Stunning Stars!

My new wedding shoes are famous! Check them out in action, captured by the uber fabulous Jasmine Star!



So pretty.. shoes and of course, GORGEOUS photography.

Bling For Our Bling

This ring holder is fabulous and I just gotta, gotta, gotta have it!


Sparkle Ring Box

Pretty Things

I just love this crystal candleholder. I was looking for another jeweled candleholder and came across this one.



It's from HSN - it's called Sorelle Hurricane Candle Holder with Crystal Drops.

I would really be thrilled to have these line the ceremony aisle, creating a sparkling glow from the candles. But HSN hasn't been cooperative with each of these beauties priced at $59.95 each. PUH!

I came across another pretty candle holder, that was more in line with my budget:



This option would not be ideal for lining the aisle because of the open flame of a tapered candle. But it would be nice clustered- 5 candles on each side and staggered in height at the back of the aisle. I imagine really long tapers, maybe 15", would be nice and the final element would be rose petals at the base of the clusters.

Up until now, I hadn't really thought about the ceremony's decor besides the crystal curtain at the alter. I think the candleholders and rose petals with a sprinkling of orchids, at the end (or is that the beginning?) of the aisle will give a completed look of glitz and romance.

And these budget friendly beauties can be found on Ebay in a lot of 12 for $110.00. Actually they may be even cheaper with a more involved search.

Update

I have found the "suitcases" for my guestbook alternative. Remember how I wanted something different for the guestbook? Well, I found the cutest mini suitcases that will be perfect for said "guestbook"


Blue Suitcases

Cute, right? I'm thrilled with the color as it will tie in nicely with the Pucci color scheme. I figured I can add a few other decor elements, like a small globe, maybe binoculars and various travel postcards for guests to write well wishes. I even have a little "poem" to go in a frame so my guests will know what the heck all this is for. Ready? Here it goes:

"All The Places We Will Go"

The first stop on our journey has been Love
next stop, maybe St. Thomas.
Share your advices and well wishes
so we may take "you" with us.

It rhymes if you put emphasis on "Thomas" and "Us". Maybe? lol

Anywhoo, that's what it is for now. If anyone has a better suggestion, I'm all ears.

I will more than likely have the middle suitcase open and with the Pucci fabric for further cohesion and it will be the container for the postcards.

I will probably order the suitcases this week and compile the design and edit as needed. I can't wait!


I also found some really nices ones from Tar-jay. They had a vintage-y feel to them and while fabulous, my planner said "nope, nope, nope."




I may still buy them. They are great decor elements yet functional for storage.

Refined Luxury

I have gushed about my love affair with the Canadian based luxury wedding magazine WedLuxe before and today I feel in love all over again. This publication, hands down, is the most exquisite and spectacularly done in all the industry. Just look at this cover:



Everything the editor, Angela Desveaux, for the piece of art, that is this magazine, touches is gilded in platinum! I heart her fabulousness!

I also love that they feature a "Behind The Scenes" of the assembly of each issue. Each video is chocked full of wedding design inspiration as well as wedding attire finery.



The filming is done by her company Cloud Nine Creatives Inc., which also creates wedding films. Yes, she publishes the magazine AND owns one of the top rated wedding cinematography companies in the world!

Check out the film of Bridal Market...



Smashing!

Cocktail Party Anyone?

I just wanted to share my secret to a fab cocktail party. What makes a successful soiree? Food and well, awesome cocktails. I have a little secret.. I never cook for them. While I do love to burn in the kitchen.. making bite sized morsels take waaaaay too long and is quite labor intensive. With preparing the house, jazzing it up with relevant decor items, perfecting my cocktail recipes and looking for the perfect clothing ensemb, the most my hungry guest could hope for is Club House crackers and maybe some crab dip... from the supermarket, if left to my own devices.

So, what's my time management and saving face solution??? AppetizersToGo. YUM-O pretty much sums up their gourmet viddles. I've tasted almost every offering, the "Cocktails in the City" collection is my absolute fav!


