Poor old winter gets the boot as a popular time for a wedding. BUT! Dress for the weather & you’ll not only be toasty warm on your wedding day, but layering up can look just as smokin’ as a strapless number.

The Romance of a Winter Wedding

Seasons can set the tone for an awesome wedding & every one – including winter – has it’s pluses. Brooding skies make awesome backdrops for photos. Open fires fuel the romantic vibe. A little chill gives everyone an excuse to cuddle up & feel the love. There’s nothing better than a hearty meal to warm the soul. And when it comes to outfits, it’s all in the materials, the layering & the winter accesories!

Materials for Winter Wedding outfits

Obviously, if you’ve chosen a chilly month, you want to dress for it. The place to start is the materials for your outfit. Lara from Gothic Weddings says “Materials such as velvet and faux fur will keep you very warm.” So pick something cosy & let your dressmaker or retailer guide you to the goods, ” For example a velvet cape or faux fur stole.”

Layers of Winter Wedding Warmth

Layers are a great option for a winter wedding outfit. Depending on the location you are going with, chances are you’ll be inside & outside throughout the day – even if it’s just the dash from home to the car. To be able to take elements of the outfit off when inside, & don them again when heading into the elements means you’ll look great AND be warm regardless. Lara suggest “the advice we give is add sleeves to your favourite dress.” Easy!  She adds, “Pick your favourite style of wedding dress and have some sleeves or a bolero jacket added to the dress.  We also recommend either a faux fur stole or velvet cape which can be removed at the ceremony.  Even though it is a winter wedding the reception can still be warm and by layering your outfit this allows you to be comfortable at any temperature.”

Let your mind run wild with Winter Wedding outfit ideas! Go bold with colours & stand out against Winters muted tones.

Saving the guys!

There are countless grooms who have suffered in sweaty silence under heavy suits in summer heat. Choosing a cooler month means the Groom & all his best men will be suited for the weather! Hooray for the comfort factor.

Add to your uniqueness & go with Winter!

If you’re feeling like people will think you are mad for choosing winter, you’re not alone! Lara says “alot of our customers get married in winter and look amazing. Winter is quite often more romantic for our customers that prefer a unique wedding as it allows them to choose fabrics such as heavy lace and velvet which is much better suited to the milder months.”

So think outside the wedding season & embrace the magic & romance of winter for your wedding!

All outfits by Gothic Weddings, images supplied courtesy of Gothic Weddings

Channel 10 has a new television show coming up. Yep, you guessed it, reality TV. And Weddings. 

At first we were super excited at the idea – it’s all about the boys this time! Hooray for getting guys involved in planning their wedding! And then, we sighed & slumped a little in our chairs when we looked at the promo flyer. Of course, it’s pitched to the straight world of weddings. No same sex couples can apply, due to the show needing to stick to Australian law. Boring.

So we sat for a few days & thought about whether or not to throw it out there. And then we thought, with $25000 up for grabs, at least some of our straight lovers might be just a wee bit interested in applying.

Here’s the deal: You have to be getting married in 2012 & the groom has to plan the whole wedding himself. In secret. Yep, to the point where the bride will be turning up to a venue he’s chosen, wearing a dress he’s picked for her. Are you up for it Groom’s to be?

Application is simple enough to start with. Just head to www.dttb.com.au, enter your deets & see what happens!

Photography by http://www.cavanaghphotography.com/

To many couples, photography of your wedding day is quite important. It captures the very essence of the day to enable you to have some great lasting memories in hard copy format. There have been some new trends cropping up over the past few years relating to photography and one of these trends is “Drown the Gown”.

Photography by stimages.com.au

Drown the Gown (or Trash the Dress or Rock the Frock as some have also labelled it) is the process in which you literally trash your wedding dress! It may not sound very fun or cost effective, but hear me out! Generally the day after the wedding day (or week or after you’ve returned from you’re honeymoon), you get dressed up again in your wedding gown and wear it whilst in the ocean, lake, creek or swimming pool! Brides generally get the same hair and make-up done as what was worn on the wedding day, also. It’s a great photography alternative for couples looking for something a little different and unique to the traditional images usually captured on the wedding day.

Photography by http://www.cavanaghphotography.com/

Drown the Gown may not be for everybody. But, here are some tips and options for those who are considering in “taking the plunge”!

