Category Archives: wedding

Wedding: Bringing back Sleeves

As I look around for the prefect type of dress for my sister and friends to wear as my ‘bridesmaids’ for the vow renewal this August I cannot help but think about the curse of strapless dresses. My dress and the bridesmaids dresses were all strapless. My dress fortunately had been custom made and fitted so that it was snug tightly against my body. However it was a common sight to see one of my bridesmaids yanking her dress up as the day went on. There is also the issue of posture. I was wearing a full length corset which made it impossible to bed at the waist, but perfect for standing nice and tall. Depending on what angle a photographer uses, how your posture is at the moment, and what you are doing with your arms can either make or break a wedding photo when wearing a strapless gown. I really loved my dress and so far I am planning on taking it out of its perserved box to wear again this August.

My Maid of Honour, my Bridesmaid, and my husband’s ‘Groomsmaid’ helping me button up my gown.

Then the Royal Wedding happened in 2011 and brides were finally seeing another option for what to wear on their big day. There are many venues like the Westminster Abbey where a strapless gown is just not appropriate. As my mum commented below not every bride looks amazing in a strapless dress. Should you not have more options for looking the best you can be on that perfect day? To which I answered with an agreeing laugh to the meme below.

So I am brought back to the question of what to wear for my vow renewal. I have my gown that I only got to wear for a few hours that was custom made and to which I still very much love. However it is my Vow Renewal for 10 years of marriage. I have been toying with the idea of updating it. I have always loved Gwen Stefani since junior high school and her wedding dress with the ombre pink accent was beautiful. I thought about replicating that with my dress until I realised it would lessen the chances of my own daughter (when I have one) wearing it for her big day. The sash on my dress flows as long as the train and is currently the same shade of duchess satin as the rest of the gown. I pondered about maybe just dying the sash as an easy ‘update’. However again I’m so nervous to do anything that could have the possibility of going wrong. So lets pull this back to the whole conversation of bringing back sleeves. I was not a huge fan of lace ten years ago but now I honestly really love it. So I’ve been looking at coverups to use with my dress that can essentially give me two different looks for photographs.

Source: Justin Alexander

I could always just get some tulle and do something like the photo above. However, my number one choice is the off the shoulder shirt/jacket type coverup. I have seen ones I could wear under the dress and ones that go over the dress. My only fear is making sure the shade of the lace matches perfectly with the shade of white of my gown. I originally wore sleeveless gloves on my wedding day that I look at now and kinda cringe. I still love the gloves but the shades of white just do not mesh as well as I remember them doing back in 2003.

Source: Little Black Book featuring Tana Photography

Source: AlexBridal

My second choice is the lace bolero jacket that looks similar to what the Duchess wore above. I love the look. However I really like the more off the shoulder to the more conservative coverup.

Source: Pinterest

I am also really into anything bohemian and have seen a few capes that are beautiful. I would never have thought to even look for a cape, but you can always have your opinion changed with the right piece of styling.

Source: IHEARTBRIDE

Where does that leave me now? Currently I have been looking at what I own now and what I can find in thrift stores to see if I can do a DIY piece to add a bit of ‘something old’ to our vow renewal. I have not yet found anything that works so keep your eye out for me. I love ideas!

Bonnie Rose

Wedding: My Mum on my Wedding Day

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These are some of my favourite candid shots taken of my mum on my wedding day by our photographer, Angela Alexander. I had previous spoken with Angela about how I did want some colour photographs but that I really loved the look of black and white. Now looking back at my wedding photographs of almost ten years past I still have to agree. Theres a way the black and white film just freezes the moment. Of course you cannot tell that my mum is currently sporting the ‘Sharon Osborne’ bright red violet hair (that coincidentally matched my wedding colours quite well) but the cinematic feel holds you into the frame.

I planned most of the wedding all by myself with the approval of my now husband. We found a lot of ways to get things that I really wanted in a more affordable DIY fashion like the flowers as mentioned last week. Then there are all the special details that my mum did which made the day complete.

Veil: I told my mum that I wanted a drop veil style with a train, similar to Princess Grace Kelly. Instead of just buying one she made one for me and it got perserved with my wedding gown after the wedding.

Crown: I have always been a little obsessed with the royal family in England since I was old enough to know that I had English citizenship. I used to have pictures of a young prince William and his mum on my vanity as a small girl. My mum found me a replica of Lady Diana’s crown to wear on my wedding and it definitely made me feel like a princess.

Jewelry: Both my necklace and my earrings came from my mum. I am quite picky when it comes to jewelry and yet she picked out the perfect pieces to fit not only my current style but my gown and the crown.

Garter: My mum and I have both made wedding garters as gifts for our friends when they get married. It only seemed natural that she would make my garter. She included special charms to fit the theme and my name (middle name Rose) and I keep it safe now with my other wedding momentos.

Flowers: The night before my wedding my mum orchestrated the ‘flower making’ with my bridal party to put together our DIY bouquets from the roses I ordered. She personally made my bouquet which I just adored.

Flower Girls: I had little fairy girls for our wedding and my mum made them the cutest fairy flower girl dresses included with wings. She also had the idea of them holding huge flowers that were big as the little girls that carried them. Overall it was a perfect look.

