Olga Pomeransky, Author at The Best Bridal Store - Your source for everything you want to know about weddings

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8 sentimental ways to include lost loved ones in your wedding

Celebrating with your nearest and dearest is at the heart of most couples’ wedding days and if you’re lucky enough to have everyone you love there, then you are truly blessed. Sadly, for many of us, we may have lost a parent, relative or friend who we wished could have seen us walk down the aisle and live happily ever after.

While nothing can replace a loved one being at your wedding, there are a few lovely ways that you can include them in your big day. Paying your respects in a way that is fitting to you and the relationship you shared with the person you lost will be more genuine and heartfelt than doing something completely out of style or character, so to help you out, I’ve put together a list of 8 different ways you could include them in your wedding, from subtle and sweet to quirky and unique.

Save them a seat

Some couples choose to leave an empty chair at the ceremony or reception as a tribute to a lost loved one, perhaps even placing their photo or a single flower on the seat. This makes quite a big statement and would be a fitting tribute to a deceased parent or sibling but may be very emotional for you if your loss is still very raw, so consider carefully how you’ll feel about seeing the empty chair and how that will affect your day.

Incorporate their favourite flowers

Flowers have the ability to evoke emotions in us and the combination of the sight and smell of your loved one’s favourite flowers are sure to conjure up happy memories while you walk down the aisle, eat the wedding breakfast and dance the night away. I always remember my nan loved Lilies and I still think of her when I catch the scent of them in the supermarket now. More subtle than an empty chair, this is a way for you to honour your loved one a little more privately.

Hayley decided to incorporate flowers in a different way; her granddad always carried Lavender in his pocket, so Hayley ordered one of my Lavender hair pins and a matching buttonhole for her mum as a tribute to her granddad. She also had a pin made in blue, for her “something blue”, which I absolutely loved!

Incorporate a piece of their clothing

There are lots of lovely ways that you could incorporate items of clothing. You could stitch a small scrap from a shirt into your wedding dress, use one of their handkerchiefs to wipe away happy tears (I surprised myself by how weepy I was on my wedding day!), wrap one of their ties or silk scarves around your bouquet or even have their wedding dress refitted and restyled for you to wear yourself. A couple of nice buttons from a shirt or jacket sewn on to the handle of your bouquet, dress or suit would make a lovely subtle tribute too.

Wear a piece of their jewellery

Wearing a piece of their jewellery, particularly something sentimental like their engagement or wedding ring is sure to make you feel their presence, plus it doubles up as your something old and something borrowed, so a win-win all round!

Carry a brooch bouquet

And if you don’t want to wear a piece of their jewellery, why not incorporate it into your bouquet? Brooch bouquets are growing increasingly popular these days and can take a variety of forms, with some including a mix of fresh or artificial flowers and a few brooches, to complete vintage works of art, crafted from pieces of costume and antique jewellery. The beauty of brooch bouquets is that they last forever and you could even have a go at creating one for yourself if you feel like getting creative!

My favourite thing about designing brooch bouquets for brides is hearing all the lovely stories behind the pieces of jewellery they ask me to include. Katie’s grandparents had sadly passed away before her wedding so she sent me pearl necklaces and her grandfather’s cracked watch to put into her bouquet; They added a sentimental and vintage element to her bouquet and Katie said that she felt like her grandparents were with her on her wedding day – how lovely is that?

Dedicate a song or reading

Did your loved one have a favourite poem or song that you could include in your wedding? Save them a dance and twirl around the dancefloor when their favourite song comes on or use their favourite poem as part of the ceremony (depending on the nature of it of course!) or speeches, or even before the wedding breakfast to start the celebrations. Again this can be as subtle or obvious as you like and gives you a chance to honour your loved ones privately or publically.

Display photographs

Displaying photographs of your loved ones at your wedding is another way to include them. Go big and bold and create a display showcasing your happiest memories together or keep it subtle with a memory locket or bouquet charm.

Kelly’s dad sadly passed away when she was little and she wanted to carry a locket with his photograph attached to her bouquet. Her fiancé, Dan, wanted to honour his granddad too, so they sent me some photos of the two men and I resized them using Photoshop to fit inside a locket and a pair of cufflinks. I love this idea as it’s something you could easily do yourself with a bit of photo editing software to resize your images and you can pick up blank lockets and cufflinks from craft stores or online fairly inexpensively too!

Include them in your cake toppers

This is slightly offbeat, but an idea I love nonetheless! If you’ve decided to have a personalised cake topper, you could include elements that remind you of your lost loved one. Meg and Jerry did this beautifully; Jerry’s dad had sadly passed away and so he and Megan decided to pay tribute to him in their cake topper. Jerry wore a cap in honour of his dad, so we added that to the cake topper, along with the football gear that Jerry himself wore in his college football days.

