Wedding Fashion Photos

So many beautiful spring wedding gown collections are being unveiled! I love the run way shows! I’ll post some this week for you but because it’s a Monday, this is not all about the fabulous side of bridal fashion. See, I have one major pet peeve with wedding gown advertising, particularly in magazines. The model's posture! I have such a hard time looking at some ads without thinking the models are in pain, they hate the gown or they have scoliosis or maybe even early osteoporosis. Oh so you’ve seen them too? Yes, those!


Let’s look at this for a minute:

And this is not even the most atrocious example out there. Cropping it actually made the whole thing look better.To protect the innocent and/or the guilty, I’m not going to list this gown by name or designer but if you’re interested, I’ll be glad to supply you with the link! It’s actually a lovely gown. It’s a shame that it gets portrayed as difficult to wear. 

Draw your eye to the red arrow highlighting the accentuated curve of her back and angle of her shoulders. Does that look natural? I have yet to see a bride intentionally or accidentally pose like this at her wedding for even a millisecond. So why is this pose so popular in advertising?  What story is being told here? To me these types of photos are screaming “get me the heck out of this gown”.

Do we blame the photographer …the model …the designer? They have a mutual vested interest in the ad photo looking fabulous. I think they are equally guilty of getting caught in a whirlwind and following what others photographers and advertisers are doing to showcase their gowns. That’s unfortunate! But it gives people like me a good laugh at how utterly uncomfortable the model looks. I’m curious about the statistics of how many gowns are sold when featured in a way making the dress look excruciating to wear vs. gowns that were featured on a comfortable and relaxed looking model.

Wait, I almost forgot the blue arrow. Notice the model’s opposite shoulder is symmetrical? But where is her other arm? It’s bad enough we have this poor girl stuck in a dress that hunches her back but her arm has to be chopped out out too? Smooth their skin, make them look more or less shapely – but removing a whole arm is above and beyond the call of editing duty don’t you think? Seriously!




So what do you think? Does this style make you think of true haute couture or a hot mess?

Don't Invite Trouble

Feature Article
by Tracey Baxter



Have you checked out the Internet for inspirational wedding décor? Of course! There are great websites chock full of fun ideas. So who wouldn’t spend hours searching for inspiration and help? Many of the fabulous inspiration sites have an “Ask Us” section where you also can find all the answers for your biggest wedding etiquette questions. But beware – etiquette doesn’t change with the times and trends like the wedding décor ideas that you have found.





Let’s talk invitations! Invitations should be hand addressed for both the outer and inner envelop. So many websites will tell you that it’s OK to print labels or print the invitations. It’s not. It’s really not!! The first impression your guests will have of your wedding is based on the invitation. A printed label screams that you care so little about your guests attending that you can’t spend the time to write their address on the invitation. Ouch! Surely that is not the message you want to send with your jazzy invitation.






Do you have to get a calligrapher? No! Anyone with legible handwriting will do just fine. In fact, my brides often enlist a group of friends for an invitation addressing party. Sometimes its bridesmaids and sometimes other friends who want to help in any way they can. And this wedding planner I know (wink) usually shows up with wine, cheese and other treats! 5 girlfriends + 20 envelopes each = the work is completed fast and fun is had by all. But wait, you say? You’re concerned your half dozen friends all have different handwriting? That’s OK. It doesn’t have to be the same handwriting. It just has to be done with handwriting. Your guests are not going to call each other to compare envelopes. Trust me on this – you want the invitations hand written!






What about the guest? You know the guest - the one you don’t actually know … the one coming with your 3rd cousin twice removed. Oh yeah, that guest. Is it proper to address them ‘and guest’ on the invitation? Let's be honest. It looks awkward because it is. The best thing you can do is call your cousin and ask their guest’s name and address so they can be properly invited. This gesture conveys that not only do you want this cousin to attend; you want their guest to feel truly invited and welcome at your wedding too. The rare times an ‘and guest’ would be necessary, this would not be included on the outer envelope. Rather, you would address the inner envelop Ms. Jane Doe and Guest. If you are not using an inner envelope, including a personal hand written note indicating that they are welcome to bring a guest and request they let you know with the RSVP. Then enclose this note with the invitation.






