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Striving to publish before the Fashion Police Best Dressed Once again, Lea Michelle does not disappoint. She looked radiant in her Valentino. Someone her age (26) should be playing with colors, different styles of dresses and different designers. I love … Continue reading
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A Fashion Breakdown I took my time with this post so I could add a Trend Watch; for the upcoming Awards Season and tie that in with Bridal Gowns and Color Pallets. You will also get my personal favorites, who … Continue reading
Designing Your Wedding Party Attire Sometimes choosing your bridal parties attire is more than difficult. Even when you have your color scheme/theme, sometimes it just doesn’t come together. It’s fine to take your time but not being able pin this … Continue reading
As I was typing the last blog, I thought I should probably do one for the bridesmaids too and now I am thinking I want to do the entire wedding party for 2013 
Difficulty in finding bridesmaids dresses is a common wedding road block. Its either too hard to get them in the same place, some dresses only compliment certain bridesmaids or you want to keep the per dress cost down. Here are some fun dresses that I have while helping my current clients locate the perfect (but not too perfect) wedding dress 
Starting off again with my favorite wedding gown designer, Amsale. I normally wouldn’t give this as a suggestion to clients unless their price points are a tad hire for bridesmaids dresses. I choose these pictures mainly because of their designs. All of these designs can be found in different fabric and colors and would compliment most frames.
These flirty but modest bridesmaids dresses are from LulaKate.com. I try and recommend this website as much as possible. They have amazing options, several fabrics and colors to choose from and extremely competitive pricing. I think the days of underdressing your bridal party is over and now its more about finding a dress or dresses that compliment each of your friends’ individual body types and personalities.
The dresses above are just some predictions that we may see for Spring & Summer 2013. (The styles, not colors).
I am truly a fan of varying bridesmaids dresses (color and style). I think it adds a fun and modern twist to your wedding story.
Top photo by Cheyenne Schultz, grey bridesmaids dresses from this wedding; bottom photo by Priscila Valentina, see the red bridesmaids dresses on this post
I have told several of my Brides to go get nail polish colors that match or as close to as possible to their color scheme. Go down the spectrum and pinpoint which ones she likes for her bridesmaids. This also helps when choosing floral colors. A wedding I am producing in August 2013 has bridesmaids dresses from J. Crew. They often times (depending on the date of your wedding) let you pick any color/s and allow your bridesmaids to choose the dress style.
Once you have decided on your bridesmaids dresses you can move on to your event styling! So get a move on it! You want everyone to have enough time to procrastinate their fittings without driving you completely insane
Thanks for reading!
~Lindsay Gloria
info@parrottpartyproductions.com
http://pinterest.com/p3events/
My thoughts and prayers go out to the town of Newtown, Ct and the all of the families who lost a loved one on December 14, 2012. Your pure selflessness, innocence and heroism will forever be in my mind and heart.
I always find myself making predictions for the New Year and enjoying the outcomes later on. With Chicago’s Wedding Season starting in March/April, I thought predicting for Spring/Summer 2013 would be fun. I started at Amsale.com. My favorite bridal gown designer. Her collections are so simplistic but have hints of elegance and sophistication. These are the dress styles I am absolutely sure you will see in one way or another Spring/Summer 2013
Lace is always a favorite of mine. While it is not flattering on me or match my design taste, when someone who can rock lace wears it- it is beyond stunning. Lace has always played a part in Wedding gowns but most recently been seen in higher profile weddings (The Royal Wedding) My favorite was Nicole Richie’s Wedding Dress! Marchesa, inspired by the one and only Grace Kelly and a Ball Gown Skirt draped over and over in Tulle . When I think of Lace Wedding Gowns, I think of Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama.
Asymmetrical/One Shoulder gowns are extremely trendy and create a very soft but seductive neck-line. I really like this silk Amsale gown because of the slightly fitted bodice, flaring skirt and subtle trail. The intricate back detail is the cherry on top for this dress. I also love it without the shoulder too. I think we are going to see a lot of variations of this style with alternating skirt and bodice selections.
