#especially old weddings just the trends the styles the everything AH

[cowardlycowboys]

was always a big Samantha girly because I used to sit and look at her dresses and read the actual facts at the end of her book about the turn of the century and would immediately go to the library at school and find books that had those dress on the covers to look at them

[thefutureduchessmarie]

Top 10 favourite royal wedding dresses

*slides back into the Royal Fandom* I saw these posts going around and couldn’t help but do one myself. Surprisingly it was harder than I thought to find 10 Royal Brides whose dresses I absolutely loved, but here they are:

10. Queen Sonja of Norway

I included Sonja mostly because I felt like I should feature multiple generations, and this style, while not being my personal favorite, was definitely a popular one among Royal brides at that time. And Sonja had by far the best take on the trend. There was something very dainty about it, which balanced the heavy silhouette and fabric quite well, resulting in an overall lovely look. 

9. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge 

I wondered wether or not I should include Kate on my list. Personally, I don’t think this dress really speaks to me. But objectively speaking it’s so well done, fits her so perfectly (which is rare when it comes to Catherine sorry-not-sorry) and it’s such an instant classic, I had to include it. This dress is fit for the future Queen of England, which is probably the best compliment I can bestow upon it. Plus I loved the little detail at the back. 8. Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

If there was one thing Margaret knew how to do, it was how to bring in the glam and the drama. This is the quintessential Princess Look. Big pouffy skirt, huge veil and even bigger tiara. But it was still tastefully done, well balanced and survived the test of time. The only thing I would ditch is the lining on the veil. 

7. Tatiana Casiraghi

The fact that we don’t have proper pictures of this Dress & Cape combo is something I will never get over. But the fact that a few blurry pictures and a sketch are enough to land it on my list, tells you just how much I love it. Absolutely magical winter look 

6. Princess Grace of Monaco

Ah, the classic of the classics! One of the most famous wedding dresses of all time, it served as inspiration to brides all over the world - including other Royal Brides. And it’s not hard to see why. The lace work is stunning, the shape is timeless and the fitting perfect. Grace Kelly was always going to be a beautiful bride, even if she showed up in a towel, but this dress made her an absolute vision.

5. Princess Caroline of Hanover 

Three monegasque brides in a row? Don’t mind if I do. Caroline’s choice was a bit unusual, but such a beautiful one. An absolute boho dream! Every element - dress, embroideries, lace, flowers, headpiece - came together effortlessly, to create one of the most unique Royal Bridal looks I’ve ever seen. It also ended up influencing her daughter’s beautiful wedding dress years laters, which made it even more special

4. Princess Madeleine of Sweden

I have one problem with Made’s dress and that is the fact that the bust didn’t fit perfectly, especially when she moved (big disappointment coming from Valentino). Everything else was absolutely perfect. Like Margaret, Madeleine knows how to look like a Princess! The lace was absolutely stunning, the feminine hemline helped bring the dress and train together and made it lighter, and the combination of the neckline with slightly open back made her look radiant. Pair it with jewelry and tiara hair only accessible to the swedes, and you have a bride to remember.

3. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

And we reach the podium! If Madeleine was every bit the Princess bride, then her sister was Regal. Im not always the biggest fan of Victoria’s style, but everything about her wedding look worked. Her simple yet imposing dress. The way she pulled off the Cameo tiara (a beautiful piece, but by no means an easy one to wear, especially not on your wedding day). The combination of modernity and tradition. Make no mistake - this was the wedding of a Queen. Oh, and her huge smile all through the day didn’t hurt either. 

2. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

Ah, Meghan, where do I even begin? If this was our only change to ever see her in a tiara, then boy, did she make it a memorable one. I feel like the pictures don’t do this dress justice (hence why I used gifs), but she was simply glowing! It fitted her modern, sleek and minimalist style, just as well as the Royal world that she was entering. The simple silhouette looked perfect against the intricate veil and heavier tiara, without ever overwhelming the bride. It was truly Meghan wearing the dress and not the other way around. This is one for the history books 

1. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

The only “bad” thing about this dress is that it’s 19 years old and therefore we don’t have HQ pictures of every single detail. The gown and the veil were so simple, light and ethereal, it feels like they were magically conjured or assembled by birds, like in Cinderella. Everything just flows beautifully down her body and down the aisle. MM has always done things her way - we’re talking about the Future Queen who didn’t wear makeup on her wedding day! - and that’s why her fairytale look is my ultimate winner

Im sure this post comes as a total shock to my football followers, but I had so much fun reminiscing while putting it together. Im happy to realize that my favorite brides were also the happiest, the ones that were truly themselves, the ones who had to fight for their marriages and who seem just as in love today and they did when they wore their dresses. Maybe i have to try and do these things a bit more often 

[digikate813]

My Little Pony Re-Watch: Episode 51 & 52 A Canterlot Wedding

*I’m just going to be up front here. This is the episode, that made me a brony. This is the episode that made me realize how great My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic really was. For a long time, it was my favorite episode. So of course it’s one of the most divisive episodes in the whole series. So we’re going to approach this differently. Rather then go over events individually, I’m going to stick to talking points more in the style of my video reviews. If i didn’t we’d be here all day. So let’s do this.