Etiquette may seem like a lot of extra work. But it’s well worth the effort. The time you take to do these important details will be appreciated by your guests. They will also be freer to enjoy the other special wedding day décor details you have created because they know you didn’t take etiquette short cuts. You only have this one chance to make the best first impression on your guests.




Your Wedding Planning Homework!


Practice your handwriting! Set the date for the invitation addressing party! Invite bridesmaids, friends from the office who want to help or your mom and future mother in law. It's a great way to get make a seemingly big task more manageable and fun!






Want to use this article in your e-Zine, blog or website? You may as long as you include this complete statement:


Wedding Solutions Specialist Tracey Baxter publishes the "Aisle Do" bi-weekly e-zine. Get your Free Report: "5 Fun and Fabulous Reception Ideas for a Reluctant DIY Bride” at www.aisledoweddings.com

Surprise the Bride

Do you love creative engagements and surprise dances or skits at weddings too??!  Me too!! Actually, I just love all kinds of surprises but I pay too much attention to everything so it's pretty impressive if someone surprises me.

This choreographed toast is so much fun!  It continued to be surprising even after it got going.  My husband would have scored major points if he pulled this off at our wedding! 

Visit the Bridal Showcase!

Have you recently got engaged and need to start planning your wedding? 

Planning to get engaged over the holidays?

Do you still have a few vendors to find for you spring wedding?

Aisle Do can help!

Appearing at The Bridal Showcase

Sunday January 23, 2011

12pm-5pm

Charlotte Convention Center

Special promotions will be offered at the show!

Announcements coming soon!

Hope to see you there!

Who's Ready for Some Cake?

Feature Article

by Tracey Baxter




Ahhhh -the wedding cake! Few wedding elements are as anticipated! Even those who won’t eat any will still marvel at it! So of course you’re going to look at photos and pick a super design and taste the finest cakes in town right? But do you need to spend a fortune on a cake? No. Here are some ways to make sure you get the most bang for your frosted sugarlicious buck:



Know who is cutting your cake! Of course I am aware that by the time it’s to be cut, you’ll have already paid for your cake, but you don’t want that money wasted. Cake slices are typically 1 inch wide by 2.5 inches long. Bakers will use that as the guide when planning the tier sizes and number of tiers needed. If the person cutting the cake varies greatly from that standard slice, some of your guests may not receive a slice of cake. In effect you just increased your cost per slice. So proper cake cutting is a must! If you don’t have an event-day coordinator, just be sure your caterer does not pass the cake cutting off to an untrained intern! Unfortunately, I have seen this happen at all wedding price points and have had to offer 'on the job training' and have even taken the reins myself when I was just supposed to be a guest!






Don’t plan for extra slices so guests can have seconds.  Bakeries charge “by the slice” so definitely use an accurate guest count when you tell them how many guests you’ll serve. Few guests want a second piece of cake and fewer will be bold enough to ask. In fact, some don’t eat cake at all; especially if they have been provided a full meal at the reception. Nor should you think about giving a bigger slice for all guests. Properly cut, a standard 1 x 2.5 inch cake slice is a generous portion at 5 inches tall.






No cake will taste good after a year in the freezer. Not even a cake from the best bakery and covered with industrial foil wrapping will taste good after 12 months in a freezer! So instead of saving it for your anniversary, plan to cut and serve that top tier. 6 inch round cakes serve 12 guests. At $4 per slice or more, you’ve just saved at least $48! A larger top tier would be even bigger savings. To celebrate your anniversary with your wedding cake, order a small cake in the same flavors from your baker in a year. If your baker offers a free top tier, ask if you can have a certificate to be redeemed for a fresh anniversary cake instead. Trust me; you’ll want a fresh anniversary cake in a year!




