By Elizabeth

Jennifer and I are pleased to announce that Shiny Orb Dressing Rooms are now open to all. We're extremely appreciative of the awesome help we've received from our beta testers. They've provided us with ample feedback and support.  So after intensely developing, testing, and iterating side by side with these brides, we are confident Shiny Orb Dressing Rooms is a feature brides and their bridal parties are going to enjoy.

Honestly, we thought up Shiny Orb Dressing Rooms out of frustration. It was just so hard to shop together online for bridesmaid dresses for Elizabeth's wedding. So, we decided to make things right for Jennifer's wedding and built Shiny Orb Dressing Rooms. We knew there were so many more modern brides in the same boat with their web savvy bridal parties scattered about. As more and more women move around the world to pursue their dreams, passions, and careers, we know this is an ever-increasing trend. That's why at Shiny Orb, our goal is to create an enjoyable social shopping experience for bridesmaid dresses and wedding apparel.

Create your own Shiny Orb Dressing Room today and let us know what you think!

Interview with Kim, by Elizabeth

           

Click here to download:

Wedding_hairstyles_updos_half-.zip (220 KB)

We had the chance to talk with Kim Larson, an independent professional hairstylist and makeup artist. She's got great advice on how to choose both a hair style and a hair stylist for your big day.

Editor's disclosure: Shiny Orb, a shopping site for inexpensive bridesmaid dresses, receives no form of compensation from this vendor.

What are popular hairstyles you're seeing for 2010 spring/summer weddings?

Popular styles are loose, free-flowing up-dos, sometimes done to one side of the head, pulled low on the nape, with maybe a small decorative pin or flower/feather.

Some of our brides are trying to decide whether to have an updo or half updo -- can you explain what each is and what to consider in deciding on an updo or half updo?

An up-do is a style where the entire hair is up and off the shoulders. It does not have to be a tight, ballerina bun! It can be soft and romantic. A "half-up" hairstyle is a technique where there is some hair up and some left down. There can be many variations.

From your experience, what are some common mistakes brides make when selecting a hair-do or a hair stylist? Or put another way, how should brides be thinking about their hair?  

The best advice is to collect pictures of styles that you like, bring them to the trial run and discuss them with your stylist. The bottom line is really how well you like the style on yourself, not just how it looks on a model.

Ideally, you should have a trial run, which is the only way you will know what to expect as far as your hairstyle on the big day. The trial run achieves two things- you (hopefully) get the look you love and you find out how well it will hold up over time. The biggest mistake brides can make is to skip the trial run, then there is sometimes disappointment on the wedding day.

Factors to consider when choosing a style are - does the style work for your hair type, does it fit in with the gown, will a veil/hair accessory work with the "do", etc??

Any tips on how to choose a wedding hairstylist? 

Choosing the right wedding hairstylist for the bride is an important decision. You want to choose a stylist that not only does a great job but also one that makes you feel comfortable. Typically, your hairstylist is the first person (vendor) that works with you on your big day. As it is a personal service, you want to hire a stylist that will not only make you look gorgeous but will also help you feel pampered and relaxed. The first step is to find someone that is highly recommended either from your wedding coordinator or online. Don't be afraid to ask for referrals or testimonials from past clients. I suggest contacting stylists several months before the wedding and definitely meet with them before the wedding, to see if you "click".

Kim Larson is a bridal hairstylist and makeup artist based in Carmel, CA. You can find more photos and her stellar client reviews on Project Wedding.

by Elizabeth

Beach brides, this blog post is for you. I had my wedding at Carmel River State Beach last June and started planning for my wedding last January. Because bridesmaid dresses can take months to order, now is a great time to start shopping for those perfect beach bridesmaid dresses.

I wanted to go with a blue, beachy theme, so I looked at a number of dresses and liked Alfred Angelo's style the best. My bridesmaids and I were also concerned about how windy the beach would be. As such, we narrowed our search to materials that would be heavy enough to withstand any gusts.

My bridesmaids and I narrowed our search down to 2 dresses, Alfred Angelo Style 6137 and Alfred Angelo Style 6128.

Alfred Angelo 6128, 6137, 6471 (left to right)

Both were made of quality Chiffon Satin material. Alfred Angelo is a great designer for quality, inexpensive bridesmaid dresses. Depending on the dress, you can expect to pay $80-$200 each. As a random aside, Melissa Rycroft also had a beach wedding and also chose Alfred Angelo Style 6471.

