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Wednesday 30 May 2007

Fashion - iLoveThese Miss Universe 2007 evening gowns

I flicked through the photos of Miss Universe 2005 when I was looking for inspirations for my own bridal and bridesmaids gowns.

There's a style for every bride - light and floaty, casual, quirky, sexy, traditional. Whatever your style is, the 77 Miss Universe 2007 evening gowns worn by the contestants are sure to have something to inspire you.

The top 10 finalists in Miss Universe 2007 are in these iLoveThese Miss Universe 2007 evening gowns for your bridal gown inspiration.


miss universe palette
iLoveThese Miss Universe 2007 evening gowns


Row 1 (L-R): Miss Korea, Miss USA, Miss India, Miss Angola, Miss Mexico
Row 2 (L-R): Miss Venezuala, Miss Nicaragua, Miss Japan (Miss Universe 2007), Miss Tanzania, Miss Brazil


Saturday 26 May 2007

Fashion: Dress inspirations from Princess Leia



Star Wars turns 30 today! I love the ceremonial gown that Princess Leia wore when she awarded the Medal of Honour to Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo.

Even if you're not a Star Wars fan, the white ceremonial gown can provide inspirations for your own bridal gown or even your bridesmaids' gowns. The gown is regal yet softly romantic with a hint of sexiness that makes the design so intruiging!




Friday 25 May 2007

20 to 1: World's Best Love Songs

Stuck for ideas for your wedding songs? Take some ideas from the Australian Channel 9 tv show 20 to 1: World's Best Love Songs.

20. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
19. Is This Love? - Bob Marley
18. Can't Get Enough of Your Love Baby - Barry White
17. You're The One That I Want - Olivia Newton John & John Travolta
16. Close To You - The Carpenters
15. You're Beautiful - James Blunt
14. It Must Be Love - Madness
13. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? - Van Morrison
12. My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion
11. Unforgettable - Nat King Cole



10. Throw Your Arms Around Me - Hunters & Collectors
9. Your Song - Elton John
8. Nothing Compares To You - Sinead O' Connor
7. Love Is In The Air - John Paul Young
6. When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating
5. The Look Of Love - Dusty Springfield
4. Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers
3. Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
2. It Had To Be You - Frank Sinatra/Harry Connick Jr
1. You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker

Thursday 24 May 2007

Planning Ideas - Something Old

One practical way to incorporate something old into your bridal gown is to decorate your gown with accessories, for example a pendant or a brooch, that your grandmother or mother wore during her wedding.

It'll also add a personal and moving touch to your wedding.



Sunday 20 May 2007

Reception Centrepieces - iLoveThese centrepieces from MarthaStewartdotcom

Need some ideas for quick, easy centrepieces within your budget? I stumbled across the Martha Stewart website a couple of days ago. The stuff and ideas she has on that website is just so awesome!

Here’s her collection of easy wedding centrepieces in the form of an iLoveThese centrepieces. Head over to the Martha Stewart website for more instructions on how to make these lovely centrepieces.

ilovethese centrepieces

Pictures from www.marthastewart.com


The Martha Stewart Wedding magazine is my favourite magazine when I was planning my own wedding. Hard to come by in Australia, though!

Friday 18 May 2007

Reception - What wedding theme will suit your personality?

Can't make up your mind on what type of bride you are? Take this quiz on "What is Your Bridal Style?" The quiz from iVillage tells you whether you are a modern bride or a romantic bride. Whatever style that suits your personality.

I'm mostly "Elegant Earth"! It's so spot on that it's scary. I'm a Taurus! This is what my style description says:

Since you most likely favor cashmere sweaters, little black dresses and diamond stud earrings, it's not surprising that your dream wedding is a classy, timeless affair. Hollywood brides who get married in teeny bikinis leave you cold; elegant style icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Jackie Kennedy inspire you. Given your affinity for tradition, you probably have some Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn in your birth chart. Although you have a penchant for rich flavors, luxurious fabrics and designer labels, you splurge only on things of lasting value and high quality. Your guests appreciate your meticulous attention to detail -- little touches such as artfully arranged welcome baskets, organized pre- and post-wedding activities and thoughtful wedding favors ensure a seamless, well-executed celebration that everyone will remember for years to come. A bonus: When you and your husband look at your wedding photos twenty years down the line, you'll be glad you didn't succumb to trendy hairstyles and fashions!

