inspiration for an elegant black, white and pink wedding

This winter's record cold temperatures and days of being perpetually stuck inside have me dreaming of an elegant spring wedding.  This year, I think spring's first blooms are calling for a black-tie event.

Dove and Sparrow via Style Me Pretty

Isn't this Vera Wang gown gorgeous?  I love how ethereal the layers of tulle look.  The black ribbon sash is an unexpected dash of chic, and it would be easy to achieve a similar look.  I think that a velvet sash would look especially luxe.

Save the Dave by Idea Chic on Etsy

Once Wed via Easton Events

The polka dots on the groomsmen's ties are such a fun touch of whimsy.

 

Jose Villa via Elizabeth Anne Designs | Vintage Invitation by Crafty Pie Press

Winter Style: Classy in Cranberry

Shades of deep red and cranberry have had amazing staying power over the past few falls and winters.  It's no wonder - these colors are universally flattering no matter your skin or haircolor, and a deep red men's sweater is just as luxe as a woman's oxblood gloves.  Here are a few items I'm craving to round out my closet before winter says goodbye, as well as some inspiration from style bloggers and celebrities.

Disclaimer: ModCloth links contain an affiliate code.

View this set on Polyvore

1. Tinley Road vest from Piperlime  2. Charming Charlie belt set
3. Trumpet skirt from The Limited 4. J. Crew Factory statement necklace
5. Merona gloves from Target  6. ModCloth beanie
7. Essie "Skirting the Issue" nail polish  8. Tinley Road dress from Piperlime

Deep shades of dark red - burgundy, oxblood, cranberry, call it what you will - have been really popular choices for some of my favorite style bloggers this past autumn and throughout this winter:

Blair Eadie from Atlantic Pacific | Helena from Brooklyn Blonde

I'd never have thought of pairing burgundy and camouflage but after seeing Blair's outfit it's on my to-do list.  I'm also drooling over Helena's scarf and worried about how cold her ankles must be if it's cold enough to be so bundled up.

Caylee Marie on Teen Vogue

I love the colors in Caylee Marie's outfit and I think it would be easy to use a similar palette for a work-appropriate outfit by swapping her oversized jacket for a gray blazer or cardigan and wearing trouser-style pants instead of skinnies.

Taylor Swift from E! Online | Miranda Kerr from My Awesome Outfits

clicks of note: tell the world that we finally got it all right...

get your week off to a colorful start...

LISTEN.

• Sara Bareilles' album The Blessed Unrest is so, so wonderful, and it looks like "I Choose You" is going to be the next single to hit the radio waves.  Catchy love songs are what I'm all about right now as I go on my January house cleaning and organizing spree!  I'm linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

100 Layer Cake

• This DIY floral heart from 100 Layer Cake is so lovely.
• The prettiest vintage-inspired hairstyle over at Emmaline Bride.
• Style Me Pretty features a breathtaking destination wedding in Bali.
• Wedding Chicks features Leanne Marshall's beautiful wedding gowns.

SMILE.

• Chelsey from West Coast Capri shares pretty ways to refresh your home.
• A Russian farm mom's beautiful pictures of her children and animals.
• In case you've ever wondered what style bloggers are looking at...
• From Buzzfeed: What city should you actually live in? (I got Paris!)

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I shone the spotlight on a few of my favorite Instagrammers, rounded up inspiration for a red amaryllis wedding, and listed my entertainment favorites from the month.

sunday social

Today I'm linking up with Ashley and Neely for a Sunday Social that was quick and easy to complete, which is perfect for me this weekend!  I'll be away from the computer for most of the day celebrating my friend K's marriage to a man who treats her like a queen and adores her daughter... I am so excited for their new family.  I'll try to snap a few Instagram photos during the day if you want to follow along :)

K and I at my wedding (her daughter was our flower girl)

1. Top 3 favorite kinds of food

• Chocolate desserts
• Asian food - Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean... so yummy!
• Pasta of pretty much any kind but ideally with tomato sauce

2. First 3 things you do in the morning

• Shower
• Drink coffee and eat breakfast (usually oatmeal)
• Check Facebook (whose birthday is it again?) and e-mail (so I don't get blindsided by any surprises at work)

3. Last 3 things you do at night

• Check phone for messages/Instagram updates/Snapchats
• Drink chamomile tea
• Brush/floss my teeth and wash my face

4. 3 TV shows you NEVER miss

• Sleepy Hollow
• New Girl
• The Mindy Project

5. 3 places you want to visit

• Paris
• London (we are planning a trip there for my 30th birthday)
• New York City

6. 3 people you can always count on

• Mr. Q
• My mom
• My BFF Breeze

sunday simplicity: only love.

