One thing we adore about weddings is the whimsy. You know, those ridiculously cute details you just can’t get over?  Like using customized fortune cookies as placeholders or putting disposable cameras on the table so your guests can snap away for themselves? How clever, you think to yourself, shaking your head in admiration. I would never have thought of that. But, never fear, brides-to-be: Most often, it seems, the most impressively whimsical touches come out of pure, last minute necessity.

Case in point? We were at a wedding in NYC this past weekend, a simply stunning, gorgeous wedding. The catch? Looming dark clouds that eventually gave way to rain. The solution? A well-dressed, smiling woman (member of the family, we presume) handing out umbrellas to each guest leaving the church for the six block walk to the reception. The result? A parade of well-dressed guests following the bride and groom (and an incredible bagpipe player, but that’s neither here nor there), all strolling under navy umbrellas reading “Scott & Jess.” It was quite a sight to behold, we’re sure, as evidenced by the smiling people that looked out from windows and stopped to watch on the sidewalks.

The moral of the story, ladies? If you get creative when potential problems arise, you, too, could be the clever bride that has people shaking their heads in admiration…

(Above: An umbrella. [Obviously.] Not the “Scott & Jess” one previously mentioned, but a cute one nonetheless. Customize your own umbrella here.)

We have a rather monumental October coming up. Why, you ask? Well, no big deal, but this October, Thread will turn the big 1-0. Okay, never mind: It is a big deal! Ten years! We can hardly believe it ourselves. Ten whole years since Beth decided to take pity on the sad state of bridesmaid dress affairs by designing chic silhouettes for stylish ladies everywhere. Sigh. Seems like just yesterday….

So, to celebrate this milestone, we teamed up with InStyle Weddings to offer our lovely brides- and bridesmaids-to-be a chance to play fashion designer, a la Beth when she was just starting out. Here’s the deal: Sketch your dream bridesmaid dress and submit. If your design wins, we will create the dress for up to eight bridesmaids and add the style to our permanent collection. We know, we know, it is a pretty sweet deal.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get thee a pencil and some paper!

(Above, three glam girls rock our mini-length Liddy style. Photo courtesy of the InStyle Weddings Fall 2009 issue. For contest details, go here. Good luck!)

…we have a wedding just about every weekend this fall. Don’t get us wrong: we love us a good ol’ wedding. After all, what can be better than watching two of your dear friends declare lifelong love to each other? Or aww-ing at the tiny flower girls as they stumble down the aisle? Or catching up with all those friends you wish you saw more often? Or laughing at a funny speech from the best man? Or sipping on celebratory champers, or dancing the night away?

We agree: not much. That said, all of these weddings can be just a wee bit overwhelming, in no small part because we are constantly searching for dresses to wear to all of these nuptials.

Our solution (and suggestion to all of you)? Find a fabulous dress, and accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. Go for bold and bright accessories one wedding, and for metallic and minimal the next.  Basic black for one wedding, and sparkles and sequins for the next….

(Above, one such dress that can be easily accessorized in a bevy of ways. No, it doesn’t have to be black, and yes, this particular one is, of course, Thread Social.)