Picking your Wedding Aesthetic with Bella Gerard

Welcome to The Clear Cut podcast where we get down to the clear cut of all things relationships, weddings, engagements, and bridal trends. Today we're chatting with Bella Gerard, a fashion and lifestyle editor, with previous experience as a beauty editor. Her work appears in publications like StyleCaster, Bustle, Elite Daily, Health, and more.

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Newly engaged and eager to explore the bridal space herself, Bella Gerard is an NYC-based fashion editor and content creator! This bride-to-be is taking much more of a focus on this upcoming Bridal Fashion Week, as she is now working in her dream field of editorial fashion. When TikTok came into existence, she saw the opportunity to create more branded material and work on her own time. 

 

Bella now puts full time into making videos and loves the dynamic. At first, she was a little reluctant about being freelance because of it's unpredictable nature but now she enjoys the balance she has found today. 

 

Any advice for others looking to enter the content creating space? 

Today, more than ever, there are so many resources to help but she understands the initial fear at first, entering the industry. She recommends to keep an open mind to absorb everything there is to learn. Active learning is the best way to get involved. There is no one-way answer to navigating. 

 

For Bella, NYC is an inspiring place to be for creating content. When she's on vacation or with family, she makes it a point to save the content creating for when she's back in the city. 

 

What is her bridal journey like with wedding planning so far?

Before a wedding must come the proposal and Bella never had particularities with her engagement ring. She just knew she wanted to be there to pick out the ring. No Pinterest boards were harmed in the making of her ring decision but Bella knew she had to find something that suited her hands. 

 

Bella adores the chunkier facets of an old Mine cut diamond and picked out a natural diamond for her e-ring. With wedding bands, Bella isn't ready for the next decision to made with that piece and she really likes her engagement ring on her own!

 

Any ideas for her wedding vision?

Bella envisions a romantic wedding, dreamy vibes for a fall wedding. In her opinion, fall weddings are the new summer weddings. The weather is perfect approaching October, the month Bella will be having her wedding. 

 

So far, the band, venue and church are all booked for the big day! These aspects are probably the most important, Bella is on top of her game three weeks out from her proposal. 

 

What are some personal DO's and DON'Ts for Bella's bridal details?

A minimal bouquet is a DO for her, she doesn't appreciate the size of large bouquets and how it covers the beauty and detail of the bride's dress. 

 

To save her energy and to keep her "work brain" off, she will be hiring a content creator and hopes to secure a friend for her big day. Bella has turned down other requests to create content for other people's weddings, she thinks it's a lot of pressure to be involved in someone else's wedding. Everyone has a particular vision of their own!

 

Bella won't be doing bridesmaids, but will be having two maids of honor, her two sisters. No one will be standing at the altar besides her and her fiancé. This allows them to have their moment and allows her friends to enjoy the fun and dress how they like!

 

 

Any exciting bridal trends Bella is seeing this season? 

Lots of feminine elements are taking the stage like rosettes, bows and feathers. These details are making a quick transition from ready-to-wear into the bridal sector. Bella loves lots of layers, like a lace bodysuit underneath the gown to add sleeves or a hooded veil that acts as cape, Lily Collins comes to mind!

People are getting more personal and taking a simpler route executing their wedding aesthetic. There are many thoughtful ways to put a personal touch on reception details like personalized matchboxes with guest names. One insider detail Bella will be incorporating at her reception will be a pasta bar! Her and her fiancé share a love for making their own pesto, making this pasta bar experience a trademark element for the evening! 

 

We out a dished a few rounds of IN or OUT per Bella's opinion on bridal trends. 

Non-white wedding dresses? Out. But white with a pop of color is definitely in.

Mini wedding dresses? In, for those brides that fit the vibe. 

Bridesmaids? Out.

Themed dress codes? Specific themes like midsummer or camp, in. It's important to know your audience. 

Friends wearing white on your bachelorette? Out, that should never be done. But if everyone wears white with the bride included, then that's allowed. 

First looks? In. But her fiancé thinks it's out, he's more traditional. 

Personal vows? In. But Bella is a professional writer and a major crier. so she will probably will do them but share them privately. 

Matching bridesmaid dresses? Out.

Kids at weddings? Out. With the flower girl being the exception, she'll be paid in cupcakes and asked to clock out early. 

Sweetheart tables? In. 

Wedding cake toppers?  In, in a chic, vintage way like those old school figurines.

 

What is the wedding dress vision for Bella? Any dresses she has looked at so far? 

Bella will be waiting until October to attend Bridal Fashion Week to get her inspiration and her preferences down. A big dress is what she's leaning towards, it's a special and one-in-a-lifetime chance to wear a big gown. 

She will probably do a maximum of 3 bridal looks or switch her bridal accessories to create distinct looks without needing to change the dress. 

 

Being in the fashion industry and a bride-to-be, does Bella feel any pressure around creating content revolving around her wedding planning process?

People love to find creators that take others into their wedding planning process, however, Bella doesn't feel compelled to be adamant about producing extra content around those details. "No one cares about your wedding as much as you do about your own", Bella will bring others along but is not looking to monetize off of her special occasion at all. 

 

We wish Bella a peaceful and joyful wedding planning process and fun wedding day! Thank you Bella Gerard for joining us for this episode!