Peplum Inspired gowns are going to be seen most likely in a celebrity wedding or in a movie. This cut exudes elegance and demands the room it is worn in. I think we can look forward to seeing this dress with alternating neckline options as well as draping at the bottom. So many things you can do with this design and I am excited it has been incorporated into bridal fashion! Look for wedding gowns with any Peplum details (front, back , side or all around). I really love the silhouette of this dress!
Traditional Ball gowns infused with the modern and trendy asymmetrical/ one shoulder neckline. I think this style will be seen (as mentioned) above in several different ways but this one I think will be the most popular. It is an extremely feminine but still romantic and womanly gown. A bride would be able to choose from several different makeup and hair looks with this kind of dress. I think a dress like this is very complimentary to most frames and has a sense of innocence.
Romantic and Lush Skirts have always been paired with the “Princess” stereotype and I think its gotten a bad wrap. Over the past few years several designers have toned down on the “pouf” and focused more on the details. I love the dress above for the flirty and slightly poufy skirt. I think we will see a lot of dresses with simple bodices, little beadwork and a lot of detail and fabric in the skirts. I love the simplicity of this gown and how a how a few jeweled details really make the difference. My personal favorite is the Vera Wang Gown Kate Hudson wore in Bride Wars.
Intricate trails and exaggerated back details will be something that is hard to notice in 2013. A lot of gowns are going to very simple and let the back be the statement. Dresses like this one, featured in Twilight’s Breaking Dawn Part One, have a very minimalistic design in front and a deep plunging design partnered with lace. A lot of Bride’s forget that the back of their dress is just as important or maybe more than the front of their gown. A majority of the wedding guests are looking at your side or back. Give them something to look at!
The Dress after the Dress is becoming more common and for good reason! It’s your day, so why not have two dresses? Exactly. The dress after the dress gives the bride a chance to show off two sides of her style, while being comfortable but still bridal. Everyone has already seen you in your Wedding Gown, so surprise everyone with a new outfit for your entrance to the reception and first dance. I am a fan of the Amsale White Ultra Mini. This dress still demands the room but in a fun & classy way. I love the bow in the front, which is new for me, because bows are NOT my thing. If there is a time and place for bows, I guess it could be your wedding day. I had to show more of my favorites of these below.
Whatever Wedding Gown you decide will look magical on you because you searched and searched and searched. Most say that their dream wedding dress was not their dream wedding dress. That they just knew when they put it on. My best advice would be to get out of your comfort zone. If you do not like the princessy styles…try a ball gown on! If you are an eclectic, bohemian type- slip on a Peplum detailed gown. Make sure you try everything and then try it again and again. Knowing what you don’t like is easy to find and more helpful than you think.
Happy Hunting and Holidays!
On October 13th of this year, my Mother and I had our Celebration of the Ages Birthday Extravaganza at City Point Loft, I promised to show images of the space after MDM Special Event Lighting, Halls Rental and Town & Country … Continue reading
We are so happy and excited to be a part of Carol Matmativong & Rich Kraus’s September 2013 wedding. Every wedding is always unique and different from the last, especially this one. With Carol’s Laotion culture and Rich’s desire of a classic “American” wedding, their design scheme is feminine with rustic elegance and undertones of the Lao culture in the food , flowers and centerpieces.
Carol has one of our Bride’s who is using our P3 Everything Package! She not only gets complete design and decor assistance and design boards but also all coordination with the best of the best in Chicago vendors, month of assistance and day of coordination!
Curly Willow, Ivory and Salmon Roses with ivy, white and salmon hypericum berries make up the floral that will be used for Carol and Rich’s Wedding Arch
I love the choices Carol made for her personal flowers. They are soft but will still make a statement. We are keeping Carol’s bridal bouquet a secret as well! These are the boutonniere’s and bridesmaids bouquets that made the cut.
White Gardenias and Peonies, Freesia and wheat are all bits and pieces of Carol’s Bridesmaids bouquets, the Boutonnieres and Rich’s Groom’s Bout.
Carol and Rich’s centerpieces will be Manzanita trees with salmon roses at the base and dispersed throughout the tree. We are still debating whether to string gold crystals throughout. What do you think? Her high boy arrangements will be simple and contain the same flowers from the ceremony.
Manzatia tree rentals provided by Parrott Party Productions
When I asked Carol to send me some information on how her and Rich met and a little about the two of them as a couple, I did not expect a mini love story written by Rich. I would have loved to use it all but it was 4 pages! I have put a few of my favorite excerpts! I hope we are all as lucky as Carol and find a man who thinks that highly of us. Carol and Rich met in college at Northern University when they were grouped together in their finance class. As Rich said, “ All because of a stolen calculator, a Gmail glitch, and an extremely boring professor…”
“There were three of us in the group, Carol, myself and another guy. Him and I discussed most of the questions and laid out our answers on the whiteboard. We could not, for the life of us, figure out one of the questions. That was when Carol, who was sitting studiously at the desk writing notes as we laid out the problems, spoke up. She told us exactly how to solve the problem, with clear precision. I thought that maybe she was a quiet learner, but then she opened her mouth, intelligence flew out, and she was able to solve a question that left us stumped.”
“She is incredibly sweet, in personality and looks. She has curves in all the right places, a huge smile, and loving brown eyes that sparkle when the light hits them just the right way. Her personality is pure and devilish at the same time. She isn’t able to wish harm to anyone or anything and can be soft spoken at times, but is still capable of being completely hard headed, determined, overpowering and, at times, evil. The way she carries herself displays her personality, being a proud, strong woman with a high self esteem. “
“A year and one month after our first date, we moved in together. Three months after that I proposed. She said yes within a second after I asked. We have had our ups, downs and challenges, but they just help us get to know each other better, strengthening our relationship. “
We at Parrott Party Productions are so excited to be a part of Kaleigh Welker and William (Bill) Joseph Seidel’s June, 2013 Wedding! Kaleigh and Bill met at a Bears Game Party in 2009 and the pictures below do not even begin to capture how amazing of a couple these two are!
Every Chicago couple should have a picture like this
The photographer of these amazing images is Evan Hunt of www.evanhuntphoto.com
Kaleigh went through many stages and changes in her design plan. Like a lot of brides, she loved the whole rustic theme. Rustic themed weddings are always gorgeous because it’s a gorgeous theme! But if “rustic” is not you, it may not “feel right.” That is something Kaleigh experienced and when we saw each other at The Wedding Salon’s Bridal Boot Camp at Nicole Miller, she made the decision to start incorporating more of herself and letting the theme take the undertones. Her theme now is a mix of her design style of classic/romantic and the current “in trend” being vintage.
We have been playing around with centerpieces, personal flowers and overall decor for a while (it is her beginning stages, so now is the time to cover all of your bases). Below are a few snapshots of the design boards created for Kaleigh and Bill.
To match the fun colors that come with Summer, Kaleigh has chosen Pink, Yellow and Grey for her color scheme. I love those colors for a wedding! Especially because I prefer grey suits over black ones. Kaleigh hasn’t chosen her bridesmaids dresses yet but it has been fun playing around with different color combos. We have at least settled on the style of Boutonniere for Bill. Hope you like the color palette preview.
Kaleigh loves Daisies, so I want to incorporate them somehow without taking too much away from the softness the peonies adds. The bridesmaids bouquet will have a mix of Monte Christos, Roses and Sunflowers. We are keeping Kaleigh’s bridal bouquet a secret. Some fun ideas we had for aisle arrangements… 14 inch clear cylinder vases filled with flower petals in white and light pink and a candle to top, then, the wedding day programs in a burlap distressed wooden planters (featured below). Her flowers will give the vintagey boxes that soft & classic look. A fun idea we are thinking for the place cards is to fill champagne glasses and add little flags with each guests’ name and table number. It gets the party started and is unique.
images are pulled from several different websites…etsy, google images, theknot.com and pinterest. The vintage candlesticks and planter boxes are rentals through Parrott Party Productions.
