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.

If having a cake-topper, other than the typical bride-n-groom one  sounds good to you then check these out. Toppers with Glitz is owned by Sari Watkins who actually designs and makes these unique custom cake-toppers and other accessories with her very own talented hands. Sari says, “You now have the opportunity for your cake topper to be unique while still suited to your wedding style. Whether you go with a single letter, monogram, or shape, I provide options a nd have choices to match any bride’s theme. If you know exactly what you want, you’ll love being able to make all the final decisions. If you are the type that prefers to leave the creative design to someone else, you are in capable hands.”
Toppers with Glitz’s website has tons more examples of Sari’s beautiful work, samples of the dozens of  crystal colors she has available plus other ideas for unique items that Sari can create for your wedding day… have fun!

When I ran across this fun website recently, My Wedding Labels, I knew I wanted to share it with you here on the blog. This company which is in Portland, Oregon, makes the most beautiful customized labels for every imaginable purpose… how’s that for a niche market? The ones I’m sharing here are, of course, designed with weddings in mind. You can create your very own, unique design and use them to personalize your wedding decor. Some of the suggestions the company offers are: tags for wedding favors, labels for CDs, envelopes & cards, tags for gifts, coasters, wine or water bottle labels, labels for home-made favors, place cards, menus and on and on.

Check it out and, no doubt, you’ll come up with lots of your own unique ideas!