La Mariee en Colere via The Bride's Cafe

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

goal setting: what didn't work in 2013

I wrote a little bit at the beginning of the month about how Lara Casey's goal setting series is helping me plan for the new year.  Today, I wanted to come clean about what didn't work for me in 2013!

What didn't work in 2013:

• Health wise, I totally failed at keeping a low GI eating plan.  I just took a look at the "avoid" side of the list the nurse practitioner who diagnosed my PCOS gave me, and sure enough I have eaten bananas, potatoes, bread, instant rice, candy, corn chips, Chinese food, and had soda in the past week. 

• I'm also still having minor depressive episodes from time to time and though they are infrequent, I dream of a panic attack free life.  When I am busy and not living in my own head - like at work where there is no time to daydream and I'm accountable to 52 little people - I do not have panic attacks.  I have them at home, usually on the weekends.  When I have too much free time I guess I start overanalyzing myself.

• Taking other people's behavior in my workplace personally.  Slowly but surely, I think I'm learning to take more time to process other people's behavior and realize that if an administrator, coworker, student, or parent is unusually rude to me, it often has absolutely nothing to do with me - something else in their life is causing them to act that way.

• At work, my whole department was basically blindsided by the new state tests.  Now that we know what is being scored, we can change the way we teach to help our students be more prepared.

• Not spending enough time with my mom.  Usually when I find myself getting grumpy or depressed, spending a day with her can make everything better.  She is my best friend and living an hour apart is no excuse for not spending time together in person.

What are you determined to change in 2014?

Beauty: My Favorite 2014 Golden Globes Hair and Makeup

Yesterday I shared my favorite gowns (and two tuxes) from Sunday's Golden Globes. Today, I wanted to feature the ladies whom I think had the best hair and makeup of the night.

Just Jared (1,2)

Machete Kills' Amber Heard is my pick for the best hair and makeup of the night.  She looked flawless with sultry, dramatic Hourglass Cosmetics makeup in a neutral palette with bronze shimmer on her eyes and lips and a tousled updo with a lot of volume.  Her earrings are really interesting, too.

 

Just Jared | Bella Sugar

Two braided hairstyles made waves on the red capet.  Sarah Hyland from Modern Family told E! interviewers her braided crown was inspired by the Valentino runway, and I thought her bold eyebrows and soft Dior makeup looked great.  

Become Gorgeous | Bella Sugar

Amy Adams' hairstyle featured two braids on each side of her part pulled into a bun at the crown of her head.  It looked perfect with her very American Hustle gown.

Gossip Center | Hollywood Life

Julia Roberts' Dolce and Gabbana outfit confused me (I'm still not sure if I love it or hate it), but I thought her sleek updo looked perfect, especially the side-swept bangs - it's a classic, can't-fail style for the red carpet.  Parenthood's Monica Potter's side-swept hairstyle and fresh, natural makeup looked great with her gold dress and chandelier earrings.

Hollywood Life

Giuliana Rancic's bob haistyle proved that it is totally red carpet appropriate.  She looked fantastic in fuchsia and accessorized with a red miniaudiere clutch.

Become Gorgeous

Sofia Vergara wasn't the only star who paired black with Tiffany Blue - Emma Roberts had the same idea!  I love Emma's statement earrings (is it a good or bad thing that they remind me of a J. Crew bubble necklace?), smoky eye, and nude lip.  Her sleek ponytail hairstyle worked really well with all of that drama!  I wrote about how much I loved Sofia's overall look yesterday, and today I'm just going to add that her haircolor looks fantastic.

Hollywood Life | Heavy

Romantic looks really ruled at this year's Globes - Kerry Washington rocked a shimmery platinum smoky eye with beautiful long lashes, bronzed cheeks and caramel lips paired with soft waves.  Tina Fey's opening monologue look featured flushed cheeks, deep rose lipstick and more waves!

Bella Sugar

Emilia Clarke's look was such a departure from her Game of Thrones character that I barely recognized her at first.  She wore her hair in beachy waves and wore soft Chanel makeup in shades of brown and peach, along with a bold manicure (Sally Hansen's Wine Not).

Style: My Favorite 2014 Golden Globes Looks

I love awards show season!  Red carpet glitz and glamour?  Yes please.  And I'll be honest, my favorite part is watching the preshow interviews on E!, then snarking about the actual award show on Twitter.  Like I did last year, I took some notes on the outfits that stood out to me during the show, and then tried to spot some potential trends.  Here's what stood out to me.