Wednesday 16 May 2007

Themes - iLoveThese Ideas for a Frosty Elegance theme

Planning a winter wedding on 7 July 2007 in Australia? Why try to top mother nature? Use the weather to your advantage and plan your wedding around a frosty elegance theme with this iLoveThese Ideas for a Wedding Winterland.


palette

iLoveThese Ideas for a Frosty Elegance theme
Row 1 (L-R): Gown by Jessica McClintock; setting from weddingchannel.com; seafood platter by Art of Ice in Sydney
Row 2 (L-R): Photo by Todd Rafalovich; photo by Robert Evans; photo by Robert Evans
Row 3 (L-R): Gown by Watters Brides; ice centrepiece by Art of Ice in Sydney; gown by Atelier Aimee



Tuesday 15 May 2007

Reception and Ceremony - Unique guestbooks

Stay away from the usual cookie-cutter guestbooks and get inspirations from these iLoveThese guestbooks! Very very unique and guaranteed to be a precious keepsake to last you a lifetime.


pallete

iLoveThese Guestbooks
Row 1 (L) Personalised guestbook frame - frame wellwishes from your guests;
Row 1 (R) Instant polaroid guestbook - capture snapshots of your guests along with their message for you;
Row 2 (L) Digital photo guestbook - insert your favourite wedding pictures to fill up your guestbook;
Row 2 (R) Guestbook platter - have your guests sign a personalised plate.

Steal ideas on how to do a personalised photo guest book from Another Wedding Blog. Their photo guest book turned out GORGEOUS!





Sunday 13 May 2007

Themes - iLoveThese Ideas for a Pastel Romance wedding

Love is in the air with these gorgeous inspirations for a romantic wedding feel. Complement the white romance with soft pastel colours to create the ambience of romance.



palette1

iLoveThese Ideas for a Pastel Romance wedding
Row 1 (L-R): Photo by Todd Rafalovich; photo by Sara France; photo by Leslie Barton
Row 2 (L-R): Photo by Robert Evans; photo by Leslie Rutten; bomboniere by i-Weddings.com.au
Row 3 (L-R): Photo by Charity de Meer; personalised guest book frame; photo by A Dream Picture


Are there any ideas that you wish to see on the i-Weddings.com.au blog? Leave a comment and see the inspirations that come your way.


Friday 11 May 2007

Kevin Rudd's daughter, Jessica, gets married!




Jessica Rudd looked radiant at her wedding to Albert Tse last weekend. Kevin Rudd looks every bit the proud happy daddy. Makes our Labour Party leader seem like any normal human being.

Themes - iLoveThese Ideas for a garden wedding

Approximately a month ago, I posted some tips for garden-themed weddings. Following along the same theme, some inspirations in the form of iLoveThese Ideas for your garden-themed wedding.

iLoveThese Ideas for Garden Weddings
iLoveThese Ideas for a garden wedding

Row 1 (L-R): Rachel Read Florist; Kristy Nuttall Makeup Artist; Cakes, Covers and Candlesticks
Row 2 (L-R):
The Paper Place; Bride.com; Bride.com
Row 3 (L-R):
Ivory Design; Bride.com; Disposable Camera Company


Wednesday 9 May 2007

Bomboniere - Personalised M&Ms

Previously I posted on using M&Ms in your wedding colours as a unique yet cheap bomboniere. I've found something even more unique while trawling the Ultimate Destination Weddings blog.


Personalised M&Ms!! How cool is that!






You can even use it for an unforgettable Save the Date reminder. Or for your bridal shower.

The possibilities are endless.


Monday 7 May 2007

Planning - Unique ideas to personalise your wedding

  1. Let each of your bridesmaid and groomsman choose a part of a song that they like. Play that part of the song they've chosen when they are announced at the reception.
  2. Put romantic notes or excerpts from emails and letters that you have written to each other.
  3. Get your bridesmaids to carry a different type of flower in the same colour.
  4. Work your favourite family dish(es) into the menu and give out the recipe (if granny allows it!) with your wedding favours.
  5. Play your father's favourite song as he walks you down the aisle.
  6. Design your centrepieces around your common hobbies (e.g. if you both love the beach, put some sand around the vase).
  7. Give your guests candles to send you both off.
  8. Tie ribbons in your wedding colours around your wine glasses.
  9. Introduce each person in your wedding party in your ceremony program. Explain each of their relationship to you and maybe write up a special or funny memory shared with them.
  10. If you come from a background where English is not your first language, honour your heritage during the ceremony and have a reading done in your language.

Related post: Planning - Dare to be different


Friday 4 May 2007

Gifts - Elegant gifts for your wedding party

Boy, am I excited about these latest additions to the i-Weddings collection.

We're expanding our products to now include gifts for your wedding attendants. Show them how much you appreciate their help and participation in your wedding without emptying your bank account.

These and plenty more at the i-Weddings website! And all of them can be personalised with the message of your choice!


For your female attendants or the mother of the bride or groom:

"Tic-Tac-Toe Coaster Set" $44.95 each set

"Three is not a crowd salt, pepper and sugar shakers set" $34.95 each set


"Travel grooming set" $29.95 each


"Perfect fit salt and pepper shakers" $29.95 each pair


And I didn't forget about your male attendants. These are some simple yet useful gifts they will appreciate:



"Stainless steel mouse pad" $34.95 each


"Leather namecard case" $29.95 each


"Chess set" $54.95 each set

"Travel lamp" $29.95 each


Fashion - iLoveThese Gowns by Vera Wang

Vera Wang bridal gowns are perhaps the most wanted gowns in America, if not the world.

These iLoveThese palettes showcase the sliver of black contrast in the Vera Wang Spring 2007 collection. Cinch a sliver of black sliver high above your waist as your little fashion twist on your traditional white gown.






iLoveThese Gowns from the Vera Wang Spring 2007 collection


In the Fall 2007 collection, Vera Wang showcases intricate detail in her gowns. The iLove These palettes below features intricate detailed flower designs incorporates into the Fall 2007 gowns.






iLoveThese Gowns from the Vera Wang Fall 2007 collection


Thursday 3 May 2007

Bomboniere - iLoveThese Favours

America has the best wedding products. From wedding gowns to wedding favours. I love their products. I’ve put together a little snapshot of my favourite wedding favours from AllinOneFunFavors.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. These are some interesting ways to incorporate blue into your wedding. These favours from AllinOneFunFavors are so elegant.

iLoveThese Favours – Something borrowed, something blue

Or what’s more romantic than candles as your wedding favour.

iLoveThese Favours – Flaming love burning bright

Use the pictures for inspiration for your own wedding. Or head to AllinOneFunFavors for more inspirations.


Invitations - Return address stamp

I love reading about other couples' planning journeys toward their wedding day. I came across Another Wedding Blog just yesterday. Just reading the description at the top made me smile. What's more romantic than high school sweethearts getting married and living happily ever after?



A tip on one of the posts caught my eye and I thought I'd share it with readers of the i-Weddings blog.

Hamiharri of Another Wedding Blog had a clear personalised block of their return address made. It beats writing your address 138 times on the back of the envelope.


And the best thing is, because the block is clear, it makes it easier to position the address where you want it.

Brilliant.

Wednesday 2 May 2007

Planning - Savings for a Wedding by Lacey and Tanner

I should be working. Instead I'm surfing the net, living vicariously off blogs of couples planning their weddings.

Lacey left a comment on the M&M bomboniere post. So I checked out her wedding blog. And it's great and very unique. Which fits right into i-Weddings' vision that all weddings should be unique and reflect the personality of the bride and groom.

Lacey and Tanner's blog, Savings for a Wedding, is about their journey towards their big day. It's not any typical journey. The blog is more about them trying to raise enough money for them to have their dream wedding in Vegas.



They're planning to have their wedding at the Venetian in Las Vegas (correct me if I'm wrong, Lacey). And I loved The Venetian when I was visiting Vegas. It is the best hotel on the strip.

So head over to Lacey's and Tanner's blog and help them raise money for their dream wedding. Otherwise, just go and learn from their experiences.

