by Hillary
Figgie Shoes almost make me wish I was getting married again just so I could order up a pair of these gorgeous, custom hand-painted shoes.
I think they'd look perfect peeking out from under a wedding dress and are an adorable wedding keepsake.
{Photo credit: michelebowmanweddings.com}
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By Tara
One of my former college roommates was married in Atlanta this past weekend, and as a play on her new last name of Ball (as well as our adopted state of Georgia's 'redneck' reputation), she went with these adorable 'Georgia Waterford' wineglasses as her wedding favors:
And since I have Christmas on the mind, all I can think about are the decorating options for these, because seriously...how cute would these be filled with mini red and silver ornaments? Like say, maybe these from IKEA? Which I just already happen to own? Because I have an obsession when it comes to Christmas decorations, and couldn't pass up buying a couple of boxes of mini ornaments at $2/12?
The glasses can be found on Amazon, EBAY, and all over Etsy, should you be in the market for a set of your own.
{photo credit: me and my trusty phone}
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By Janet
Here's a simple idea that will result in tons of great photos at your next event.
A little bit of rope, a tree branch, and a large frame--a perfect photo opportunity for weddings, birthday parties, family reunions, or just for fun! If the back drop isn't pictureseque, like the one above, hang fabric several feet behind. Then, simply provide a digital camera or some throw-away cameras--or just let people use their smartphones.
{Photo by 1313 Photography}
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By Blythe
Earlier this summer, I threw a bridal shower for a friend. It was such a delight to celebrate her, and I wanted to give her an afternoon of joy and fun. She's not someone who enjoys the limelight, so those goofy games where we would talk about her sex life or dress her up in toilet paper weren't really her style. I did want to include an activity that would keep the guests moving and mingling, and to create something that the bride could take away as a reminder of the day.
Inspired by crafty tutorials like Natalie's Freezer Paper Stencil DIY, I decided to invite the guests to create stenciled dishtowels for our friend. At a craft store, I purchased a set of Martha Stewart adhesive stencils, plus paint, brush sponges, and fabric fixer to make the designs colorfast when washed. I bought plain white flour sack towels at Target.
I set up a stenciling station in my kitchen where a few guests at a time could create towels while everyone else hung out and drank champagne. I pre-mixed the paint with the fabric fixer following the directions on the paint bottles, but you could make the process even easier by purchasing fabric paint.
Stencil art is great for people who don't see themselves as artistic - the blank canvas is much less intimidating when the images and colors are pre-chosen, and everyone gets to create something homemade for the guest of honor. This could be a nice baby shower activity using burp cloths or onesies as a canvas.
After the shower, the towels simply had to be ironed to activate the color fixer and Voila! Useful, personal, and pretty gifts for our bride.
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By Sara
I have this super fashionable friend who has ultra fashionable friends and they should all be writing for this site instead of yours truly. Let's not dwell on that though, shall we? My super fashionable friend has been in wedding after wedding these past few years and has seen her fair share of bridesmaid dresses. From blah to boring to "I'll really never wear this again...ever", she's got a closet FULL of dresses (mine included).
However, this past spring she was in a wedding and when I saw the photos my jaw dropped. The bride was obviously stunning but SO WERE THE BRIDESMAIDS. How often does that happen? See for yourself:
I KNOW. So beautiful, all of them. I inquired about the dresses because I loved that they were all unique and all gold. So glamorous. My dear friend whispered "we used Rent the Runway". Say what now? That is the most brilliant thing I had ever heard. All of those dresses are high end, couture gowns that each woman rented for about $125. Badgley Mischka? CHECK. Nicole Miller? CHECK. Diane von Furstenberg? CHECK. CHECK. CHECK.
The best part is that when you rent a dress through Rent the Runway, you pick the same dress in two sizes so you're assured the right fit. Then you can rent a backup dress for only $25 more just in case the first choice doesn't work out. Or, maybe you have six bridesmaids. Rent three dresses full price and get three backups for only $25 a piece. It really is brilliant, isn't it? Your bridesmaids get to wear gorgeous designer dresses and feel amazing for a day and you get stunning ladies in waiting for your photos.
