Approaching 10,000 feet, seated on the starboard side of a 737 Southwest flight, I leave the Mile High City behind. As we continue to skip across the white cirrus clouds just beneath us, I am inspired and imagine the ultimate wedding venue: a Colorado mountaintop wedding with nuptial vows taken against a majestic sunset mix of gold, magenta, and blue.

Marriages are made in Heaven, so why not take your wedding as close to Heaven as possible?

Venue possibilities to peak your interest? The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Vail, Aspen Snowmass, and Breckenridge are just of a few of the incredibly beautiful and popular Rocky Mountain resorts and towns. Whether a bride wants a breathtaking vista from the summit, or on a plateau of one of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains or even finds the sun drenched mountain meadows blooming with wild flowers and fauna, more appealing, there is much to be said about saying, “I do!” in a spectacular outdoor setting.

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Finding the absolute perfect hair style for your wedding day can be quite a challenge, not to mention choosing an appropriate hairstyle for your bridesmaids, flower girl, and mother of the bride  as well.  Up do? Half up, half down? All down? Curls? Straight? Twists? Braids? Tiara? No tiara? Flowers?  The possibilities really are endless.

So first let’s narrow things down a bit and start with the most important one of them all, you, the bride to be!  The best place to start is by googling hair styles and cutting out pictures out of bridal magazines that you love.  Be sure to schedule a consultation appointment with your hair dresser about a week to a couple weeks before the wedding to discuss styles you like and don’t like and to maybe try out a few different looks to see what you like best.  Hopefully after the consultation you will have a pretty good idea of what look you are going to be going for.

One main concern that you want to consider is going to be the style and cut of your dress.  You are going to want a hair style that fits with your dress.  You might not want to have a super extravagant hair style if your dress is much more classic or simplistic.  Your hair stylist will be able to help you with this decision.

Once you have come up with a style for you, start thinking about a look you would like your best girls to show off.  Maybe you want all of your bridesmaids to have the same hair style or maybe you would like them all to show off their individual style; that decision is up to you.  Again, your hair stylist can help you make decisions on this as well.  Depending on the style and cut of your bridesmaids dresses, you will be able to get a more narrow realm of choices; and ask your girls what they like!  They may have a cute, fun idea for their hair that you will love, so make sure you include them on the decision.

Here are a few of my favorite styles for you to look at and maybe get a better idea of just the perfect hair for you!

The ‘I do details!’

No one loves a bridal show more than a bride-to-be! The Dress! The Flowers! The Band! The Reception! The Jewelry! The Invitations! The Travel! The Photographer! The Transportation! (Hundreds of the area’s Who’s Who, the Best of the Best wedding vendors will be at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Make plans now, don’t miss out.

The Houston Wedding Showcase
the following weekend
Saturday & Sunday, August 28-29
10-5 p.m.

You will be meet with friendly smiles and open arms, and given amazing freebies and give-aways that only a new to-be bride and groom can imagine, as well as copious vendor coupons and discounts on virtually most everything.

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Less and less we are seeing that infamous picture that lasted for a few years where the couple posed with a parasol that read the words THANK YOU for them to use as their thank you card picture.  Lately I have seen more and more brides are starting to get creative and use props such as banners or sparklers to give a new twist on things.

Source: 100 Layer Cake

What are some unique ways you are thinking of posing for your thank you picture?

This sultry month, we find our design inspiration coming from all things light, cool, and refreshing!  This week has found us dipping our toes into crystal blue pools and indulging in creamy sweet ice creams.

Ice cream bar Image courtesy of brides.com

Brides planning deep summer weddings can join us in finding inspiration in these late summer, pastel-hued treats.  We know more than one bride incorporating a fun and whimsical ice cream bar into their receptions this month!

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The verdict is out – purple is the “it” color of the Fall so I took the notion and ran with it to create this gorgeous Plum, Magenta and Clementine Inspiration Board, the perfect palette for any season!

Plum, Magenta and Clementine Wedding Inspiration Board

When my partner and I got “married” back in 1999, we began by calling our event a “union.” And, we would occasionally refer to it as a “commitment ceremony.” These were the terms the GLBT community had for its partnership rituals back in the 20th century. (Seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?)

But, once we entered the wedding vortex in full swing, the natural short-hand we used for our event was “wedding.” And, anecdotally speaking, this is what I’ve found to be true for many same sex couples who begin their event planning using other terminology. By the time they’ve spoken with caterers, searched for photographers, gone to a cake tasting, stressed over their outfits, and had to explain to their parents what they’re doing, “wedding” is the primary word being used. It’s universal and requires only two syllables.

Even then, however, my partner and I found ourselves in conversations with guests at our own wedding reception about how, though we had just had a wedding ceremony, we weren’t actually married. Not legally anyway. This confused them.

Remember: this was back in 1999 and same sex marriage wasn’t legal anyway (not to mention that it wasn’t even a twinkle in the GLBT eye). But, still our community of straight friends was surprised to learn that our wedding wasn’t a marriage (in the legal sense of the term); just as surprised as people are to learn today that I — one of the gay and lesbian wedding pioneers — am still not legally married.

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The happiest day of your life has come and gone and it is now “Welcome to the Married Life!”  Here are some easy-to-do tips on how to keep the excitement and spark going throughout your marriage whether you are a newlywed or going on 25 years of marriage!

1. Begin each day with a kiss and an “I love you”.  If you are apart, a simple “good morning, I love you” text message can do the trick.

2. Always wear your wedding rings!  Your rings serve as a constant reminder of your commitment and promises that you made to each other.

3. Try to plan a date night once a week.  Sometimes once a week can get quite difficult especially when children enter the picture, so maybe every other week.  A date night does not need to involve a big fancy dinner out, if can be as simple as just some time alone with just the two of you sharing a home cooked meal, a glass of wine, or dessert.

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As an icon and international leader in the feminist movement of the 1970’s, Gloria Steinem ushered in a new millennia for women in the home and in the workplace. She changed the way women were addressed in public, and on an envelope.  It came via one of Steinem’s famous quotes,” I will no longer be referred to as Miss Steinem of Ms. Magazine.” Ms. Steinem founded and launched both Ms. and New York Magazine, iconoclasts of the publishing world. Her legacy became one word,”Ms.”

With Ms. a revolution took place. A made-up female pronoun took the world by storm. Yes, it made more of an impact then the purported “burning of the bra” at the earlier 1968 Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Interesting that this fabled beauty contest stayed the course and did not change its title, but, alas, changed its locale to Las Vegas.)

Calligraphy by: Christopher Watkins

Today, Miss has come full circle. Ms has lost its edgy 1970’s radical message, and now is just another choice of pronouns: Miss, Mrs. Ms. on a graduate school, or doctors office application.

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Photo Credit: Kirk Kara

It’s a question we have heard frequently in the past decade: “My partner and I are going to get married and we aren’t sure which fingers we should put our rings on. What do you recommend?”

Most succinctly put, we recommend doing what feels right to you!

Over the years, we have seen couples choose all sorts of options for their engagement and wedding rings. Some lesbian and gay couples haven chosen to use the ring finger (next to the pinky) on the right hand for the engagement and/or wedding ring since it is similar, but not the same as the traditional choice for heterosexual couples. Others, however, have embraced the traditional practice of using the ring finger of the left hand. We have also known of folks who have mixed it up and have used a non-ring finger because it better suited their individuality. It really depends on what the couple wants to do.

Individuals who choose the right hand often say that they do so because they feel they have a bit more privacy. We see this occurring often amongst individuals who work for the military or in schools or have another reason for wanting to keep the meaning of the ring more “personal.” Other individuals might choose a non-traditional route for political reasons, signifying that they see their relationships as different from heterosexual relationships until marriage equality has been achieved.

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