Trends 

	Trends offers up the latest bridal buzz for the newest, freshest, most fun ways to create your own special wedding look.

NOT YOUR MOTHER'S SHOWER
Remember those boring, cookie-cutter bridal showers where everyone sat around making small talk and the bride was forced to wear a paper-plate hat covered in bows? Well, not anymore! These days, bridal showers are as unique and fun as the brides themselves, with activities as varied as the imagination allows. And today, guys might be just as likely to get in on the fun as the girls!

For your next bridal bash, consider a girls’ weekend away at a pampering spa, where you and your bridesmaids can have a stress-reducing massage, a manicure and a makeup session over a glass of wine. More and more destination and day spas are allowing bridal parties to bring in their own food and drink to share as they take advantage of treatments—some spas even cater these events themselves.

If you and your girlfriends are golfers, you could host a pre-wedding golf invitational. Places like Dunegrass Golf Club in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, cater to those wanting something different for their bridal and bachelor parties—and a golf outing is a wonderful thing to include parents in, as well.

Other unique party venues are craft studios that specialize in areas like scrapbooking or pottery making. Clay Play in Brunswick, Maine, is a fun place to take your friends for a creative session of painting your own pottery—and at the end of the evening, your guests have an attractive memento of the party to take home.

Anna Street Studio in downtown Portsmouth offers a unique alternative to the ho-hum bridal shower. Here, the bride and her guests can come in and design their own custom-made handbags to carry on the wedding day—and beyond. According to owners Carrie and Nick Saunders, the possibilities are endless for having a great party. Nick notes that brides or bridesmaids can reserve the studio after-hours for a girls’ night out, bringing in their own snacks and wine (white only, in case it spills) or having the event catered.

Carrie, who designs her own line of ready-made bags, suggests the bridal party might custom-design one of her “wristlets” to match the bridesmaid dresses. “These are the perfect size to carry a lip gloss, an ID and a few dollars to the wedding,” she said. Guests can choose from 175 fabrics—ranging from silk to corduroy—in lots of great prints, stripes and colors. Ribbon trims in everything from velvet to grosgrain add the crowning touch. And the best part? Guests will have a one-of-a-kind purse to carry for years to come!

GOIN' TO THE DOGS
These days, our dogs are much more than just pets. They’re family members, too! So when it comes time for engaged couples to step up to the altar, more and more of them are bringing along their beloved canine buddies. From Chihuahuas to Dobermans, dogs of all shapes and sizes are sharing in the celebration—sometimes even handsomely attired in a tux or decked out in pearls.

According to Nancy Massett, owner of Pawcassos By The Sea in North Hampton, the doggie dimension to weddings has been getting a lot more attention recently. “People have been doing this for years, but it’s become a lot more visible and acceptable lately,” she noted. “I’ve actually seen dogs have their own little wedding cake. After all, before couples met, their pets were all they had—they were their babies.”

Massett carries a line of fabulous wedding attire for pampered pooches, including bow ties attached to white dress collars ($8-$11), rhinestone tiaras ($30), pearl necklaces ($20), even dog wedding gowns and tuxedos complete with top hats ($20-$35). Most of the outfits are sized for smaller dogs like Yorkies, Pugs and Shih Tzus, but even extra-large Labs and Rotties can wear a bow tie or a flower lei. She recommends bringing in your pet for a fitting, so items can be special ordered if necessary.

Massett also stresses the importance of knowing how your dog will act around strangers. Is he well-behaved around lots of noisy people, especially children? Does she grasp the basics of dog etiquette? Last but not least, make sure you know that the beach, church or reception hall where you will be married allows dogs.

Once all those pesky details are taken care of, you and your pooch can have fun shopping together for the big day!

WHO'S NEXT?
If tossing the bouquet seems old hat to you—or you really want to keep your flowers and have them preserved—try doing what the Greeks do. At traditionally Greek weddings, the bride often will write all the single female guests’ names on the bottom of one of her shoes. At the end of the evening—after the bride has greeted guests, danced and generally walked until her feet are throbbing—the woman whose name is still the most legible is said to be the next one married. So get out those dancing shoes and start something new!

FAVORS WITH PANACHE
Every guest loves taking home a little remembrance of the big day—a few fancy chocolates in an elegant box, a piece of wedding cake or some cute bauble handmade by the bride and her attendants. But if you really want to wow your guests, try thinking outside the box.

