Floral dresses for your wedding attendants are perfect for an outdoor, country chic wedding. Here are a few photos I’ve recently discovered:

Vintage floral pattern bridesmaid dresses. Source: Katy Elliott

Floral flower girls dresses. Love the shoes! Source: Tine Hoffman

Floral bridesmaid dresses perfect for a summer wedding! Source: Ruffled Blog

Thinking of a DIY photo booth? Beware: bum photos are quite possible. Check out this National Post story on DIY photo booths. (Don’t forget to check out my article on the classic photo booth too.)

Photo: Critsey Rowe

I wrote about long tables a while back. They are perfect for intimate weddings! Well, it seems they are one hot trend. Lately I’ve come across some pretty stunning photos of long tables that I thought I would share with you.

Photo: Carla Ten Eyck via Belle The Magazine

Photo: Brea McDonald via Belle The Magazine

Photo: Look and Taste

Photo: Uncommon Events

Photo: Jose Villa, via Belle The Magazine

Photo: Amity Mason via Project Wedding

I was recently interviewed by Toronto’s North of the City Magazine about the trend for 2010 towards smaller weddings in an article called Weddings: Good things, small packages.

What are some other 2010 wedding trends?

Here are a few articles worth checking out with lots of interesting info on what’s hot for 2010:

Want to see what’s hot in colours? Check out this article from antibride.com

Want The Knot’s take on trendy for 2010? Read these predictions.

Can’t get enough wedding trends? Check out this piece by WeddingWindow.com

And don’t forget to check out this trend article from Cincinnati.com

Are you a country gal at heart? Why not have a cowboy wedding – complete with cowboy boots!

The first time I saw cowboy boots on a bride was when I caught sight of Angelia and Kevin’s real wedding. Pretty soon I was seein’ em on other brides.

Here are some shots of cowboy boot-clad brides and bridesmaids. And don’t forget to check out these farm venues to host your cowboy wedding!

Photo One: Angelina & Kevin’s Real Wedding; Photo Two: Make Moments; Photo Three: Steven Myers; Photo Four: Life Candids; Photo Five: Once Wed; Photo Six: Photography by Monique; Photo Seven: Real Photography; Photo Eight: Tying the Knot

To say adieu to yet another year, I thought it would be fun to reflect on some of this year’s wedding trends.

In 2009, we saw:

Birds. Lots of birds.

Peacocks, even.

And moustaches.

Candy. Yum.

Converse-All Stars.

Argyle socks and men pulling up their pantlegs to show them off in photos.

We heard the clickety click of typewriters used as guest books.

And Scrabble tiles reborn.

 We re-visited our childhood at carvival weddings, 

ate french fries

and ice cream.

We embraced country chic with mason jars,

wheat,

haybales,

clothespins,

bicycle rides,

and  animals.

Handwriting was hot,

so was fruit,

carnations,

cupcakes,

and  trash the dress.

It was a year full of DIY,

dreamy, retro-inspired photos,

and second hand.

How many of these trends will stick around in 2010? What new trends are lurking on the horizon? Can’t wait to see another year unfold!

Photo One: Santa Barbara Wedding Chic; Photo Two: StyleatHome.com; Photo Three: AutumnWard.com Photo Four: Del Sol Photography

I find trends fascinating. Oftentimes they defy logic. Take fake moustaches at weddings. They’re were hugely popular in 2009. Why? And who would have predicted that? Then there’s the striped sock phenomenon. And Converse All-Stars. And typewriters. And clotheslines. And mason jars. And birds.

I’ve been spotting another trend recently: train tracks. They’re all over the place. Not that that’s a bad thing. I happen to love trains. They really are a metaphor for life’s journey. And honestly, if you ever feel down about the human race, drive on over to the nearest train station and park your rear end down on a bench. You will witness the most profound emotions on this earth: love and longing. I bet you’ll have to stifle a few tear drops as you watch people reunite with loved ones, and say farewell to others. And then there’s the haunting whoosh of the train fading away.