Fondant is smooth and elegant but always additional per slice. Not to mention it's a rare baker that makes fondant yummy. Most bakers offer butter crème frosting with piped butter crème decoration in their base per slice fee. A professional wedding cake decorator actually can create a smooth butter crème frosting that is almost as flawless as fondant. I know this because I can do it and I’m not even a cake pro! So just ask to see photos of their butter crème covered wedding cakes specifically. That way so you can compare their work to the other decorators’ frosting smoothing capabilities. You’ll probably be surprised at how smooth butter crème really is!





Brides often ask, “What about sheet cakes in the kitchen and a dummy cake just for pictures?” Well, I didn’t want to go here but… there is a reason these things are called ‘dummy cakes’! Dummy cakes are not free. “Dummy” cake forms are made of Styrofoam and still must be decorated. Styrofoam forms are not cheap so to the cake form price, add the decoration costs, the decorator’s time plus the real sheet cakes you still have to purchase; added up dummy cake is not a money saving option. Oh yeah… and then what do you do with the dummy cake? Put it on your mantle? Toss it in the trash? Nope, not such a wise investment after all. I guess if you are enterprising, you could rent it to others. Which leads me to – can you rent a dummy cake? Yes. They are usually around $150 to rent. That’s One Hundred Fifty Dollars…. to rent….a cake…. that isn’t real … that you have to return … because it will be rented to others again. ...just like it was rented to others before it was yours. Yuck. Yes, I’ve seen them cheaper. Yes, they look cheaper too.






Your Wedding Planning Homework!


It's time to taste some cake! Cake tastings in most bakeries are free. Take advantage and schedule one ...or two ...today! Bring pictures but until you've tasted their cake, don't show them. They'll always tell you " Yes, of course we can do that lovely design". The question you need to aske yourself is - do you like the taste of their cake enough that you actually want them to?














Want to use this article in your e-Zine, blog or website? You may as long as you include this complete statement:


Wedding Solutions Specialist Tracey Baxter publishes the "Aisle Do" bi-weekly e-zine. Get your Free Report: "5 Fun and Fabulous Reception Ideas for a Reluctant DIY Bride” at www.aisledoweddings.com 

Whimsical Wednesday!

What could be better than wedding cake bling?  Chocolate wedding cake bling of course!  Check out this simple wedding cake design that's made simply spectacular with the addition of Bedazzle My Bonbons. 







The twin packs make great favors for your guests, top your wedding attendants gift with a box of 6 or 8, garnish a cocktail with a single bonbon, or use them in your candy or dessert buffet.

There are so many ways you can add some dazzle to your event with these sparkle-luscious goodies!!

Orders can be any mixture of the 24 colors and 6 flavors available.  Yes, you read that right, you can mix colors and flavors- at no extra charge.  That is a pretty sweet deal!  But even sweeter than that, if you provide a swatch, the chocolatiers at Bedazzle My Bonbons  will create the custom special color you need for your event - complimentary! 

Now that's the kind of real service we like at Aisle Do and we look forward to incorporating these into an event soon! 

Technical Tuesday... Wedding Colors

What colors are you using for your wedding decor? How did you choose them?



There are lots of 'rules' to follow or to break depending on your bent for drama ;) ... and of course some colors will blend well and others...well, not so much! ("Oh yeah, you blend"...Mona Lisa Vito played by Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny, circa 1992)





Naturally you want your wedding colors to be unique. But it's understandable that you can't add a degree in design to the wedding budget. So how can you be sure that your personalized color scheme isn't a personalized hot mess?


Here are a few great tools. No DIY bride should be without these! Visit Kuler and Color Scheme Designer for shades, monochromatic, and more!




Oh, and did I mention it's free to use these tools? That's right! Aren't free tools great!? No excuses! You can create a spectacular color palette for your wedding that is not a carbon copy of all that you find online!