Heading to the Beach....

Here I am, near the Eastern Shore of Maryland. If someone was having an outdoor wedding here...the words "crab fest" come to mind! Would something with a beachy theme work? Sure...why not!? I found these fun beachy items that would be perfect for a destination werdding too!!

From Etsy Seller Beach Grass Cottage Shop - $75.00

Wedding Star Cake Picks! Love these from Magartsypartycrafts! You get 10 for $30.00

And finally...the best for last! I love these urchin place card holders! You get 10 for $15!

DAVID MEISTER GOES BRIDAL

 Grand entrance dressing has been David Meister's claim to fame in fashion. June 22 he launched David Meister Bridal . Considered a luxe line, it was inspired by the red carpet creations David has made for celebrities. David's designs are legendary--worn by socialites and celebs, his is the stuff of opening night galas and award ceremonies. The bridal line is all about using the drama of modern silhouettes, beautiful fabrics and exquisite detailing. “Walking down the aisle is the biggest red carpet moment of a woman’s life,” says David Meister. “She should not only feel beautiful and glamorous but also confident and comfortable in what she is wearing on her special day. My wedding gowns will be timeless and elegant.”

Pictured here are three of 12 styles from the collection; prices range from $1,500 to $3,500.

David Meister

HEAD CHIC

Nina Pak

Stephen Thorne

Like these images? Thought you might. While I don't expect you to actually go this far when topping off your bridal look, these creations by some of the world's top photographers, hairstylists, designers and makeup artists may just throw a little inspiration your way . . . .

Black Lotus Clothing

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Reminder: Bridal Gown Giveaway

Before signing off for the night, I wanted to remind my readers about the Bridal Gown Giveaway over on Bonny Bridal Blog! I totally meant to mention this over the weekend but the time slipped away from me! You only have 2 more days to enter! I would love to have one of my blog readers win a free wedding gown! I blogged about this in the beginning of the month and I picked out some of my favorites from the Bonny Collection:

The Tiny Kitchen - Baltimore

On our 1st morning in Baltimore, I got an email that featured The Tiny Kitchen, a small bakery in Baltimore (a serious coincidence!). I was infatuated with the Lavender Layer Cake with Lemon Cream that I saw in the picture! I read about them and thought it was meant to be that I blogged about them. I contacted the owner, Michele, to let her know that I mentioned her and she generously offered to stop by on her way to make a delivery and bring us a sample (lucky us!). We have 3 little ones here and 3 adults...who can pass up cupcakes?! No one in this house! Michele stopped by with her adorable son, Simon, who my daughter was totally in awe of (she is 3!). Michele brought us 8 cupcakes: 2 coconut, 2 carrot cake, 2 chocolate and 2 lavender (score!). I was really interested in trying the fresh lavender! 

Michele is super nice! Delivering these delicious yummies was a treat for all of us! The girls could hardly wait for us to slice them up! We had to try a bite of each. My favorite was (surprisingly) the coconut! The frosting was so incredible and too amazing for me not to pick it as my favorite! Don't get me wrong - I loved all of them and I am a die hard chocolate fan! The ganache frosting was melt-in-your-mouth! The lavender did not disappoint - it was so unique and I would order an entire cake made from the lavender if I had a special occasion! It's a very light lavender flavor and would be a huge hit for its originality! Michele told us she uses local, organic ingredients whenever possible - and you can tell the difference! You can taste the fresh cream! I am so sad that delivery or pick up is only available here, in the Baltimore area, because I can assure you if Michele was in So Calif - she would be getting my orders for special occasions and/or birthdays! My friend, who we are visiting, is already working on an order of cupcakes. We have decided we must try: The Caramel Apple, The Carlini (coconut cake filled with mocha buttercream - gasp!) and the Mocha cake with coffee buttercream frosting. Thank you again, Michele. You were a hit with everyone here in our house and I look forward to seeing you and The Tiny Kitchen prosper! This is something you are obviously meant to do...and you do it well!! xoxo.

WHAT'S NEW IN THE GOWN GALLERY?

