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Twirl Talk Friends…we are calling you into action one more time!!  You successfully helped us win Best Wedding Vendor Blog and now we are now trying to win BEST OVERALL WEDDING BLOG!

Please take a few more minutes and vote for us again:  http://weddings.weddingchannel.com/wedding-planning-ideas/bridal-blog-awards/articles/bridal-blog-awards-winners.aspx

Voting ends July 23, so you have 1 more day to vote!  Thank you for your support!!

-The Twirl Girls

The trend of wearing the same color bridesmaid dresses and different styles has been around for awhile and is here to stay.  Recently though, I have seen some of our brides doing just the opposite, choosing the same style dress but different colors.  I love this idea.  In fact I originally wanted to do the same thing for my wedding over 10 years ago.  It’s fun to see what brides are pulling together and creating with this idea in mind when at Twirl.

What I’ve seen that works best is when brides stick to a different shade of the same color, or different colors but still on the same side of the color wheel.   Most designers set up their swatch cards in this sort of  fashion.  Which is a good place to start.

Some examples we have seen are one bride had her girl’s all wear different shades of blue, from light to medium to dark.  Another choose all different pale colors.  And my recent favorite picked three dresses in shades of blue/green.    She choose the beautiful Amsale dress style G426C shown below in the colors hydrangea, pacific, and ocean.  She is going to keep the bouquets in a simple cream wrapped with twine.  I can’t wait to see her pictures.  It is going to look amazing.

-Jenni

With Sex and the City premiering this week, we couldn’t resist posting the uber-fabulous bridal shower thrown this past weekend for one of our Twirl Talk fans, Meagan, in New York City.

The event began with a mystery text instructing the bride to go home and look in her closet.  There she found a little black dress, hot pink accessories, and instructions to await her transportation that would arrive at 5:30pm.

From there, she was welcomed to the SATC-themed bash by her bridesmaids and their accommodating hubbies, who dressed in tuxedo tees and served food and drink at the party.

• Guests’ stiletto’ed invite asked them to don the apparel of their favorite SATC character and a “costume contest” was later held, with the bride acting as judge.
• Upon arrival, guests were instructed to select name tags indicating which SATC-character they most identified with: Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda
• Hot pink and black were the colors of the evening
• Flirtinis and cosmopolitans were the signature cocktails of the evening, served in hot pink martini glasses

• Table centerpieces were comprised of black feathers, hot pink hydrangeas, and “diamonds”
• A pink-and-black New York City skyline cake was baked using the Magnolia Bakery recipe and was adorned with a Manolo Blahnik and pearl necklace

• The Sex & the City Movie soundtrack was playing throughout the evening
• Guests received copies of the Sex & the City Movie DVD as prizes for the night’s various games
• The bride received a SATC-themed gift from her bridesmaids, which included a gift bag for each character… each filled with character-appropriate lingerie (think conservative and classy for Charlotte; leopard print for Samantha)

 Photos courtesy of brides cousin, Katyln Wolfgang

What an amazing group of friends Meagan has – I think Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte would approve!

-Keri

Our guest blogger this week is Angela, from Angelina Rose Photography.  We love how she is ‘going green’ with her photography!

Being an eco-friendly photographer takes a bit more than going digital, now today’s norm in wedding photography.  Originally from the East Coast, I am an earthy crunchy photographer, putting a fresh spin on the ordinary West Coast landscape. Using the natural environment for lovely images often takes the photographer and bride on an adventure to find that ultimate spot where art and beauty merge into one.

Angelina Rose Photography is dedicated and committed to preserving and protecting the environment. The staff encourage brides to offset their wedding carbon footprint by providing an alternative route while personalizing their wedding day to be as unique as the individuals involved. That route begins when you decide to work with us.
When you book a wedding with Angelina Rose Photography, 10% of your initial deposit is donated to the Nature Conservancy to preserve Coral Reefs from around the world.

It was only natural to intertwine my earth-friendly lifestyle with my business etiquette and make a conscientious decision to put forth the effort in reducing, reusing, and recycling as much as possible. From the albums to the final packaging, we fuse creativity with simplicity while remaining elegantly chic.

As a wedding photographer, I see the details that go in to a wedding from floor runners, to table clothes, floral arrangements, and party favors. A lot of it goes into the trash bin at the end of the night.

Being eco-friendly is cost efficient. It requires a bit of research and family involvement, but no more than you would normally have to do to plan a wedding.  It brings out more creativity and participation on the bride and groom’s part and just a bit of personalization makes ones wedding all the more unique.
Who needs a huge white cake when you could have many small cakes and intermingle them with cupcakes!

Often times, less is more and more is less. Simplicity is best!

- Angela Simpson

Owner, Angelina Rose Photography

When deciding what length bridesmaid dress to choose for your wedding you first want to decide on the theme.  Will you be having a black tie formal event, or a backyard garden wedding?  Once you know the location and the look of your wedding you can easily pick what length bridesmaid dresses to start shopping for.

