Colored wedding shoes, part 2

Forgive me for not having updated this blog for some time. I've been really, really busy. Had a lot of things on my plate, and they took away my blogging time. But anyhoo...

I had fun looking at the colored wedding shoes I featured earlier, so here I am giving you another set of photos featuring brides wearing non-white footwear for their wedding. Check them out and find inspiration:

Aside from giving your wedding attire some pizzazz, they make great wedding photography subjects, too. If you dare to be different, going for colored wedding shoes is one thing you can do.

Photo credits, from top: CoryParris.com; DnKPhotography.com; KreativeEye.net; KellyOshiroEvents.com.

Going for colored wedding shoes

Traditional brides would go for an all-white ensemble, from head to foot. But nowadays more and more brides are spicing up their big day fashion by wearing colored things that serve as accents to the wedding dress. One of these that many ladies are picking up is the colored wedding shoes.

Yep, wedding shoes need not be white these days. Going for colored footwear gives more pizzazz. If your bridal style veers away from the classic, this is one suggestion you should keep in mind.

Here are some examples of brides that wore colored footwear for their wedding day:

Don't they look gorgeous? So if you're feeling adventurous, why not try wearing non-white shoes and footwear? They serve as pretty accents to your white dress and really makes you stand out.

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Photo credits, from top: DanielleAquilinePhoto.blogspot.com; OhDarlingPhotography.com; RockNRollBride.com; GreenWeddingShoes.com; OliviaLeighWeddings.com; ElizabethAnneDesigns.com.

Colored wedding gowns

It's always been tradition that brides should wear white on their wedding day. Wearing white is a symbol of the bride's purity. And of course, it makes her stand out from the rest of the crowd.

But lately, some brides opt for bridal gowns that come in colors other than just pure white. Either the embellishments, like beadwork or sashes, are infused with the wedding's color motif, or the whole gown itself isn't white.

Wearing a colored wedding gown is a statement of the desire to be unique and contemporary. Though other people, especially the older ones in the family, may frown upon this, colored gowns are slowly making their way in the runway and in the aisles.

There are some things, though, that you should take note of when you're going for a colored wedding gown: first, it should complement your skin tone, and second, its design and shade should be different from your bridesmaids' or they could wear dresses with a complementary color. Otherwise, you'd just look like the others in your entourage.

Here's a board which showcases colored wedding gowns, all for your inspiration. Colored wedding gowns may not be for all, but for the more adventurous bride, you can take a shot at this.Top row, from left: Style M565 from JordanFashions.com; Purple Strapless Satin Wedding Gown from PerfectWeddingDressStore.com; Style VE8025 from VenusBridal.com; Style Y2940 from SophiaTolli.com; Suzanne from MaggieSottero.com.

Bottom row, from left: Style GR163 from DemetriosBride.com; Style 2037 from AlfredAngelo.com; Style CO72727 from ToiSpose.com; Carole - 7236 from AlyceDesigns.com; Zenia from PeterLangner.com.

Inspiration Board - Purple

My sister and her boyfriend are thinking of settling down. This I knew from the guy. They first thought of getting married this year, but with the recent turn of events, the preparations seemed to take so long. My guess is they're getting hitched next year (hopefully, they've been together for 10 years now).

She loves the color purple, and for her wedding she's thinking of mixing it with green or wine (my mom doesn't approve of purple, though -- it reminds her of Lent). So I came up with this inspiration board that has purple as the main color and green as accent. Enjoy!

First column, from top: Style 7014 Bridesmaid Dress from AlfredAngelo.com; Bouquet of purple tulips and green hydrangeas from TheKnot.com; Purple Rose Cufflinks by Robert Charles from KJBeckett.com; Mini Rosebunch Favor Pot from FavorStudio.com.


Second column, from top: Jordan Almonds from CandyWarehouse.com; Silver 'Sibak Tatah Leaves' Amethyst Bracelet from Overstock.com; Lombardia Colecciones Novia from LaSposa.com; Ladies Purple Satin Peeptoe Evening Shoes from FootwearStudio.co.uk; Bundled Flowers invitation from InvitationConsultants.com.


Third column, from top: Lilacs in May wedding cake from JacquesPastries.com; Purple Flowers and Candle reception centerpiece from ProjectWedding.com; Jessica Lynn Flower Girl Dress - Belle from EmeraldBridal.com.