1) Some brides may not care about the money or the dress and have no issues with completely trashing their wedding dress, regardless of how much they have spent on their dress. If this is you, you go girl!

2) You may opt to buying a cheaper dress (or a second-hand dress for your wedding. When it then comes to drowning the gown, if it happens to get completely wrecked, it’s not going to be a complete loss for the brides on a budget.

3) Buying a second dress purely for the drowning is also another option. A similar (or maybe a completely different dress!) can be used purely for the shoot and it will not matter if it’s unsalvageable afterwards.

Engagement Shoot "Drown the Gown" by http://www.cavanaghphotography.com

4) For the budgeting bride, choosing to do your own hair and makeup for the second shoot can cut the costs so that you’re not paying for two sittings. Doing the “drowning” shoot on the same day as your wedding day may also cut costs with your photographer, but you may need to consider different attire for your reception!

5) A partial drown the gown is also an option for those a little weary of wrecking their bridal gowns. You could always just dip the bottom edges of your dress into a lake or creek, making it easier to clean and less likely to get rips or tears.

6) If you simply cannot bear the thought of jumping in water with your bridal gown on, another option is to do your engagement shoot in water! That way, you can use any kind of flowing maxi dress or outfit of your choice and your wedding gown won’t see a glimpse of moisture!

Photography by www.williamsphotography.co.nz

7) The most important thing is to have fun! If you decide to do it, do it with pride and enjoy the experience. Sure, some people at the coastline may think you’re a little crazy, but you’ll be doing something unique, different and you’ll have the photographic evidence to prove it!

Trash the dress is a great alternative to conventional wedding photography and will surely be an exciting story to tell others in years to come!

Photography by http://www.stimages.com.au/site/

Mexico Wedding : Photo Dean Sanderson deansandersonweddings.com

What’s been your favourite or most interesting wedding ceremony so far?

Antigua Wedding : Photo by Jose Pablo Martinez www.jpmfoto.com

Its so difficult to choose as they are all so great for so many different reasons! Some are interesting because of the people, some the location and of course the cultures and traditions. We loved our First Nations ceremony in Canada because of the special people that arranged it and the connection we made with the family that held the ceremony for us. It was beautiful, unique and a real step forward with regards to the relationships held between the First Nations community and the ‘white man’. Our favourite locations so far have been Hawaii and Antigua Guatemala and they were both wonderful ceremonies, both steeped in legend and tradition that has been passed down for hundreds of years.

Have any cultural wedding traditions resonated with you that you didn’t expect?

Cultural traditions at Embera Wedding

Most definitely. We take something from each ceremony, be it a gesture, words or a token, every wedding has something unique. In Belize we were tied together in a ribbon during the ceremony. In Seattle we gave each other a flower that in the future will symbolise our love when placed on the others pillow in times when words just aren’t enough. In Antigua we lit candles of different colours to wish for things to help us through married life, health, prosperity, family and more. In the Embera ceremony it was the warmth and openness to our commitment of love to each other. Even though the tribe do not celebrate marriage themselves they welcomed us with open arms and celebrated our happiness. All of the ceremonies are so touching and when they are so different to anything you have experienced before they are so inspiring. The cultural weddings are incredibly spiritual and most of them include sending offerings to the Gods of the Earth in return for a blessing.

Many of the countries you’ve been to have really strong connections to family. What’s it been like having ceremonies in these countries without your own family?

Its been so hard not having our family physically with us but that is the beauty of having the blog, they get to share in our adventure from the comfort of their arm chairs! They are our biggest fans and love to read our crazy stories. Also on this amazing adventure we are creating another family of friends all over the world. We have people we will call ‘family’ for the rest of our lives in Canada, LA, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia and we are so, so lucky to have met them all.

Embera Wedding

What’s been the response from people when you explain what you are doing?

I always let Alex do the explaining as he says I talk too fast and people don’t have the chance to absorb what I am saying! He always has to explain twice, and slowly but it is always met with excitement and a lot of questions! We normally wait until we are sat with a glass of wine before we attempt to explain but everyone is always blown away by the idea, most people want to help us out and everyone asks if they can come to a wedding!

Be honest, is the novelty wearing off?! Are you as excited / nervous about every wedding as you were on the first one?

