bride - WedZtyle

The e-Wedding Planner

by WedZtyle January 3, 2020

Planning a wedding without a clear direction can be stressful. Couples either hire a wedding planner which can be pricy (the average fee to hire a wedding planner is approximately 20% of the total budget of the wedding) or wing it. And those who ‘wing’ end up with a mess and blow their budget out.

There has a big shift within the wedding industry with many couples choosing to plan their own weddings and opting not to hire wedding planners. Depending on the size of the wedding and budget, couples planning their own weddings look for inspiration through socials such as Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook wedding groups.

I recently received an email from an accredited online course offering a course on wedding planning. Curiosity took the best of me, and I enquired. Having been in the wedding industry since 1997 (showing my age), primarily designing and decorating wedding cakes, the content I received indicated that not much has changed. However, I did notice that couples were being less traditional and adopting for ‘something different’. I will not shock you with the price asked!!! Wedztyle.com

When designing my wedding cakes, there were so many questions I would ask the couples to understand their vision and ensure that the wedding cake tied into the theme perfectly. Wedding Planning is no different. It is bringing that vision to life and offering the best experience on that special day. And of course, it needs to cost-effective.

Wedztyle.com

Not to take away the value that a wedding planner brings, we have created an e-wedding planner so that couples have a clear and focused guide without the hefty price tag. The wedding planner ebook can be used together with your wedding planner or on its own.

The e-wedding planner provides a methodology on how to plan a wedding. It gives useful tips across all aspects such as vendor selection, destination weddings, wedding dress selection. The list goes on. And of course, it contains budget tables under each section; keeping couples on track. wedztyle.com

Our e-wedding planner is instantly accessible and available for download on all devices such as iPhone, iPad and kindles. Once downloaded, it can be used immediately. It is like having a digital wedding planner at your fingertips. But at your convenience.

Another key advantage of our e-wedding planner is that we like to inform our Wedztyle community of changing trends. All updates made are free of charge. Yes, you heard that correctly. No hidden costs. The price you pay, is all you pay.

Give it a go and download your copy. We welcome all feedback, good and bad. Simply head to our website to purchase your copy at Wedztyle.com

Just Engaged? Tips On Planning A Stress-free Wedding

by WedZtyle November 3, 2017

Congratulations your getting married! After the engagement shock has worn off, it is time to start making some serious decisions in achieving your dream wedding. Most brides know the type of wedding they want whilst other do not. Then there is knowing what is on trend.

Wedztyle have done some research for you on what is currently trending and will share some tips that can make planning your special day as stress free as possible.

Set The Date

Setting the date is not a easy task. There are many factors that needs to be considered. What type of wedding do you want? A spring or summer wedding? Is there a special date you have in mind. Are there any conflicting dates such as another friends wedding, or a special event. Are family coming over from overseas, are they able to travel on that date. The list is endless. Sending out save the date cards are a great way of letting your guests know in advance that you have set the date and that the formal invitations will follow.

SONY DSC

Create A Wedding Checklist

Weddings are a big event for anyone to plan. Setting a solid checklist will allow you to organise everything by setting firm dates and deadlines not only for yourself, but also for your family and bridal party. It will also act as a guide of prioritising what is important, what is not. A wedding checklist gives you complete control over your wedding. We recommend creating one main checklist outlining what needs to be done within a 12 month timeline, along with a checklist for the actual wedding day. Too many checklists will cause confusion and unnecessary stress for yourself and the people around you.

wedding checklist image 2

Choosing Your Style And Location

Before you book your venue, try on a wedding dress, you must decide what type of style and vibe you want to create for your day. We all have an idea of what type of wedding we want and visualising your day will help you in deciding. Have you always visualised yourself walking barefoot on a beach, in a beautiful garden or in an old church? Do you want it to be a traditional wedding, a vintage wedding or rustic wedding? A large or small wedding with only close family and friends. Is it going to be a destination wedding, and if so what type? What we love are vision boards. These allow you to take some inspiration from different weddings, and help you create your perfect day; not to mention staying on budget.

Images supplies by Dreamingtree //www.facebook.com/dreamingtree.oz

Set a Budget

Setting a budget is one of the most important part of planning any event especially a wedding. The average Australian wedding costs $40,000.00. Keeping to your budget will allow you to still have your dream wedding without making you broke. A budget checklist that you can cross reference against your wedding checklist will keep you as close to your budget as possible.

budget image

Choose Your Wedding Party

How many bridesmaids are too many? How big of a wedding party do you really need? It all depends of the type of wedding your having, and the budget that you have allocated. The trend these days is for bridesmaids to contribute to their shoes and dress, while the bride will pay for the makeup and hair on the day. If your thinking of providing everything for your bridesmaids then this needs to be factored into your budget. Costs can creep up quite easily so you need to stay on track!!

Another trend is for bridesmaids not to wear the identical dresses but keeping to the same or similar colour scheme. This allows your bridesmaids to wear dresses that suits their body shape. The groomsmen can wear the same suits with the matching colour scheme running through the ties or the cravats.

Bride:bridesmaides

Image copied from Pinterest, coolbridedress.com

Create Your Guest List

Depending on your cultural background, the size of your guest list will vary from wedding to wedding. I am from a European background therefore I had to invite people that I personally didn’t know. All these people were friends of my parents and in laws. Times have changed. Creating your guest list requires quite a bit of thinking. We all don’t want to offend people, but sometimes we have no choice. We recommend by firstly deciding on a preliminary number of guests you want to invite. Then begin your invite list with immediate family members, followed by your closest friends. From here, then you can play around with the invitees. Be firm with your guest list, the more people you have the more you will go over your budget. This might mean cutting things out of your wedding or compromising on the things you really want.

vision board 3

Image supplied dreamingtree www.facebook.com/dreamingtree.oz

Book a Venue

Choosing the venue is an important step. The venue is an important part of your wedding as it ties into your wedding theme. Most couples will book the venue before the church/wedding ceremony site as sometimes the most popular venues are booked 12-18 months in advance. What to look for in a venue:

1. Do they cater for the amount of guest I have?

2. Do they have the correct facilities for my guests?

3. Do they supply an events manager to help you with your vision?

4. Cost per person?

5. Is the food and alcohol a set price or are they seperate?

6. Do they cater for all dietary requirements?

dreamtree 11

Image supplied by Dreamingtree www.facebook.com./dreamingtree.oz

Choose Your Suppliers

When choosing your suppliers, make sure you have everything written down, especially pricing that has been negotiated between the parties. I have heard of some horror stories of the wedding cake was completely different to what was ordered, or the photographs were not what you had asked for. These are our tips when choosing a supplier:

1. Make sure you have everything written down and signed by both parties. Include some images of what you want and give them a copy.

2. Communications with your suppliers is key, as this will ensure everyone is on the same page and there is no room for misunderstanding.

3. When ordering your cake/ food, make sure they are able to cater for anyone with dietary requirements. Supply a clear list of your guest with dietary requirements and were they will be seated to the venue.

4. Take photos of your hair and make-up trails to make sure your happy with what you have chosen. This will also help your hairdresser and makeup artist remember what was discussed. Any changes, document them. Trial two weeks prior your wedding.

5. Make sure that you have your final wedding dress fitting approx two weeks before the wedding. This will allow for any changes and most importantly if the dress requires dry cleaning.

6. Contact all your suppliers one month and two weeks prior your wedding to confirm everything is track and if changes need to be made this is the time to do it. Give all your suppliers a running sheet of the day so they know what is required from them on the day.

fay cake

Image Supplied by Cakes By Fay K https://www.facebook.com/Cakes-By-Fay-K-187902414572836/

Feature imaged copied from Pinterest etsy.com

Foundation- What’s your colour?

by WedZtyle July 12, 2016

Choosing the correct foundation that matches your skin tone can be a frustrating experience. How many times have you picked the wrong shade? It is either too light, too dark or worse still, the wrong tone? On the day of your wedding, your foundation needs to be right in both the tone and coverage.

Here are some tips to assist you in selecting the correct tone and shade.

Undertone

Undertone refers to the colour that is beneath your skin. Foundations come in 3 undertones:

Warm – if your skin has yellow, gold or peach tinge
Cool – if your skin has pink, red or blue tinge
Neutral – if your skin has neither pink/red/blue nor yellow/gold/peach but somewhere in-between. Olive skin colour tends to be categorised as neutral

So how do you know what your undertone is?

You have a Warm undertone

Veins on your wrist are blue or purple
You burn quite easily in the sun
Silver jewellery flatters you the most

You have a Cool undertone

Veins on your wrist are green or olive
You tend to tan easily
Gold jewellery flatters you the most

You have a Neutral undertone

Veins are blue-green
Your skin doesn’t contain any obvious pink, olive or yellow undertones
You can burn but also tan easily
Both silver and gold jewellery flatter you

foundation

Foundation

Now that you have identified your undertone, you have to choose the right foundation best suited to you.

