Christos Costarellos-Wedding gowns

Hi All, I am showcasing another Greek designers wedding gowns as inspiration for what a bride might like to wear when planning her destination wedding in Greece (or anywhere in the Meditteranean for that matter). I love that this dress is so reminiscent of a Greek Goddess, yet so fresh due to it's bright colour, I think this would be such a beautiful choice for a beach or garden wedding, so simple and chic! This gown is a beautiful colour, not scarlet (ok, I am going to have to admit that I HATE red at a wedding, I know this is quite a popular choice, but I feel that scarlet roses look vulgar against white) This orangey-pinky hue is a different matter however! The gold belt makes sets it off and a light tan, flat gold sandals and long flowy hair (or perhaps an up do with plaits incorporated) would be gorgeous! I think this might be my favourite gown in Costarello's current collection, the use of yellow, cream and black is perfect and the shape is so flattering! The final gown I have chosen is one that most resembles a bridal gown ( please feel free to comment if you think I have gone off on a tangeant and am now thinking that any long gown can also double up as a bridal gown), I love that he has used black against the pure white gown, I know this is frowned upon for a wedding, this is probably what draws me to the gown and makes me love it even more! I also feel that it is slightly "Vera Wang", does anyone else get that feeling? Love the styling with the black stacked shoes (will have to post a looooong article on bridal shoes, these are a pet hate of mine) and flowing hair again!

Net A Porter launches Wedding Boutique

Good afternoon, I am so excited to announce that Net a Porter, one of the best fashion boutique websites in the world has launched a wedding boutique! I feel that this has been anticipated and I have often looked to this site for inspiration for a wedding, I love their "fashion" take on what brides should be wearing on their wedding day, their first page suggests a 3.1 Phillip Lim white draped dress, an Oscar De La Renta white t shirt (love it, but if you don't do it for your wedding, when will you buy a t-shirt that costs 238 EUROS?) and of course....... the shoes, Fendi, Christian Louboutin and a personal favourite of mine Pedro Garcia!!! I feel the site will appeal to any fashionista preparing for her wedding and find their approach fresh, interesting and so different to the norm, I'm sure it is going to be a great hit!!!! Good luck to them! For further information please go to: http://www.net-a-porter.com/Shop/List/Wedding_Boutique_Bride

Andria

I thought I would introduce another Greek wedding dress designer that I admire, Andria, she produces exquisite wedding dresses and formal gowns that are perfect for special occasions where you want to stand out of the crowd! The first dress has an incredible back view, I love the use of the lace and how the gown flows, I also love the the front is not fussy, so the back view (which is on show throughout the ceremony takes centre stage). The second dress again flows beautifully and crosses between an aethereal Greek goddess and the lace brings a "special" element, making it more luxurious. The third dress is simply.....gorgeous, I am not a fan of coloured wedding gowns, however I am reconsidering after seeing this gown. This would look incredible against a stone background for a wedding abroad, a castle, villa or ruins! Finally the last dress offers a refreshing change from white and cream, this silvery grey gown is stunning and would work perfectly for the bride who is fashion conscious and wants to be comfortable on her wedding day!

Bridal Bouquets

Today, I am posting some pictures of some of my previous client's bouquets as inspiration, following on from the discussion yesterday regarding use of flowers! I am planning some inspiring weddings for May, so can't wait to post some pictures of how the flowers turn out! The first bouquet is of yellow roses teamed with eucalyptus greenery....my favourite! I know that yellow roses are supposed to symbolise hatred, however I think the combination is so fresh and worked really well with the green beachside location that the couple chose for their wedding! The second bouquet, combines cala lilies, a very elegant and minimal flower with it's long leaves bent backwards, the result is minimal and very chic! The third picture is one of my favourites, shot by the very talented Annie Agelopoulou, this picture is romantic and evokes movement, a combination of the very exclusive orchid and avalanche rose, this bouquet is pure luxury and traditional, perfect for a classic bride! The fourth bouquet is a round hand tied bouquet of hot pink roses combined with ivy, the bride used pink as her colour theme and we used rose petals throughout the planning. The final bouquet is another favourite, simple white roses combined with olive greenery, this bouquet picture is modern, minimal and best of all Greece at it's best and I love it!

My favourite types of flowers

After the earlier posts on Greek wild flowers, I wanted to post on my favourite flowers in the whole world!!! These are in order of preference: PEONIES ( I swoon when I see bunches of these, I absolutely adore them and am so happy that my Greek name day is in May and always get a beautiful bunch of peonies from my boyfriend!) Tulips, especially parrot tulips Hydrangea's (these can be used in such imaginative ways and love when they are cut down and used in arrangements, in their original ball shapes they are perfect as a single stem in a vase, so neat and tidy and of course....easy) Orchids Of course the flowers as stand alone images are not particularly impressive, I will post some images of that inspire me. All photographs are from Flickr.com

Herbs are also very popular, they can replace ferns and other fillers that are usually found in flower arrangements! Do keep in mind that some herbs are not very resilient when cut, so please check with your florist as to whether the herb of your choice will make it through the day! Another idea is to include potted herbs either on the table as decor, as favours (in mini pots of course, I see a small herb in front of each guest and only candles as the centrepiece, very elegant) or larger pots that can be used as aisle liners or aisle decoration, I also love tying small bunches of herbs around the napkins at each guests place setting!

Wild flowers in Greece

A question that I get asked very, very often is if I can incorporate local grown flowers or wild flowers into the arrangements for their wedding! I thought it might be interesting to have a look at some of my favourite local flowers and discuss some ideas of how these can be utilised for your wedding day! Some of my favourite flowers found in the wild are the anenome, I have been known to screech to a halt when driving through the country side and insist on picking as many as possible! Cyclamon, hibiscus flowers, bougainvillea, I love the hues that this flower comes in, the purple, pink and white look beautiful together, even the dried flowers are pretty! Daisies can be found in the spring throughout Greek fields! Please remember that there are lots of wild flowers between January and the end of May, however during the summer and in to early autumn the flowers tend to dry up from the heat, so these are impossible to source. (All images are borrowed from flickr.com)