MOTHER OF THE BRIDE: Jewelry Do’s and Don'ts

Next to the bride herself, her lucky groom and their wedding party, you will likely get a fair amount of attention your daughter's ceremony and the reception. Keep in mind too that you will be one of the stars in the wedding album. You want to be remembered by your future grandchildren for your hip fashion sense, not your hip replacement. Take a few tips from us on how to look your best when your little girl says her vows.

1. DO: Wear modern accessories
Fashion-forward jewelry Is not about abandoning the classics. Current styles – cascade earrings, lariat necklaces and charm bracelets
– have all been seen before. The trick to merging with the next generation is choosing pieces that feature colorful, interesting gemstones. Use them to bring out your eyes, pick up on a subtle color in your dress, or tie your ensemble into the wedding's color theme.

DON'T: Wear cheap ones
Don't confuse quality, contemporary, handmade jewelry with something you can find at a teenager's boutique at the mall. The basis for all beautiful jewelry – from that adorning everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Madilyn Monroe and Eleanor Roosevelt – is a sophisticated use of gold, goldfill and sterling silver, freshwater pearls.

2. DO: Celebrate your youth
Jewelry can be a great way to shave a few years off your bone structure. Pay attention to the shape of your face when you choose earrings – chandelier or cascading earrings flatter and fill negative space at the base of a heart- or oval-shaped face, while studs and short dangles elongate a round or square one. Neat, delicate necklace styles pick up on the curves of feminine collarbones, while long pendants distract from fleshier shoulders.

DON'T: Relive your youth
Resist the temptation to celebrate a little too much and go easy on the champagne. No one wants to pick the mother of the bride up off the dance floor – least of all the bride.

3. DO: Match the wedding color theme
Giving consideration to the photos and to your highly important role in this event, it's appropriate for the mother of the bride to include a small reference to the overall wedding theme. This is done most easily through gemstones, which come in all variety of color intensities and hues. For a subtle tribute, don a link bracelet with a single stone that dangles at the clasp. More conspicuously, pendant necklaces and cluster earrings can be customized to the color of your desire.

DON'T: Match the bridesmaids
Avoid choosing an outfit that matches the bridal party – or worse, clashes with it. It's best to distinguish yourself on your own terms.

4. DO: Keep colors low key
Depending on the wedding style, you'll have a lot of choices to make regarding the material, length, print and warmth of your outfit. Give yourself a break on at least one decision and avoid ostentatious prints and patterns altogether. Weddings are classified by simple, solid colors, and as an honorary part of the wedding party, you should follow suit, so to speak. Pick a color that looks good on you and then glam it up with accessories, as described above.

DON'T: Wear white
Or off-white, light tan, pale rose blush, or any other color that could be confused with white from a distance. This is your daughter's day, after all. Don't let anyone forget it.