Would you wear wool on your wedding day? In summer? Meet 'Priscilla' the first wool crepe gown to make it into the collection. Whenever we think wool, winter wardrobes usually come to mind. Light weight wool crepes and jerseys are actually great fabrics thru spring and summer as long as the silhouettes lend themselves well to drapey fabrics and bare arms and back. And don’t worry, wool breathes well as long as it’s lined in lightweight fabric like China silk . Accessorized, ‘The Priscilla Gown’ goes great with last season’s Christian Loubotin’s peach floral sandals but any silver or gold delicate, strappy sandal will look awesome. I see the necklace and earrings worn as a pearl and white stone combo shown above.

The original inspiration for this gown came from the 1944 Noir Classic, Laura. Although Hollywood designer, Cashin’s gown for Gene Tierney was front loaded with intricate draping and gathers, my design above has a row of gentle pleating instead.

NOIR: A STUDY OF BLACK AND WHITE IN COLOR

Black, white and shades of gray in color offer a mood of precise and clean lines perfect for deco and vintage wedding themes.  Thanks to Tiatrate over at SMP for inspiring us with this beautiful array of haute chic . . .

THE ECHOING GREEN

The sun does arise,

And make happy the skies;

The merry bells ring

To welcome the spring;

The skylark and thrush,

The birds of the bush,

Sing louder around

To the bell's cheerful sound,

While our sports shall be seen

On the Echoing Green.

--The Echoing Green--



William Blake
 
Thank you Fleur over at SMP for this beautiful mid-June inspiration in shades of green.

Cupcake Wrappers

Found a great new site I wanted to share with everyone! Paper Orchid has several items for weddings - their specialty is laser cut "cool stuff"! Their description is pretty accurate because I thought their cupcake wrappers were pretty cool, especially the Blossom monogrammed cupcake wrapper!

Their prices are $25 for 25 wrappers for standard size cupcakes (they also offer mini wrappers or jumbo wrappers on some)! Some of the wrappers, like the Perfect Pair Cupcake Wrapper, come in a variety of colors - that is a nice option!

HAT BRIDES

Amedeus

You'll find most hats these days borrowing from vintage looks.  Why?  I have a theory:  We haven't had a real evolution in hat fashion that ran parallel with the trends simply because hats are not a mandatory fashion piece anymore.  Nevertheless, many brides are hat happy and looking at this option when it comes to topping off their look.

 

Hat: Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal/Photo by Ron Greystar Photography

Above and below are two versions of picture hats, the most classic in head wear for daytime formals. Wide brimmed and typically constructed out of straw or horsehair, they are sometimes swathed in netting and organza. Whatever look you want to create with this style, here are some things to consider when wearing it. Go ahead and put on your picture hat for the ceremony. Just do yourself a favor at the reception and take it off when you’re receiving guests. Unless your hat is made out of that bendy sort of horsehair with lots of give, when you reach out to hug and kiss people the hat will either fall off or scrape someone. Picture hats go great with most silhouettes, especially ball gowns. The wide brim balances the volume in the skirt.

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Boring Sidney

Cocktail Hats like the one above include toques, pancakes and beanies to name just a few. Small and brimless, these hats sit tilted or perched atop the head, usually accented with flowers or a spray of long feathers; a cover of net or nose veil typically wraps all or part of the face. To add a touch of fun to a simple gown, cover a cocktail hat fully in marabou or ostrich feathers. All cocktail hats look great with up swept hair and most silhouettes. Ideal as a headpiece attached to any length veil

Pictured above is the cloche, a close fitting helmet-like hat worn low on the forehead with or without a brim. All the rage in the 1920s. Today’s versions are mostly felt and straw, complimenting vintage dresses and suits. Look best worn with a bob or other short hairstyles.

Silent Shudder Photography

Top Hat or Derby anyone? Why not? If a man in a tux can wear one so can a bride in a gown.  We're seeing some minature versions lately that sit perched on the side of the head like the one above . . .

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SAMPLE SALES

Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal

There's a whole slew of scenerios for buying a sample gown:  Suppose your wedding is next month and you need that gown now? Or suppose you love the sample but it's just been discontinued? Or else you love the sample but can't afford to special order it? You do realize next season a whole new stock will be arriving? This means your salon needs to get the old out of the way. And all those gowns with full skirts just hanging there take up space, or haven't you noticed? While sizes are limited and samples mostly run sizes 6-8-10, the good news is, sample markdowns usually go half off, sometimes less. Some salons have sample sales they advertise a couple times a year while others offer marked down stock continually. Absolutely love that gown you just tried on? Offer to buy it. Yes, that same gown. Ordinarily samples are not for sale but this may be the time they're moving in all those spring confections, especially if it is in less than perfect shape, which, more than a few samples tend to be.