However you choose to honour your lost loved ones, I hope it brings you a sense of comfort and a feeling of their presence on your special day. What ways do you plan to include those you’ve lost in your wedding? I’d love to hear your ideas so feel free to leave a comment below!

About the author: Sarah is the owner of Elsa Rose Boutique and spends her days designing wedding accessories for brides that are looking for something a little different. From bespoke hair accessories and brooch bouquets to cute cake toppers, she captures the personalities of her brides and grooms and makes the sentimental details sparkle to create lasting keepsakes that will be treasured forever. Find out more at elsaroseboutique.com

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4 Fun and Meaningful Unity Ceremony Ideas to Consider Anywhere

Written by Rev. Julie Nourish from Custom Las Vegas Weddings

You may use these fun and interesting ritual additions to your ceremony anywhere you decide to get married. I am a wedding officiant in Las Vegas and I have performed each one of these ceremonies. Whether you get married in Vegas or decided to have your wedding somewhere else, these ceremonies.

To make your wedding in Las Vegas more memorable, consider these unique yet interesting unity wedding ceremonies to solemnize your wedding in the best way possible. These ceremony choices are great ritual additions that can truly define a lasting union between you and your partner.

Glass-Breaking

The glass breaking ceremony has been a Jewish tradition but theoretically anyone can incorporate it into their wedding ceremony. A ceremonial glass-breaking stands as a rite of passage signifying the lasting endurance of your marriage. Think of it to remind you and your spouse that feelings and the fragility of love is sensitive.

At the same time, the difficulty in bringing back shattered glass pieces is parallel to the unbreakable love characterizing your marriage. Glass-breaking, of course, helps signify that thought, in that the fragile nature of glass introduces feelings of resolve to make relationships work – quite like a symbol that reminds you and your spouse that your marriage will last forever.

Wine-Pouring

wine-ceremony — Courtesy of https://customlasvegasweddings.com

Wine has historically been used in wedding ceremonies. Using alcohol, specifically wine, as a symbolic means of solemnizing your union remains a novel idea. To facilitate this ritual into your ceremony, it’s important to have an eclectic mix of two kinds of wine: red and white.

The wine-pouring ceremony would involve you and your spouse taking turns drinking from a “common cup,” in which both red and white wine is combined. Said combination promises both an abundance of love, embodied by the red wine, and everlasting strength of marriage, represented by the white wine.

Rose-Giving

Roses have long been considered as a symbol of love. Roses have always fit the theme of weddings. If using this sentiment is something you and your spouse would appreciate, then certainly this ritual exchange of roses would work well.

Giving a rose to the love of your life may take on a world of lovely meanings: “please forgive me,” “I love you with all my heart,” and “you’re very special to me” being among the words you may intend to say. When done as a wedding ritual, rose-giving enables you to express your feelings of everlasting love even when you’re already at a loss for words.

Hands-Fasting

Hand-Fasting-Ceremony — Courtesy of https://customlasvegasweddings.com

Lastly, but certainly not the least interesting, the hands-fasting ceremony symbolizes the unbreakable bond between you and your spouse. It actualizes the idea of “tying the knot,” an idiom often used to refer to weddings. The wedding ritual is a simple yet distinctive way of making your wedding official – an interesting way to make your wedding permanent.

In case you and your partner are wondering, hands-fasting isn’t a symbol of bondage to one another. Rather, the ties that bind is intended to remind the both of you that marriage makes being there for one another as more than just an obligation – that it’s an agreement borne out of your souls’ perpetual connection with one another.

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How to choose accessories to complete your wedding look By Medge Ross from letmetrendchicevent

Weddings are among the most important ceremonies. Adorning yourself in a cohesive and complete manner is one of the indicators of how special you consider the occasion. Several tips for brides can be helpful when choosing accessories to complete their bridal look.

Consider the Gown Color

To achieve a complete bridal look using accessories, one must first consider the color of their gown. Brides have different color choices but most go for white. Therefore, the accessories must be selected depending on the gown color preferred. Even when the choice is a white gown, there are different shades of the color, which may result in a change of the accessories selected. For instance, a pure white bridal gown should result in the selection of jewelry with silver plating and cooler tones. However, for those going for cream or warmer ivory color, accessories with gold or rose gold will be effective in creating a complete bridal look.

Neckline

The accessories will also depend on the neckline of the dress. Some brides go for strapless dresses. If this is the case, one should select matching necklaces and earring set. The choice also provides an opportunity to be creative as one can select either gentle drop earrings or studs. However, one should select either the earring or necklace to the statement as combining both may result in one looking cluttered and overbearing. Even for gowns with a neckline, there are variations that may result in changes in the way they are accessorized. For instance, those with narrow V-neck, high neck, and thick straps, calls for one to avoid large statement necklaces .

