Bridesmaid Stuff

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

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:59:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:01:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:25:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:23:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:51:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:47:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:21:00 +0000

- 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.

Oh Martha!

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:09:00 +0000

Winged Placecards
Martha Stewart has some cute spring party ideas that incorporate birds, nests and eggs and could be used at weddings, bridal showers, housewarming parties, or baby showers with a bird/nest theme!

It's All About Birds and Blooms
Tree Guestbook with Nests... a unique take on a popular idea!
Nest Centerpiece
Peony Nest Centerpieces
Bird's Nest Favors with Jordan Almonds... I know, this one's a bit ubiquitous. You can get the nests from Bliss Weddings, and I think I've listed a Jordan Almond vendor at the right.
Winged Favor Pouches... Martha clearly can't get enough of die-cut birds!
Chocolate Cake with Truffle Egg Nest
Nesting Bluebird Cupcakes
Birds' Nest Cookies
State Birds Line Drawings (.pdf file) - Martha uses these for embroidery but the potential uses are endless.
Messenger Bird Thank You Notes

WedSmack has featured a amazingly beautiful bird theme wedding. Hostess with the Mostess has posted about using the idea for a baby shower! Additionally, Aisledash has a gallery of bird-themed ideas... just don't go overboard on the birds or you'll wind up with this:

Celebrity Weddings

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:32:00 +0000

Miss Jasmine at Weddingbee recently posted about her favorite celebrity weddings. Which made me think, I don't have a favorite celebrity wedding! I tried to find one via some of my favorite celebrities...

Jennifer Garner (my high school girlcrush) and Ben Affleck from Rugged Elegance. I love her dress!
Here is a dress with a similar Regency aesthetic by Carolina Herrera.

Tom and Katie from The Sidney Morning Herald. They had fireworks at their wedding!
Here's a hairstyle sort of like Katie's with a beautiful headband by Jennifer Behr.

Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas from Bridalwave and a pretty v-neck dress by Jasmine Bridal.

These are all very nice, but I think my favorite wedding is Christina Aguilera's wedding to Jordan Bratman. She made their day their own in every way-- check out her crazy dress, Great Gatsby style veil, and all the flowers! She has also produced a very sweet video of her song "Save Me From Myself" using video of their big day: watch here at YouTube.
I think Christina would approve of this fascinator by Leah C.:

What's in YOUR Emergency Kit?

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 04:03:00 +0000

Brides, maids, and moms, get your bustled bottoms over to Liene's post Peek Into My Emergency Kit at Blue Orchid Designs' blog.

As a bridesmaid, I've always packed a few extras in addition to the essentials. Before the day is over, someone will need a hair pin, a safety pin, a band-aid, or an asprin. The chocolate bars I bought on the way to S's wedding were a hit with my fellow tired-and-hungry bridesmaids. At M's wedding, one of the other bridesmaids brought body splash in the scent we always used after gym class in high school-- a nice, sentimental touch.

Well, Liene has outdone us all by thinking of things only someone who's looked at weddings from all angles would! For example, she reminds brides to consider the hanger their dress is on: "The hanger is not something that can be fixed easily in photoshop and then that distracting element is included in your wedding album for all of eternity. So, pack a pretty hanger for the day of and make sure all the details in your photos are gorgeous and complement one another." Kelly of Glamour This! suggests adding a pretty padded hanger to bridesmaids' gifts so that they, too, can keep their dresses hanging in style on the big day!

Liene also recommends Gal Pal, little foam pads for removing deodorant from clothing. Thanks, Liene! Blue Orchid Designs blog is a new addition to my RSS reader!

Maybe if I'd had Gal Pal, I could've avoided this moment...

Readers, what essentials are you taking with you on the big day?

Cake Table Idea!

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:43:00 +0000

The "Eat Cake" card from Paper Relics is so cute and quirky, I would frame it and put it on my cake table / dessert buffet!

