Boston

Wow your guests with some fresh, new wedding ideas!

This was a pretty big week. Obama made huge moves in the world of immigration reform. Snow; enough said. Oh, and some chick named SOLANGE got married. Did you see the photos?? I mean, that wedding was genius from start to finish. Rolling up on vintage bicycles? Multiple bridal jumpsuits? A parade? I’m telling you, Solange made me rethink ALL of my wedding choices.

Check out People.com for a bunch more photos from Solange’s whimsical, wonderful wedding day!!

Seriously, though, we can all learn a thing or two about throwing an unconventional wedding from Bey’s little sis. Solange’s big day was certainly far from the norm, but when you look at her photos the overall feel is still a classy, chic wedding. If you want to follow in her footsteps and pop some fresh, new concepts into your big day, check out some of our favorite unconventional ideas below:

• Bye, bye, boring place cards – Sure, the classic calligraphy cards are an option that never goes out of style, but why not set the tone for your fab reception with something a little more unique! Going for a party vibe? How about engraved martini glasses in place of cards. Throwing a formal bash? Try reception escorts. Instead of cards, have your ceremony ushers stay on duty to seat guests at the reception as well! Have a ton of DIY time on your hands? Check out this utterly amazing silhouette seating chart; we’re obsessed!

Swoon! LOVE this! Fab photo courtesy of Bryan Aulick Photography.

• Rad response cards – OK, we know no one says rad anymore, but we were going for an alliteration thing there 😉 What we’re trying to say is, use your response cards to your advantage! A friend of mine asked guests to list a favorite song on their response cards, so they got a built in playlist as the responses rolled in; genius! Or, have your guests list their drink of choice. See if there’s a theme and then you can limit what you offer and maybe even save a little money. Get creative here, brides!
• Photo booth 2.0 – Photo booths are a no brainer. They are always a good time and are great for a laugh after the big day! Why not take it one step further, though, with a video booth and have your guests record a message for you! How amazing would it be to have a permanent record of your closest friends and family’s well wishes; wish I had thought of that! A tip: take the camera away after maybe 9:00 PM. A few drinks in and this might turn into a “Real World” style confessional that you weren’t anticipating 😉

We certainly wouldn’t mind having this stunning video booth at our wedding! Thanks to weddingsbysocialites.blogspot.com for the image!

There are TONS of ways you can add a little unconventional magic to your big day, so do some research and see what speaks to you! You should probably stick to just channeling Solange on your wedding day, though, and not on your average say, elevator ride 😉

Don’t just survive wedding planning…thrive!

Lately, I’ve come to realize that planning a wedding is alot like buying a house. Maybe I made that correlation because I just bought a house myself, but stay with me, you’ll see where I’m going here. In theory, buying a house seems great, and for the most part, it is. But then you get inside this house that you’ve worked so hard for and it suddenly seems like more work than fun. Raking leaves, fixing plumbing and caulking various cracks; when do I just get to go to Home Goods and buy pretty stuff that I don’t need??

It’s the same with wedding planning. You’re so excited to be engaged and can’t wait to start planning, but then you get there and just feel…lost. There are way more decisions to make that you realized and all of them seem daunting. Sure, dress shopping is fun (like how we picked dress shopping…we’re not biased or anything), but budgeting, cutting your guest list and doing the seating chart? Not so much. If you’re one of the many brides out there feeling a little overwhelmed, have no fear. The kind, knowledgeable and amazing staff at Whim Events are here to help! They are hosting “Wedding Planning 101”, a workshop to help couples survive and thrive that lovely time period between the proposal and the big day. Learn how to plan your budget, make a timeline that actually seems doable and get expert advice on your wedding style, vendors and more! All that AND the chance to win a free planning consultation or design concept board? Sign us up! Plus, there will be tasty food and beverages, so it’s pretty much a win-win! Click here to register today, spots will book up quickly! The staff at Whim Events are truly amazing; they are smart, funny and great at what they do. We love working with them and learning from them, and we know you will too!

Bridal Market 2014: All of the trends to look out for in 2015!

So a few weeks ago, Flair had a really grueling working weekend. Get this; we had to go to New York, see all of the new bridal collections and chat with tons of designers. What a CHORE 😉 Obviously, we’re kidding. Bridal market is the BEST weekend of the year! We loved seeing what new styles and trends will be popping up for the 2015 season, and we REALLY loved getting to catch up with all of our beloved designers. They are truly the best! The only annoying part of bridal market is that we get to see all of these new dresses but we can’t get them into the store for a few months. It’s so hard to wait; we’re dying to show you all of these fab, new styles! While we wait, we’re happy to atleast give you a little teaser of some of the trends we caught on the wedding runways, and tell you how you can get them at Flair right now!

• Deep V tops – Brides these days are bolder than ever before, and a plunging neckline is the perfect way to show off that boldness! Plus, a deep v is super flattering and elongating, especially for our more petite brides out there. This style isn’t for everyone, though. Brides with a bigger bust line should probably avoid this cut. If you want to take the plunge but are concerned about showing too much skin, try a dress that is covered in other ways, like our Tara Keeley style 2450!

The stunning sleeves on this style add some gorgeous coverage!

• The new age of crystals – Sorry, Spencer Pratt, we’re not talking about your healing crystals, we’re talking about BLING! Crystals, beads and jewels are being worn in a whole new way! While a beaded belt is always a safe bet, look for more and more designers to incorporate bling in unique, new ways. Exhibit A: Check out our stunning Hayley Paige River gown, with optional beaded bolero. That’s not a necklace, girls, it’s actually a beaded top that clips right into top of the dress. SO cool!

This dress has all of the bases covered; the fit and fabric is classic but that beaded top is the definition of modern!

• Low backs with detail – While we still love a nice, clean, open back, we’re really loving that designers are starting to add some detail to their open back designs. This is perfect for brides who love the look but aren’t sure they want to bare that much skin. You can try the look at Flair right now with this Nicole Miller design. Beading and embroidery make this open back one of a kind!

Just imagine this stunner coming down the aisle…swoon!

We’ll keep you posted as all of the new 2015 styles start to trickle in, but in the meantime come in and see these beauties and more! See you soon!