Moviefone | Hawt Celebs

When I watch red carpet shows, I tend to pick my favorites in terms of what I'd want to wear if I was a celebrity, and this year I was surprised to find myself head-over-heels for what the entertainment television personalities were wearing instead of the movie stars!  TV Guide's Carly Steel had my favorite gown of the night: the white dress is by Sherri Hill and featured a sparkly lace neckline that seemed very old-world elegant, Dao Fournier jewelry, an Aruna Seth bag and a beautiful updo to match.  Here she is on the E! 360 "Glam Cam."   The style of Carly's dress is similar to the gown Michelle Dockery wore to last year's Globes, but done in a softer, more romantic style.  Good Morning America television correspondent Rachel Smith wore a similar style (also Sherri Hill... looks like I've found a new favorite designer!) in pink with lilac beading that seemed fit for a princess and Tacori amethyst earrings. 

Forbes | E! Online

Black lace was a popular theme on the red carpet on Sunday.  Cate Blanchett was one of the absolute best dressed women of the night in a lace Armani Prive gown paired with simple, vintage-inspired hair, makeup and jewelry.  Here's the 360 degree view - it's backless!  Leslie Mann's dress picks up on two trends that were big in 2013: the mermaid/fishtail hem and a peplum waist.  The lace detail at the neckline is so pretty and the Dolce & Gabbana dress looked great on her!

I was so excited when it was announced that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would be hosting the Golden Globes for the second year in a row.  These ladies are two of my idols, even moreso since I just finished reading Tina's book Bossypants.  Tina looked absolutely amazing in her three Golden Globes gowns, all in beautiful shades of red, from a fun pattern by Carolina Herrera and princess hairstyle for the red carpet, to a plunging beaded neckline and soft waves for the opening monologue, and finishing the night with a strapless sheath and an updo.  Wahoowa, Tina.

JustJared (1, 2)

Us Magazine

One of my favorite looks of the night was the colorblocked black-and-red Carolina Herrera gown Taylor Swift was rocking.  The sweetheart neckline and full skirt gave the dress a very classic shape while the colorblock gave it a modern touch.  Her faux bob hairstyle was a perfect complement to the feminine dress.

I think my favorite moment of the entire night was Jennifer Lawrence photobombing Taylor Swift during her interview with Ryan Seacrest, awkwardly joking that she was going to push Taylor down the stairs, which then turned into a conversation about the epic text messages Jennifer and Taylor send and their mutual admiration for one another's work.  During the awards, I couldn't help but wondering what they were texting each other.  Were they Snapchatting from their seats?  I hope so.

Instagram

E! Online

Also completely stunning in red was Lupita Nyong'o, who played Patsey in Twelve Years a Slave.  Her sheath dress with attached cape was by Ralph Lauren and was very dramatic on the red carpet!  I like that she kept the rest of her look very simple.  Here's the 360 degree view so you can really experience the glory of the cape (and fun confetti!)

Fantabulously Frugal New York |  E! Online

Another trend I noticed was texture.  The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies (she'll always be Nurse Carol Hathaway to me, though) looked absolutely stunning in a black Andrew Gn gown with gold coral trim. Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery looked lovely in a strapless gray Oscar de la Renta gown with an intricate gold design, full skirt, and interesting hemline.

InStyle | Hollywood Life

Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke wore a sculptural Proenza Schouler gown with a dramatic black and white guipure lace pattern.  The 360 degree view from E! shows that in the back, there is a peplum effect at the waistline.  I thought that Entertainment Tonight television personality Rocsi Diaz's dress was really elegant.  The high neckline is appropriate for a winter event, the striped pattern is beautiful, and the soft color palette looked great with her skintone.

Perez Hilton |  Miami Herald

Miami Herald

If there was a "she knows what works for her body" award, it would go to Sofia Vergara with Melissa Rauch from The Big Bang Theory in a close second and an honorable mention for Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Melissa Fumero.  Sofia is well-known for her voluptuous figure, and I loved her Zac Possen gown's voluminous skirt and the Tiffany blue colored necklace she wore. A statement necklace was a great choice for her and I thought the blue and black looked really fresh together.  I love the bright yellow Melissa Rauch is wearing and I think we'll see more of it this spring since Freesia is one of Pantone's color report choices for the season.  She wore a similar silhouette in red last year, and a sweetheart neckline and trumpet skirt really do show off her curves beautifully.  Melissa Fumero's beaded sheath really shows off what great shape she is in, highlighting her toned arms.  I'll go do some push-ups now.

Talking Pretty | JustJared

Usher and Bradley Cooper were my picks for the best-dressed men at the Golden Globes.  I loved the burgundy/plum color of Usher's suit, and Bradley Cooper's tux was classic and perfect.  Plus they both seem to have stopped aging several years ago.

Who were your picks for best (and worst) dressed at the Globes?