The Short Dress Trend

July 26th, 2010

tealengthweddingdressIs it me or are a lot of brides wearing shorter dresses this summer? I have a feeling these dresses are going to follow us into the fall as well simply because they are so darn cute!

I’m all about bringing back classic 50’s fashion to the current wedding scene but sadly I could never pull this style off. Am I alone? The shorter wedding dress I feel is for the bride with ‘really nice pins’ (an homage to the retro flair) and I do not fall into the category. Sad because I would so love to wear this. Anyone else in this predicament?

Anyhoo,  the short wedding dress is perfect for the casual or even just less traditional bride looking for something BirdcageVeildifferent. A bit of advice, if you go the short dress route get a birdcage veil. Talk about super awesome!

The American Honeymoon

June 30th, 2010

In the past, couples focused more on traveling out of the country when it came time for their honeymoon but the trend lately seems to be staying local. Maybe its due to the recession? Maybe its due to time constraints? Who really cares! With so many fabulous and diverse places to stay in the US, it is definitely an idea worth looking into. Here are a few of Adorns favorite spots:

VermontB&BVermont: For Nature Lovers

There are plenty of awesome places to view the glory of nature in the US but one of my personal favorites has to be Vermont. Not only can you get there really easily with Jet Blue, but they have the most wonderful bed and breakfasts! Don’t believe us? Check out the many travel websites that have Vermont on the top of their romantic getaway lists like Travel and Leisure’s 2009 Top 50 Romantic Getaways.

Although there are tons of places to stay in Vermont, I’m partial to Stowe. They’ve got great sking, great food, great spas, and lots of great scenery. Book a room with a fireplace, buy some local cheese, a few bottles of wine, and totally zone out in each others arms.

 

 

 

SarasotaRitzCarltonFlorida: For Beach Go-ers

Florida isnt known as ‘The Sunshine State’ for nothing. They have some of the prettiest beaches in the world! My personal favorite is located in Sarasota. I literally yearn for the Ritz Carlton- Sarasota every year around this time. Not only is it truly a beautiful, luxury hotel, but its reasonably priced, 20 minutes from the airport, AND has a shuttle that takes you to their private beach and St. Armands Circle for shopping. No car rental needed.

 

RitzCarltonBatteryParkNew York: For City Slickers

Looking for a honeymoon with a certain air of sophistication? Try a honeymoon in NYC! This city has everything: music, museums, nightlife, dancing, art, shopping, fine dining, casual dining, anything you want! Sounds expensive right? Well, let a native New Yorker let you in on a little hint: the farther you stay from the center of Midtown Manhattan, the more inexpensive it is. Now, I’m not saying get a hotel in Queens or Brooklyn (unless you want to, then please be my guest), but I do recommend the Ritz Carlton – Battery Park. This hotel is in whats called “Lower Manhattan”, right by the water, the Native American Museum, and the Staten Island Ferry (free Ferry ride passes right by Statute of Liberty). Why is it a little cheaper? It will take you an extra 5-10 minutes to go where most of the action is; believe me when I tell you its not worth the extra cash to stay ‘in the middle of it all’ when you can be just 10 minutes away. Especially when the staff at the Ritz Battery Park is so delightful and the amenties just lovely. Spend the extra $200 a night your saving on a really sweet dinner or orchestra tickets to a Bway show.

Wedding Registry Etiquette 101

June 25th, 2010

CBR002416When it comes to doling out wedding advice I always suggest the “do whatever makes you happy” philosophy. However, I tend to think one of the only area where this does not apply is with your wedding registry. Why? Well, simply put your registry sets the tone for your whole wedding. You DO NOT want that to be a negative tone in any capacity.

Think I’m overreacting? Take a step back from the wedding your currently planning and start thinking back to those weddings of yesteryear. Remember when your insufferable cousin put nothing but Mauviel Cooper Cookware on her registry ($500 for a potato steamer…I don’t think so)? So you got her the darn steamer and when you went to the wedding you saw she cut corners on everything! How furious were you? Or how about the time your friend invited you to her long distance wedding and then 1 month beforehand, after you bought the plane tickets, got married in secret for no good reason (a.k.a. surprise baby, going to war, etc)?! THEN had the NERVE to send out a registry request!?

