Bridal Inspirations from the Oscars

Fashion certainly inspires fashion. So whether you are shopping ready-to-wear in the mall, awed by the Hollywood glamour, or flipping through your favorite wedding magazine, today's fashion trends are universal. We weren't surprised to see lace patterns, feather-like ruffles, and simple elegance grace the red carpets last night and be reminded of our very own bridal gowns. Which style would you have picked for your red carpet debut?

Update: Great minds think alike! Local Wedding Planner, Margo from Bright Occasions, elaborated more on this topic and these dresses here. Definitely check it out!

Why You Have a Ring on It

CONGRATULATIONS to all new brides-to-be!! We can't wait to join your journey for your dream gown so you can have the perfect wedding. And what a fine day it is to be engaged, isn't it? Now that you have a stunning ring on your finger, have you thought about why it's there? Why has tradition chosen to put a ring on that particular finger in the first place? The answer is not quite as random as you may think. Trust me. You absolutely want to read this.

The Chinese Explanation

The Chinese have given a beautiful and very convincing theory as to why the wedding ring should go on the fourth finger. As the story goes :

Look at your left hand, the hand that your wedding ring goes on, and do you see your thumb? Well the thumb represents your parents. Now your index finger, or your first finger, represents your siblings. The third finger, loving called the middle finger by some, represents yourself. Where the fourth finger represents your life partner. And your pinkie is to represent the children you will some day have.

Now if you place both of your hands together and bend your middle fingers together, and leave the other fingers touching together (like shown in the picture).When your hands are in this position, do the following:

Step 1:
Pull your thumbs apart. (this represents the parents) Your thumbs will open because you and your parents are not destined to be together forever. At some point they will leave you in your life.

Step 2:
Now put your thumbs back together.

Step 3:
Repeat the same motion with your index fingers (this representing your siblings). Of course your index fingers will also separate because you are also not destined to be with your siblings for the rest of your life. They will move on and have families of their own.

Step 4:
Now put them back together.

Step 5:
Now separate your pinkies. (representing your future children) Of course these will also separate because your children will not be with you forever. They will grow up to have lives and families of their own as well.

Step 6:
Now put them back together.

Step 7:
Now for your "ring" finger. (representing your life partner) Try separating them as you did with the other. Can't do it can you? That is because your life partner is the one who is supposed to be with you for the rest of your life. They will be the one to be with you forever and through thick and thin.

Roman belief

According to the Roman belief, the wedding ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because of a vein that we have in our left "ring" finger. This vein is called the vena amoris, meaning "the vein of love." It was believed that this vein ran directly to the heart and that the "ring finger" was the only finger that contained it. As romantic as that may sound, we now know that this is not true.

Fun Idea: Print this, and give your guests something fun to read on your wedding programs to give your guests something fun to read during any waiting time. Make sure to warn your photographer so you can get some keepsake shots of your guests trying to do this!

(Original Source)

Young Love - Cinemagraphs

Thumbing through all the Wedding ideas, we came across a very different but interesting way to display your photo. It's so cool, we couldn't help but share. This new technology is called Cinemagraphs. It's a way to take 'stills' to move. MailOnline say, " The 'cinemagraphs' look like a still photo but actually feature a subtle area of movement designed to grab your eye and keep looking. The effect is slightly eerie - but utterly captivating.

New York-based Miss Beck told The Atlantic magazine: ‘There's something magical about a still photograph - a captured moment in time - that can simultaneously exist outside the fraction of a second the shutter captures.

‘We feel there are many exciting applications for this type of moving image.

‘There's movement in everything and by capturing that plus the great things about a still photograph you get to experience what a video has to offer without the time commitment a video requires.’

She added that sharing websites such as Tumblr have been essential for helping them publish their work and getting them an audience.

Here is the still photo. Click on the link to see it in action. Would you consider doing something like this for your wedding? What do you think of this new technology?

Other photos and further details, check out MailOnline or the artist's cinemegraphs page from From Me To You.

Wedding Gown Photo Ideas

Congratulations! You're engaged and we have helped to pick out your jaw dropping Wedding Gown and the perfect Bridesmaids gowns!

Now that you've spent all that time in search of your perfect gown you better bet that you're going to get some great wedding shots out of it! How about you show off your fashionista style by beautifully displaying your wedding gown on a custom-made hanger or find the perfect back-drop to show off all your attire?

