Our Expert, Mackenzie recommends these fab evening bags,
“I love the clutches at Holland Cox for their originality and affordability. There’s something disturbing about dropping large quantities of cash on something that will only see the light of day a few times a year. At $60 each, you can feel good about having a little extra cash to keep in the bag after you buy it.”
These bags are styling! And they won’t break the bank. I’m a particular fan of the antique print ones. They look sorta like my grandmother’s wallpaper. I’m not sure…but I think that makes me love them more!
gift girl
I found these dresses on Manolo for the Brides, Never teh Bride, one of our wedding experts talks about her bridal dress shopping experiences,
“When I was shopping for the perfect dress, I found myself faced with a great many extremes. There were the heavy, multi-layered formal frocks guaranteed to keep your legs warm even if your upper body is freezing. And there were the sexy, slinky sheaths that would have highlighted my “lady lumps” in the worst possible way. What was lacking was that “something in between” that would be princess enough to tickle my particular fancy yet light enough to be wearable in a variety of weather conditions.
That’s why I’m in love with Chris Kole’s collection, The Cotton Bride. No, the gowns are not all cotton — in fact, most are linen, and some are silk — but they are all natural, hand-sewn, made to order, and designed to be comfortable. The best part is that prices start at $1,800, which is high-ish but not unusually expensive for a piece of clothing with the word “wedding” in its descriptor.
I do feel like these dresses take some getting used to…they’re not particularly shiny and we tend to associate shine with formality. My personal favorite, in case you were wondering, is the dress in the middle. How about you: would you eschew bridal satin in favor of cotton or linen?”
Well I agree, I once wore a bridesmaid dress that while pretty made me feel like I was laced up for a football game instead of a walk down the aisle. Comfortable is the name of the game and the beautiful dresses from The Cotton Bride deliver!
gift girl
I found this on the Toast and Tables blog. And I never thought rocks could ROCK so much! But they do. Check out what Sarah Dennis has to say, ”
“Rock on” may be a uniquely American call to party, but when it comes to decorating your table, rocks, stones and pebbles can have an altogether different effect on your mood. When incorporated into your table setting, stones can create a soothing effect to balance the hectic pace of modern life.”
(l to r: Martha Steward wedding, InStyle wedding)
I am all but ready to start polishing my rock collection! These table settings are fab my advice is to get rocking.
gift girl
Florals can make or break a wedding. And I know first-hand that looking for out of season flowers can be frustrating and very costly. I was looking for lilies of the valley in November. Not the best move. Trust me. I found this on our newest wedding expert’s blog: manolobrides. It’s all about a way to save money on florals and it starts with knowing what is in season,
“One piece of advice brides hear over and over again is that choosing flowers that are local and in season is a great way to save money on your florist’s bill. That’s very true. Having orchids flown in from halfway across the globe or insisting on the most delicate of summer blooms in the middle of a stormy winter is going to cost you extra.
But what to do if you don’t know what’s in season in your area? Well, a good place to start is right here. This interactive tool allows you to give a very general idea of time of year, region of the US (sorry, non-USian readers, but I’ll be on the lookout for something that covers other parts of the world, too, because it’s fun) where your wedding will be held, or even what color the bridesmaid’s dresses are. It then spits out a list of flowers that match your criteria, with links to pictures of said flowers. As I said, it’s not the be-all and end-all, but it’s a good place to start if you can’t tell a hyacinth from a hydrangea or aren’t certain if iris grows in your area near your wedding date.
Another fabulous way of saving cash on flowers is to do very simple arrangements yourself with a bit of help from handy friends and family members. Real Simple has a great feature showing you how to make beautiful bouquets from grocery store flowers. The one piece of advice I would add to their ideas is that if there’s an open-to-the-public florist’s supply within a reasonable distance, you can get a greater variety of higher-quality flowers without having to pay the middle men. If you need a lot of a particular flower, it also means you’re far more likely to be able to get precisely what you want in the amounts you need.
Still, the tying instructions are clear and simple to follow. Besides, who would ever have thought baby’s breath could look this spectacular?”
I couldn’t agree more. These fab florals are pretty and simple. And if I could add an extra piece of advice. Avoid doing the flowers yourself. Ask a good friend instead.
gift girl
I found this beautiful organic towel on the ecofabulous blog,
"Fans of color mixing will love this striped, heavyweight, twill-weave towel from Coyuchi, an India/Marin-based manufacturer dedicated to the growth of fair-trade and organic cotton. At Coyuchi’s plant, the cotton is scoured with biodegradable soap, dyed with low-impact, non-toxic dyes and preshrunk with just the use of steam rollers — absolutely no chemicals here."
I love my stripes and I love big plush comfy towels. Go ahead- wrap yourself up in this awesome wedding registry idea.
gift girl
Our featured wedding expert Emily of eco-chic weddings, blogs about Bodanna,
"Beautiful, useful, and so positive…buy something for yourself, even…no reason to feel guilty. Because with every purchase from Bodanna, money goes to support inner city kids…making their hopes, dreams, or just their basic day-to-day living possible."
There is nothing better than fab style with a big heart. Check out some of Bodanna’s beautiful items and make the world a little bit of a better place.
gift girl
A pillow for your ring
Our wedding expert, Mackenzie posted these fun pillows,
"So many things to love over at Estilo Weddings! I think I’ll start by loving the ring pillows. Not something I usually post about, and I must say that I’ve never stumbled across ring pillows I like quite as much as these. I thought you might be similarly inspired by them. Enjoy!"
Ring pillows are one of those things that can give a bride grief. Depending on where you buy your dress some places will even throw in a ring pillow. But usually ring pillows look like something you should sleep on instead of put on display. I say three cheers for dressing up the the ring pillow especially if they look anything like the ones above. And remove the flower and i kinda heart these for my couch!
gift girl
I found these small gems on the Indie Fixx blog where Jen blogs about an interview with the designer, Teresa Robinson.
Jen Of Indie Fixx says,
"I know you all have heard of small things jewelry. It’s been around since 2002 and I swear just about every brick and mortar indie shop I visit has a few small things designs. The proprietress and designer behind smallthings, Teresa Robinson, learned to make jewelry on a whim when she took a class while studying to be a painter in Mexico. What started out as a fancy, turned into a full-time interest as she started dreaming about soldering little bits of metal and stopped thinking about painting. Teresa’s designs still retain a little bit of that original whimsy in them and for that I am glad."
Well Jen, I am originally from the East and that might be why small things is new news to me! But I wholeheartedly agree with the magic of this whimsical designer. I can see why her work is so loved. I adore the simplicity and elegance of each piece but especially the ones with the dandelion looking flowers. I have a slight obsession with dandelions which happens to fit in well with wishes.
gift girl
Our featured wedding expert, Emily of eco-chic weddings blogs about handmade shoes.
“I just love handmade shoes. Chi Mihara are among my favorite ’cause I’m a sucker for a Spanish accent 
Find them here: Clementine in Seattle.”
I had no idea that this kind of quality was available so close to home. Can’t you just see these on your bridesmaid? The wider heel makes these shoes not only beautiful but comfortable. Besides I just really like red shoes.
gift girl
Our wedding expert Mackenzie found these fabulous Prismera necklace designs.
“They’d make a gorgeous bridesmaids gift. Maybe your girls aren’t all wearing the same dress, but they might like to wear the same necklace? My favorite is the Titanopsis, bottom left.”
These beautiful necklaces are cut from a sheet of metal and then bronzed. Unique and well crafted and that just never goes out of style. So whether your thinking of your bridesmaid or yourself these are a real treasure.
gift girl
