I’m generally not a fan of little children, but seriously, is there anything cuter than an adorable flower girl bashfully gliding down the aisle!?!? Answer. No, there really isn’t. And honestly it doesn’t take much to get a little girl cute, but here are just a few ways to style those precious little devils.

     1. Glitzy Flapper Baby.

2. Fairy Flower Girl.

3. Little Girls who Lunch.

4. Boho Baby.

5. High Fashion Youngster

All of the clothes and accessories are JCrew kids. The wings and rosette headband are both from Etsy. I realize that JCrew is pretty expensive, but they make the absolute most ah-mazing little girl gowns. I’m not well versed in shopping for kids, but after working at a bridal shop I’ve seen mothers spend hundreds on less than exciting gowns for their little ones, so I feel if you are gonna spend a ton it might as well be brilliant!!! I love it when little girls look like mini-adults. I don’t mean you have to Miley Cyrus them out, but style them like you would yourself... just simplified and age appropriate. Trust me, it will make for GENIUS pictures.

Until we meet again, stay bridal and please, don’t drown your cute flower girl in fluff and pickups. please.

Lauren

I was watching good ole TLC’s “Wedding Day Makeover,” one of my favorite shows and I saw a bride whose girls were all in different colors, patterns, etc. I was in HEAVEN!!! Wow, it was such a great look. It was sexy and sophisticated, the wedding party had the most beautiful look. Brilliant. So, today I decided to show you a few color palettes that you can do mixed and matched. All the brands are listed left to right, top to bottom.

    Pinks/Taupes. All J Crew.

Blacks/Purple. Thread Social, Tibi, Thread Social, JCrew, Obakki, Rachel Roy, Rebecca Taylor, & Parker.

Purples/Olives. Madison Marcus, Shoshanna, Chris Benz, Shoshanna, 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent, & Alice + Olivia.

Creams/Blues. Banana Republic, J.Crew, Thakoon, & Ann Taylor Loft.

My top three mix and match tips.

1. Don’t be afraid to go to multiple stores and to mix brands. You can always return if something doesn’t work out.

2. Don’t go for the obvious color choices. Use a patterned look to give you inspiration for the colors you could use. And put your maid of honor in the bold pattern, it shows she’s special.

3. Give the girls a unifying aspect. The same shoes, jewelry, or hair piece. That way it sets them apart from your guests.

Okay, I really hope that some of you decide to go this route. It is literally the most fabulous trend. I wish I could go back and do it with my girls. Please, if you have any questions and mixing and matching comment and ask away!?

Until we meet again, stay bridal and don’t be afraid to mix and match... just make sure it doesn’t look like you dressed your girls in the dark ;)

Lauren

It is true that not every couple or every budget is a good fit for hiring a wedding planner. But the question most debated is just that. So I thought I would ask a few questions to help readers determine the right answer for them and their wedding. 

Ask yourself the following questions and track your answers:

• You don’t have 250+ additional work hours to devote to research, meetings, phone calls, etc. on top of your work schedule and in substitution for your free time, do you?
• You don’t have a friend/family member/contact in the area you wish to marry in, that will have the inside scoop as to who the best and most reliable vendors are?
• Does the decision making process slow and sometimes tedious when more than one person is contributing input?
• Do you have to mediate between two or more families when it will come to wedding details?
• Do you stress easily?
• Does you need some help pulling together a fluid and precise design aesthetic?
• Do you want to relax and enjoy the wedding planning process?
• Would you like someone besides yourself or a family member to focus on the details of the wedding day?

If you have answered “Yes” to more than 2 of these questions, then hiring a wedding planner might be the best route for you to ensure your are relaxed throughout the entire process and making the most of your time! This day in age time is money…and you don’t want your job or your wedding to suffer.

My professional opinion as a wedding planner/design and a past bride myself, is that the LEAST you should gift yourself, is a person to run the wedding day and finalize details. We offer our clients “WEEK OF” planning services during OFF SEASON months, where we come in one month prior and tie up loose ends, create timelines and run the wedding day. There are other planners that offer this service year round and I highly recommend you make room in your budget for peace of mind!

While not every package or wedding planner offers the same services, be rest assured there is someone for everyone. Maybe if you cannot afford a full service package, but you know that if you had a good head start on the right vendors in the area and ensuring someone to finalize details and run the day, will work for your budget.

Morgan

 

All our best to an amazing couple….you guys are the best and we were so honored to share in such a special occasion in your lives!

MGE Team

  Okay, so we’ve all been there... we go to pick up our beautiful... clear throat... bridesmaids dress that you’ve been expertly measured for... clear throat... only to find that it’s 15 sizes too big! ugh.  It’s like an industry created to make you angry and to keep you paying until you actually start to hate the bride. Speaking of bride, they get your sizes jacked up too, all while you pay a boatload to get a “custom” gown, which is no more custom than an off the rack creation. So, here is my little insiders guide into getting a gown that fits.

