A beautifully dressed bride requires a handsomely suited groom. When choosing a tux, note the time of day and the season in which the wedding will take place. A morning wedding with a brunch reception will require much less formal attire that a late evening ceremony and formal sit-down meal.
 Trevor Booth Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel
Keep in mind the style and formality of the bride and her attendants’ attire to choose appropriate formal wear. An experienced formal wear shop can guide you successfully through these choices.
The basic elements of a groom’s outfit may include a jacket, pants, shirt, bow tie or ascot, cummerbund or vest, suspenders, pocket handkerchief, socks and shoes. Special shoes are often worn with tuxedos and can be found at formalwear shops for purchase or rental.
Many options are available to fill out the groom’s attire. In addition to all the new styling and fabrics for today’s tuxedos, high-fashion accessories include ties, suspenders, cummerbund, shirts that preclude bowties, cuff links and shirt studs in almost any style you can imagine. Choose designs and accessories to suit your own style and express your unique personality. If you prefer to play it safe, a traditional black and white tuxedo ensemble never goes out of style, giving you the added confidence that you will look and feel your best on your wedding day.
Visit the formal wear shop four months before the wedding. Bring along swatches of the bridesmaids’ gowns if you plan to coordinate the groomsmen’s tuxes. While formal wear shops provide measurement forms for out-of-town grooms and attendants to complete, the danger of confusing or incorrect measurements increases. It is best to get the groom and his men into the shop to be measured in person.
Years ago, when deciding what flowers were accessible for a wedding at different times of the year, was rather easy. Spring flowers in the spring, summer ones in summer etc. However, with the worldwide floral markets opening up and becoming more global, the availability of blooms is greater, although there are still some recommendations and restrictions.
 Photography by John Lyons Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel When you consider your flowers, reminder to consider the season. Here in Southwestern Ontario, the climate is seasonally influenced; meaning tulips in July, although available, do not show as well as they do in March or April. Not only do they look better, they smell better and are usually a less expensive price. When there are lots of blooms growing at once, it does drive the price down, making them more affordable.
Know too, that nature can change everything due to crop failures from frost, floods, drought and other natural occurences. Not all flower shops can access every flower. Different importers offer different choices; smaller centres sometimes cannot bring in enough of one type to justify the cost.
Be creative and flexible when you pick your flowers for your bouquet, wedding accents for your attendants, Maid of Honour and Best Man and your ceremony and venue. Flowers are romantic, smell great and add a celebratory feel to any wedding day!
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The Groom’s Cake is special way of honouring the groom. It is usually a gift from the bride to the groom, and, traditionally it is a dark cake of both fruits and nuts or soaked in liquor.
The groom’s cake may be presented any time during the wedding celebration, and it is also nice served as a toast to the groom at the rehearsal dinner to be enjoyed and shared in an intimate tribute to the wedding attendants and special guests. Or, serve it at the reception as a second flavour choice of cake for your guests.
Special boxed miniature groom’s cakes are also a nice touch, and make a sweet gift for your attendants. This follows the superstition that a maiden who sleeps with a slice of groom’s cake under her pillow will dream of her future partner.
Tradition also dictates that a bride who keeps a piece of her wedding cake will have a faithful and loving husband.
One of the nicest traditions of all is that of saving part of the wedding cake to share on your first anniversary. Before the advent of the freezer, the groom’s cake was always the cake reserved for this occasion, as the heavy fruit and liquor soaked cakes are preserved and carry a very long shelf life.
Many traditions are focused on the bride. By including a groom’s cake as part of your wedding is a nice way to honour your groom. The cake can be modeled after a hobby, sports, or something that is important to the groom.
The groom’s cake is making a comeback after being popular about 25 years ago. It faded into the background as new customs overtook it, but we’re glad to see it back; stronger than it has been in many decades.
Cathy Reynolds opened The Delicate Touch Lingerie & Sleepwear, twenty three years ago with a mission to “get ladies comfortable.” The shop is an oasis of intimate, feminine and calm. She believes that lingerie should add a sassy feel to a woman’s persona; it’s an ingredient of woman’s empowerment in her wardrobe.
In today’s economy, symbols of pleasure; perfume, chocolate, flowers, and lingerie have the ability to satisfy this desire for feeling good. It’s a mind booster and a great feeling to wear garments that are pretty, lacy and soft.
Reynolds’s intimate shop is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication; it’s comfortable and inviting. It is stocked with the labels of Chantelle, Prima Donna, Lejaby, Anita and Spanx, as well as other seamless body wraps made in Canada. She also offers the deliciously yummy and world-renowned product, Crabtree & Evelyn, a line of bath, body and feminine giftware; a sensuous and pleasing collection of scents and treats.
