Let's Talk Bridal Style!

March 7, 2023 Lori Losee

Over the years of owning Elegant Affairs, we’ve seen bridal style through the last decade and more. We’ve been through the classic princess dresses era of the 2000’s, the rustic gowns throughout the span of 2010-2015, and of course all of the lace. Bridal fashion continues to evolve, as wedding designers explore old trends, with a fresh new perspective. Our planning team is so excited to see what walks the aisles this upcoming wedding season. We’ve seen previews at New York Bridal Fashion Week, read up on all of the latest fashion articles, and have seen peeks at local wedding shops and shows. So, sit down, take a break and let’s talk bridal style and dive into fashion we hope to see gracing the aisles this year.

01: Something Blue
The wedding world is no stranger to color. We’ve seen blush, grays, and ivory throughout the last decade. What were are excited to see this season is blue. Yes, blue! Blue hues can add a hint of color, but stay subtle. It can create a cool tone to your wedding day. Blue hit the catwalk in full force during NY Bridal Fashion week. We’re excited to see this hue tied in to wedding days around the wedding industry!

02: Just A Little Sheer
A trend we are seeing in everyday fashion is sheer fabrics. Sheer fabrics will also make an appearance in the wedding world. Although some see sheer as a wedding day risk, sheer gowns are delicate and modern. Many designers are creating wedding gowns with sheer fabrics adorned with various embellishments such as crystals and pearls. We hope that daring brides take the plunge with this fashion trend!

03: The Classic Mockneck
This next trend is perfect for our fall our winter brides. We’ve all seen the turtleneck or mock neck paired with overalls, jumpers, and jeans. The classic turtleneck, or mock neck, will be making a comeback! This wedding trend is graceful and screams elegance. Designers are using embellished fabrics, such as lace and delicate embroidery to create gowns with this style.

04: Trendy & Mini
Brides are throwing away the idea of having the typical long, bridal gown, and are opting for mini dresses. Mini dresses are not just for the reception, but are making their way down the aisle. Not only can it show off your assets (hello, legs!) but it can add some fun and flair. Mini dresses can be ornate but also exhibit simplicity in their designs. Some designers even have detachable trains that can create a traditional touch. We are hoping some of our brides ditch the traditional long gown for a little bit of fun with a mini!

05: Bows, Bows, Bows
If you’re an Audrey Hepeurn fan, get excited for this neck trend. Bows are making an appearance this wedding season. Bows are adorning wedding gowns in all sizes. We have the classic 1950’s structured mini bows that can define a waist line, or show off the curves of your back. But, we are also here for the big, flowy or structured bows that make a statement.

06: Off-The-Shoulder, Please
This is one of our all time favorite trends that we love seeing in every day fashion, as well as in bridal fashion - off the shoulder. Off the shoulder can fit any design theme or vision. It is the perfect option from the classic brides to the ones wanting a little more boho aesthetic. Off the shoulder is flattering, with a hint of sexy. It’s perfect for every season, and is a great option for with various body types. Off the shoulder can adorn a variety of silhouettes too, from a-line, ballgown, to sheath - it works with everything.

07: The Puffier the Better
Piggy backing off of the off the shoulder trend, one of the newest trends is sleeves, with a puff. Yes, we’re here for the puff. Like it’s sister, off the shoulder dresses, adding a sleeve, or an off the shoulder with a puff, can create dimension and enhance your silhouette. It’s classy, daring, and modern. Designers are embracing the sleeve and we are here for it!

08: Brides Can Wear Capes, too
Now, you may automatically think of a superhero when you hear about capes. But capes are gracing us with their presences, and it’s not what you may think of. It’s a new fashion-forward trend, that allows brides to ditch the veil, but not lose the effect of a traditional veil. The capes this season can be transparent, sheer, or structured. Some capes this seasons are embellished or adorned with pearls, crystals, or lace. Either way you wear it, it’s a modern twist to a veil, and provides a little bit of fashion on your big day.