Good luck Lacey and Tanner!

Tuesday 1 May 2007

Reception - Latest trend in British weddings

British brides say "I do" to green weddings
By Sylvia Westall

LONDON (Reuters) - Here comes the bride, all dressed in -- green.

White weddings might have been the dream of fashionable brides of old. But the trendiest British weddings are now at least metaphorically green as couples seek to reduce the impact of their nuptials on the environment.

That means everything from recycled wedding dresses and guests arriving by bicycle, to home-grown flowers and locally produced food for the wedding buffet.

"A year ago there was nothing green at wedding shows. I was really struggling to get the message across that green weddings are about 'eco-chic', not lentils and hessian," said green wedding planner Ruth Culver.

"Now specialist venues, products and services are being launched every week."

British celebrity Liz Hurley might have hoped to set new fashion standards with her lavish jetset wedding last month.

But her celebrations broke all the "green" wedding rules, and were dubbed "Liz Hurley's big fat not-so green wedding" by The Independent newspaper, which pored over every opulent detail to determine its environmental impact.

The wedding, which flew in dozens of guests to India from Britain for a series of parties, produced an estimated 200 tonnes of carbon emissions -- more than the average couple produces in a decade, according to researchers.

Bride-to-be Libby Smit will do her bit to make up for this on her wedding day in Northern Ireland this summer.

"We are using the parish church that is literally around the corner," Smit, 30, said. "On the morning of the wedding, the bridesmaids and I are going to be walking to the church."

'GREEN' GIFTS TOO

It's not just the ceremonies that are environmentally aware. Guests are getting into the spirit with their gifts.

After charity gift-lists raised millions of pounds over Christmas, environmental groups WWF and Friends of the Earth have launched similar services for weddings.

Guests can donate to charities on behalf of newly weds, making up to 20,000 pounds ($39,000) a month for green and ethical causes, according to http://www.weddinglistgiving.com/.

"A lot of people seem to feel that when they are making a big commitment to each other they would like to do some good as well," said Nicola Baird, campaigner for Friends of the Earth.

Sarah Webber, 30, a Briton living in Australia, plans to keep the environmental footprint of her wedding to a minimum by having a ceremony in Australia and a party in Britain to prevent her family members from needing to fly across the globe.

She is also making sure her wedding buffet is locally produced: "We're not crusty hippies or anything like that ... but thinking about where things come from is part of our lifestyle," she said.

One of the biggest concerns for 'green' brides is how to find that all-important dress, and the Internet is where they begin their search.

"There is the charity shop option, there are vintage shops, where you could find something a bit more stylish ... or you can have a design made from scratch using fair-trade fabrics," said Katie Fewings, who launched www.ethicalweddings.com in 2006.

Her site lets brides share advice on how to source tricky items -- from organic confetti to recycled invitations -- with nearly 130 registered members in its discussion forum.

With the average cost of a British wedding set to rise to nearly 18,500 pounds ($36,500) this year according to UK-based insurer Weddingplan, couples say the homemade approach personalises the celebrations.

HOME-GROWN SALAD

London-based Rebecca, a 35-year-old bride-to-be who posts on the ethical weddings site, is being helped by her father, who will be growing lettuces and tomatoes to help feed 150 guests at her wedding reception this summer.

He is also providing a floral touch: "I love wild and home-grown flowers, so my dad has offered to grow all the flowers for me. Cornflowers are my favourite," Rebecca told Reuters, asking to be known by her first name only.

Her fiance Doron, 36, said although some people have found the couple's choices unusual, the planning has paid off.

"For those for whom the environment is not a prime concern, it initially jars, perhaps ... but once everything is explained we've had 100 percent support."

The couples say their wedding is not supposed to be fashionable: "Fashion is of absolutely no concern to us ... we want to make it really memorable without exploitation," Rebecca said.

Campaigners say couples planning green weddings tend to already lead an environmentally friendly lifestyle, but increased awareness about green issues can take the trend to a wider audience.

"The trend actually gets the message out there and fortunately it also gets the resources for people to be able do this," said Kim Ritch, WWF's manager of partner marketing.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters