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DIY

Styled Wedding Shoots

Otherworldly Gem & Galaxy Wedding Inspiration

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

An other-worldly wedding photoshoot inspired by the cosmos and crystals featuring a hand-made galaxy dyed veil and tie, raw crystal accents and some quirky accessories. 

Photographer, Mary Slinger-Carreer, of We Choose the Moon Photography shared this unique, offbeat wedding inspiration photoshoot.

Mary: Our theme came  to life after I found a DIY tutorial on how to dip dye a veil. I was amazed at how easy and stunning the veil was. Additionally, I thought it was a brilliant idea for brides who aren’t into all white to add some color to their bridal look. Around that same time, I stumbled across a tutorial on youtube on how to to tie-dye a shirt to look like a galaxy. I married the two ideas together and decided to tie-dye a galaxy veil.

I didn't want it to look like an outer space birthday party, so I decided to keep the galaxy patterns to a minimum; only the veil and the groom’s tie, but I carried the color palette throughout the rest of the inspiration. Iridescent finishes and raw crystals were the perfect complement to the galaxy inspiration, including iridescent flatware and champagne flutes with stoneware plates and raw crystals on the cake. I also specifically picked a very rocky location to give it a slightly more “other worldly” vibe.

"Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious . . . In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another."
- Carl Sagan

Photographer: We Choose the Moon Photography
Apparel: Indochino Men's custom Suits
Veils and Headpieces: DIY by Photographer
Invitation Designer: Fangman Designs
Gown: Rebecca's Wedding Boutique (Skirt only)
Event Planner: All About You Celebrations LLC
Jewelry: NaZari Jewelry
Jewelry: Find Designs (earrings)
Floral Designer: Blooms by Essential Details
Bakery: Mix & Match Cakes
Makeup Artist: Taylor Kane McLeod
Hair Stylist: Gretchen Burcham
Event Venue: Falling Rock Park Quarry

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Through The Looking Glass Garden Wedding

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

It all started with a dress. We fell in love with Renegade Bridal's “Lindsay” gown. We were so inspired by this gown that we knew we had to use it in an innovative and refreshing way. We were dreaming of a perfectly pink, whimsical, refreshing inspiration shoot. 

We started showing “Lindsay” off to many of our vendor friends and we knew we wanted to work with people who were just as inspired as we were. Somehow, this pretty little number nestled it’s way into all of our hearts and created this rare form of magic. The magic grew and grew.

Our shoot seemed to take on a life of it’s own and evolved right before our eyes. We started referring to it as our “Through the looking glass” shoot, as a little nod to “Alice In Wonderland.” Like Alice, it grew and evolved so much throughout the planning process. Before long, we had a cake that matched the print of the gown, Alice In Wonderland inspired treats, paper cranes, paper lanterns and collectable rabbits involved in the shoot.

Everyone’s heart became intertwined in this day and it quickly became very personal for each and every one of us that there were. Now, there is something to be said about working with vendors that share the same vision as you. Since it was so near and dear to each of our hearts, the enthusiasm of the day was absolutely infectious. Even the stifling Texas heat didn’t slow anyone down! We are so grateful to be friends with so many amazing vendors who share our visions!











Rockstar Vendors

Photographer: C. Baron Photography
Florals: College Park Flowers
Design: Sweet Tea and Linen
Dress: Renegade Bridal
Cake: Edible Moments
Heirlooms and extras: Love Birds Vintage Rentals & Styling
Invitation Designer: My Urban Invites
Event Planner: A&E Weddings and Events
Reception Venue: Oak Tree Manor
Makeup Artist: LP Makeup and Beauty

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Angela and Bryan’s Intimate Waterfront Wedding in Prince Edward County

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Angela and Bryans love story starts how every good love story should start...jumping out of planes.  After meeting on Tinder and casually chatting for a couple days, Angela and Bryan crossed paths in person when Angela took her dad skydiving for his birthday and low and behold Bryan was one of the licensed instructors there! Feeling it was fate, they decided that an official date was in order. Fast forward two years and their romance was in full swing and now they are both licensed skydivers and spend their summers jumping out of planes and any other crazy adventures they can get themselves into.

Their intimate wedding was a true reflection of them.  A day filled with family, friends, laughter (so much laughter)! Set on the beach in beautiful Prince Edward County, Ontario they said their I do's as the birds chirped and the waves gently lapped the beach.  After the ceremony we went down the road to the beautiful Sandbanks provincial park for their photos and then back to the resort to finish off their night with dancing, sparklers, and donuts.  Every detail from the reception from the paper cone backdrop to the smore party favours were DIY'd by Angela and her bridesmaids.

Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? 

We were hoping to achieve a relaxed and fun environment for the wedding which we felt would really capture who we are as a couple! We wanted a venue where our guests had that "one stop shop" feel, this was important to us so that everyone could have fun and relax. The waterfront and fire pits were such a bonus that really tied it all in for us. The inspiration for the decorations came from peonies. They are one of my favorite flowers and I knew I wanted them in my bouquet so everything really stemmed from there.

Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

The pavilion itself was a large area and it was important for us to use the decor to help to make the space feel more intimate while keeping in line with the rustic wooden feel. We used a lot of wood, greenery and floral accents to achieve this. Most of our decor was DIY, a Pinterest wedding if you will. We did rent some of the pieces from Your Moment Rentals to help pull it all together. My favorite decorations were definitely the hanging floral chandeliers. Those were DIY and I am so proud of them!

What were the florals like in your wedding? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?

The centerpieces were a simple baby's breath arrangement. We purchased these in bulk from Costco. The bouquets and boutonnieres were silk flowers that one of my bridesmaids mother actually created for us. I loved them so much and feel like they really tied it all together. Peonies were my inspiration for the pink theme of the wedding so these really had to be just right!


Did you personalize the day in any way?

We assembled boxed of smores for all of our guests as wedding favors. Smores are one my my favorite snacks so I loved that I could incorporate this into the day. We had a fire pit outside with the sign saying "Roast a 'mallow and party smore" with roasting sticks and encouraged guests to make their smores and enjoy a little treat.

Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look?

My thoughts: you only get married once! I wanted to go for the drama of the big chandelier earrings! Its the one day I felt like I cant really overdo it. The veil was my favorite part of the whole outfit, really made me feel bridal. I always swore I wouldn't have the bride "moment" when dress shopping, but to my dismay, the moment I put this dress on, I cried like a baby in the fitting room with the sales attendant. It was love at first site! Made me feel classy and showed off the curves. Bryan was adamant that he have suspenders and a bowtie, it was his one big ask for the day. I thought it suited him perfectly!

How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

Bryan and I actually met on Tinder. But what really solidified it for us was skydiving. Bryan was a licensed skydiver and I had just done my first tandem jump and was hooked. Our love for the sport and the adrenaline cemented it for us and we haven't looked back.  We now have over 500 jumps between us!Bryan proposed at the lighting of the Christmas tree, in my mind, the kick off to the Christmas season. He knows how much I love the holiday, and even more how much I love fireworks. So when the tree light came one and the fireworks started, he got down and one knee and asked me to marry him. I don't think I even answered before I said YES!

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

We were both really looking forward to the reveal. We struggled with the decision to have a reveal or keep it more traditional but in the end, felt that the reveal would really set the tone for the day. I was so nervous for us to see each other for the first time in our  big day but could not have been happier with the decision. Instantly, seeing him took away all the nerves one experiences on their wedding day and we were able to have fun and have some really intimate moments leading up to the ceremony.

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice for maintaining your Bridechilla Chill that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?

I know its been said a million times, but really really, don't sweat the small stuff. Things will go wrong, but it wont even matter to you anymore at that point. The day goes by so fast, try as much as you can to just take a step back, enjoy all the work you put in and all the people there to celebrate your love!

Angela and Bryan's Rockstar Vendors

Becky Lynn Photography
Krispy Kreme
Isaiah Tubbs Resort and Conference Centre


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Betty and Allan’s Woodland Cinema Wedding

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

I'm into forest walks and he's into movies.... so how could we possibly not have a Woodland Cinema themed wedding!

Yes ok, granted it isn't your classic wedding theme, but it is classically us and that is exactly what we wanted our wedding to be - a reflection of us as individuals and as a couple.

When we first got engaged I was definitely the enthusiastic driving force of the planning - I was coming up with ideas and Pinterest boards galore firming up my "vision." Allan was somewhat slower out the starting blocks, which had lured me into a false sense of security that I might get to make every decision for the wedding - no such luck - once he was on board it was team decisions all the way. This of course meant that I didn't always get my own way [queue toddler tantrum] and we had to do a little thing called compromise (what good practice for marriage!). However, in the end, this meant that we had a wedding that was totally personal and totally "us."


We both agreed that we wouldn't do traditions for the sake of traditions but would pick and choose what was meaningful to us.

I wanted my dad to walk me down the aisle but didn't want him to "give me away" (I am not being passed from one man to the other as a business transaction). I wanted to do a speech (I am not prepared to sit quiet and let the men do all the talking)..... oh did I forget to mention that feminism was a secret sub-theme of the wedding! We wanted the ceremony to be personal and to add in a Handfasting ceremony to reflect our Scottishness and we adapted it to symbolize the joining of two families by using ribbons made of our clan tartans.

One of the best tips I read was in an article by a wedding planner. She said rather than start with a theme, pick three adjectives that you want your wedding to be, and build your wedding from there.

She said that starting with a theme could lead your wedding to feel a bit 2D, but working your way from a broad starting point and refining makes it a more fluid organic process that would lead to a richer theme.

My three words were 'Nature,' 'Colourful' and 'Fun' and Allan's were 'Fun,' 'Informal' and ........ I've forgotten the third #terriblewife.