These eight trends will definitely be seen throughout the world this wedding season. We love how each designer puts their unique spins on these trends, which truly creates a unique experience for each bride. As you shop for your wedding dress, don’t be afraid to try a trend that may be out of the box. What you least expect to be your favorite, may become the one. So, be a little daring this wedding season, try some blue, go for a cape, take the plunge with sheer, party the night away in a trendy mini, or opt for a sleeve. We love seeing our brides say “yes to the dress,” and if you need a little support shopping for the perfect wedding day fit, don't hesitate to reach out to a member of our team. We are always here to help you plan your perfect wedding day.

Lori Losee is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a Tacoma Wedding Planner with over 17 years of experience. We create awe-inspiring experiences—Events filled with meaning and refined elegance. Behind the scenes, our experienced team collaborates on each stage of the process, executing your vision and a wedding, celebration, or corporate event that is unique to you.

Will you be my Bridesmaid?

February 28, 2023 Lori Losee

You’ve just had one of the most magical moments of your life. The love of your life just asked, “will you marry me.” Of course, as soon as you say “YES!” you want to immediately call up your friends and you begin thinking about who you want with you on your big day. It’s officially time to select your wedding party. Asking individuals to be a part of your wedding is exciting, but it is important to remember that it is a commitment for your loved ones. Your wedding party plays a very important role in your wedding, not just on the big day, but during the wedding planning process. Be sure to be understanding of the role your bridesmaids will play and flexible with the expectations of your wedding party. But, it’s okay to have some fun, too. Once you’ve decided who you want to stand next to you at the altar, it’s time to get creative! We’ve compiled some of our fav ways, from fellow small business owners, to creatively ask your friends to say “I do” to you!

Denim Jackets: We love us some denim. We’ve seen the denim jacket trend incorporated with our brides, so why not expand the denim throughout the wedding party? Ask your bestie with a fun denim jacket that will not only be a good accessory for the wedding day, but in their everyday wardrobe.

bridesmaid denim jacket — Mod Party/Etsy

Personalized Clutch: Asking your bridesmaids with something practical and useful can be a nice and thoughtful touch. Monogrammed or personalized clutches can accessorize the bridesmaids dresses on the big day. It is a unique way to tie in your wedding colors and is far from tacky.

personalized bridesmaid clutch — Penelopetom/Etsy

Personalized Robes: This pick is one of are all time favorites! Who doesn’t love a comfy robe? Ask your besties with a cost effective, personalized robe. The robes can be a fun, relaxing, yet glamorous way to get ready the morning of, but can be used outside of the wedding day. Plus, they can be incorporated into the getting ready photos and can be customized to fit your wedding vision and theme.

matching bridesmaid robes — TheBridalGardenco/Etsy

Bridesmaid Proposal Box: Yes, it’s time for the classic go to… bridesmaid proposal box. The best part about this gift, is you can really personalize each box for your bridesmaid. We’ve seen and received boxes that have framed photos, favorite candies, scents, pajamas, and personalized glasses. This is a simple, but heartfelt way to ask your besties to say “yes!”

Get Cozy with some Slippers: Who doesn’t love a comfy, plush pair of slippers. Not only is it on trend, but they are cozy. There’s no way your friends can get cold feet with some cozy slippers. Take it up a notch and get the slippers personalized and they can be used on the morning of or when those dancing feet get tired.

