Polish Highlander Wedding - Outdoor Photoshoot

Polish Highlanders = Górale (g'oor'al'e)

Simply beautiful outdoor photoshoot for one of the traditional Polish Highlander weddings.

Stunning colors! I am not sure if there really is much more to add than traditional Polish folk art is beautiful and can be surely used as an inspiration in planning no matter which area of Poland you are from.

Photos are taken by Robert from Krakow.

Flora Bond - Bridal Jewelry Collection

This is another jewelry inspiration for my brides out there that really don't know what they will wear to complete their bridal look. Of course as always, I am a fan of handmade jewelry and love the idea of having something unique and one of a kind, especially when it comes to your wedding day. Flora Bond collection is vintage looking, almost completely made out of fabric. If you wish to purchase any of these wonderful designs they are available on on Flora Bond's Etsy page.

AgapeEver - Bridal Gowns

Here is another amazing gown collection AgapeEver. Very romantic both couture and bridal dresses are simply breathtaking. You can read more about this fabulous collection on their site. And if you are looking for something original yet very classic you might find in there something just for you.

Bridal Hair!

Once again I have been slacking on posting but at least this time I have good reason. I was out of town. I actually was in Myrtle Beach for mini vacation/work. Not to further excuse myself from being a slacking blogger, I figured it would be a good idea to post some hair styles for brides to be. I remember when I was getting married it was difficult for me to even find photos of hairdos that I liked. So every now and then, when I come across some interesting hair styles I will be making collections of them and post them. Here is a first round! Hopefully, I'll make it easier for some of you to make your decisions.

All the photos are by Polish photographers at Fotograf-Wesele.pl

Inspiration Board 8 - Mint Green Wedding

I haven't posted an inspiration board in a while. I figured it is about time! So here it is.

This is a shade of green that we don't see often. In my opinion is very elegant and it would fit perfect for spring or even winter wedding. It is fresh and most importantly, I have never seen it done in person yet. If you are one of those brides that still haven't found your perfect color for your wedding, this might be something to consider.

European Corsages

It is still winter but let's become more positive. Spring is just around the corner. Let's talk flowers! A lot of brides that come to me are trying to do many unique things when it comes to corsages and boutonnières. Here is more European approach as far as woman's corsages, especially popular in England. Instead of wearing it on your wrist, wear it high up on your shoulder. Just as boutonnières the idea behind those beautiful compositions is that you should smell the scent of flowers when you gently bend your head in a direction of your shoulder. As a florist, I can tell you, it is a pretty neat way of recognizing women in a bridal party for few reasons. These arrangements don't get as beat up as wrist corsages. They are good for colder weddings when women wear jackets or dresses with straps. They are more visible on photos. And of course you can actually smell them!

The photos above are taken from English florists, Flower Design. They really do pieces of art when it comes to flowers. If you fell in love with this idea and are living outside of UK borders, bring a photo sample of one of these corsages and any florist should be able to make one for you. If you are from Detroit area, GoIzzy Custom Event Design will be happy to help you out!

Gingerbread House

I am fully aware that it is past holidays but I couldn't resist posting this wonderful idea. Maybe some of you could use it next year not only for winter wedding but simply, for one of your holiday parties. It is adorable, if you want to learn how to make one of these cute little things visit NotMartha blog. Enjoy and have fun!

And here below a little bit more Polish version of a Gingerbread House.. except this one is 

made out of meat! Learn how to make one of those babies on Almost Bourdain Blog. 

Bacon, salami, ham, Polish sausage, liver sausage... just imagine what you could do with those!

Real Polish Wedding 26 - Justyna & Kuba

This wonderful wedding is documented by JAM Studio. So far, this is the first wedding that I am posting by that photography studio. Judging by their work, there will be many and many more to come. Simply, amazing photography. I am not sure if there is a better way of capturing moments of what happened on that day. If you wish, on the JAM blog you can really look at many more beautiful shots from Justine and Jacob's wedding day. 

Couple getting ready on their beautiful July morning. 

Games and fun at the reception.

Outdoor shoot as always was taken on a different day.

Happy Holidays!

I just want to wish all of you Happy Holidays. I hope all of you are able to spend this time of the year with your families. Enjoy each other's company and be sure to get some rest during the following week.

Just a little bit about Polish way to celebrate the holidays.

Tonight, for all my Polish descent readers, is Wigilia. It is the traditional vigil supper. During the supper, there is traditional 12 dishes that are being served. All of them are vegetarian with exception of fish dishes. On a first day of holidays, which is tomorrow we begin eating meat. We always have one extra place setting just in case a stranger enters the house. When a first star appears on the sky we officially begin our supper. We share "Oplatek" by breaking it and wishing each other happiness and joy. In our tradition, Polish children open their gifts tonight. After dinner and fastidious celebrations, Polish tradition is to head to a midnight Mass where usually we sing carols and see other friends that we didn't spend an evening with.