COLOR-COORDINATED WEDDINGS

The hottest thing happening at wedding receptions isn't just on the dance floor -- it's on the cake, the invitations, the centerpieces, and even the bride's gown. It's big, bold color. Years ago brides used color to accent their white wedding day decor, but now they're using color to cover every inch of the wedding. We've developed a step-by-step guide on color coordination (from choosing it to decorating with it) to help you dream up a bright wedding day.
Choosing Your Color
First things first: location. When deciding on a scheme, you must consider the reception space or choose a space without decor or color. If you've chosen a country club with navy and maroon oriental carpets, a color scheme of lime green and hot pink won't work.
Next, become aware of color combinations that you like, whether browsing art galleries or flipping through a stack of fashion magazines. You might be able to narrow down your color choices to a half a dozen. To help you choose the exact hue for your wedding details, visit a fabric store or neighborhood paint shop and collect swatches or chips of colors you might want to use. This will help you get specific, so that when you decide on green you'll know if it's lime green, Kelly green, sage green, or forest green. If you have access to a Pantone book, use this collection of colors to select your shade the same way graphic designers do. Many invitation designers mix ink to match the colors in this book, and many cake bakers use Pantone numbers as a reference when creating dye for frosting. Can't decide on just one or two colors? Don't worry. In fact, many extraordinary weddings feature a variety of colors, sometimes up to five, that work together to create a specific sensibility -- like an "English garden" with green, yellow, pink, red, and brown, or "Fall in New England" with orange, red, brown, and gold.
Where & How to Execute Color
Where and how you use color really depends on the mood you are trying to create. The best way to get started is to figure out what emotions your want your celebration to evoke. A peaceful, Zen-like retreat? A regal, romantic affair? A jumping, high-energy party?
For instance, a vibrant summer yellow mixed with chocolate-brown (think sunflowers and bees) is perfect for a country-chic wedding style; add gold to the mix, and the combination becomes more reminiscent of Northern Italy. As another example, leaf green paired with cantaloupe is pretty for a waterside wedding; but pair this green with copper, and you have a color scheme that's formal enough for a ballroom or an estate setting. If your wedding takes place in multiple spaces, each room can have its own color scheme.
The Elements of Style
The Attire: The bride's gown doesn't have to be solid white, especially since color accents are increasingly more available. A blue or red sash around the waist is striking and still very bridal. The groom and his guys can also sport color in their ties or on their cuff links. But color will be most prominently displayed throughout the day in the bridesmaid dresses. Some fervent folks might want to match the dresses to the invitation ribbons, the favor tags, and the bouquets but this is not the only way to define a style. Mixing and matching dresses in varying shades -- pink and orange, or pale green and yellow -- can sometimes make a statement stronger than uniformity.
The Invitations: Your invitations set the stage for the event, so remember that mood you want to evoke? This is your time to show it off. Coordinating the invitation colors with those of the wedding can be as easy as choosing a color font, ribbon, or monogram or as elaborate as layering colorful cards.
Flowers & Decor: No matter what color you've chosen, chances are you will be able to find flowers in that shade -- but that, of course, does not mean the blooms will be available or affordable. If your dream flowers aren't an option, use neutral white flowers with centerpiece containers or other decor elements in your color.
Wedding Cake: The cake is one of the easiest places to add color -- all it takes is the right mixing. The color should reflect the other style elements used throughout the wedding. But when it comes to cake, your color options are the most flexible. White icing makes a marvelous background for colorful sugar flowers, sugar-paste stripes or polka dots, or other effects. Fondant can also be created in any number of shades. For instance, a yellow and brown country-chic wedding might have a wedding cake iced in a light brown basket weave and topped with fresh sunflowers.
The Favors: Ultimately, it's more important to give something meaningful rather than something that matches, but it can be a nice touch to your favors package in your color scheme. Use gift tags and ribbons to incorporate your colors into your favors. If favors will be left at each place setting, consider how they will look with your wedding linens and flowers.
New Ways to Use Color
We should point out that overdoing it with a matchy-match look is entirely possible. (You don't want your guests thinking, um, yeah, lavender...we get it.) Begin with the five essential wedding elements (attire, invitations, flowers, cake, and favors) and see where you can -- or should -- add more color. Then consider details such as napkins, candles, signature drinks, your ring pillow, or your guest book made from the same fabric and in the same color and as the bridesmaid dresses.
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JEWELLERY

If cosmetic is for the body, shoes are for the feet, jewellery are for the clothes. Jewellery can make you look trendy, classic or even cheap. Proper use can also make any clothing look expensive.
CATEGORIES OF JEWELLERY:
1. Fine - is made from gold, platinum, fine silver, combined with precious and semi-precious stones.
2. Costume - is made from lower cost materials such as metals with gold and or silver finishes, and from unusual materials such as wood, plastic and beads. Costume jewelries are usually combinations of glass, synthetic or some semi-precious stones.

