Ring Bearers?

This is Maverick. His human Becca made him this tux to coordinate with the wedding party.
I found this hilarious idea on one of my favorite bridal Blogs, Off Beat Bride

Tempting.

Oh so tempting.

Dom Perignon Wedding:(Champagne) at Crush Wine & Spirits

Dom Perignon Wedding:(Champagne) at Crush Wine & Spirits

OK, admitted.
If I received this as a wedding gift, I'd enjoy it.

I Must!.....or it's all in the details

It's the little things that count........

And I NEED this:

Click the pic!

So, how can you get some bling on your soles?

& Buy em at Belles & Crystals

& Follow Bridal blogger  The Wedding Chicks' excellent step-by-step instructions! 

& You can have a custom word stencil made by Creative Crystal for $4.99 to make the DIY project even easier

& Or, cruise your local scrapbooking or crafts store to look for some premade crystal stickers like these:

I found these on line at Createforless.com for less than $3

She Said Yes! to the Dress

There were a lot of close calls.....when the credit card almost came out of the wallet.

But those dresses very simply...... good enough,  or perfect if there was just a bit of lace here, or a sleeve removed there. Or, if it was in a different fabric.  Or a different color.   Or those silly pick-ups could be taken out. Or......just something was a little different. 

But there was this one dress........that was really good just the way it was.   

And suddenly all the other dresses I had seen were just, well, wrong.    So I went back to visit my dress.

And it really was THAT good.  So, I said YES!

I bet you're thinking I'm going to post a photo of side dress here so you can oogle it........

not so much.

You'll need to wait another 180 days.

Trend Watch: The Monogram

Since I was in the wedding planning game some 20+ years ago, things have changed. Mostly for the good.

Take a look at this fabulous wedding monogram I had made:

How cool is that??
I stay up at night thinking of how many things I can slap that on!!

Want one?   http://www.jennjohnston.com/ 

In search of the perfect signature cocktail

Presenting the Pink Squirel.......courtey of MadMen.

Two decades later, I'm learning, there are several trends I missed out on. One is the "Signature Cocktail".  Whether an old standard that is special to the bride and groom,  a subtle twist on a popular drink, or a completely original concotion dreamed up for the big day, having a customized cocktail for the big day is now a must.

For brides who are sticklers for a theme,  the drink must not only be tasty, but match her decor.

Before you gasp.........I will not be ordering up a pink drink!   But the look and vintage 1960's origin of the Pink Squirel is to delightful not to mention.   And if that's not cool enough, it is made with crème de noyaux  - a liquoir that's no longer even made!

So, the hunt continues..........

Stalking the Prey........

Who knew how hard it would be locate one little wedding gown?   Ooops. I forgot. Cut me some slack, it's been 21 years. Like many other highly competitive markets,  bridal salons seldom make it easy by stocking the same items or designers so consumers can easily compare.   In fact, they are quite sneaky about it.

So after trying several, OK, 637,469 dresses the other day, I did find one I wanted to try on again.  Without driving to the entire other side of Chicago.   Thus ensued part one: stalking the dress on the internet.   Not every shop carries every designer. In fact, several designers are offered at only a very few salons. You know, the ones really far away from me.  (Yes, Oakbrook IS another country, OK??)   And not every salon who stocks a specific designer has the same dresses, or the same sizes.   So it was looking like this dress existed only in ONE bridal salon in the entire Chicagoland area.   And it was not nearby.

Part two: hunting it down.

But I am a persistent girl.  So one day when I had a few extra minutes after eating my lunch of rabbit food very delicious and filling salad, I google-mapped a promising bridal salon.  BINGO:  Lily's Bridal and Gifts.  They had my the dress.   And a couple of others by Maggie Sottero I wanted to try.  Bridal nirvana - the ability to comparassion shop!  I hit the mother lode.   Thank you google maps.

Except the sample was obviously sized for a concentration camp survivor.  It fit quite well.  On my left thigh.  But happily, the other samples were in sizes that actually fit me.   And the sales girl was neither a bubble gum snapping anorexic, nor an overmade-up 79 year old sporting a heavy Brooklyn accent.    She was actually.......breathe.......helpful.    The shop was organized. And she even called the manufacturer to order a swatch of the color we could not identify and get me a "drop-dead date"*

So what happened?
Nmm, mmm.   You'll just have to wait on that one.

But I can tell you this, it's not THIS one:

* Drop-Dead date: last day the sress can be ordered to arrive in time for to be altered and ready for the wedding.