Nanaimo Beach Wedding

You may be pessimistic when we say that we are as nervous every single time! We get sweaty palms, shaky hands and I talk even faster than usual. Alex gets a cute glazed nervous look and we fumble about getting ready. It is still a really big thing, you would think it would get easier but we are still making the same big commitment as we were the first time, we still mean it as much as we did, if not more, and we are still standing up in front of a crowd confessing our undying love for each other, it’s still as blooming nerve wracking! I don’t believe the novelty will ever wear off, the love certainly wont!

How’s peggy doing?

Peggy is a super star! She is affectionately named after my 93 year old Nanna who is also my hero! She is named so as she looks after us so well, she is a tough cookie and just carries on regardless through whatever is thrown at her. My Nanna still goes to keep fit and to Age concern to look after the old dears! Peggy (the van) has been the best thing to happen to us on this trip. We intended only to drive her across Canada but she is now a part of the family and we hope to drive her all the way across the World to Australia…and yes, we realise there is a bit of water on route but she made it across the Darian Gap on a ferry so I’m sure she will happily sail all the way to Australia!

Seattle Wedding : Photo by Jonas Seaman www.jonas-seaman.com

Seattle Wedding : Photo by Jonas Seaman www.jonas-seaman.com

Most people find planning ONE wedding difficult. How have you made this all happen?!

We really couldn’t make this journey happen without all of the help and support that we receive. The generosity of everyone we have met on this trip has been breath taking, awe inspiring and downright AMAZING. We have people contacting us asking when we will be in their country and how they can help us plan our next wedding, it is these wonderful people offering help to complete strangers that give us the faith that we can keep going all the way around the world spreading not only our own love but also the love we feel from everyone we meet.

Antigua Wedding : Photo by Jose Pablo Martinez www.jpmfoto.com

Julia Bach www.juliabachphotography.com

Antigua Wedding : Photo by Jose Pablo Martinez www.jpmfoto.com

Antigua Wedding : Photo by Jose Pablo Martinez www.jpmfoto.com

To Invite or Not to Invite

OK, so you’re writing your invite list, wondering if you’ll invite your great Uncle Fez. You recall he hit on your fiancé at the engagement party so maybe scratch him off. Next on the list is your neighbour, Deidre. Nice old chook, but you suspect she thinks you are roomies, not bed buddies. She thinks lesbian is French for “finger licking good” and when you tried to tell her you are gay, she smiled and said “Well it’s a refreshing change from all the long faces you see these days. We should all be as gay as you, my dear”. Scratch.

So far, so good with you and your partner are agreeing on most of the guest list. Until…”Should we invite my ex?” Then the room goes cold…

The Ex Factors Speak

I asked a diverse group of readers, gay, straight, married, de facto and divorced about their thoughts. I was surprised at times by the responses, particularly when I had anticipated an out and out “Hell no!” Here is what some of our readers said:

Melanie says it’s all about whether the couples agree. She says she wouldn’t invite her ex-husband unless her current partner agreed. Her ex has not been in the picture for years, however, so that’s one less bonbonniere to count. Anita expresses a similar view, adding: “So long as it is truly just a platonic relationship now, and the ex is truly happy for you”. Better make sure that’s the case, as we all know what happens after a few Lambrusco’s. That stuff is like truth serum.

Lola says it is about both partners agreeing. “You both need to agree on what song you’ll walk down the aisle to, you wouldn’t choose a song you didn’t both agree on, so you should only invite the ex if you both agree to that too”.

Friendships Tested

Thanks for the feedback ladies. I will leave you with the sentiments of Maria and Laura, who had a small commitment ceremony a couple of years ago, and are both on good terms with their ex-factors.

“The emotions which invariably come up during an occasion like this would test the best of ‘friendships’. Plus it’s about YOU not them.”

Let’s face it; we all want to avoid a Friends style vow malfunction on what will unavoidably be an already emotional day. It should be memorable for the right reasons so work it out before this happens:

“I take you Rachel…I mean, EMILY!”

Should have just invited Uncle Fez…

So, over to you; to invite or not to invite? Tell us what you think!

