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Planning Thoughts For the Newly Engaged

The holiday season is the most popular for engagements and if that rock all of a sudden appears on your finger, chances are good you have already been planning and dreaming about your wedding day and the magic it will bring.

Much goes into the planning, first is usually determining the budget. Typically – but not always – the first things secured are the date and venue.  This will begin to set the tone for your day!

After that… comes the dress! We love helping brides find their perfect dress match! It’s so fun to talk about their ideas – theme, colors, and what special touches they want. The real question we want answered to guide them to the perfect dress, however, is:  What’s the vibe?

Some articulate it to us perfectly. I can see the bride envisioning it as she tells me and she smiles, looks off as she describes it – it’s so cool!  I can watch her as she sees her day come to life.

Sometimes, however, it may not be that easy.  Sometimes, just behind her meticulously curated wedding Pinterest boards, we find a very stressed bride who can’t keep her arms around it.

Too many voices offering their “friendly advice” and pulling her away from her original ideas.

Perhaps you should consider hiring a planner.

In my experience, brides with planners are far less stressed and find  many great additions, money savers, and perks that brides never would find on their own.

Also, your planner does what YOU want. Your planner doesn’t care what so-and-so thinks would be better.  She cares about what you want and stays on track with your vision and suggestions to next-level it.

Another thing we find with brides who do not use planners is that for some reason, many brides feel the need to visit every venue, even when it doesn’t fit with their vision and/or budget. Why?

Sometimes it’s the excitement of being in the initial planning stage and wanting to see everything or getting ideas on a theme.  It makes no sense when you already have an idea of the type of wedding you want. Visiting every venue simply starts the planning off with way too much unnecessary information, and expended unnecessary energy.

Brides do it with dresses, too. There are some brides that must visit every store they’ve ever heard of, trying on literally hundreds dresses, most of which hold no interest to them at all. By the end, their entourage is tired, the stylists can’t guide her anymore because she is trying dresses on that do not match anything she’s asked for, and it becomes an unproductive day with no dress selected.

Going to see venues – or trying on dresses – for fun is not the way to plan your wedding. It causes confusion by muddying up your original intentions and that is when the stress really begins… and you have many months to go.

For more clarity, we connected with wedding and event planner Brianne Elaine, owner of Oh The Details, Darling in Bucks County.  She has seen this many times and knows that too much information will lead the bride to an overwhelming amount of confusion. Planners know the best venues for what you want, the best vendors to work with, and the best for your budget, too.  Brianne summed it up well here:

Hiring a planner is not the first thought a bride has. Many think budget, then venue, and then let the planning begin. The bride and/or groom hit the ground running, flowing with ideas, possible vendors, and a vision with many moving parts. Many times, there are more parts than they realize and find they no longer have time to manage everything, let alone be the point person for the day of the wedding. Additionally, there are often too many people involved trying to be helpful but aren’t.  This is where a Planner becomes your best friend,” says Brianne.  “We have done this before with different venues and vendors and we are familiar with the demand of many moving parts and the extra opinions.”

“We thrive in multi-tasking and love seeing nothing more than your vision – with you right in the middle of it dancing with your love – surrounded by friends and family. This is why you hire a planner, so your wedding day can come to life the way you envisioned it, and enjoy every minute without wearing a watch.”

Brianne has some really good advice even if you do not hire a planner:

Create a budget that is within your financial comfort zone and create your timeline.

Do not stress yourself out with expectations and venues that do not fit the style or budget. Narrow down your search prior to scheduling visits. (Many mistakes that couples make is seeing too many venues and then losing the date or month of choice.)

Your friend doesn’t have all the answers because she was recently married. This day is yours fully to make all of your own decisions. Which color linen, which floral design, which bridesmaid dress and color you want is up to you.

Wedding planning can be a lot, but if you stick to what you like then you will never be disappointed. 

Brianne Elaine can be found on her website at https://www.ohthedetailsdarling.com/ or on Instagram @ohthedetailsdarling.

Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo has bridal and tuxedo stylists who are skilled at tapping into your vision and helping you pull that look together perfectly. Make your appointment now! It’s a great time to be engaged – Spring 2020 dresses arriving daily AND just wait until you see the new tuxedo additions!

 

 

What Do Bridal Store Owners Wear to Black Tie Galas?

Franco and I are so fortunate to own Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo, because a family business is something we always wanted.  We are also fortunate to be invited to many black tie galas and formal affairs because of this business.

It’s usually easy for us to choose our formal wear attire, however I think it’s easier for Franco. I would say that, right?  He has 56 tuxedos from which to choose – our entire inventory is open to him and they are all so gorgeous he can’t go wrong.  Plus with all the color accessories he can switch it up to any theme.  He’s worn so many and all have looked incredibly sharp!

I absolutely love the ivory tuxedo jacket with black shawl lapel with black pants.  Love love love this look!

He’s worn the navy tuxedo (amazing with his blue eyes), cranberry tuxedo (perfect for the holidays), and the checkered tuxedo (ultra class).  He looks so handsome in the charcoal grey with a peak lapel and a fun bow tie with patching floral pocket square:

There is nothing as gorgeous as when he does classic black tuxedo with a black bow tie.  He wore my new favorite on November 9th, called Chandler by Ike Behar (below).  It is a gorgeous black tuxedo with satin shawl lapel.  Here is a model in the tux and below is my guy in the same tux but wearing a black “teardrop” bowtie, white flower lapel pin, and black onyx studs and cufflinks:

We both found that we prefer the Ike Behar collection to any other name. The fit and quality is superior, even to the Michael Kors tuxedos. Yep, I said it. I love how it looks, Franco appreciates the look as well as the feel of it.

For shoes, I’m a fan of the black wing tip, too. Since he doesn’t care what shoe, he wears the black wing tip (wink wink).

For me, of course I find it more difficult. I’m not “young” but I’m not “old” – I’m in that basic mother of bride age group and we all say that.  If you’re in your 20s-30s, you think of 50 as being ancient but believe me, once you get here you realize you’re not ancient. So many women my age are working out in the gym, pilates, yoga, running, lifting, etc., and feeling great, but there are still some styles that are inappropriate for mothers. I get that.

I have an advantage of basically an enormous inventory of dresses.  While I really love most of our dresses, it doesn’t mean I would wear all of them.  Some are definitely for “Mothers” in that they look very much like they belong at a wedding, not as a “guest of” or a “black tie” event. We have tons of prom dresses that are gorgeous but they are for prom goers, not someone’s mom.

In the past, I have worn Tony Bowls, Jovani, and Jonathan Kayne. I have also worn Bill Levkoff twice (yes, bridesmaid!) in black lace sequin that was super pretty and a high neck black chiffon that were absolutely perfect for the events.

Sometimes I feel guilty about buying new dresses – especially when Franco just rents – so I have also worn dresses in my closet from years ago.  I have not rented a dress. I am a fan of buying more classic style dresses so they don’t go out of style and as long as they still fit I’m good to go!

For our most recent event, I chose this exact dress from the Christina Wu Celebrations collection:

My dress was like a disco ball!  Aside from the sequins being very scratchy under my arms, it was just perfect! This is how we turned out:

With the holiday season just a blink away, maybe we will have a few more opportunities to get all fancy. If you need help putting something special together, give us a call!

Our bridesmaid and special occasion off the rack dresses are all marked down and we are offering a $50 discount on all our full tux packages! Call or text us at 215-491-8500! Happy Holidays!