Contrast is Key in wedding day

When it comes to wedding receptions, there are a lot of details that can make a difference. Candles, flowers, table linen, music and of course, location are all important. However, there is one overarching theme that to some extent, dictates the parameters of all such details-the color scheme. In the movie "Steel Magnolias," Julia Roberts's character proudly proclaims "My colors are blush and bashful," to which her mother replies, "Her colors are pink and pink. That sanctuary looks like it's been hosed down with Pepto-Bismol." And a few minutes later, we see that this is so. The colors chosen for a wedding affect every nuance of the atmosphere. Fortunately, with a little ingenuity, there is no color that cannot be used to celebrate the couple's big day.

The key to an attractive wedding color scheme is not to overdo a single hue. If the colors chosen are too similar, they will just blend together. On the other hand, if the colors contrast with each other, than both provide a palate against which the other can be displayed. For example, when it comes to summer weddings, green helps create an appropriate atmosphere. But don't combine pastel green with forest green. Instead, consider pairing jade with white, pale pink or silver. The paler color allows the jade to stand out, creating an impression of green without being overwhelming.

Many winter weddings utilize the color red. Of course, the danger is that if green is used as the pairing color, the decor will come off too much like a Christmas party and not at all like a wedding reception. To avoid this problem, try an unorthodox color like blue or pale purple. The effect can be startling and extremely fashionable in appearance. Of course, red is almost always the prevalent color at Chinese weddings, where it is believed to bring luck and happiness. On such occasions, red is usually paired with gold.

The color purple, with its traditional associations with royalty, can create a very luxurious ambiance at a wedding. This impression can be heightened by the use of hints of gold, creating a sort of gilded atmosphere. But for a less traditional, fun approach, purple can also be paired with bright, almost neon colors such as magenta or tangerine. The effect is very cheerful, creating a heightened aura of festivity Cosplay Costumes.

Weddings featuring a blue color scheme can be very dramatic or very relaxed, depending on the hue of blue selected. Deeper shades tend to invoke a stately, sophisticated atmosphere. Such blues are often combined with gold and/or silver, which adds to the sense of decorum. But lighter shades of blue can create an atmosphere of cheer and even whimsy. Shades of turquoise are very popular at beach weddings, which often feature details like starfish and brightly colored orchids. Turquoise can be effectively paired with other bright colors to create a tropical atmosphere Diablo 2 CD Key.

If you really want to wake up the guests, shades of orange can be used for beautiful fall weddings. Orange has to be used carefully, as its brightness can be easily overwhelming. However, used in the correct combinations, such as with a deep chocolate brown, it can be very attractive, striking and seasonally appropriate Cosplay Clothes.

Popular Wine Wedding Favor Ideas

Weddings with a wine theme are elegant and sophisticated here are some wine wedding favor ideas to consider laser pointers.

The best wedding favor ideas are the ones that have a purpose for your guests after they return to their daily lives. Wine wedding favors are a great idea if you want to send them away in high class. Here are some:

Wine Bottle Stopper

Uniquely styled bottle stoppers hit the top of the list because they make it more fun for your guests to open wine any day of the week at home CD key games. For wine lovers, this is the perfect wedding favor because they will put it to good use. There are so many designs to choose from that you will have no problems finding one that you think they will enjoy, or evening picking a couple different ones to sit at placements for men and women. For the women, you may choose the silver resin heart stopper with rose design. It is a big silver heart at the top with a trail of roses going down one side. For the men, you may go with the dice design bottle stoppers. They are made of real crystal and will be used for years to come by your male guests.

Wine Openers

Another option for classy wine wedding favor ideas is the wine opener. Designs may not be as widely available as the wine stoppers, but it is still available if you feel it is more useful to your wine loving wedding guests. For example, if you are having an autumn wedding you may find the autumn leaf design bottle opener. It has a copper leaf cutout on top and has a smooth, elegant design. Since it is not a typical wedding theme item it is even more likely to actually be used by your guests in their homes Gothic Fashion Store.

Personalized Wine Glass Favors

Personalized wine glasses with charm favors will set off your table displays in the most charming way. The personalized wine glass favors use silkscreen designs made just for you to put your own name and date stamp on each delicate glass. Even on their own they are a striking top off to a charming wedding reception table design, but with the romantic wine glass charm set wrapped around the bottoms of each glass they are top notch wedding favors.

The favors you choose will be as unique as you are. There are many unique keepsakes available.
Whichever wine themed wedding keepsake you choose, your guests are sure to love them. Once you choose, this is one less worry for you to contend with. You can rest assured you are getting style, creativity and affordability through our items. Your guests will love the uniqueness of the gifts you have chosen for them, and it will only add to your perfect day.