I want to keep Kaleigh’s venues under wraps to but had to share their place card table arrangements. Book ends with small aged bud vases with a seasonal floral arrangement and candlelight.
A fun and new idea to get guests to sign your guest book: A Calendar Guestbook. Have each of your guests locate their birthday and leave their name, number and/or address. Makes it easy for you to send cards or gifts.
The candlesticks have no set destination as of now but I think would be nice on Kaleigh’s Head Table with a low tablescape of Peonies, Daisies and Monte Christos.
We are beyond excited for Kaleigh and Bill’s Wedding Day and will update you as more information (and pictures) becomes available.
In September I was a panelist, there to answer questions that could better equip new brides and couples. The event was held at Nicole Miller on North Avenue and Wells in Old Town. The season’s newest fashions were on display and made a lovely backdrop for the night’s events.
I said to always remember to account for tax and delivery in your budget. Most places range from 9%-%15 and sometimes charge more for delivery based on your location or proximity to them. It can bring your total price $300-$500.00 over your budget.
When helping a bride choose their design scheme and colors, what is your best advice? Especially with all of the different trends and opinions out there.
I said: To stick to yourself. Know YOUR design style and grab hints and touches of trends you like, while still having the main theme be you. If your are at heart, traditional BE TRADITIONAL. If you also like modern touches, add modern touches. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. You can have anything you want for your wedding. Just make sure it works; visually and for your budget. You are going to get A LOT of opinions and to take them as that, opinions. If you like some, use them. If you don’t move on. No one, except your Mother, Future Mother in Law and maybe close Bridesmaids will actually be offended and even then they will understand that in the end, you do have final voice.
How can your fiancé’s taste be incorporated into YOUR wedding day?
Have him pick images and pictures of things you already like, make him feel like he is a part of the process. Invite him to come to any showings, tastings, meetings with venue coordinators, etc…Sometimes they like it and its a fun experience for the both of you and sometimes they don’t and then you don’t bring them anymore. Let them weigh in on things that you really don’t have to have. If you are not set on a DJ or Lighting Company, let him choose from a few you picked.
The panel consisted of representatives from several Chicago businesses and well known rental companies. Each station gave some sort of information to the brides walking by. My table gave our packages and a sweet treat to leave with, cupcakes from my favorite cupcakery: Yumcakes.
I think the Boot Camp was extremely informative and a fun event put on by Tatiana Bryon of the Wedding Salon.
Thank you for reading!
Lindsay Parrott
I have been planning my 25th Birthday the last few weeks and chose City Point Loft (off of Michigan Avenue and 23rd street). Located near McCormick Place, City Point Loft is the perfect blank canvas to make any event spectacular.
CityPoint Loft is a “diamond in the rough” venue in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. As a non-profit organization, CityPoint Loft donates 100% of its profits to non-profit organizations meeting social, educational, and economic needs around the globe. Be it weddings, business events, or other special occasions, CityPoint Loft could be the perfect place for you!
click here to see more images of the space!
The coordinators there were pleasant and answered my many questions. The venue does offer some smaller rentals (tables, chairs and speakers). I chose to rent outside of the venue.
Loft;s are always gorgeous venues for any special event or wedding but you need to really make sure paying for rentals, lighting and catering are in your budget.
They do give you some information on their preferred vendors. If you decide to use your own, they are given some paperwork to fill out 30 days before the event.
Another fun aspect of this venue is their spacious, newly added 2nd floor.
I will post pictures of the transformation and results to show what we transformed the space into.
I hope you enjoyed this post and stay tuned for the after pictures from my Birthday Celebration!
Lindsay Gloria
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