Just a Card will Do: Maybe you’re a simple bride– and we’re here for it. Simplicity can sometimes be best. Giving your bridesmaids a fun card that highlights your friendship can be a simple, but meaningful way to ask your besties. Create a custom card, ordained with pictures and memories.

bridesmaid proposal card — ViolaMirabillsDesigns/Etsy

Pop the Bubbly: Who doesn’t love some bubbly or rose? Grab your friends’ favorite drink and create a custom label for the bottle. They can save the bottle, or just the label, and enjoy what’s inside.

bridesmaid mini champagne bottles — LabelMeFun/Etsy

Sun Squad: Okay, this next one screams poolside fun. It is definitely on trend, and a fun ode to retro fashion. Plus, we love a bride who digs a good sun care accessory. Get your besties some hats, or visors, that can be used for the bachelorette party!

bridesmaid sun visors — GGDezignShop/Etsy

Stay Hydrated: Keep your bridesmaids hydrated with these darling, customized glasses. Perfect for keeping hydrated before the wedding, during, and after. We love the look of these glass tumblers!

Sustainable Options: Are you more of an eco-friendly bride looking for an option with less waste? These seed papers are darling and a fun and sustainable way to ask your friends to support you through your wedding planning journey. Why not have a garden to remember this joyous occasion?

wedding flower seeds — Seedweddingfavors/Etsy

Flasks: For our wedding parties that like a little bit of something extra in their drinks, opt for customized flasks. Now, these aren’t just the traditional flasks you can find in the grocery store, but you can get your flasks glammed up for the big day.

Jewelry Boxes: Adding custom touches to a jewelry box, with even a dainty gift inside, can be a meaningful way to pop the question to your besties. Jewelry boxes are a functional, yet thoughtful gift for anyone that can last way beyond the wedding day.

bridesmaid jewelry box — PersonalizationLab/Etsy

Pajama Party: Pajamas can serve a dual purpose for this gift! Yes, they can be used just to lounge, but you can ask your bridesmaids to use them to get ready on the morning of. Just be sure you let your ladies know beforehand.

bridesmaid pajamas — TanriniDesigns/Etsy

The Classic Necklace: One of the most popular ways to ask, is to gift your friends a necklace with the question. The best part about this option, is each bridesmaid can have a unique necklace that is special to each individual friendship you have. There are tons of options that you can choose from and they can be used as an accessory on the wedding day!

bridesmaid necklace — LKVintageFavour/Etsy

Classic Crewneck: Crewnecks are hot, hot, hot right now! They’ve taken fashion by storm and are a staple in a lot of our closets. So, why not pop the question with a fun, wedding-inspired crew neck! Keep it simple with a word, maybe an embroidered heart, but these will be sure to keep your wedding party cozy and relaxed.

When selecting your bridesmaids’ gifts, be sure to think about what would resonate and be special for your besties. Don’t just give a gift to check a box, but work to create something just for them. As former bridesmaids ourselves, our favorite proposals have been personalized, and create another memory of our friendship. Get shopping and find something that speaks to you and your besties. Have fun with the process and we can’t wait to hear about all of our bride’s proposals.

What Do Wedding Planners Really Do?

February 21, 2023 Lori Losee

What a Seattle wedding planner really does?

We’ve all seen the romantic comedy The Wedding Planner. There’s Jennifer Lopez living a glamorous life as a wedding planner in San Francisco. She’s working high end weddings with her wedding planner emergency jacket and pack. Now, flash forward to real life. We cannot tell you how many times someone has asked if our jobs, as wedding planners, were just like JLO. Guests will stop us, ask who we are and then the questions begin. Do we have an emergency pack? Are you the secret services? Are you like a “wedding woman?” We always giggle when we get approached with questions, or references to Jennifer Lopez, but in reality what we do goes far beyond paper. Today, we’re going to explore what our team, Elegant Affairs, is all about and what we really do.

As wedding planners we’ve seen it all. And no matter how many weddings we’ve planned and coordinated, seeing a couple say “I do”, well – you can’t beat that feeling. We still get chills when the bride or groom walk down the aisle towards their partner and we can’t help but tear up during the father/daughter dance. But, for us, it all starts with meeting and connecting with our potential clients. We offer an initial consultation, where we are able to meet with the prospective couple. During this consultation, we not only discuss their wedding visions, budget, wants, and needs; but we also discuss ourselves and how we can support them. For us, it’s not just signing a contract. It is way more than that. We are forming a partnership through this wedding planning journey. Once we’ve discussed our different packages and how we can best realistically support the couple, we begin the process.

