Bridal Beauty Roundup: Hair and Makeup Trends 2011

As photographers, we always have a close eye on the work of hair and makeup professionals, and we would like to spotlight the lovely looks of some of our recent brides, made possible with the help of their talented stylists.

© Wedding Creativo Photography

Bride Nadia: hair and makeup by Heather Rae from Art + Science Salon

Bride Marissa: makeup by Elisa Vekkos, hair by Montage Salon

Bride Vicky: hair by Samara Toby, makeup by Krystyn from Bridal Beauty Chicago

Bride Megan: hair and makeup by Holly Kasprisin / Chicago Bridal Hair and Makeup

Bride Kallie: hair by Lauren Brashears from ONE Salon & Spa, makeup by Valerie Ward from Mario Tricoci Salon

Bride Kate: hair and makeup by Beauty on Call

Ruffles are a mainstay for Wedding Fashions

Ruffles have been a part of weddings and formal fashions for generations.  However, we've been noticing ruffles incorporated in interesting new ways with our bride's wedding fashions and themes, and of course they are a mainstay for children's dresses.

Here are some recent ruffled wedding fashions we've recently come across.

Bridal Gowns by J.Crew

Bridal Gowns by Marchesa

Notte by Marchesa ruffle neck halter gown

Allen Schwartz vintage cascading ruffle gown

Notte by Marchesa strapless ruffle dress

J. Crew Starling short ruffle dress

Adam pastel peach ruffle tank dress

Lipsy frilled hem chiffon smock dress

Armand Basi short blue ruffled dress

Cocktail Dresses by Chris Benz

Cocktail Dresses by Ali Ro

Cocktail Dresses by BCBG MAX AZRIA

Cocktail Dresses by Notte by Marchesa

Wedding Fashions: Prairie Vintage Inspired Wedding Dresses

We recently enjoyed photographing Vicky and David's vintage style summer wedding, which included lovely cream and yellow colors, and fashions with an overall organic and natural feeling. 

Lately we've been seeing more cotton and natural fibers in wedding fashions. Here we share a few of these lovely finds of vintage prairie, pioneer, farm, and old-time country inspired styles for wedding dresses that we think Laura Ingalls Wilder (author of Little House on the Prairie) would pray for.

Free People vintage lace prairie dress

Chloé Linen and cotton maxi dress

Bridal Gowns by J.Crew

Cynthia Vincent tiered cami maxi dress

Day Dresses by Gypsy 05

Richard Nicoll Jersey Maxi Dress

Day Dresses at Boutique to You

Album Design Coordinates: Python and Silver

So, perhaps you would like your wedding album cover to match the kick-butt snakeskin and rhinestones heels you wore on your wedding day?  Not a problem for Wedding Creativo.  For these design coordinates, we are featuring snakeskin, python and silver.  And not a moment too soon, as this season's fashions seem to be flowing with snake-inspired styles.  For this coordinated pair of custom designed albums, our main inspiration was bride Steffanie's shoes and jewelry.  The large flush mount album cover is leather treated to look like silvery snake skin and the cute clutch book is shiny silver leather.

Wedding Photo of the Week: Alone Time

While the mini party following the ceremony on the trolley with the bridal party is always a fun, we also like when the limo ride to the reception is just for the newlyweds.  It is really romantic, and nice to have some alone time before celebrating the night away with family and friends.

© Wedding Creativo Photography

Wedding Fashion Inspiration: Wedding Shoe Trends Summer 2011

As we are now past the half way mark for 2011 wedding season (Labor Day is right around the corner!!!), we thought it would be a good time to take a look at wedding shoe trends we've been seeing lately. 

Top three colors with a bullet:

1. Black

2. Creams or nudes

3. Vibrant colors, the ever popular blue, but also reds and pinks

Top three details or styles of shoes:

1. Things that bling (did we mention our favorite color is shiny), rhinestones and other gems on the toe vamp or that cover the full shoe, as well as decorative silver, copper or gold toned shoe materials

2. Pearls or studs of some sort on the front vamp or that cover the full shoe.  Also we're still seeing the material flower details on the vamps that we started to notice last summer...glad to see those are still popular.  Similarly, we're now seeing more ruffle details over the toes as well.

