VowDoo’s Best in Wedding Blog

When I said I’d go shopping for more green stuff, I didn’t expect to find a lot of really clever, unique and gorgeous ideas that are also (and most importantly) guilt-free. How fabulous is that? Green is definitely in.

Take, for example, these eco-friendly wedding rings I found on Great Green Wedding. How is that possible? Well, you’ll find out when you read the post, but for sure, you’re going to have to say buh-bye to your Tiffany & Co. dream. The site also has eco-friendly wedding flowers, invitations and favors. You have to check out the entire site.

Of course, DIY is also an easy (well, not so easy) way to do a really Mother Earth-friendly wedding. For these, you’ll get so many nifty ideas from iDIY, DIY Bride, and A Practical Wedding.

For those who want to go the DIY route, take note that the DIY Bride is doing DIY Bride Workshops. Read about it here–and start marking your calendars.

Green Wedding Shoes also did a story on the new issue of the wedding e-zine, Utterly Engaged (which is fabuloso, by the way), who did a whole issue on eco weddings. Check out the organic cakes, the tips for the crafty brides, and the amazing eco-chic wedding gowns.

Gowns by Sarah Seven and Morgan Boszilkov

If you want to get the whole deal on planning and executing a totally fab and totally green wedding, you may also want to turn to Emily Anderson of Eco-Chic Weddings. She wrote the book Eco-Chic Wedding in 2006 and she used to work for Martha Stewart (bet Emily learned a lot of DIY magic from her). Emily has a lot of creative and really pretty ideas. She will also refer you to other great reference materials: books, sites, etc. And by the way, Emily is releasing a new book, too. Read the full story here.

Lastly, Earth Friendly Weddings also shares an extensive green wedding directory here.

These wedding blogs have defnitely made our lives a lot easier…and absolutely greener!

I remember attending one wedding many years ago where the couple gave away miniature versions of house plants. Yes, they were live plants in tiny pots, and we were instructed to take care of them–plant them in the garden or move to a bigger pot when it starts growing. (Of course, mine barely survived its first week in my no-sunshine, no-water one-bedroom city apartment.)

The plant was supposed to symbolize “the love” between the couple, and I never admitted that “their love” didn’t stand a chance in my world. A lot of the guests found the wedding token “cute”, some found it “weird”, and a lot, like me, didn’t really know what to do with it. But little did I know that this was to be my very first “green” wedding.

These days, a green wedding has become a very popular theme for weddings. But they’re really not just themes, these brides and grooms have embraced the eco-friendly lifestyle. And I love how in each green wedding you attend, you get a brilliant idea on how else you can “greenify” your life. I’ve learned tons of green tips from these eco-chic brides.

Eco-friendly wedding blogs are also becoming more and more popular. One of my favorites is Earth Friendly Weddings, who, by the way, did a really cute feature on eco-chic boutonnieres. They were cute as a…well, boutonniere.

Eco-friendly Boutonnieres

And how about these “green” knickers I found on Ethical Weddings? Aren’t they cute? Note that it has “something blue”, it is “something new” and “something old”, too (bow is made from reclaimed rags). But no, it’s not “something borrowed.” (Eew.) But it does have a very cute jewelry clasp for you to attach something borrowed. Clever, huh?

green underwear from GreenKnickers

You can also check out the other eco-friendly underwear on Ethical Weddings, including some from fashion designer and PETA advocate Stella McCartney, Eco-boudoir and Luva Huva.

Luva Huva's eco-chic underwear

I’m still shopping for more unique, eco-friendly wedding stuff…so stay tuned!

I am in many ways a conservative, traditionalist, classicist. (What is the politically correct term, anyway?) I like crisp white shirts and pearl earrings. But I do like to tap into my crazy, non-conformist side of the brain sometimes, which is why I have just been tickled crazy by these INSPIRED weddings I saw on my favorite wedding blogs.

One site I love is Offbeat Bride. It is so refreshing and inspiring to see these brides make their weddings their own. Just check out this couple’s wedding. Don’t you just adore the rocker concert vibe of the wedding? Makes you realize that you can do anything you want for your wedding because, well, it is your wedding, isn’t it? (Another site that I love checking out, but is on hiatus right now, is The Unbride.)

