How to Afford a Designer Gown on a Budget

Sticking to your budget is very important. You don't want to go into a marriage in debt. And finding the perfect gown can also be a challenge. Many brides don't want to spend thousands of dollars on a dress they will only where for a couple of hours.

Why not enjoy this special time in your life. Realish every moment of the planning process. Come out to the Brides Against Breast Cancer VIP night. You won't have to worry about breaking your budget. We're having dinner and a gown show on Friday night, February 5 starting at 6 pm at the Sheraton in downtown Raleigh, NC. Dinner is $30 per person. Various wedding industry professionals will be on hand creating beautiful table decor for you to enjoy dinner. Pick your favorite table and have dinner with the professional who created the table design and pick out a beautiful dress you would like to try on at the gown show. After dinner, you get first pick at all of the gowns we'll have available at the two-day charity gown sale.

Get your dinner tickets now! VIP night is fast approaching.

Say YES to the dress! It's all for a wonderful cause.

And the color of the year is...

TURQUOISE! That's right, Pantone recently announced that turquoise (15-5519) is the 2010 Color of the Year! I love turquoise....almost as much as I love chocolate! Same comforting effect. Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape, while restoring a sense of wellbeing. Why wouldn't you love turquoise with all those great qualities.

You could use turquoise as your wedding colors whether you are having a beach/destination wedding or an outdoor/garden wedding. With both warm and cool undertones, turquoise pairs great with other colors in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, it compliments reds and pinks and creates a classic maritime look with deep blues. It can also liven up some shades of green and is especially trendsetting with yellow-greens.

When deciding your wedding colors you should always take into account the colors of your wedding location. Take into account the flooring and the walls. You don't want to clash with your ceremony and reception surroundings. Visit a local fabric store or hardware store and collect paint swatches. This will help you get a specific idea of the hue you need. Take the swatches with you when you visit venues.

Here is an incredible tool to make it even easier to pick out the hues and tones for your wedding. Have you found some images online that you love? Save them to your computer then visit this website, Big Huge Labs Color Palette Generator. Just upload the image and click CREATE. There you have it....all the different colors from the photo are generated for you into a color palette. Pick two to five colors and go with them. I hope you have fun generating your perfect wedding colors.

Happy Planning!

A Walk Down the Aisle

There are so many beautiful ways you can decorate the aisle at your beach/destination wedding to make your walk truly memorable. Not only will your view down the aisle be forever in your memory but it will be talked about by your guests for months.

Here are a few beautiful ideas for your wedding aisle. Not only can you use starfish, but you can do the same thing with beautiful seashells. The above photo is a combination of sheer ribbon, palm leaves and natural starfish. This a beautiful yet economical.

This is so beautiful to me. And hot pink and orange are definitely colors that have been very popular for the past few years. A great way to add a splash of color to your wedding. Sash the chair and then wrap orange raffia around a natural starfish. Attach it to your sash or hang it over the edge of a white garden chair.

Here's another great color combo for beach weddings, aqua and coral. This is a very formal and structured look, but you could do the same by combining two colors of ribbon or raffia or even tull into something more careful and artistic.


Here's another starfish decor idea. Here they have wrapped sheer pink ribbon around the body of the starfish and it dangles from the edge of the white chairs. This is lovely. Again, you can do this same thing with shells. Although you might have to use a dremel and make a tiny hole in the shell. But won't it be beautiful?

All of these are great ideas to decorate your beach wedding aisle. Hope this has inspired you to design something wonderful for your wedding.

Happy Planning!

Having Your Wedding at the Beach?

Not everyone wants to get married with sand between there toes. But for those who do, there's no place like the beaches of North Carolina....acres of white sand, beachcombers checking out the festivities from the water's edge.

The past five years North Carolina has been more and more beach/destination weddings. It has become a prime wedding destination, with hotels and venues booked months in advance from April through October and especially during the off peak season months of September through April. Brides and grooms enjoy the off season lower rates at hotels, unclogged roads, and the most dazzling sunlight this side of paradise.

There's nothing like having a wedding ceremony waterfront. Ceremonies are allowed on the beach, but depending on your location, you might be required to obtain a permit, although most beaches don't require it. There's a variety of other options, though, like renting a private home, booking space in a beachfront hotel, or reserving the hottest restaurant in town.

Welcome to your destination wedding just a couple of hours away. Contact us at Beautiful Details to get started planning your NC destination wedding.

Brides Against Breast Cancer Gown Sale

During National Wedding Month, February, we are dedicated to raising $40,000 to help the Brides Against Breat Cancer / Making Memories Foundation by hosting two Charity Gown Sales. The Making Memories Foundation grants wishes to women who are terminally ill with Breast Cancer for more information please visit Making Memories.


Raleigh Brides Against Breast Cancer 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010 - Dinner and Gown Show - 6 pm - 9 pm
Saturday, February. 6, 2010 - Gown Sale - 10 am - 6 pm
Sunday, February 7, 2010 - Gown Sale - 10 am - 5 pm

Friday night we are doing a dinner and parade of gowns for the brides that sign up for VIP night - brides will have first dibs on the dresses. This event starts at 6 pm. In addition, ABC Members are going to design different reception tables for the brides to eat dinner at. Have dinner with your mother or bridesmaid while watching a fantastic wedding gown show! All dresses are provided by the Making Memories Foundation. Not only that our consultants are going to show you their design skills by designing different wedding reception tables for you to dine at!

Saturday and Sunday we are doing the gown sale which is free to all brides along with the vendor show which is also free for everyone. Free admission on Saturday and Sunday.

Congratulations!

I know I have been missing in action from my blog for a number of weeks, but I'm back now. And I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell all of you who were recently engaged over the holidays.... CONGRATULATIONS!

I know you have tons on your mind, like:

• Setting the date


• Deciding on ceremony and reception venues


• Wedding colors


• Finding a wedding planner


• Finding reputable vendors


• Sending out Save the Dates..and the list goes on

So much to do! Beautiful Details is here to help you. We are located in Raleigh, North Carolina and can help you with your wedding locally or with a destination wedding on the coast of North Carolina. We love Topsail Beach, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle and all those sandy beaches in between. Although we specialize in beach weddings, that doesn't mean we can't create you a beautiful garden wedding or church wedding. We'll create a wedding to reflect your vision and personality. We have great ideas and information to share.

Keep watching our blog for creative ideas for your upcoming wedding! And look for us Valentine's Day in Elite Wedding Collection magazine. Pick up a copy at Barnes & Nobles or your local newsstand.