3. Flats! Yes, ladies, sandals, flats and ballerina style slip-ons are making a big move this summer.  We're especially seeing this look with brides that are taller (or would be taller in high heels) than their grooms.

Here's the roundup highlighting the biggest trends we have been seeing in our recent weddings:

And, for the reception or after-party:

Hot designer styles:

Pumps by Stuart Weitzman

Shoes by Jimmy Choo
Shoes by Badgley Mischka

Pumps by Giuseppe Zanotti
Sandals by Prada

Flats by Vera Wang
Flats by Tod's

Destination Midwest: Yes Michigan Weddings!

The great state of Michigan has a lot to offer for destination weddings, especially for the "outdoorsy" types.  The eastern shores of Lake Michigan are chock full of sleepy bed and breakfast towns that are great for relaxing, fun and romantic weekends for wedding couples and their guests. 

There are dozens of wine vineyards stretching up the coast of western Michigan, with a large concentration in the north around the Traverse City area.  Nature and water recreation areas are found not only along Lake Michigan, but also other smaller clusters of lakes throughout the state.  Farms and farmer's markets are also in great abundance throughout the state, and many farms and barns offer couples unique spaces to host their wedding ceremonies and receptions. From our standpoint as folks who live in Chicago, our favorite thing about Michigan state is that it is on Eastern time.  This means the summer light lasts longer at the end of the time zone, with twilight even going past 10:00 pm the further north you are, especially around the solstice.  Also, Lake Michigan is quite a sight to behold as the sun goes down on the opposite side of what we are used to seeing in Chicago.  Overall, we love the rustic and warm Midwestern feel and the eclectic Americana flavor found throughout the state.  We think Michigan is a fantastic place for couples to consider for destination weddings.

Here are some recent favorites when we've been fortunate to join Chicago area couples for their destination weddings in Michigan.

Kate + Chad's wedding: Leland, Michigan

Click here to see more from Chad and Kate's wedding.

Becky and Fuad's wedding:  St. Joseph Michigan

Click here to see more from Becky and Fuad's wedding.

Chris and Melinda: Three Oaks, Michigan

Destination Midwest: Milwaukee Zoo Wedding

When you hear about destination weddings, typically the Caribbean or far away exotic place might come to mind.  However, the Midwest is chock full of exotic locations that could be considered for destination weddings a little closer to home.  For exotic AND offbeat, you can't go wrong with the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin.  Jason and Nicole had a fun and festive summer wedding at this family-friendly venue.

© Wedding Creativo Photography

Help Wanted: Great Bridesmaids

So, what exactly makes a great bridesmaid?

We take a fun look at typical bridesmaids duties in the form of a hypothetical job listing.  Brides can be equal-opportunity "employers," so we just want to point out that both men and women can qualify for this position these days.

JOB TITLE: Bridal Attendant

COMPANY: Bride & Groom Inc.

REPORTS TO: Bride-to-Be

POSITIONS: Up to 10 openings available

PAY: I.O.U.

JOB DESCRIPTION:  Assist the bride on the wedding day with any specific assigned tasks, along with practical and emotional support. Attend and possibly help organize wedding day and ancillary wedding events and details.

IDEAL CANDIDATES:  Positive, cheerful and supportive attitude, problem solver, detail oriented, organized and works well with a diverse group.  Does not complain, even during formal wedding portraits in hot or cold weather. ;-)

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. Able to handle heavy lifting (emotional or otherwise).

2. Comes to work prepared and organized with "wedding day survival" bag.  Bonus points if bag matches shoes or other accessories.

3. Gets along well with others and is a team player.

4. Has strong command of tools used for wedding preparations and general problem solving.

5. Maintains a tidy workspace free of dust and lint.

6. Good with fastening microscopic jewelry clasps.

7. Has nimble fingers.

8. Helps bride get into dress without getting stuck, falling, or messing up hair and makeup.

9. Knows what "bustle" means, and can figure out how those gosh darn thingies work.

10. Experience in shoe retail is a plus.

11. Assist fellow team members as needed.

12. Set a good example for junior team members and trainees.

13. Excellent conflict resolution skills are a major plus. Confrontations should be avoided on the wedding day, especially with any company board members, such as the mother of the bride.  If any conflicts arise they should be handled calmly and discretely, and preferably addressed at another time either prior to or after the wedding date.

14. Having a keen eye for details is essential.

15. Ability to break out into spontaneous comedy or stress relief exercises will be required of all successful candidates for this position.

16. The candidate with the best dress "floofing" skills will quickly be promoted to Head Floofer.  This person is responsible for maintaining high quality "floofiness" of the wedding dress throughout the day, especially during the wedding ceremony.

17. Candidates with M.D. degrees, "Masters of Doting," are highly desired.

18. Those who are interested in being considered for the Maid of Honor position must be willing to take on a central role as a team leader, and should also have the ability to give a reception toast that evokes reactions of both laughter and tears, no more than 30 second apart, or optimally, at the same time.

19. Past experience as a cheerleader is helpful, but having great enthusiasm and a supportive attitude is really what matters most.

20. Finally, having specialized party and entertainment skills is not required, but they can certainly be a big advantage.

We dedicate this humorous post in honor of Lucille Ball's 100th Birthday today...and salute all women with a funny bone who help keep us all in good spirits.  For more serious tips on how to choose your bridesmaids, and a guide for how to include them in your plans once you have them selected, check out this helpful article on The Dessy Group website.

Bridesmaids Invitation Cards Winners Announced

Thanks to everyone who responded to our giveaway of the Bridesmaids Invitation Cards, courtesy of Rifle Paper Co. We had a lot of responses and here is what you all had to say in response to our poll questions:

60% are having a smaller bridal party with their closest friends/family

30% are having a large traditional bridal party with family/friends from a wider social circle

10% are just having a Maid of Honor and Best Man

The majority of brides who answered our survey (totally unscientific by the way, it is just for fun) are choosing their sister as the Maid of Honor.  There were a few choosing their best friends, but we didn't ask if they have sisters or not.  Some have not decided yet, and were having a tough time not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings.

Tomorrow we'll wrap up our "Bridesmaids Week" with a fun post that might help with the decision.  However, it seems sisters are the ones most brides are calling on for help.  It was nice to read about the bonds that sisters have for one another.  Here are a few of our favorite answers to the question about choosing the Maid of Honor:

"My sister is 3 years younger than me and pretty much since we even knew what a wedding was when we were younger she knew she would be my maid-of-honor. My 3 lifelong best friends will be included as my bridesmaids. As much as I would have loved to have all of my closest friends in my wedding I needed to think of our budget and only have a small wedding party." -- Danielle, getting married in November 2012

"My little sister will be my maid of honor, because she's my sister! I would feel terrible not having her in a special role. Plus, she'll give a great speech! That said, my best friend will be the "matron" of honor and she'll be in charge of more of the organizational details. That's what she loves to do and she's great at it, so it's a good way to include her. Plus, my sister lives across the country and my best friend lives 10 mins from me, so it makes sense to have someone "on site" to help with a lot of the details. Plus last summer I was the officiant for my best friend's wedding...so she owes me one ;)" -- a different Danielle, getting married in August 2012

"My sister is my MOH. Honestly there is no one else I would have picked. She is my only sister and it would be incomplete to not have her up there with me." -- Roseann, getting married in May 2012

So, out of all of the entries we randomly chose two winners....and they are:

Rebecca W., who is getting married in June 2012

Karen P., who is getting married in August 2012

Both are having their sister as their Maid or Matron of Honor.  Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone for participating.  We'll do something like this again soon, so stay tuned. ;-)

Wedding Fashion Inspiration: Fruit Colors for Summer Bridesmaids Dresses

We're focusing on bridesmaids this week, and when it comes to dresses and fashion colors, inspiration from fruits can bring a great splash of color to any summer wedding.  Here are some examples of the vibrant hues we have been seeing recently.

Awesomeness Giveaway: Bridesmaid Invitation Cards

We recently spotted these cute "Will you be my Bridesmaid?" cards and they got us thinking.  The first thing we thought was that these cards are adorable. They are from a creative husband and wife, Anna and Nathan, along with their team of talented folks who make hand-pained illustrations and whimsical designs for stationery at Rifle Paper Co.  The peachy-pink ranunculus flowers illustrated on these cards should be a sure-fire way to get any friend or relative excited about being included in your bridal party.

Then, we though about the process each couple goes though when choosing their bridal party, and that sometimes the decision may be complicated.

We would love to hear what you think about when selecting your bridal party members. We are also excited about giving away a pack (8-count) of these beautiful cards, courtesy of Rifle Paper Co., to two lucky (and random) winners. 

To enter in our Awesomeness Giveaway drawing for this week, please fill out this form by midnight, Thursday August 4th.  We'll announce the winners on Friday.

UPDATE: THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR THIS GIVEAWAY, THE ENTRY FORM IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS!

Creative Spotlight: Zuzu's Petals

Every time a bell rings a bride is happy with her bouquet and flowers by event florists Natalie Willett and Dan Mitchell at Zuzu's Petals.  We have enjoyed their work for quite a while and wanted to spotlight the lovely job they recently did for a wedding we photographed in June for bride and groom Megan and Luke.  We love peonies, so we especially enjoyed the Zuzu's Petals floral work for this wedding. We'll have a full feature about this beautiful day coming soon.

© Wedding Creativo Photography

Location Inspiration: Nautical Wedding Theme

Chicago weddings that take place on Lake Michigan cruise ships can inspire fun nautical themes for summer weddings. 

Ships docked at Navy Pier, Spirit of Chicago, Mystic Blue and Odyssey, are operated by Entertainment Cruises.  The weddings we have experienced on them have been fun and unique, and when the Navy Pier fireworks go off, the view is always spectacular from the lake.

Chicago River wedding cruises are also fantastic.  Wedding rentals are available by Chicago's First Lady, which docks along the Chicago River Walk and offers river and lakefront charters.  The river cruise route, with up-close views of the city's spectacular architecture, gives your wedding reception an amazing backdrop.

With Chicago wedding cruises as our featured location inspiration today, there are many ideas and fashions that everyone could have fun with for nautical, marina, lakeside, navy, or sailor related themes.

Here is a collection of nautical wedding items we found on etsy.com:

Here are a variety of nautical, marina, sailor and seaside styles by a variety of designers.

Nautical bridal fashions:

J.Crew Indie

Diane von Furstenberg Leron Wrap Dress

Betsy & Adam Split Sleeve Dress

BCBGMAXAZRIA Seashell Belted Silk Column Gown

Nautical wedding fashions:

Milly Sail Away Dress

Dahlia Anchor Print Chiffon Tea Dress

Ralph Lauren Polina Off-Shoulder

Laken long tank dress with belt navy

Laken long tank dress with belt

Anthropologie Gull Wing Dress

Yumi Sailor Dress

Marc Jacobs Delfine Sailor Dress

Badgley Mischka Platinum, black and white silk stripe detail

White House

Isabella Tonchi

Diane von Furstenberg Evadine Wavy-Knit Wrap

Wedding Photo of the Week: This ain't on the shot list

Finding unique and creative perspectives is what Wedding Creativo Photography is all about. Moments like this aren't going to be on any "shot list" that magazines suggest brides send to their photographers.

The thing about "shot lists" is that they originated during a time when digital photography didn't exist.  Back in the day, when photographers only shot with traditional film, there was a very limited number of exposures available to cover the entire day. Generally about 250-350 pictures used to be the norm.  Shot lists were requested by the photographer so s/he would know the couple's preferences and priorities, but not because photographers didn't know the specific moments to anticipate throughout the wedding day. 

Today some wedding magazines and blogs still have articles that seem to imply that if brides don't provide photographers with a shot list that they will be clueless and miss all of your important moments.  Thinking this through, especially when couples hire more experienced photographers, it seems a bit silly.  We don't go to the dentist with a list of which teeth we would like to have routine cleaning, and for the most part, the shot lists that the magazines and blogs write about are usually the most routine parts of a wedding day that any photographer, with even a few years of experience, will have captured dozens or even hundreds of times.

