Ideas That Inspire

By Robin Bussow

Winter is a time when there is a desire for an inviting environment that offers warmth through its rich history and architecture. Religious institutions everywhere offer buildings that are 200+ years old with all the traditions of stained glass and mile-long aisles to walk, as well as, modern new structures with altars in the round. Local venues offer historic features from bygone eras to unique contemporary spaces. To document your beautiful winter wedding all provide amazing details that can be utilized for photo ops.

Iconic Staircases For Fabulous Photos

Baltimore is graced with a good share of buildings from historic to modern that house fabulous staircases for couples to make their grand entrance to their wedding in dramatic fashion. 

Spiral staircases offer elegance and grandeur. Built with beautiful rich wood that was intricately carved, or built from Baltimore’s famous white marble, artisans and professional carpenters applied their skills and master talents to create these lasting wonders.

Some staircases offer other extraordinary elements which will enhance photos. For example, the elliptical spiral stairs of The Engineers Club in Baltimore was capped by a Tiffany glass dome in 1884. To this day whether your photographer chooses to capture the moment looking up or from overhead looking down, it will create a memorable portrait.

Behind these spectacular works of art is normally a fascinating backstory. When you choose your venue, ask about the history and include a piece of it in your invitation, in your program, or in some other unique way. 

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A Current Wedding Trend From An 800-year-old Tradition

Wedding invitations give your guests a crucial first impression of what to expect on the special day. Setting the right tone through personalized invitation details should be cohesive with the effort put into all other aspects of your wedding planning. Here are some tips on how to select the perfect finishing touches to match your style and impress your guests. 

SEALING WAX

Utilizing a post-modern detail in your wedding adds excitement for the recipient as they open your invitation. With endless color choices, sealing wax is a fun and creative way to secure your envelopes. Wax sticks are melted onto the invitation and then branded with a stamp that will leave an impression of your choice. Stamps can be personalized with your monogram, floral designs, or any other personal touch to match your wedding theme and add ornamental appeal to your invitation.

Kindly R.S.V.P. Designs is a custom invitation and stationery company that offers a variety of invitation styles and wedding invitation envelopes. Owner, Rachel Zemel, shared- “Wax seals are really popular this year, especially when paired with belly bands. Invitations often have cards tucked into the bands, with a wax seal stamped on the front.” Belly bands are lace or ribbon used to secure layers of an invitation together.

Rachel also notes that a variety of paper types can be paired with sealing wax to add charm to your invitations, such as metallic, shimmer, matte, textured, or glitter paper. Customizing your invitation through these details helps to incorporate your style throughout every aspect of your wedding!

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Warm Wraps
For Your Winter Wedding

Outdoor photographs are a key part of commemorating your beautiful wedding, especially with unique scenery or architecture elevating the background.  Despite the chilly Maryland temperatures through the winter months, there are many options for staying comfortable during photo sessions that won’t overwhelm the style of your dress or those of your attendants.

LUXURIOUS COVER-UP OPTIONS

Luxurious cover-ups come in a variety of forms, from faux fur wraps, vintage fur shawls, moto or denim jackets, sweaters, cardigans, pashminas, shrugs, and more.  With such variety, it’s easy to find a style that will best suit you and keep the frostbite away!

We spoke with Kate Wertsch, Director of Marketing and Business Development for K&B Bridals, with locations in Bel Air, Hagerstown, and Takoma Park, to learn more about the current trends of wedding winter wear.  K&B Bridals offers a variety of cover-up options.  Kate shared, “Our style options come in several ivory and white shades. The color of the accessories should be cohesive with the bright and lighter tone of the dress to ensure your wrap is not overpowering the look but complimenting it.”

ADDING A TOUCH OF SENTIMENTALITY

Our research showed that the most popular wrap is faux fur shawls that can either be draped around one’s arms or wrapped and clipped in the front. When adding an ornate clip, consider using a broach from your grandmother’s or mother’s jewelry collection.  This can be your something borrowed! Small details like this, add so much meaning.

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Buttoning Gowns – Made Quick & Easy

When you’re finally ready to slip into your wedding dress, meticulously fastening the numerous tiny buttons and closures that secure it may not seem like a fun wedding day activity. Here’s some advice on how to make this process easier, so you can move right into enjoying your completed look! 

We spoke with Joy Pelt, an accomplished seamstress, and designer who provides personalized sewing and embroidery services to her customers at The Joy of Sewing & Embroidery Service. Joy suggests crochet hooks or serger tweezers as tools to quickly fasten buttons, noting that the serger tweezers are especially helpful considering they are “angled in with a round tip, which is important because a pointed tip will break the small elastic loops that go around each button.” Joy claims these tools make all the difference in helping with the speed of things. 

Time is of the essence on your special day, which is why Joy always tells her customers, “The more buttons your dress has, the more time you will need to add to the itinerary to get dressed. I recommend a minimum of 20 minutes.” 

Mallory Tarschis, owner of the most exclusive gown shop in Baltimore, Betsy Robinson’s Bridal, offered insight on why buttons shouldn’t lead to any stress for bridesmaids or family members while helping you get ready. Mallory noted how “most of the buttons on gowns are mainly for aesthetic and are not functional. The ones that are functional are typically covering the zipper, so at most, that’s typically only about 10 buttons.” 

Mallory also revealed how it’s easiest to grasp the delicate loops when one has long nails, but if not, a crochet hook works just as well and yet again proves to be an essential wedding day survival tool!