We always tell our couples that we can do as little as you need, to as much as you need – depending on the package that you choose. Sometimes, we have couples that choose our day of coordinating a package only, but then decide they want more. We can always upgrade as we go, or do additional add-on packages. Let’s say you're the couple that wants support just the wedding day. We’ve got you! But, that doesn’t mean we just ghost you until your big day. We are still an active part of your wedding planning process no matter what package you choose. If you’re looking for more of a day of coordination package, so your family and friends can sit back and relax we can provide services for that. For instance, our day of coordination package includes some the following:

Creation of wedding day timeline
Venue Final Walk through
Coordination of your big day
Check all the fine details for your day (ex. Did Aunt Betty actually pack your toasting flutes?)
Communication and confirmation with all of your vendors prior to your wedding day

For the day of coordination package, it provides all of the support you need to make sure your wedding day goes smoothly. We’ve got our timelines, emergency kit, and we are ready to support you, your partner, family, and friends have a relaxing, but memorable day. Now, if you want more of a partner within the planning, but don’t need a full-time wedding planner for all the nitty gritty details - we’ve got you, too! We even offer partial planning which is the best of both worlds. This includes everything in our day of coordination package and offers more. Our partial package includes:

Three planning meetings
Assisting in set-up outside of vendor services
End of day arrangements (ex. Who is going to clean up? Where do the gifts go?)
Review of vendor contracts
Site coordinator for set-up and take down.

This isn’t everything our package includes, but it covers the major services we provide. And of course, if you’re needing a wedding planner to assist, plan, and support for the duration of planning and your wedding day, we even offer a full planning package. This package provides unlimited access to your planner and/or planning team throughout the whole process.

Even though our service packages give you a good outline of what services we offer, it doesn’t even begin to describe what we actually do in the wedding planning trenches. Throughout these years, we’ve worked with hundreds of couples, assistants, and vendors. We’ve worked with so many clients with different needs or wants and we always do our absolute best to make their vision come true and provide support. Individual support can vary from couple to couple , and trust me we’ve seen quite a bit.

We’ve coordinated and planned small weddings, large weddings, and even a wedding with 500 guests. Our team has put together 40+ floral arrangements in an hour and hung about 50 strands of lights down a walkway path in the 100 degree heat. We’ve had weddings where the DJ was unable to make it and panic set in. But our team handled it with grace. Our team were DJs for a while with an iPod, while another assistant was calling all of the DJs in town explaining our emergency situation. Yes, there was an emergency, but guests had fun, the couple still had their first dance song, received a refund from their vendor, and danced the night away. We’ve accompanied brides to find their dream wedding dress, attended countless fittings, held their hands through hardship, and were even there for the occasional late night, anxiety filled call.

So, here at Elegant Affairs, we are more than just the “sign on the line”, “here’s your contract” wedding planners. We are here for you, not just for those eight hours, and not just for a few meetings. We pour our hearts into making your day come to life. We form life-long bonds with our couples that continue far after the wedding day. Our world may not look the same as Jennifer Lopez’s version of the wedding planner, but we’d have to say that our job is the best job ever. And if you’re reading this and want to learn more about what we do, give us a ring, e-mail us, or check out our portfolio. Whatever you need, we are here to help.

Lori Losee is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a Seattle Wedding Planner with over 17 years of experience. We create awe-inspiring experiences—Events filled with meaning and refined elegance. Behind the scenes, our experienced team collaborates on each stage of the process, executing your vision and a wedding, celebration, or corporate event that is unique to you.

253.279.6485
info @elegantaffairswa.com

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253.279.6485 info@elegantaffairswa.com

253.279.6485
info @elegantaffairswa.com