Falling in love with a Fall Wedding

If cooler temps, cozy scarves and pumpkin spice everything, your language? If so, hopefully you are planning a fall wedding! Today on the blog we are giving you the ultimate fall wedding at The Wright House.

Color

Do a Google image search for "Fall Weddings" and you'll no doubt see tons of deep reds, oranges, and browns. Although this color palette mimics the changing of the leaves and provides natural warmth to any style of décor, don't feel like you are boxed in by the "fall foliage" feel!

Wanna get a bit more modern with your fall color palette? Consider using gold or copper for a bit of glitz and glam, deep plum and emerald green for elegance, or neutral shades like champagne, cream, and slate gray.

Sunset

Since the sun sets earlier in the fall, you will probably need to push forward all of your wedding events.

For instance, you may need to move your 5:30 PM ceremony to 4:30 PM instead, meaning your day will start earlier, as well as your reception. Check with your photographer on what would be the best time to do a quick "golden hour" session since that will also likely be earlier than usual.

Decor

There are plenty of great ways to embrace the season without your event feeling too 'theme-y.' Focus on incorporating thoughtful seasonal touches, like a warm apple pie dessert bar or a mulled apple cider signature cocktail, and incorporate the cozy feel throughout the day with a comfy lounge area complete with lush textured fabrics—like velvet or cashmere—and tons of romantic candlelight or lanterns.

Embrace the rustic trend—raw wood tables, ceramic dish ware, and bistro lights strung overhead can you give you the fall feel outside.

Arizona Octobers are the ideal time of the year to have an outdoor wedding. Not too hot and not too cold. With that in mind make sure you book a fall wedding early before all the dates fill up!

Happy Planning

XOXO

The Wedding Dress for Your Body

Mi Amore Photography

Every bride wants to look their absolute best on wedding day, and might turn to trimming or slimming down to feel perfect. However, today we are talking about loving your bod in your wedding dress now.

Our way involves no strenuous exercise, no dietary restrictions, all the cheese and chocolate you want and plenty of sitting on the couch streaming television or shopping online. Below you will find a list of tips to help you get some healthy self-love for your (already gorgeous) bod in your wedding dress.

Accentuate what you love

What features do you love about your body? Everyone has some of these. It might be your eyes or your smile, your healthy flowing hair, your dainty hands, voluptuous bosom, banging hips or smoking booty. You might have great shoulders, love the way your back looks, or have legs for days. You might love your feet.

If however, you are struggling with this, then get a close friend, or several of them, and recruit them for this task. Often we are overly critical of ourselves but our friends will be both honest and kind about telling us what our best features are.

After you decide on what you love the most, start the research and find out the best way to highlight these assets.

Wedding dresses are wonderful in many ways, and one of the best ones is they can be custom made exactly for you and can showcase the areas that you like.

Leave it to the Professionals

If you know that your best smile is more posed than natural, then ask your photographer to take shots that highlight not candid look. If there is anything you are self-conscious about, tell your photography so that they know to always get your good side.
Talk to a make-up artist and hairstylist about the best ways to play up your favorite features. What hairstyle or color will accentuate your face, what colors will make your eyes pop or maybe you leave your hair down to shape your face more. Leave it to the professional to help you really help you bring out those features you love.

Lisa Eley Photography

Be Flexible

Be flexible, you may have always had your heart set on a mermaid skirt gown, but when it comes to trying it on, it might really not suit your shape. That’s okay, because most women have never worn a dress quite like a wedding gown before, you may be surprised by what flatters you and what doesn’t. Often the dress that looks the least likely on the rack, will be the one that makes you happiest once it’s on.

Be open to trying on different things, and also to taking recommendations from your dressmaker.

Side of Inspiration

Customize

While you are accentuating the areas you like, consider ways to flatter (or hide) the bits you are more concerned about. If you don’t like your shoulders or upper arms, consider a jacket, shawl or cap sleeves, or cover areas with some lace. If you are self-conscious about your stomach, an empire line, A-frame or fit and flare shape skirt can be more flattering.

There is greater variety in dress designers than ever before, and you can use this to your advantage, don’t be scared to customize the dress.