For a formal wedding, you want to choose floor length dresses.   Long dresses should brush the floor and expose very little of their shoes underneath.

For a semi formal, you want to look for tea length.  Tea length dresses fall between the bottom of the knee and the bottom of the calf.

For an informal wedding, you can venture into cocktail length.  This length should hit right at or above the knee.

Even after choosing a length you might consider allowing your girls to hem their dress wherever it looks best on them.  This is a great idea if your girls have a wide range in height.  Someone who is 5”2 may feel uncomfortable wearing a tea length dress as it cuts them off and makes them look even shorter.  If allowing free reign scares you, you can always tell the girls to hem an inch or two below the knee.  This still gives the look of tea length but is not so long it looks unflattering. 

Of course I always say do what you want, because there are exceptions to the rules.  Your wedding day is all about your vision.  And there are some locations where more than one length will be appropriate.  For example, a wedding on the beach which lends itself to be more causal, if done in a light flowy fabric, like chiffon, your bridesmaids would look beautiful in floor length dresses. 

The trend Twirl has started to see within the last year are designers creating either floor or cocktail length dresses and moving away from tea length .  Overall, you want your bridesmaid dress style to complement the look and feel you are trying to achieve.

-Jenni

Yesterday I had a temporary panic attack when I looked at the calendar and realized that it was the exact 8 week out mark until I am officially Mrs. McBrayer!  While there is nothing I can tell you to avoid having the same mini panic attack, hopefully these next points will help alleviate the stress that could follow.

Here are just a few things that I decided were the most important to get done in order to be able to enjoy the time we have left in our engagement:

• Invitations in the mail – exactly 8 weeks out – make sure invitations are mailed. 
• Touch base with your vendors to set up appointments for final preparations. 
• Meeting with coordinator  -  I am meeting with my friend who is coordinating our wedding and venue contact next week to go over everything and make sure we are all on the same page.  We will also figure out the final number of tables so the florist can also be prepared as well.
• Meet with florist – make sure everyone is covered – mothers’ flowers, ushers, guest book attendant, readers, anyone else that plays a part in  your wedding.
• Bridal gown fitting – make final preparations to have your final fitting and arrangements to have your dress pressed/steamed before the big day.
• Bridal Portraits – not a requirement, but something fun to do if you want to display your picture at the reception.
• Hair appointments – talk to your stylist and make your appointments to do your color touch ups and trim and to do a trial run of your hair and make-up.  I am using my bridal portrait day as my trial run.
• Rehearsal Dinner – send out invitations and make sure everything is on target to run smoothly.  If your future in-laws are handling, let them handle it.  If you are doing it yourself (like we are) then do not be afraid to ask for help.  I asked a couple of my aunts to handle the day of prep for us.  You will go crazy otherwise:)
• Meet with your Minister/Officiant – we are doing a few counseling sessions with our Minister, so be sure and get those scheduled if you need to.  You will also go through and discuss the outline of the ceremony during this time.
• Programs – after your meeting with your minister you can start laying out how the program will flow and get them printed.
• Bachelorette Party- if you aren’t going on a formal bachelorette party, then just plan a fun night out with friends.  You will need it!
• Thank You Notes – have a plan for thank you notes – get them personalized or printed before the wedding so you have them ready for when you get back from the honeymoon.
• ENJOY – have a few date nights where wedding talk is banned.  Just enjoy being an engaged couple and relax!

I hope these few hints keep you from having a meltdown!  There are wedding checklists out there to help you keep it all straight.  The Knot offers a personalized one with your wedding date.  Just remember to breathe and in the end you will be married and that is what is important!

Happy Planning!

-Ty

Twirl in Chandler, Ariz. is giving 47 Valley teens a chance to say “yes!” to the prom dress at a special after-school event on Friday, April 9 from 3 to 6 p.m. The area’s newest bridal boutique located in the Watermark Shopping Center, is hosting the “47 Dresses” giveaway to help ensure every girl that wants to go to prom not only has the chance to, but is outfitted in a stunning new dress.

In an effort to make prom night even more memorable, local high school students are invited to select from fashions by prestigious designers including Watters, Priscilla of Boston, and JLM Couture – all of which previously served as in-store sample dresses. Dress sizes range from 8 to 10, and alteration services will also be available (standard tailoring fees apply). During the event, students will fill out a ticket including their dress choice and size, which will be entered into a drawing for that particular dress (no purchase necessary). The “47 Dresses” winners will be contacted to pick up their gowns at Twirl’s Chandler location following the event. Attendees will also have the opportunity to peruse the boutique’s wide selection of accessories to complete their ensemble. 

WHAT:            Twirl Boutique Hosts “47 Dresses” Prom Event
WHEN:             Friday, April 9    3-6 p.m.
WHERE:          Twirl Boutique in Chandler

Watermark Shopping Center
(on Gilbert Road between Germann and Queen Creek, off the San Tan Freeway)
2410 S Gilbert Road                  
480.722.0000