Get Comfortable

The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article on – get ready for groundbreaking news here – cozy clothes for winter. Some designers have even taken it upon themselves to create sweaters that look like sweatshirts.  Making an overpriced cashmere sweater look like a beat-up sweatshirt takes some serious work. Sadly, some people just have really, really difficult jobs.

And while comfy and cozy never really go out of style, both seem to be appearing in new places all the time.  Even brides are cuddling up to this trend; cooing over anything that marries simple luxury and effortless indulgence.

Anne Hathaway and Blake Lively recently spent beaucoup dollars on this very concept for their own wedding(s). I mean SEPARATE weddings – they didn’t marry each other. (Sad.) How much fun would Anne and Blake’s wedding have been? The photos in People Magazine alone would be amazing. Can’t you just SEE IT?  I can, but I digress.

The point is, anyone can take this trend and snuggle in.  Farmhouse tables laden with organic dishes and twinkling votives, vintage décor, rustic linens (dishtowels from those most rustic Swedes at IKEA are my personal fave) and an abundant dessert table and who even needs a groom after that? So how does one achieve this high-end, no fuss, homegrown-but-still-super-savvy wedding reception on a non-celebrity budget? It’s easier than you think. Here are five simple tricks:

Vintage Photos

Got copies of your grandparents on their wedding day? Baby pictures of you and your betrothed? Copy significant photos onto card stock in a black and white format and string them over a buffet. Or add photos to menu cards on guests’ tables. If you are serving a signature family dish at your reception, this is a wonderful way to put a ‘face with a name’ – for example: Aunt Bertie’s Lemon Chicken is even more meaningful if a vintage photo of Aunt Bertie is literally staring guests in the face (not the real Aunt Bertie of course. That would be scary considering she died in 1997).

White Twinkle Lights

Seriously the easiest and least-expensive way to add sparkle and shine to virtually anything (even dead Aunt Bertie). White lights are readily available throughout the year – and strung amongst trees and shrubs, they make any outdoor wedding feel romantic and intimate.

  
Family-style Fare

This is such a hot trend right now – maybe because it’s delicious, simple, and sweet.  Tables can be topped with something as plain as brown butcher paper.  Then add some beautifully designed dishes such as fruit and cheese trays, pastas, whole beef tenderloin, or even cold shrimp and salads. Meals accompanied by bottles of custom-labeled wine put guests at ease and takes the pressure out of entering and exiting a buffet line.

One Signature Cocktail

Try Prosseco.  Never heard of it?  Prosseco is champagne’s hipper, younger, edgier and – I mean this in the nicest way – cheaper cousin. Add an old-school sugar cube and voila!

Natural Décor

Wildflowers, gourds, apples, lemons, tree branches, pinecones, seashells, nuts, leaves – the list in endless. Fall and winter weddings lend themselves well to this trend and if you don’t want to do the heavy lifting (or cutting or trimming or picking); any florist worth their weight in pumpkins can make this vision your reality.

Whatever you decide, don’t forget to keep your celebration true to you. And don’t forget your sweater sweatshirt…it’s getting cold outside!

Stealing Style

President Nixon’s “I am not a thief” comment remains the most infamous quote of the 1970s, but the decade offered so much more than Tricky Dick. In fact, the 70s are cool again and even the wedding industry is getting in on the action.

While bell bottoms may not be the choice when wedding bells ring, there are a few other hot trends that may add some bliss to the big day. Vintage-looking pieces including maxi dresses and flowered frocks are showing up on wedding attendants and guests across the country – though highlighting a beautiful neckline is really always in vogue. We’ve even seen a few brave souls go for the jumpsuit look and– dare we say – crochet is making a comeback.

Sleek and sexy or simple and sweet are a must when attempting this hot trend. Pair funky wooden wedge sandals and a crocheted mini dress for an outdoor rehearsal dinner or dress your attendants in a flowing halter dress that both flatters and fits the vibe of a low-key, high-style celebration. By re-interpreting this trend and stealing only the pieces that add a bit of glamour rather than gasps, friends will be talking about your style long after you remember the name of your first (and hopefully only) pet rock.

Cheers!