As I plan my Vow Renewal for August I really appreciate all the little and big things my mum contributed to the original wedding and hope you enjoyed looking through these with me too.

Q: What are some details of your wedding that were special for you?

x
Bonnie Rose

Wedding: Fresh Flowers or DIY Paper Flowers?

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When I got married in 2003 my colour were a dark wine red and white. I poured over wedding magazines to find the type of flowers I wanted to compliment that theme. I looked at vendors and then I got the quote from the florist. My heart just sunk. What I really wanted in the way of flowers would put me far out of budget. However what I could afford was far from my personal taste. The bouquets I was shown had a lot of fillers, a lot of greenery and babysbreath. Ten years ago I was not a fan of the latter and I didn’t like the way the green fillers in the bouquets took away from my colour scheme. Really how expensive could flowers be? I did my research and I found company who would sell me 200 wholesale bulk roses for only $200. I chose 100 black magic roses (the dark red ones in my bouquet below) and 100 white roses. I was so excited because this was far cheaper than anything the florist showed me and it was exactly what I wanted. The flowers came a few days before the wedding and we followed the simple directions to get them ready. The night before my mum helped the bridesmaids make the bouquets and she also put together the boutonnieres.

My 50 stem bouquet with Black Magic roses.

So now that we are renewing our vows I am looking at flower options again. Since we are already married and this is our renewal, I do not have the same budget I had back in 2003. It is a much smaller and more intimate affair and we will be traveling to Wales to our holiday rental for the event. So far I have yet to find a florist near to the area that would be able to help me out. I have also been looking at ordering flowers online again. However smaller budget for flowers and not really liking anything I am finding online. Lucikly this time around we have the ever so popular Pinterest website. As you can see below I have a board dedicated to ‘I Do Again – Flowers’ and these would be my most recent pins.

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/bonnierose_/

With August still months way I have set anything in stone. However I have held on to one idea for the last two months that still seems like a lovely and viable option. Paper flowers. Paper is cheaper than fresh flowers so it fits my budget. There is the technical side that is involved in the decision to use paper flowers. Just how likely will it be that I can replicate any of the paper bouquets right now is up in the air. I also have been saving a ton of egg cartons because since we mostly eat Paleo we go through eggs very quickly. I saw how you can make flowers out of the empty cartons and that is another idea I am keeping in mind. Next to my egg cartoons I am also keeping every wine bottle and all the jars from our honey, coconut oil, olives, peanut butter, etc. So far I have quite a collection. It looks like if making my own flowers from recycled goods works I will have plenty to also use on tables and for decorations.

Here is just a sample of what I have saved so far from the recycling that we usually put outside for collection.

My question today is: have you ever made flowers from paper and recycled goods, past the age of 10? What do you think about doing a eco friendly bouquet by repurposing materials from around the house? Did you find neat ways to save money for the flowers in your wedding?

Wedding: Destination Vow Renewal

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Sixteen weeks, which is essentially four months, to go until

we renew our vows for our 10th Wedding Anniversary.

Guess what? We will not be staying here in Bath, England as planned.

I had originally envisioned taking photos in the beautiful Sommerset countryside

and an intimate reception in our back garden with Solsbury hill as our view.

While that would have been just perfect for us,

my husband wanted to do something a little bit more.

It is now a destination vow renewal and we are taking this fete to Wales!

Snowdonia, Wales. The name alone sounds like a mystical location in a fairytale story.

It is a region in northern Wales, a national park, and gets its name from Mt. Snowdon.

Not only is the area beautiful beyond words it is also tied into the Arthurian legend.

The area is bustling with outdoor activities like cycling, climbing,

horse riding, golfing, canyoning, caving, water sports.

There are the historical sites, railways, food, shopping, and events.

bridge and river by photoeverywhere.co.uk

I must find out where this bridge is or if there are more like it near where we will be staying.
As a photographer my mind is racing with ideas for wedding and family photos.

I really want to go see Portmeirion, pictured below, during our time in Wales.

It is a unique coastal resort in Snowdonia that really could be a fairytale.

The colours of the landscape alone really make the colour buildings come alive.

It is no wonder so many brides choose Portmeirion as their wedding destination.

I have one dream to add to this new location and that is to ride horses there.

Also envisioning being photographed in my gown with a horse.

That would be perfection.

As of last week we booked our holiday rental where family and friends will join us for a week.
I now am pouring over images and links of things to see and do in the area.
I know this will be one trip that will have to be followed up with return visits.
There is just so much to see and do and Snowdonia is quite a big area to cover.
My family is very outdoorsy and we do a lot of walking and enjoy outdoor activities.
I am hoping for as much sunshine as Wales will allow this blushing bride 2.0

Q: Have you ever been to Wales? Or do you have any ideas for our Vow Renewal?