Create your own inspiration board with Dessy's Pantone Wedding

Want to create your own inspiration board? Thinking of great color combinations you could use for your wedding? The Dessy Group has teamed up with Pantone to build the Pantone Wedding, a site where you can choose from Dessy's dresses and accessories according to your favorite colors.

I tried out the site, and it's pretty easy. All you have to do is create an account and you're ready to go!

Before creating your inspiration board, you must choose the color combinations you like from the swatches on the top right. After picking your colors, an array of dresses and accessories will show on the right side. Just click and drag the ones you like on the board. You can also write a note on it. It's that simple.

If you're done with your inspiration board, you can easily save it in your account for future viewing. And if you like to share it with others, perhaps with the members of your entourage, you have the option to post it in your blog or email the board's link.

What I like about this wedding tool is that, first of all, it's free and it instantly gives you a preview of how your entourage will look like wearing those dresses in the color motif you want. It's also easy to use, because you can easily create an inspiration board by just clicking and dragging. You can also adjust the size of the items so they could fit on the board. And if you want to remove a picture, you just have to press delete.

The downside, though, is the limitations in terms of the selections. It features mostly bridesmaid dresses, a few flowergirl dresses, and fewer accessories. I hope Dessy would feature more of their collections here, which will also include wedding dresses and a lot more accessories for men and women.

Here's a sample inspiration board I made using Pantone Weddings:


Overall, this wedding tool is fun and easy to use. The Pantone Weddings is very helpful, especially if you need to visualize how your colors will blend. Try it!

Inspiration board - Black

Black is classic, elegant, and great for evening weddings. Or maybe a rock-themed wedding. Here in the Philippines, black isn't exactly a famous choice as a wedding color motif. Tradition states that it is the color of mourning.

But daring, adventurous couples try to break that mold and choose this color as their motif. Combined with light colors like champagne or brighter colors like red or yellow, it creates a sophisticated mood for your ceremony and reception.

Actually, I looked for black wedding motif inspirations because my friend wanted black as her wedding colors. We have yet to see the reaction of her future in-laws about this...

For the meantime, here's today's inspiration board. I chose the classic white as the accent:
1st column, from top: Maggie Sottero Aspen wedding gown from Brides.com; Kate Spade Gina shoes from Zappos.com; Formal Affair White Wedding Pillow from A1WeddingInvitations.net; Black Beauty Invitation from HotRef.com.

2nd column, from top: Gown and Tuxedo Design Candles from HotRef.com; Black and White Sugarpaste Wedding Cake from ChocolateWeddingCakes.com; Simon Silver and Black Patterned Cufflinks from AmericanBridal.com; Watters Flower Girls dress from Brides.com.

3rd column, from top: White Callas with black contrasting ribbons and berries wedding bouquet from SomethingSpecialFlowers.com; Belsoie by Jasmine bridesmaid dress from Brides.com; Full set of 7.0 - 8.00mm black freshwater pearls from PearlParadise.com; Love Design Mint Tins wedding favor boxes from LittleThingsFavors.com.

Inspiration board - Valentine

Well, it's February, officially the month of hearts. And Valentine's Day is just around the corner. So I looked around the Net for some valentine inspirations for weddings themed as such. Your wedding doesn't have to fall on the month of Love to qualify as a Valentine Wedding -- you can always make any day Valentine's Day, in my opinion.

Of course, the common color scheme here is red, pink and white. Lots of hearts, too. Hope you like it!

1st column, from top: Maggie Sottero Camden wedding dress from Brides.com; Straight from the Heart wedding invitation from WeddingInvitations123.com; Queen of Hearts Cake from JustScrumptious.co.uk.

2nd column, from top: Ruby heart necklace from BlueIndigoJewelry.com; Sterling Silver Ruby CZ Heart Earrings from AmesSecret.com; Red rose with calla lily bride's bouquet from Bridesign.com; Jordan Separates bridesmaid dress from Brides.com; Freeze dried rose petals from Beau-coup.com.

3rd column, from top: Love Beyond Measure Spoons in Personality Box from FavorFavor.com; Kate Spade Hera shoes from Zappos.com; Christmas Red Tie by Elite Solid from Ties.com; David's Bridal flower girl dress from Brides.com.