I had my wedding last year and I wanted to try something completely different and unique for my invitations. I wanted to wow my guests and give them something out of the ordinary. So I came up with a new way of doing puzzle invitations and after all the interest and positive feedback I had, I decided to start my own business to offer other couples the same service and called it Piece by Piece Invitations (which the name will soon explain itself).

I want you to imagine sending your invitations in the shape of a puzzle piece. Each invitation shows a different part of your chosen mystery photo on the front and all the printed information your guests will need on the back.

Each complete puzzle is 118 x 84 cm and comes in 48, 54 or 64 postcard sized pieces. Your guests have no idea what the complete photo is and only told to bring their invitation piece with them on the day.  And don’t worry we have thought of everything, including providing you with 2 copies  of the puzzle so you always have a full set.  We also give each guest a magnet clip, so they can clip the invitation to their fridge so they don’t forget.

Each piece of your puzzle seamlessly interlocks with the next, leaving your guests revelling in the surprise of seeing your complete photo come together, Piece by Piece.

We chose to have a photo of where we first met (in front of a tram stop). But you can choose anything, including, where you first met, where you went on your first date, a holiday photo, where you proposed and anything else that scream ‘you’. Whatever you choose, your guests will love the surprise and know that they have helped in completing your day by completing your truly unique puzzle invitation.

If this hasn’t convinced you yet there are also extra added benefits of a puzzle invitation, such as being a great time filler while you are off having photos, a perfect way for everyone to mingle and a good talking point (or even great for the kids to do, if invited). It is also something you can keep forever that will be an amazing photo of you both and instantly bring you memories.

Creating your puzzle invitation is simple (much simpler than what I went through). You can either jump online and add all the parts of the invitation (photo, guestlist and text) or email  our premium service where we will create your invitations for you.

You only have a wedding once, so why not make it different and something that is uniquely you from the very start with your invitations.

Article contributed by Kirsty at Piece by Piece

Kelly-Louise & Les Seussed their wedding. If you don’t know what that might involve read on! This wedding is full of fun ideas & once you read the story of how they met you’ll see why this theme was made for them.

How did the Dr Seuss theme come about for your wedding?

We met online, and my username was Amayzing Mayzie – the character I played in a Dr Seuss Musical. As we got chatting I discovered Les, who was in sales, had a tiny copy of The Fox in Sox in his sales folder, that he read  everyday before he went out in the field. We wanted our wedding to be super personal and different, to stand out, so the theme was a natural progression from there!

Dr Seuss Wedding Vows:

The ceremony was written by us, as well as the brides Mother, Jackie Warner, who is a Celebrant based in Ballan. We had Dr Seuss rhyming vows, a reading from Dr Seuss’ Oh! The PLaces You’ll Go, and Jackie did a hand fasting ceremony for us.  We had live music through the ceremony, From the brides Uncle, Geoff Warner, and Bridesmaid Cat Murphy. As a surprise, at the end of the ceremony we had a flashmob. Half of our guests were muscians or musical theatre performers, so we organised them to sing Love Changes Everything as a surprise to our other guests! It was a lot of fun!

The Vows went a little something like this:

Celebrant: Will you answer me right now

These questions, as your wedding vow?

LM and KJW: Yes, I will answer you right now

Your questions as my solemn vow

KJW: Provided our guests don’t have a cow.

CELEBRANT: Will you love him if he’s rich?

Will you love her in a ditch?

From today until the end of time

Even if his words don’t rhyme?

LM: I will love her if she’s rich

KJW: And I will love him in a ditch

LM: And I will even love her when she’s being a b…eautiful princess.

CELEBRANT: Will you love him for richer, for poorer

Will you love her for quiet or snorer

From today until the cows come home

And never stop writing goofy poems?

KJW: I will love him if he’s poor

LM: I will love her if she snores

KJW: And I will love him when he’s a bore.

CELEBRANT: Will you love with all your heart?

Will you love till death do you part?

Will you have and forever hold

Each others’ hearts ‘till the stars grow cold?

LM and KJW: I will love her/him forever a thousand fold

‘Till death do us part and our blood grow cold

LM: Or until our brains grow mold.

CELEBRANT: Will you love through good and bad?

Will you love in times happy and sad?

LM and KJW: I will love her/him through good and bad

And in times happy and sad

KJW: Cause he’s the best friend I ever had.

CELEBRANT: Will you take him as your mate?

Will you have her as your date?