* Self portrait by Bonnie Rose Photography © 2012 All Rights Reserved | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk
** For more information regarding photographic services by Bonnie Rose Photography see link above.
*** Snowdonia images by photoeverywhere.co.uk

Wedding: 17 Weeks to go

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Yesterday my husband and I had been married for nine years and eight months. We now have four months left until our 10 year wedding anniversary. That is 17 weeks and two days. This past October I had my husband and I take couple photos (In the rain no less. Thank you England) with our camera on a timer. That does not seem so long ago, which makes me realize just how little time we have left to plan. I had been holding off starting with the invitations because I wanted to make my own hand written with calligraphy However we really had a small window of time to let friends know so they can RSVP and I was not going to have all my supplies in time. I let go of that notion and finally came up with a Eco-Friendly wedding website. There are a lot of options out there for builders and I could have built it myself. In the end I decided to go with Wix.com so I could move on to the next stages of planning.

Stationary: Opted for an Eco-friendly Wedding website in lieu of paper invitations.

Pinterest. I have been pinning things to a ‘Vow Renewal’ board probably since I created my account. Once we crossed the one year left mark I started getting a little more serious with my planning and pinning of ideas. I had wanted to do a huge 3-0 birthday last year and when that fell through a lot of my ideas started bleeding over into the Vow Renewal board. Next I took my OCD and and broke one Vow Renewal board into twelve different ‘I Do Again’ boards for the following categories: Inspiration, Accessories, Attendants, Cakes, Ceremony, Flowers, Hair, Gowns, Invites & Stationary, Menu, Photography, and Reception. You can check out Bonnie Rose’s Pinterest to view specific pins and other boards. I wish I had pinterest back in 2002 – 2003 when we were planning our wedding. I still have my huge white binder with many specific dividers and filled with anything needed for my wedding planning. It became a scrapbook of sorts and it is kinda fun to look through now, ten years later.

Planning: I wish I had Pinterest back in 2003 when I planned our wedding! I have 12 ‘I Do Again’ boards for ideas.

Every Wednesday I will touch on more of our planning and updates for our 10th Anniversary Vow renewal. Is anyone else planning a wedding for 2013? If you are already married would you renew your vows?

**Website capture from the Wix.com website for the free website builder
***I do not claim to own any photos displayed from the Pinterest boards.

Wedding: My Custom Gown

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Upstairs above my wardrobe is a box with my perserved

wedding gown, veil and gloves from my wedding day in 2003.

As August slowly approaches in the horizon I get more curious about opening that box.

I feel like a little girl awaiting Christmas and knowing what she hopes to open that morning.

I really want wear the gown again for our vow renewal ceremony.

I have an idea of updating it.

But more on that later.

I originally had another gown for my wedding.

One that I had picked out with a couple of my bridesmaids.

We had traveled to a bridal shop that boasted

‘the largest bridal gown selection in the Mid-South’.

It was my first time to try on gowns and I fell in love with one.

It was pretty and I felt so pretty in it.

However weeks later I was looking through a bridal magazine

and fell in love with a Amsale couture.

Unfortunately it cost as much as my wedding.

My dad asked me if I wanted the wedding or the gown.

I really wanted the gown.

It was perfect.

Love at first sight.

(because you can experience that with a gown)

So I found a seamstress in town and brought pictures of the gown.

I picked out the fabric I wanted and she took my measurements.

The dress that originally was priced at $2700

I had made for my body for only $600

Best decision ever.

The other dress is still in my closet in a garment bag.

I’ll be honest I take it out and try it on every so often.

I like to pretend I’m a princess.

Nothing much has changed from

when I was a little girl growing up in England

with a photos of Prince William on my dressing table.

My mum found my tiara for me, a replica of Princess Diana’s.

When the original shoes I wanted for my dress were out of stock

I went for the extreme opposite with lots of bling.

I had long fingerless gloves and two different veils.

Long one for the ceremony and a shorter for the reception.

The jewelry my mum gave to me as a gift.

I changed into a custom tailored white suit for my ‘going away’ outfit

as my new husband and I drove off into the sunset.

Photography: Angela Alexander Photography

*photography by Angela Alexander Photography of Little Rock, AR.

Wedding: ‘Eco Friendly Invites?’

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I recently found one of our ‘test’ invitations for the pocket folds we made for our original wedding.

In 134 days my husband and I will have been married for ten years.

How a whole decade can pass so quickly is beyond me.

To make it 10 years after everything that has happened

when so many we know did not.

It is our reason to celebrate and to start the next decade anew.

We will be celebrating our ten year anniversary by renewing our vows

and reaffirming our love with family and friends.

We sent out our ‘Save the Date’ announcement electronically,

thanks to the aid of social networking.

With our date four months away the ‘to do’

of sending out invitations has been looming over my head.

I adore a handwritten note and want to

put together something equally personal.

I have been waiting for the right time to tackle the task,

but with moving to a new town

things such as these get put on the back burner.

With family and friends scattered across the globe

and the knowledge that most will be unable to be here in person

I have been thinking about maybe just doing a Wedding website.

It obviously loses the personal touch I crave,

but caters to the eco-friendly and without a cost.

The invitations ideas I love and have saved on Pinterest

would not be all together inexpensive to say the least.

So while I still teeter between the two ideas and try to come up with different DIY alternatives,
I would love to ask your opinion.

Q: Do you think it is ok to replace the invitation in certain situations?

Or do you think it comes across the wrong way?