*A big complaint about this episode is how Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, kind of comes out of nowhere. Maybe it’s just because I grew up with a lot of sitcoms, where siblings kind of appear out of nowhere with no previous establishment, but I just kind of accepted Shining Armor’s existence. Though it would have been fairly easy to introduce him sooner. Between the Grand Galloping Gala and Twilight holding her birthday party in Canterlot, it is weird in hindsight that he was nowhere to be seen during all of that. But again, it doesn’t really bother me.

*And i like the touch that his cutie mark is a shield and his most powerful spell appears to be a protection spell able to encase the entire city of Canterlot. It just adds more to my working theory of how talents and magic work.

*Twilight does have a bit of a right to be mad that she wasn’t told about this wedding until days before it’s supposed to happen. But hey, maybe that message that got burned in “Dragon Quest” was the announcement, idk.

*You want to sum up Pinkie Pie in one moment? The confetti sneeze. That is all

*Another criticism of this episode is the other character that appears out of nowhere, Princess Cadance. Now i don’t think the existence of another alicorn comes completely out of nowhere like many claim. Because there was that illustration in “Hearts and Hooves Day” that shows us other alicorns exist besides Celestia and Luna. And as far as we know, they’re all princesses. So this doesn’t break the lore necessarily, but I will agree that this at least was poorly established.Then again the show was never great at presenting Cadance’s role in the world, as we’ll go more into in the next episode.

*I will admit that her supposed love spell is both underutilized and morally questionable, but that’s not a discussion for this post. I think Silver Quill has covered everything on that topic.

*I used to hate the “Sunshine Sunshine Ladybugs Awake” rhyme and dance, but now that they don’t do it anymore, I feel a bit nostalgic towards it watching this again. Is that weird? It feels weird.

*And personally, I think the mystery behind why Cadance is so different from how Twilight remembers her works. Because while Twilight may know Cadance, we don’t. And therefore we can’t really tell what exactly is wrong even when the show tells us something is off. It’s not obvious what’s going on on your first viewing is what I’m saying. We’re just taking Twilight’s word for it that, if nothing else, Cadance has changed a lot. Being dismissive, insensitive, and hypnotizing her fiance to stop asking questions. But that last one probably isn’t that big a deal.

*The rest of the girls may be a bit too dismissive of Twilight’s feelings on the matter, especially after what they learned in “Lesson Zero” but Twilight does have a tendency to exaggerate and be paranoid. So I do get why they wouldn’t just take her word for it. It’s something that they could easily brush off as Twilight being Twilight and not as a red flag.

*Plus not Cadance is pretty good at being manipulative. Getting rid of her old bridesmaids so the Mane Six could fill in. Such a gesture makes it easier for the girls to get wrapped up in the planning and see Cadance in a better light instead of listening to Twilight. 

*Lyra speaks! That is all, but when a famous background character finally talks, you acknowledge it.

*I love this episode, but Spike playing with the cake toppers constantly is a really lame way to keep him out of the story.

*Twilight confronting Cadance the way she did might seem like a dumb move, and maybe it was. But keep in mind. Twilight has tried alternatives. Her friends wouldn’t listen to her, the princesses are busy guarding the city, and when she tried to talk to her brother about this, she saw Cadance put a spell on him. She’s in crisis mode here, and wants something done to stop her. So she takes action into her own hooves. The only problem with this plan is that Twi doesn’t really have, proof that Cadance is evil. 

*How much this plan backfires is kind of devastating. Even Celestia scolds her for this stunt! By the way the facial expression on Twilight when that happens is one of the saddest faces in the series.

*Then we get a really sad reprise of the previous song, but all anyone cared about was the cute little pointy pony style. It’s crazy how popular this style became! Some fan animation series are made just in this style. It is really cute, I’m just always blown away at just how popular it got, and still is.

*One of the best things to see reactions to in regards to this episode is when not Cadance engulfs Twilight in a ring of fire and sends her to the depth of Hell to cover her tracks! Okay it’s not Hell, but still. It was the best cliffhanger from the show for a while.

*How has the show never used these caves beneath Canterlot since this? I know there’s a line where they say that most ponies forgot these caves even exist, but could you imagine if maybe,  the Diamond Dogs wanted to get down here or something? There’s potential to use these caves again, and I’m shocked the show hasn’t.

*And here’s where we learn what’s going on. That Cadance was replaced by an imposter. Now I knew what was going on because I knew who Queen Chrysalis was. That’s what led me to watching this episode. But the story is clever at revealing this twist. There are hints to fake Cadance’s true identity, but since we don’t know Cadance, we wouldn’t notice things like her magic looks different, unless you were paying very close attention to the flashback.