If you are spending tonight's evening in a circle of a Polish family, enjoy and get ready for a long night! Merry Christmas everyone!

Polish Christmas Cards

I found these amazing Polish Christmas cards made by Art Paperina. They are entirely made out of paper with few additions of beads. These are here to inspire you and think about original ideas outside of the box for any kind of card or invitation that you  might be making or ordering. 

Winter Wedding Ideas

Here are some fun winter decorating ideas and products. 

1. Calista Glass Cylinder Tealight Holders - They come in different sizes and run from $14.99 to $17.99 per one cylinder. They are really unique looking and could create neat centerpieces, especially mixed in with flowers. They are available at World Market stores. 

2. Birch Pillar Candle - those unique candles come in variety of sizes and run anywhere from $34.00 to $69.00 at Pottery Barn. 

3. Holiday Snowmen Brownie Pops - those deliciously cute brownies on the stick are $29.95 for six of these little guys. You can get them at Williams Sonoma store. Just a few of them could really add to the look of any candy bar.

4. Peppermint North Poles - Chocolate covered peppermint sticks. Yum! Box of 60 pieces is available for $16.50 also at Williams Sonoma store. 

5. Reincarnated Indian Beer Bottle Lanterns - It looks like a set of 3 of these eco-friendly lanterns is only $29.00. You can purchase them at Viva Terra store. They hold small votive candles or tea-lights and could be hung or just simply placed on tables. 

6. Mercury Glass Votives - Six different size and shape of these candle holders are available for $79.00. at Napa Style store.  Together mixed with Reincarnated Indian Beer Bottle Lanterns they could make entire unique looking set up for a name table. 

7. Succulent Wreath - is absolutely beautiful and eco-friendly. It is currently on sale for $89.00 at Viva Terra store. 

Real Polish Wedding 25 - Agnieszka & Nicklas

Here is another wonderful documentary of a wedding by Sylwia Szuder. The wedding happened on August 1st, 2009. The outdoor photos were taken in Krakow's main square. If you would like to see more photos from their wedding day you are welcome to see visit Sylwia's blog. 

Below you can see on the right, a wonderful hand made sign with wishes 

and names of the newly weds. It is painted and has additions of artificial flowers.

Right above you can see piece of traditional wedding bread. They are truly pieces of art. 

Urszula Mateja - Bridal Gowns

Urszula Mateja is one of the most popular Polish gown designers among Polish brides. 

Her gowns are known to be over the top rich and ornate. She loves using texture and variety of different fabrics to create one complete design. 

The gowns shown below are from 2008 collection but there is a brand new 2009 collection available on Moda Slubna website. If you are living in United States and would love to have one of Urszula Mateja's gowns visit Elsie's Bridal Suite in NJ. 

Polish Wedding Traditions X - Welcoming with bread and salt.

In the Polish tradition, not only we greet bride and groom right after they walk out of church but also when they enter the reception site. The history behind it is, that newly weds after the ceremony had an elaborate party waiting for them in groom's house. That's where both of the families had a chance to welcome the newly married couple for the first time in their family house. The welcoming greeting was done by parents right in front of the house or in the doorstep. It was done in symbol of good wealth and peaceful intentions directed towards the new family.

 

Today, often owner or the manager of the venue assist in welcoming as well. 

Mothers usually are holding bread and salt. Fathers two glasses, one with water one with wodka. First, bride is asked by her mother which one will she choose. Bread, salt or the groom?The correct answer is, the groom so he will work for the bread and salt. Then mothers wish the wealth to both of the groom and bride and the couple rips a piece of bread off and eats it together with salt. Right after bride picks first which one of the two glasses she wants to drink out of. (Of course it is impossible to tell which one has wodka and which one has water). Whichever one of the two gets wodka, it symbolizes that this will be the dominant person in their marriage. After couple is done with their drinks, the glasses are supposed to be thrown behind them. In order to have good luck in marriage they have to break! At that moment, usually bride and groom kiss their parents and enter either the house or the reception site.

 

Real Polish Wedding 24 - Aneta & Tomek

This is yet another beautiful wedding from the beginning of this past summer, photographed by Marcin Dryl. Wonderful documentary from entire wedding day followed by an amazing outdoor photo session. As you can tell, weather during their outdoor shoot was completely unpredictable. Photographer as well as couple took a chance and you can see priceless effects. Looking at the wedding day shots, you can see traditional Blessing, "greeting" and "oczepiny". A true Polish Wedding! 

You can see more Aneta and Tomek's outdoor shots taken by Marin on his blog.