Give Some Personality to Your Wedding Invitations

Have the last several wedding invitations you've received been rather non-descript and uninteresting? Shades of white, ivory, and cream with embossed lettering aren't always enough to bring out the personality of the bride and groom to be. If the traditional, white wedding invitation just doesn't get you excited, here are some tips to add some style to your wedding stationery.

Add Texture

One of the latest trends in wedding stationery has been to add a small bow to each invitation. Find some ribbon in your wedding colors, punch a hole in the corner of your invite, and presto, you've got something with some style. Ribbons aren't the only way to add texture to a wedding invitation. Add glitter, beads, or small stones to make a more funky invitation, or even glue on small seashells for a beach-themed wedding. The possibilities are endless here, although you want to make sure your wedding invitations don't end up looking like a kindergarten art project. If not so art savvy yourself, why not ask some artsy gal pals to help you jazz up your stationery? You can check out the scrapbooking aisles at arts and crafts stores for ideas as well.

Add a Photo

Has your mom insisted that you invite all those second cousins and great aunts that you barely know? Help them remember who you are, and give other guests a sneak preview of your fiancé, by putting a personalized photo in your wedding invitation. There is no hard and fast rule that wedding invitations need to be formal and white. Do you both love roller-skating? Take a cute photo of you two holding hands at the roller rink. If you're both comedians at heart, take a funny photo of you two colliding at the roller rink! Use a silly caption like, "Watch two lives come together on December 4th!" to make your guests smile. Photo-based wedding invitations can have a serious or casual look, and this will help you set the tone for your wedding.

Add an Ethnic Touch

Get in touch with your roots by adding some ethnic flair to your wedding invitation. Are you and your fiancé from different cultural background? Why not have bilingual invitations? Some couples have really intrigued their guests by sending them invites in different languages. For example, a Chinese bride and American groom could send Chinese invitations to the Americans, and English invitations to the Chinese guests! Of course this might leave guests bewildered at first, but if you put essential information like the date, place, and time in both languages, this ploy could really pique guests' interest. So you've always loved Hollywood movies? Choose exquisite Indian scroll invitations to make the announcement of your wedding equal to a royal proclamation. Have your stationery outlined with beautiful Arabic calligraphy for a Middle Eastern wedding.

Top 15 Bridal Beauty Secrets

Insider's tips for perfect wedding hair and makeup

We've gone straight to the experts to find out their best tips for how to do everything -- and we mean everything -- to get the most out of your wedding hair and makeup. Whether you're planning to look totally natural or all-out glam, here's how to…

1. Fix an eye makeup mishap.
Be extra careful -- once you've already smudged, you don't want to make it worse or you'll have to start all over again from scratch. Scott Miselnicky, executive director of global product development at Clinique, suggests wetting a Q-tip with makeup remover and gently dabbing at the mistake until it's completely gone. Go slowly so you don't take off too much!

2. Avoid Shirley Temple curls.
Pageant-perfect curls are a bride's worst nightmare. For a natural look, wrap a section of hair around the outside of the barrel and hold for three seconds. Release and let cool, then lightly run your fingers through your hair. And don't forget -- vary the size of your curls, and switch up the direction in which you wrap them.

3. Fake a great pair of cheekbones.
"If your face is roundish, shading lightly can work wonders!" says Lucy Baldock-Sacchi, international makeup artist and founder of Lucy B. Cosmetics. She suggests using a matte bronzer just below your cheekbones, then following up with a pink or peach blush on the apples of your cheeks. To tone it down, skip the bronzer and use a hint of shimmer on the highest point of your cheekbones.

4. Flatter your face.
When it comes to choosing a hairstyle, all of our experts emphasize that your look needs to harmonize with your gown. Also, make sure to choose a style that will bring out your best feature, explains Jamal Hammadi, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Hamadi Beauty. "For an updo, placing the style between the top of your ear and the top of your eye (like a high ponytail) will enhance the shape of your eyes, while placing it lower (like a chignon) will put the focus more on your lips and neck," he says.

5. Stave off a breakout.
Right before the wedding is not the time to try out a new skincare regimen. No matter how tired you are, make sure you stick to your cleansing schedule and remove your makeup before you go to bed! If you really need more ammo, try a mask with salicylic acid.

6. Apply perfect foundation.
It only takes two tools to do this right: a quality brush and a makeup sponge. The brush will give you coverage, while the sponge will blend away any streaks or remove excess buildup.