For the Bride:

Okay, so here’s factoid #1. They tell you your gown is custom and it’s all just for you. Wellllll, that’s not entirely true. The sizing for most wedding gowns is similar to bridesmaids, they take your measurements and order you a gown based on your largest part. And then the gown goes into production. Now, with this type of gown you can usually make changes, which would indeed make it custom, but you would for sure be charged. 

#2. Wedding gowns are expensive. True story. Alterations are also very expensive. Also true. The only way to guarantee that your gown will come in perfectly fitted to your body is to get a muslin first. It is basically a mock version of your dress made with muslin, a cheap fabric, that they pin, hem, fit perfectly to you then based on that model, make your gown. They range in price from 300-500 dollars, which sounds expensive, but think of it as paying for your alterations ahead of time.

#4. So if you aren’t down for the muslin, you can have your gown’s hem pre-hemmed. This is usually 150 or so dollars. It’s definitely the way to go if your dress has a beautiful hemline. Think about it, if you have a stunning hemline you can’t just hack it off, but instead you have to raise the hemline from the waist, which is nutty expensive and sometimes not possible.

#4. Don’t be surprised if the sample size you try on fits perfectly, then when your dress comes it’s a wee bit snug. A sample is tried on by size 0’s and size 16‘s and a popular style can be tried on hundreds of times in a week. So basically what I am saying is, they get stretched out. It’s usually not much, so if you still can’t fit in it comfortably by wedding week than it can probably be let out.

For the Bridesmaids:

#1. Now, the sales folk don’t ever seem to care as much about the poor bridesmaids dresses. They begrudgingly take your measurements, for a gown that’s gonna be huge, then they eagerly charge you three hundred dollars for it. So, know your rights. You can request what size they order you, but it’s true that the store will not be held accountable if you order the wrong size. I’ve actually knew a bridal consultant, who threw a fit when they tried to order her a size 8, so she got a 6... and that 6 was so tight that she couldn’t sit down... sooooo tread lightly my friends.

#2. The bridesmaids gown sizes are based on a very basic set of measurements. Bust, natural waist, and hip. That’s it. So, whichever is your biggest spot, well that’s the size they are gonna order for you. Now, for the ladies with the ample bosoms, sometimes you are just stuck because you have to get a top that fits, so i generally insist on going with the best size for your ladies. If you have a large booty and a disproportionally small mid-section and bust, then you can get away with a lot more. As long as your dress doesn’t have a clingy skirt, I would suggest going with your bust/waist measurement for the size. 

#3. This might sounds like common knowledge, but you can base a lot on the sample. Samples are usually a 6 or 8, make sure you look!! So, if it fits perfectly and they try to order you a bigger size, laugh in their faces and order the sample size. If it’s huge and they tell you that, that is your recommend size, once again feel free to laugh... in their face. The same goes for it being too snug, if they tell you need 3 sizes bigger, just go laugh in their faces. If a size 8 won’t zip up all of the way... you don’t need a 14!? but they will try and give you some kinda of crazy logic of why you need it. Trust your instincts.

Now, a piece of advice for all the ladies involved. I generally discourage buying a gown for the size you want to be. I’m all for being optimistic, but I prefer being realistic. If you plan on kicking your butt and losing weight, then do it, but I don’t suggest going more than 2 sizes lower than your recommended size. I think it really does depend on your own personal motivation and sticktoitiveness.

Until we meet again, stay bridal and beware the wedding week weight drop. Please keep eating. I’m serious, your dress slipping right off of you is not a chic style statement... it’s a funny youtube video.

Lauren

 

Ashley Cope and Jonathan Stetson

Date Engaged

2/20/2010

Where did you meet?

Online at Savannah Cupid

How did he propose?

We were going out to dinner with a bunch of friends as a late Valentine's Day dinner and I when I was ready to go he said I had a late gift.  It was a photo album he had made online.  I had seen all of the photos when I had made albums for Christmas.  He watched me flip through it and when I didn't recognize the photos on the last page he got down on one knee and mustered up some words.  My response was "You're joking right?", because I hadn't had a clue in the world.  Then I realized it was real and of course I said yes!  The last page had been pictures of him picking out the ring.  We got to dinner and all of our friends had known.  It was a great night of celebrating.

When is your wedding date?

6/11/2011

Why did you pick the area you are getting married in?

We picked Savannah because we both have lived here for a few years now.  We picked Forsyth Park because we both think its beautiful and that all of our guests from out of town (pretty much all of them) will get to see a highlight of where we live

Where do you reside now?

Pooler, GA

Congratulations Ashley and Jonathan! We cannot wait to share in your day!

The MGE Team