Here where it becomes complicated. There are numerous types to choose from;

Cream
Oil-based
Sheer
Mineral
Matte
Oil free
Whipped
Stick
Powder
Waterproof

Once you determined your undertone and the type of foundation you prefer, you now need to select the correct shade. Sounds all too complicated doesn’t it? But there are some handy tools out there that assist in finding that perfect shade for your complexion. Here a couple of examples:

Mecca Australia have the Foundation Finder.

foundation 2

It begins by asking you the type of coverage you are seeking:

Sheer
Medium
Full

It then asks you for the type of finish you want

Dewy
Natural
Matte

It then asks you for your skin type

Dry
Combination
Oily

http://mecca.com.au/makeup/complexion/foundation/

Based on your choices, you will be given various brands to choose from. This is a good starting point. The disadvantage with using this is that you need to know your skin undertone in order to select the correct shade.

L’Oréal Paris have quiz that you can take on their website. What I like about this is that it matches the foundation to your undertone. It asks a series of questions such as

What happens to your skin out in the sun
What colour are your veins
What colour combinations work best on you
What colour jewellery flatters you the most
What is the colour of your hair and eyes

Based on your undertone, it will provide a recommended shade. Once again, this is also good starting point in choosing the shade of foundation that gives you the most coverage.

foundation 3

http://www.lorealparis.com.au/cosmetics/face/true-match/diagnostic.aspx

How do you pick the correct shade?

A good way to check find the correct shade that gives you the desired coverage is to apply a bit on your neck and test in good lighting. Where possible, I test it outside in the natural light. Unlike your face or décolletage, your neck does not get the same level of sun exposure so the neck area is a good guide to see which shade gives you the most coverage.

Do not be afraid to try different brands. Not all brands have the same level of coverage. What I do is pick a shade based on my undertone then select a 3 different shades ranging from light, medium to dark. I place a streak of each on my neck then pick the shade that I see the most. This means that I am getting the optimal coverage.

If you do not feel confident in selecting your own shade, ask for assistance.

If you are using a makeup artist, do not be afraid to test the shade of foundation they pick for you. You don’t want the wrong colour!!

How do you know if you have the wrong colour?

If you look washed out then you have gone too light. I recommend going one shade up
If you look to dirty then you have gone a bit too dark. Try going down one shade
If you look too pink, try a foundation with a yellow undertone or even neutral. The same applies if you look too yellow

If you cannot find the correct shade for your undertone, try different brands. Not all foundations are the same. Beige from one brand can look completely different in another brand. As I mentioned, do not be afraid to experiment with different brands!

Whether you are doing your own make-up or engaging in a make-up artist, the shade and coverage needs to be correct. One thing to keep in mind when selecting your foundation are your photos. The shade of foundation should be in-line with your photo locations otherwise you run the risk of your face looking too light or too dark.

Are Diamonds Really a Girls Best Friend?

by WedZtyle May 14, 2016

Part 1

Diamonds ARE a girls best friends especially if it is given to her on a bended knee, with a beautiful backdrop and with four little words attched to it…”WILL YOU MARRY ME?”

I was engaged in the early 90s at a very young age. There was no bending of the knee at a beautiful location and no ring… yes your read correctly, NO RING. Being young I didn’t question it. The weekend after, my future husband took me to a jewerler who was going to make my engagement ring. I was so nervous, as I knew what ring I wanted as I had seen it in a magazine and hoped he could create it for me.

We sat patiently with his wife, making small talk. Finally after 10 mins her husband emerged from the back room. He introduced himself to me and asked me to hold out my hand. Opening my hand he carefully placed three small beautiful diamonds into it and they spakled like shiny stars. I was mesmorised by how beautiful these little diamonds were. This when my love affair for diamonds began.

Diamonds are unique. A few factors need to be considered when choosing the right diamond. Dimonds have what they call a grading chart that is proportional to the price of the diamond. The industry standard when grading diamonds are based on the four C’s, Carot Weight, Cut, Colour and Clarity.

Cut:

Diamond_Shapes2

The cut of the diamond is a personal prefence. The common choice of shapes are illustrated in the above image. The most popular diamonds in the last decade are the round, emerald and cushion shaped diamonds. The round shape dominates 75% of the market. I had chosen the round shape as for me it was a classic shape and timeless.