From there we developed different bits of the day and soon our woodland cinema theme emerged! We held these words in mind when looking for vendors; falling in love with the AMAZING Errol Park with its quirky fun interior and stunning natural ground; loving the family dining style approach of Wild Rover Food (omg soooo tasty and all locally and sustainably sourced); booking photography with the talented Nikki Leadbetter Photography and videography with Brian Scott Weddings due to their informal natural reporter style shots; and having Pretty Little Punk personalized wedding converses for the bride, bridesmaids and mother of the bride to change into after the ceremony - no excuses not to be on the dance floor.

We went pretty heavy on the DIY but were happy to do so. With Allan being a tradesman he is pretty handy, and I love a crafty project. Upon reflection, we perhaps have underestimated the hours and money that this approach would take, but for us, it was these personal touches that would give the wedding the vibe we wanted. For us this was something that was important - so for us, it was worth it (even the repetitive strain I got from folding 480 origami cranes). 

Our favourite touches of the day included:

  • The ushers serving popcorn to guests as they arrived at our ceremony so they had a bite to eat during the main event.
  • Our VHS table plan - find your film to find your seat!
  • Those origami cranes which came from blood, sweat and tears
  • The movie room alcove which played clips from our favourite classic films
  • The hangover kits for guests so they were left with great memories from our day rather than a thumping head!
  • The amazing work of our florist Tupelo Tree - she is a "florist and woodland artist" so immediately I knew she was the one who would bring our vision to life.  She added ferns, moss and wild flowers and her work is truly stunning - swoon.

So my reflections on planning a DIY wedding:

1.Do what is important to you. 

If the little personal touches and DIY projects don't matter to you - don't do them (weddings are still great without them) - it's a lot of hours and money if it's not going to add anything emotionally to your day if wouldn't be worth the hassle. If it is important to you - GO FOR IT - plan plan plan - schedule - timetable and get your friends and family on board - crafternoons are the way forward (boozy crafternoons are even better). ENJOY THE PROCESS AND THE JOURNEY

2.Plan together. 

Shape the wedding to be a reflection of you both. Stay true to what matters to you. I am so impressed we managed this, I am working on my assertiveness and am aware I am conflict avoidant but we managed to stick to our guns on a number of things (e.g., no kids, and no obligation guests) and I am so happy, and proud that we did.

3.Be present. 

I know it's an obvious one that everyone says, but it's true! One of my bridesmaids had just qualified as a yoga instructor so the night before and the morning of the wedding she led a yoga class and some meditation. For me this was the perfect way to start the day in a calm mindset, ready to be mindful of my special day.

4. Let go. 

Once the planning is done.... it's done. Letting go of control, particularly of things which are out of your control frees you up to be present. I am a planner by nature and knew this could be a stumbling block for me, especially since we didn't have a wedding coordinator. I approached this by putting together a detailed, step-by-step, itinerary of the day that outlined what needed to happen, and who needed to do it. I emailed this out in advance of the wedding to all the vendors and the wedding party. This meant that on the day I felt able to let go, not needing to think about any part of it, or if people would be doing what needed to happen. I had done my bit...... and all was left was for me to enjoy the day.

Vendors

Venue: Errol Park 

Catering: Wild Rover Food

Photographer: Nikki Leadbetter Photography 

Videographer: Brian Scott Weddings 

Dress: Wed2b

Kilts: Kingdom Kilts

Florist: Tupelo Tree 

Bridesmaids dresses: TheDaintYard

Personalised trainers: Pretty Little Punk

Hair: MHM Styling

Makeup: Kiki Chic

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Bridechilla BlogGuest Post

10 Quick Tips to DJ Your Own Wedding – Part 3

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Hello fellow Bridechillas! Are you ready to DJ your own wedding? This is Brandon Stiles again, founder of Atlanta wedding DJ company Uptown Down Entertainment with the 3rd and final installment of ‘10 Quick Tips to DJ Your Own Wedding’.

Did you miss Parts One and Two? Go check those out first!

Part One

Part Two

In this final section, we’re going to go over how to set up your sound system, how to prepare your MC (or yourself) to revive a dying dance floor, as well as cover some key elements to keep in mind if things start going wrong.

 STEP 7: SETUP THE SOUND SYSTEM

Setting up a simple sound system like the one we’ll be using to DJ our wedding is not tough! It’s essentially going to be two speakers on a pole, a microphone and stand, and a way to hook your phone/laptop up to the speakers.

Remember, plug everything in FIRST before turning anything on- that way you’ll avoid any loud pops (which can damage the equipment). Also, make sure everything is turned down to zero before turning the system on- that way you can raise everything to the proper listening level and not risk blowing out your eardrums!

Finally, once you have a song playing, stand at the back of the room furthest from the speakers and check on the volume- if it’s at the level you want it, go a LITTLE bit louder; once people start filtering in, their clothes/bodies will absorb some of the sound, so you’ll want to go with a little more volume to make up for that.

