Begin the magic of your wedding day with Alicia's Bridal and The Formal House, located in Bellingham, WA. Helping to make dreams come true for over 50 years. Let us help make your wedding day dreams come true. Whether you're planning a simple, beach affair or an elaborate, formal extravaganza, we want to be there for you.
Begin the magic of your wedding day with Alicia's Bridal and The Formal House, located in Bellingham, WA. Helping to make dreams come true for over 50 years. Let us help make your wedding day dreams come true. Whether you're planning a simple, beach affair or an elaborate, formal extravaganza, we want to be there for you.
The 2012 Bridal Inspirations Wedding Expo is on January 8th, 2012 at the Best Western Lakeway Inn. Save the Date!
Vendors interested in participating should email brittany@bbjeanevents.com for your vendor information packet and registration forms.
Hope to see you there!
(more...)Hello Lovlies and Happy Friday! We’re basking in the incredible sunshine today and couldn’t be happier to soak in the warm weather! We hope you are too (or at least you will after reading our blog post!). Today we’re presenting some fun and beautiful decoration ideas all made from paper. It’s all about finding thrify and creative ideas that you can buy or easily create that will provide some visual bang for very few bucks. We hope you’re just as smitten with them as we are 
Paper pom poms. So fun and sweet and incredibly easy to make. I love the monochromatic look where bunches of them are hung up in shades of pinks (or whatever your wedding colors are). They’re an easy way to dress up the ceiling at your reception space and to bring more color in. They’re easy to buy but even easier to make on your own. Photo found via here, how to instructions here.
I love these paper garlands. They can easily be made with fabric, but paper makes it easy to put together and customize. This one is found via Martha Stewart and they use them as escort cards, but you could utilize them draped around the ceiling, or table fronts or even string them to make a whimsical ceremony background. And try different shapes: triangles, or squares or circles to mix and match. Best part is they even provide a template for you to attempt this one your own! Love!
What happens when you take a whole bunch of origami paper flowers and put them together?? Photo found via here. Well let me show you!
Shazam! Cool right?! Now picture them in your colors! They make a fun way to have wedding flowers that you can start working on months before the big day. Going a little more formal? These make a great centerpiece for showers or rehearsal dinners too. Bouquet photo found via here. I love this idea if you’re keeping your wedding a little more relaxed and even more if you have yourself a big group of bridesmaids and you’re trying to keep things on a budget. Fun times!
How scrumptious are these garlands?! Of course it’s another Martha Stewart creation found via here. Kudos to them for giving crafty brides plenty of ideas to be smitten about. How dreamy does that tissue paper look layered together behind the bar? Or perhaps your ceremony area. Swoon!!
What do you think? Anything here that might make your wedding a little more fun without breaking the bank?
(more...)As a bride-to-be, planning your wedding is exciting stuff and you no doubt have your priorities. Whether it’s The Dress, or amazing photography, kitschy and cool details, each bride has elements that are most important to her that she’s looking forward to taking care of the most (and often first!). However, when it comes to booking your vendors, there’s a definite hierarchy of whom you should book and when to ensure that each detail gets handled as perfectly as possible. Here’s our order for who you should book, how early and why!
1. Wedding coordinators/designers: We get the pleasure of working with some fantastic wedding planners in town and the biggest frustration they have is late booking brides for so many reasons. It doesn’t give them as much time to help you finalize those last, but oh so important details, they often have recommendations on better or more affordable (or all of the above) vendors that they could have referred you to if you’d booked the planner first, and often they get last minute bookings by brides who are turning to them at the last moment due to getting too busy or having too much going on that they could have saved the bride from allowing you to be a stress free bride.
How to avoid all the craziness: Book your planner first. Even if you’re on the fence about utilizing one, meet with a few, see what their services have to offer you and decide from there. They’re a necessity to smart brides who want to enjoy their wedding day and the earlier you book the more referrals, advice and stress free engagement days they can offer you. They often pay for themselves with the amount of time they save you, creative planning ideas they offer and seamless set up and management of your wedding.
When to book: Right after you you’ve said YES!
2. Photographers: Photography is so subjective. Each bride has a style that visually appeals to her the most and often the best photographers get booked early on. And let’s face it, photography is the one major keepsake and heirloom you keep from the day! You’ll want to ensure that you get the one that makes you the most happy!
What to do: Search early and book fast. If you’re using a wedding coordinator, let them help you navigate the large sea of photographers by narrowing down options based on your style and budget. If not, begin by selecting 3-5 photographers that offer photos that really speak to you, contact them for rates and from there meet with your favorite 2 or 3. Make sure to look for personality and whether they make you comfortable or your skin crawl. They’ll be in your bubble a lot that day and making sure you’re compatible ensures that you’ll look comfortable and relaxed in your photos.
When to book: Right after your coordinator, or if not using, as soon as you’re engaged and have your date picked.
3. Venue: The venue is the piece that helps carry your theme out. Elegant and romantic, quirky and unique, laid back and casual, your venue will be the backdrop to your big event and you’ll need to select a location that will help you carry out your wedding as stylishly as you’d dreamed. It’s important to select a location that fits with what you have in mind. If you’re picturing silver plated candelabras and crystals hanging from the ceilings, a barn isn’t your best bet (even if it is cheap!). The amount of extra work involved to make that space look like you’re envisioning will bust your budget, consume a lot of extra time and be a lot more work then necessary. Instead, begin visiting a few spaces . . . even if you think they may be out of your budget and see what services they offer. If they include chairs, tables and other important amenities, the price may not be as bad as you think!
