Spring Weddings: Spring Wedding Dress Trends

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Spring is the time of year to unveil a new wardrobe and shed a few layers, and wedding dresses are no exception. As this season offers you new patterns, hemlines, and fabrics to choose from, here are five features to look for in a spring wedding dress.

Wedding dress by Claire Pettibone
Trend 1: Flowers
Complement a spring garden setting with a floral-embellished dress. From embroidered blossoms to 3-D buds, these nature-inspired elements can provide color to whimsy sheaths and ball gowns alike. Wear an airy A-line dress with floral add-ons on the bodice and waistline, or tone it down with a lightly floral-embellished sweep train for a subtle (yet distinct) spring style.

Trend 2: Preppy Details
If flowers are too feminine, look to preppy details and patterns to evoke the spirit of the season. A gingham ribbon trim or a hint of polka dots could add the perfect finishing touch to an already gorgeous gown. Consider a dress with a pleated bodice or find a patterned sash to wear around your waist.

Trend 3: Sheer Fabrics
For a wedding dress that reflects the spring season, light and airy fabrics are ideal. Think chiffon, charmeuse, and organza. Let a spring breeze wisp your chiffon train as you walk down the aisle, or go for a spaghetti-strap, organic Swiss Dot silk cotton number for an outdoor spring wedding under the trees.

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Trend 4: Cashmere Cover-ups
Don't be fooled by all the sunshine. In most parts of the country, nighttime temperatures in the spring can drop into the 50s, especially in March and early April. Instead of a wrap, try a sophisticated cashmere cardigan. Three-quarter sleeves or even a full-length cover-up will keep you warm without distracting from your gown.

Trend 5: Higher Hemlines
Let your legs bask in some of that spring sunlight. With short gowns becoming ever more popular on the bridal runways, we can't think of a better way to show off toned and tanned gams. Find a mini dress that will really show off your figure, or go for a tea-length dress paired with peep-toed heels for a fun and flirty look.

Spring Weddings: Domestic Destination Wedding Ideas

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Miami, Florida
Why Here? If you want a warm, sweet ceremony followed by a red-hot reception, Miami can certainly set the scene. The coastal city welcomes diversity and celebrates life, making it the perfect destination for couples who want their guests to relax and let their hair down. Southern Florida gets great sun and very little rain during the spring months. (Summer, on the other hand, can be unbearably hot, and the city's official hurricane season begins in June.) Guests who want to extend their stay beyond the wedding can enjoy motorbike rentals, great ocean views, boutique shopping, and a variety of water sports.
Where to Wed: Anywhere outdoors. Miami offers every kind of backdrop imaginable -- beach, city, cruise, garden -- all under beautifully sunny skies. Many resorts in South Beach offer package deals and great beachfront property with lots of family-friendly amenities.
Local Inspiration: Miami has a significant Cuban influence in the local art and culture, so consider incorporating elements like cigar rollers and mambo dancers into your reception. Take salsa dancing lessons a few weeks in advance for a high-energy first dance.
What to Avoid Spring breakers -- think intoxicated college students, wet T-shirt contests, and your grandparents. Not a good mix!
Venue Ideas:
Delano Hotel
The National Hotel, South Beach
See real Miami weddings and find local vendors

Mackinac Island, Michigan
Why Here? The quaint Victorian character of this island located in Northern Michigan makes it an ideal place to host an elegant spring wedding. The island is tucked into the space between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas -- where lakes Michigan and Huron meet -- and is home to only 500 permanent residents. Automobiles are prohibited, so once your guests arrive at Mackinac City, they can travel to the island by air taxi or ferry. While visiting the island, guests can get around by horse-and-buggy (how romantic), bicycle, and, of course, by foot.
Where to Wed: In an outdoor garden at a local resort or at one of the island's romantic inns.
Local Inspiration: In the late spring, the island hosts the annual Lilac Festival, which is home to one of the largest "All Horse Hitch" parades in the country. The event is known as one of the nation's top tourist attractions, and carrying the lilac theme into your wedding could inspire a pastel color palette.
What to Avoid A large wedding with more than 300 guests. Logistically speaking, trying to get your visitors to adjust to the transportation on the island will be much easier with a smaller guest list.
Venue Ideas:
The Inn at Stonecliffe
Mission Point Resort
Harbour View Inn
See real Mackinac Island weddings and find local vendors