Cathy understands that brides today are practical; however they understand that an investment in lingerie is not something that is worn just once. Correctly fitted lingerie will ensure that a bride’s look is perfect and comfortable.
Certified fitters, called “lingerie experts,” are always available. Reynolds also suggests shopping early in the wedding planning because it’s important to wear your intimate apparel to all your wedding gown fittings. The wrong bra will cause shoulder sloping, neck curvature, headache and back aches, while the right one will improve posture, appearance and self esteem. It’s not just undergarments.
Lingerie was developed during the late nineteenth century as a visually appealing undergarment by Lady Duff-Gordon of Lucile, a pioneer who freed women from tightly-laced corsets. Today, its evolution continues with bold colours, rich-looking and more breathable fabrics and styles; some that can double both as under and outerwear.
The shop stocks over 5000 bras in all colours and styles from strapless, low plunge and push up styles. Today’s newest technology offers light weight multi- air bubbles with spacer fabric.
While you’re in the shop, browse for other items for your wedding. Forget about being practical for just this once and try on sensuous lounge wear from the large variety of elegant lines offered. What better time is there to splurge on feminine beauty and luxury than for your wedding and honeymoon? It should be your gift to yourself!
Lingerie could be coined “loungerie” and there’s plenty of selection to choose from. Check out their swimwear and know that you will look good before you can leave the shop with your purchase. “It’s all about the fit,” says Reynolds.
The Delicate Touch offers a bridal registry and gift certificates for all your guests and special thank yous, and is a specialist in Mastectomy fitting.
Specialized service and great attention to a proper fit is what this delightful shop is all about. Their staff is friendly and adept at what they do, which is pampering the ladies!
Brides today want their wedding day to be as unique as they are. And this outside the box thinking is setting new trends for savvy brides in 2012. Designers are artfully combining bright colours with staple neutrals: much like an artist would paint a beautiful work of art.
Warm bamboo, honeysuckle pink, cedar green, deep teal, purple‐hued phlox, coffee liqueur, warm camel nougat and quarry are top shades for the upcoming season.
Wedding dresses have a lot of lace; a trend we forecasted six months ago. There are ruffles, beading and coloured sashes that are sexy and white is not as popular as soft beige, light blues, pink and even soft‐toned greens being introduced into the finest bridal lines.
Styles for gowns are sleek with brides not seeking out the traditional ball gown. Vintage is still strong and there’s no chance of finding their dress duplicated. They make a statement and are stunning in their design.
The venue is still a hot location, with couples seeking old buildings that have been re-purposed such as old train stations, raw factory space and combinations of indoor and outdoor spaces. Local farms and vineyards provide a rustic charm and the outdoor photo opportunities provide endless opportunities. Wedding environments will be more laid back; bookings with nature settings are popular locations. Beaches, parks, homes and other outdoor settings are also being utilized.
Birdcage veils have been in style for many seasons now and the Royal Wedding provided the fascinator, an edgy, over the top headpiece. Headbands and feathers are modern options to a traditional veil. No bride will be bare‐headed in 2012 with everything from glittering tiaras to extra large flowers in contrasting tones.
Shoes, once dyed satin white can now be bold red, purple or blue, peeking out from under that dream dress. Add a feather clip for a touch of fun.
Other ideas include button or feather boutonnieres, multi‐mini cakes as centrepieces, catering carts, such as martini bars, crepe stations, sundae bars, pastry tables and lemonade stands are vying for the bride’s attention. Photo booths continue to be a popular feature for guests.
Social media is centre stage with computer stations being set‐up for guests to leave comments. Webcasting to guests who couldn’t attend the day is heartfelt and, as the day unfolds, hash tags for Twitter are in sync with today’s online culture.
Venues should expect to receive requests for longer cocktail hours, rental companies will see an increase for lounge furniture and guests can expect the unexpected. Ceremonies will have a steady increase in personalization, focusing on the couple’s interests, hobbies and passions as part of the wedding day celebrations. Vows are being written and choreographed by couples with assistance from an Officiant.
Themes such as vintage, diamonds/pearls, romance, garden style, retro 50‐70’s and eco‐friendly are huge. Cakes are bold this year and 2 layered cakes are back with tiers of different heights. Cupcakes are still huge, with innovative flavours and colours.
Grooms are more involved in the planning with their brides, and they are contributing their time and ideas into their day; it’s a new culture in the industry‐ one that until recently has been entirely female.
The 2012 wedding season will find couples saying, “I Do” in a world of different ways. Many will continue partying well into the night with an after party, which is becoming a popular trend. This party has no rules or wedding checklists and is entirely up to the couple.
Wedding Guide Preferred Vendors are dream‐makers; the go‐to service providers with big shoulders and creative thinking. They can make a wedding come to life with all of the above ideas. This area is cosmopolitan irrespective of its size and anything and everything is possible for the next season bride!
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