Steampunk Fashion

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It is fall ya’ll. I know it’s been with us for a few weeks already and the pumpkin spice lattes have been in full effect, but this engagement session captures the coziness of the season! Brittany & Hunter, clothed in their comfiest sweaters and accompanied by their pup, Charley spent the better part of the afternoon with Kimmie of Kimberly Florence Photography . Hunter attended the US Naval Academy and the couple have already made their way to Pensacola for Flight School! We even learned that Brittany is one of the engineers that has a hand in building the planes Hunter flies… too cool!! Congratulations you two!

Hey there Something Turquoise readers! Since the last time I visited over here , I made a BIG announcement, I started my own event planning company called I Love Love Events . You can still visit my personal blog, Undeclared Panache , but for all things weddings and more fabulous bridal inspiration, you can find me here .

Today, I am squeezing the tail end of warm weather inspiration, before we all get into holiday mode, with a beautiful Indian Summer tablescape. The table itself is pretty basic, gold-rimmed dishes, gold flatware and amber glassware, all great thrift store (or Etsy) items, but the DIYs and the floral arrangements take it to the next level. I love the light-colored cabbage roses, paired with the deep orange dahlias, it really creates a nice bridge from summer to fall florals, and the fuzzy texture of the dusty miller leaves add amazing dimension.

SHOPPABLE CREDITS:

DIY Supplies // Fabric: JoAnn // Rit Dye: Michaels // Twine: WalMart // Copper Pipe: Home Depot // Wood Beads: Factory Direct Craft // Feathers: Michaels

Table Decor // Mercury Glass Votive Holder: Lights For All Occasions // Brass Bowl: Etsy // Amber Goblets: Carsons // Gold Flatware: Etsy // China: Etsy // Geode: Urban Outfitters

The DIYs on this, or should I say, above this table truly make the look. The ombre dyed table runner is a project that will pack a lot of impact – for the buck and the time. Combining copper pipe, twine and strips of dyed fabric can create beautiful, simple hanging art like the ones pictured; adding ambiance and a cool-factor to your already fabulous table.

Image Credits

Table found: Ruffled // Photography: Amber Vickery Photography // Florals and Event Design: Gypsy Floral // Venue: The Allan House // Rentals: Loot Vintage Rentals // Invitations: Inviting Affairs

Bayside Brides, I have something a bit different for you today than my usual styled collages. This October, while the Annapolis Boat Show was in full force, it was also New York Bridal Fashion Week (also known as Bridal Market). All of your favorite wedding dress designers debuted their latest collections for the bloggers, magazine editors, and buyers who bring the dresses to you! I’ll be showing you some of my favorite looks for 2015, along with some top trends! Pull up your chair for a front-row seat at the runways. I promise you, it will be more fun that watching boats trying to navigate their dockings along Ego Alley!

Crop Tops

The first trend I noticed was quite unexpected, even though I shouldn’t be that surprised — we’ve seen this look popping up on celebrities at red carpet events. It’s the crop top! Truly, two-piece cropped wedding dresses were everywhere! I loved this particular look below, because it gave the same effect, but with a little more modesty (What can I say? I’m a little traditional!) If you dare to have a bit of bare, then there are certainly some crop top gowns out there!

Naima by THEIA

Lace and Lasercut

Lace has never left the bridalwear scene, but the style of lace being used and the innovative placement of this timeless fabric is what is interesting here. This season, there were more geometric shapes and big-open laser cut patterns, along with lace used as an overlay or to create an illusion neckline, and call attention to cut-out details around the waist.

Watters | Angel Sanchez

Sleeves

Strapless dresses have dominated wedding-wear for so long, but sleeves have been coming back for a few seasons, and they are here again this season with some new details. This time there were new lengths; half and 3/4 length sleeves, and some really sheer-barely there sleeves. So pretty!

Jorgette by Kelly Faetanini

Colors and Rich Fabrics

The next trend has been percolating for a while — the idea of a non-white wedding dress. We’ve seen blush, vanilla, and other subtle tones in years past, as well as some bold gowns in gold, reds, and even black! This season, ice blue seemed to be the color, many in reference to a Frozen theme. What do you think? Even though the Chesapeake doesn’t freeze up, could a watery ice blue gown be the next thing for Bayside Brides?

