If You Choose To Wear A Veil…

Posted on May 10, 2015May 10, 2015 by Mary P Karnes

If You Choose To Wear a Veil… and a “blusher” (a blusher is the netting that goes over your face)…You need to consider what your coiffeur will look like once your veil is removed. Will you remove your headpiece? The headpiece is the part of the veil that the netting is attached to. If you’re a royal bride, you’ll wear a tiara. If you’re a regular bride – maybe a crown of orange blossoms. If you’re an American bride, anything goes. My daughter, Maggie, is in the photo above. She is wearing her own veil, (cathedral length), and my headpiece. Her vision was to always take the veil and headpiece off for the reception. It would be too cumbersome to wear all night. She needed to make sure her hairstyle was up to the formality of the event. And it was. Her hair style was spectacular, but she wanted some sort of adornment in her hair. She visited etsy.com, a wonderful website where individuals can shop from independent venders. You can find anything on etsy.com, and the vendors are everyday people who have something special to share.

Maggie purchased a lovely hair adornment for her hair to be showcased. Pease note the photos below, which show the adornment. Note, if you choose a hair ornament, buy it early enough so you can have a dry run with your hairdresser.

I chose to wear silk flowers to be showcased after I took MY veil off 30 years ago. They were pretty, and looked nice in my hair. But I made a mistake with my veil. The netting that went over my face was thick, and created a visual issue for me, and for my guests view of me. And it was hot! My photo is below. Compare it to my daughter’s, following photo. Note how fine and delicate my daughter’s veil is…a much better choice than mine.

But please notice…the headpieces are the same… I love tradition!

In my next two posts — please check back to read all about the different fabric options you will have for your veil…AND the lovely invitation my daughter, KK, chose from etsy.com!!

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Photos: Patty Cloherty

After the Veil – Hair Adornments

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Mary P Karnes

etsy.com

You did it…You’re married! Now how will you wear your hair after the veil? Most brides wish to remove their veil for the reception. Why? Well, the veil is delicate, and it is a perfect wedding item to hand down to future generations. It must be treated with the utmost care. Maybe it is even an heirloom already?

perfectdetails.com

Secondly, a bride wants to be free to move, dance, greet her guests. A long veil will inhibit her. I left my veil on at my reception, but it was constantly snagging on things and PEOPLE. I finally took it off, but it was an after thought and was casually treated as a result. I recommend having a clean container to safely place it in after your formal photos are taken before the reception – and then lock it away in the mother of the bride’s car!

etsy.com

But I image you still want something to make you look and feel special in your hair. How about one of these gorgeous hair adornments? If you choose to go this route, take your “Reception Hair Adornment” to your practice wedding day hair session. This is when you have a “trial” with your hair stylist to practice how you will wear your hair for your big day. Remember to take your veil, and any other items like the one above. It’s a good idea to take photos after your stylist has finished. This

static.weddingchicks.com

will help your attendants anchor your veil and any other adornments you will wear on your wedding day. Not a bad idea to have an attendant or your mom to go with you to the appointment and see first hand how she does it all, either.

weddingwaterfall.blogspot.com

And just maybe you will want to be a true traditional bride and have a short veil like the one above for your reception. I think it’s adorable. KK thought of this, but we finally nixed it…

Make Your Bouquet YOURS

Posted on May 7, 2015May 7, 2015 by Mary P Karnes

www.stylemepretty.com

How will you make your bouquet YOURS? When you start to think about this, and do a little research, there are actually many ways. The above photo, with the remnants of a wedding veil, MUST have a story…my guess is that the bride is honoring a beloved family member who was unable to attend her wedding – maybe a mother or grandmother?

A bride’s bouquet is a beautiful way to add a sentimental wisp of whimsy to your wedding.

www.flowergirlsoftulsa.com

How about the lavender and white bouquet above? I love the pearl necklace woven through the blossoms. I’m sure it has some special meaning, belonged to someone dear to the bride.

craftyourownwedding.com

The white ball of flowers above is embellished with vintage rhinestone broaches. Broaches? You know…the pins older ladies used to wear. Queen Elizabeth, Queen of England, is a serial broach wearer. 🙂

www.w-weddingflowers.com

The image of the white bouquet offers the best of both worlds. Not only it does sport gorgeous blooms, but it showcases a “flower” rhinestone broach.

www.w-weddingflowers.com

I have an inkling that butterflies have a place in this bride’s heart — her bouquet above is very whimsical. And what about my own darling daughter, Kathleen, aka, “KK”? What will she do to “make her bouquet her own”? Well, I’ll spill a little secret… My father is quite the artist, of many medias. One project took his fancy. He made all different types of jewelry fobs out of abalone shell. One piece was of a butterfly that he gifted to my mother. KK will incorporate this lovely moment into her bouquet. It will be big enough to be seen, but not as large as the butterflies above. It will hold a place of honor while still being subtle. I think it will be very special.
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Wedding Gown Cupcake Cake

Posted on May 4, 2015May 5, 2015 by Mary P Karnes

pininterest.com

What will the special dessert at your bridal shower be? How about a wedding gown cupcake cake? I’m sure you’ve seen these all over the internet, specifically pininterest.com I asked my mom for help with my daughter, KK’s shower, and she found this cake and texted me a picture. I think it’s adorable! We did, in fact, make the cake for the party.

www.brideguide.com

If you want a tiny peek, you can see a little of it on my post titled: Shower Buffet Tables. I have other pictures, but was not thrilled with how it came out, so I’m not going to share…If I ever make another, I will copy it more closely to these gems you see here. Aren’t they lovely?

pininterst.com

I know what I did wrong. I…well, Julia my youngest, made all the cupcakes, (sidebar…the cupcakes were the best our family has EVER tasted. Julia did a fantastic job. I think it was all the butter she added…), frosted the cupcakes, and then assembled them into the dress form. How it SHOULD be done, is to assemble the UNFROSTED cupcakes in dress form, (see the bottom photo),and THEN frost them, making sure the frosting touched all cupcakes involved. 🙂

galleryhip.com

Our guests knew right away what the design was, though, so we must have done an ‘ok’ job. We tried using real jewelry to decorate the cake, (i.e. pearls), like the one cake above, but it didn’t look as nice as the gorgeous bow my friend, Debbie, fashioned from delicate ribbon. We got THAT part right… Another issue, is that the guests hated to take a cupcake and ‘ruin’ the cake. I suggest asking a few family members or close friends to begin taking cupcakes to get the party started! Piping would have helped give the ‘cake’ a festive look as well. We just frosted the cupcakes with a few swirls. At least we had a good time creating it!

birthday-kid.com
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Mother of the Bride

Header Image: moncheriebridals

Author: Mary P Karnes

If You Choose To Wear A Veil…

After the Veil – Hair Adornments

Make Your Bouquet YOURS

Wedding Gown Cupcake Cake