Be sure to pick up your copy if you’re in the Charlottesville area, but if you’re not you can still check it out online here.  It’s a gorgeous issue, thanks to Editor Stephanie Marie and all the fabulous contributors.  Don’t miss it!

Back in July I got an e-mail from William Weethee of Third Willow Weddings telling me about the launch of his new Etsy shop: Third Willow Weddings… and with the busy wedding season winding down I finally had time to hop over there and take a look. Today I’m excited to share this cute little Etsy shop with you: Third Willow Weddings. Here are a few words from William about the shop:

The company, started by William Weethee is one that is dedicated to high quality, couture, wedding accessories that will help make any special day even more perfect. By combining elements of vintage charm with modern aesthetics, a line of products has been designed that can work in any bride’s wedding plans. Third Willow Weddings offers over 12 different styles of clutches and sashes in over 75 different colors of dupioni silk to compliment any brides dream wedding.

Third Willow Weddings clutches and sashes are designed and handmade in his Minneapolis studio by William Weethee. Each and every item is handmade by him insuring exceptional quality as well as that personal touch that every bride wishes to incorporate into her special day. Third Willow Weddings clutches and sashes are made using the highest quality sustainable dupioni silk and add the element of eco-chic by working with earth friendly materials.

Big Congratulations to many of my brilliant colleagues who have a wedding featured today at Martha Stewart Weddings.com which, I know is a huge complement to all of the wonderful talent that went into this amazing wedding.  Be sure to go to the website to see the entire gallery of photos.

Congratulations to all of our local talent:

Jennifer Carroll Events

Jen Fariello Photography

Pat’s Floral Design

Have Food Will Travel

Skyline Tent Co.

Cakes of Art

Festive Fare

Elan On-Site Salon Services

Albemarle Vintage Limousine

DJ Stroud

DeVideo

Heather Belle Ink

Photobooth Scrapbook

Great work everyone and congratulations to Ginger & Greg too!

This morning I discovered this unique set of acronyms from Project Runway… according to their site these are commonly used by brides in their forums & bios… what a funny world we live in!
Do you know of any others that are missing from this list? Leave a comment and let me know… Claire.

I don’t exactly remember how I came upon Untamed Petals on Etsy… no doubt in one of the many wedding blogs I breeze through every day. The lovely handmade items on Untamed Petals are made by Amanda and lots of them would, I think, be a great addition for any bride. Whether it’s a headband, a “fascinator” or a sash or belt these are really sweet accessories.  Amanda makes her items to order and also does some custom work, so if you have an idea you can run it by her.  I so admire her creativity!

I came across this excellent article in the NY Times’ Saturday “Money Matters” section recently and thought I’d share it with you. The author offers, “4 financial issues that ought to be near the top of the discussion list before getting married.” They are: ancestry, credit, control and affluence. It’s not a very long article so rather than trying to recap it for you here I invite you to hop over and read it here.

No matter how difficult it is to start the money conversation it’s most definitely something you’ll want to look at together before the big day.  There’s no better time than right now!

Happy Halloween everyone!  I thought that today would be a great day to share this fun resource with you.  As you will see at Wedding Dress Fantasy there are really no limits at all to the possibilities for a bride who wants something a little out of the ordinary for her wedding dress.   Blue?  Black?  Purple?  Pink?  Wedding Dress Fantasy has ‘em all… and lots of ‘em!  They list hundreds of dresses in every imaginable color (with photos) and, although I’m no wedding gown expert, their prices seem really reasonable to me.  I think I’d choose the turquoise one… how ’bout you?

If you’re looking for a unique and possibly even custom designed garter for your wedding I’ve got the resource for you! At first I found it hard to believe that there could be an entire business devoted exclusively to wedding garters, but then I looked thru Julianne Smith’s collections and blog and now I can see how this could be, and is, true!

As you will see from the small selection of photos below, Julianne has created hundreds of uniquely designed wedding garters, some with hand embroidery and other embellishments. I especially love Julianne’s blog, Garter Girl, where she shares not only photos but fun advice and information too. For instance, last month she posted an article called “Which leg gets the wedding garter?” I have to admit I’ve never given it a thought. And back in July she shared an article entitled, “Wedding Garter History 101.” and many others.

I know you’ll love Julianne Smith’s beautiful work and unique enterprise!

Lately I’ve neglected the “Bride Online” feature of this blog but when I came across Twigs & Honey I knew it was a sign that the time had come to pick it up again   Myra Callan started her business just last year “with the goal of introducing to others a completely fresh and modern interpretation of hair adornments,” and her pieces are absolutely beautiful and ideal for brides who want to add a unique and striking touch to their wedding day look.

Twigs & Honey, based out of Oregon, has both a website and an Etsy shop filled with wonderful pieces: floral and feather hair pieces, headbands, veils, jewelry, belts, shrugs/jackets and boutonnieres.  I just love Myra’s designs and am so happy that I can share them with you today… enjoy!
If you love Myra’s beautiful pieces be sure to also visit her blog to see her latest work. Oh, and I also wanted to mention that Myra does custom work too, so you can have a perfect, personalized look for your day!

If you’ve ever considered buying or selling a used wedding dress I think you might want to check out Once Wed.  Once Wed is a free listing service for wedding dresses that is updated daily.  The photos that I’ve posted here are of dresses that have been posted to the site in just that last week or so (and there are lots more!).  The prices that I’ve seen so far range from $200 to $5,650 (for a Vera Wang dress) but most of the prices are more in the $1000 – $2000 area.
I admit that I’m not really up on my dress designers, but I do recognize a few famous names: Oscar De La Renta, Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera and J Crew… I’m sure lots of the others are famous too and you’ll probably recognize them!
If you’ve had any experiences buying or selling a used wedding dress from Once Wed or from any other site, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment and let us know how it went.