Erdene by Theia

Ruffles

The fluffy, full ruffled ball gown is here! If you want a dress to twirl in, this one is for you! There were ruffled, layered skirts like this in many collections. So fun to wear!

Anne Barge

Off-the-Shoulder

There were several goddess-inspired looks that had off-the-shoulder details with drapes, and pleats. This is such a soft, romantic look, and it provides a nice little detail to be a little different.

Saja

Plunging Necklines

I saw this one starting last spring, with really low, straight down necklines, and I love how some designers refined the idea even more with these fall collections. Some of these necklines plunge to the rib cage, but somehow the illusion netting and coverage elsewhere, keeps it classic instead of risque.

Watters

Beautiful Backs

The illusion back has also been a trend for a few seasons now. Now it becomes a game of how low can you go? and how sheer can you make that mesh? These backs use such a sheer fabric that the other details like buttons and lacework seem to be suspended against the skin. Amazing!

Claire Pettibone

Sequins and Beading

Again, sequins and beading are nothing new in formal wear, but when you put them in a new modern silhouette, or a new pattern, it really changes things, and looks fantastic!

Carina by Karen Willis Holmes

Stripes

I’ll admit, it’s a little early to be sure this is a trend, but I did see a few striped wedding dresses, and if you’ve been reading my posts, you know how much I love stripes on everything! ( Yes, I am wearing a striped top right now.) Since stripes and nautical go hand-in-hand for me, it only makes sense that of course I’m going to show my favorite Bayside Brides some stripes!

Anne Barge

Well on that nautical note, I think I’ve covered some of the top bridal trends that you’ll be seeing in stores soon. I didn’t get them all, but I have to give you some sort of reason to stop by and visit me on Dress for the Wedding ! I’ll have more wedding dresses to show this month than there are moorings in Annapolis. (And that’s a lot!)

Until next time, Bayside Brides!

Sukey from Dress for the Wedding

“Jessica and Jeff were married in a rustic lodge located in Eureka, MO with around 60 guests in attendance. Both the bride and groom worked together on this down to earth, DIY wedding. They had a square dance caller and a bluegrass band for entertainment. For dessert they had pies; the couple provided some premium pies and their guests were encouraged to bring their special family recipes. The new Mr & Mrs even helped to cut and serve the pie for all their guests. The bride’s father had passed on so she had him close to her in the form of a heart cut out of one of his blue sweatshirts and sewn into her dress. The couple even had props for all of the guests to be photographed in, which made for a terrific group shot.” – Oldani Photography

What is your favorite wedding day memory?

There were so many wonderful moments that day. We did a ‘first look’ which was great because it allowed Jeff and I to spend most of the day together. But, I think having two of our friends play guitar and sing “Pecan Pie” by Wilco while we sliced into our pie was probably my favorite.

What did you DIY for your wedding?

Basically everything! We had a florist make the flowers for the bridal party, but all the other flowers and decorations were DIY. I had great helpers! My mom and some very good friends all helped me bring my ideas to life. Most of the pies at the reception were homemade by friends and family as well.

