We asked some local experts to predict the hottest trends in fashion, decor, music, and food for the new year.
Kate Middleton-inspired gowns, like this one by Heidi Elnora, will be hot in 2012. Photograph courtesy of Heidi Elnora
Color Schemes
This year, feature shades from the same color family rather than just choosing two distinct hues, says event planner Amber Karson of Amber Karson Events.
For au courant color, reach for Pantone’s shade of the year, Tangerine Tango, which has burst onto the scene with bold reddish-orange flair. Try adding splashes of vibrant pinks and blues to the mix, or temper the hue with pretty pastels.
Fashion
“Color is moving in and finding staying power,” says Miriam Liggett, owner of Soliloquy Bridal Couture in Herndon. More brides are choosing soft blush- or rose-colored gowns, or pairing white dresses with colorful shoes and bedazzled sashes.
If you loved Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, here’s some good news: Royal-wedding-inspired gowns with lace sleeves are all over salons. Designer Heidi Elnora’s delicate designs exude classic elegance.
If you want your dress to have a free-flowing, romantic quality, go for a shirred chiffon skirt. Portland designer Sarah Seven creates gowns fit for a goddess with her draped styles.
First-Dance Songs
The latest first-dance songs are neither Top 40 tunes nor old classics. “Couples seem to be putting a lot more thought into finding that one song that really speaks to them, as opposed to going with the old standbys, “ says Evan Reitmeyer of MyDeejay. Modern, quirky tracks like “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have made appearances on the dance floor. So have Daniel Lee Kendall’s “Lost in the Moment”—which gained traction from a recent television commercial—and the Avett Brothers’ “January Wedding.”
Food
Have a guest list full of foodies who love creative flavors? Try a variation on the standard cupcake. Brianna Alcorn of Windows Catering anticipates savory—not sweet—mini cupcakes becoming a popular cocktail-hour staple. Look for combinations like lobster and Manchego cheese with fresh chive crème icing.
Wedding Cake
For wedding cakes, try a mix of something old and something new. Go traditional on the cake’s design—think vintage piping and ornate textures—and nontraditional on the inside, says Lara Stuckey, owner of Fluffy Thoughts Cakes. Play with seasonal flavors: Fresh strawberry cake on a hot summer day has a nostalgic, Grandma’s-shortcake quality, while pumpkin cake with salted caramel frosting sets the perfect mood for fall.
Our Winter/Spring 2012 issue hits stands tomorrow—and we’ve got the scoop on all the gorgeousness inside!
On The Cover: This Doctor Zhivago-inspired reception room was created by Jodi Moraru of Evoke, and photographed by Kip Dawkins
At Washingtonian Bride & Groom, we always look forward to the day a new issue hits the newsstand. After so many months of dreaming, brainstorming, and tweaking (sounds a little like wedding planning!), it’s such a treat to release our creative baby into the wild and watch it flourish.
First up on my love list is “Calendar Girl,” the fantastic bridal gown story we shot over two long days in November. Although summer seems to be the most popular season for weddings, we know brides need a beautiful, memorable gown for every season. It’s called having options, people, and it was so much fun to think of creative ways to saunter down the aisle.
I’m also loving the “From Paris with Love” feature in this current issue. A few months ago, I hatched a plan. I’d call several of our area’s best wedding vendors and give them a project: to design a wedding reception table around an international city. In other words, give our readers an idea of what Paris, Moscow, Havana, or Beijing would “feel” like if a just-married couple took that busy metropolis as the inspiration for their reception. Super-planners Andre Wells, Pam Barefoot, Maria Cooke, Jodi Moraru, and their respective teams more than rose to the occasion on that shoot. Stunning all around!
And as always, this issue has real weddings, our now-famous list of Washingtonian Bride & Groom–approved wedding vendors, and much more. Let us know what you like about our magazine, your big day, and your new life as a married couple!
Reporting from New York, our Associate Bridal Editor Kim Forrest brings you her quick, straight-from-the-runway picks for the top trends from Bridal Market.
I’ve been in New York since Friday, checking out the newest wedding dresses at bridal market. So far, I’ve watched over 20 fashion shows, and seen approximately 400 brand-new wedding dresses (with many more to come today!). I just wanted to share a few trends that I’ve noticed over these past few days. Take note, because these dresses will be hitting Washington-area retailers in a few months!
