my father-in-law (a landscaper) is bringing in. We're going to have potted plants all over the place: outside, on the tables, etc. Me and my mother have been collecting old vases and rare mason jars at antique stores and flea markets all over the place and we're going to have candles and fresh cut flowers in them. The overall feel of the wedding will be casual and southern, right down to the bbq and sweet tea!
When I saw this post and website, I thought to myself which bride am I? But then as I looked carefully in the image above, I saw the exact blue and white garter piece I imagined in my mind wearing for the ceremony! The garter is perfect because "its something blue" mixed with elegance that can be worn secretly under the dress! I am therefore, the perfect example of the classic bride. My wedding even though it will be in a rustic mountain resort in Nicaragua, will be simple and elegant. My dress is simple Lazaro strapless A-line with a long elegant tail and I will be wearing my hair up with a veil. My cake is simple with pink and brown satin and the colors to my wedding are pink, green and brown. The rustic chapel will be decorated with flowers, I will coming out of the mountains in a carriage covered with my flowers. The reception will be elegantly decorated and we will do the traditional things: take pictures, dance with my father, dance with him, the toast and dance the night away. I am a simple traditional girl who can't wait to marry the man of my dreams in the rustic chapel in the Nicaraguan mountains (my place of origin).
While planning for my June wedding, I have described the style as vintage, classic, relaxed, and elegant. Being this encompasses three of the four words provided, you can tell I am not the bride who can make decisions. I love it all! How will I ever choose a dress, a centerpiece, a cake? I love all things wedding and am truly enjoying myself through the wedding planning process. However, if I had to choose one word to describe my wedding style, I think it would be classic. Although some brides love to think of creative and unique flairs to add to their wedding day, I have found I turn to the classics. As most girls do, I have envisioned this day since I was a little girl...from the very first time I watched Father of the Bride to be exact. And I can't imagine my wedding day without some of the classic traditions that some modern brides are cutting. I will walk down the aisle to the traditional music, I will have an elaborate exit, and imagine rushing off to the airport to catch the red eye, all whlile wearing the classic, never out of style, pearls.. To me, all of those things encompass the classic wedding that I want for myself and my soon to be husband. I don't need ice sculptures, jugglers and face painters...just classic traditions that I have always wanted for this day.
Oh all things Vintage how I love thee. Vintage is always one of the first words that comes to my lips when I describe to vendors the feel I'm trying to achieve with our wedding. A romantic, elegant, vintage extravaganza. Our hall was picked for the way that it evokes all of this, and so much more-with beautiful gold chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and a grand marble floor, with balconies lining a skylight that runs the length of the room that are reminiscent of days gone by. I swoon just thinking about it. I'm trying my best to integrate this feeling throughout the wedding as well-from the calligraphy and the slightly muted colors. My great-great aunt's sapphire bracelet as my something blue. The pearl and crystal brooch that will go on my bouquet. Muted, soft colors of champagne, bronze and ivory. The parasols that say thank you for our thank you cards. I cannot wait to see how our romantic, elegant, vintage wedding extravaganza will turn out :)
I'd say I am a classic bride. Just started planning since I got engaged on August 13, but know we want to have a traditional wedding but add some touches to it that make it our special day. We will be getting married in the same church my fiance's parents were married. The few dresses I've looked at so far would definitely be more on the traditional and timeless side- I love some of the lace dresses I've seen out there. I don't plan on using many flowers other than orange and coral roses for the bouquets but candles and our monogram will be used in various settings throughout the wedding day. Our bridal party is filled with family and friends who we've come to love as family and as we are surrounded by all the people who have made an impact in our lives- we'll repeat the same vows both sets of our parents promised to one another many years ago. At our reception, we want our family and friends to enjoy themselves and help us make great memories that we will cherish for years to come from when we first became man and wife.
Definitely a relaxed bride! A wedding with 15-20 of our closest family and friends at the Cosi's sandwich shop where we met in NYC would be my dream wedding. He proposed with a Mickey Mouse ring at Burger King with a sleeping homeless guy as our witness, and I think that's precious and perfect! I used to work with the homeless community and truly love hearing their stories, they are so unique, and I liked that his proposal is just as unique. So, definitely a relaxed wedding for this chilled out bride.
Before I was engaged, I always imagined myself as a classic bride. But as I'm making wedding decisions, I am definitely a modern bride. We are getting married in a narrow courtyard between two brick buildings in downtown Greenville, S.C. For our arch, we are hanging candle holders from fishing line (attached to the catwalk above the space) in the shape of an arch. Our reception is by the river in an open, old mill. It will be decorated with white paper lanterns and ficus trees. My dress is an Alfred Angelo mermaid-style dress with a sweatheart neckline. It doesn't have any lace or beading, just crinkled tissue taffeta. My necklace is a big bold, multi-layered pearl necklace customized by Nanda on etsy.com. I'm going to wear dark red peep toe pumps (But not too tall or my fiance will fuss lol). Our centerpieces will be cupcakes (red velvet, mocha chocolate and caramel apple made by my awesome mom!) on simple cake stands. Our favor is a truffle box with a chocolate buckeye (I'm from Ohio) and pecan fudge (My fiance is from South Carolina). We are going to have our guests light sparklers and make a tunnel on the bridge after the reception as they send us off. Our wedding welcome bags will include a small bloody mary mix, a mini bottle of vodka, aspirin and crackers in case our guests have too much fun at the reception :) We want them to be able to attend a barbecue at my future in-laws house the day after the wedding!
