Posts Tagged: southern bride and groom magazine
New Website Launch – Southern Bride & Groom Magazine
You might notice that the Southern Bride & Groom website looks quite different today! We are so thrilled to announce the launch of our new website. We are thrilled with the results and hope you are too!
We hope you’ll take a moment to navigate the new site and get to know it. I think you’ll find its easier than ever to navigate the resource directory of our carefully-chosen roster of wedding professionals who serve North Carolina, particularly the Triangle Area.
We also have created a more user-friendly process to Submit Your Wedding event. So submit your own story, and enjoy our page of Real Weddings – all recent NC wedding stories that feature many of the wonderful wedding pros who are members of the SB&G family!
If you’re looking for more wedding planning information, be sure to visit our Upcoming Wedding Shows page, and register for our monthly Giveaways and to stay in the loop of local NC wedding events and news! More more inspiration, check out some of our behind-the-scenes Videos.
Our blog itself has a new feature as well – check out the various searchable categories at right. Use this tool to find exactly what you are looking for – whether its real wedding features, advice columns, or upcoming events!
To view or order our full magazine, click here.
Thank you for visiting SB&G! We hope you will use our magazine and website at every step of your wedding planning!
Wedding Gift Ideas for Your Groom and His Groomsmen
Just like you, brides, your groom has chosen his nearest and dearest friends and family members to stand at the altar next to him when you exchange ”I do”s. And, just like you and your bridesmaids, he wants to show his guys what they mean to him with a special gift on the big day! Whether your fiancé and his best buds are sentimental, practical jokesters, or sports fanatics, there is a wide variety of perfect gifts to suit them.
So, if you’re looking for ideas for a gift to give your husband-to-be on your wedding day, or he’s searching for the perfect groomsmen gifts, Southern Bride & Groom has you covered!
1. Surprise your groom with a custom-designed groom’s cake. This long-standing Southern tradition is a wonderful way to show off one of your beau’s favorite things — be it football, food, or beer — and treat your wedding or rehearsal dinner guests to a darker, richer cake flavor, like German Chocolate!
2. If your new hubby’s groomsmen are beer aficionados, suggest personalized beer steins as the perfect gift for his guys. Make your gifts unique with the receiver’s initial or your wedding date!
3. A classic gift from you to your husband on your wedding day is also a great gift for the men in his life. Cufflinks can be personalized to reflect almost any interest — from the classic monogram to sports teams to his fraternity’s crest, this is one gift that will never go out of style.
4. You can’t go wrong with a nice looking watch paired with a preppy, striped band. Your fiancé can choose bands that match your wedding colors for his groomsmen, or you can start a tradition of giving him a classy timepiece on special occasions.
5. A leather or silver flask is one of the most popular groomsmen gifts. Pair it with a personalized monogram and a mini bottle of each guy’s favorite drink.
6. Pocket knives are a perfect gift idea for just about every type of guy — from the handyman to the serious hunter. You can personalize pocket knives as much or as little as you want, from engraving to selecting what type of blades or attachments it comes with, making it a wonderful gift to fit the personality of each groomsmen!
Remember these wedding gift ideas for your groom and his groomsmen to help make the selection and purchasing process quick and simple!
Real NC Wedding — Fearrington Village
We have an absolutely stunning Real NC Wedding Feature for y’all today! Nicole and Jack tied the knot at the beautiful Fearrington Village in October.
With the help of the talented Angie Wright of Chic Details Wedding & Events, the duo, who met on an online dating site, transformed their ceremony and reception locations into truly amazing and unique event spaces. We adore the hues of pink and the textured linens! Thanks to Photography by Walters & Walters for the swoon-worthy photographs, and congratulations to Nicole and Jack!
Real NC Wedding — Fearrington Village
We’ve got an absolutely stunning Real NC Wedding Feature for y’all today! Lauren and Darin tied the knot at Fearrington Village in March.
