Viva la México: a Festival Brides Fiesta!
Viva la México: a Festival Brides Fiesta!
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Image credit: Green Wedding Shoes
Good morning gorgeous creatures!
Happy Wednesday to you all! In homage to the colourful Cino de Mayo festival on Monday, we thought we'd spend today chatting all things Mexicano! I think the best word to describe this trend is 'vivid', in every sense. It's all about your senses and contrast, spicy flavours, vibrant contrasting colours, big bold blooms with many luscious petals, and texture, texture and then more texture! When dressing yourself, your tables and your venue try to think tactile and evoke all the senses to really get that flavour of Mexico.
With that in mind, hit play on the video below for the truly sumptuous sound of Rodrigo y Gabriella, for an all encompassing Mexican experience!
Image credit: Dinodia
Image credit: Primary Petals
Before we get on to Mexican reception styling, it's really important to note that if you're gonna go for this trend, as with most things, it'll work best if you fully embrace it and that means looking like you belong there too. Now I'm not saying you need to walk down the aisle in a sombrero and shaking a maraca, but just subtle hints of Mexico will allow you to appear perfectly and effortlessly at ease with your theme. Think 'cold shoulder' or dropped shoulder dresses, which happen to be a major trend anyway ( Grace Loves Lace's new collection is teeming with them), paired with lashings of lace and a centre parting and crimson lips. Again, it's all about the senses; sensual exposure of the décolletage, delicious red lips and layers of textured, luxurious lace.
Image credit: Clover by Grace Loves Lace
Image credit: Jasmine by Grace Loves Lace
If you want to tone it down a little, and go for something super subtle, the Stone Cold Fox collection features the beautiful Caitlin dress, whose tiered effect and slightly flared sleeves exposure tiny peeps of skin. No less sensual, it's a classic case of 'less is more' with this dress, although subtle in style, it remains a gorgeous choice for a Spanish themed wedding, especially teamed with that flower crown, or maybe even a couple of blooms place low and behind the ear for Spanish chic.
Image credit: the Caitlin by Stone Cold Fox
Image credit: Green Wedding Shoes
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, Mexico is all about colour and vibrancy, so this trend facilitates the introduction of colour to the wedding gown with ease. Think contrasting hues and go bright: fuchsia, electric blue, turquoise, sunset yellow and scarlet red, embroidered floral adornments, focussing around the neck and lower hem of the dress. I mean, aren't they just gorge?
Image credit: Primary Petals
Image credit: Willow on the Water via Etsy
Image credit: Hell Hound Vintage via Etsy
Image credit: Daughter of a Gypsy
If introducing bursts of colourful florals to your dress itself is a little too much for you, be sure to focus on your bouquet. We're talking big, bold, beautiful and seriously, the more petals the better. Luscious bundles, tightly packed with layer upon layer of petals and textures and colour. There's almost no room for foliage in these bouquets, focus on the blooms themselves and lots of them and that applies throughout the reception, floral designed cakes adorned with oversized flower heads, table centre pieces exploding with warm coloured blooms... It's a feast for the eyes!
Image credit: Primary Petals
Image credit: The Knot
Image credit: Ruffled Blog
Image credit: Anthropologie
Note the ever-present hue of sunset yellow, warming everything up, whilst soothing and rounding off the harsher tones of red and green, it's a key colour it making the busyness of this trend appealing to the eye. We're loving the prominent use of cacti and citrus fruits on these tables, harsh textures and tangy crisp flavours and scents bring this reception style to life.
Image credit: Design Hunter
Image credit: Ruffled Blog
Image credit: Wedding Chicks
Being such a busy, animated trend, you might be forgiven for thinking that details weren't essential, but to get that authentic Mexcian vibe, it really is all in the details. Whether it's serving a late night treat of sweet churros and warm chocolate sauce, giving Mexican clay tiles or tiny bottles of hot sauce as favours, or just decorating that bare corner with a Día de Muertos painted skull, incorporating these motifs and allowing every element of your reception to ooze Mexican goodness is the only way to hit up this trend.
Image credit: Wedding Chicks
Image credit: Green Wedding Shoes
Image credit: Green Wedding Shoes
Image credit: Wedding Chicks
Image credit: Sulia
Image credit: The Potato Farm via Etsy
Image credit: 100 Layer Cake
...And of course a Mexican Falsa blanket simply must feature, be it a table runner, a cosy wrap for your guests, or to adorn a seat, they're instant Mexico and just the coolest fabric around this summer!
Last up; the all important paper goods and oh goodness, do Mexican motifs make the coolest stationary designs ever? Er, I think so! What an incredible bit of mail this'd be, I'm not sure I'd ever take it down from the mantlepiece! Again, use zingy colours and pick a single motif, they're all such strong designs you don't want to overwhelm that tiny piece of card!
Image credit: Green Wedding Shoes
Image credit: Flowers by LJP via Etsy
Image credit: Lizzy Bloves
Image credit: Wedding Invitations VP via Etsy
Uhh, those last two designs, I die! The minimalist in me is crying, but they're just so boho and colourfully cool, I can't resist! That's the thing with this trend, you just have to let go of that reserved, magnolia voice in your head and embrace all the colour, all the flavour and the host of textures and quirky motifs that Mexico has to offer. It's trendsetting, it's unusual, but it's full of life and celebration and what else should weddings be about?
Viva la México!
Clare xo