good shoes take you good places

 

Lets talk bridesmaids! Some if not most brides struggle when deciding what their bridesmaids will wear on the big day. Will they all wear the same thing, what color will they wear, long or short dresses… All of these questions come into play and it can become difficult to make everyone happy.

Now once you get the hardest part out of the way and have the dresses picked out, what about the shoes?? Will they wear heels or flats? Shoes come in so many different styles so we are here to help pick out the most perfect option for your girls!

Tips and Tricks:

-Keep price point under $200: Shoes are a statement but do not need to break the bank especially when they will probably come off in a couple hours when dancing comes in.
-Keep the height under 4″: You never want your bridesmaids struggling to get down the aisle. Let them be comfortable while still being stylish.
-Make sure they are comfortable: Again, comfort is everything. Wedding days are long and your girls will be in these shoes for at least 5 hours.
-Offer at least two options, not all shoes will work for all feet: Send your girls two options they can choose from. This will help your wide feet friends trust us!
-Stick with a neutral color that can be used again: Neutrals are always the safest way to go and it never hurts to be able to wear them again after the wedding.
-Give your ladies plenty of time to order in case they need to save up: If you choose a pricier option, be sure to allow your girls time to put money together. This will alleviate stress for everyone involved.
-Keep the style sleek, elegant, and formal and avoid a thick chunky or platform type heel. Although they may be more comfortable, they are not as formal to match with a formal dress that your ladies will be wearing: Trust us, we love a good chunky heel and know they are easier to walk, run, and dancing in, but a skinny heel is always more appealing with almost all different styled gowns.

Here are some of our favorites:

Trista’s go to:

Neutral and simple

Storm’s go to:

Sleek but glam

Kenedy’s go to:

Fun and strappy

Tia’s go to:

Flat but studded

Audrey’s go to:

A statement piece

Winter weddings are approaching,

which means you lovely ladies are getting ready for your big appearance at your bestie’s, cousin’s, or coworker’s super special day!! First big question…what to wear? We’ve got you covered. This blog is 100% dedicated to keeping you fab in those cooler climates. Check out the next paragraphs and inspiration images for what to and what not to wear to this grand occasion!

 

First things first, check the dress code!!

We cannot stress this enough. There may be specific colors the couple would prefer guests wear, and there may be a specific level of attire they are requiring for the evening. Nine times out of ten, the attire request for guests is: black tie. This means gowns for the ladies and tuxedos for the guys. We recommend getting your hair and make up done professionally and really stepping up the fanciness for this night. Remember to always avoid wearing any white or ivory, unless specifically asked to do so!

Black tie

Now assuming you are attending a black tie affair, you are going to want a floor length gown. We recommend one with a nice slit or low back, maybe even a plunging neckline. We also recommend you go for long sleeves or even follow the latest trends and get some high gloves…work of art for sure! Check out some of these super hot winter guest attire inspiration images.

TIP: You will want to pick a heavier, warmer fabric and might want to top this off with a chić faux fur shall or even a long trench coat that is left at the coat check desk (no coats in the ballroom for ladies). There are some designers who have jumped on the formal cape trend and have incorporated them into their evening attire gowns. We are huge fans of this idea!!

Don’t forget we are always available and accessible for any questions you might have when pulling these looks together xoxo

It is the perfect timing to give you all a Designer Spotlight in lieu of everything going on in the world.  Let’s take the time to step aside and take a look at a beautiful designer, who focus’s on the non-traditional, modern bride and hear about an interview that we had the privilege of doing.  Not only that, but we were able to capture a gorgeous Daci gown, the Leah Silk Chiffon, along with a gorgeous model, coincidentally named Leah as well.  Instantly, we were in love with the free flowing, not so traditional dress that we needed to learn more about the designer herself.

Before we get into our interview, check out some of the photos from our styled shoot:

 

Photo 1: By Myrtle Creative Co.

Photo 2, 3, 4, 5, 6: By Julia Romano Photography

 

Now, time for the interview!

How long have you been a Designer:

I have been doing this for 23 years!

How did you name your company? What does Daci represent?

My name is Daci. I was born and raised in Romania – Transylvania. Daciana is my full name; everyone calls me Daci.

Can you describe to us your absolute favorite gown (something different than the one we used) and a send a picture of it?

Every new dress becomes my new favorite 😂 I put all my heart in each of them.

Who is your ideal bride, meaning who do you design for?

I design for the non-traditional, modern bride.  I love detail, texture, color, flow and movement. You won’t see 2 dresses alike. I work with each bride individually and love to spark their creativity and give them all options possible to create their one of a kind dream dress. The brides that come see me find value in high quality laces and silks.