Lauren and Darin tied the knot at Fearrington in March. Thanks to Riley MacLean Photography for the truly amazing photos below!
Congratulations, Lauren and Darin — your wedding was absolutely stunning!
New York Bridal Market Recap — Bridesmaids Dresses
Bridesmaids dresses are not what they used to be! Even over the past several years, they have really evolved into a variety of dresses, from funky to formal, that can be worn far beyond the wedding date. While at New York Bridal Market last week, Cynthia of Cyn Kain Photography and I made sure to peek at some of the new looks for your ‘maids in addition to all of the new wedding collections we saw!
Ivy & Aster not only has a lovely bridal collection, but also a fun and fresh collection just for your bridesmaids. Our local Bella Bridesmaid in Cary, NC, carries Ivy & Aster, so we wanted to be sure to check out some of their new looks!
The first is called “Open Arms” — this gown features a twist sweetheart bodice with lace shoulder sleeves and a mini skirt. Your bridesmaids would appreciate a dress like this, as it’s a style they’ll definitely get the chance to wear again and again!
Shown below at left is “All I Want,” a one shoulder gown with a goddess drape bodice and tiered knee skirt, in an almond color. (Ok, ok, so…the gown below at right is actually part of the bridal collection, but it’s just so fun that I had to show it here!) For the right wedding, this could make a fabulous bridesmaids gown or a rehearsal dinner look. It’s called “Still in Love,” and has a black starburst sweetheart bodice atop an ivory colored skirt of chiffon and tulle, all topped with feathers!
Sitting in on the in-booth runway show at Watters, we saw a few other bridesmaids styles we’d like to share, as they represent some of the trends we saw in bridal and bridesmaid fashion throughout the weekend.
The three dresses below are very different styles from the Fall 2013 collection, and each reflects the trend of lace over the decolletage area. The first is the most formal, and could be used for a bridesmaids gown or the mother of the bride. It features an illusion neckline and three-quarter length sleeves. Next, “Ash,” in a lovely charcoal color, features a flattering a-line skirt. Finally, “Hawthorne,” is a similar look with an interesting twist, making it more Jackie O!
Another formal look for the fall, seen below, is “Oak,” in Marine Blue. This gown is in a luminescent taffeta, which has a satin-like feel. The sweetheart bodice has nice, textured detailing, keeping with today’s trends!
A Special, Behind-the-Scenes Morning
One of the most unique parts of our experience at bridal market was being invited to tag along with several owners from Bella Bridesmaid stores all over the country to their appointment with Amsale. These two companies have a very close relationship, and in the meeting, the Amsale rep went over everything from sales reports to the top-selling lines that they recommend each Bella Bridesmaid store owner to keep in stock this season. The ladies even had the opportunity to converse with the rep in a very open and friendly setting — asking for advice on pairings, and even providing honest feedback.
I was so excited to meet Erin Casey Wolf. Erin (like me!) is part of a mother-daughter team; she and her mother, Kathleen Casey, opened the Chicago store in September of 2007 and a Milwaukee store in 2008, and are now the franchisors of the company! SB&G loves a fellow mother-daughter team!! Erin was as sweet as she could be, and it was fascinating to see this side of the business.
Be sure to visit our local Bella Bridesmaid salon in Cary for your favorite designs from Amsale, Ivy & Aster, and others like Dessy, Jim Hjelm, Two Birds, Alvina Valenta and more!
SB&G’s New York Bridal Week Recap — Part 2
I’m continuing our New York Bridal Week blog series today with some more in-depth looks at some of the new collections we got to see at market — especially those designers carried by our local Raleigh-area bridal boutiques. A big thanks to Cynthia of Cyn Kain Photography for providing all of the beautiful photos for this blog series!
One of our favorite collections we had the opportunity to preview was Tulle by Antonio Gual. This collection was the epitome of romance — airy, light fabrics that look as easy to wear as they are easy on the eye. We fell in love with the ethereal look that ran throughout the collection. Here’s a peek at some of our favorites!