Now, a word about wear and tear: Before you start bargaining, check out how much or how little that soon-to-be-yours gown has been tried on by others. This means really looking at it inside as well as out. Is it ripped, stained, the hem soiled and need cleaning? While most samples have never left the shop, tthink of them as used gowns considering how many bodies have been in and out of them.   The overall condition of most samples has a lot to do with how the salon takes care of their stock. Still, figure on dry cleaning whether the gown looks like it needs it or not. After a good clean and press it will seem revived both inside and out and take on a new life of its own. So the question is, who pays the cleaning bill? In some cases, the more service oriented the establishment, the more accommodating they'll be. As for alterations, you might save them for when and if you have your gown customized. If you are customizing, any nipping in of the waist or shortening of the hemline might have to wait anyway.

It's June Giveaway Time!

After blogging about the Banners and Bags from Funkyshique, I had a conversation with the store owner, Amanda, who generously offered a set of Gifty Bags for one of my blog readers! I decided to throw in a banner too - because I think they are so adorable! So here is the deal - this is a QUICK GIVEAWAY! A winner will be chosen on 06/30/2010....

THREE WAYS TO ENTER:

• You must choose to follow my blog PUBLICALLY! Visit Etsy seller Funkyshique and tell me what your favorite banner or gifty bag is
• For a SECOND entry blog about this contest and leave an ADDITIONAL comment to let me know you did that with a link to the post (I will check!)
• For a THIRD entry twitter about this contest and leave an ADDITIONAL comment to let me know you did that with a link to the post! You can find my twitter page here

BONUS ENTRY: Grab my Blog Button and add it to your page (leave an additional post with link to let me know you did this!) and get a bonus entry!

You have the opportunity to get 4 entries into this contest if you want to win! Yay!

This giveaway will end on: June 30th at 5pm EST and the winner will be posted shortly there after!


What you win: 1 lucky winner will receive a banner of their choice and 4 gifty bags from Funkyshique

Value of giveaway (including shipping to winner): Varies - based on banner selected!


This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY!

ROYAL WEDDINGS: CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA WEDS

If you haven't heard of Swedish designer Par Engsheden you will now.  In one of the purest, most elegant  gowns ever designed, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden married her once-upon-a-time personal trainer Daniel Westling at Storkyrkan Church, the Stockholm Cathedral June 19th.  She went for a custom designed off-the-shoulder in silk.  This simple and chic A-line with a 15 foot train is a but preview of looks to come in bridal fashion as these long silk panels have been making a comeback Mostly in the Italian collections).

The  cameo, pearl and gold tiara she wore was one and the same worn by her mother, Queen Silvia, in 1976 when she married King Carl Gustaf of Sweden.

Crown Princess Victoria on the arm of her father King Carl Gustaf of Sweden

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Victoria and Daniel leave the cathedral under the 'Guard of Honor'

The newly-weds en route to the Royal Barge 'Vasaorden' .

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The wedding party was classic European made up almost entirely of children. Looking like something out of Kate Greenaway, they wore white silk organza dresses with ballet slippers; the pages looking nautical and nice in their blue and white sailor suits.

Victoria and Daniel surveying their Kingdom

 Victoria and Daniel get ready to sail to the palace for the private reception

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What could be more romantic than the bridal waltz?  Check out the uber-glam in the background--guests in long formals and white tie, the epitome of ultra formal . . .

Carved Birch Heart Favors

Came across these custom carved birch heart favors that could also double as place card holders or wine charms. If you used them as place cards I was thinking if they hung from a wooden peg board that could be totally cute or from a tree branch...! Your initials or monogram can be lightly carved into the birch bark heart, which is trimmed with a natural jute twine. The back has a mini chalkboard (love this!) that can be used again and again. These would also make great gift tags. They come with a natural jute cord or satin ribbon tie. 

Birch Heart Place Card Holder