STEP 8: HAVE SOME MC TRICKS READY

What happens if your dance floor starts to die down a little bit? Maybe one of the songs you played just didn’t connect like you thought it would, or a slow dance cleared the floor.

In my book “How to DJ Your Own Wedding”, I go over what I call ‘CPR Songs’- these are a list of songs I have that, when played, do an amazing job of bringing people back to the hardwood. A great one is ‘The Wobble’- put that one on, and you’ll have a resurgence!

These songs are usually popular group-dance songs or song with singable lyrics.

Either way, have a few tricks up your sleeve that will get people revitalized and back out to dance with you!

STEP 9: PLAY THE TUNES IN THE RIGHT ORDER

This is where having the benefit of an experiences DJ comes in handy- having an inkling for which songs to play in what order is what most people call ‘reading the room’.

However, YOU can do this too with just a little guidance and information. If you’re a bride or groom, you obviously don’t want to be standing at the laptop station all night, picking songs- this is why I recommend having a friend or acquaintance MC.

But if you don’t have one, there are a number of different ways to maximize your chances of playing to the room.

One way is to order your playlist by decade- start the night off with 60s and 70s (disco or something similar)- this way your older audience is engaged. It also happens that a TON of sing-a-longs were popular in the 70s, so even young people are able to connect to these tunes. Then when the night gets later and the newer songs start (new hip-hop or Top 40), the older crowd is probably on their way out, and your close friends are sticking around (so you’ll know exactly what songs to play then because you know them a lot better).

STEP 10: RELAX AND ENJOY THE NIGHT- YOU’RE MARRIED!

This is more of a mentality than a ‘step’, but it’s extremely necessary to remember: relax and enjoy your Wedding Day! The good, the amazing… and the technical difficulties.

I’ve performed at hundreds of weddings, and while there have been many little problems here and there, I’ve never ever seen one that ‘ruined’ the day; people usually end up looking back and laughing at the problems that they thought were huge deals when they happened.

Receptions are actually pretty free-flowing and easy! Once you get past the beginning dances and the toasts (the more formal parts), the rest is almost improvised as you go along.

So when you want to DJ your own wedding, just know a few things are going to go a little wrong- it’s almost unavoidable - but just roll with those punches and enjoy the day where all your friends are coming together to celebrate YOU guys!

Photo by Andreas Rønningen on Unsplash

You are ready to DJ your own wedding!

That brings us to the end of our series on DJ’ing your own wedding.

If you feel like you could benefit from a little more information and training, check out my new book and course on DJ’ing your own wedding. There you’ll get a special Bridechilla offer for the 90-page eBook and video course that will walk you step-by-step on how to successfully DJ your own wedding and make sure your friends have an awesome time.

​

-- Brandon Stiles

www.howtodjyourownwedding.com

www.uptowndownentertainment.com

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Bridechilla BlogGuest Post

10 Quick Tips to DJ Your Own Wedding: Part 2

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha
10 Tips to DJ Your Own Wedding Part 2 | The Bridechilla Blog | Guest Post by Brandon Stiles of howtodjyourownwedding.com

Hello fellow Bridechillas! My name is Brandon Stiles, and I’m the founder of an entertainment company based out of Atlanta, GA called Uptown Down Entertainment. In a nutshell, we provide wedding DJs and live bands for weddings. However, I’m ALSO a teacher, and today I’m going to teach you how to save a little money and successfully DJ your own wedding.

This is the second of three parts of a short series on tips to DJ’ing your own wedding. Using these points, you can cut the learning curve way down and really save a ton of money!

Haven't read part one yet? Check it out here: Part One.

I also have a site www.howtodjyourownwedding.com that can give you even more resources to DJ your own wedding, as well as a complete, step-by-step walkthrough on how to DJ your own wedding, from putting together playlists to structuring the flow of your day.

Photo by Lanty on Unsplash

STEP 4: OUTLINING THE FLOW OF YOUR WEDDING DAY

This is one of the steps that most brides and grooms stress about the most- how to structure the flow of their wedding day.

While every wedding will be different, there are a few constants in almost every Big Day schedule that you can use as an outline to help cut down on the worry of having ‘left something out.’

With most weddings, there are three main events: the ceremony, the cocktail hour, and the reception.


Most ceremonies will have 3-5 songs played:
  1. The music playing when people are coming in and getting seated
  2. The parent/grandparent seating music
  3. The bridal party entrance
  4. The bridal entrance
  5. The recessional

So you know you’ll have to come up with about 3-5 songs to fill that out.


Next is the cocktail hour.

Here you’ll need about 45-60 minutes of music to fill, usually acting as background music so song choice isn’t as important here. With most songs lasting around 3 minutes, if you pick 25-30 songs for a cocktail hour playlist, you should be golden. Just turn the iPod on and let it play!