What is the price range for your gowns?

Bridal line starts at $2,900. Custom dresses start at $3,500. This year I introduced a new collection where the top is not sewn to the skirt. At the fitting the brides have the opportunity to try on different tops and bottoms, to help them visualize their dream dress better. Then the final dress is one piece.

Where are you based out of?

We are located in Boise, Idaho but half of the brides come from out of state. Some come to Boise for the fitting, otherwise we do FaceTime appointments and “in home” fittings where I ship the requested favorite dress.

What is to come next for Daci Gowns?

Late spring 2020 I will be introducing a new bridal line, add on pieces to existing wedding dress. I’m super excited to launch this collection. I often have brides that already bought their dress and they want some “finishing touches” or a second look. The line will consist of silk chiffon overdresses, skirts, off the shoulder sleeves, capes. The pieces will be detailed, natural plant based dyed, neutral embellished to blend perfectly with any dress.  I will have one of a kind pieces ready to buy, and a small line of each of the pieces listed above.

Want to find out more about Daci Gowns?  Head on over to their website: www.dacigowns.com or check out their Instagram page: @Dacigowns

Photo by: Jenny Losee Photography

Photo by: Andra Krista Photography

Photo by: Hailey Pierce

A special note to Daci from us here at BTS; thank you for allowing us to work with you!  You are a brilliant designer and have so much talent and passion for what you do.  We are honored to have partnered with you!

“We are still getting married, but rescheduling.” How many of you can relate?  More than we would like to count, if we are being honest.

We all look forward to big celebrations and planning for life within our industry, however in recent, we have been faced with a sudden an immediate halt to everything around us.  Clients postponing, vendors shutting doors, our once go to person now not working and it seems to continue on that trend.  After this, though, we need to continue to exist.  We need to continue on with life and create those same celebrations that we all once enjoyed pre-March 9, 2020. 

While the beginning of this blog sounds very familiar to everything else out there in the news and press, at BTS we want to make sure that if you are one of those going through the back and forth of compartmentalizing all of what is happening to your very own wedding day, it is important for us to help you in this process.  That said, let’s get right to it and make sure you all know what the steps and procedures are that you need to do to make this a seamless process for everyone.

Reschedule First, Do Not Cancel!

First and foremost, talk to your partner about what you should be doing and take into consideration the health and well being of the two of you, your families and your guests.  If any of this seems a little weird and uncertain, it may be best to come up with an alternative.   Change your date, and postpone.  You shouldn’t cancel.  There is no need to do that.  Your wedding day is still super important and it needs to be celebrated.  Your friends and family members will definitely agree.

Contact Your Vendors

Inform your wedding planner if you have one.  You may feel it necessary to do some things on your own,  keep in mind that we are hired for coordination.  That means coordination of all things related to the wedding; cancelling, postponing, etc.  You are likely not the first one to be doing this so let us help you by making this a super simple and easy transition.

If you do not have a wedding planner, contact your venue to understand the policies and procedures for what is happening.   Remember, we are in a national emergency (super scary couple of words to be saying out loud – we know) so everyone is understanding.  Next is to consider a new date/dates.  Keep in mind, LOTS of dates are changing right now so you want to make sure you reach out as soon as possible.  Once you have established this, it is time to move on to your other vendors.  If they are all available, great!  If not, keep track of the conflicting vendors to see if there is anything that can be done to ensure you are able to keep them on the roster.  Ask your wedding planner for tips on what to do if not everyone is able to make the switch.

Contracts

It is important to ask your vendors for revised contracts that reflect the new dates.  This should be done so that there is documentation of all of the changes.  Do not be worried.  Be cautious in making sure that with all of the moving pieces going on within the event industry, you are protecting yourself.  Another contract to consider updating is your event insurance if you have this.

Communicate To Your Guests

After all is settled and you have landed on a new date, it is time to inform your guests.  Do not forget about them.  Though there is a lot going on, they are still wondering about your wedding.  Send out a postponement announcement via email/text/paperless post as soon as you know your new date so guests know exactly what is going on and can plan accordingly. This is similar to a save the date.  Short and to the point.  It allows guests the chance to understand what is going, make travel adjustments and inform the necessary accommodation people of the changes.

Don’t forget, keep your wedding website up to date and as current as possible.  You may need to resubscribe to the server that you have been using so that it does not expire.  Sometimes there is a timestamp on how long the sites stay active for.