From this day on and ever more

No matter what your life may have in store?

LM and KJW: I will have her/him as my mate

Starting on this our wedding date.

KJW: May as well, as it’s our fate.

CELEBRANT: If you’ll be wed through and through,

Please answer with the words:

LM and KJW: I do!

Dr Seuss Cake

We had a 3 tier, 3d Dr Seuss Cake custom made by Leoni from Happy Cakes. The cake was the real centrepiece of the reception. The tiers were flavoured Raspberry White Chocolate, Vanilla Malt and Peppermint Chocolate Mud cake.

 
Dr Seuss Bouquet & Button Holes

The bouquets and buttonholes were custom designed and made by Nic’s Button Buds in Melbourne. They were made of black, white, red and custom printed buttons, with satin and feather collars. If you look closely Dr Seuss even made an appearance here on some of the buttons!

Sending the wedding out into the world

My father was very ill with terminal cancer at the time of the wedding, and was not well enough to fly. He would not let me change anything, but I was so upset that he couldn’t be there with me. But my friend Peter Jepson at the Award Winning Townsville Wedding Videos came to the rescue. He not only filmed the wedding beautifully, but he also did a live webcast of the wedding! My Dad and all of his friends had their own wedding party, complete with Cake and presents, and watched the wedding at home. The wedding was also watched by friends and family all around Australia, as well as my Brother in Canada, and friends in Ireland, Kenya, The UK and Israel!

The Reception

A cocktail reception was held at The Townsville Motor Boat and Yacht Club on the main deck. Entertainment was provided by Bindi and The Sneekers, the band the Bride performed with. We also had a photobooth that kept our guests laughing all night! The booth printed two sets of each photostrip, so the guests got to keep the first one, and they stuck the second one in our quest book with hand written messages! We still laugh when we look through the book!!!

Photography by Adam Sperring from Perfect Picture Designs

Same sex wedding bands

While we’re all still in the fight for equal rights regarding same sex marriage, read on below Queensland couples if you want to know what your options are right now.Civil Unions In Queensland

On 23 February 2012, the Civil Partnerships Act (Qld) 2011 came into effect in Queensland and couples can register their unions from this date. There are three ways of doing this:

(1)    Hold a declaration ceremony at the Registry in Brisbane – basically like a Registry office wedding – short, official, cut and dried

(2)    Register your civil union without a ceremony, using Form 15 (available from the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages website

(3)    Hold a civil ceremony with a celebrant at a place of your choosing with a ceremony you have created with your celebrant and also register your civil union (using the Form 15).

Couples do not have to go through the Registry office for a ceremony in order to register their union. You fill out a form and supply the necessary identification in order to register. Registering your union is free of charge but you may like to obtain a certificate afterwards as evidence of your union. The Registry charges $37 for this. If you would prefer a unique, individual ceremony written especially for you to celebrate your love, you can choose a celebrant to perform a commitment ceremony. You do not have to participate in a Registry ceremony ($355 for a Saturday ceremony). A celebrant may charge a little extra  to cover travel and time in preparing your ceremony but what you get is a personal unique ceremony written especially for you (not a 5 minute official ceremony) in a place of your choosing (beach, park, at home, at a venue…). It is easy to register your union afterwards yourselves and your celebrant can also help you to do this.

Contributed by Marlee Bruinsma, Heart2heart Ceremonies and Civil Unions

Just like you don’t have to follow all or any of the traditions, you also don’t have to get caught up in trying to do everything yourself to make it unique. Here’s why…

We’ve been thinking about all the emphasis, not only on details, but on those details being DIY. You get kudos for doing things yourself right? You also get a sense of satisfaction. But like everything, it’s only worth the effort if it comes naturally. Because then, that effort is effortless & joyful. So here’s a few thoughts…

Somethings are worth paying for

DIY is for those who love making/doing stuff & who have time to put into making/doing said stuff.

If you don’t fit BOTH of these categories, don’t try and DIY your wedding. Using a professional – the right type of professional for you – can still give you an awesomely unique wedding day if you’ve got the vision and they GET your vision. Just remember not all of us are event planners and the lead up to the day can potentially be a little nutso. You might find yourself grateful for every phone call from your hired help letting you know their end of the bargain is all taken care of.