“Catherine Jeter Photography”

Practice Self-Love

True acceptance of yourself and all your foibles might take a little longer than this blog post, but there are some wonderful truths you can tell yourself which will get you on the right track.
Instead of thinking of your body as something to look at, consider what it does every day. Think about how it has brought you through your whole life, and honor it for being strong and healthy, rather than thinking of it as an ornament.
Think of the women around you that you admire, such as your mother, sisters or friends. What is it exactly that you most admire about them? When you picture them, or anyone that you love, do you think of their individual body features? No, you just think of them with love and admiration. And on your wedding day, that is exactly how they will see you too.

Catherine Johnson Photography

 Choose a dress that plays to your strengths and weaknesses, and that fits in with your personal style. Remember, the only things a bride needs to be on wedding day is happy and in love.

XOXO

Wedding Traditions that Are Still Relevant

Karlie Colleen Photography

Today on the blog, we are sharing wedding traditions you should consider keeping on wedding day. Honestly, there are so many – and how on earth do you get the time to include everything that you ‘should’ be doing? And are you going to offend or upset anyone if you leave things out?

Some traditions we just seem to follow because it’s what people have always done, or what is expected of us. We might not question if these traditions have any relevance today. You certainly do not have to include all of them. Technically, it’s your wedding, and you don’t have to include any of them. However, below we choose out top wedding traditions we recommend

Being ‘ given away’

While the idea of being given away as property from your parents to your partner is a bit archaic, many couples keep a version of this because the feelings behind it are quite lovely.

Your father, or both your parents very often like walking you down the aisle, as a representation of everything they have done for you up to this point, and to indicate that they approve of your partner and support your future together. YEAH, we just shed a tear too.

Santan Cruz Media

Exchanging Rings

Did you know exchanging rings is not required legally? It comes from ancient times, but hundreds of years ago only the wife wore a ring, and it was to signify that she belonged to her husband, and he trusted her to look after his house and children.

Obviously, now we exchange rings with both partners. They are worn with great pride that we are married and belong to one another.  

Genevieve Hansen Photography

Genevieve Hansen Photography

Having a Wedding/Bridal Party

Bridesmaids and groomsmen, or simply wedding attendants, is one of those ones that just keeps seeming to stick around. In the modern wedding, of course, there are duties that attendants are supposed to carry out — but beyond helping to throw the bridal shower and/or bachelorette party, what's the story behind their popularity? 

In Ancient Roman, when people got married, a wedding needed 10 witnesses to be considered legally binding; this is thought to have been sort of a proto-wedding party. Furthermore, the bridesmaids all had to dress just like the bride in order to confuse vengeful spirit presences who might try to harm or sabotage the newlyweds. Nothing says "Congratulations!" like acting as a decoy for evil things attempting to possess your bestie on her wedding day.

This tradition is still very relevant today, for a few reasons:

• It honors our closest friends
• We will be nervous and need people up there with us
• We have a lot of stuff to remember and carry, so some extra hands really help

Lexy Popa Photography

Cutting the Cake

Traditionally it wasn’t a cake, but a loaf of bread, and it was broken over the bride’s head to wish her luck. Over time it became an ornate wedding cake instead, which the couples slice in front of their guests for good luck.  Some couples still keep to the tradition and smash it in each other’s faces.

We vote for keeping this tradition because there is cake. What other reason do we need, don’t we all love cake?

Ryan Lindsey Photography

Throwing the bouquet

Hundreds of years ago, brides were considered the pinnacle of “blessed”. It was considered very good luck to touch the bride – and even better luck to grab a piece of the bride, in the form of her wedding dress or veil.

To avoid a ruined dress and the stress of being physically grabbed at as they were trying to run off on their honeymoon, brides began throwing their bouquets to distract their guests and make them chase after the flowers, instead of her and her gown.

 This one is a bit more subjective. Many single women don’t like being dragged up to parade in front of everyone. However, some cultural traditions still use it, and some families and groups still love it and see it as great fun.

Kylee Patterson Photography

Kylee Patterson Photography

Remember, this is your wedding after all. Consider all of the traditions, and then keep the ones that mean something to you as a couple, or mean something to the people close to you.

The best advice we can always share, do what works best for you.

XOXO