Selecting additional accessories

Most brides focus on the necklaces, earrings, and hair when selecting accessories. However, there are additional accessories that one can select to instill a level of personality in the gown. For example, one can add a belt or sash to depending on the desired look such as emphasizing the curves. This case, one can choose a traditional sash or metallic belt with a careful section of the sizes since thin belts are perfect for those with a short torso while wide belts suit those with a long torso. However, when choosing the additional accessories, one should stick to the rules by avoiding extras that will overpower the gown.

Hair

The hair is another important indicator, particularly of the jewelry that one should wear. Small studs are perfect when leaving your hair down with a statement necklace complimenting to create a perfect look. However, shiny long earrings can also be selected to sparkle in the tresses when one does not want to wear a statement necklace. Even as this is the case, statement earrings are perfect for up-dos. Consequently, for hair that is held up, dramatic accessories such as chandelier danglers will still be perfect. An important consideration is that one should avoid choosing accessories that mimic the embellishment on the dress in an effort to match them.

Veil choice

The veil also contributes to the attainment of the complete look when selected to complement the bridal gown. The fabric of gown should be the indicator of the kind of veil to wear. For instance, a satin gown combines with a satin edge veil will create the desired look while a veil having scattered crystal will be suitable for a sparkly gown. The combination of laces on the gown and veil should also be considered to ensure one strikes the right balance (MacCarthy). Matching the laces on the veil and gown can create a complete enough look. However, heavy laces on the veil and gown may overpower the bride.

Minimize the accessories

Accessories are essential components for the bride to achieve the complete look. However, be careful not to overdo them. Therefore, after selecting the gown, one should determine the standout features then work to have accessories that complete them, particularly for the embellished dresses. The selected veil, tiara, belt or sash, necklace or earring should not overpower the features of the gown. Therefore, pieces that create a clutter should be minimized or let out altogether.

While these tips are essential to creating a complete bridal look, the bride should remember she is at the center of all these. Consequently, the quest for the bling should not overpower the need to emphasize her personality.

Article written by Medge Ross @letmetrendchicevent. Medge is the founder of LetMeTrendChicEvent.com personal stylist specialist for special occasion and wedding. Get more fashion or wedding solutions at letmetrendchicevent.com.

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Getting your hair wedding fit – Advice from one of Sydney’s best hairdressers

Advice from one of Sydney’s best hairdressers, Jules Peacocke, Director, Lily Jackson Hair & Makeup, Sydney, Australia

As soon as you’ve set the date of your wedding, deciding on your hair and makeup should be as high on the list of priorities as your wedding dress.

Having dealt with many brides over the course of my career, I am still amazed at how little attention many brides place on the “fitness” of their hair for the big day. Getting your hair “wedding fit” probably takes even longer than getting your body in shape to fit that gorgeous dress you’ve chosen.

Many women are acutely unaware that their hair health is actually severely compromised. It is impossible to create beautiful wedding hairstyles if the hair is damaged, lifeless and is not receiving the right at home care.

So here’s my list of top things to do to make sure your hair is as fit for your wedding as your body or mind is!

Check your hairdresser’s credentials

Not all hairdressers are able to style hair for wedding events. They might be good at colouring, cutting and blow drying but they might not have received the right training to create beautiful up-do’s or editorial looking styles. To check whether you like their style of creating wedding hair, you should arrange to have at least one if not two wedding hair and makeup trials. More on this later.

Check your hairdresser’s availability

There is nothing worse than finding out that your hairdresser is on holidays when you are getting married. Alternatively, your hairdresser might not be willing or able to travel to your hotel or location. So what do you do then?

My recommendation is to seek out the best hairdresser in the area you will be located and start a conversation with them about jointly managing your hair direction with your regular hairdresser.

Do I have my hair done in salon or at the hotel?

It is generally more cost effective to have your hair done in the salon by a hairdresser than having them leave the salon to come to you. You will be paying for travel time for them and any assistants they require. But it’s a matter of personal preference. Being in a salon ensure that all the products and tools are at your stylists disposal but leaving the “safety” of home or the hotel to travel to get their hair done could be the worst thing for some brides.

If you do an internet search for “wedding hair and makeup” you will get pages and pages of results for mobile hair and makeup artists.

Beware! Most of these “artists” are not qualified hairdressers and have only completed one-day hair styling courses, if that. They are generally offering this service part-time on weekends and have regular day jobs like you and I. If they have assistants, it is likely that they are unqualified as well.