Lace sleeves: Last season’s bridal market occurred just a few weeks before the royal wedding, so designers were playing “guess Kate’s dress” trying to figure out what the soon-to-be-princess would wear. Now that the royal wedding has come and gone, designers were able to do their own riffs on Kate’s Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress. Most brides don’t want to look like a carbon copy of Kate, so designers took the most prominent feature of her gown—the lace sleeves—and used them throughout their collections.
“Pippa dresses”: We all know that the real star of the royal wedding was Kate’s sister Pippa in her slinky Alexander McQueen gown. This season, designers played with that form-fitting, cowl-neck look. We particularly liked Badgley Mischka’s sparkly take.
Laser-cut fabrics: A few designers employed this technique—creating cutouts of lace-like patterns on delicate fabrics like organza and tulle. It creates almost an eyelet-like appearance, with a modern twist.
Feathers: We’ve seen gowns featuring skirts made of fabric petals, which give the appearance of feathers before, but this season we started seeing more designers use actual feathers on gown’s skirts. It’s definitely for a bride who likes a little (or a lot) of whimsy with her couture.
Yellow gold: Usually, when one thinks of beading or metallic embroidery on gowns, they think of silvery tones. This season, we saw many designers embellish their creations with golden accents, which has a very autumnal feel.
Blush bridesmaid dresses: Designers probably like pink because it’s super-feminine and flattering on many skin tones. And since we’ve seen so many Washington real weddings featuring pink, cherry blossom themes, we think these dresses are perfect for DC bridesmaids.
A team of talented Annapolis-area vendors stage a high-fashion photo shoot
A gown with architectural details and greenery in lieu of flowers contributes to a contemporary feel. All photographs by David Hartcorn Photography
We love a good backyard, vintage-inspired wedding as much as the next gal, but we’re starting to think that clean, ultramodern events are what’s next in wedding style here in the DC area (we’re thinking a toned-down version of Kim Kardashian’s black-and-white wedding, perhaps).
So obviously we were delighted to see this photo shoot styled by the unique and chic Julie Savage of Strawberry Milk Events (whose blog we’ve admired for a while), and shot by David Hartcorn Photography. Several other Annapolis vendors (listed below) also contributed their creativity and talents to these photos, which were shot at a private residence in Annapolis.
According to Savage, the shoot was inspired by the phrase: “Love is the most beautiful art form.” With a color scheme of black, white, and kelly green, the vendors created lots of inspiring details (the mini champagne bottle save-the-date, the black dinnerware, the graphic menu), that are totally wedding-worthy.
From nail polish to eyeliner, we got a sneak peek of the hottest wedding-friendly beauty products around.
New wedding-worthy beauty products for fall (including Kim Kardashian's lipstick!). Photographs (left to right) courtesy of Cartier, Lancome, and Kate Somerville
When it comes to bridal makeup, it typically pays to shoot for a timeless look rather than a ferociously trendy one. Otherwise that retro, Mad Men look you’re currently sporting might not look so hot 20 years down the line, when you’re going through your wedding album and cursing “creative” color palettes. Don’t believe us? Just ask Eighties Bride.
That said, there are ways to incorporate beauty trends into your wedding look, particularly when it comes to preparation. We got a preview of new fall products at Neiman Marcus last week, and picked some of our favorite items, trends, and tips for fashion-conscious fall brides.
We’re profiling our favorite local crafters who are selling wedding-related wares on Etsy. This week’s pick: an Olney invitation designer who creates a wide variety of wedding stationery.
Graphic designer Eden E. Denevan started creating wedding stationery for her own nuptials in May 2008. After she was laid off in 2009, she started her own corporate design firm and created her own Etsy shop, Eden Wedding Studio, to sell some wedding invitations on the side.
“My invitations really took off and while I still do some corporate graphic design, most of my business is now wedding-related,” Denevan says.
Her Etsy shop features a variety of wedding-related paper goods from invitations to bridal shower recipe cards to “guestbook alternative cards” (guests write well-wishes on the cards for the couple to view on their first anniversary).
Show your wedding guests your “how-we-met” story in a unique, art-directed way
By now we’re all familiar with engagement photo shoots, but we’re also loving the idea of pre-wedding videos, where couples can tell the story of how they met in a film documentary-style format. We particularly loved Ritu and Vic’s “Love Story” video by Suburban Video in Rockville.
