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It’s never too cold out for a beautiful ice sculpture! The Westwood's talented head chef, Tim, takes his precious time and effort in carving breathtaking ice sculptures upon request!  Although these two lovebirds definitely set a romantic tone for the wedding Tim carved it for, ice sculptures make a great addition to any Westwood event!! For example, a party may request huge numbers carved out of ice for high school proms or reunions, commemorating the year of the class being celebrated! As you can see, we use colorful lighting to give our sculptures even more visual appeal, but it doesn’t have to stop there! Some common uses for ice sculptures at events have been ice-carved shelves, bowls, oversized martini glasses, and elaborate luges! The possibilities are endless, and Tim is ALWAYS up for the challenge here at The Westwood!

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Who says a bride can’t be colorful on her Wedding Day? Not the Westwood! Here’s a fun new way to incorporate your “something blue” and dress up your gown! Bright and colorful shoes give you and your bridal party a special uniqueness that will really turn heads at the ceremony and reception, not to mention all the adorable pictures you can take!! This season keep an eye out for autumn colors like red or orange on our blushing brides and her bridesmaids!

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Weddings can take place at any time of year: summer, winter, spring, fall; The Westwood sees and plans it all!!

Many brides may not know this, but different style dresses are worn more appropriately according to the season their special day takes place.

During the spring and summer seasons, perhaps a bride would want to wear a dress that is slim flitted and light. Ball gown dresses with a lot of tulle and heavy material may be uncomfortable in the hot summer months, and what bride wants to be sweaty on her wedding day?? Another recent trend has been for brides to wear tea length or cocktail length dresses as opposed to long, floor length gowns.

These dresses are more light weight, and even if they have some tulle it won’t weigh you down or exhaust you! Check out this cute summer dress from David’s Bridal! Perfect for a beach or destination wedding!

During the fall and winter seasons, however, the styles of the dresses change. Typically in the coolermonths, some brides prefer to go with a thicker fabric and full length wedding gown. Shrugs and matching sweaters have also become popular for these winter brides, and many even opt for sleeves or long gloves, like our David’s Bridal bride to the right! Her long gloves and full, floor length gown make the perfect winter wedding combination!

For some brides, finding the perfect wedding dress isn't always that easy, but The Westwood is always more than happy to help a future bride in planning her wedding and pointing her in the right direction!

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Who says brides can't go crazy with accessories?! The Westwood sure doesn't! A bride can wear as much or as little jewelry as she wants on her Wedding Day! Accessories are a fun way to jazz up the traditional white wedding dress and add personality or sentimental significance to the wedding day ensemble (something borrowed, anyone?). Follow these tips to add some bling to your special day the right way!

Necklace

A necklace is almost always a must for any special occasion! However, depending on the cut and neckline of your wedding dress, you may decide to skip this accessory. If your dress has a high neckline (a recent trend has been vintage lace collars) or a lot of sparkles and embellishments, adding a necklace might be a little too much and the beauty of the piece can be easily overlooked and underappreciated. Pearl necklaces are a great bridal accessory as they go well with almost any neckline. Some brides may wear pearls belonging to mothers, grandmothers, or aunts to serve as something borrowed, and to add sentimental value to their bridal look. If your wedding gown has a halter top, something simple and elegant is best. A statement necklace could take away from the gown and the embellishments of the halter top, and also come across as too busy or distracting. When wearing a dress with a halter top, it’s best to play up your ears!
 

Earrings

When choosing earrings for your big day, be mindful of the size and style of the necklace you’ll be wearing. If you’ve already chosen to wear a large or sparkly necklace, perhaps pearls, small hoops, or diamond studs are best for your bridal look. Long, drop earrings are a great match for halter tops and sweetheart necklines as well! 

Hair

Most brides wear veils on their big day, but what will be underneath yours when you take it off for the reception? Not bland, boring hair I hope! Accessories like flower pins, jeweled headbands, and crystal pins or clips can make a huge difference in your bridal hair and give you more opportunities to accessorize and express yourself!

When it comes to accessories, less is more, but most importantly, accessorizing is about YOU. On your big wedding day, you want your personality to shine through your bridal look. Wear what you are most comfortable in and what really speaks to you. Don’t feel pressured to do anything drastically different or trendy for the sake of following a trend. You come first on your wedding day, and you should feel happy, comfortable, and confident!!

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Thanks for checking out our first edition of Westwood Wedding Wednesday here on our blog! We love sharing our beautiful Westwood Brides’ stories and hearing about how all their wedding day dreams came true! Our first story comes from Kathia Adams, who describes her wedding to husband Jabari Adams at The Westwood as “meant to be.”
 

Kathia writes:

“I knew that this was our reception venue because on March 3, 2007 we came to tour the place and that was the same day that my then fiancé proposed to me. On April 26, 2008 my husband and I had our fabulous reception at The Westwood. We were meant to have our reception there, and everything went smoothly. The food was plentiful and delicious and everyone was so professional and friendly. My day could not have went any better than it did.”  
 

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For over 50 years we have been specializing in smiling brides. But, that’s not to say we are set in our ways, quite the opposite. We understand that this is the event you’ve waited a lifetime for and you are looking for food, flowers and fun that represent your unique style, not a cookie cutter event. We work closely with you on every detail, including your budget – we know you want every last detail accounted for and that’s what we do best. The Westwood can recreate any theme, color scheme or style that you’ve dreamed about. From traditional to contemporary and every shade in between, we execute exactly what you are looking for... come take a look around.

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With an in-house creative floral department we are uniquely qualified to have your overall wedding theme work effortlessly with both your ceremony and reception. Our floral designers take your vision and represent it through color, style and function. They always have new ideas to make your flowers different from other weddings you’ve been to, and they will manage the delivery of flowers to your offsite ceremony as well. The Westwood catering facility and floral department combine to make your event a cohesive, exquisite event! Why choose two different partners when you can have just one?!

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Your Dad has been there every step of the way, giving you so many precious gifts over the years. He’s going through so many emotions on your big day, just as you are. What better way to thank him than by choosing The Westwood as your wedding destination?!?! The Westwood not only caters to your every unique need, it also can work within your budget; understanding there are so many expenses associated with the big day, The Westwood will help to meet your needs while not breaking your bank, or Dad’s!

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Choosing the right song to dance with your Dad can be tricky. You want something that has meaning for both of you, but is also memorable...you’ll be watching it for years to come most likely via video. Here’s a list of some songs you may not have considered, enjoy!
 

1. Bruce Springsteen – “When You Need Me”
2. Tom Petty – “Wildflowers”
3. Ben Folds – “Gracie”
4. Wilco – “My Darling”
5. Natalie Merchant – “Kind and Generous”
6. Loudon Wainwright – “Daughter”
7. Paul Simon – “Father and Daughter”
8. The Temptations – “My Girl”
9. Stevie Wonder – “Isn’t She Lovely”
10. Ray Charles – “Ain’t That Love”
11. Lulu – “To Sir With Love”
12. Nancy Sinatra – “It’s For My Dad”
13. Bob Marley – “Three Little Birds”
14. Heartland – “I Loved Her First”
15. Rascal Flatts – “My Wish”
16. Frank Sinatra – “I Wish You Love”
17. Billy Joel – “Just the Way You Are”
18. Beyonce – “Daddy”
19. Edwin McCain – “Walk With You”
20. Michael Buble – “Daddy’s Little Girl”
 

Brides today are also going the nontraditional song route or transitioning from expected to totally unexpected, often breaking out into choreographed hip hop, disco, rock dance routines with Dad by their side. Here are some of our faves...whatever you decide, have fun and enjoy the moment!