If you're looking for someone to turn to for advice on styling and curation, Rachel Zoe is your best bet. The entrepreneur and founder of The Zoe Report has made a name for herself as an expert tastemaker for all things fashion and design. So, it makes perfect sense that the wedding software company Joy turned to Zoe to create their first ever expert registry curation.
“I have long admired Rachel Zoe as an accomplished designer and entrepreneur, so I was extremely thrilled when she decided to invest in Joy and bring her unmatched eye to help couples planning their wedding,” says Vishal Joshi, co-founder and CEO of Joy. “Rachel is bringing her design collections exclusively to Joy wedding websites, save the dates and invitations, while also helping engaged couples decide what to add to their gift registry through our new Expert Curations. We are excited to be an agent to make her creativity accessible to couples planning their big day.”
"I tried to really curate for every type of couple," Rachel Zoe tells Brides of her registry curation. "I'm actually celebrating my 25th anniversary in a few weeks. I think about how overwhelming the process was—even then. The two of us couldn't deal with anything. The reason I became so intrigued by this was because I was like, 'Where was this when I was getting married?' I think what I was really trying to do was try and create a registry and curation that were both functional and necessary but also still very chic."
In addition to offering her expert design curating skills to Joy, Zoe is also collaborating with the brand to offer one lucky winner a trip to Los Angeles for a one-on-one styling session with her to curate a $10,000 wedding wardrobe.
Ahead, Zoe gives her insights on how she curates a wedding registry and how brides can style a wardrobe of wedding looks on their own.
How to Create a Registry
As Zoe did in her own expert curation, the stylist advises couples to think about choosing beautiful essentials when building their own registry list. "I think a wedding is that time that you get the things that you want, but wouldn't necessarily buy for yourself," she shares. "I also think that we're in such a great time now where the things that have always been historically very unattractive. Eyesores in a room are now really beautiful."
The key to selecting these items is all about balance. "I definitely keep the real investment pieces pretty neutral so you don't get sick of them. I always like to buy a forever item that will withstand trend and time," she shares. "Then, I like to have fun with all the accessories."
This rule of balance not only applies to color but also applies to the prices of what you choose for your registry. "I think people confuse registries with like this sort of dream list. I always like to consider the people buying. I think the rudest thing you could do is only put really expensive items on," says Zoe. "Everyone has different budgets and you really want to make sure that there's less expensive things for people to buy."
She also recommends when choosing items like dishware or linens to put on your registry, try selecting items that are sold in sets or pairs. "I don't love buying one cup and saucer. It seems to me very impersonal," Zoe shares. "There's more meaning in purchasing at least two or four of something."
How to Create a Wedding Wardrobe
When it comes to fashion, Rachel Zoe shares that brides can truly get creative with their wedding attire, especially with the rise of destination wedding weekends with multiple events. "I think it's really become a different kind of experience from the styling angle. It's even that much more creative and fun," she remarks. "I think it's funny because it used to be, ‘Oh, you're only a bride once and you wear your wedding dress. Now, it's literally become like, 'How many opportunities are there to change?'"
Zoe shares that people getting married should not hold themselves to any rules and find looks that feel authentic to themselves. "I don't think there's like a right or wrong anymore. You are your own bride," she says. "I never believed in fashion rules. I believed in expressing yourself. You can have the bride that wears the blush slip dress for the wedding while barefoot, and then you can have the one that wears couture and 20 miles of tulle. Everyone can really feel confident in their sort of bridal personality."
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