Finally the reception, usually 3-4 hours, with an average of 3-4 special songs to be played:
  1. The First Dance
  2. Father-Daughter Dance
  3. Mother-Son Dance
  4. Cake Cutting Song (optional)
  5. Special Exit Song (optional)

On top of that, using our formula above of “3 minutes per song”, you’ll need about 25 songs an hour (to be safe), or 100-120 songs for the whole reception. That amount will give you plenty of leeway as well so you won’t run out.

10 Tips to DJ Your Own Wedding Part Two | The Bridechilla Blog | Photo by One Wedding

Photo by One Wedding on Unsplash

STEP 5: SET UP SPOTIFY/ITUNES PLAYLIST

When all those songs are loaded into playlists (usually on Spotify, Apple Music or some similar streaming service), you need to set up your playlists.

For the ceremony and reception, I recommend putting the special songs in the order you want them played so your MC can easily switch between them. For the cocktail hour, you’re totally fine to just put it on shuffle and let it play!

Finally, you’ll want to set up your streaming app to ‘crossfade’ songs, meaning one will start fading in while the other one fades out. By doing this, you won’t have any weird seconds of silence between songs, and it will keep the wedding flowing. I usually set my crossfade to about 8 seconds, and it works wonderfully!

I also strongly recommend downloading all the playlists to your phone/laptop. If you get to the venue and it has weak or (even more commonly) NO Wifi…. You’re pretty much out of luck!

 STEP 6: PERFORM A PRE-WEDDING CHECK

The night before the wedding, do a pre-night ‘sound check’. Make sure you’ve got all the cables you need, all the elements to the sound system you need (which I cover in the book on howtodjyourownwedding.com), and even go through the process of setting it up- it will probably only take about 30 minutes, and you’ll know how to do it for the next day when stress levels will be higher.

Also check that all your phones/laptops/chargers are in good working order, and have the songs pre-downloaded to them.

Now you know you’ll be good to go and will have one less thing on your mind for your Big Day.


10 Tips to DJ Your Own Wedding Part Two | Bridechilla Blog | Photo by Skye Studios

Photo by Skye Studios

You are almost ready to DJ Your Own Wedding!

That brings us to the end of Part 2 in our new series. Next time we’ll be going over setting up the sound system, how to prepare your MC (or yourself) to revive a dying dance floor, and some key elements to remember if things start going wrong.

If you want to know more, check out www.howtodjyourownwedding.com/bridechilla. There you’ll get a special Bridechilla offer for the 90-page eBook and video course that will walk you step-by-step on how to successfully DJ your own wedding and make sure your friends have an awesome time dancing to music that tells your love story through song.


Until we meet again in Part 3!

-- Brandon Stiles

www.howtodjyourownwedding.com

www.uptowndownentertainment.com

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Bridechilla BlogGuest Post

Creating Your Signature Wedding Cocktail

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha
Creating Your Signature Wedding Cocktail | The Bridechilla Blog and Thirsty Nest share their favorite tips and recipes!

The signature Wedding Cocktail seems to have exploded in popularity over the last few years and for good reason. The recipe creates an additional personal touch to extend your theme and it gives your guests an answer to their inevitable question - “what should I order?”

However, when selecting one there are several things to consider before saying - “I Do...want that to be my wedding cocktail” to the caterer.

Make it Low in Alcohol

 There are several styles of cocktail to take into consideration. One of the most popular cocktail styles right now are the stirred, boozy, old fashioned style of drink due to what we’ll call the “Mad Men effect” on the general public. These are the worst types of drinks for a Wedding Cocktail as they’ll go down fast and pack a punch. We all love Uncle Bill, but once you stick the word “Drunk” in front of his title he’s not nearly as charming.

That’s why I always recommend what’s called a “long” drink or a drink that has an alcohol base with a non-alcoholic mixer such as club soda or fresh juices to lower that octane level. Trust us, people will still find a way to drink enough of them to have fun. 

Make it Pretty

An often forgotten factor is how well a drink photographs. Have you seen a Long Island Iced Tea in the light of day? Well, let me tell you it ain’t pretty. Choose a drink that’s light and bright in color or has an instagram worthy garnish. You’ll thank yourself later when scrolling through your Pinterest-worthy photos from the wedding. 

Make it Easy to Replicate

Let’s be honest, the bartenders are some of the hardest working staff at the wedding. Make their job easier by choosing a drink they can make well and make quickly. One of my favorite drinks is a Ramos Gin Fizz but that drink requires a 10-minute dry shake which not only cuts into my dancing, it will likely leave the staff terrified of my pending return. Try to keep the recipe to about 3 ingredients total. 

Make it Yours

One of my biggest learnings from planning my wedding is that every choice is extremely personal. As an event planner by trade, I’ve historically chosen based on what’s most budget friendly and crowd pleasing. While you still want something that most people will enjoy, it adds a touch of warmth to make it a personal recipe. Is it from the bar where you first met? Did you discover your new favorite cocktail on a vacation together? Your go-to cocktail to enjoy together after a long day? If people ask, and they will, the warm glow of “aws” will be inescapable.