Magazine worthy, don't you think?
(all images courtesy of the glowing bride, Gwen Adler)
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By Sara
When Style Lush reader, Jessica, wrote in asking for help finding a wedding dress for her late summer nuptials I was excited. But when I finished her email I was FLOORED because not only is Jessica getting married she's ELOPING to PARIS! It's just so incredibly romantic and she deserves a perfect dress for her perfect day.
Here's her email:
My fiance and I recently decided to throw the stress and planning and cost of a big traditional wedding to the wind, and elope in Paris THIS summer! We are thrilled, and cannot wait for our trip. My dilemma is finding the perfect Parisian inspired wardrobe before we leave. We will be headed to Paris in late August, early September so I'd love to have lots of options for exploring the city and a perfect ceremony dress. I love the idea of romantic dresses that you can walk around the city in all day, and then dress up with a few accessories and be ready for night. The ceremony dress is what I'm most excited about--I am not into the traditional dress, and not even tied to the dress being in the white family. I love the 20's style dresses I've seen recently in movies like Midnight in Paris. We currently live in the Chicago suburbs, so have a wide array of shopping at our fingertips, I'm just not sure where to start! Any ideas on stores to hit up would be great, or options that you've seen!
I KNOW. Paris! Summertime! Eloping! Be still my heart. But back to the main question: Jessica needs a ceremony dress and she wants something different, unique, wedding-ish but doesn't scream I JUST GOT MARRIED! This is a tough one because there are so many amazing sources for a beautiful dress. While searching I stayed close to "white" but tried to branch out into short dresses, long dresses, fun dresses, and dresses that could possibly be dyed if she ultimately decides against white. Most of these are available online but I have a few great local sources for her too. Here we go!
Starting with the short dresses:
Tory Burch Berdine Eyelet Dress, $395
Tory Burch Darya Silk Dress, on sale $180
Mark and James by Badgley Mischka Cap Sleeve Dress, $322
Retro Inspired Dress by Sue Wong at EDressMe, $458
Amsale Little White Madge Dress, price available upon request
Alberta Ferretti Bead-embellished tulle and silk, $1880
(Ok, hush, I KNOW it's expensive. But it's gorgeous. And perfect. I had to include it. I HAD TO.)
Penny Cocktail Dress, RSchone at Etsy, $788
BHLDN Spotted Glimmer Dress, $300
BHLDN Beams of Light Dress, $850
(I do believe one of our treasured SL writers, Leah, wore this exact dress for her wedding!
Yes, she did, see?)
Leah and Simon, April 24, 2011, shamelessly "borrowed" from her site here.
And moving onto the long gowns:
Sue Wong Embellished Ruffle Skirt Gown, $518
Theia Embellished Organza Gown, $995
Sue Wong Spaghetti Strap Embroidered Gown, $538
Tadashi Shoji Cap Sleeve Lace Gown, $565
Aidan Mattox Sweetheart Gown and Beaded Cape, $580
BHLDN Niceties Dress in Gray, $350
1930s Asymmetrical Halter Gown, Rschone at Etsy, $1258
1930s Inspired Bias Cut Gown, Rschone at Etsy, $1558
1930s Draped V Neck Art Deco Gown, Rschone at Etsy, $1228
How about a few accessories?
BHLDN Spirit of the Moment Heels, $475
BHLDN Criss Cross T-Straps, $285
The "Jennifer" Headpiece by Alice Padrul, price available upon request
I also know of a few local stores in the Chicagoland area that may have some great options for Jessica. She can check out Weddings 826, Wedding Belles, The Bridal Boutique of Naperville, and Le Dress. I have it on good authority that Le Dress is AMAZING and can outfit you in any dress for any occasion. It's not a wedding specialty or focused shop but has many options for a bride looking for that something different.