We ultimately chose Alfred Angelo Style 6128, because it wouldn't drag in the sand, and we all thought it was really cute. The dress took 4 months to arrive, and I was super happy with how it turned out. Great color, very cute dress. All of my bridesmaids did get their dresses slightly altered, but I highly recommend this style to anyone planning a beach wedding.  

Spring/summer brides, start looking, and let us know if we can help with your search.

by Jennifer

As 2009 draws to a close, it time to start looking ahead to 2010. 2010 will feel familiar to us on several fronts because several of the top trends of 2009 will be sticking around. As always, great wedding themes are timeless and classy. Happy new year, everyone!

Outdoor Weddings: This trend from 2009 looks like it might stay awhile. Outdoor weddings range from beach weddings to homey, backyard ceremonies. Not only is an outdoor wedding fun, it brings an intimate and personal touch to your special day. Combined with smaller guest lists, weddings are becoming more memorable even with a limited budget.

Nearby Honeymoon Destinations: Though times are tough, couples are still enjoying their honeymoons with smaller budgets. There are so many great places a stone's throw away. Just take a look around and you'll find that perfect getaway spot.

Focus on Memorable Experiences: Lots of brides are deciding to tone down wedding decor to focus on the wedding experience. Weddings are incorporating fun activities such as photo booths or non-traditional dance-down-the-aisle walks. Couples are providing their guests with candy bars reminiscent of favorite childhood moments or mini snacks like popcorn and hot dogs as fuel to keep the dance party going into the wee hours of the morning. With a little bit of creativity, the sky is the limit. Don't forget to hire a great photographer and/or videographer to capture the moments!

Feathers: I'm amazed at how often feathers have been featured of late. There are feathers in veils and invitations (PerfectWeddingGuide) and even entire wedding themes (WeddingPaperDivas) based on the gorgeous colors of peacock feathers! We've also seen peacock feathers taking center stage when we found turquoise inspiration boards.

Green Wedding: There's also a strong trend to make weddings better for the environment. This can range from using recycled materials for wedding invitations to serving only locally grown food. Many couples also decide to forgo the party favors and instead opt to donate the money to a nonprofit foundation giving the wedding a touch of philanthropy and good will. In fact, Elizabeth and Curt decided to put their party favor budget in kiva.org.

Different Bridesmaid Dresses: Finally, another major trend we're seeing is more flexibility with bridesmaid dresses. People are now looking for bridesmaid dresses that can be worn again for another special occasion. Brides are allowing their bridesmaids to wear "non-traditional" dresses and even different bridesmaid dress styles from each other. These days, bridesmaids will also look good and feel comfortable on their friend's big day.

Image by Jason Hutchens

By Jennifer

Pantone, the go-to expert on color trends, recently announced turquoise to be Color of the Year for 2010. "Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well-being." 

This calming color is a reflection of optimism and poses a contrast to the bright mimosa yellow color of 2009. Turquoise is the birthstone of December (my birthstone!) and also representative of fifth and eleventh wedding anniversaries. Some cultures believe the stone brings wealth, love, and happiness.

Why not bring some of that wealth, love, and happiness to your wedding?  We predict destination weddings and beach weddings with their beautiful landscapes and breezy attitudes will be a hit with this color. Bridesmaid dresses in turquoise can be found in many designer lines including Alfred Angelo and After Six.

We've found some inspiring turquoise palettes -- check them out on the following blogs:

• OneWed.com - Using the Dessy/PANTONE color collaboration, OneWed's style board features a classy turquoise, black, and white combination
• GreenWeddingShoes (summer pastel) (winter aqua) - The summer pastels board has hints of turquoise and looks beautiful and calming. Meanwhile, the snowy winter board brings some warm red into the picture
• The Bridal Party - This turquoise/teal/blue color combination has a unique inspiration: peacock feathers! Amazing wedding cake and great inspiration board.
• mywedding.com - Turquoise and raspberry look great together on this color board. I love the raspberry colored drink cans!
• papercouturiere - What about Tiffany & Co? Their signature color is a light turquoise and brings about this Tiffany-inspired board.