This gourmet combo includes:
20 Beef Wellingtons
20 Citrus Infused Jumbo Lump Crabcake
15 Duck a'la Orange Bundles
15 Poached Pear and Brie Bundles


The best thing is my guests always rave about how great a cook I've become. I sheepishly, say "thanks!" and slink off to the kitchen to make sure no evidence is there to the contrary. lol

Now with a little get together happening in the very near future, I pull up their website, lovingly bookmarked in my Favorites and what do I see? They now have an offer for customers whom purchase from their warehouse in NJ, (near Giants Stadium) will receive a discount of 20% off retail prices. *programs address in GPS*

I'm thrilled and can't wait to stop by there next Friday. I have to get these:

Colin Cowie's Samoosas (Beef)

You know how much I love Colin, so I HAVE to get them.


Bacon Wrapped Sirlion Gorgonzola Skewers.

Wrapped in bacon? I'm there!


Mini Frank Sliders

My Treasure says that I'm a sucker for anything miniature.. he knows me so well. I love that they are in a wee bun.. kicks up the fab factor, I think.

Hungry yet?

Too Cute!

I'm currently looking into guestbook alternatives and I'm at a total loss. I like the look of the crystal trees but it seems as if I see them everywhere. I still like them and would love to have a crystal "Wish Tree".

Then, I was toying with the idea of getting a pretty jewelry box and have guest put their "gem" of advice and/or well wishes in the box. I would attach small note cards to individual acrylic (not glass, too expensive) pendants, that would serve as "gems" as well.

I also thought about an "All The Places We Will Go" theme for a guestbook complete with small decorative white luggage, lined with the Pucci fabric and postcards of various travel locations, for the guest to write their well wishes on. But I can't find said small decorate white luggage. *sigh* That was my favorite idea too..

So, in my mental exhaustion, I simply Googled, "wedding guest book alternatives" and this cutie popped up:


Perfect Pear Jar

I thought this was sooooooo cute. Now, I know it won't really go with our "theme" but it's so adorable. We are having a "Perfect Pear" martini but I think this would be an obscure stretch but too cute, nonetheless. And the lil' note cards.. the bees' knees. I also love that you can use it after the soiree to stash your favorite cookies.

Happy Feet

Another item off of my "To-Do" list was shopping for shoes. Ummmmm, my favorite pasttime. I had been going back and forth and back again wondering if I should wear my colorful Pucci shoes with my new gown. When I was going to wear the Jim Hjelm gown, the Pucci shoes were perfect because there were no competing elements to the gown. But with the ruffly goodness that's as bold as a peacocks plume, that decorates the bottom portion of my gown, I didn't think I should have such a bold shoe.

The hunt began for the perfect shoe. I had tossed around a few ideas.. of course the ubiquitous Christian Louboutin






Or Rene Caovilla

Or Alexander McQueen (I couldn't find them anywhere but wanted them so badly, not for the wedding.. just because I had to have them)

Or Valentino



Although all the shoes are really beautiful, they just weren't The Ones. So I kept looking.. hoping I would find something... with that "That's IT" factor.

Then I found these:


Charles David Treasure Sandals

These spoke to me.. and I promptly ordered them. I received them in the mail today and they are ABSOLUTELY FREAKIN' GORGEOUS in person and on my feet!! Yea...we have shoes!

Besides being insanely fabulous with the huge bling-age, I loved that they were open... all over. Perfect for a long day of traipsing through New York for photos, sauntering down the aisle to marry my Treasure and dancing the night away with my new husband, friends and family. The only thing is that I didn't want to wear white shoes.. and although these are technically bone, I wanted to have some color on my feet. However, for comfy yet fab shoes, I will have to settle for color on my toes.

The Veiled Bride

Hey! My apologies for the too long hiatus.. so much to do, so little time. So let's get caught up, shall we?