Savannah, Georgia
Why Here? The spring is one of the best times of year to visit this city because the temperatures are moderate, the flowers (azaleas and dogwood trees) are in full bloom, and the color of all the foliage is picture-perfect. Savannah's prewar buildings add a touch of Southern charm to your wedding day. And there are plenty of ways to keep guests occupied: They can enjoy one of the oldest celebrations of St. Patrick's Day in America in March, or feast on succulent white Georgia shrimp at the Riverfront Seafood Festivals in May.
Where to Wed: Outdoor options abound. Whether you're wooed by the dramatic mansions or feel a blooming garden would better suit your wedding style, Savannah venues are beyond delightful.
Local Inspiration: Savannah's Southern roots run deep, and the city is overflowing with rich history and landmarks. Channel another era and hold your ceremony at a local museum or landmark.
Venue Ideas:
Mansion on Forsyth Park
The Mackey House
See real Savannah weddings and find local vendors

Las Vegas, Nevada
Why Here? Do you even need a reason? For starters, forget the idea that all Sin City has to offer is casino tables, drive-thru wedding(burgundy dresses) chapels, and Elvis impersonators. The city has elegant ballrooms, beautifully landscaped resorts, and great natural ambience. Plus, it's the perfect setting for carefree bachelor and bachelorette parties, and between the shops and the casinos, your guests will be fully entertained.
Where to Wed: Vegas is home to hundreds of resorts and hotels that offer wedding packages for every budget. If you prefer to skip all of the heavy-duty planning, there's always a 20-minute speedy ceremony in one of the city's many little wedding(prom gowns outlet) chapels. The best part is that if your families join in the fun, you won't have to call your folks to tell them you just got hitched in Vegas -- they'll be standing right there.
>Local Inspiration: The opportunities are endless if you want to play up the Vegas theme: Host a reception or rehearsal dinner with table games and celebrity impersonators, or give your guests dice, cards, and other casino-inspired favors as a reminder that you’ve been lucky in love

Spring Wedding Reception Table Styles

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Classic Spring Wedding Style
Colors: Peony pink and leaf green
Table Settings: Make these classic colors stand out by incorporating them in unexpected ways. Instead of a table runner, use pink and green ribbons in varying shades, widths, and textures to create a colorful statement on white linens. Give some tables green napkins and others pink napkins. White chiavari chairs will play up the garden feel. Add sashes or cushions in pink and green hues.
Centerpieces: Don't feel obligated to stick to two shades. Instead, go for lush centerpieces that incorporate a range of pinks, from deep pink peonies to pale pink freesias, and rich greenery pieces like hanging amaranthus.
Finishing Touch: Place a single fresh flower in each guest's napkin. If you're going with colorful napkins, choose a contrasting bloom or try using white, which will stand out against the fabric.
See more pink weddings.

Rustic Spring Wedding Style
Colors: Chocolate brown and robin's egg blue
Table Settings: Use the main chocolate-brown tone for your linens; then pick up the blue subtly -- think ivory-colored napkins with a blue edge. Opting for family-style banquet seating will add to the sophisticated ambience, as will candles in Mason jars. To keep with the color scheme, use coffee beans to anchor the candles inside the jars.
Centerpieces: Place trios of centerpieces on each table arranged in unique containers -- think branch baskets, Mason jars, or, if you're up for hitting some yard sales, antique ceramic pitchers. Go with the main brown hue for the largest centerpiece using curly willow, dried seedpods, and dried herbs. For the middle size one, blue hydrangeas will beautifully tie in the accent color. In the smallest, use white blooms. We love the idea of displaying one or two super-sized blooms, like peonies or gardenias.
Finishing Touch: Place a mini bird's nest with three blue Jordan almonds inside next to each guest's charger.

Modern Spring Wedding Style
Colors: Poppy orange and celadon green
Table Settings: Choosing spring colors with a dramatic contrast -- one bolder, one more pastel -- makes this combo modern. Use the same philosophy with your decor. Mix and match square and round tables. Set round dinner plates atop square chargers in celadon. Bring in the poppy orange with napkins in neatly folded triangles. Keep your linens white or ivory so the colors and shapes really pop.
Centerpieces: Alternate between high and low centerpieces. For a low centerpiece, bright green wheatgrass studded with anemones or gerbera daisies in orange hues are simple but make a statement. For tall centerpieces, go with a few stems of brilliant orange Mokara orchids springing from a celadon vase, or consider green cymbidiums and a deep orange vase.
Finishing Touch: Create place cards in the wedding colors, but instead of having them alternate back and forth, do them in pairs -- two orange cards followed by two green so couples will have the same colored place card.

