Wedding: Dress Advice from Weddingbells’ Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill

Time is going by so quickly. One of the items on my list in the distant future is the dress. I'm actually the oldest in my family and the first to get married- so the whole process is a new one. 

I'm extremely lucky to give this exclusive advice from Weddingbells’ Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill!

When is it the best time to look for your dress? One year before? Six months?
The sooner you can start shopping for your dress the better. Some dresses can take up to six months to manufacture and deliver so that’s why the more time you allow the better.

Where should you get dress inspiration from?
There are so many places to find dress inspiration. You can definitely find it with Weddingbells, both in our magazine pages and online where we post extensive galleries of the newest designer collections from New York and London (Spring 2015 collections were posted earlier this month). Pinterest of course is also an endless source of inspiration for all things weddings. Read fashion magazines, and I also recommend looking to the red carpet to see what celebrities are wearing—it is one of our main sources of inspiration at Weddingbells!

Who should you bring along when you go dress shopping? (Who shouldn’t you bring?)
When you are bridal dress shopping, keep the crowd to a minimum. I advise bringing only one or two people with you—and as for who you invite, that’s completely up to you. It should be people you are comfortable with, whose opinion you value and who will make the day a fun one for you. That might be your mom, sister, best friend...it may even be your fiancé. Most women still want the dress to be a surprise for the groom on their wedding day but we are seeing some brides who do take their mister-to-be along for dress shopping.

When going dress shopping what are three helpful tips to keep you organized?
1. Go in with an open mind. The dress style you may think you will never wear might turn out to be the one.
2. Before you go dress shopping, be sure to be fit and measured for proper undergarments! I can’t stress this point enough. It is totally going to impact how things fit and what looks good on you.
3. Don’t overschedule your shopping. You may think booking a ton of appointments in one day to visit bridal boutiques would be an efficient way to shop and see lots of options, but it will lead to wedding dress overload! Pace yourself and book no more than three appointments in one day.

My first Bridal Show experience: The Wedluxe Wedding Show

I survived my first wedding show. 

Let me rephrase that... my fiancé and I survived our first wedding show. 

We attended the luxurious Wedluxe show in Toronto!

Over 120 exhibitors to see and meet.

There were various vendors there such as florist, event planners, cake designers, 

make up artists, venues and much more.

As you entered the venue, you were given a tote bag to put all the 

goodies and pamphlets in that you got from the show.

If you were looking for hair inspiration, Moroccanoil had this great set up which allowed you to get your hair done by Moroccanoil stylist. You also had the opportunity to check out their new bath products.

I should also add there was a complementary shopping area. The line was so long. 

Free shopping, yes please!

One of the biggest things I took from the show was inspiration. I seen some of the most gorgeous floral arrangements I've ever seen in my life, stunning wedding invites and unique shots from a few photographers.

My one tip for someone who is looking to land a vendor from the event:

Create a list and divide it into what you're looking for.

I received a lot of cards and saw a lot of people but honestly I can't remember who is who.

If you get a card make a little note about something you liked at their booth. 

Trust me it will help you with uour memory.

Wedding: The Guest List + Tips

Remember it's your day! Do what you want.

This is a motto that I need to get tattooed on my arm for the next 18 months.

I will admit. There hasn't been much of an update since my last post (wedding wise).

We know that gift we want to give our guests! Haha.

Speaking of guests... One thing that is haunting me is the list. Those final numbers are critical.

One of the first things we did, once we got engaged was start our guest list.

I have collected some good advice in the past few months. 

I thought it would be a good idea to share with someone who may have the same questions.

Kids or no Kids?
We chose to go with no kids.
My (future) sister-law had kids at her wedding a few cried the whole reception.
Which was heard on her wedding video during the speeches.
If you have extra money- rent another room just for the kids.
Don't forget entertainment for them as well.

John who???
I will not have this problem on my side but in-laws adding everyone YOU DON'T KNOW to your list.
Pass! That's more money coming from your pockets.

Single friends + 1
This is one that can be debated for hours.
Think about it.. Say you invited someone you met in one of your college courses and she doesn't know anyone at the wedding. I think she deserves a plus one.
What if five friends from high school are invited. Do you give them all a +1 or assure them that they're all at the same table. Hmmmm...

We haven't yet gotten into seating arrangements yet but those are some tips to help you get started.

REMEMBER: 

Remember it's your day! Do what you want.

Destination Wedding or Not?

Most people who get engaged in 2013, are probably going to get married in 2014. Not me! I'm one of the few who is going to opt for some time in the middle of 2015. Why? I just want some time to get dress ready and take some courses to further my career. My fiancé is totally okay with that.

My favourite shot from Jamaica.

Question on my mind is destination wedding 

or not?

On my wedding day, I personally don't see myself on a beach. 

After looking at the costs of getting married locally it's definitely a SLIGHT possibility.

Let me lay out the pros/cons:

Pros of destination

• When you book a week at the resort the ceremony is usually free
• People who decide to come- get a group rate which is much cheaper
• Combo of a wedding/honeymoon in one
• Wedding will be small and intimate
• You save a lot of money

Cons

• A lot of people won't come
• I feel like I'll sweat too much ( I know.. don't ask)
• What if I forget something really important!! You can't get someone to get it when you're on a Island!!
• What if I get sick?
• I'm a control freak- I can't control the planning when everything is going on so far away. 

All of these are valid points. 

I have no idea what to decide but I hopefully will have an answer by the end of December.

What do you guys think? 