My gown is IN!!!! You have no idea how excited I am to finally see my gown, on my body. See originally I had opted and bought a fab Jim Hjelm gown. However, while totally beautiful and stunning, it didn't scream "ME". So while often advised otherwise, I continued to just "look" at pretty gowns hoping I wouldn't see anything else that tickled my fancy. But lo and behold, that was certainly not to be the case. My uber fabulous "Barcelona" gown by Blue by Enzoani proved to be a must have!!

So I scoured my area to see who had the gown locally and placed an order, without ever seeing it in person much less trying it on. The bridal salon owner said I was a brave girl.

Fast forward to two weeks ago, I got the call the the gown was in. I rushed over to see it.. I just had to! Victoria, the salon owner, greeted me by saying how gorgeous my gown was and how all the brides shopping for their respective gowns, wanted to try it on when it came in the shop. LOL

So she brings the gown from the back and hangs it high and begins to unzip the garment bag. I thought I would pass out from anticipation and baited breath!! Then she unleased all her splendor that is my gown. I gasped and squealed with excitement and utter disbelieve that the gown is even MORE fab in person.

Needless to say, I'm a very happy camper!

So I began to think about veil options... to veil or not to veil.. what to do..what to do...???

Originally, I had bought a pretty, cathedral length veil to wear with my Jim Hjelm but my "Barcelona" whispered she wanted something different. She's such a diva.

So I began to look at cage veils.. but none really captured my heart.. and I kinda though that the netting leads itself to a more vintage-y feel and my gown wasn't vintage-y. Also the "Pucci" wedding has a more chic, fashionable vibe to it.

They always say you find what you need when you're not looking for it.. hence my Treasure and very near future husband. I happen to be going through my daily does of bridal blogs goodness and was stopped in my Manolos!

Ladies I present to you the veil of my bridal dreams:



I swoon every time I gaze at it. Isn't she fab with a capital "F"??

This beautiful photo is from Sedona Bride and one of the photos from this particular shoot is featured on a magazine cover, Phoenix Bride and Groom
And what would this rave be without the info of the talented chica that designed that delicious veil?? It was lovingly made by a bridal hair and makeup artist, Patricia Vega.

I've placed an order with a few minor changes. I'm hoping to receive it before my first fitting on August 7th. I. Can. Not. Wait!!!!

We All Scream For Ice Cream

Hey, my fellow Bridalistas! This has been a whirlwind weekend for moi. Fun yet exhausting. I had the final walk thru at my fabulous venue. It was really great, I had my event designer and DOC attend as well, so all the nitty-gritty is all hashed out with no stone left unturned. Boy was I in for a surprise as I thought, "yeah, it'll be a breeze, should last no longer than an hour..". WRONG! This was a four hour event. And my DOC has a laundry list of things for me to do. Yea! *enter sarcasm*

In lighter, more fun news.. I had expressed to the catering manager that I wanted a lil something special for my guest as they are cutting a rug... mini ice cream cones! I figured they can be passed out as we wind down to the last 45 to 30 minutes of dancing. I'm sure it would be a welcome and unexpected treat, a perfect ending to a summer wedding. She said sure but I had to supply the palettes. Sure no problemo!

Here's what I found:

First up is from a catering supplier, very chic and modern JBPrince


Another great find, however it only comes in packages of 48, from Philip R's


Both are great options and if I had a bride or brides to share the cost of the latter with, I'd totally get them, as I love that it looks like an artists' palette. But I think I will go with the acrylic ones, as the "palettes" are cardboard and not reusable.

As the acrylic ones will be mine to take home at the end of the night, I can use them again and again at my own little soirees. With these little cuties!!!



I LOVE THESE!!! 220 mini cones for only $23.50 on Amazon.com.

They also have flavored ones, such a Garlic, and Tomato Pesto, which would make for interesting hors d’ oeuvres or a change of pace from crackers.



Yummy!