Saturday, April 30, 2011
"A BIG Thing" Green Wedding Dresses
Going Green – the Savvy Chic Bride
By Charlene of Charlene’s Closet & Bridal Boutique
& Independent Luxury Consultant Janice – FERI Designer Lines & Bridal Rentals
From Bridal Rental Jewelry, “wear again” bridesmaids dresses to Bridal Gowns going green is proving to be cost effective, savvy and best of all, chic!
Going green is not just for the home although the three R’s still apply: reduce, reuse & recycle!
Here are three hot “green” bridal trends that can help you reduce, reuse and recycle with a modern twist.
Rental Bridal Jewelry
FERI Bridal Rental Lines
The Novia
Often, because of cost, brides find themselves compromising on a desired item so they can have money for something else. But not any more … enter a trend that has had big play in other arenas; Jewelry Rental. The Bridal industry and its accessories is not what it used to be. Fashion forward and stylish, the cost conscious bride can now save money while looking spectacular thanks to Bridal Rental Jewelry. Available across Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean the FERI Bridal Rental Series can help a bride’s big day look even bigger while costing less. With rental options like the spectacular Sposa valued at over $3500 for less than $500 for the weekend or the more modest yet striking Novia, yours for the weekend for less than $300, it’s no wonder going green is such a red hot trend. But some tips to make the most of your Jewelry rental experience. Be sure to shop early so that you get the piece you really want and reserve a spot on your credit card for the security deposits as well as the rental cost.
Client’s can shop on-line across Canada, or book an appointment with a FERI Luxury Consultant at Charlene’s Closet and Bridal Boutique or contact 1888 370-3375 for a Luxury Consultant in your area.
Wear-again Bridesmaids Dresses
Dress – Purely Alfred Angelo
available at Charlene’s Closet & Bridal Boutique
Gone are the days of the big and puffy, “obviously that’s a bridesmaids dress” dress. Today’s colors and styles are designed to look chic for the wedding ceremony and then re-dressed and “re-made” with a few trendy accessories for a night out on the town. In eco-friendly fabrics like silk and cotton green has never felt or looked better.
Dress – Purely Alfred Angelo.
Gently Used/Recycled Bridal Gowns
Starry eyed brides want it all ... the gorgeous dress, the beautiful attendants and the stunning venue. Next to the proposal and the actual "i do's", the biggest and most anticipated event is finding "the dress"! Hence the popularity of the shows that chronicle brides and their search for "the perfect dress"
But today, we see that more and more, brides are experiencing a shift when it comes to the dress budget and the accompanying finery.
The sentiment is no longer in the dress…it’s in the experience
With more than150,000 weddings per year in Canada, it is rather easy to agree that saying "I Do" is almost recession proof.
Many a bride-to-be find beautiful, luxurious dresses they love however, the change in economy has helped brides to focus on both beauty and practicality. Wedding dresses have traditionally been the most expensive single item in a wedding budget and many have come to realize that this is an expense they can’t afford. So, instead of buying a new wedding dress that they may not love, savvy brides- to- be are now opting to get the dress of their dreams gently used or Recycled.
Gently used or recycled can be something "off the rack" of a bridal showroom or previously worn by a bride. In fact, i have a beautiful pre-owned designer Bridal gown for sale that was never worn. The bride bought it but did not end up wearing at and now some other lucky bride will have the opportunity to own this gown at a fraction of the price!
Recycling this is a great, economically sound way to have the best of both worlds - the stunning dress at a stunning price. And no one need be the wiser.
Visit Charlene’s Closet & Bridal Boutique where Brand name, off the Rack Dresses are up to 50% OFF
Thursday, December 31, 2009
I DO TAKE YOU, FOR BETTER OR WORSE
Every girl visualizes the day she has her dream wedding, and for most women, marriage is something we look forward to. It never dawned on me that I too would make marriage one of my goals, something to aspire toward. Life has been quite a journey for me - this has been another life lesson. Many of my lessons are invaluable because no teacher or classroom could have provided such instructions, or prepared me for that which I have experienced as a woman and a wife. I am not at all unhappy but let me say, sometimes I think that I have been lied to.
This is not coming from the perspective of a professional, however it is meant to provide you with a snippet of my 9+ year’s journey through "marital bliss",never without complications. As I willingly entered into a marital arrangement with someone whom I considered my soul mate, I came to realize the what it means to be a partner. My husband is not only my life's mate, but someone I have known for many years, well over 20. Love him, hate him then love him again, this has been a real life saga of two very different people, making an attempt at co-partnering.