hi there! very nice giveaway!!
i am getting married next may, one day before i turn 20! isn't that great!?
it isn't easy for me to classify in one of those 4 types. i am more the creativ kind of bride, i think. we are getting married in a botanical garden in basel, switzerland. adrian, my fiance, is american/swiss and i am swiss. so we decided we will marry in switzerland and after that stay in california and have another smaller party there for his friends.
we always wanted to marry under a tree and now our dream will come true!! after that we will have a reception in the same garden as we will have the ceremony in a renovated horse barn. our colors that we have chosen are pink, green and white. when i now think about it, i think i am a romantic bride. yeah, i think that is it. so i would go to the "vintage" brides i think.
well, anyway, the most decoration i am going to do by myself. i already designed our monograms in photoshop. i want to have those monograms as a theme on our wedding. it is black and pink so it matches perfecly to our color scheme.
maybe it will be my lucky day..?? ;)
rachel
With just two months to plan, I've kind of had to be the relaxed bride. Sweet and simple necessities are the name of the game. Our reception is being held at a historic ranch so we'll have a backyard, rustic wedding feel with mason jar candles hanging from the trees, burlap runners on the tables, and metal garden lanterns filled with candles as the centerpieces. The plain buttercream cake (no fondant here!) will be topped with fresh berries. And, of course, we'll be serving the best barbecue in town (we do live in Texas, after all). Our guests are getting packets of s'mores for favors, my bouquet is a few calla lilies tied with ribbon, and I nixed the veil idea early on. We don't really have colors - we're just going for a natural, organic look with wheat, wood, and other earth tones dominating. Anything we didn't feel was absolutely necessary went out the window. Seating charts? Nah, people can sit themselves. Programs? We don't really have a bridal party and they know who we are. We're also blessed with many talented people in our lives who will be lending their talents for the food, photography, music, and flowers so that we can share the special day with those we love. We want our guests to feel like they're enjoying a fun, summer night on their back porch.
I am a Classic bride with a touch of vintage and relaxation! :D I love traditions and following in the foot steps of other weddings that have taken place generations before me. I have asked my Mother for a play by play of her wedding, what she did how she did, etc. And tried to incorporated special things in too mine! For example I will be getting married at High Noon just like my Mother did, and my older sister. I would add in the vintage because I always go towards things they might be a little whimisical or retro! As for the relaxed side of me, it would be that bride on a budget! It is so important for my future handsome and I that we get to spend this day with everyone that we hold dear to us! So we are choosing to go with a bbq over a fancy dinner spread! :D I am a classic, vintage, and relaxed bride who is very in love and can't wait to get married! <3
mmm, I definitely fit into the 'classic' bride. . .but let's say I have a bit of 'relaxed' as well. Our wedding will be on an outdoor setting, right in front of a lake, which will allow for an elegant reception, with lanterns with a soft light. . .but we will also add some fun twists, like a DIY photobooth (since we both love pictures), and we are also planning on have traditional dishes from our countries. . .Sometimes I think I would prefer a more cozy enviroment with few people (right now our guest list adds 150 people), but well, this is a unique moment in our lives, and we would like to share it with the world :)
I am most definitely a modern bride! My long time boyfriend and I are eloping to Jamaica in December. I can hardlly wait and keeping this a secret has been the hardest thing I have ever done. I am wearing a simple, but simply stunning ivory silk gown from J.Crew. It has beautiful clean lines and will go perfectly with my bf's linen suit. I will not be wearing a veil or tiara of any sort. And for a little bit of unconventional style, I will be wearing bright royal blue shoes (that I am in LOVE with, they are knock off's of Valentino's). I may also add some blue touches in my jewelry, but I have yet to find the perfect pieces.
Out of the four, I would say my style is modern with a classic elegance. I am having a garden wedding at a historic plantation in Nashville, TN. The site itself is absolutely beautiful! I am bringing my modern style through the flowers, linens, cake, and whole reception feel to add my personality to the classic historic plantation.
I see myself as the modern bride. I have been planning my wedding since I was 5 - or so it seems. I love tradition but we have put a little spin on all of the traditional aspects to the wedding. I have added a encrusted sash to my classic dress with a extra long veil. As to bridal party, we forgave tradtion and we are only having one MOH and one BM. We are having the traditional ballroom reception expect our ballroom is a round two story ballroom with views of the sunset, hotel pool, and golf course.
Congrats on everyone's wedding,
Allie
Hands down modern...while I'm keeping certain things traditional - father walking the bride down, unity candle, father daughter dance, etc...I'm not your typical bride.
I'm making it my own by incorporating readings that encompass both me and my fiance, focusing our wedding around a peacock theme - bold colors that show us as individuals, a hand drawn marriage certificate that all our guest will sign, a room filled with feathers, a wedding cake with gold balls - 3D peacock feathers - a beautifully colored stripes, heck I'm even getting my father who can't dance taking dancing lessons to bust a move at the reception (that will bring the house down for sure!)
But honestly the thing that makes it modern is that it is a reflection of the style I've grown into with my fiance.
I am a very modern bride. I like to have a different look on a wedding like instead of a tiered cake I would rather have cupcakes, instead of a church wedding I would rather have the wedding and reception in the same room. I just dont think because everyone does tradition that I am subject to the same idea as well. I just love to be different.