Strapless dresses - friend or foe?

Oh, the strapless dress. Quite possibly one of the most flattering necklines out there. They make broad shoulders look delicate and create some serious shape for those of us who are a little less endowed, shall we say. But what is the one pesky little thing that can turn any strapless dress from fab to, well, flab? Just that. The dreaded armpit flab.

Yep, I said it.

The thing is, even the most svelte of frames can fall victim to this enemy of the underarm. All figures look different in different cuts so often times it is more an issue of garment fit than body tone.

But, if you are hoping to tighten up this tricky little region for your walk down the aisle, may I introduce you to my friend, and personal booty kicker, Ms. Sarah. Sarah is a personal trainer AND bride to be! When I told her about my personal battle with the flab, she assured me that with a little persistence and a couple lifting weights, this would be an issue no more. Check out her blog post dedicated to the pits here. She has lots of great work out and nutrition tips, so check her out. And since posts aren't nearly as pretty without a picture, here are a few of my fave strapless numbers for the season...

sarah seven

melissa sweet

vera wang

Photo Credit (top to bottom)

SarahSeven.com
PriscillaOfBoston.com
VeraWangOnWeddings.com

Excuses & A Pretty Dress

So disappointed in myself, I can't even say out loud how long it has been since my last post... and it would be pretty easy for you to figure out on your own. I could ramble on about the many reasons I have been so absent, but I don't want to bore you... ok I'll give you just one. We bought a house! More on that later...

On to my current obsession: floral prints. They seem to be popping up everywhere! My personal style tends to lean towards the ultra feminine, so I'm pretty excited about this trend and I hope it sticks around for a while. I've been searching for a pretty "guest of wedding" dress for Ben's {my super-sweet cousin-in-law} wedding this July, so when I stumbled upon this little beauty from ModCloth.com, it took me about 2.5 second to whip out my debit card and make it mine...

Tres cute, no? Ben is getting married here in Pullman and the reception will be at Red Barn Farms, probably my favorite Summer venue in the area for many reasons -

• It is literally a  big red barn with rustic charm set in the beautiful rolling hills of the palouse,
• indoor and/or outdoor seating for the ceremony and/or reception is available
• you can bring in your own caterer/bartender {how rare is that?!},
• there are very few decorating limitations since, hello... it's a barn! And,
• bonus - If you're from around this neck of the woods, you know how gorgeous the fields are this time of the year, we are so blessed!

Can't wait for your big day Ben & Kelly!

Hometown Love: AK Graphics, Pullman, WA

I have had the absolute pleasure of knowing Allison Kincaid of AK Graphics for the last 7 years. She is a fellow WSU alum who also ended up sticking around Pullman after graduation... Go Cougs! Allison started AK Graphics a few months ago and has become quite the successful entrepreneur in a very short amount of time.

A couple weeks ago, I asked Allison if I could feature some of her work and pick her brain about all things wedding invite. Our timing could not be more perfect as this evening she is hosting an Open House at her new shop to feature her new holiday card styles.

Enjoy the pics and her advice for all you lovely brides-to-be...

Ummm, how cute is Allison's office space??

WB: What advice do you give to your brides?

AK: Some general advice I tend to pass on to all of my brides is that they are supposed to be having fun! Friends, family and vendors are here to eliminate stress so the brides can focus on what really matters. It can be easy to get caught up in all of the planning and busy work and forget to enjoy this special time. We're here to do the work so you don't have to.

AK: After choosing your invitations, create a tentative timeline for yourself. A good rule of thumb is to plan on mailing out save-the-dates (if you choose to send them) up to six months in advance. The formal invitations should be sent out 6-8 weeks prior to the event. The earlier you can prepare and address the invitations the better; don't wait until the last minute!

 

WB: What are some of your favorite trends/color combinations you've been seeing lately?

AK: Two of the more fashionable color trends that I have noticed lately are definitely varying shades of green and pink. From sage to apple, green is gorgeous! Baby pink pairs fabulously with mocha while fuschia and black are strikingly contemporary. Traditional crimson/wine reds remain a clasically popular choice year after year, no matter the season.

AK: As far as design trends are concerned, popular paper textiles include metallic pearl and textered linen cardstock. Damask graphics and flourish-y designs add a "shabby chic" element for a modern/vintage look. Coordinating pocket folios serve as a trendy way to assemble multi-piece invites.

WB: What are some important things to keep in mind when picking out wedding invitations and stationery?

AK: The imporant invitation/stationery suggestion I give to my brides is express yourself! Save-the-dates and invitations are a great way to showcase yoru personal style as well as set the tone for your special day. Wedding stationery should convey your individual taste as well as appropriately set the mood (whether traditionally formal or contemporary and modern); they should be a reflection of you.

WB: What do you love most about your job?

AK: Where do I start... I am very fortunate to have a career I absolutely love! I am so honored when a bride chooses my designs to be a part of her special day. I truly look forward to coming to the office everyday and being able to have the freedom to be able to artistically express myself.

Allison, thank you SO much for sharing your talent. Your work is beautiful and we can't wait to see more. Everyone be sure to check out AK graphics website at http://www.kincaidgraphics.com/.

Lovely way to start the weekend, no?

Photo credits: Allison Kincaid

Hometown Love: Paper Pals - Pullman, WA

If you are a DIY bride, this post is for you. If you like pretty things, this post is also for you.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I stopped by the Big Event Bridal Fair last weekend to network with other wedding vendors in the area. But before I could spread my love for weddings with the great Palouse, I needed one little, yet important, item that all business people must have on them at all times: the business card.

Paper Pals is the best place this side of the Cascades for all of your scrap booking/pretty paper needs. I found the paper for my business cards there, here's a little peek at how they turned out...

I'm in love with the country-vintage feel of this paper, just the perfect fit for Wheat Blossom. Paper Pals has an insane variety of paper and a beautiful display of different possibilities for your wedding invites. The staff there are incredibly friendly/helpful/lovely and will be as involved in the creative process as you want. If you're like many brides and only have time to pick out the paper, they will do all of the cutting, gluing, sparkling, embellishing, etc for you.

Check out their wedding invite blog for some inspiration and stop by their shop at 1475 South Grand in Pullman.

Big Event Bridal Fair: Pullman, WA - SEL Event Center

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had a great, refreshing weekend; I sure did.

After deciding to persue this life-long dream of becoming a wedding planner, I asked some of my friends in "the biz" what the most important thing they thought I should do get Wheat Blossom going. Their number 1 answer: network, Network, NETWORK! And this weekend, I did just that...

Every spring and fall, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Event Center (that's a mouth full, we'll call it SEL for short) hosts "The Big Event Bridal Fair" where brides come to meet potential vendors for their special day. On Saturday, SEL was packed with flowers, caterers (with samples, YUM), cake bakers (more yummy samples), venues, photographers, videographers, invitation designers, etc... I was aboslutlely giddy walking around to each booth as I introduced myself as a new wedding planner in the area... my heart flutters just thinking about it.

I had two epiphanies during my little adventure:

1. This is absolutely, 100% what I am meant to do with my life
2. The Palouse is a FABULOUS place to get married! (this was more of a confirmation than an epiphany!)

Here is a link to the SEL event site where you can find a list of all participating vendors. I must say that I enjoyed my time at each of the booths I stopped by, but there were a couple in particular that knocked my socks off... and I will be featuring them throughout the week :) Stay tuned for details!