What to do: Again, if you’ve a coordinator, start there! They’ll do the legwork for you to get started. If not, start researching online, or check out the phone book. Consider getting creative with locations. If you’re wedding is more casual, places like boathouses, community centers, friends’ houses or local parks may make for unique and affordable locations. Don’t immediately rule out a place if the pictures look strange online. If there’s any sense of promise take the time to walk in the space and get a feel for it in person.
When to book: 14-9 months before your wedding
4. Catering: Catering services vary from full service to simple drop off of food. This is also where most brides spend the biggest portion of their reception budget. First determine what you’re looking for and what would best fit your theme. If your venue includes catering this step may be done for you, if not you’ll need to first find out if they have preferred caterers that you’re required to select from. Food is also very subjective and like photography you’ll want to make sure the company is a good fit for you by having a tasting, getting a feel for the type of events they do most often and what types of additional services they can offer you (staffing, dishes and glassware included? bartending?)
What to do: Begin interviewing caterers and creating some sample menus of what you’re thinking. Narrow down your selections and make sure to schedule a tasting and get a full proposal to see what you costs include.
When to book: 6 months-1 year before your wedding
5. The Dress: Dresses take a lot longer to receive then most brides think! Unlike dresses off the rack, most bridal boutiques have sample dresses in their stores and your dress that is ordered is made for your body. It’s why the cost, quality, and details are greater then big box, off the rack stores and it’s what makes your dress uniquely yours.
What to do: In our opinion, it’s never to early to start shopping for the dress! It will help you visualize your wedding day and theme even more.
When to start the hunt: 6 months – 1 year before your wedding. Plan on 3-6 months for your dress to get shipped to you and around 2-3 months for alterations.
(more...)A preview of the beautiful gowns coming our way from the new 2012 Sincerity Line by Justin Alexander. Can’t wait to see these gowns in person!
(more...)We offered up a some ideas for man gifts a few weeks ago. Now it’s time for the ladies! We’re following some similar premises here, opting for gift ideas that your gals would happily utilize again long after the big day is done (we’re anti-”I’m-the-maid-of-honor”-tees). But we’ve also considered a few things that lend itself to custom options. What girl doesn’t love to get a gift that you got specifically for her? Exactly. See what you think!
First up is jewelry from Heidi Hull Designs. While gifting your girls with jewelry they can wear to the main event isn’t a new idea, ordering custom made pieces for each maid may not have crossed your mind yet. We love the idea of selecting a single gem or bead style, like pearls, and ordering each piece to reflect the personality of each bridesmaid. You’ll have a beautifully cohesive group of women by your side and they’ll appreciate that you didn’t select a cookie cutter set of stones to grace them that day. And even better, when you order from Heidi Hull, your pieces come beautifully packaged with their tagline “Made Especially for You”. Perfection! Prices vary. Contact directly to discuss what options would be available in your price range.
We offered up a cookbook on the men’s post and it’s only fair we present one here as well. We love the idea of gifting a cookbook that reflects your wedding – Especially the one above that’s all about chic camping food, perfect for a woodsy wedding! But again, you can also buy to the women that are with you and select a book that reflects each of them individually. If their favorite food Thai or chocolate? Do they love to bake or mix up specialty cocktails at girls’ night? Have fun picking out what might suit them best and be sure to write a special message to them inside. Campfire Cookery available at Amazon. $20
We found these on Etsy and absolutely adored them! These custom clutches by Davie and Chiyo are lovely and perfect for a formal wedding. They offer up a variety of styles and colors allowing you to tailor each one individually. Or simply select one in the color of your wedding and select individual styles. Prices start at $80 but go down depending on the number ordered.
Toms are pretty big right now and we can’t agree more that they look pretty fun too. Especially their line of glitter Classic Toms in gold, black, blue, silver, pink, and white. If you’re the kind of bride that expects your ladies to get down on the dance floor, these would make a fun and definitely re-usable gift. Your gals can kick off their formal stilletos after your portraits are done and kick their heels up to the music. $54 available at Toms.
Have you checked out Jonathan Adler yet? We love all of the fun, modern and happy things that are available on that site. Like this uber chic and fun reed diffuser. After the scent is gone, you’re still left with a beautiful and trendy bud vase. Or these crazy adorable elephant salt and pepper shakers…or his line of cheerful office supplies and stationery papers. I mean honestly, I could spend all day swooning over the pieces available here. He has quite a few pricey pieces but the option to shop by price range on his website is handy allowing a bride with any budget to shop accordingly.
Now to wrap it all up. The Wedding Chicks has a variety of super cute tote bags to choose from on their site starting at just $10! Many can be customized (I’m thinking names of your maids? Or a fun phrase or inside joke shared between you all?) or simply choose from one of the many cute designs they already have available. We’re smitten with the retro orange heart pattern, but see what you think! They have designs that scream of vintage, modern, retro, and more.
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