Jessica, we wish you the best of luck in your dress search and hope you have been inspired by some of the options here. We would love to see photos of your romantic elopement when you return! Best wishes for a lifetime of happiness together!
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By Manda
My sister had her wedding celebration a few weeks ago (she eloped in September and had her wedding reception in May. So much fun!). Because I was the matron of honor, I had to wear the dress, do the hair, and get the nails done for once in my life. It had been a dispicably long time since I'd gotten a manicure, people! My usual polish color choices are in the red or black families. I'm not a big fan of nudes or light pinks because I can never seem to find a color that looks nice with my olive-toned skin or is not too old-ladyish. However! I needed a neutral color to go with our wedding finery and my nails weren't long enough for a traditional French manicure.
I was very excited to stumble onto OPI "My Pointe Exactly" while I waited to get my nails done! I experiemented with it a little, and with three coats on my nails it was the *perfect* non-shimmery neutral!
(Photo from: Amazon.com)
Trust me, if you are adverse pinks and nudes but are looking for a summery shade for your nails, this'll do the trick! It's a very subtle grey with some pink and blue undertones to it, perfect for darker skin or a fresh spray tan (wear your sunscreen, ladies! Melanoma is no joke!). Just be sure to layer on 3-4 coats to get an opaque look.
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By Janet
Apparently, it's becoming more common for a bride to have a second dress on her wedding day--a reception dress. After the ceremony and photos, a bride can do a quick change to be more comfortable as she dances the night away.
Eliza J Strapless Jacquard Dress, Nordstrom
Adrianna Papell Pleat Dres, Nordstrom
I love the idea of a bride being comfortable at the reception, but wonder whether most brides would want to so quickly change out of their gowns. It does sound fun to get to choose two dresses, though.
Did any of you have (or do any of you plan to have) a separate reception dress?
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By Jen
My brother-in-law is getting married this summer and my three year old is going to be the flower girl. She's got a fluffy white flower girl dress already, so now I have moved on to drooling over tiny pairs of white shoes for her. My future sister-in-law is being very casual about the whole thing and there is no way that I NEED to be endlessly debating over flower girl shoes right now, but hey, I have to have my fun too, right? (I am currently ignoring the part about the wedding being on the beach and she might decide to have Elizabeth just go barefoot.)
My whole flower girl shoe obsession began when I was at our local consignment store and I saw a pair just like these. Unfortunately, they were three sizes too small, so I couldn't get them.
{Image credit: Jibjabbers}
Perfect for a tiny flower girl, right? Simple but elegant.
This pair is a little fancier and the flower detail on the toe is almost exactly the same as the details on her flower girl dress.
{Image credit: theadorablebaby}
A more practical option (like I said, beach wedding) is this pair of sandals.
{Image credit: tinysoles}
Obviously, I will be waiting for the bride's decision before I buy anything, but in the meantime, I get to endlessly stare at lots of satin and lace. It's also obviously very difficult to properly photograph white shoes, isn't it?
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By Elisabeth
This past Christmas my best friend gave me an adorable set of monogrammed coasters.
Quite darling, yes?
She purchased it from a company called Paper Concierge that is based out of our hometown, Oklahoma City.
They have everything from monogrammed coffee mugs and cutting boards to Ipad and laptop covers. Once you chose which item you desire, you have a choice of type-style and ink color of the monogram.
Needing new stationery? Announcements or Invitations? They've got anything and everything you may need to find that certain someone something personal and meaningful.
I particularly appreciate the company's way of thinking.
"More than ever, the art of the handwritten letter or a well-selected gift still holds a key place in our increasingly impersonal, technology filled lives. That no matter how modern we may become, we must always mind our manners. We provide the tools to maintain these simple societal practices while allowing etiquette to merge with individual expression." - Paper Concierge
{photo credit: me, paperconcierge.com}
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