guest blogging with The Wedding Salon

So happy to have The Wedding Salon joining me today as they reveal the latest trends for weddings - which includes crystal ball cake toppers, engagement ring centerpiece accents and Era engagement shoots. Just wait until you see the photos from one of these engagement shoots - you are going to love it. And, now, here's The Wedding Salon . . .

Magical Weddings are All the Rage with Fantasy Accents,
Elaborate Detailing and Celebrity-Style Wedding Gowns

Brides' fantasy weddings came to life at The Wedding Salon at The Gansevoort, Miami Beach. The nation's finest designers including Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings, Ana Paz, Chic Parisien and Grande Affaires showcased the ultimate trends for the months ahead. "Brides are always looking for unique and never-before seen ideas to add the glam to their big day.  We were thrilled to showcase the most intricate detailing, new concepts and ways to add a personal touch to any wedding," says Wedding Salon Founder and renowned Celebrity Event Planner, Tatiana Byron.  

Ana Paz "Blinged-Out" Cake, Ana Paz Crystal Ball Cake

Left: Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings diamond-accented rosette table
Right: from Miami-based Trias Flowers {showing that crystals and candles are still a huge trend}

Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings showcased a new way for brides to flaunt their engagement rings with a fantasy rosette table display filled with engagement ring diamond accents that mirror the bride's perfect bling. Staying with the bling theme, Ana Paz created a one-of-a-kind four-tier layered cake with one layer created entirely with a crystal ball. Embellished with mosaic crystals and diamond-shaped glass, the crystal ball can bring wedding cakes to a new realm with tea-light electric candles glistening in the crystal layer.

Left: criss-crossed sloped-ceiling chuppah, dripping with crystals & orchids designed by Grande Affaires.
The gown underneath is by Chic Parisien.
Right: Marchesa mini, recently worn by Tori Spelling at her vow-renewal {carried by Chic Parisien in Miami}

Chic Parisien brought celebrity weddings to a whole new level with Tori Spelling's very own Marchesa gown worn at her recent vow-renewal.  The chic strapless short mini-dress with tulle overlay and crystal embellishments is the perfect gown for a vow-renewal or even for a quick dress change at the reception. As for hair? Crystal headbands and orchid hair pins will be the perfect accent to add drama to the perfect mini.

Chuppahs, dripping with crystal and garlands of orchids, by Grande Affaires showed a new trend of a criss-cross designed ceiling. This criss-cross design gave a sloped effect of a 12- foot ceiling raining crystals and orchids over the bride and groom. Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings additionally played with shapes by using embellished linens and tied sashes to create an hour-glass shape on their cocktail tables. With accents that emulate a wedding gown, this hour-glass table takes cocktail hour décor to a whole new level.

As for Photography, In Focus Studio revealed the newest trend in pre-wedding photo shoots, Era Engagement Shoots. Paying homage to WWII and modern-day classic films, such as The Notebook, In Focus Studio creates the ultimate time-piece photos with real props including WWII war planes, old railroads and rowboats. Attention to detail is key for these Era Engagement Shoots as every detail from the bride-to-be’s attire and jewelry to nail color and makeup must match the Era illustrated in the photo shoot.

All Photos above courtesy of In Focus Studio

sponsored post by The Wedding Outlet

Take your wedding decorations to a new level with a custom wedding banner from The Wedding Outlet. Banners are great for tables, doors and even your ceremony aisle. This new wedding trend is certainly a must have for your wedding ceremony and reception.

Banners: These adorable banners are sure to grab the attention of your guests. They are also a great alternative to the traditional flower girl basket and ring bearer pillow. You could opt for the traditional "Here Comes the Bride" banner or get creative with the Custom Celebrations Banner.

This Celebrations Custom Banner is perfect for any occasion. You can add three custom lines of text on this durable, poly canvas banner. Be humorous, solemn or as witty as you want. It's a great way to add a pop of individualized style to any event. And this one-of-a-kind detail looks great decorating your wedding aisle.

Banners & Signs: Add a touch of personalized charm to your wedding day by hanging a banner on the doors of the church or the walls at your reception. Fashioned with a blend of timeless style and contemporary appeal, these popular banners are a beautiful way for brides and grooms to add a personalized touch of color to their ceremony or reception.

Table Runners: Enhance your reception decor with a custom wedding table runner. A table runner is perfect for your head table, gift table or even your dessert table at your wedding reception or bridal shower. Match the table runner to your wedding colors and personalize it with your names, wedding date or monogram.

To see the full collection, please visit the Wedding Banners and Table Runners on The Wedding Outlet's shop. And, for today ONLY, ground shipping at The Wedding Outlet is just $4.95 on any order below $150 and as always FREE ground shipping on all orders over $150.

I was honored to be able to send in some questions and have Alison Rowe provide her insight into this season's most popular wedding trends. The questions I asked her are shown below, along with a brief summary of Alison's reply. To see Alison's answers and explanations in more depth, please watch the video below.

1. Are you seeing lots of ruffles with wedding gowns?
There's lots of gowns with ruffled detail, short ones, lots of lace, and 3-d textural elements too

2. Are you seeing a transition to hairpieces instead of veils?
More and more brides are wearing beautiful jeweled pieces in their hair - as seen on the red-carpet.