Still stumped on where to start? Don’t worry - I’ve selected a few of my favorites for your browsing pleasure below. If none of these feel personal - make one of them tonight with your fiance and say something romantic like - “I love you, here’s a drink” - you’ll feel a strong connection to the recipe in no time. 

Aperol or Campari Spritzer

Ingredients:

Sparkling wine
1 oz. Aperol or Campari
Club soda
Orange slice, for garnish

Directions:

Fill a tumbler or large wine glass with ice. Fill the glass 2/3 full with sparkling wine. Add the shot of Aperol. Top with club soda, stir well, garnish with orange slice.

Apple Sparkler

Ingredients: 

½ ounce Applejack
Sparkling Apple Cider
Apple slice
, for garnish

Directions:

Add Applejack to a Champagne flute. Top with sparkling apple cider and garnish with a grapefruit slice.

Grapefruit Shandy

Ingredients: 

½ cup Grapefruit Juice 

Wheat Beer
Grapefruit slice
, for garnish

Directions:

Add about Grapefruit Juice to an ice-filled highball glass. Top with wheat beer and garnish with a grapefruit slice.

RedHeaded Ginger

Recipe via PopSugar

Ingredients: 

2 oz. Lillet Rouge 

4 oz. ginger beer
Grapefruit slice
, for garnish

Directions:

Add Lillet Rouge to an ice-filled highball glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a grapefruit slice.


Don't miss our other collaboration with ThirstyNest all about Wedding Booze!


About the Author: ThirstyNest has a veteran team of hospitality industry experts who will guide you to picking the best quality wines, spirits & drinkware for your home that actually reflect the way modern couples live & entertain. If you don’t need ‘house stuff’ then I highly recommend a visit to ThirstyNest.com

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Bridechilla Blog

Wedding Decor on a budget

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Your wedding decor doesn't have to cost you a fortune, nor do you need to spend hours up on hours with a glue gun, connecting with your inner Martha Stewart. With a few neat tricks and smart interweb searching for gorgeous wedding inspiration, you can sass up any location and add a touch of 'you' on any wedding budget. 

Using one color scheme or theme throughout your wedding doesn't mean that everything has to be matchy matchy, it provides a cohesive look, plus it gives you some direction when you're choosing attire colour and details. Reserved, simple themes are elegant, but brighter colors and 'unorthodox' decor can really work to bring out your personalities... because you know, this day is all about YOU!

Awesome backdrops

If your venue needs a bit of a personality shake up...boring walls or perhaps you want to cover up a door or divide a room adding a backdrop to your wedding decor list can be a versatile option. Not only can you use it as a background for your wedding ceremony, it can also be used for photographs. Think creatively when it comes to your backdrops. Whether they are made out of paper or ribbons, flowers (fancy) or macrame, the beautiful thing about a lot of the choices out there is that you can take them home with you (or re-sell them post wedding). 

Napkins

OK, you might be thinking, Aleisha this is BORING but stay with me here. Our wedding venue had plenty of personality, so we didn't need to add a lot to our wedding decor however, one thing we did add was cloth napkins (which sewed  over a gloomy weekend while watching season 5 of Dexter) and I think they added just the right amount of colour and spark to our very simple table designs.

IKEA Paper Napkins

Lighting, lighting, lighting

Your actual wedding decor (or venue) may be the main event visually, but well-placed lighting can draw attention to special areas of your wedding, such as the bride and groom's (groom and groom's---bride and bride's) table, the wedding cake, or a particularly beautiful centerpiece.

Big, marquee letters spelling out your name or a word like DANCE or PARTY can be great for photographs and ​is a super easy way to cover a blank wall or dark corner. There are plenty of hire companies that will rent you the letters or you can buy them from Etsy and use them again at home! Firefly lighting is also popular and they can be added to jars, strung around the backs of chairs or intertwined as table centerpieces. 

Cake toppers with Sass

Naked cakes are all the rage, as are simple white sheet cakes with fresh floral accents all, cakes that can be created within a budget. One fun way to sass up a simple cake is to add a personalised cake topper, or a cake topper that reflects a mutual passion of yours that compliments your wedding colours or theme. Both toppers pictured below are laser cut to order, so you can select a phrase that says YOU, rather than soppy stuff, if that isn't your bag. 

Get your tassle on

I LOVE a tassle. They just scream PARTY...(and cheerleading) and at the end of the night your guests can attach them to their bras and pants while they dance, like a 50s stripper or go go dancer. Tassles are cheap and bright and can be made in any size that floats your boat. You can hang them on chairs (again, ditch the covers and add a tassle!), use them over an entire wall or around the dessert table. 

Everything I have mentioned here can be made at home or purchased via sites like Etsy. If you do plan to get you DIY on, think about the time commitment that you are making. I love craft but I tend to underestimate just how long these tasks can take. 