Dessy Group Offers Gift Box!

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:23:00 +0000

The Dessy Group (which includes popular bridesmaids' designers Alfred Sung and After Six) is offering a gift box to celebrate the 2008 launch of their new website, Dessy.com. It sounds like a great offer for brides at the pretty affordable price of $20.00 - it includes a photo box, their booklet, a pair of pearl earrings valued at $30.00 AND a discount code for 1/2 off each pair of earrings for your entire bridal party, 10% off their wedding party flip-flops, 20% off pure silk ties for the groom and his party, and a free digital camera rental.

Check it out at:

http://www.dessy.com/giftbox

Winter Wedding Jewels for the Hair

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:12:00 +0000

I think winter weddings should include lots of diamonds... including some jewels that resemble snowflakes! These spiral hair twists are made in silver with lots of Swarovski rhinestones and are under $20 at Veilshop.com.

Bluefly Dresses

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 21:16:00 +0000

Cynthia Vincent
by Elle Tahari
by AdamPlusEve

Online retailer Bluefly has some designer dresses that would be great for all those events that bridesmaids and brides have to attend pre-wedding: bachelorette nights, showers, and rehearsal dinners. Some of their dresses would even be great for the most important girls in the wedding, the bridesmaids:

by ABS
by Vera Wang
by Vera Wang
by Vera Wang

Oh, the Knot~!

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:37:00 +0000

I think I have a new favorite Knottie Wedding Bio and Planning Bio: MrsHoos0606. Her wedding was here at the UVA Chapel with a reception at the Farmington Country Club. I recently attended Carolyn and Joe's wedding in the Chapel and I have to say it is such a beautiful place to be joined in marriage. Wonder if my Hokie would ever go for it? I also ADORE Mrs.Hoo's choice of white roses and blue hydrangeas as the wedding flowers and color motif.

Website Roundup!

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:57:00 +0000

Strangest Wedding Tie-In:
Brides Decide, created by the Knot, states that "When it comes to electing the 44th president, it's savvy women like us who are going to make history. That's why we created BridesDecide.com, a front-row ticket to the 2008 presidential election. Get informed, have your opinion heard, and check out the candidates' real wedding photos (we couldn't resist!)." Being able to compare the candidates' views side-by-side is very helpful, but I don't know if politics is the first thing on a bride's mind.

Helpful for Brides:

Guide to bouquet size at the Knot. http://www.theknot.com/ch_article.html?Object=A60822101206&keywordID=150&keywordType=2&parentID=527

Bridesmaid's Dresses!

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:26:00 +0000

Get excited:

My Dress for S's Wedding:

From David's Bridal

My Dress for M's Wedding:

By Christina Wu, from Celebration Bridal

Wedding Planning on a Budget Article

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:02:00 +0000

Make Your Tight Wedding Budget Your Greatest Asset!

-by Tim and Lisa Spooner
Authors of Wedding Planning on a Budget
__________________________________________________

Tight wedding budget got you down? We know what you mean! As planners of our own beautiful wedding on a budget of just $2,000, we understand the challenges you are facing. Planning a wedding on a tight budget need not tie your stomach up in knots. In fact, your tight budget can make your wedding truly remarkable!...

In this article, we look at several of the great assets your tight budget can give your wedding planning. Right at the top of the list we find the value of increased creativity that comes with your tight budget. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. The needy wedding planner discovers her inventive, creative wedding planning skills. Your wedding will not turn out like another "cookie cutter" wedding. Instead, your budget will force you to think outside of the airtight box that suffocates most weddings. So go ahead and let those creative juices flow! Instead of planning an ordinary wedding, plan an extraordinary wedding!...