I had a lot of fun gettin’ crafty! The inspiration was rooted in the old time square dance, which tied in nicely with the burlap and lace trend. Chalkboards and the “J &J” was an easy theme to use throughout as well. I have always loathed the traditional guest book and knew I wanted something more interesting. I saw a ‘wish tree’ on Pinterest and decided I could make one. I bought an old watering can at a flea market for about $20 and used branches from a Birch tree in our back yard. I stamped the wish cards with our initials and tied the hanger ribbons in our colors, then made a chalkboard sign so guests knew what to do with the cards. I think I made 5 or 6 small chalkboard signs, one for the wish tree, one for the bar, one as a ‘thank you’, one with the dinner menu, and one for the favors. I found unfinished chalkboards at JoAnn’s and used wood stain on the pine frames, and a chalk pen to write out the messages. That took about an afternoon to complete and cost around $30. I didn’t want to spend a lot on table decorations, I knew I wanted candles all around and flowers of some sort. I had family save all their glass jars of different sizes, plus I had quite a few old mason jars already. I did buy about 20 more mason jars on Craigslist for $20. I fell in love with the look of Babies Breath for flowers and it’s super affordable. I ordered it in bulk from Sam’s Club for about $100 and had more than enough. We just made simple bouquets in the jars and put candles in some of the other jars. I had tied jute bows around all the jars ahead of time. It was probably about $160 for all the table decorations. My mom sewed burlap table runners for all the tables, and a really pretty one with ruffles for our ‘sweetheart table’. The burlap cost around $75 and it took her a couple days of sewing to complete them. She also made our heart shaped ring bearer pillow out of burlap and embroidered “Reed” and our wedding date onto it. It now sits in one of our living room chairs. I made some burlap and doily bunting/banners for the pie table, they only took a few hours to make. I ordered the doilies on Amazon as I couldn’t find vintage ones for an affordable price, they were around $25. For the pie table, I bought several glass cake stands (some new, some vintage) for around $100 total and borrowed a couple as well. I was also able to reuse some decorations my girlfriends had made for my shower – some tulle bunting which we hung around the fireplace, as well as a burlap “Let them Eat Pie” sign they had made for the shower. I really wanted galvanized washtubs for the bar and was going to purchase them on Craigslist for about $175, but the Universe smiled upon me – a neighbor had set some out on the curb for free! That was an amazing find. For my ‘something blue’, I had my mom sew a heart-shaped piece of my deceased father’s old blue sweatshirt into the bodice of my dress. That idea was 100% Pinterest, and it was nice to have something of my dad’s with me, yet it was private at the same time since most of the guests didn’t know it was there. It was a special way to connect with my dad on that day. I have to say though, my favorite DIY piece by far was the pies. Pie is big in my family and several of us love to bake them. My original plan was to bake all the pies myself, but as the day approached I quickly realized there was no way I was going to be able to pull that off! My cousin, an uncle, an aunt, and a dear friend each made 2-3 pies to contribute and we ordered a few from our favorite pie shop in town. Having all the homemade pies was really special and helped make the day feel more relaxed. Everyone that made a pie said they thought it was really fun to contribute to our day, and it added to that old time feeling we were going for.

Something old, new, borrowed and blue?

Yes. My something new was my dress. My something old and borrowed was an etched gold bracelet of my mom’s. It was my favorite to play dress up with as a little girl. My something blue was a heart shaped piece of my deceased father’s sweatshirt sewn into the bodice of my dress.

Any advice for brides currently in the planning process?

Keep it simple and only execute the ideas you feel strongly about. And stay within your budget! – Jessica, the bride

Event Credits

Photographer: Oldani Photography // Venue + catering: Experience Wyman // Florist: True Lei Floral // Pies: family + Pie Oh My! // Officiant: John Clark // Music: Down Stream Duo and Dug Out Canoe // Brides dress + accessories: Clarice's Bridal // All decor, seating chart, table numbers, favors, guest book, and more: DIY

Thank God for Saturdays! We so are happy the weekend is here and along with it another awesome Etsy Wedding Artist giveaway!!! Aren’t you loving all these talented artists we’ve been sharing? You can see them all on our Etsy Wedding Artist page. Today, Nicole from PNZ Designs – the rustic wedding maven – is generously giving away 50 of her darling custom heart favor magnets. The winner gets to pick their favorite design from her shop to be customized and created just for them! Which design is your fav? This is ours … good luck!

Hi there, I’m Nicole – my heart belongs to Jesus, my husband and our son. I am a coffee junkie and green tea addict. I am obsessed with mason jars, milk glass and anything rustic. I’m just a happy and blessed girl loving life and living in God’s grace. My items are hand crafted with love in the USA. I am so grateful to have been able to work with over 3,000 brides and grooms across the world to help them make their dream wedding a reality, and for that I am truly grateful! – Nicole of PNZ Designs

Giveaway Details

One lucky ST bride will win their choice of 50 custom heart favor magnets from PNZ Designs – a $63 value! You can choose from any of the designs currently in their shop —> click here to see them.

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! Contest ends 10/30/14 at 6:00pm PST. Winner chosen at random and will be announced next Saturday November 1st. If the winner doesn’t respond in 24 hours another winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To learn more about PNZ Designs visit their Etsy Wedding Artist Gallery .

The serenity of this engagement session leads me to imagine that it takes place in a abandoned village. Not far from the truth, this engagement session was captured by Amanda Adams Photography in historic St. Mary’s. From the brick window arches to the little white church, there is so much to love about Brittany & Jesse’s engagement!