Inspiration board - Beach

My cousin is coming home to the Philippines for her wedding this August. She'll be having a beach themed wedding, and I just found out the reception will take place in an island in Panglao, Bohol. Cool! I really want to go, but since by that time it would've been two months after I give birth, I'm not sure if I can travel with a baby in tow. Oh well...

Well, her theme gave me an inspiration to do this, er, inspiration board. Theirs will be blue with a hint of browns, so here are some of the things I found over the Net that go with their color scheme. Hope you like it.
1st column, from top: Destinations by Maggie Sottero wedding dress at Brides.com; Sterling Silver Cultured Freshwater Pearl CZ Earrings from Overstock.com; White sandal with crystal woven strap from BeachThemeWeddingShop.com; Palm Breezes Beach Pail Tealight Holder from Hotref.com; Blue hydrangea wedding flowers from Bridesign.com.

2nd column, from top: Something Blue wedding cake at Brides.com; Jean Yves Parisian Super 100s Chocolate Tone on Tone tuxedo from AlsFormalWear.com; Carolina Blue Rose and Blue Ribbon Boutonniere at MySilkWeddingFlowers.com; Mini Calla Lilies Bride's Bouquet at 1800Flowers.com; Ali B Maids bridesmaid dress at Brides.com.

3rd column, from top: Beachcombers Flip Flop Placecard Holders from WaxWizard.net; Beach invitation bottle from HansonEllis.com; Watters Flower Girls dress from Brides.com; Candle stock photo by korionov from sxc.hu.

My inspiration board - Green

When I was going through my wedding preparations, I got into forums wherein brides-to-be made their wedding inspiration boards. They're like a collage of pictures that go with their theme -- from the gowns to the entourage details to the decor. I never got the time to make my own, but I did get photos on the Net for inspiration.

Guess I have some free time on my hands that I collated some of the pics I've gathered and made my inspiration board based on our color motif, which was green with some pink accents. The gown on the top left was one of my favorites that I had my wedding dress made almost like that.

1st column, from top: Pearl Collection wedding dress, Little Flowers by Odyssey bridesmaid dress, both from Brides.com; table setting with hydrangeas, tulips, orchids, peonies, kimies and dahlias from BlueSkyWeddings.com.

2nd column, from top: David's Bridal bridesmaid dresses from Brides.com; scroll wedding invitation from MajesticInvites.com; Salon Verona wedding shoes from BellissimaBridalShoes.com; 'The Temptation' graduated drop earrings from Overstock.com; Floral Sweet wedding cake from Brides.com.

3rd column, from top: Wedding bouquet of mini callas, pink roses and green cymbidium orchids from BlueSkyWeddings.com; Jacquelin Bridal wedding dress and Jordan bridesmaid dress, both from Brides.com.

You can also make your own inspiration board. It's pretty simple, too. Plus it's very helpful when you're doing a lot of DIY stuff, too.

Finding your color(s)

One of the first things hubby and I thought of during the preparation stage was what color motif we were going to have. Yes, that was a big deal for us. Okay, so maybe for me.

He didn't want anything too feminine or girly, so initially we opted for his favorite color, which was green. But of course, brides have their way, one way or another, so I got him convinced to pick my favorite color, pink, as an accent.

Now the thing was, which shades to use?

Believe me, it took us weeks to decide what exact shades to use: celadon green, pomelo pink, fuchsia, emerald green, baby pink... heck, finding what shades match even made our heads ache.

Good thing I found the Color Studio over at Brides.com. Here, you can choose from numerous basic colors, spin the wheel, and see which shades go together. I kept on "spinning" the wheel until I found these shades: Pink + Lime + Pearl. Perfect! Well, we didn't include the Pearl color. But the combination of those shades were exactly what we were looking for.

Though this isn't exactly the effect it had on our actual wedding, it was something close to this. What we like about it is that the colors are light on the eyes and perfect for our morning ceremony.

You can find a lot of other combinations using your favorite color as base. Just a warning though -- this tool is very addictive. I couldn't stop clicking my mouse just to see all the other pretty combinations for wedding color motifs.

Photo credit: Color Studio by Brides.com