What is helpful is to just communicate with your photographer about general and specific ideas and preferences that you have. While the logistics of most wedding days are pretty similar from one to the next, what is different is how each couple prefers to have the day covered.  You might not even know yet if you want a more stylized approach or less-intrusive approach, how much time to dedicate to portraits, or when and where you would like to have them take place.  In one way, couples may find it helpful to review a traditional shot list while planning to have a better idea of what photographrers generally look for thorouhout the day, but experienced photographers will also help guide couples along the way with any specifics. 

Each photographer has their own way to work with couples. Here at Wedding Creativo, we even have a special detailed questionnaire that we use to help with the communication process.  But even just discussing creative ideas and preferences during the planning phase will be a lot more beneficial to do with your photographer rather than giving him/her a check list of typical wedding day moments like "the kiss" or "the cake cutting."  For the more creative moments, you can rely on the skills and creative talents of your photographer, who is ideally someone you should feel comfortable exchanging ideas with.  Overall, as with all aspects of wedding planning, communication is key.

Anniversary Gift Idea: a unique moment framed

Kyle and Steffanie recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary, (congratulations you two!) and to commemorate the special day, Kyle contacted us about a month in advance about making a special print for his lovely wife. 

Instead of a traditional wedding day portrait he picked out a small special moment that meant a lot to Steffanie.  You see, while she was getting ready on her wedding morning, this cute monarch butterfly landed on the window right in front of her.  It sat there for a few minutes giving her a big smile while she was getting her hair and makeup done.  It was a magic moment for her, and thankfully the little guy stayed on the window long enough for us to catch him grinning.

The best part about this story is that Steffanie contacted us a few weeks later wanting to order this same picture! We had to come up with an elaborate rouse to try and stall her to not spoil Kyle's surprise, which I knew was going to be disappointing at the time, but that soon enough her husband was going to get lots of kisses on their anniversary and that she would understand what the deal was.  We all had a great laugh, and most of all, it was great to see how these newlyweds were so in tune with each other's heartstrings.

It is always wonderful when something unexpected happens to make a wedding day all the more special, and these little surprise moments are sometimes the things that people remember most about their day.  It is a great idea to have something like this as a unique way to look back on the wedding, and makes for a fantastic anniversary gift!

Chicago Engagement Portraits: CTA Session

We take a ride on the CTA "el" elevated trains for this Chicago engagement session.

© Wedding Creativo Photography

Bright Idea: Wedding Anniversary Cards

We love this bright idea for wedding receptions: have your guests write messages on cards for you to open on each anniversary.  What a great way to look back on your wedding day and look forward to your anniversary each year!

Basically, you just need a bunch of lovely blank note cards and envelopes.  Numbering the envelopes for each anniversary year would be a reasonably manageable DIY project.  It could even be delegated to someone with nice penmanship or who has patience to sit down for a couple of hours to neatly place pretty stickers like these pink glitter numbers found on the online craft supply store A Cherry on Top:

Creative Spotlight: Great Wedding Cakes Summer 2011

We are always in awe of the elaborate and unique details of wedding cakes.  Today we would like to highlight some great cakes and the creative folks behind these edible works of art.  These selections also show some general trends we've noticed in wedding cakes, other sweets, and cake toppers (or lack thereof) in the last year. 

By far, the biggest trend we've seen with wedding cakes in the past year has been elegant "clean" designs, usually with fresh cut floral embellishments, such as this cake above by Oak Mill Bakery.  The Polish are internationally known for their amazing sweet treats, and owner Bogna Iwanowska-Solak definitely brought that wonderful baking heritage with her to Chicago when she opened her family's first bakery here in 1986.  Today they operate six stores in Chicago, Niles, Harwood Heights and Arlington Heights.

Amy Beck is known for her elegant custom cake designs, often using floral elements, whether they are created with sugar or real flowers.  She used cascading violet and yellow orchids for this fantastic wedding cake.  Earlier this year we were excited to see that Amy opened up a new store on Racine street, just a few blocks from our studio.  Welcome to the neighborhood Amy!

