December 30, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Rule of thumb: always have your lip color handy on your wedding day. From kissing your groom to greeting guests, your pretty pout will soon turn sour if there’s no T-L-C for your lips.
So, when will you ever find time for touch-ups in the powder room? Consider ModelCo’s Lip Lights ($28; modelco.com.au) your personal makeup artist. These creamy lip glosses come with high-shine, long-lasting color, built-in mirrors, and get this—LED lights. To turn it on, twist the cap off and light will appear as you reapply. Slim and sleek, this all-in-one gloss is as dependable as your maid of honor.
These glosses come in six neutral, soft shades that work for all skin tones. For more information, visit modelco.com.au.
—Josephine Keo
December 26, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Whether you’re starting from scratch or combining two households, setting up a new home can be a real challenge. There’s the moving and sorting and buying and organizing. Eventually, deciding where to stow the fancy china can be as trying as selecting the pattern itself. That’s where organize.com comes in, because when it comes to boxes, baskets and bins, they have you covered.
True to its name, Organize.com is neatly compiled and easy to browse. Scroll through the site and you’ll find a never-ending stream of fun and functional organizational tools or search by room and you’ll find everything you need to improve it.
The only bad news? This site has all the tools you need to organize your life; it’s up to you to keep it that way!
—Randy Miller, Editorial Assistant
December 26, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Happy Holidays, everyone! We hope you’re enjoying the season. We were amazed by the beautiful photos and details we came across this week, from bold prints and colors to a great alternative to a guestbook.
We love the look of the bold damask print The Cinderella Project showcased this week. The look is both vintage and incredibly modern and chic.
Candles are a great way to bring warmth to a wedding. Polka Dot Bride has some great photos of examples of how to use them, from lining them up as aisle runners to scattering them outside the entrance to your venue.
We loved this real wedding put together by planner Michelle Rago. The colors are beautiful and we love how she incorporated the bride’s Persian heritage into the décor and ceremony.
Bright yellow is quickly becoming a hot color. Little Winter Bride has some great examples of how to incorporate the sunny hue into your flowers, shoes and desserts.
Another trend we’ve been seeing for a while: peacock feathers. Monique Lhuillier included them in her most recent collection and more colorful varieties are now popping up everywhere from bouquets to invitations. Head over to Bridal Bar Blog for more examples.
Finally, here’s a great spin on the traditional guestbook. The Fairmount Bride provided stamped, addressed postcards at her destination wedding instead of a traditional book. Guests wrote messages on them and her wedding planner mailed them back to her after the event.
—Jessica Derschowitz
December 25, 2008 at 4:40 PM
Your wedding is supposed to be a day of beauty: a beautiful gown, beautiful bouquets, beautiful tablesettings, the list goes on. So you would never think of junking the whole thing up with some not-so-beautiful stationery. For a while, eco-friendly stationery could be described as such, but not anymore.
Take Smock Paper (smockpaper.com), for example. Their gorgeous letterpress wedding invitation suites are printed on luxury bamboo paper (they're the only company in the U.S. to do so!). What makes bamboo so special is that it's both sustainable and renewable—it grows quickly without much maintenance. (To read more about the benefits of bamboo, go to smockpaper.com/sustain/bamboo.)
Add to that the fact that the designs are classic and elegant and you have a truly winning combination.
So, gone are the days of ugly eco-stationery. And that's reason for brides all around to rejoice.
—Jeanine Edwards, Associate Editor
December 25, 2008 at 4:30 PM
I love vacation spots where different cultures mix seamlessly and I get a sort of two-trips-for-the-price-of-one experience. One of the hottest destinations for that best of both worlds vibe is St. Barts. This lovely island combines the sophistication of the French Riviera with the low-key Caribbean vibe. That means you get gourmet food, great shopping and prime people-watching right alongside beautiful beaches, gorgeous sunsets and the joy of doing nothing but relaxing.
One of the island’s best places to stay has to be the Hotel St. Barths Isle de France (isle-de-france.com). With just 37 rooms, this tiny treasure of a resort makes for the perfect honeymoon hideaway. And they’ve recently unveiled four secluded Beach Suites that offer a retreat within a retreat. The suites are located on the Baie des Flamands, the prettiest beach on the island. Each 1,500 square-foot suite features a private infinity plunge pool, large terrace with beach loungers, 52″ plasma-screen television, fully equipped kitchen, wireless internet, stone bathtub and outdoor shower.
The property also boasts two freshwater pools and a world-class Molton Brown spa. And since the hotel is legendary as a celebrity hideaway—Elle McPherson and Hugh Jackman are said to have stayed here—you never know who you might spot poolside.