After this, you will want to plan to send out another invitation closer to the wedding for rsvp’s.  Keep this simple and to the point – probably just one card including the new date and food options available for selection.  You need these rsvp’s to be as current as the first round of them.

Personal Adjustments

You are likely in the home stretch of everything, so appointments are made and booked.  Don’t forget about them.  Things such as dress fittings, facials, manicures/pedicures, tans and more have to be rescheduled.  Make sure to pick up your dress from your seamstress so that it is in your possession and no one else’s. The honeymoon is likely a standstill as well so make any necessary adjustments to these travel plans as well.

Breathe

We know, this was a lot and unfortunately, not fun at all.  Wedding planning is supposed to always be fun though, right?  Well, it will be again.  Spin it whichever way you want as long as you find the silver lining.   Find the fun in the process and the uniqueness of the situation.  At the end of the day, you were planning this day as a celebration of two lives coming together as one – we need to make sure that happens still.  We also need to make sure that the celebration continues with the people you care most about.

Cheers from afar!

Red lips; for the bold and the beautiful

A beautiful, bold, red lip is understated and underused, specifically on a lady’s wedding day.  Often times and definitely more recent, we tend to see and find our ladies flourish in a beautiful nude/pink tone lip color to seal the look right before walking down the aisle.  Why?  Well for one, comfort and two, well it’s beautiful – right?  OF COURSE!!  It is beautiful and while these next few paragraphs may urge you to open up and adventure into an undiscovered territory, it is most important for you to feel the most beautiful and comfortable on your wedding day.

As ladies who only like to venture out of our usual norm on occasion, we can totally relate but at the same time, we can totally urge our brides and others.  That said – why not venture out and be different?  Why not try something with a little more edge and a little more glam?  – like that red lipstick?

So, first, we task you, reach down, maybe way down, in that purse of yours to find that shade of red we all know everyone has and be a little adventurous.  Pair this with a fine line eye liner or even a little wing to create the boldest most refined look.  If you do this on occasion with your daily looks, then you have no excuses!

We love working with makeup artists and in chatting with a few, we found that they are dying for their brides to come to them asking for a little change up from the ordinary.

A Red Lip on your wedding day can be risky but we say that only for those who do not try it first. Take a look here at some show stopping looks and inspired by a few of our favorite makeup stylists.

Show Stopping Looks:

mua_sarahnicole

makiajbeauty

makiajbeauty

Makeupbymaria.x

For a few of our favorite shades, we have linked them below – they are so fun!

Charlotte Tilsbury – Hollywood Lips

Boxom – Big and Sexy

Huda Beauty – Promotion Day

Don’t forget to check out our BTS page on Instagram for more wedding and fashion tips and trends!

New York Bridal Fashion Week Fall ’20 Collection

Wow. We are still catching up on sleep, work and trying to get our minds right from all the amazingness that we saw last week at New York bridal fashion week but we just can’t seem to shake it. New York in itself, is a one of a kind city. Full of dreams, lights, and people and for us, we attend for all of that, and of course, for the dresses.

 Year 3 for BTS

This year, marks our third year of attending shows, meeting designers, and drooling over elegance at its finest. We had a jam packed weekend of Runway shows and private viewings of our most favorite designers and some we never even knew before. None the less, it was an experience we will never forget and always remember.  Not to mention, we stayed at one of our favorite hotels, Dream Downtown, and had some amazing food experiences as well. (Alex and Storm love food, by the way).


The Shows:

Berta, Galia, Pronovias, Pnina and Julie Vino– you all know they are some of our favorites and boy, they did not disappoint.

This season was definitely a season of sophistication and bringing back tradition. We saw a lot of ball gowns and a lot of bows. Berta, took the conservative route and definitely scaled back on the sexy sheer look. Pnina, while typically known for her crystals and bling, brought lace, satin and bows to the show. THE BOWS! Oh how obsessed we are with the bows. Check out some of our favorite looks that we captured right from the runway.  We are in love!

Dress by: Galia Lahav

Dress by: Berta

Dress by: Galia Lahav

Dress by: Julie Vino Group

Dress by: Galia Lahav

Dress by: Galia Lahav

Dress by: MUSE by Berta

Dress by: Pronovias

One designer that hit our photo albums this weekend that completely blew us away was Tel Aviv designers, Yael Eisenberg and Heli Kalkstein, also known as Eisen Stein. These two met each other in design school and after a short 4 month design process, had created their first bridal line in 2011.

To say their dresses are gorgeous is simply an understatement. The vision the pair has, coupled with the most high quality materials of silk, lace, beading and Swarovski crystals really had our jaws drop.  One dress, was a last minute addition that took only days to produce. This dress happened to be our teams favorite. The intricacy and detail was out of this world and oh my, it was a stunner.