Destination Wedding or Not?

Braided Bridal Options from Moroccanoil

One of my bridal blunders at the moment is will my hair be up or down? I love the elegance of an up-do but down is so bouncy and fun!

Decisions! Decisions! I recently came across this email showcasing bridal hair design by Antonio Corral Calero, Moroccanoil® Artistic Director for the Monique Lhuillier Fall 2014 Bridal Collection.

Antonio designed six different variations of braided looks: “The attention was on the matte texture of the hair and the intricate details of each braided bun, parted side or center, with minimal volume on top.”

Products used:

Moroccanoil® Treatment (MSRP: $43.00 / 100ml)

Moroccanoil® Root Boost (MSRP $29.00 / 250ml)

Moroccanoil® Boar Bristle Classic Brush (MSRP: $72.00)

Moroccanoil® Molding Cream (MSRP: $28.00 / 3.4 fl. oz.)

Moroccanoil® Luminous Hairspray Medium locks (MSRP: $22.20 / 330ml)

First Look

• “To begin, I combed all the hair towards the back of the head 
• “I then created three large parts: right, left and back.” 
• “Each of the three parts became a braid. The right and left sides were inward French braids and the back braid between them was a standard braid, which would serve as the base for the chignon.”
• “I pulled the left and right braids around the back of the head and then wrapped them several times around the back braid.They wrapped about halfway down the back braid.” 
• “I pinned the bottom part of the braid inwards, towards the nape, and created the chignon.” 
• “To give the chignon a more romantic and uneven look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid slightly within the chignon.”

Second Look

• "First, I parted the hair to the side."
• "Next, I divided the hair into three parts: right, left and back"
• "Each of the three parts became a braid. The right and left sides were inward French braids and the back braid between them was a standard braid, which would serve as the base for the chignon."
• "I pulled the left and right braids around the back of the head and then wrapped them several times around the back braid. They wrapped about halfway down the back braid."
• "I pinned the bottom part of the braid inwards, towards the nape, and created the chignon."
• "To give the chignon a more romantic and uneven look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid slightly within the chignon."

Third Look

• "For this look, I combed all of the model’s hair towards the back and used Moroccanoil® Luminous Hair Spray Medium to help control and eliminate fly-aways close to her face. Moroccanoil® Luminous Hair Spray Medium is the perfect tool for this look: it gives the right amount of hold to keep
• the hair in place, and leaves it looking beautiful with natural shine."
• "Next, I divided the hair into three parts: right, left and back. "
• "Each of the three parts became a braid. All were standard braids, which would serve as the base for the chignon. 
• "I crossed the right braid with the left towards the back of her head, and clipped it into place." 
• "Then, I took the back braid and twisted it towards the outside, rolling it towards the crown. I used clips on all three braids at the bottom of the chignon, to hide the ends. 
• "As a final step, to give the chignon a less tight, more romantic and slightly uneven look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid slightly within the chignon."

Fourth Look

• "For the fourth look, I combed all the hair towards the back of the head and used Moroccanoil® Luminous Hair Spray Medium to help control and eliminate fly-aways close to her face."
• "Next, I divided the hair into three parts: right, left and back."
• "Each of the three parts became a braid. The right and left were lace braids. The back (middle) braid was a standard braid, which would serve as the base for the chignon."
• "I pulled the left and right braids around the back of the head and then wrapped them several times around the back braid. They wrapped about halfway down the back braid."
• "I pinned the bottom part of the braid inwards, towards the nape, and created the chignon."
• "To give the chignon a less tight, more romantic and slightly uneven look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid slightly within the chignon."

Fifth Look

• "I began by parting the model’s hair to the side." 
• "Then, I divided her hair into three parts: right, left and back." 
• "I created two braids: one on the right and another on the left. One was a regular braid, and the other a French braid. 
• "The back (middle) part was turned into a ponytail, which I back-combed slightly."
• "The right braid was crossed with the left, towards the back in a circular motion around the back braid until mid-ponytail. "
• "Next, I pinned the bottom part of the braid inwards, towards the nape to create the chignon."
• "As a final step, to give the chignon a less tight, more romantic look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid within the chignon."

Sixth Look

• "To create the final look I began by combing all of the model’s hair towards the back of her head. I used Moroccanoil® Luminous Hairspray Medium to control any fly-aways close to her face."
• "Next, I divided her hair into three parts: right, left and back."
• "The right and left parts were turned into feather braids. The back(middle) part was turned into a slightly back-combed ponytail."
• "I then crossed the right braid with the left towards the back of the head, circling the back part until mid-ponytail."
• "Next, the bottom part of the braid and ponytail were pinned inwards towards the nape to create the chignon." 
• "As a final step, to give the chignon a less tight, more romantic look, I gently pulled and opened elements of each braid within the chignon.

What do you think about having a braided do for your wedding?

Guess What?!?

If you follow me on twitter or IG, you may already know but I'm engaged.

This whole process is totally new!

I'm blessed to have parents that have been married over 30 years!
But... I wasn't born when they got married.

Plus I don't have older brothers and sisters.

I'm starting literally from the bottom-
Canadian Wedding or Destination Wedding?!
I have NO idea!

I did skip the engagement party for a week long vacation in Jamaica. Totally worth it. Hahah!

I just wanted to let you all know that I may be sharing my some experience here on the blog.
Not the dress- because my fiancé reads my blog.

Probably stuff about venue scouting, bridemaid dresses, food and decoration.

If you have any tips or words of advice- please leave it below!