I think it is the symbolism of train tracks that makes them a great backdrop for wedding photos. But there’s also something aesthetically beautiful about them. The symmetry. The way they wind through the landscape. And the fact that there is something timeless about them.

Here are a few of my favourite railroad track shots:

Caution: Do not attempt this after cocktails. Photo: 6:8 Photography

Photo: Clayton Austin via WedShare Daily

Photo: Snorri Gunnarson

Look out you two… there’s a train coming down the pike! Photo: Steller Photography

Love that kilt mister! Photo: KD Photography

Elegant. Photo: Unique Images Photography

I go to yard sales. I go to rummage sales and flea markets. I go to second hand stores. I see dishes. Beautiful antique dishes – going for a song. But I don’t buy them because I don’t own a China cabinet and my cupboards are already busting at the seams. But someone could do wonderful things with these lovely old dishes. Like rent them out for vintage weddings.

Maybe I don’t get out enough, but until a couple of days ago I had never heard of such a thing as a vintage crockery rental business. Judging by the number of vintage crockery rental businesses online, it looks like it’s a hot little trend in the U.K. Are there similar businesses here in North America? If so, I’d love to hear about them. If not, what are you waiting for ladies? What a fun and creative business idea!

U.K’s My Vintage Party, for instance, hires out vintage crockery, linens and accessories for vintage weddings and afternoon tea parties. Each piece is priced individually. London’s The Crockery Cupboard and The English Tea Party also offer a similar service.

But My Vintage Party offers something unique to go along with the crockery rental; a vintage caravan!

Continue reading Vintage Crockery For Hire? Vintage Weddings and Afternoon Tea Parties

I’ve never physically met anyone else who collects sea glass (other than my two kids and my husband and a few brief encounters with strangers on the beach.) Sure, I’ve connected online with dozens of other sea glass collectors, but I’ve yet to have a face to face conversation with another sea glass collector. In fact, many people in these parts barely know what sea glass is.

Them: “What are your plans this weekend?”

Me: “I’m going to the North American Sea Glass Festival in Erie, PA.”

Them: “Sea glass?”

Me: “Ya, sea glass. You know. Glass you find on a beach.”

Them: “Oh. Okay. Ya. Glass you find on a beach.”

Me: “But it’s not sharp. It’s been smoothed by the sand and waves and the good stuff is decades old.”

Them: Blank look. Eyes slightly glazed over.

Usually the conversation ends there or changes to another topic.

But things were a bit different this weekend: I was in the company of thousands of sea glass collectors at the North American Sea Glass Festival in Erie, PA.

As one sea glasser put it: “It looks like sea glass is the new buzz word.”

Four years ago, the first North American Sea Glass Festival attracted 1,000 people. This year 6,000 + came through the doors. I think this is only the beginning of the sea glass phenomenon.

An entire industry of jewelers and artisans has blossomed around the sea glass movement. And consumers are loving it. I couldn’t even get near many of the sea glass jewelry booths at the festival because of the crowds.

My passion for sea glass grows stronger each day. What does this have to do with weddings?

Sea glass makes some damn fine jewelry. Stay tuned for posts featuring some of the fabulous artisans who are using sea glass to create affordable and one of a kind wedding jewelry.

(I shot the video above at the North American Sea Glass Festival. Okay, so it’s not award winning footage, but it will give you an idea on how very crazy-busy it was!)

I am a writer, so naturally I love typewriters. Yes, I am grateful for word processing (I rely heavily on ‘delete’), but I can’t help but be nostalgic for the past.

I like the idea of using the typewriter as a guest book for weddings. Typewriters are so photogenic – plus it’s a walk down memory lane for some of your older guests. The wedding + typewriter trend seems to be still alive and well.

BTW, Craigslist and Kijiji are both great sources for vintage typewriters.

Here are some of my fave shots:

Photo: Stephanie Williams Photography

Photo: Sakura Photography

Photo: Q Weddings via Wedspace

Photo: Martha Stewart  via Bridal Survival.com