Like any wedding task or job, consider what your time means to you and how much it is worth. Not doing a craft, or doing something by hand, is not a failure. I believe it is more empowering to delegate and know that your time is valuable rather than slog away at something that you end up hating and want to throw the glue gun and scissors off the balcony. Whatever you choose with your wedding decor, I know you will keep you Bridechilla chill and make selections that are truly you!

Need help planning your wedding? Listen to this episode of The Bridechilla Podcast

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Bridechilla BlogStyled Wedding Shoots

Lavender Boho Bridal Style Inspiration

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Styled shoots can provide your wedding day with a much-needed injection of inspiration and direction. Set amongst the whimsical backdrop of a country lavender field – this romantic boho meets luxe wedding shoot will no doubt be making it to your mood boards in the lead up to your big day!

Boho Meets Luxe

Peruse through these stunning photos, styled by the creative director of Adorn Invitations and shot by the talented husband wife duo behind Sephory Photography and discover just how you can create your own Boho wonderland wedding.

Dreaming Up the Day

The fun part of the inspiration and creation process is that you never know how organically it can evolve and which direction it can go in. Speaking to the team behind this gorgeous editorial – they mentioned that the initial idea behind the theme was a lot darker and moodier – think plum colours, dark lips and forest settings. However, as the theme developed, it took a much more romantic and whimsical twist. Moroccan influences, modern elegant details and romantic colour palettes all ended up finding their way into the final product. Don’t be afraid to keep your mind open as you begin your inspo journey!

Designing the Day

The stylist behind the day used purples, lilacs and blushes and combined them with rich metallic golds and crisp whites for a perfect boho harmony. Textures also played an important part in the décor of the day, with the use of linen based soft furnishings and rough wooden furniture giving way to an organic and natural feel.

Use wild greenery in your floral arrangements to balance out the vivid purples and really add that bohemian touch. Succulents are also a gorgeous plant to tie in to this colour palette and will provide a modern contrast against the romantic roses used in the bouquet. Semi-precious stones and agates were sourced from local suppliers and were scattered around the tablescapes however the head stylist combined these organic shapes with sleek gold décor to provide a more modern and elegant angle for the more traditional bride and add a touch of boho fun.

Do it Yourself?

Katerina Vermes who was the chief stylist of the shoot, ultimately wanted an editorial that would show brides how easy it is to create a Pinterest worthy wedding theme on a low budget, with local vendors. The eccentric skull centre piece was actually sourced from a thrift shop and was a DIY project. Pearls, small diamante’s and crystals were all deconstructed from costume jewellery pieces to give a more romantic and accessible look to the skull.The geometric vases that are scattered throughout the floral arrangement in the main tablescape were also sourced from K-mart for less than $5! The result? Lavish and Luxe.

THE TEAM

Styling & Invitations: Adorn Invitations
https://www.adorninvitations.com/ | @adorninvitations
Dresses: Raffaele Ciuca
http://www.raffaeleciuca.com.au/ | @raffaeleciucabridal
Headpiece and Jewelry:
http://www.loveonjewellery.com.au/ @loveonjewellery
Photography:
http://sephoryphotography.com.au/ | @sephoryphotography
Flowers:
Babylon Flowers | @babylonflowers
Food:
Mary Eats Cake | https://www.maryeatscake.com.au/ | @maryeatscake
Models:
Caity Caarels @caitycaarels & Carl Zvekan

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Bridechilla Blog

Escape from the Wedding Planning Slump

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

By Bridechilla Michelle

After I got engaged, I told myself I was going to take the planning slow, have a super long engagement (since Ryan and I are only 23 and what’s the rush, right?) and not go crazy… Which I did... for about two weeks. Then I suddenly and without warning fell into a wedding planning black hole and started doing EVERYTHING.

I started using wedding wire to look at venues, pinning with a vigour I could not have previously imagined, becoming obsessed with vineyards, binging Bridechilla at work… and within about three days, I realized that this was going to cost way more than I thought a “reasonable” price would be. So I slowed down… a little. I still locked down my bridesmaids, wrote ALL THE LISTS, made budgets, pinned and pinned, researched and researched, and was feeling pretty good about it.
Two months after getting engaged, we toured my number one venue, which was perfect and had a discount for holiday weekends, so we booked it. Now we had our date and venue, but needed all the other stuff – which again, is way more stuff than I previously thought about.
My wedding philosophy quickly became something like, “If you’re going to spend a lot of money, get your money’s worth. But preferably don’t spend a lot of money.”
We’re not on a shoestring budget, but I refuse to go into debt over this or spend too much of our parents’ and our money on one day.After the awesomeness of the venue, I was all revved up with wedding glee. Our guest list was reasonable and had almost no obligation guests, we were going to be able to bring our own alcohol, and I had a day of coordinator option within the venue. I was a master at this planning thing, and I and continued researching and contacting other vendors. Then came the trouble.Photographers quickly made me depressed. All the ones with beautiful pictures either didn’t list a price (which is ANNOYING) or listed a price of $5,000 or more. Now, I am a designer and artist, and I get it. But as a person contemplating spending actual money, I just… got the sadness. I started looking into other options like using student photographers who charge way less, but my heart wasn’t in it.Then my fiancé and I adopted a one-year-old dog, and I was happily distracted from all things wedding (except thinking how cute Diego would look in a matching bow tie to Ryan’s). When I finally resurfaced from blissful new doggie world and started trying to get back into wedding stuff, I just really… didn’t want to.

