what to wear to a summer wedding

summer's almost over and if you planned on going to a summer wedding it has probably already passed, but august is just as good a month as any to get married and it still takes place during the summer. in summer you have so many possibilities to the kinds of weddings you can have because there is less rain than in spring, it's the warmest season, there's no snow to hinder an outdoor wedding, etc. in this entry you'll see examples of four different weddings that one might attend in the summer. before you go to the wedding you probably don't know what the bride is wearing but you do know where the wedding will take place and if it will be traditional (long dress on bride) or nontraditional (short dress or pants on the bride), and based on that you also know what you should be wearing. enjoy!
♥ me

UNCONVENTIONAL/NONTRADITIONAL INDOOR WEDDING

in this wedding the bride is wearing a short dress and black heels with black mesh lace detailing. the bride's garb is enough to cause this wedding to be considered unconventional. the wedding is also indoors so you don't have to worry about your footwear because you know you'll have solid ground to step on. no worries about heels sinking into mud or sand here! ok...so, first of all--at a wedding....DO NOT WEAR A WHITE DRESS. it doesn't matter if the bride herself isn't wearing a white dress, YOU should NOT wear a white dress. that will draw attention to yourself and all attention really should go to the bride on her special day. you can wear a white dress any day of the year, just make sure it's not at anybody's wedding.

it is ok to wear a white shirt though. a white blouse paired with a feminine printed skirt is an unstuffy outfit, but still dressy enough for a wedding. add a pop of contrasting color with your accessories; whether it be a colored clutch, earrings or bangles such as the $15 ZADS Bangle set from swell.com. with a fresh outfit like this, try to keep makeup light.

CONVENTIONAL/TRADITIONAL GIRLY INDOOR WEDDING

this wedding is conventional. the bride will be wearing a long, floor-sweeping gown and it will take place indoors. you should probably wear a conservative cocktail style dress, although that is not completely necessary; however it will go alone with the mood of the wedding. i really like this bridal outfit. the betsey johnson dress is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! i love it so much, and the dress looks good on every model i've seen it on (then again, they are models). i love the frilly skirt and the fitted bustier bodice. sexy and girly all at once. vintage jewelry chandelier earrings from kirna zabete go with the dresses perfectly and a veil with a sparkling headpiece, such as ones you can get from wedding-veil.com add even more sweet whimsy to this bridal look. i also love those johnathan kayne shoes.

follow the mood of the wedding and wear a conservative cocktail dress. this valentino is a standout piece with it's beautiful yellow hue and slight metallic sheen. finish it off with low heeled evening sandals and studs.

OUTDOOR WEDDING: GARDEN

in a garden wedding the bride's beauty is enhanced by her surroundings, an exquisite garden. she deson't need to wear a frothy dress that takes up half of the garden (while she can if she wants to), and plus if she wears a dress with a too long train it will pick up grass, leaves, flowers, insects and whatever else is in the garden. most likely the bride will still with a simple white gown, her favorite jewels and a beautiful bouquet, usually very well thought out one such as the amazing rose, dyed calla lily and orchid arrangement above. afterglow cosmetics offers a wide range of makeup, such as mineral foundation, blush, eyeshadows and organic lip stick. all of their products are organic/vegan. their organic lip love lipstick in divine is a great shade.

play up the theme of a garden wedding by wearing a fun floral dress such as the 50s style poppy splash dres from frenchconnection.com. a fun clutch and a fresh fragrance would be in good order as well. and wouldn't you know it...one of clinique happy's ingredients is hawaiin wedding flower! how appropriate :)

OUTDOOR WEDDING: BEACH

beach weddings always sound like they are so fun and romantic. they usually take place during a sunrise or sunset to capture the amazing beauty of the sun on the horizon. the bride will most likely wear a breezy sand sweeping gown or a shorter dress, i think the antique white georgette bridal dress #cm0023 by nicole miller is beautiful. i love the hanging fabric in the middle as that makes the dress look even more flowy. most likely the bride will be barefoot or have her toes out so she should be wearing nice nailpolish or have a great pedicure. some brides will opt for neutral tones and some will opt for brighter tones, such as the beautiful bue shown in the collage. to get that nice bronzy beachy glow the bride should consider laura geller's bronze-n-brighten, it seems to be a great product and is similar to MAC's famous mineralized skinfinishes.

at a beach wedding, don't try to go all victoria beckham (love that lady!) in a fitted cocktail dress and sky high heels: you will sink into the sand, be sweaty and look like a fool. it's a beach wedding, so it doesn't have a super strict/formal dress code. wear a nice skirt that allows you to get some breeze, pair it with a breezy tank/blouse/shirt and make sure to wear flat shoes. wearing heels in the sand really won't get you anywhere.

i hope you enjoyed this entry as much as i enjoyed making it! make sure to have fun and congratulate the bride and groom at any wedding you go to :)

get the kings of leon look

one of my readers has asked me how to get a feminine kings of leon inspired look for summer. i had so much fun making this entry, because i thought that the request was such a great idea to go on. please feel free to ask me how to get any look, or just to put outfits together--because i absolutely love doing it, and sometimes it's quite difficult to think up themes on my own. hopefully you'll be inspired by the looks i've put together.
♥ me

in this collage there are three different looks. one in the upper left corner, one in the upper right corner, and one along the bottom of the graphic.

i absolutely love the look in the upper left corner. it's so gorgeous! the outfit is centered around the very feminine alice and olivia ruffle dress with raffia belt from shopbop.com. i love the green color, the ruffles all along the dress and the flirty length of the dress. every other item in this ensemble is more masculine, or at least androgynous. for a more feminine kings of leon look you should have one item that's really feminine and the others should be pieces that a boy could wear, so that you really balance the feminine items and masculine items. i paired the dress with a s.w.o.r.d lucca leather jacket, pour la victoire charlie oxford flats (so cute! it's definitely a boy piece, but it can work on girls too), and edgy accessories such as the very intrigueing alkemie jewelry bat cuff and bop bijoux fringe bracelet. i am absolutely loving fringe right now, and think that this bracelet can add an edgy yet whimsical factor to many different looks. it can be used to dress down a very put together look or used to dress up a very casual look.

the look in the upper right hand corner is definitely more boyish than feminine but the canvas band skort for $24.99 from pinkice.com is the one decidedly feminine piece. i love skorts. i always have. when i was a little girl they were one of my favorite items to wear because you got to have the cuteness of a skirt with the comfortableness of a short. stella mccartney even featured skorts in her spring 2009 collection. the punk stud denim vest is another piece i really like. i like vests, and i like studs so this piece is the best of both worlds for me! you could wear this vest to add edge to any outfit, and it adds an element of embellishment and shine to this ensemble.

the pieces on the bottom of the graphic are all from topshop.com. now that one is in new york, i will definitely be referencing topshop a lot more in my entries. i really love the zebra zoom cape tee because it's so colorful, and the myriad of colors adds some playful girlish charm to the outfit. this summer i will definitely be sporting some frayed shorts and i love stud frayed hotpant that topshop offers. finish off the look with the arizona western ankle boot, disheveled hair and a half smile and you'll definitely look like part of the band...or a very well dressed groupie.

hope you enjoyed!