Emily and Ian "on stage" at their rockin' wedding

Themed weddings have been around forever, and I love going to such celebrations. But unconventionally themed weddings are becoming more and more popular. I’ve come across so many, like this wedding featured on Vintage Glam Weddings. Don’t you love the sunshine yellow and black motif? And the too-cool invitations?

Library themed wedding invitations

I love their colors!

I’ve seen other fantastic themes (like this one on Once Wed)—circus, the 1920s, etc.—and all of them have been executed with perfection. This week, one wedding that really caught my attention is this wedding I saw on Green Wedding Shoes. You’ll swoon—like I did—when you see the photos from the wedding of this über creative and cool couple, Tim and Merrill. Here’s a sneak preview:

Love, love, love the bride and groom

Sooo FUN!

All weddings should be this cool, unique and absolutely FUN.

PS. As a postcript to my previous post on hair pieces, you have to check out these bridal veils and hair accessories on Junebug Weddings. *Swoon*

When we talk about hairstyles, as I did in my previous post, it’s inevitable that we also talk about headpieces, or all those pretty things you can put on your head as you walk down the aisle—whether you’re bride or bridesmaid. I’ve been seeing a lot of fantastic ideas for headpieces in some of my favorite wedding blogs.

Oh Joy! had pretty lacy headbands and hair combs from Tree & Kimball that would go perfectly with the multi-hued summer dresses we’ve been seeing of late. They also featured these headbands before, which I think are just quirky but still very pretty. Wedded Bits Blog also featured these cheap but so-chic headbands from Bambako.

Oh Joy!'s colorful hair pieces

Fascinators are really big right now, too. They’re those really ornate, decorative headpieces usually made with flowers, feathers, and beads. Blush Events blogged about the fascinating fascinator, while this bride from 100 Layer Cake, who also sported this delicate headpiece, was truly tres chic.

Fascinating fascinators

Flowers, real or faux, are also the easiest—and cheapest—decorative item for your hair. A Practical Wedding is bringing back real flowers, fresh dahlias in particular, with a bang. One big flower on the head can also be very chic seventies—just check out this bride from Vintage Glam Weddings. Love the floral hair piece and vintage dress!

Vintage Glam

This bride on Style Me Pretty had on a pretty headpiece-slash-veil, too. I also saw these photos on Junebug Weddings. Check out the pretty pink headpiece. It is a little more avant-garde for most brides. But isn’t it fabulous?

But what I love, love, love the most is this photo I saw on Kiss The Groom. Don’t you just love this turban-inspired veil? A true gypsy rose!

So ethereal and lovely!

PS. Check out these headpieces for the flower girls. So cute!

I am in desperate need of a haircut. I’ve been so busy doing work and this blog—which I never really consider work —that I haven’t had time to sit down for an hour for a simple trim. It almost feels like I am planning a wedding.

And so I have resorted to wearing my really long and lifeless hair up in a ponytail…which later on got me thinking of other creative ways to wear my hair. I mean, there has got to be other options besides Goody Ouchless elastics, right? Which, of course, led me to the idea for this post: wedding hairstyles—particularly for those with hair issues like mine.

Bridal Buzz had answers. The classic french twist is, of course, a bridal favorite. But it’s french twist with another twist: Forget perfectly slicked back, totally uptight and untouchable coifs, the new version is fresher and more relaxed.

French twist with a TWIST

Perfect Bound gave the lowdown on the best hairstyles for summer weddings, taking inspiration from the celebs. I particularly loved Sarah Michelle Gellar’s “controlled messiness,” as they called it. Don’t you just see it in a fabulous beach wedding? If you want something more classic and elegant, check out Tyra’s style. It is perfectly polished, but not uptight-looking. And while you’re at the site, you might as well view their post on the worst summer weddings hairstyles. I love Drew…but that hairstyle…

 

Go easy breezy a la Sarah

Or classically elegant like Tyra

Sarah Michelle’s hairstyle is the one I’m digging the most. I saw a post on The Wedding Chicks showing a bride sporting the same beach-y wedding hairstyle. (And yes, her wedding was at the beach.) But this other bride, Marie, also on The Wedding Chicks, is  inspiring, too: Forget updos, she’s showing off her glorious locks! Her message (to me) is loud and clear: Time to ditch the elastics and visit my stylist.