Our own Janelle had a custom hanger to show off her beautiful wedding gown by Ella Rosa (top left). What a great way to have your new last name incorporated in your wedding photos! If you like this idea, we have seen some beautiful options on Etsy. We recommend the custom wooden hangers as opposed to the wired ones to prevent wedding hangers from bending due to the weight of many bridal gowns. Other ideas includs adding pearls down the top side of the hanger (top right: above) or creating custom hangers for your Bridesmaids (top right: below). These work great as idal party gifts and look beautiful in pictures, too.

Another one of our brides, Jen, picked out a beautiful hanger to place on a romantic chandelier to show off her Mikaella dress (bottom left). We also found that some of our other brides, including Devon in Blue by Enzoani (center left) & Brittani in Casablanca (center right), combined a few stunning photos all together in one. Not only do you see the gown in one portion but other romantic shots as well.

We couldn't help ourselves and check out pinterest to find some great locations to display your wedding and bridesmaid gowns together. One that caught our eye has the gowns on a neutral fence (bottom left). If you are about to get married, or already have, where do you see your dress being photographed?

Check out some of our other brides' fantastic photos on Facebook. Ellie's Bride Heidi, Ellie's Bride Alicia, Ellie's Bride Rachel, and more. Clearly the best place for wedding inspiration is amongst the Ellie's Bridal Family.

Add some sparkle to your shoes with a few easy touches.

Weddings today allow you to show your own personality and style, as opposed to strictly sticking to tradition. With so many choices, the downside is sometimes we find it difficult to find those perfect wedding shoes. But there are some really amazing new ideas that can add unique touches to your beautiful day!

My personal favorite is adding a few beautiful gems to your shoe (top row). It takes a beautiful shoe into a fabulous shoe! Make sure you check out the step-by-step on how to accomplish this look.

My second personal favorite comes after the first only because we needed to add some bling before adding a touch of romance. Instead of writing a note to your soon to be Mr. or Mrs. Forever… give them the shoes you plan to wear and then write a personal note (bottom left).  It’s a great way to share a personal moment before you see your loved one at the alter.

Do you already have the perfect shoes to wear to your wedding but maybe you've shown them a little too much love? Well, now you can fix the bottom of those loved shoes that are perfect for dancing and you can add your wedding colors, or perhaps a little something blue (bottom right). We found a really neat tutorial that is a must see!

Now that we've shared our favorite ways to spice up your wedding day heels, which style do you love?

Let us know what did you do to your wedding shoes!

Wedding with a Twist

At Ellie's Bridal Boutique, we are so excited to hear the stories of our Brides and what they plan to do for their wedding. Our Bride Carmen had such great ideas to make their wedding fun with a new twist. We can't reveal the full details until after her big day (10/11/12 -- it's coming up!!) but we wanted to share a couple fun videos of weddings with a twist. Check out JK Wedding Entrance Dance. It takes traditional to modern.

Uploaded by ue004037 on 2011-09-22.

The JK wedding inspired this spoof of Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

East 17's House of Love blasting out of the sound system, Prince William leapfrogging over brother Harry and Kate Middleton dancing down the aisle, it is the Royal Wedding, but not as you know it.

To help get the party started one bride, featured on The Becker Blog, gave out masquerade masks for guests to wear during the party celebration.

How did you make your wedding fun and different?

For Your Wedding Day, Stay on Campus

Still looking for the perfect venue? Have you considered a nearby University or college? Or even the one you graduated from? Using your Alma Mater as your venue can add a personal touch and can save you some money as well!

For Example, the University of Maryland, College Park, offers many spaces for both the ceremony and reception. Their most popular area to hold a ceremony is The Memorial Chapel. The Memorial Chapel has two spaces available for rent, The Main Chapel which is larger to accommodate a bigger guest list and The West Chapel for a more intimate setting with a smaller guest list.

The Chapel gives HUGE discounts to couples affiliated with the college or military couples! Although anyone in the general public can get married there no matter what your religious affiliation!

Green couples everywhere, find a college in your area that is doing their part to help the planet and book them for your totally Green wedding day!

Beyond the ceremony, most Universities and colleges have gorgeous spaces available for the reception!

At the University of Maryland the Adele H. Stamp Student Union has several rooms available, one being the Grand Ballroom which as a Beauty and the Beast-esque feel to it with it's high ceilings, chandeliers and wood floors.

A few more perks of having your wedding on campus are:

- Parking services

- Shuttle buses

- Guest Accommodation

Many college campuses will offer valet services when you book an event with them and big, public universities usually have shuttle buses going all over the place. In the summer most of the dorm rooms sit empty and unused so if you need to provide accommodations for your guests, you might want to consider having your wedding on campus.

Where will yours be?