Dress and details by: Eisen-Stein Bridal

Any-who! To say our expectations were met, is an understatement. We had the best time, in the best city doing the best things. Wanna hear more or see more from our experience, head over to our Instagram page and check out our highlights!! 

 

5 Steps to Completely Slaying Your Wedding Vows

 

You outsource things for your wedding like your makeup and floral design—would you ever outsource your vow writing to someone? Find out how we learned how to write the perfect wedding vows from a complete stranger!

We sat down to talk with Katelyn Stanis, a wedding vow and speech writing expert. She gave us the down low on all things custom vow writing.

Katelyn started her vow writing business, Wedding Words, in 2017 and has been penning couples vows from all over the world ever since. She also works with the maid of honor to write a speech that the bride will absolutely adore.

Here are her five tips to write the perfect wedding vows, personalized and all. Be sure to check out our recent episode with her to listen to all her juicy advice.

 

Step 1: Gathering material for your vows

Have a brainstorm by spending 20 minutes jotting down any memory or emotion that comes to mind. Then circle the concepts that you want to expand on for your vows.

You can also interview yourself by asking questions and recording your answers. Transcribe the audio and use this as the basis for your wedding vows.

 

Step 2: Identify themes

Once you’ve compiled some vow writing ideas and notes, start to identify themes.

What themes stand out in your notes? Do you talk a lot about your partner’s sense of humor or their thoughtfulness? Use these themes to anchor your vows and to move the vows forward from one story to the next.

 

Step 3: Write the first draft

Now that you have an idea of what you want to include in your vows, you can write the first draft. Be sure to start by addressing your fiancé.

Then communicate details about what you love about your partner and your relationship.

Next, detail out specific promises you want to make. Lastly, close with a love-filled sentence.

 

Step 4: Edit your vows

It’s time to edit your first draft. Start by removing any unnecessary words. If you can read a sentence and it has the same meaning with some of the words removed, go ahead and remove those words. You don’t want to include anything that doesn’t add meaning and impact to your vows.

Be sure to align with your fiancé on the sentiment and tone of your vows too. The last thing you want is for your vows to be full of sweet and sentimental thoughts and for your partner to focus on just having funny wedding vows.

 

Step 5: Practice reciting your vows

The final step is to practice reciting your wedding vows out loud. Video record yourself so you can watch yourself and make improvements or recite your vows in front of your maid of honor.

Be sure to also print your vows or use a vow booklet. Whatever you do—don’t read your vows from your phone!

 

Follow these five vow writing steps and you’ll be on your way to creating personalized and perfect wedding vows.

Written By: Katelyn Stanis

katelyn@weddingwords.us

www.weddingwords.us

IG: @weddingwords.us

Sabyasachi Winter 2019

 

You might’ve heard by now, but Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee dropped the 2019 Bridal Winter Collection on Instagram and we have to say, we’re definitely pleased! The new Charbagh collection is full of options for every kind of bride. From modern, bold looks to more traditional yet unique gowns, your sure to fall in love with one of the four incredibly dreamy lines (yes, that’s right. FOUR!).

 

Sabyasachi is an inclusive brand that wants to make sure his brides can relate to and we think they met the mark. Take a walk with us through the eyes of the designer and you’re sure to see that he’s pretty much thought of everyone!

 

DEVI

Designed for the traditional bride, Devi is the perfect line for women who look forward to wearing a red lehnga. As the name suggests, the gowns from this collection are fit for a goddess. Ornate gold detailing covers each piece from top to bottom, but don’t think it stopped there. Sabyasachi paired his intricate pieces with bold, traditional jewelry and we couldn’t picture it any other way!

 

NARGIS

Sabyasachi just breathed life back into us with the Nargis collection.  He imagined “a wild overgrown garden with lush flowers blooming everywhere”, straight out of a fairytale as the setting for this destination edit. With brighter traditional prints and simplistic embellishments, this collection is ideal for a fun and free-spirited bride.

 

CHOWK

For the woman who is self-assured and unalarmed by grandness, the Chowk collection is perfect for the positively defiant. Extremely detailed patterns pull these looks together and make them a bold yet understated nod to the folk cultures in India, with very minimal embellishments. The focus is definitely put on the textiles used for this line.

 

ISFAHAN

Thinking deeply about Islamic Art and the colors used, Isfahan is colored in hues that “are joyous, but tingled with pathos.” Generic colors are replaced with dusty versions on lustrous fabrics such as satin and velvet, while Muhgal motifs decorate the textiles. Using an ancient Persian art form called Zardosi, the gowns are also covered in metallic gold and silver embroidery. 