Vintage Spring Wedding Style
Colors: Pansy purple and butter yellow
Table Settings: To keep things modern rather than kitschy, stay somewhat subtle. Instead of opting for patterned linens, get a similar effect by placing a vintage-inspired, lacy white overlay over butter yellow linens. Then bring in antique-y patterns for other details, like using toile or chintz seat cushions that incorporate the wedding colors.
Centerpieces: Go with classic spring blooms, like grape hyacinths, daffodils, and tulips, growing from pots. You can leave the pots terra cotta or seek out ones glazed in seasonal colors. Alternate between full-size plants and the mini versions; set out trios of the minis. In addition to purple and yellow, feel free to mix in a little bit of pink and orange to keep things from getting too match-y. A bonus: Guests get to take the flowers home.
Finishing Touch: Use vintage images from seed packets or old decor and gardening magazines (try eBay or antique stores to find them) on your stationery, like your place cards or table numbers.


Formal Spring Wedding Style
Colors: Warm ivory and candlelight white
Table Settings: Choose rich and contrasting textures to keep things from being too washed out or wintry -- think candlelight pintucked linens and ivory satin napkins. You might also choose to bring in a subtle metallic hue with pale silver or platinum chargers, or even chiavari chairs in one of those hues adorned with rich ivory cushions.
Centerpieces: All shades of warm white, obviously! Make the most of the season with springtime blooms like French tulips, lilies of the valley, and hyacinths. Flowers that have a hint of green in them, like lady's slipper orchids and cabbage roses, will add depth and bring in a bit of seasonal color. Another option is to highlight the flecks of yellow, pink, and brown on white irises or alstroemerias.
Finishing Touch: Candles in frosted white glass votives will provide a rich glow for your tabletops, or choose tealights in clear or frosted glass holders. Keeping your whites warm will banish any idea of winter and announce that spring is here!

Spring Wedding Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Pitfall #1: Rain

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The Plan: A good rental company can be your best friend. For an outdoor wedding, find a rental company with a rain policy; this agreement will get you a tent at the last minute (usually for a little extra) in case of a soggy weather forecast. If guests will be walking between different buildings or tents, rent hallways to provide coverage along the way. For venues with a flat front, order a canopy and have valet parking to guarantee dry guests. Rain can also do a number on your hair. Consider weaving in extensions or a hairpiece; they won't frizz or go flat.

Pitfall #2: Mud
The Plan: Include an instant stain-remover stick in your emergency wedding(transparent wedding dress) kit. If your dress does get muddy, wait until the dirt dries (a hand-dryer or blow-dryer can speed up the process) and try to flick it off. Still there? Use the stick. To protect white wedding shoes from mud during downtime, step into plastic bags and secure them at the ankle with rubber bands (included in the kit). Or for a cute photo op, wear preppy galoshes.

Pitfall #3: Chilly Evenings
The Plan: Cooler temps predicted? Post the news on your wedding website, alerting guests, especially out-of-towners, about proper attire. Another gracious touch: Set out a basket of colorful shawls. (Ask a friend from a big city to grab cheap ones from a street vendor.) Keep candle flames alive when it's breezy by placing pillars in glass hurricane holders, using battery-operated flameless candles that look real (and even flicker), or ordering pre-used candles -- they're romantic and the sunk-in wicks won't be exposed.

Pitfall #4: Bugs
The Plan: If you're saying "I do" by a lake, at the beach, or on the grounds of a country club, critters can crash your party (not as funny as Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson showing up). Keep baskets of bug repellant at the end of the aisles, and light citronella torches during the ceremony to scare away mosquitoes. Ask your florist for the best blooms for outdoor weddings(bridal gowns online shop) (ones that don't attract bees). If you can't live without a certain bug-friendly flower, the florist may be able to remove the stamen to get rid of the smell. Have your hairstylist use unscented hairspray and skip the perfume until you're inside the ballroom.

Pitfall #5: Afternoon Heat
The Plan: Scorchers sneak into spring. Hang parasols along the back rows of chairs for guests to grab. Or buy small cold packs, put them in fabric sleeves imprinted with your monogram, and have your ushers hand out the frozen favors (for wrists and the back of necks) with the programs. Elegant and practical gifts for the groomsmen are personalized handkerchiefs; during a steamy picture-taking session, they can wipe away perspiration. If your cake will be displayed outside, order one covered in fondant icing, which holds up well in the heat. With all eyes on the bride, play with a half-up, half-down hairstyle that can easily be pulled into a bun if you get overheated. When a dress with sleeves is a must, consider an airy mesh material.