—Sharon Boone
December 24, 2008 at 9:00 AM
Your fiancé may have picked out the 1.5 carat solitaire you’d been secretly eyeing for weeks, but that’s probably where his wedding knowledge ends. Want to thank him AND help yourself? Pick up Mindy Weiss for Two’s Company Collection’s Groom Survival Kit ($42.50, mindyweiss.com). Sleek enough to look like a business portfolio, the leather zip binder provides all the information he’ll need to keep you happy throughout the planning process.
With witty cut-outs such as the “Plead the Fifth” paddle and a lesson in wedding lingo, he'll be in the know—even when you ask "cymbidium or phalaenopsis orchids for the sweetheart table?"
You may even want to sneak a peek at this veritable playbook for the affair: the speechwriting tips are not to be missed. Just make sure your groom-to-be's not doing the crossword or playing the maze when you're totaling your budget.
—Rachel Jacoby, Assistant Editor
December 23, 2008 at 2:00 PM
For unforgettable, fabulous lashes that will keep your eyes gorgeous from the ceremony until the last dance, we asked the folks from Lash Addiction (lashaddiction.com), home of the at-home eyelash extensions, to share five easy steps for creating romantic, sexy eyes at home.
Step 1: Curl natural lashes for a flawless application.
Step 2: Trim strip lashes for a customized fit. (You don’t want lashes that are too long.)
Step 3: Apply a thin layer of adhesive to the base of strip lashes and wait about 30 seconds for the adhesive to become tacky.
Step 4: Gently press base of strip lash into place on the base of your natural lashes and allow to dry completely.
Step 5: Apply mascara to blend natural lashes with strip lashes for undetectable results.
—Tasha Turner, Senior Beauty Editor
December 22, 2008 at 1:00 PM
While relaxing during your honeymoon (or just lounging around with your new husband), Trove Clothing (troveclothing.com) is a must-have.
Trove is a new eco-friendly clothing line made from 100% organic cotton that just launched in the US. The pieces are casual, yet sexy and most importantly sustainable. They offer dresses, shorts, tops, cardigans and hoodies that are perfect for packing because they take up very little space. Layer the neutral colors with some of the more vibrant blues, yellows and coral—this way, you'll get more outfits without having to take more clothes.
Trove's pieces are super-versatile, so whether you're exploring Europe or laying on the beach in Hawaii, this is the only loungewear you need.
—Erica Blick Sigel, Associate Fashion Editor
December 19, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Happy Friday! We went searching the web this week and found some real weddings that wowed us and a great way to get your planning organized.
Did you love playing with paper dolls when you were little? One bride-to-be on Wedding Bee brought the old-school pastime back and used paper dolls to help her bridesmaids design their dresses! She gave her maids options for different necklines and lengths and let them mix and match (in paper form) until they found what worked best for them. So cute (and creative)!
A monogram can be a great way to personalize your paper goods, and you can make the design as clean or ornate as you’d like. Check out these designed by (our friend) Lisa Hoffman of Ceci New York on Style Me Pretty for some inspiration.
Snippet & Ink posted a real wedding with a creative theme: vintage prom. Now, before your frown in disgust, it was actually very pretty. We love the event’s bright pastel color palette and even the vintage prom dresses that the bridesmaids wore.
Another real wedding comes to us this via Amorology. We loved how they incorporated Spanish influences, from the use of red to the lace, flamenco fans the bridesmaids carried.
Finally, whether you’ve hired a planner or are going the DIY route, keeping on top of all your to-dos is one of the most stressful parts of planning a wedding. We stumbled across these free wedding organizers from Russell+Hazel that will keep you on top of everything. Just download the PDF files for everything from monthly checklists to vendor contact lists and you’ll be a planning pro in no time.
—Jessica Derschowitz
Image courtesy of Leo Patrone Photography
December 19, 2008 at 10:30 AM
If you’re stumped on what to get any of your bridal party members–because they already have everything or are just plain picky, look no further than Giftgenius.com. The ultimate online gift guide, the site has culled several editors and stylists to pull together some of the most unique presents in the market. The actual presents are combined with witty editorial to make buying a breeze.
Search by category (i.e. pets or women’s jewelry), recipient (boyfriend, 9-to-5 mother), or occasion (bridal shower, wedding, birthday). And as if that weren’t awesome enough, they have a gifting spotlight called “Trust Me, I’m Famous”, which features celebrities offering their own gifting guidelines and suggestions. Recent celebs to share their secrets include TLC’s What Not to Wear’s Stacy London as well as heiress and new jeweler Ivanka Trump. The site has now become my guru for all gift giving.
—Rachel Jacoby, Assistant Editor