 

As mentioned earlier, Sabyasachi creates the entire picture by using his gorgeous line of jewelry. Perfectly paired, it’s safe to say that the accessories in this collection are up to par with the fashion and take the gowns to the next level. Still can’t get enough of India’s hottest bridal designer? Then you’ll be pleased to hear that there is also a shoe line! Let us know in the comments below, which collection speaks to you most. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

So many times we talk about what guests should consider wearing to weddings: the pretty dresses, the perfect shoes, a suit that fits oh so good, but we are almost doing you dirty if we don’t talk about what you should NOT be wearing. Can we get an “AMEN” from all the brides who were mortified by some of their guest outfit choices?

 

When a wedding is approaching, often, guests have a moment where they think to themselves, ”What the hell am I going to wear to this wedding?”  It’s true, you’ve at least done it one time in your wedding attending life. But! Have you ever thought, “what am I NOT going to wear to this wedding?” 🤔. If not, you should. Seriously. And if picking out an outfit comes too casual for you, it’s probably because YOUR OUTFIT IS TOO CASUAL!!!! Read that again if you have to.

 

C’mon people, let’s be real. If what you are wearing to someone else’s wedding is something in your everyday wardrobe, please reconsider. Better yet, reevaluate your position as this person’s friend or family member. Yes, we said it. Now, we don’t want to come off harsh, but someone has to tell you to get it together. Who is a better friend? The one who tells you about yourself or the one who lets you be reckless? Exactly! If your spouse or best friend isn’t helping you out, then you better believe we will!

 

That all being said, we are going to list out the major NO’s of wedding guest attire so you’re aware and can’t say, “Well, I didn’t know!” 😒.    Ready …. here we go!!

 

RULE #1 White. Don’t wear white. Of any shade. What. So. Ever (unless you are advised to do so). That includes, off white, eggshell, sand, candlelight, ivory, sequin GOLD OR SILVER, light grey. NONE OF IT IS ACCEPTABLE. If you have a question, just don’t wear it. You’re not the bride. Tell yourself that or have someone check you.

 

 

 

RULE #2 Do not wear sandals. Sandals, including but not limited to flip flops, Birkenstock’s, slides or any other velcro strap, Jesus versions. Ladies, anything that does not have a tiny bit of a heel doesn’t fit the occasion–fancy yourself, you deserve it and so do your feet!

 

 

Rule # 3Denim/Jeans. OF ANY SORT. Leave them at home for errands to run.

 

 

RULE #4 No Sweats. Sweatpants, Track Suits, Sweatshirts, Leggings, Athletic Wear in general (this includes sneakers too). If it looks like your going to be heading to the gym, you better have a membership cause you’re not entering into one of our weddings!

 

 

RULE #5 Shorts. Guys is it really too hard to cover up the bottom half of the leg and put some slacks on? We don’t think so. Get the pants. Put them on. And wear them at the wedding. Refer to rule no. 3 and 4 for pant options.

 

 

So, we hope we weren’t too harsh on you but these are just a FEW things we want to make sure you do not wear to a wedding. If you were to go to your own wedding, would you wear what you have on? Unless you’re reading this at a wedding and in compliance with all five of our rules, chances are the answer is no. Do yourself a favor, do your bride and groom a favor, and finally, please do us a favor. Make sure you look good. Everyone will be happy when you’re looking your best!!!

There’s nothing like a wedding invitation to get us ladies excited to dress up, but if the wedding falls on one of these cold winter months, finding a dress that’s both sexy and sensible can be tricky. Not to worry, we have some of our own tricks up our dress sleeves to help you out!

 

Fabric:

We love to see guests who use fabrics to WOW on the reception dance floor. Try an interesting fabric like crushed velvet or a dress with shimmer and shine.

 

Length:

Midi and maxi dresses are gorgeous and practical for winter weddings. You can also play with sleeve length– we love a long sleeve dress that uses texture to keep it fun and modern.

 

Cut:

You can’t go wrong with a nice plunging neckline to offset the modesty of sleeves and long skirts. We also like a classy wrap dress– the wrap style layers over itself which play well in the season.

 

Color:

You can pull off a lot of different colors in the winter but we always love to see guests wearing deeper tones or statement colors like gold or silver.

 

We’ve compiled some of our favorite winter wedding guest looks that will have you feeling fabulous without freezing. Check them out and let us know if you’ll be rockin’ something like this at the next wedding!