The Wendy gown features a strapless fit and flair silhouette with a sweetheart neckline. Wooden and crystal beads and intricate ribbon work create the floral motifs on silk organza. The separate belt is braided thread work with dangling pearls.
The Jennifer gown (left) is a stunning silk crepe concoction featuring a v-neck and v-back with intricate thread work. The Anna gown (right) is a strapless organza ball gown with a corded French Chantilly lace embellished bodice.
The Lia gown is one of Antonio Gual‘s best sellers. Featuring a fabulous tulle one-shoulder detailed strap and a fit and flair silhouette, this gown is for the bride who wants to make a statement! Lightly beaded French lace appliqués cover the dress and give it a romanticized feel.
This gown is one of Tulle by Antonio Gual‘s best sellers! We’re over the moon for the sheer, lace three-quarter length sleeves and softly draped silhouette.
The Lulu gown (long version) is an adorable netted frock with a draped bodice and dotted, layered full ballgown skirt.
We were privileged to meet the designer, Antonio Gual, pictured below with Alexia Joyce, owner of Alexia’s Bridal Boutique in Raleigh, and Lana Addison Bridal in Cary — the latter of which carries this designer.
One of the booths we stopped by was Chaviano Couture. Cyn already knew the founder and designer, Annette Thurmon, from working together on a style shoot. I am so glad I got the chance to meet this lovely lady and see her booth, because her dresses were some of the most memorable I saw during my time at market. I am so excited to share them, here are two of her gowns from the Fall 2013 collection!
The Kristy is a stunning silk charmeuse gown with cap sleeves, illusion tulle and, here’s the best part, hand-painted organza French lace! The skirt was hand-painted by Kristy Rice of Momental Designs. We love this look!
The gown above, also from Chaviano Couture, featured some of the most stunning lace patterns we saw while we were at Bridal Market!
We also stopped into the Nina display. Nina is known for carrying “everything but the dress” — from jewelry to shoes and accessories to sashes. We wanted to check out some of their new lines, as Nina is carried by our local bridal boutique, Lana Addison Bridal.
Onto the next one! Pronovias is the largest bridal gown retailer in the world — it’s carried in 95 countries! Two of our local bridal boutiques carry lines from this company — Lana Addison Bridal carries Pronovias, and we ran into store owner Alexia Joyce at the booth on Saturday!
On Sunday, we joined Kate and Rachael Price of Durham’s full service salon, Tre Bella Bridal, at the booth, as they perused the new collection of the line they carry. Here are a few peeks at the gowns from their line, San Patrick, that they were considering. You’ll notice, once agin, that this year’s trend will be incredible detail and open backs!
We had a blast being behind-the-scenes at Bridal Market! Stay tuned to the SB&G blog for the rest of the featured series tomorrow and Friday!
SB&G Does New York Bridal Fashion Week
New York Bridal Fashion Week just wrapped up, and Southern Bride & Groom was there to visit the shows by designers carried by our local bridal boutiques.
I attended with the fabulous photographer (and awesome roomie!), Cynthia of Cyn Kain Photography. There is no place like New York City in the springtime (although it got a little cold there by the end of the week, at least by NC standards), and we took the town — and the bridal market — by storm!
Although I lived in NYC for many years, it was quite the experience to get acquainted with this major event I had never had the chance to attend. It was such a treat to get a peek into the behind-the-scenes world of the wedding fashion industry! Bridal Market happens each spring and fall in NYC, when wedding gown designers from around the world converge upon the city to reveal their new lines for the upcoming season. There are a couple of large trade shows, and many private appointment showings for buyers. We were lucky that a couple of our local bridal boutiques were attending the market, so we got a chance to experience both the trade shows and private bookings.
We have such amazing bridal boutiques here in the Triangle Area of NC, and I now have a whole new appreciation for their business. Next week, we will release a bridal market blog series, sharing our experiences at the show, including some of the new trends and looks of next season! To tide you over, here’s a fun mix of photos that Cyn and I posted to Instagram over the weekend! Enjoy, and check the blog next week for more detailed behind-the-scenes bridal fashion week coverage!
Remember to check the SB&G blog each day next week for our New York Bridal Fashion Week blog series! Let’s get inspired, y’all!
Southern Bride & Groom Floral Inspiration — Flowers by Gary
This is the first installment in our Floral Series from the 2013 magazine! Today, we’re featuring the table and bouquet by Flowers by Gary, a Durham shop owned by Gary Corsi-OConnor. Gary is an award winning, North Carolina Certified Professional Florist through the North Carolina State Florist Association with over 25 years of experience. He is also a member of the Society of American Florists and President of the local Northern Piedmont Florist Association.
For the 2013 Floral Shoot, Flowers by Gary put together a sweet, quintessential Southern tabletop and bouquet, complete with blue seersucker (swoon!), magnolia leaves, and hydrangeas — it doesn’t get more Southern than that, y’all! We set up in Rose Hill Plantation‘s Blue Room, and took to the stunning front lawn of the historic estate house for some model shots (including our beautiful Summer/Fall cover!) If you’re seeking floral inspiration that’s soulfully Southern, look no further than this shoot!
Enjoy these beautiful photos — some never-before-seen! — all shot by the talented husband and wife duo, Photography by Walters & Walters.
Thanks to everyone who made this segment of the shoot so wonderful, including: American Party Rentals, Cute Buttons, Lana Addison Bridal, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry and Bella Trio Day Spa.
SB&G Is At Bridal Market in New York
This weekend, the 2013 New York International Bridal Week (also known as Bridal Market) will be held at Piers 92 and 94 in Manhattan. The weekend is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for retailers and manufacturers to experience a professional bridal trade show in New York City. All of the best names from the American and European bridal industry — from shocking couture to gorgeously modern — will be in attendance, debuting exciting new looks and trends.
Our very own Jenna from Team SB&G will be in attendance for all of the weekend’s festivities, from perusing designer booths to sitting in on couture fashion shows, and she’ll be reporting all of the important details! Jenna will be paying extra close attention to designers lines that are carried by our local Triangle NC bridal boutiques.
Cyn Kain Photography is accompanying Jenna to NYC to help cover all of the exciting events of the weekend, and when they return, we’ll let you in on the scoop.
For those of you who can’t wait for the recap (like me!), follow Southern Bride & Groom on Instagram and Twitter!
Southern Bride & Groom Summer/Fall 2013 Cover Reveal
All of the gals at Southern Bride & Groom are thrilled to reveal our second cover for 2013, and the 26th edition of our Triangle-based wedding planning magazine!
Our stunning Summer/Fall cover was captured by the amazing husband and wife photography team, Meridith and James of Photography by Walters & Walters, on a pleasantly-cool summer day during our floral shoot for this year’s magazine.
The shoot took place at the picturesque Rose Hill Plantation in Nashville, NC. Rose Hill is a quintessential Southern wedding venue complete with beautiful, well-manicured grounds, a stunning historic plantation home, and a lofty reception hall. Though the plantation lies only minutes outside of Raleigh, you feel as if you are entering another world as you make your way up the Crepe Myrtle-lined country lane leading up to the historic estate house.
The cover photo features a sweet bouquet designed by Flowers by Gary. This bouquet oozes Southern charm with its seersucker wrap, blue hydrangeas and magnolia leaves. Our lovely model is wearing a stunning gown from Lana Addison Bridal, a boutique located in Cary, NC, and is adorned with a David Yurman necklace and pair of earrings from Bailey’s Fine Jewelry. Her hair and makeup were done by the talented ladies at Bella Trio Day Spa.
Want more of the floral shoot? Grab a copy of this year’s Southern Bride & Groom, and check out our behind-the-scenes blog post, complete with never-before-seen photos of the shoot!
