I finally decided to blog a little about my professional life with y’all today. As you may know from our ABOUT page, I am the editor of a bridal magazine – Arkansas Bride (the state’s largest and most popular bridal publication – as it has been since long before I became editor).

It’s the “girliest” publication I work on, and one that I would read even though I’m already married and even if I wasn’t the editor. It’s a magazine that inspires me, and I genuinely love to stay up on the latest news/trends/styles/etc. in the wedding world. And let me just tell you…2013 is going to be an amazing year for weddings.

Why? Well, because brides are finally, really taking hold of the idea that the wedding is about them. They’re personalizing their weddings beyond just color stories and catering offerings. They’re dressing in gowns that fit their personalities, they’re shirking traditions and wedding staples when they don’t apply to their tastes. They’re embracing the real meaning for the day: their love for one another and the life they’re going to share together.

It’s not so much originality that I want to see, but honesty or purity in persona. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone, but that’s sort of what I want from the brides/weddings we feature. I love to see real love between the couple in photos (and trust me, I can spot a forced kiss and embrace a mile away). I want to see that they’re doing the things in their weddings that fit them as people – fit their relationships. It’s adorable and heartwarming, and blah, blah, blah! I could go on and on.

Anyway, getting to my point, I wanted to share my new wedding obsession with you (I’m sure you’ve figured it out from the headline) – PINK WEDDING DRESSES.

That’s right. Pink.

First, Reese Witherspoon.

Then, Anne Hathaway.
(I absolutely DIE for her blush gown and hairpiece! So amazing! So romantic! So Anne!)

Next, Jessica Biel.
(Her gown took my breath away, I think it was PERFECT for her and so girlie and fluffy and dreamy!).

And then, my new issue of Arkansas Bride magazine!
Note: Our new issue was at the printer getting made when Jessica’s wedding gown was revealed to the world, so we had NO idea she was going to go that route. I couldn’t have felt more validated or proud that we’d done a pink gown on the cover than when I saw her gown photos in People.

This was our Dream Wedding Issue, so this dress by Moonlight Bridal turned out to be THE ONE – the perfect choice for a dreamy dress on the cover. It’s more of an editorial gown in my opinion.
Side note: I don’t think the style with the peplum is going to work for many brides in real life, but it was perfect for a fashion shoot!

We used more pops of color throughout the spread, including neon tangerine, lime, seafoam and purple. But, we used hot pink and blue tulle for retro-looking blusher veils (below, middle and bottom). I also loved our makeup artist’s use of crazy-fun neon eyeshadows (bottom)! It all really took the spread to a whole new level of “wonderland.”

Side note: This was a cover contender too, but I really wanted a pink gown, and the model’s expression was a little too “sex mouth” (as I call it) for a wedding magazine cover.

By the way, shortly after our issue hit stands, Hugh Hefner’s 20-something bride, Crystal Harris, wore pink on her recent New Year’s Eve wedding:

NOW … My favorite pink wedding gowns of Spring 2013:

WATTERS – Talia Gown

WATTERS – Soledad gown

LAZARO – LZ3300

WTOO – Olivia gown

WATTERS – Palm Springs gown

WTOO – Hera Gown

There are many more pink gowns out there, by big name designers and lesser-known brands, and there are sure to be many, many more in the next wedding gown collections; I can’t wait to see them.
So, that’s my wedding-themed post … if nothing else, I hope you enjoy flipping through the digital edition of Arkansas Bride and looking at these GORGEOUS pictures of GORGEOUS pink wedding gowns.
Bye, for now!