National Wedding Month at Cameron Village

National Wedding Month

Maybe it’s all the chocolates and flowers of the season that have us feeling romantic. We’re thinking about all the 2019 weddings and bridal festivities coming up in warmer months. It seems fitting that February is National Wedding Month. According to the The Association of Bridal Consultants, about 2.4 million couples get married in the United States each year.

We know there is one wedding among those millions that is the most important, yours.

The ABC says February is often the month brides and grooms get into serious planning mode. The gown, the tuxes and the invitations can all feel overwhelming sometimes. Don’t stress. Before you walk down the aisle, walk through Cameron Village for some of the best businesses in the local wedding industry.

Put a ring on it

Grooms-to-be can find shopping for an engagement ring overwhelming at first, but when you shop at the finest jeweler in North Carolina, you get unmatched quality. The highly accredited experts at Bailey’s Fine Jewelry help men find what the woman who means most to them, will love the most.

Sales Manager Josh Bernstein says Bailey’s jewelers have seen a beautiful trend emerge that many 2019 brides are loving. A solitaire with coordinating stacked bands in fun shapes. “In the last six months we’ve really seen that kind of style pick up,” he says

Bernstein says some men know exactly what they want in an engagement ring, others have no idea. His advice is to do some research, “Start looking at her Pinterest page. Start getting ideas from her friends.”

(Left: Some of Bailey’s engagement rings. Right: In-style stackable diamond bands.)

Brides, if you’re heading to Bailey’s to pick out his wedding band, Bernstein says that men are looking for comfort, “The guys usually want something plain.” Some men do want comfortable detail on their band and a popular line of jewelry is perfect,”We’ve started carrying David Yurman mens wedding bands,” Bernstein says showing a tray of silver and gold rings of the iconic cable loved by many.

(Left: Josh Bernstein shows David Yurman mens’ wedding bands. Right: David Yurman mens’ wedding bands at Bailey’s.)

Couples know Bailey’s is a great place in Raleigh to register for fine china and gifts as well. Bailey’s staff proudly display registered brides and grooms’ selected table settings so guests can easily shop for an upcoming wedding.

(A bride and groom’s place setting on display at Bailey’s)

The Dress

Stepping into Coastal Knot Bridal, you feel the excitement of the modern bride planning her wedding, but you also feel a cool calm among the stylish gowns. The wedding experts at Coastal Knot offer a chic wedding gown shopping experience. The 2019 bride can find a selection of gowns from top designers.

Manager Stephanie Simmons says for today’s bride, anything goes. ”I feel like now more than ever there is a dress for everybody. There isn’t necessarily a trend. I would say the unexpected bridal dress is more popular now,” she says, showing off an intricately beaded gown with a pinkish-purple hue.

(Stephanie Simmons shows a wedding gown with a pinkish-purple hue.)

Simmons says most of their designers offer a rush option, but she recommends coming in earlier rather than later, “Bridal gowns take anywhere from four to six months to come in. You have to account for two to three months for alterations. I recommend ten to twelve months if you can because that gives plenty of time to get everything done and you’re not stressing on that timeline when there are so many other things to think about.”

Something Blue

You have your gown. Now you need something to wear under your dress on your wedding day. Maybe something lacy and pretty? Something new? Something blue?

J. Alane’s Fine Lingerie owner, Julie Hendricks has helped brides find the perfect trousseau for years. She says it all comes down to the style of the dress, “It depends on what they want to wear under their gown. Many brides want a full bustier or strapless bra. Other dresses have cups sewn in so they don’t need to wear anything at all up top. So many of the dresses now have a super deep v so you can’t wear a bra under it.” Hendricks says brides always want the perfect panties, as she pulls a pair of Hanky Panky boyshorts off the rack, “Often times blue,” she says.

(Left: Julie Hendricks hangs Hanky Panky panties. Right: Hanky Panky panties in white and blue, perfect for a bride’s wedding day.)

The Groom

Men in Raleigh can count on over a century of expertise when they find their suit or tuxedo at Kannon’s Clothing. The staff at this family owned business have long been experts in product selection, fitting and tailoring of men’s clothing and accessories. Owner George Knuckley says grooms can expect lots of questions about the wedding so their staff can get what’s perfect for their day, “We like to become aware of the time of day, time of year and the venue. It’s important because you have a lot of non-church weddings today. Is it outdoors or indoors? The time of day and how casual it will be will affect the attitude of the attire,” Knuckley explains.

He says grooms often like to make the wedding day clothes part or all of the gift for the wedding party. Knuckley shares a recent shopping day for one groom, “We had a fitting for all the groomsmen to get tuxedo shirts. That was part of the gift from the groom to his guys, monogrammed tuxedo shirts. We had a fitting and gift wrapped each one of them. He presented them at the rehearsal dinner.”  

He invites couples to come in to find what works for their big day whether it’s a tuxedo, or  simply jackets and pants. Knuckley says while many grooms want bowties, he’s seen a trend toward the traditional necktie as well, “We can help find great looking ties that compliment the bridesmaid dresses,” he says.

(Left: George Knuckley arranges tuxedo shirts for groomsmen. Right: Kannon’s display of a tuxedo and accessories.)

You’re Invited

The date is set, the bride and groom will be looking their best. Now, you have to spread the word! You know you can find fantastic gifts at Charlotte’s, but did you know they lead the Raleigh area in custom wedding invitations?

Manager Chelsea Bick invites brides to plan ahead when it comes to invitations. “We like to meet with brides six months in advance of their big day,” she says. Stationary specialists walk brides through the process, starting with Save-The-Date cards. “A lot of brides and grooms have been getting custom watercolor artwork done either of the couple or their venue and then using it for their Save-The-Dates,” she says.

Charlotte’s selection of formal wedding invitations are nothing short of stunning. “Engraved invitations are always a classic and a big seller,” Bick says, but a new trend is showing up in mailboxes.”Letterpress has moved in to be the hot trend.” Brides like the cottony feel of letterpress invitations.

Brides work so hard to pick the perfect font and color for invitations. Preserve one forever with Charlotte’s custom invitation artwork. A local artist paints around your invitation and it stays in a frame, keeping it perfect for forever. “It’s one of our best sellers and on every bride’s registry. You can choose the flower or maybe a wedding color you want to accent. It is such a special keepsake!”

(Custom artwork with a wedding invitation.)

Don’t get yourself tied in knots before you tie the knot, come see us at Cameron Village. We can help make your big day better than you ever imagined.