Another way to do Sarah's hairstyle

Marie ditches the updo and shows off her crowning glory

In every wedding, one thing that really gets the center of attention—quite literally, too—is the table centerpiece. Most brides fail to remember this, and they think that the usual floral arrangements will just do.

Don’t get me wrong. I loooove flowers. (For my wedding, it was raining flowers.) Nothing is more romantic and prettier. But there’s also something to be said when you do something out of the ordinary when you plan and execute your wedding. So it’s not sacrilegious to not have flowers for your centerpieces—take it from a literal flower child.

You can blame these über original brides who got me thinking about centerpieces other than the floral variety. Intimate Weddings featured one couple who had origami floral centerpieces for their wedding, with both mom and bride buckling down for the crafty job. Can you just imagine the labor that went into those centerpieces?

Paper flowers from Intimate Weddings

Not liking paper? How about cloth? Classic Bride had another idea for a floral alternative, and it is cute. Oh Joy! also had faux yet ultra-fabulous roses. I never had a liking for anything fake, but if fakes look anything this gorgeous (and not illegal), then faux can be absolutely fab.

Classic Bride's jersey flowers

Fabric roses at Oh Joy!

To celebrate the Fourth of July, The Wish Blog did a story on the colors red, blue, and white (and we did too in our last post, by the way…wink, wink), and I saw this fresh idea for a centerpiece: strawberry topiary. Isn’t it just divine and so elegant?

Yummy strawberry topiary

And speaking of edible centerpieces, Our One Heart shared another yummy idea: cupcakes. Seriously, who can resist these sinful treats? It may have to take all of my willpower though not to ruin the table decor if I were a guest in this wedding. These centerpieces are not for the weak of heart.

Our One Heart's sinful delight

Summer always inspires us to bring out a lot of color in our clothes, accessories, home, and, of course, our wedding. I wasn’t particularly fond of color before, but after attending all those super chic summer weddings, I am beginning to rethink our bedroom—it’s set in neutral tones, which is very Zen, according to hubby.

Well, these weddings that I saw while trawling my favorite blogs would certainly have my Zen-loving hubby take a deep yogic breath. They have so much color and energy—and I absolutely love it! Style Me Pretty had a chic red, white, and blue affair for a summer barbecue wedding. And do take note of the table napkins-slash-place-cards: They weren’t matchy-matchy at all, and they gave the wedding a bit more quirk and fun. Truly Engaging did a similar take on this patriotic scheme. It was a military wedding—how apt is that?

Style Me Pretty's red, white, and blue barbecue wedding

Yellow is a color I’m particularly feeling right now. Inspired Goodness shows why. Paired with turquoise, yellow becomes even more gorge. For the color-phobe, do it a la Classic Bride, with lemon yellow paired with cafe au lait or black.

Jessica and Eric's yellow-and-turquoise wedding

Classic Bride's Parisian Cafe mood board for the color-phobe

But orange seems the color de rigueur these days. Polka Dot Bride shared the many ways you can use zesty orange in your wedding. This beach wedding featured in Snippet & Ink was also feeling citrusy, so were these flowers and cake in Bellissima Vita.

Roslyn and Andy's beach wedding, featured in Snippet & Ink

Bellissima Vita's wedding cake by Carolyn Wong

Nothing says summer more than yellow and orange. Can’t choose? Check out how The Perfect Palette mixes these two.

The Perfect Palette's yellow-orange-latte winning combo

But this one takes the cake, so to speak: Lucky Me featured a wedding with a more-than-one-color scheme. The wedding was like a candy store, and I’m pretty sure the guests had a kick out of this fun, fun wedding. Don’t you just love it?

Lucky Me's bride takes on colorful bridesmaids...fun!

Which brings me back to my dilemma: You think hubby would say yes to neutrals and turquoise?