3. Have you noticed a trend towards serving cupcakes or even multiple mini wedding cakes instead of one large wedding cake?
Many couples are thinking outside the box and cupcakes are definitely a more fun option. It's basically all about customizing what you would like for your wedding.

3. What are the popular wedding colors and themes this season?
Jewel tones as we are seeing in bridesmaids dresses and purple and green will be popular going forward. Popular themes include destination weddings {helps keep to a budget as they tend to be a smaller, more intimate gathering}, outdoor weddings and/or bringing the outdoors inside {cuts down on florals which cuts down on budget as well}, vintage inspired weddings {20's and deco styles}, and the vintage style is carrying over to jewelry as well.

About Alison Rowe, Bridal Expert and Editor
Her foray into the bridal industry began in the fashion and beauty department ofBridal Guide, where she was the Associate Fashion and Beauty Editor.  Four years later, Conde Nast tapped her to serve as the Accessories Editor at Modern Bride, where she had the opportunity to combine her enthusiasm for travel with her love for jewelry, covering accessory and fine jewelry markets both in the U.S. and abroad.  When the magazine was shuttered at the end of 2009, Alison became the Jewelry and Accessories Editor for the Bride and Bloom.

Guest Blogging with The Wedding Salon

The Wedding Salon recently took place in Los Angeles and today, they join me in sharing with you the Ultimate Celebrity Trends for Summer 2010 which includes vibrant shades of purple, peacock feathers, vertical installations and photo booths. According to The Wedding Salon, gone are the days of modest table displays and muted colors. Back for Summer 2010, there will be bright colors, textured accents & fantasy embellishments. Below is a press release from The Wedding Salon along with some spectacular photos from their LA event.

Brides' fantasy weddings came to life at The Wedding Salon as the nation's finest designers and celebrity event planners showcased the biggest trends for Summer Weddings: Peacock Feathers, Regal Shades of Purple, Vertical Installations and Textured Florals.

Dress My Party and Dolce Flower Designs {background installation by Revelry Event Design}

"Brides are always looking to stay ahead of the trends and discover the ways to add a celebrity touch to their weddings. We were thrilled to showcase the most colorful trends & over-the-top displays that will be all the rage in the months to come," says Wedding Salon Founder and renowned Celebrity Event Planner, Tatiana Byron.

The ultimate trend for Summer 2010 is Vertical Installations. Celebrity Event Planner, Edgar Zamora of Revelry Event Designers (Gwen Stefani, Demi Moore), created magical Chanel-inspired structures complete with larger-than-life paper-cut flowers. These tree-like vertical installations are a whole new play on displays, as the dance floor provides the canvas for a fantasy wedding. Primal Alchemy Catering showed that Vertical Installations can apply to food displays with their life-size palm trees filled with bite size delicacies.

Primal Alchemy Catering

Other key trends seen at The Wedding Salon were Peacock Feathers, Shades of Purples and Textured Fabrics. Bobbe Vagell’s Floral Concepts took Peacock Feathers to a whole new level creating a Sky-High Peacock as a centerpiece. This magical display incorporated feathers, elaborate spiraled branches and an array of purple and lavender florals. The result – a floral peacock, fit for a royal wedding.

Bobbe Vagell's Floral Concepts

Shades of Pinks & Purple did not just apply to table displays; Lanalia showcased their custom-made wedding shoes in shades of purple, raspberry and pink. R-Mine unveiled her latest collection of couture gowns complete with iridescent silk taffeta and red tulle.

The Registry @ Bloomingdale's, R-Mine Bridal

A huge celebrity trend seen at The Wedding Salon was the 15 x 15 Photo Booth. LA Photo Party is the go-to choice of celebrity event planner Mindy Weiss, as celebrities love to see their photos developed on site! With hundreds of props including banana hats, oversized sunglasses and even a clown’s nose, photo booths & props are the perfect additions to a fun-filled wedding.

As for honeymoons, with the economy on the upswing and the dollar stabilizing to the Euro, European honeymoons are back! The Leading Hotels of the World’s Il Palazzo at The Bauer in Venice is the ultimate dream for celebrity honeymoons. Following Angelina & Brad's lead, honeymooners will be flocking to magical Venice for their Summer 2010 honeymoon.

Guest Blogging with Melinda Morris of Brooklyn-based paperie, Lion in the Sun

Are you looking for a fun way to personalize your wedding? Go "city-centric" and highlight the places and landmarks where you first fell in love and will begin your new lives together as husband and wife! Each city is so unique and bursting with ideas to help couples personalize their big day, while being able to share with guests a bit of your relationship history.

As the owner of Brooklyn-based paperie, Lion in the Sun, Melinda Morris is an expert on wedding trends and has helped many soon-to-be-wed couples utilize the uniqueness of their city in their wedding planning and motif.

Here are a few ways to put the "city-centric" wedding trend to work for you:
- Use a vintage postcard from your city as a Save the Date
- Use a picture of a landmark in your city, such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge or the Sears Tower on the invitation
- Instead of numbers, name tables after popular neighborhoods in your city

"For so many couples, the city where you live really sets the tone for who you are and your lifestyle," says Melinda. "Whether it's where you met or where you live now (or even a combination), using city-centric themes in your wedding is a great way to make guests feel connected to you and the city you love."

Are you planning any "city-centric" ideas for your wedding? I'd love to hear how you will be incorporating city/cities into your special day.