This week marked the first day of spring, despite some lingering blizzards. With the new season, we usher in some new trends from fresh spring colours to peek-a-boo dresses. Take a look at some of my favourite trends for the season.

 Mint Green and Lemon Yellow - The IT colours

 

Mint was very hot during the spring/summer 2012 season, and it seems this retro hue has made a comeback.

 

This lemon colour is as fresh as the season itself. To avoid over doing it, add touches of yellow throughout the day.

 Bare Back and High Neck Dresses

 

I think there is something soft and subtly sexy about a woman's back. This season, it's all about the drama out back.

 

 Rustic, Letterpress Invitations

  Letterpress is yet another trend from last year that has found its way back onto must-have lists in 2013. It has a retro, whimsical look to it that differs from the traditional fonts of season's past. Adding punches of colour just add to this fun style of invite - and who said invites couldn't be fun?! What are you favourite trends for the season? xoxo -Thrifty Bride

If you’re feeling inspired by the luck of the Irish, include some hints of green in everything from your bouquet to your dessert.

Green bouquet and floral headpiece (http://www.pinktwig.ca)

Green necklace $84, bracelet $54 – (http://shop.stelladot.com)

Green shoes $40.49 (http://www.lightinthebox.com)

Green sandals for your after party jig $14 (http://www.davidsbridal.com)

St Patty’s cupcake (http://www.torontocupcake.com/)

xoxo Thrifty Bride

Over the past weekend I attended my BFF's Valentine's Day-themed bridal shower. Having received the inside scoop from the bride herself, I thought I'd share all her great tips for hosting a lovely love-themed soiree. The bride really wanted her guests to get excited about the theme of her shower. For $1.25 ea. she dressed the hall in red chair covers finished with a huge bow on the back at 60 guests she payed $75 and what a statement...worth every penny! [caption id="attachment_361" align="alignleft" width="2592"] Chair Covers for $1.25 ea.[/caption] Each guest had a red candy apple on their plate when they arrived, they were the talk of the shower. Everyone was devouring the apples and reminiscing of the last time they got to enjoy one.  Candy apples are a great DIY project. [caption id="attachment_362" align="alignleft" width="1464"] DIY Candy Apple[/caption]   For centerpieces she had a flower arrangement of Anthuriums which are heart shaped flowers. They are in season and very affordable! To finish off the table decor she added some different colourful heart pieces which she picked up from the Dollar Store (3 bags for a dollar each) as well as large bright red hearts she used for the table numbers (5 hearts for a dollar) [caption id="attachment_363" align="alignleft" width="2592"] Centerpieces[/caption] There was also a candy station.  She borrowed jars from friends and family and filled them up with candy she purchased from the Bulk Barn for $200. It was a great treat and each guest filled their candy bags to their heart's content.  The bags came in a pack of 25 for a dollar from the Dollar Store. Often times, venues charge an average $1,000-$1,500 for candy stations. Luckily this bride made sure she was allowed to setup her own with a little more work but a lot less $$$. [caption id="attachment_364" align="alignleft" width="2318"] DIY Candy Station...Yummy![/caption] Instead of a cake this bride asked some family members to bake some cupcakes. She paid for the supplies and saved more than half of what a cake was going to cost her while offering a great variety of large and small treats. To add a touch of fun, they had marshmallow pops, another simple and cost effective way to treat your guests :) [caption id="attachment_366" align="alignleft" width="2592"] Valentine Themed Cupcakes[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_367" align="alignleft" width="2592"] Marshmellow Pops[/caption] Overall the shower was wonderful and the guests could not stop raving about the decor, sweets and games.  The bride could not be happier.  Below are some more images of the shower and some of the games we played. Let us know what you think. xoxo Thrifty Bride [caption id="attachment_375" align="alignleft" width="2592"] Prize Table[/caption] [caption id="attachment_376" align="alignleft" width="2274"] Raffel Baskets[/caption] [caption id="attachment_374" align="alignleft" width="1748"] Valentine Joker Poker, guests would sign their name on a one card with a marker. If they sign the card that has the brides signature on the back then they win a prize[/caption] [caption id="attachment_373" align="alignleft" width="2292"] Guess how many candies and chocolates are in the jars[/caption]

Happy Valentine’s Day, Thrifty Brides! Today is a very popular day to pop the question. But before you do that, check out these statistics released by David’s Bridal. Seems like when it comes to the ring, bigger is better. More than half of the brides asked (57%) said they would change something about their engagement ring if they could; with the biggest gripe being wanting a bigger stone (19%). Despite this, only 36% actually would go through with upgrading!

It seems like every day there is a new proposal being passed around social media channels. This one was filmed in my very own high school, I think it’s adorable. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAnRJp8B_Lo] According to survey results, brides actually prefer something more low key:

• 80% would scoff at a public Facebook proposal
• 63% wouldn’t say yes to their beau proposing on a Jumbotron
• 57% of brides would say no to the ever-popular flash mob proposal!

With Valentine’s Day being proposal central, it’s interesting to know that nearly a third of newlyweds actually embellish their engagement story to make it sound better. So, choose wisely when proposing guys! Speaking of the exact opposite of low-key, what do you think of this man’s proposal on the front page of the Toronto Star?   xoxo Thrifty Bride