7. Pull off a bold lip color.
Lots of brides like to amp up their look for the reception, and a deeper lip hue is a great way to do it. "Using a brighter lip color will always make your teeth look whiter; a big plus on your wedding day!" says Stila makeup artist Sarah Lucero. Keep all the rest of your face relatively neutral, and your eye makeup soft -- not severe. "Also, make sure your cheek and lip colors are in the same color family," she says.

8. Get voluminous locks.
Even if you're not going with a curly style, a curling iron or rollers should be in your repertoire. "Blow out your hair with a round brush for body, then follow up with a curling iron all over," explains Edward Tricomi, co-owner of Warren-Tricomi Salons.

9. Apply alluring eye shadow.
Eye shadow color trios and quads can be difficult to decode: How do you know where to use each shade? According to Baldock-Sacchi, it's perfectly fine to break the rules and experiment. If you want your eyes to look wider, she recommends using the lightest shade on the inner corner to give your peepers a more open look. Shimmering shades can be used all over and look amazing layered over color. The darker shades should be used for contouring in the crease or the center of the lid.

10. Keep your lipstick on your lips.
Miselnicky suggests applying a small amount of vaseline on to your teeth to keep lipstick from winding up on your teeth. "Also, gently blot your lipstick with a tissue after you have applied it to remove any excess," he says. "Believe me, the groom will be happy!"

11. Fight the frizzies.
"Always try to wash and rinse your hair with cool water, which will help maintain its natural moisture and prevent your hair from drying out," Hammadi says. Follow it up with a frizz-fighting product that will boost your protection level.

12. Make mascara run-proof.
Waterproof mascara is a wedding day must-have. "I use waterproof on everyone involved in the wedding party because you never know who will tear up!" Lucero says. For lower lashes, she recommends applying mascara with a flat eyeliner brush rather than the mascara wand. "This trick prevents smearing under your eyes, which can make you look tired," she explains.

13. Boast a beautiful decolletage.
You want your chest and shoulders to have clear, glowing skin -- especially if you're wearing a strapless gown. Debbie D'Aquino, vice president of global product development at Clinique, recommends wearing clothing that breathes and keeps perspiration from building up on your skin (this goes double for workout wear). Cleanse with a treatment that includes salicylic acid. We love ones that come in spray bottles because it's so much easier to apply to the back.

14. Prevent dark under-eye circles.
It might be tough, but Diane Berson, M.D., says it's key that you get plenty of sleep (and not just the night before the wedding). "Sleep with your head elevated on a pillow to reduce puffiness, and try not to rub your eyes," she says. It's also a good idea to use an eye cream that brightens as well as hydrates.

15. Touch up your makeup.
You may not have time to redo your makeup before the reception starts, but you should give yourself a quick once-over in order to make sure you stay looking great (after all, nearly every second of the reception will be photographed!). Makeup expert Francis Roman of Butterfly Studio says to skip blush (which should last just fine) and your eyelids (too risky). Instead, apply another layer of lip color, and blot your T-zone with an oil-removing paper. Then run a makeup sponge or a Q-tip beneath your lower lashes to remove any mascara or eye shadow that may have smudged or fallen beneath them, and you're good to go.

How to dry clean a wedding dress made of satin?

At least one safe cleaning method -- either washing or dry cleaning -- and any necessary warnings about the cleaning method.

Example: If the care instruction is to dry clean, the label must specify one type of solvent that may be used, unless all commercially available types of solvents can be used safely on the gown.

Example: If the gown is labeled for washing, the label must say whether any step of the normal washing process -- washing, bleaching, drying, or ironing -- could harm the garment or other items cleaned with it.

The care label must be sewn in. Imported garments should have care labels when they are sent to the U.S., or labels should be attached by the importer.

If the lable is not there, go back to the manufacturer and request one.

If you have no luck, try the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists. You can search my state for a cleaner that specializes in wedding gowns.

To store your gown, I do not advise having it professionally preserved. It is expensive and there is no way to check the gown to make sure all the stains were removed when the dress was cleaned prior to heirlooming. I reccomend (and I also do this with my wedding gown) after cleaning fold the gown placing clean white acid-free tissue paper between each fold. Store in one of those vacuum storage bags (you can buy Space Bags at Bed Bath and Beyond) in a cool dark place so the dress does not get discolored by light. Once a year (just before your anniversary so your husband has a reminder ;-) ) take the gown out, inspect it for any damage and let it hang for a few days. Then fold it back up and store it in the vacuum bag for another year. You can also store your veil the same way, just wrap any sharp edges with tissue.