Who decided that people should do this anyway? Okay I know it was endorsed by the bible but darn! It ain't easy. Marriage makes sense- yes it does. I get to be with the one I love and enjoy a special companionship. I also enjoy a few fringe benefits- like sharing the cost of most expenses, enjoying monogamy (hopefully), and of course there is the bearing of children, although one does not have to be married to enjoy that.
Marital bliss/or martial blast?
Is there such a thing as marital bliss? Well at the beginning when all was new, we had lots of blissful moments and for many years. Long before the name calling and the arguments over who should do dishes and of course, my biggest pet peeve of all, leaving the toilet seat up, we were just dandy. Of course, bliss is what you make of it and you can have it for as long as you can, however, it has a way of dissipating.
We are two imperfect individuals and as long as there are two individual with difference of opinions and of course personalities, there will be issues. We have managed to deal with these issues, and it has made all the difference.
My single most important lesson is, "DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY"- How do I do that? Obviously like most humans I am affected mostly by the negative and positive things said by my husband,one of the persons who matters the most. His words can have the strongest impact, and lasting effect, especially the negative ones. Not taking anything personally is the hardest thing I have had to live by and to date, I have not been able to perfect the craft. After 9 years, I have taken a lot less personally but honestly, I doubt that I will ever be able totally shut out the more painful retorts of my husband. The hardest times of course are during our arguments. When my husband says anything, not usually much, he goes deep and I can’t help responding in kind.
So should the vow “for better or worse” be taken literally? Yes because it is real, life does become paradoxical. It happens to be the part of the commitment that each has to make and when, or if, you get to the part where those words are to be said, May some strong force be with you.
If you can endure and get through the times when it gets worse, you will enjoy MARITAL BLISS
HAPPY HAPPY 2010 - IT'S YOUR TIME!
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ANOTHER DECADE? WOW! THIS IS YOUR TIME THIS IS YOUR YEAR- SO CLAIM IT!
As each year ends and another approaches, we all have aspirations and resolutions. How about making the new year yours. It may sound selfish- so what? Are you hurting anyone by making next year about you? I think not. Most folks make new year's resolutions about themselves and by the turn of the year they forget and the focus shifts from them to everyone else.
How about making 2010 the year you focus on yourself and all those gargantuan dreams that only you can control. Nothing stops us from making these changes but ourselves. If we do not take care of number 1, who will? Whatever your goal or goals are, spend some more "me time" just getting stuff done, let that be your focus. The folks around you will certainly respect you as they see you doing more for you. Remember it is not about being selfish or insensitive. No matter your intentions,as long as they are positive, JUST DO YOU!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
WHO ARE YOU, A BRIDE OR A BRIDEZILLA?
Bridezilla Defined
Bridezilla Defined
According to the Webster's dictionary the following is a definition of BRIDEZILLA:Bridezilla\ bride-zil-a n 1 Horrific, bulging-eyed bride prone to screaming spells and spontaneous fits of hysterical rage. Bridezillas are known to drop blows over seating charts, get bug-eyed at the mere mention of carnations and view hurling champagne at their wedding planners as a form of hazing.
Not so, a lot of brides do not fit this definition as it is unfair to characterized them as such. It has been my experience that because of the very nature of the event, being one with extremely high emotions, many ladies go from one set of emotions to another. I call it PMS- Pre-Marital Syndrome.
As a retailer providing one of the most important part of the process – The bridal gown, I do find that most of the brides are quite open to suggestions. Although most have already made up their minds in terms of the kind of dress they want, they are fairly well behaved. There may have been a few who would try on all the dresses in the store and still have no idea of what they like but that is the exception.
I do enjoy sharing the experience with them and find that my job is easy as the occasion itself is one of joy and elation. If you think you are a Bridezilla, then try taking a few suggestions from me that will perhaps help you to diffuse the bomb you are building. Here goes:
1. If you are feeling too stressed, take a moment to walk away and find an activity that will help you alleviate the stress
2. After you have accomplished one task check off and move on to the next
3. Take your "real girlfriends" along to share in the experience of selecting the dress.
4 Remember, after selecting your dress, STOP looking!
6.This is your wedding and the only time (maybe) you get to have it your way-so go ahead and do just that.
7.If you are overwhelmed about the planning, hire (if your budget permits) a wedding planner- give them the headache- they love it!
8. Take one weekend off - no wedding talk or plans.
9. Be timely with your plans and you will have more time to relax.
10. This is not your mom's or anybody else's wedding so do not listen to the wedding horror stories- keep things positive
Monday, December 28, 2009
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