TIPS
• Wear contrasting shape all the time if you have a round body built.
• Anything dangling such as earrings make a body silhouette slim.
• Jewelry is an effective focal point of the viewer's eye to distract attention away from any body flaws.
• Gold tones fit almost any skin color.
• Mixing real diamonds from fake diamonds will make the real look fake.
• Don't overdo.
Sometimes, you may want to wear just one emphatic accessory and use its camouflage benefit. Experiment and see how the emphasis moves from head to the hips.
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WEDDING FASHION: FORMAL OR CASUAL

A wedding should be the materialization of the fairytale dream a woman has been conjuring up since she first touched tulle at age six. It should be whatever she wants it to be, from a blown-out extravaganza to a romantically quaint ceremony on the beach. But within all this fantasizing, there are a few rules such dreams should slide into.
Weddings are separated into specific types, from ultra formal to casual, and to avoid confusion for the bride, groom and guest, here's the to do's and what-not to do's for wedding wear:
Ultra formal
The ultra formal wedding decks out the ceremony in flowers and bows. Almost always held in a church, this wedding includes a whopping six to 12 bridal attendants and just as many groomsmen. Each detail is supervised by proficient florists and decorators and the gargantuan dinner reception is prepared by expert chefs. The bridesmaids' dresses are long, the bride's is longer, and the men might even wear opera hats.
Formal
One step down brings us the formal wedding. Such ceremonies are usually held
in a church, but a home, garden, ballroom or private club can also prove to be the right location. You'll find just as many bridesmaids and groomsmen surrounding the happy couple at this wedding, but the formality of dress has fallen down a notch. Rather than leaving the event exclusively in the hands of the professionals, the mother of the bride may also take an active role in the organizing. God send or curse? We're not sure.
Semiformal
No need to book the church for a semiformal wedding. Your home, your garden, a hotel or a club will do just fine. You can cut back on the wedding party (unless you're filling up the garden), decorations and number of guests, if you'd like, making the planning process a wee bit easier. The ceremony can be followed by a small reception, often organized by the bride's mother and her relatives.
Casual
Just like Fridays, weddings can go casual, too. These daytime ceremonies welcome just one maid of honor and the best man up front, and decorations are optional and minimal. Guests are whittled down to relatives and close friends and the event is usually held just about anywhere you'd like. The reception afterward is also up to the couple, but if the wedding is held at home, a small gathering is usually expected to follow the ceremony.
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BRIDESMAID WEDDING JEWELRY

My sister recently got engaged and she’s started planning the wedding. She is on a fast and furious timeline because they have decided to get married in November! That is just 9 months away! Being young and in love, these love birds are trying to keep the reigns on spending and stay within a tight budget. It is possible to have an elegant and beautiful wedding and not break the bank. She turned to me for advice on bridesmaid jewelry options.
I suggested these 9mm Button Freshwater Pearls earrings for only $25.00! They are perfect for the afternoon wedding. These pearl earrings will be versatile enough for the bridesmaids to wear long after the wedding. It creates a practical gift. These earrings are as simple as it gets, yet so effective. Two button-shaped freshwater pearls emit their unmistakable shimmer, unhampered by any other decoration. It is a great look for a weddings or any day.
http://www.glamourjewellery.com

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INTERVIEW WITH JEWELLERY ARTIST VERONIKA MEL

WEDDING PLANNER: HOW 2 WORK LONG DISTANCE WITH YOUR WEDDING PLANNER

Are you planning a destination wedding long distance? If so, you know the challenges you fact communicating via phone, email or fax with your wedding planner and planning an event at a hotel you may not have seen.

