In the wake of our brilliant post on hair styles for your wedding day (hey, sometimes you just have to toot your own horn), we present to you the topper for your do. Some brides love ‘em, some brides hate ‘em … but one thing is certain. The veil is the icing on the cake to your look on your wedding day. Lately, these bad boys are coming back with a vengeance in a thousand different ways!

There is the not-so-veil option for the gal who just can’t get used to the traditional statement a veil makes. Hairpieces make a great alternative, and a gorgeous accessory. On top of that they are a little funkier and quirkier for the bride who just can’t be confined to all that lace.

Or, how about the gorgeous shorter styles. Ultra modern and super chic! I really adore this look, because it is in keeping with the classics (and let’s face it, a veil is a classic for a reason), but it is lighter while still being very feminine. In other words, it is a stellar alternative for the Cathedral or Chapel length veils.

In keeping with the vintage inspired weddings, the birdcage look has been tres popular. For good reason, though … this style is genuinely elegant. However, this particular veil-version calls for a cool, calm and confident bride (and we realize this may be a tall order on your wedding day). So, this funky, cool and bold style calls for a bride with similar qualities. Thus, we think the demure bride may want to opt for something a little more traditional, like …

The Chapel or Cathedral length veils are classic, simple and utterly show stopping. Think about it, when the church doors fly open or she turns the corner and faces her groom and her guests with a trail of lace following her, you want to cry, yes? We feel the same way. For all the gorgeous styles out there, the longer versions maintain the feel of “its my wedding and I’ll veil if I want to.”

So, we ask you, please, honor the veil. Respect the veil. Rock the veil.

So everyone thinks it’s hilarious when a planer is planning.  While seemingly relaxed during my year long engagement, the hubs thought it hilarious to keep me on my toes by letting me the wedding had to be resched 3 months before the date!!!  I know, it was INSANITY.  It was doable, however, and with the military or any other important cause, you do what needs to be done.  With good partners in crime, anything is possible, and I’d like to thank the wonderful people below that I am also honored to call my friends and colleagues in the industry.

* Every amazing image below courtesy of Tomme Hilton.

I couldn’t possibly cheat you out of the opportunity to judge me for yourself.  About us: we’ve spent the past four years meeting up in various corners of the globe and exploring, then heading back to normal life, apart.  While we still, although married, have not figured out how to live in the same geographic location, we are, nonetheless, blissfully happy.  I do warn people now that if they want movie romance, they should prepare themselves for a lot of airport scenes.

So here’s the deets:

First impression thanks to my dear friend, Bethany of Thistleberry Press in Savannah.  Fantastic custom letterpress!

Belle Couture lined Modern Trousseau up to help create the tea length number to fit our war wedding, as we aptly named it, since we had 3 months to replan when we found out my hubs couldn’t make our original date thanks to duty calling.  Of course Lella Foster had to help me accessorize and Ann at Charleston Stems made everything colorful and gorgeous!

Thanks to Hampton Park Gazebo and the infamous Trae at Granville’s for good food and good times!

Our signature:  We paid homage to our traveling ways with vintage luggage for displays and the ever-present-in-my-life airmail boxes as centerpiece containers.  Erich is a diver  and on his travels, he  sends me a shell from every dive, so those definitely had to be shown off!

Molly from D’Lish Desserts gave me the amped up red and clean lines to fit perfectly and my happy Manolos made it a truly a cinderella evening-* that and having the perfect prince charming *I’m assuming I get brownie points for the last line.

DJ Bryan Mahanes kept us rocking all night!

Of course, the most thanks to my team, the Yoj gals!

It was wonderful meeting so many of you great brides last month!  For those of you who couldn’t brave the weather, here are some shots you missed.

I really wanted to throw out some of the great dress up photos, but I can’t show future brides in the look for their big days!

Be on the lookout for the next one to check out some fun new wedding pros!

Thanks to all of the great vendors for sharing their advice D’lish Desserts, Wildflowers, Lella Foster, Action Media, Karson Photography, Belle Couture Bridal, and us!

Ok, so it’s like amazing how many people are putting out planning guides these days.  Go to any Barnes & Noble and you could spend hours flipping through planning guides and trying to figure out what you need.Of course, my fantastic partner Erin will be planning my wedding, but with all the decisions to be made, a girl has to have a book!  So there are a few things your planning guide should have, according to moi:-Vendor section: go for one with note sections for a few of each so you can keep all of your interview notes together-decor: lots of empty space for drawing writing, etc and graphing-style paper is a plus.-guest and bridal party:  easy to copy sheets and a separate section for your bridal party-timelines to help (always check with vendors in your area for accuracy)-binder style to add remove and juggle things around and there must be POCKETSAfter some fun in the section, I went with what has been my fave for a few years, the Karen Bussen Simply Stunning Planner.  It has all my requirements and runs for about $20.  Not expensive.  My wedding planner…once again, Erin herself, will keep tabs on the black and white but it’s beautiful and functional for what I need. 

So, the planner is becoming the bride.  I used to steal the J. Lo line to explain it to my clients that “Those who can’t do, plan,” and then I went and got myself engaged!  He’ll probably wake up the morning after the wedding freaking out, but for now, we’re just excited about our future together.  As the word spread, everyone was telling me how easy it must be since I probably know exactly what I want…WRONG!  I like to think I do what I do because I can take any style and make it beautiful for a bride (or at least it helps me sleep at night).So where do you begin when you have no clue?  Any event needs to have some consistent theme running through it.  It doesn’t need to be blatant, but you want things to flow if you are going to wow them!  I started with some very complicated tools- a pen and a sheet of notebook paper.  I made a list of the things that made us, us.  Places and activities that meant a lot, quirks about him and me, funny moments, etc.  Then I went to everyone’s best friend- google.  I searched image key words for inspiration and came up with this inspiration for my design.  I won’t bore you with all the details, but along the way, I thought I would send out how I’m doing things, to help you.  From one bride to another, some things will be easier than others, but before you get started know where you are going.   OH!  I know you are wondering, so yes I do have a planner and day-of planning services booked.  I intend to enjoy my day!  We’ll talk soon.