One Seacoast bride carried her pastel color theme through to her favors. She set up a candy station with pretty little personalized bags for guests to fill. Half-a-dozen types of pastel candies promised the celebrants sweet reminders of her wedding day long after it was over.

We also heard about an outdoor summer wedding where they set up camping chairs (you know, the canvas ones that fold up and come with their own bag) for all the guests to use during the ceremony. Tied to each chair was a card telling guests that the chair was theirs to keep. After the nuptials, everyone giggled as they folded up their own chairs and took them away! The really clever part? The bride saved the cost of renting chairs, and no one had to break down the seating afterward—plus everyone got a great, useful gift!

If you’re looking for a favor with real taste, consider a bottle of specially created wine sporting a custom-made label with a favorite photo, a personal message or just your names and wedding date. Vintner’s Cellar Winery in Portsmouth has an unusual approach to such a presentation; they offer the chance for the bride and groom—or the entire wedding party!—to come in for a tasting session and then actually create the wine they love best themselves.

Owners Gail and Mike Locke will help guide the wine-making process along every step of the way, from adding flavors such as oak or dried berries to the juice to corking and labeling the bottled wine after fermentation. “For wedding wines, we say to allow 45 days from start to finish,” commented Gail. “Then we might suggest they include ‘Drink after such-and-such a date’ on the label—although white wines are great when they’re young.”

Vintner’s offers a split-size bottle that is ideal as a unique wedding favor, serving a full two glasses. For members of the wedding party, Gail suggests presenting a full-size bottle. A personal message, such as “Thank you for sharing in our special day,” can be included on the label, along with a photo of the wedding couple or a beautiful, scenic location. You could even set aside a few bottles for the toasting, giving even more meaning to the well wishes!

FOR THE BOYS
Guys will be guys, and your guy probably couldn’t care less what color flowers you’ll be carrying or what flavor the filling is in your wedding cake. But if you really want to grab his attention on your wedding day, treat him to something special—just for him and his buddies.

Thoughtful brides everywhere are showing their husbands-to-be just how much they care by springing great surprises on them at the reception—that favorite song he always cranks up on the car stereo, a special cake decorated in the colors and motif of his favorite sports team, a hand-picked selection of whiskeys for all the guys to swill while talking sports and even a cigar bar set up with a variety of smokes (for outdoor use, of course).

Dawn Tully of Tully’s Beer & Wine in Wells, Maine, suggests treating the groom and his friends to a high-end selection of cigars from some of the better names such as Cohiba, Monte Cristo and Ashton. “Unless you’re a heavy cigar smoker, I’d say one per person would be enough,” she noted. “I’d be sure to have an attractive, wooden tabletop humidor to present the cigars in, plus some clippers, lighters or matches, and plenty of ashtrays. And even though they’re smoking outside, I’d be sure to keep them downwind of the other guests—cigars are so stinky!”

Tully said she can happily offer suggestions for cigars in a wide price range; expensive ones will run anywhere from $8 to $15 each. “This would definitely be a nice treat for the guys with a glass of whiskey or a cognac,” she added.

FIT TO A "T"
In this world of mass-produced everything, it’s nice to have a wedding look that is entirely your own—a one-of-a-kind wedding dress for you or a handsomely cut suit that is custom tailored to your groom. Enter the growing business of custom design, a personalized service which guarantees you a distinct look and the best possible fit in a wedding gown (or suit) made just for you.

Amy Curtis Wedding Dress Couture is doing a booming business in translating a bride’s personality into an original handmade dress for her big day. “The magic of wedding couture lies in three things,” said Amy, “the design, the material and the handwork. Your dress begins with your imagination and ends with this beautiful expression of who you are.”

Brides are able to choose from the finest fabrics—silks, satins and more—and can even collaborate with Amy on the design. Then her couture cutting and sewing skills come into play as she creates a luxurious dress that fits perfectly and feels just right from a personality standpoint as well.

Guys don’t have to be left out of the custom picture, either. Mr. Carl’s Custom Tailoring can create a beautifully hand-tailored suit or tuxedo for your groom, along with a custom shirt that fits like a glove. “Guys should also have the chance to wear something that will be special to them on their wedding day,” said owner Rheinhold Holton. “And every time they wear that suit, they’ll remember they were married in it.”

Custom tailoring is perfect for the hard-to-fit man or the groom who has a specific look in mind and hasn’t been able to find what he wants in ready-made. According to Rheinholt, Mr. Carl’s can duplicate almost any look from a magazine—right down to the color of the pinstripe!

by PAT CHAUDOIN