The Bridal Blog
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The Bridal Blog •
samantha shammas
We’re talking all things wedding
Hi! I’m Sam, owner and artist behind SamiaLynn
With a little help, I’m sharing all my knowledge from years of working in the wedding industry. From design, to retail, to being a serial bridesmaid, I’ve got you covered. Usually with a glass of wine in hand and country music playing in the background
Spring 2025 Bridal Collections
I just got back from another exciting season at New York Bridal Fashion Week. Trends tend to move a little slower than regular street fashion, but there’s still so many things to go over each time the new collections come out!
Incorporating Art into Your Wedding
As we’re all aware, art comes in many styles. This can be more traditional like painting or in the form of food decoration or photography. Whichever is your preferred medium, art is a beautiful way to show self expression and style. Also, as more and more weddings focus on guest experience, this is great way to get creative and wow your guests. So let’s dive in to a few specific ideas:
Wedding Trends for 2024
New Year, new trends!
To be honest though, I’ve never been a fan of “trend” lists as I’ve always believed that if you like something you should go for it regardless if it’s “in” or “out”. That being said, it’s great to stay in the loop of what people are gravitating towards each year and can be a source of inspiration. So, 2024 couples, are you ready? Here’s the ultimate trend list for everything you’ll be seeing this year in weddings:
How to Style Your Courthouse Look
There are so many opinions expressed when a couple decides to have a court house wedding. Whatever your reason is, you do not have to compromise your style. As a professional stylist, I have a few tips about choosing your look:
How to Phrase Your Wedding Invites
Weddings are (and should) be unique to the couple themselves. You choose your wedding party, who’s speaking or giving toasts at the ceremony or reception, the theme, etc. But in certain cases, to bring your vision to life, you have to involve the guests and give them direction. Do you want gifts? Is there a specific dress code? Are kids allowed? These are all things that need to be indicated in your invite suite, but can sometimes be awkward to write out. I’ve asked Kate Turner of Kate + Company (the QUEEN of luxury weddings) to help guide how to properly phrase certain requests in the most sophisticated way possible:
Wedding Details for Each Personality
Weddings are that special day (or weekend, or..week?) that you can really have your personality as individuals, and a couple, shine through. There are so many special touches you can add to any aspect of the events to wow your guests and have them saying “oh that’s SO them”. From the invites to the food to the reception entertainment, there’s a million options and sometimes, it’s the little things that make the difference. So how do you decide? Let’s break these ideas down by personality or traits:
Anniversary Gifts Ideas for Your Spouse
Is your calendar sending you notifications that your wedding anniversary is coming up? Does that reminder send you into a spiral about what to do to celebrate and how to show your partner all that these last 365 days has meant to you? We know the feeling, so we wanted to share some of our ideas with you for you to book mark for when you’re ready!
10 Ideas for Your Unity Ceremony
One of my photographer’s questions was “what type of unity ceremony will you be including in your ceremony?” And I panicked because I hadn’t considered any of my options and we are a month out from the big day! If you are engaged or about to be, let me share some of our findings so you can plan better than I have!
Timeless Wedding Details- People Submissions!
Trends can be fun and for those that have been married for a while, it can be even funny to look back on what you (initially) thought was important or looked good. So I asked people who have been married for 5+ years what details they still LOVED about their wedding day. Not everything will last the test of time, but these did for them! So if you’re in the middle of wedding planning and are probably a little overwhelmed, maybe one of these notes will help some of those decisions:
Wedding Guest Etiquette
The job of the wedding guest is not hard, but it does have a few boundaries that you should be careful not to cross. We have listed some of the most important rules of (general) guest etiquette for you so there’s no guessing involved!
What is a Wedding Content Creator?
If you’re like me and wonder “Wtf is a wedding content creator?” then this is the blog post for you. Her name is Hannah Bruce and she graciously answered allllll of my questions so you can decide if having a content creator is right for your big day or weekend. Because I don’t know about you, but I was immediately intrigued, so let’s dive in:
How to Turn Your Wedding Florals into Home Decor
Fact: for many weddings, your florals will take up a BIG part of your budget (and for good reason).
However, this doesn’t have to be a “one time purchase”. Besides being able to re-use pieces here and there throughout the wedding weekend, there are a ton of ways you can transform your florals into decor pieces for your home post-events.
How to Use Vintage Gowns in your Wedding
One trend that I have been seeing more than ever is incorporating vintage wedding dresses into your wedding. Most of these dresses are the brides’ moms’ (or grandmothers’) dress, but this could be done with any family members’ wedding dress, or just a beautiful gown you found at Goodwill. Today I wanted to share with you a few ideas of what to do if a vintage gown happens to land in your wedding wardrobe.
Trends from Spring Bridal Fashion Week 2023
We have made a list for you of just a few of the things that can be customized before, during and after your wedding!
Things You Can Personalize for Your Wedding
We have made a list for you of just a few of the things that can be customized before, during and after your wedding!
5 Ways to Preserve your Wedding Bouquet
You’ve probably already heard about options for preserving your gown, but what about your wedding bouquet? There’s so many creative options for making it a timeless piece so let’s dive in: