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Today I wanted to feature the fabulous Dessy Group 2010 Collection and their super cool interactive website. If you haven’t already, check out their Flip Book where you can flip pages, zoom, save and print out your favorite 2010 styles. I love the interactive color palette tools and coordinated wedding party suggestions as you’re browsing the site. Also very helpful: the PANTONE Wedding section which helps you choose your wedding color, design the perfect bridesmaid dress with the PANTONE color guide, and even design your own inspiration board! The Dessy Group Label Collection includes The Dessy Collection, After Six, Alfred Sung and my personal favorite, the adorable Lela Rose Bridesmaid Collection below.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I can’t think of a more special and romantic gift for your husband or fiancé than a classy boudoir photo shoot of sexy you! Boudoir photography is an elegant, sexy style of photography inspired by classic pinup-photos–with you as the subject–for sharing with your special someone. It’s really gaining popularity among brides to-be.
Joana’s outdoor boudoir session, captured by the fabulous Alice Hu from Alice Hu Photography, was beautifully done. The romantic natural setting and the vintage details are such an inspiration; I just had to share these with you. I love the use of an old antique chair, Joana’s cute red coat, tasteful lingerie and her birdcage veil. If you’re thinking of having a boudoir photography session, I recommend having these taken by a professional photographer for best results.
The talented Alice Hu is based in Orange County, CA and is also available for travel. Check out the beautiful Alice Hu Photography Blog for more amazing photos! Thanks for sharing these with us, Alice!
Here’s part 2 of my wedding rain boot fashion post…for that special day that just happens to be a rainy one. Rain boots come in many fun and funky styles, colors and patterns. Choose from plain solid colors, polka dots, animal prints, florals, themed designs, checkered, or plaid patterns. Boot heights also vary but I prefer the classic tall or mid-calf rain boots myself, with the all-terrain 0.5″ heel like the ones below. If you didn’t catch my previous blog post, go to part 1 to check out some brides wearing rain boots at their outdoor photo sessions.
Here are some of my favorite chic and flirty rain boots available out there today, perfect for any bride!
{Photo Credits:ROW 1: Floral Barefoot Tess Rain Boots via Endless, Allison Floral Rain Boots - Multicolor via Target, Orange Patchwork Sperry Top-Sider Pelican Tall Rain Boots via Zappos, ROW 2: Argyle Plaid Rain Boots - Berry/Pink via Target, Merona® Zaney Polka Dot Pink Rain Boots via Target, Gabriella Rocha Golfing in the Rain Boots via Zappos, ROW 3: Kamik Hearts Rain Boots via Zappos, Mint Plaid Sperry Top-Sider Pelican Tall Rain Boots via Zappos, Chooka Metropolitan Rain Boots via What a Pair, ROW 4: Turquoise Patchwork Sperry Top-Sider Pelican Tall Rain Boots via Zappos, Gabriella Rocha RB Safari-Z Rain Boots via Zappos, Yellow Plaid Sperry Top-Sider Pelican Tall Rain Boots via Zappos, ROW 5: Dav Rain Gear English Sketchy Lace via What a Pair, Dav Rain Gear English Floral via What a Pair, Cougar Franklin in Brown via What a Pair, ROW 6: Giraffe, Cheetah and Zebra Ballard Rain Boots by Ballard Designs, ROW 7: Nomad Puddles Dots Rain Boots via DSW, Chooka Posh Dots Rain Boots in Pink via Endless, Mod Dot Chocolate Rain Boots via Target}
Here are some black & white rain boots that are super cute too!
{Photo Credit:ROW 1 McGibbon Floral Rain Boots via Target, Fleur-De-Lis Rain Boots via Target, Sperry Top-Sider Pelican Tall Rain Boots via Zappos, ROW 2 Gabriella Rocha Rain Boots Argyle-Z via Zappos, Gabriella Rocha Rain Boots BUFF-Z via Zappos, Nomad Puddles II Floral Rain Boots via DSW}
If you prefer the original solid color style rain boots, here are some cool colors available.
{Photo Credits:ROW 1 Fuchsia Hunter ‘Original Tall’ High Gloss Rain Boots via Nordstrom, Violet Hunter ‘Original Tall’ High Gloss Rain Boots Shopbop, Metallic Hunter ‘Original Tall’ Rain Boots via Nordstrom, ROW 2 Yellow Nomad Hurricane Rain Boots via DSW, Red Chinese Laundry Bog Rain Boots via Piperlime, Glitter Rain Boots via Forever 21, ROW 3 Eggplant Chooka Dual Buckle Rain Boots Nordstrom, Cobalt Chooka Dual Buckle Rain Boots via Endless, Hunter Green Chooka Dual Buckle Rain Boots via Endless}
During the rainy season, I’ve seen more and more brides putting on their rain boots to go into the wet and muddy outdoors for some fun shots. I love rain boots, and nowadays you can find just about any color and pattern designs you can think of. Give a pop of color to your outdoor engagement or wedding photo session!
Just take your rain boots with you this rainy season to switch it up a bit and you’ll get some really cool shots like the ones below. Match your personality or your wedding colors. You can even have the bridesmaids join you with matched or mismatched rain boots while you take some outdoor photos. It’s a fun look and you don’t get to ruin your fancy shoes in bad weather.
Come back tomorrow to check out some of my favorite rain boot findings in Part 2!
This month, popular gown designer Alfred Angelo opened six brand new retail stores across the country, partnering with BRIDES magazine to hold grand-opening bashes in all the new locations. The new stores are located in: Arlington, TX; Baltimore, MD; Birmingham, AL; Dayton, OH, Knoxville, TN; and Richmond, VA.
It’s a move that continues to expand the presence of the leading designer, in the old-fashioned brick-and-mortar way. Which is a good thing; more shops mean more places to try on gowns, and brides in these cities now have one more (excellent) option available to them. Alfred Angelo is certainly one of the best; book an appointment with them, and they will take care of you.
As a denizen of the online tech world, I couldn’t miss the fact that the company used their announcement of the openings to take a bit of a shot at the online bridal market. Vice President of Marketing for Alfred Angelo, Denise Wash, emphasized the company’s pride in its traditional approach in a statement last week.
“While some manufacturers and retailers are moving to on-line bridal sales,” Ms Wash said, “Alfred Angelo still believes that the one-to-one connection between a bride and her bridal specialist, in a bridal boutique, is irreplaceable.”
Ah, the war between the high- and low-tech hemispheres of the wedding industry…an industry heady with rich, old-tyme tradition. The thing is, wedding planning as a whole is moving in a totally unique direction that unites both the old traditions and new technology. I agree with Ms. Wash on this: nothing can take the place of the boutique experience and being waited upon while physically trying on a variety of gowns, and only in trying on those gowns will you be able to find the one that suits your body and preferences best. But anyone thinking that online gown shopping means finding, selecting, and purchasing your gown all online–with no shop visits or physical try-ons–is nuts.
The fact is, once you’ve isolated “The One” by visiting one or more boutiques, some brides are then going to find that same particular gown at a potentially jaw-dropping bargain online. Some won’t. Some will find that after the cost of alterations and shipping, the savings to be had by buying online aren’t worth it. But the point is, nothing will ever replace the physical boutique experience, and I don’t think anyone’s really advocating that. Now some may say that drawing on a boutique’s resources to settle on a gown and then turning around and buying that gown from an online discounter is akin to betrayal. That’s a matter of personal opinion. Mine is that it’s not personal at all, nor betrayal; it’s business. Weddings are expensive, gowns are expensive, the economy sucks, and nearlywed couples need every break they can get. That’s where the online advantage comes in and that, dear reader, is why the online bridal market is so popular.
For more of a discussion on how an online gown bargain should really be factored into your planning, consider my previous post. And have a great weekend!
Photo Credits: Bridal collection photo from Alfred Angelo, Inc.
A corset for your morning cup of joe is one thing…settling on the gown for your big day is quite another. The quest for The Wedding Gown can be an emotional, time-consuming endeavor, and a downright exhausting one for some. It’s the bridal search for the holy grail. Your perfect gown is out there somewhere…are you ready to embark on the hunt?
When seeking the gown of your dreams, the devil is in the details, and oh those details. From fabrics to necklines to silhouettes to designers, there’s a real potential here for option overload at first. You’ll find The One, but doing some homework up front can put things in better perspective and give you an advantage for a smoother journey. The search for your wedding gown should be exciting and fun, not overwhelming, so put the web to work for you with tools like this one from fashion group Pronovias.
Wedding gown design tool from Pronovias
The Pronovias wedding gown design tool lets you visually swap silhouettes, necklines, waistlines, and more for a good overview of the options available, not to mention the lingo of the wedding gown world. Then, match up your preferences with actual gowns from the Pronovias collection. It’s an easy-to-use tool to brush up on all those details when starting on your gown hunt. Hope it helps!
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in working with brides (including my own!) over the years, it’s that the subject of shoes can be one of near religious zeal and passion. As a pretty average guy, I arrived in my early twenties quite happy to have just two sets of shoes at any given time: a pair of casual shoes (basically every day use, to be honest)…and a pair of dress shoes (special occasions, my friends. Special occasions). Maybe some flip-flops for the beach and for barbecues in the backyard.
Yes, I know…who let the heathen into the circle of polite company.
I have diversified since. But my own primarily utilitarian view of what I put on my feet will never hold a candle to the sheer power of expression that I’ve come to understand shoes represent for the opposite sex. So, while I do not completely “get” the frenetic footwear frenzy I often witness–nor do I ever expect to–I can certainly recognize and appreciate the importance of The Shoe as a key component of a bride’s image, as well as that of her bridesmaids.
Today I bring you a virtual altar to The Shoe: Atelier Shoes’ Online Design Studio, just announced today, which lets you put together the style, material, and colors of your own custom fab footwear with a few clicks of the mouse. I think the result is best described by Atelier Shoes in its own press release:
“The days of settling for someone else’s fashion choices are over! Atelier Shoes’ recently launched Online Design Studio allows the ultimate shoe lover to completely customize one of its classic shoe styles to create her perfect shoe. A boring brown pump can be transformed into a pink crocodile peeptoe with a black patent leather heel and plain mary janes can revamped with a zebra print upper and a lime green sole. Atelier Shoes allows women to make a statement with their shoes–be it bold, classy, sophisticated, fun or flirty.”
Some of the base designs with which you can tinker and customize
Design your own shoe!
Looks like an interesting tool to mix-and-match, idea-browse, and get some creative juices flowing when putting together those all-important finishing touches on your bridal–and bridal attendants’–look. And if you decide to purchase, Atelier’s custom-designed shoes are made to each client’s specifications for less than most designer brands (with prices ranging from $135-$265 a pair), yet boast the same handmade quality.
Check them out online and see how the tool might be able to help you in your planning efforts.
Tungsten is a metal that has been growing in popularity as a wedding band material…that is, as a groom’s wedding band material. Check any jeweler offering tungsten rings or do any online search for them and you’ll come up with a lot of great looking rings for him, but the selection is a bit scarce for her. In fact, you’ll likely find no tungsten rings offered for women at all.
Tungsten carbide is beautiful, light, and virtually indestructible. It’s so rugged and durable, in fact, that it makes a natural choice as a material for men’s jewelry. But if a bride shopping for rings with her fiancé falls in love with the material and decides she’d like the same for her own ring, she’ll be disappointed to find that most vendors carry only styles and widths (6 to 8 mm) that aren’t ideal for a woman’s hand.
There are some choices for her out there, however…if you know where to look. Case and point: Larson Jewlers (larsonjewelers.com), which just announced a long-awaited line of women’s tungsten wedding rings, at a far more delicate 4mm width and in a number of styles. Now hers can match his! While I still personally favor platinum as the unbeatable wedding ring metal, the sheer indestructibility and beauty of tungsten carbide is a perfect symbol of your relationship’s strength. In fact, this indestructibility is often brought up as one of its drawbacks, since tungsten rings simply can’t be resized conventionally. But as unique and symbolic as this metal is, don’t miss it as a consideration in your shopping.
Some designs for women's tungsten wedding rings from Larson Jewelers. All are 4mm in width. From left to right: domed, diamond faceted, brush finish center, and beveled black tungsten
Have a very safe and fantastic new years, everyone! See you all in 2010.
David’s Bridal announced this month that their online store, davidsbridal.com, will now begin shipping to 30 international destinations, including Canada and the United Kingdom. Their checkout process is also internationally friendly; they state that “customers’ total costs are calculated to guarantee the lowest possible order total in the preferred currency.” This includes shipping as well as any duties and taxes. Beyond US greenbacks, currencies accepted are GBP, EUR, and CAD. It’s a move that David’s hopes will make it more of a “one-stop shop” for bridal shoppers worldwide.
As it stands, the David’s Bridal website isn’t just a gown store. Their categories include accessories, invitations, gifts, and favors…as well as some helpful editorial content. There’s a Style & Fashion Guide covering design topics from head to toe, along with an inspirational Real Weddings section to browse.
David's Bridal Online Web Store and Info Resource
David’s Bridal is well known for their quality and inexpensive products. I’ve heard quite a few good things over the years by brides very satisfied with gowns from this vendor, and I always recommend checking them out during your gown hunting. And don’t miss their ongoing promotions and specials…they currently have a sale through December 21 offering $50 to $300 off select gowns, including designer collections.
One of my favorite websites out there is Etsy.com, showcasing and marketing all things handmade by some very talented people. You can find just about anything! The care and attention that goes into handcrafted pieces give them such originality and personalization; I’ve always loved handmade goods. Here’s a thought you might not have considered: why not get your wedding gown handcrafted by one of these Etsy shops? Nothing could be more original and personal! While browsing through the site I came across some fabulous wedding dresses. Check them out:
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