The caterers I contacted kept taking ages to return my inquiries and were usually lacking what I consider basic email politeness. When I finally got quotes, those quotes made me sad, too. There was always something off about each caterer, so I gave up on that for a while.Since realizing how much wedding dresses cost, I have avoided actually looking into them. The ones that look omg-gorgeous-pinning-it-right-now cost way more than I want to spend on anything ever. I became tired of the repeated cycle of:
1) see pretty dress,
2) picture self in dress,
3) locate price of dress,
4) cry inside,
5) stop looking at dresses for a while.

So now I tell myself that once I lose 5 pounds (I KNOW, THAT’S NOT VERY CHILLA OF ME, BUT I GET ONE CRAZY THING, OKAY!?) I’ll go to actual stores and start trying things on in person. The concept that I heard on the podcast about buying a white-ish high end bridesmaid dress instead of a 5x more expensive “wedding gown” is probably going to work out for me, so thank you to whoever gave that tip. I sort of want to start doing invitation stuff, but the whole concept of invitations has come to annoy me and my bridechilla brain.
We’re ten months out, so invites aren’t urgent yet, but it’s a holiday weekend so guests should book hotels sooner than normal.If I can just rant for a minute, why does society expect me to message my friends and family via contact information I actually have on them (phone, email, and facebook), get them to tell me their address so I can send them a piece of paper, then spend money printing that piece of paper and mailing it, and then print another one months later because somehow the first one wasn’t enough of an invitation, then force all my friends to go to the post office and mail me that paper back, and then hope the post office didn’t lose any papers and count up all the people. Why can’t I just send people a nice digital invite and digital means of RSVPing in that initial digital message that I send them!? Why is the wedding industry such a paper snob!? So, yeah, I’m not motivated to do that either.
My backlog of side projects for the near future keeps creeping up on me and saying, “remember that tattoo idea you had? And that novel concept? And Diego is going to need a winter coat next month, you’d better sew one right now. Don’t forget about that painting idea you had! And you should visit your grandma. Oh, look, NETFLIX!”

So I sort of find myself in this slump where I really don’t want to go through any planning stuff. I wish a magic fairy who works for free would just fall out of the sky and say, “here’s a friendly and affordable caterer, and I called that DJ you like and he’s cool too, and don’t worry about centerpieces because I totally have a plan, and here’s ten thousand more dollars on a special wedding-only card! Now you can just talk excitedly with your bridesmaids and look forward to the party.

Ryan’s been helpful and has some opinions, but he only really cares about 20% of the wedding planning. Neither of our moms has the urge to give more input into the wedding than, “yeah, what you said sounds good, and let’s get a lot of wine,” so I don’t have anyone prodding me to keep moving on these decisions. Even my glorious lists in my nice designated wedding notebook aren’t really exciting me anymore.So… what do I do? I’m actually asking. I can’t be the first bride who just got tired of the whole thing.Here’s my shortlist of possible solutions that I will try to get things moving again:
1. Write this post. Hopefully determined thought specifically about weddings will get me in the grove again. But I’m almost done writing and I don’t feel any magic sparks… so this may not have worked.
2. Diet and run with my little dog to lose those five pounds so my arms look like the arms I had last year, then visit a dress store (though not one that keeps using words like “boutique” and “chandeliers” because if I see too many huge price tags I’m just going to lose it). Hopefully my estrogen and girl brain will kick in and the prettiness will super charge me.
3. Suck it up and lock down one vendor. My likely photography prospect is a student photographer relative who is going to send me some pictures from the wedding she’s shooting this month, so if all looks well, I’ll make up a contract with her and that piece of the puzzle will be solved. Maybe checking another box off my lists will be satisfying enough to keep me going again.
4. Make the wedding website. This should be something my designer soul enjoys, so I’m hoping that the desire to have more information to put into the website will make me actually gather and secure that information.
5. Test out sangria/cocktail recipes (because fun!) for use as our signature drink… mainly just because we love sangria cocktails and I can sort of use the wedding as an excuse to feel fancy and creative by mixing lots of them in my tiny kitchen.… That’s all I’ve got.
Please, if you have been in a slump and escaped it or if you’re just a genius who has ideas on getting past the slump, tell me what they are! I’m stuck and a little sad. Weddings are hard.I hope this post delivers me with other bridechillas’ ideas to get un-stuck, and maybe makes other slumped brides feel better about their own non-wedding-motivation, because this is a lot of shit and I just want to take naps with my dog.

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