DIY & the budget factor

If you’re on a budget and need to make the most of the dosh saving measures of DIY, but don’t have much time, then delegate your ideas to creative friends and family. Using the talents of those around you frees you up to get onto other things and creates a great way to involve others in your day, making those parts feel a little more special.

DIY doesn’t always end up being cheaper either. Those bits & bobs, sparkles & jars, papers & prints start adding up…  Think things through and make sure what you’re trying to achieve isn’t going to cost more in the long run.

And remember, you can DIY one thing on your wedding day without having to try and DIY EVERYTHING!

So for those of you feeling the pressure to jump on the DIY wedding train but lack time, inspiration, skills or all of the above, stop, take a breath and remember all you need to do yourself is love. 

Flowers by Ivy Berry http://www.ivyberry.com.au/

When planning your wedding, even going for a more casual wedding, it can seem like there are about a million things to organise. Bridal bouquets are one of the details of a wedding which I simply cannot overlook – especially when there’s so much inspiration for more unique & colourful alternative bouquet options. But where and why did the bouquet originate from?

In ancient times, it is said that brides would often carry a fragrant bunch of garlic, herbs and spices in order to ward of evil spirits. Couples of ancient Greek and Roman times would often wear a garland around their neck to symbolise new life, hope and fertility. As times continued, flowers started to be introduced, but many were included/excluded based on the language of flowers. Many flowers have different meanings and this was the reason many brides in the past didn’t use geraniums’ (symbolising “stupidity”), yellow hyacinths’ (“jealousy”) or dead leaves (“sadness”… But not that you would use them anyway…right?). Today, many people choose to select a bouquet based on favourite flowers, colours, textures and sometimes, complete alternatives to the flower tradition.

Bouquet by http://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanSiesta

Flowers by Ivy Berry http://www.ivyberry.com.au

Flowers are stunning. They can add a real burst of colour and can also (depending on the flowers you choose) add a lovely fragrance as well. If you’re looking to go with a traditional bouquet, many choose the flowers based on colour, sizing and, of course, availability. Roses have always been a staple, romance flower that come in a few different colours to suit your dress, theme and wedding party. The best part about using flowers for your bouquet is that you can choose as many or as little varieties to be included in your bouquet to suit your preference and budget. Although they won’t last a lifetime, they are certainly a timeless and classic approach to your bouquet choice.

Button Bouquet by Nic's Button Buds http://www.mybuttonbouquet.com/

A trend that I have seen popping up across the web are button bouquets. They range from the inexpensive and cute, right through to the dazzling and glamorous. Brides can choose to make their own or get one custom made. The brilliance with using a button bouquet is the fact that it can be a great alternative for brides with allergies, those who are having a wedding overseas (and want to have a bouquet that will last the flight!) and they can also make a beautiful family heirloom to pass onto the next generation to use in their own wedding. There is literally no stopping the amount of personalisation involved with a button bouquet, as many other elements can be added, like lace, charms and ribbons.

Bouquet by http://www.etsy.com/shop/contrastandform

There are many different materials that can be used for a bouquet. Paper bouquets are also a stunning option, with many types of papers being utilised in order to create a more personal bouquet (think music sheets, wrapping paper or even film scripts). With added buttons or charms, a paper bouquet can certainly make for some extra conversation at the reception. Crocheted wedding bouquets are also a great idea which can also incorporate matching pieces for grooms and grooms men.

Bouquet by http://www.lillybuds.com/

Let’s not forget the corsage. Traditionally pinned on to high school dates for formals, in the 80′s they were attached to a wristband so as to save clumsy dates from stabbing you with pins. They have since gained popularity within weddings, mainly with bridesmaids, but why stop there? A bride could certainly have an extravagant corsage attached to her wrist in order to free her hands during the wedding. These can be quite large or small and simple, depending on the look you’re going for.

All in all, there are so many options when choosing your bouquet. If you want a traditional floral bouquet, this is always a wonderful options. If you’re looking for something a little different though, browsing through craft stores can even give you some ideas to create your own bouquet. Make your bouquet as individual as you and have fun in the process!

Bracelet corsage by http://www.etsy.com/shop/Hexotica

Got ideas or inspiration to share? Or just seen something totally cool at a recent wedding? Tell us about it! We love hearing from you…