When you are working long distance with a bride, what does your initial consultation with her include? What questions will you have for her to help give you a better idea of her wedding wishes? First and foremost, I like to speak with the bride in depth over the phone, getting to know her on a personal basis. This rapport building stage may progress over several phone calls and e-mails. In addition to certainly asking her what her wedding day vision may be, I want to know more about she and the groom and their likes and dislikes. How did you meet? How did he propose? Where did she or he go to school? Are you big sports fans? I also want to share information with her about myself and that I am a recent bride. I want her to feel comfortable talking with me and trusting me. Planning a wedding can be difficult, planning a wedding from afar can be even more so. It is important that the bride "connects" with her wedding consultant so that she can rely on their dedication and knowledge as she prepares for her "Big Day!". Once rapport is established, it is important for me to share with the bride my thoughts on whether or not our venue meets her needs. Does our package realistically meet her budget requirements? Does our setting meet her wedding day vision? If so, I would suggest that she and the groom arrange for a trip to visit the site, as well as other sites before proceeding. How can brides best work with you long distance? (Photos of decorations? Detailed descriptions?) The Internet and e-mail are wonderful tools. Reception locations should offer updated customized web pages for viewing. Wedding consultants often have digital pictures on hand of recent weddings and catering events. They should be able to provide you with a list of references, previous brides who have planned a long distance wedding at their location. In today's fast paced world, it is best to communicate with your reception consultant via e-mail. Your consultant should always reply to your questions promptly. A bride and groom may also want to coordinate periodic conference calls with the bride, groom, wedding consultant, and other key players eliminating the chance of miscommunication. For which destination brides is a pre-wedding site inspection a good idea? If at all possible, I would suggest that every bride and groom conduct a pre-wedding site inspection. I find that most of the brides and grooms that I work with who are planning their wedding from afar, have ties to the immediate area. Should the bride and/or groom not be able to make a trip to the location before signing a contract, arrange for a family member or close family friend to check out the location. How can a bride who is arranging a pre-wedding site inspection make the best use of her time when she does come to visit the property? At what point in her plans would it be most beneficial to her to make that trip? A bride should arrange at least two pre-wedding site inspection trips. She should be organized with a wedding binder suitable for collecting brochures, business cards, and magazine clippings, and come prepared with detailed lists of questions. The first trip should take place after the "gathering and collecting of information" stage and prior to signing a contract. It would be helpful to select a weekend to visit multiple top choices for both ceremony and reception sites. The booking of these two sites go hand in hand. Be sure to phone the contacts at each location to make sure that they, or a colleague, will be able to meet with you. No sense flying 1000 miles with hopes of viewing a Grand Ballroom, only to find that the wedding consultant is not able to meet with you personally. Obtain as much local vendor information as possible during this trip. Best case scenario, your consultant or function coordinator will also be able to guide you with additional vendor recommendations throughout your planning process. Approximately four to five months prior to your wedding you will want to schedule a return trip. It would be ideal if your trip could coincide with a wedding reception taking place at your venue. This would be an ideal opportunity for you to view their operation in full swing.

Some of the tasks that you will want to accomplish during this hectic visit include:

1. Your tasting
2. Meeting with florist to make all floral selections
3. Meeting with Bakery to select wedding cake
4. Hair/Make-up Trial
5. Rehearsal Dinner and Post-Wedding Brunch site exploration/selection Depending on the length of your engagement, the number of your pre-wedding site trips will vary.

Certainly take advantage of more trips if possible. You will want to become well educated about the marriage license requirements of the state in which you are marrying. Another trip within two months of your wedding date may be required in order for you to obtain a marriage license. Lastly, be sure to take time off the week before your wedding and be sure to arrive to your destination well in advance of your wedding day!
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WORST DRESSED of 2008

The Vogue editor is known for playing it safe in impeccable Chanel suits topped off with her trademark sleek bob. But when she does get it wrong, she does it in style!



MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY OLSEN Stylish siblings award: These two have not only set up two formidable fashion labels (The Row and Elizabeth and James), their own personal style runs from vintage paired with designer, thrift store and couture.



MADONNA 'I'm sorry but you've lost the plot' award: Oh dear, here's one for the style therapist. A public divorce is manifested as one of Madonna's biggest style mistakes to date. Those green feathers! Those fishnets! Those ankle straps! All so wrong!

WEDDING JEWELRY TIPS

Wedding jewelry is an important part of adding individuality to the bridal ensemble. Pearl jewelry has always been the jewelry of choice for the special day because it is elegant and classic. Also, wedding jewelry doesn't have to be only worn on your wedding day. Pearl jewelry can be worn for years following your wedding. Pearls are versatile and popular so there are no limits to showing off your gorgeous jewelry.

When choosing jewelry for your wedding, it is important to consider the neckline and detail of the dress. The design of the dress will determine whether your wedding jewelry should be simple or more elaborate. Open necklines give you more room to work with different necklaces. If you have a high neck dress, it is best to accent the dress with earrings and a bracelet.

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