Bride Krys added a single pink peony to top her wedding cake to go along with her peony-theme wedding.  Central Continental Bakery, a north-west suburban bakery that has been making wonderful wedding cakes since 1922, detailed the design with words such as "family," "friendship," and "love" to express the things in life that the bride and groom most cherish.

Mary Winslow's small bakeshop, Take the Cake, specializes in intricately detailed custom designs and cake flavors, always with a look of timeless elegance. This white petal wedding cake perfectly complimented the petal details on the bride's wedding dress, as well as her all-white reception decor.  We can only imagine the patience and focus it took to make those delicate frosting rose petals.

Couples that hold their weddings at venues renowned for their cuisine may also find the cake included in their package.  As part of Chicago's fantastic foodie group of Levy Restaurants, Fulton's on the River offers their compelling Reid Murdoch Wedding Package, which includes a custom designed wedding cake.  This one above incorporated the couple's pink and green wedding colors and their last name inital for the silver and diamond cake topper.

Maggie Roeder Cakes is a boutique that places equal importance on the taste of the cake as the design.  For this reception, the bride and groom built an experience for their guests around gourmet cuisine and a cake made with top quality ingredients.  Overall, their reception decor was minimalist, which was well complimented with the clean monogram design topping this cake.

For their vintage-style barn wedding, this bride and groom went with several small "old-fashioned" cakes.  This was for a destination wedding in northern Michigan, with cakes made by Robin Smith from that area.

Wedding cupcakes have become very popular in recent years, but for this "ice-cream" theme reception the couple added a unique twist.  Along with their ice-cream sundae bar, they also had cupcakes made by Luscious Layers Bakery, which were designed with typical sundae toppings, such as sprinkles and cherries.

Cake wasn't going to satisfy the sweet tooth for this bride and groom, so instead they got a double-decker banana cream pie, as well as several assorted "home-style pies" from Hoosier Mama Pie Company.  The bride Elaine (who earned her Master of Fine Arts degree while planning her wedding!!!) made the bride and groom toppers using clothes-pins and her awesome crafting talents.

We haven't been seeing as many traditional cake toppers lately.  While we totally appreciate couples wanting to do something different, we're kind of starting to miss seeing cake toppers.  Perhaps folks could consider bringing them back, but in new and unique ways.  We went on Etsy.com to create this collection of various items, with most of them not intended for use on cakes, but perhaps they will inspire couples to think outside of the box for little works of art or personality pieces to top their cakes and sweets.

Summer Wedding Fashion Trends: Seersucker Suits

Happy July!  As we get ready to head into one of the hottest weekends of the year and lots of Independence Day fun, we would like to salute the leading fabric of coolness . . . seersucker.

Earlier this week we gave some tips on keeping cool at summer weddings, and with seersucker fabrics you can accomplish that both literally and figuratively.  Seersucker suits and dresses don't seem to ever go out of style, but we've seen them increasingly more at weddings over the last few seasons.

While many of us might associate this fabric with good old fashioned American summers, as much as baseball and southern gentlemen with great fashion sense, we actually have our friends to the east to thank for these cool threads.

The word seersucker derives from the Persian word "shir o shekar," which means "milk and sugar."   It was a common material used in the British colonial period among their warmer weather colonies.  With the British having a keen eye for fashionable fabrics, it is no wonder it eventually caught on among the British in the west.  Eventually during the world wars, seersucker was introduced in America, initially as an inexpensive fabric primarily used by working class families.  However, in the 1920s college students began wearing seersucker outfits, and ever since then it seems to have always been a summertime favorite among fashionable folks.

It is always wonderful for us to see seersucker suits and dresses at our couples' summer weddings:

For men, seersucker suits are always cool and stylish. 

Ties at Barneys New York
Flats by Sperry

For women, we love the relaxed and retro feeling. And really, who says suits are only for men? We love these summer seersucker women's suits for wedding guests, and maybe even bridesmaids!

Suits by Nine West
Sandals by Sperry

And, seersucker outfits for kids are possibly the cutest things on earth!

Girls' Dresses by Lilly Pulitzer
Infant Girls' Accessories by Janie and Jack

Infant Boys' Pants at Nordstrom
Boys' Pants by J.Crew