As a wedding planner on a strict budget, you will have good reason to rely on your family and friends for support. Instead of simply plopping down a chunk of change and letting the professionals handle everything for you, you will benefit from working with your family and friends to bring your wedding dreams into reality. Every wedding event requires a community for its success. Your budget will help you keep your community involved all the way through the planning process to your wedding day! With your friends and family involved in your wedding planning, you will find your wedding to be extra special to you and your community. Since you cannot afford the fees charged by the professionals, you carefully plan your event to reflect your personality and keep your family involved. You also put lots of your own creativity into the wedding. Your creativity, personality, and community all infuse themselves into your wedding planning and two more advantages emerge from your tight budget...

A sense of ownership pervades your planning experience. Your wedding really feels like your wedding to you since you created it and poured yourself into it. Your sense of ownership will in turn produce a great sense of satisfaction in you as you realize that you created a great master piece - your wedding day. In the end, your budget can help produce for your wedding these five assets: creativity, personality, community, ownership, and satisfaction. By focusing on these five positives, your budget will take its place among your most powerful wedding planning aids. You must live with your budget limitations anyway - Why fight it? Let your budget work for you!
__________________________________________________
Show Your Budget Who Is In Charge!
Visit Today -> www.weddingplanningonabudget.com

Crate & Barrel

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 04:17:00 +0000

Fabulous and inexpensive lovely things...

under $5.00:

This glass basket is so beautiful and simple I might buy myself a few just to have! Great for Easter, for putting candy in, for putting flowers in, etc.

under $10.00:

There is something so elegantly zen about white pebbles in a glass container.

under $20.00:

Cube vases are all the rage for good reason. They are so pretty in groups or in a line.

Smith and Hawken

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 19:02:00 +0000

Smith and Hawken is having their Spring Sale right now, including the following decor items:

Tulip Candleholders - 11.99

Crystal Orb Garland - 11.99

Vanilla Wineglass Candle Sets

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 20:43:00 +0000

While getting my Target on this Spring Break, I walked down my favorite aisle (candles) and saw...

votive candles in little wine glasses! A set of 12 is 14.99 and can be found here. Very cute, very wedding-ish.

They also had some really lovely Simply Shabby Chic stationery, but I can't find any of it on their site... if you're headed to Taget this week, check it out!

Wilton Cake Toppers @ Michaels

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 23:33:00 +0000

If you've looked at the menu bar on the right at all, you probably get that I adore Michaels Arts & Crafts. I was there today shopping for supplies for my honey's belated Valentine's gift and accidentally-on-purpose wandered down the wedding aisle (I was looking for ribbon, I swear!)

Anyway... they have some very cute Wilton toppers there that are a lot more affordable than some of the fancy-shmancy ones on wedding websites. These aren't up on the Michaels web site, and they're listed as sold out on the Wilton page.

My two favorites: adorable traditional couple, modern rhinestone daisies (much cuter in person):

&

Michaels is also offering an upcoming class through Wilton covering techniques with fondant and gumpaste.

MAC Bridal Collection

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:48:00 +0000

While we're on the subject of beauty (see last post on OPI nail polish), here is a link to the MAC Bridal Collection, featuring makeup looks that are appropriate for a range of wedding styles. My favorite is "Emily."

OPI - try on your nail polish!

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 19:58:00 +0000

Opi's Studio lets you virtually try out a manicure prior to going to get your nails done. If you choose "soft shades," many of the colors are clearly designed with weddings in mind, with names like "Catch the Garter" and "Alone at Last" (shown below).

Beautiful Cakes at instyleweddings.com

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 03:45:00 +0000

InStyle Weddings' site features some beautiful designer (and presumably off-the-wall expensive) cakes that can still be used as a source of ideas for brides that live in the real world. This cake made me think of Susie:

Love it!

There are also some great bouquet ideas on the site by Jo Gartin. Since I have been wondering how one handles not having their dad at their wedding, I especially liked this anecdote:

'For actress Molly Shannon, says Gartin, "I used delicate strands of ribbon to attach several small portraits of her late parents to her bouquet of double-faced burgundy peonies. That way, when she walked down the aisle, her parents accompanied her."'