HOLIDAY STYLE TIPS FOR MEN 2014

 

Neighborhood: Neutral colors are best here. He can't go wrong in his best dark work suit as the key is to blend in with the crowd at this party. Let someone else get chided for their goofy snowman sweater tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Office: If he dresses in layers, he can start the day out more formal and as he gets more comfortable, he can shed a layer or two for a more casual look. A chunky cardigan over a button-down and tie, topped off with a blazer will do the trick.

 

 

 

 

Fundraiser/New Year's Eve: He likes the bowtie, but can never wear one to work? This is the perfect time to break it out. It's cool to play mix-and-match: no need to stick to strictly black and white when anything goes. Try brown and black for the modern spin on a classic tux.

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Mr. Burch (205) 252-3600 for your formal wear needs during the holidays this year.  Our experienced and professional staff would love to help you look your best.  Happy Holidays!

MOUNTAIN BROOK OPEN HOUSE NOVEMBER 11, 2014

HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31.  The word Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows' Evening also known as Hallowe'en or All Hallows' Eve.

Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and carving jack-o-lanterns. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century including Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom as well as of Australia and New Zealand. Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win"). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.

  The festival would frequently involve bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects to the area which attracted bats to the area. These are additional attributes of the history of Halloween.

Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or appease them.

2014 SUIT TRENDS FOR GROOM AND GROOMSMEN

This post originally appeared in The Wedding Party and was written by by Kaitlin Perata

WHAT TO WEAR TO A SUMMER WEDDING: FOR HIM

WHAT HAS SOCIAL MEDIA DONE TO THE WEDDING INDUSTRY?

From Youtube, Pinterest, Lover.ly, to Instagram and Facebook -– social media has dramatically changed how brides explore and discover ideas for wedding planning. In addition, brides are connecting with communities of similar women to share their experiences. It is ever more critical for wedding vendors and businesses that are active in the wedding industry to understand this trend and become engaged in communicating with these women on popular social networks and communities.

Brides are glued to their tablets or other mobile devices scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds. Gone are the days of brides carrying a heavy wedding magazine with lots of post-it notes plastered throughout the pages, which was the norm not too long ago. Social media and interactions within the wedding community have become very visual based. For comic relief, brides can type ‘wedding meme’ into Google Images for instant laughs. In addition, Pinterest has rocked the wedding industry. Florists and wedding planners get direct links to their brides' wedding Pinterest boards. Much of the creativity and vision that the wedding planner once had seems to have shifted onto the Pinterest boards of brides-to-be.

Social media is also a great way to include family members and friends scattered around the world in your wedding plans. Brides are often using Skype and other online formats with family friends to help with selecting a wedding dress. Couples can create specific hashtags for their wedding photos captured by friends to share during and after the wedding day. Beautiful moments are captured and rapidly spread across social networks. Don’t be surprised to see brides creating “social media rules” for their weddings. Brides and grooms may want to be the first to post any pictures of their wedding onto social networks.

As much as social media has enhanced the wedding planning process and made it much more easy to explore and discover brands, venues, makeup artists, hair stylists, and wedding dress designers, it has also put more pressure on brides, mothers of brides, and mothers of grooms to demand perfection on the wedding day. There are now over 20 reality TV wedding shows focusing on how wedding planners create elaborate weddings and how brides are determined to find the perfect wedding dress.

Like all tools, social media in wedding planning should be used in moderation. It's a great way to connect scattered friends and family and include so many in the planning process. Brides should just keep their perspectives in check and hold realistic expectations when it comes to working with their vendors. Pinterest boards are a great jumping off place to set ideas in motion and when accompanied by an experiences team of local vendors, brides will have a great time seeing their plans come to fruition.

POPULAR ACCESSORIES FOR GROOMS AND GROOMSMEN

Accessories are a great way to express personality through clothing. And they aren't just for the ladies on wedding day anymore. Guys can let everyone know who they really are and have fun with accessories while still keeping style in the forefront.

Ties:
While black tie isn't a must anymore, most wedding attire for men usually still includes a tie, and with all the options available now, no one will feel stuffy when sporting this dressy accessory. Tuxedos and suits can be accessorized with traditional long ties that either coordinate with the suit, or make a bold statement with color or pattern. Bow ties have also made a large comeback in recent years. Some wedding parties even represent their own personal style by choosing their own ties in a coordinating color or length but are slightly different from one another to celebrate the individual.

Pocket Squares:
The pocket square is another accessory that has made a recent comeback. The pocket square is a great way to add a pop of color. Guys can sport these accessories in the most traditional sense coordinating with one another and the overall color scheme of the wedding, or totally break away calling attention to each guy in their own unique way.

Fun Extras:
Accessories like cuff links, sunglasses, and splashy socks are a great way to get guys who aren't always on board with being dressed to the nines to relax into formal wear. These also make for the most fun photo ops. So, if you can assign a favorite super hero, sports team, color or pattern to each of the special guys that make up your wedding party, these fun choices are the way to go.

Above all, have it your way when selecting which style, color and type of accessories are right for your guy group.

BRIDESMAID DRESSES: NO RULES APPLY

VALENTINE'S DAY OUTSIDE THE BOX

HONEYMOON DESTINATIONS