The other thing is that from my perspective as a master stylist who has put years into their craft, they generally take shortcuts like using tongs to achieve updo’s. Once you see photo’s of classically designed hair using traditional methods like curl sets and/or pin curls, there is no comparison with tong curls. The resulting hair styles are absolutely stunning, but I am biased.

Using a qualified hairdresser to style your hair on the day is your safest option. If this is not possible, then ensure the best hairdresser you can afford takes charge of the overall colour and cut and arrange to have multiple trials with mobile hair artists to ensure they can create a style that you are happy with.

Get a timetable of who is working on whom and when.

We plan our wedding hair and makeup sessions with military precision and we work backwards from the time the bride needs to leave the salon or commence the process of getting dressed.

Whomever is doing your hair and makeup and potentially your bridal party’s hair and makeup, get a timetable from them and make sure they have allowed sufficient time for each of your wedding party’s hair type, preferred hairstyle, and travel time.

If they are not able to meet your bridesmaids before the event, then it helps the stylist to get some selfies of your friends so they know the hair type they are dealing with. There is nothing worse than the wedding party running behind because someone has very thick long hair that takes longer than average to style.

Getting wedding fit is a journey

Each bride should ask herself:

What am I thinking in terms of hair & makeup? Do I have an idea or am I at a loss?
Where am I now? What is the “true” and current state of my hair?
Where do I want to be? How far from the ideas I am thinking is my hair right now?
How long have I got? Do I have enough time to get from where I am now to where I want to be?

Your wedding hair style

Generally speaking, your wedding dress and potentially wedding theme (if any) will lead the journey to creating your personal style for your wedding day.

I’ve had clients who were getting married in the tropics and were opting for a “beachy theme”. The dress was a simple strapless design in lace. We did hair trials and created a long beach wave look complemented by a simple flower wreath on the head. We took plenty of photo’s and then arranged to have a local hairdresser recreate the style. It could never look the same but my client was happy and that’s what counts the most.

I always say that a “red carpet dress needs red carpet hair”. That doesn’t mean the hairstyle has to be an updo, just that the hairstyle looks absolutely fabulous and complements the fabulous dress and you feel comfortable in it.

Just keep in mind the likely weather conditions on the day and potentially have a Plan B hairstyle. Many styles that look great in photos like the beautiful waves reminiscent of the 30’s, don’t actually hold up that well exposed to movement or any weather condition.

Hair Length: I want or need longer hair

If you need or want longer than 6 inches of extra length and you have 8 months or more, then growing it might be an option. If not, you might want to consider hair extensions or hair pieces depending on the style you are going for. Tape hair extensions can be very cost effective, quick to apply and easy to remove after your big event.

The most important thing is to have the hair extensions or pieces colour matched to your own hair once you have decided on the colour.

Great hair colour and great hair health go hand in hand

Getting great hair colour is strongly dependent on having healthy hair. If your hair health is compromised then you should not be thinking of drastic colour changes (for example going more than 2 shades lighter).

You should be putting your hair through a “fitness” regime of having hair treatments both at home and at the salon, and potentially keratin treatments to help the hair along. As I mentioned previously, it is difficult to style hair that is damaged and lifeless, and get a good result.

Hair Colour:

I know it sound obvious but you should get your colour done about 1 week before your wedding. The number of wedding photo’s I see of women with regrowth is astounding. Not a great look.

Settling on colour.

I could go on for days about the problems and dangers of using boxed colour from the supermarket or drug store. Of course I am biased but there are some real issues. You might like to read this article Super hair colour is not supermarket hair colour.

One thing is certain, if you’ve been using boxed at-home colour for many years, then you should probably keep doing what you’re doing. Trying to lift or change the pigments from these types of colours can be very difficult and results can be variable to say the least even with the most experienced hairdresser.

Depending on whether you’re looking to make a statement with strong creative colour, elegant highlights or beachy balayage, you should be “testing” the colours and looks at least 6 months in advance. Seek out the best hairdresser you can afford and the one that has the best reviews or recommendations. Don’t hesitate to stop people in the street!

Wedding Hair and Makeup Trials

I mentioned earlier that you should at least have one, if not two, wedding hair and makeup trials. I ask my clients to give me at least three and a half hours of their time where we explore and try out different styles and looks. We change things incrementally, take lots of photo’s and discuss the pro’s and con’s. There is often a lot of texting of photo’s to bridesmaids and mothers of the brides too!

It’s a great advantage to be able to go home and try on your wedding dress with your styled hair and makeup.

Don’t be afraid to have a second trial and be forthright about what you liked and didn’t like.

Final words

Despite all my advice regarding forward planning, the most beautiful brides are the relaxed ones. Hopefully my words of advice will help you be sufficiently prepared so that on the day you can sit back and enjoy a glass of champagne while being pampered and getting ready for one of the most special days of your life!