*Ah, This Day Aria. I’ve said that this is quite possibly the moment that sold me on the show for good. And i stand by that. The Disney Renaissance vibes you get from this gorgeous duet are powerful. Between the villain celebrating maniacally and the hero racing desperately, it creates tension and an amazing contrast, performed by the same voice actress. There’s even this clever bit in the melody of contrasting between an Authentic Cadance and a Deceptive Cadance. Everything about this song is marvelous! It’s a beautiful moment to watch play out, and a great way for us to see what the real Cadance is like. I love everything about it!! Obviously.

*I don’t think the way Twilight and Cadance escaped the hypnotized bridesmaids should be as funny as it is, but it is. It’s so funny.

*Queen Chrysalis’ reveal is epic! Her design is incredible and eye catching, her voice s sinister and distinct (I really miss that modulation though), and the introduction of Changelings into this world is such a great concept! The only part that’s kind of weird is that they never say Chrysalis’ name in the episode itself.

*Celestia finally gets to do something and fights back! Only to be immediately defeated. This is one of the most controversial scenes in the episode and i get why, but as far as the moment itself goes, I don’t really feel the same way. In the moment it’s a way to show just how much of a threat Chrysalis is while giving Celestia some agency. For the sake of tension, it works. No what bothers me is the larger trend this started of Celestia getting her flank whooped whenever possible. 

*And I get why Chrysalis was surprised it worked. She would have had to take on Celestia eventually, but she might have figured she’d have her army with her by that point. So being able to get the job done herself gives her more of an ego boost in this grand plan.

*And do I even need to comment of the Mane Six battling the changelings? It’s AWESOME! The combat is exciting, there are a lot of funny moments, and between the return of the Party Cannon and using Twilight as a weapon of mass destruction, Pinkie is a master on the battlefield.

*This episode is also unique by being the first two part episode where the major threat isn’t defeated using the Elements of Harmony. Giving a great twist on expectations that I think gets taken for granted.

*Another major point of contempt with this episode is that Chrysalis just stands there and lets her enemies plot to defeat her. And I get that too. I do, but to me it’s not, completely unjustified. After all, Chrysalis’ plan has gone without a hitch. She’s managed to stop anyone in her way at every turn. Now that she’s taken away all major power, why should it be any different now? She’s deluded by her success and doesn’t see a way she can be stopped.

*The only way she is defeated is by something she wouldn’t expect. True and pure love. The changelings manipulate others to gain power from their love of the person they’re impersonating, and Shining Armor was their latest victim. Not believing his own sister because he’s literally being controlled by someone who says they love him. And it’s not Twilight or any of her friends who break that curse, but Cadance. The one who truly loves him. Simply by being there and expressing how much she cares about him. Add to the fact that Cadance’s magic centers around love, something Chrysalis might not have known, and you get an even bigger power boost. It’s pretty cool when you see it at first  and beautiful when you think about it any deeper. 

*Plus I love cheesy stories where love and friendship and bonds that make us stronger save the day. It’s really my jam and why i stick with the show. And this is one of the best demonstrations of it’s power.

*And the fun little trope twist of the princess saving the knight in shining armor. And then it’s both of them together that stops the villain.

*I know everyone’s made this joke, but because one of my most well know loves is Pokemon “Looks like Team Rocket’s Blasting Off Again!!”

*Hey Twilight and Shining Armor’s parents are back! And they still don’t get any lines. Hooray!

*Props to Dashie for pulling off a Sonic Rainboom so flawlessly!

*Luna?! Where the hay have you been??!! Okay this is another complaint about the episode but this time I have to agree. Where were you??? The only props I’ll give here is that at least they acknowledged she exists. Unlike Return of Harmony.

*I personally think Twilight should’ve gotten more of an apology from her friends, but at least the message still comes across. Not only is there the power of love in it’s toxicity and purity, but also Twilight journey to persist even in the face of doubt. If something seems suspicious to you, especially when it effects the ones you love, pursue it. Investigate and see what you can do to help. And it’s because of Twilight’s actions that she’s able to reunite her brother with someone who genuinely loves him. You might not be able to save someone you love from someone who is just using them on your own, but you can do your best to find someone who can help them. Twilight may not have technically saved the day this time, but she played a very important part.

*Ending with a fun reception with a really catchy song and the reveal that Vinyl Scratch’s eyes are magenta and not red. Breaking the hearts of fan artists the world over... And isn’t that what we should really take away from this episode?

Screw the haters. This episode is amazing! I should really do a full video on this one because I truly love this episode. If anything, the criticisms has made me realize in other ways why I love it so much, and why it sealed the deal for me on this whole magical pony thing. So I suppose I should be grateful for that. There were a lot of other things I could have mentioned, but again, these are just supposed to be short thoughts. Like I’ve said, this is the episode that made me understand why so many people loved this show for little girls, and i will always be grateful for that. Next Time: The Crystal Empire!