Carat Weight:

carat-chart

The Carot Weight of a diamond is sold on the unit weight not on the size of the carat which most of us think. The larger the carat the more you will pay. This is because the diamond becomes more rare as the size increases. This is what makes the diamond unique. The above chart illustrates the typical sizing for diamonds.

Colour:

diamondcolor2

Diamonds come in a variety of colours. They are graded on a scale of D (colourless) through to Z (light colour) The above image shows the grade in the diamond and the yellow tint they have. Most jewellers recommend to aim F/G range because if you put the ring under a constant light, you will be able to see the yellow in the diamond.

Clarity:

diamond-clarity

Diamonds are formed deep within the earth and under extreme heat and pressure. They all contain small imperfections inside the diamond. The diamonds are graded by their clarity form flawless (extremely rare) to included ( visible to the naked eye). Unless you have millions to spend on a flawless diamond, most people purchase VS1-VS2 or SI1 SI2. The naked eye cannot pick up the slight inclusions. Unless someone is walking around with a mini microscope in their pocket, it is a perfect diamond clarity to choose.

TIPS:

Here are some tips when purchasing the right diamond. Ladies do not be afraid to let you man know what you want. It is your ring and I think you should have a say in it. Just make sure you do not pay for your own ring like I did…. yep I still cannot explain that one.

Do not get hung up on having such a huge carat. Yes we all say it ‘I want over a carat diamond when I get married’. When choosing the carat weight, make sure that the diamond has the correct clarity and colour. This makes the diamond appear larger than what it is.

Do not focus on the imperfection. All diamonds will have slight inculsions unless you are lucky enough to receive a flawless diamond. This is what makes them unique and individual.

The setting of the diamond is just as important. Make sure you choose a reputable jeweller who specialises in setting diamonds.

Lastly, do your homework before you purchase your ring. The last thing you want is to be sitting in bed reading a book while admiring your ring at different angles when suddenly you see a massive crack in it. Yep that also happened to me, but don’t worry I made the jeweller reset my ring with a bigger diamond, better colour and clarity VS1 F. Teaches the jeweller to accuse me of craking it while washing dishes and hitting the diamond on the stainless steel bench. It was obvious that he cracked the diamond while setting the ring hence why you need to pick a reuptable jeweller.

So ladies enjoy this moment of choosing the right ring for you. We are derserve to have the very best.

WedZtyle

by WedZtyle March 28, 2016

Welcome to my first blog! I’m so excited to blog about all things weddings. It can be very overwhelming for couples who begin planning their wedding. Let’s face it, unless you are in the know, you really don’t know that the reception you just booked will be what was promised or that the cars you hired will even turn up.

Wedztyle has been created to eliminate all those uncertainties by giving couples useful information, dos and don’ts. It will cover a range of topics, such as choosing the right wedding dress, what to look for in a venue, themed weddings, topics that will steer couples in the right direction.

And in an effort to help you find the correct florists, hairdresser etc, we will be working with various suppliers (handpicked by us) that will offer all couples reliability, assurance and great savings. The current suppliers that have joined Wedztyle include:

Mikheal East – Personal Trainer.

Mikheal has been a full time personal trainer since 1993 teaching in Australia and overseas. Mikheal has lectured in various institutions and have written fitness articles that have been published. Mikheal has created personal training packages to get you and your bridal party extra fabulous for your special day. Please following the link http://mikhealeas7.wix.xom/wingephysique

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Alessandra Argese – Fashion Stylist

Alessandra has worked for the esteemed fashion house of Dolce&Gabbana in Milan and has been styling different industries in Australia. Having a fitness and fashion background, Alessandra has a sound knowledge of a woman and man’s physic and what looks great. Please email her andyale1@bigpond.com

Alessandra

John from Dreamingtree Studios is a wedding photographer skilled at transforming simple moments of pleasure into the most memorable snapshots of a lifetime. With hisorganic approach to photography, John strives to capture romance, emotion and perfection as a true reflection of each and every individual wedding. Together, along with families and friends, Dreamingtree Studios create the perfect day to be remembered forever capturing your special occasion in a way that is uniquely you, so you can focus on what’s most important… Each other. To contact John: E: dreamingtreestudios@bigpond.com  P: 0403618960  https://www.facebook.com/dreamingtree.oz

dreamingtree 8

Each week month we will also feature ‘weddings’ of the month. So if you want us to blog about your wedding, follow us on WordPress, Facebook, Instagram and twitter @wedztyle