Want a TOTALLY One-Of-A-Kind Tiara?

So, a lot of brides wear tiaras on "the big day." From January 1-31, brides, and anyone else, have the opportunity to bid on creative tiaras decorated by celebrities, authors, and designers to celebrate the publication of FOREVER PRINCESS, the tenth and final book in the Princess Diaries series by best-selling author Meg Cabot. All proceeds from the auction will go to benefit essential teen programs at The New York Public Library's 87 branches.


While the website says, "they're better off being proudly displayed on a shelf, never worn," I can't help but think that Vera Wang's design will be best put to use by a BRIDE! Look at that black diamond!


Check out this dangerously awesome headpiece designed by Tommy Hilfiger.


In case any of you are filthy rich, the auction is here

Winter Weddings

While many brides fantasize about a spring wedding, winter also has a lot of beauty to offer for weddings! This image from Elisabeth and Ben's Knot wedding just goes to show that the perfect wedding does not have to include a flowery meadow :) And it takes place in a very winter-appropriate locale- Keystone, Colorado. While many winter weddings incorporate touches of holiday red and green, icy blue and silver, or classic black, I've decided to stick to all-white touches for today's inspiration.



I love Elisabeth's bouquet with feathers added for texture.


Another feathery Knot find, another Colorado wedding! This is Sarah's hairpiece.


Elisabeth's fur-trimmed shoes are my favorite touch. So much attention to wintry detail!


A Fire & Ice Martini would be a great touch at a winter wedding, especially for brides who want to offer their guests alcohol but can't afford an open bar. The Knot has the recipe.


The Bride and Groom Blog offers photography advice specifically for winter weddings. I especially love this linked photo of a Utah bride.

A Plantation Wedding

My college roommate and favorite Spanish teacher is now a married woman!


Señor B is kind of a reserved guy (in large groups of people, anyway), and after a chaste wedding kiss, the pastor urged him to up the PDA factor-- "Kiss her!"


The bridal party look. I loved the seersucker suits. The girls got to pick their own gold shoes and A's were def. the most glam. The magnolia bouquets were a DIY project.


Z was such a beatiful bridsmaid and will be a lovely bride herself this October. All the bridesmaids had matching hairstyles and makeup from the plantation's onsite spa, and gold necklaces from Señora B. Jewelery is definitely one of my favorite bridesmaid gifts because it pulls the look together on the wedding day and can be worn again :)

More pictures to come!

I have a bridesmaid blog?

Ann Taylor's Emma flower girl dress, shown here in Cornflower. I would also like to take this opportunity to say that socks on flower girls are a BAD choice.

So I remembered that I have this blog today :) Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but since I'm not a bridesmaid anymore, I've been taking a break from all the wedding stuff. But TODAY was Victor and Sabrina's wedding on The Young and the Restless (shut up, I love my soaps!) so I was reminded of all the wonderful things weddings entail, like ADORABLE flower girls (more about that later). And tomorrow? Will be all about the weddings again, because my college roomie and fellow teacher-to-be Señora B will be getting married on a plantation in Southside Virginia. JQ and I love Señora B and we've had the opportunity to get to know and love Señor B as well. AND on July 2nd, at approximately 7:30 AM, my future flower girl will be born (my future ring bearer is about a month old right now-- my cousin and my best friend have had great timing with their childbearing!).

I'll post pictures from Senora B's wedding ASAP because it's going to be full of lovely details, like lovely bridesmaids A and Z in espresso dresses, hillarious groomsmen and lots of friends from college in attendance including many of my BFFs, magnolia accents, and JQ in a tux, which is ALWAYS a good thing. My boy likes to look good.

And so this post is not without pictures: LISTEN UP BRIDES: Ann Taylor Celebrations is having a SALE, y'all. Here are my picks:


the Christine Double V-Neck bridesmaids' dress. This color is to die for.


The Karen Strapless bridesmaids' dress in Espresso.


The Kate Crossdye bridesmaids' dress in Dupioni Silk -- again, a fabulous, vibrant color!

Blue and White: Inspiration from Home Decor

My parents' house is very dark. The outside is brown and the inside is... more brown. Wood paneling everywhere, even in my childhood bedroom. When I look through magazines and catalogs, my eyes are drawn to beautiful, airy WHITE spaces and furniture. I especially love white in bedrooms, home office spaces, and kitchens. I think white looks smashing paired with blue... no wonder they are the most popular colors for wedding design in addition to popping up in interior decorating so often!
I can't decide which table I like better, Pottery Barn's Shayne with all it's storage, or Crate and Barrel's Avalon with the great pedestal style:


I love the maps on the wall in the Pottery Barn photo, they remind me of the house we stayed in at the beach last summer.

Also from Crate and Barrel, the Windham collection:


I think one of the reasons blue and white makes me so happy is because it reminds me of my grandmother's blue willow china pattern...

image from I Love Blue Willow.

And, since this is a bridesmaid blog, some blue-and-white Knot picks and bios:
Shannon and Matt
hikkup
sugrfrejaz

Now that we've exhausted blue and white, what's your favorite color to pair with blue?

Dahlia Inspiration Board

I'm always so impressed by the beautiful inspiration boards at Style Me Pretty. I've been noticing a lot of dahlias in graphic and interior design lately (both in magazines like Southern Living and Country Living and in catalogs like PBTeen), and they're one of my favorite flowers, so I decided to try out my inspiration board skills with dahlias as my inspiration. I ended up with a backyard vibe that would work well for a late summer or early fall party or wedding, which is appropriate because that's when dahlias are in bloom and readily available at farmers' markets. The time to plant dahlias is spring, so get going, gardeners!



First row: Centerpiece from the Knot, Bridesmaid cards designed by Oh Joy! for the Dessy Group, bout from Brides magazine, dinner plate dahlias from Country Living
Second row: Chelsea and Dan's wedding photographed by Anna Kruperberg, hairstyle from Country Living, bouquets from the Knot, Mason jar from Amanda and John's wedding at Sundara on the Knot.
Third Row: flower wreath from Brides Magazine, centerpieces from the Knot, lemonade jar from Amazon.

Did you know that dahlias are the national flower of Mexico? Dahlias everywhere would be beautiful if you're incorporating a fiesta atmosphere into your party!

Off-topic: You know you're from Virginia when...

- You measure distance in minutes.

- Speed limits are just suggestions... except in speed traps. And you know the one cop in Boone's Mill.

-You took field trips to the nearest cave, Williamsburg, and Washington D.C. as a kid

- They just tore down the old farm house across the street and put 12 new McMansions in its place.

- If you stay on the same road long enough, it will eventually have three new names.

- When you order "tea" you mean sweet, iced tea.

- You've ever had to switch from heat to air conditioning in the same day.

- You see a car running in a store parking lot no matter what time of year.

- All festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

- You carry jumper cables in your car for your OWN car.

- The local newspapers cover national and international news on one page and have six pages for sports.

- As a child you thought all restaurants had a buffet.

- You have worn Carhartt, blaze orange, and camo.

- You have worn pearls and hair ribbons past the age of twelve.

- It's optional to attend school on the first day of hunting season.

- You know all four seasons: almost summer, summer, deer season, and Christmas.

- "Wally World" has nothing to do with National Lampoon.

I thought my girls would get a kick out of this.