 

Lets face it, registry snaffo’s stick out in people minds so here are a few rules to follow:

1) Know Your Audience

I know, I mention this rule all the time but it most definetly applies to your registry. To keep it short: if your friends and family are rich, don’t feel bad abut adding a few expensive items onto your list. If your friends and family are not well off,  refrain from adding anything over $500. If people want to give you a huge gift, they will give you money. Asking for a huge gift is just tacky.

2) Keep the price range in line with your reception

Are you spending $300 a plate? Well maybe your registry will be a little more on the expensive side (but dont go crazy)? If you’re spending $50 a plate then your items should semi reflect this. It doesnt mean you should only ask for a blender, handtowels, and chip clips (a personal pet peeve of mine – I hate when the only thing left on a registry is chip clips and plastic bowls), but dont try to ’scam’ your friends and family and don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re going to make money off of your wedding either….seriously… it’s not going to happen.

3) If you didn’t invite someone to your wedding, don’t send them your registry

This might seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised. I’ve received registry envelopes before without being invited to a wedding. Lame times infinity.

Hope these tips help you and if you have any questions…ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO ASK ME!

A Touch of Luxury

June 21st, 2010

Luxurious_Wedding_2010_Cover8Every bride wants a touch of luxury at their wedding. It’s one of those days in your life when pricetags are no longer relevant and quality and magnificence reign supreme. But lets face it, no girl can do it all on her own. That’s where the wedding planner professionals at Luxurious Wedding come in handy. They know everything there is to know about luxury, quality, and how to get that ‘wow factor’.

Where are they located? Well…everywhere! Their Luxury Experts have resource collections for every area of the country as well as London, Paris, Toronto, Dubai, and Australia. These luxury collections are filled with vendors and venues who meet only the highest standards of excellence in product and service.

So check out their website and get a glimpse of all the Luxurious Wedding Design Team can offer you and your husand-to-be. You won’t be disappointed!

http://www.luxuriouswedding.com/

We’ve Got More of Your Favorites!!

June 3rd, 2010

Have you been to the Adorn Brides website lately and found your favorite pieces are **gasp** out of stock?? Well never fear! We’ve just added more inventory! Hooray!

What did we add more of? All our most popular pieces of course! Like the ever popular:

The Lockwood Earrings

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The Chadwick Bracelet

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The Budding Necklace

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So go to our website today and order your gems before these sell out as well!

Bridal Bouquets that Won’t Wilt!

May 15th, 2010

Want the elegant look of flowers at your wedding without all the wilt? Well look no further! EmersonMade creates the most beautiful flowers for your special day and best of all – they are all made by hand! Check out some of the amazing creations this team can make you:

Want Your Bridal Bouquet to Last Forever? EmersonMade will create for you a unique 5 bloom bouquet  (in various colors) for only $250! That’s cheaper than most bouquets AND you get to keep them. Look at how beautiful!

EmersonMadeBridalBouquet

Looking to add a little pizazz to your bridesmaid dresses? Try adding one of Emersons flower sashes to your dresses for only $55-68 per flower. So adorable AND affordable.

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Need something that won’t wilt and die on your groomsmen? Believe me when I tell you, a real flower will look awful on your groomsmen by the end of the night. Don’t believe me? Email me and I’ll send you some of my wedding pictures – atrocious! These beautiful boutonnieres come in several different colors and are only $38!!

Boutonnieres

All flowers are made of 100% linen and/or silk velvet. They’re hand dyed, stitched, and built at the EmersonMade Studio. Since each flower is built and bloomed by hand, you are guaranteed to have a one-of-a-kind product. To quote their website: “EmersonMade is a company that believes in celebrating the uniqueness of the individual, the joy of being alive and all the smallness that makes up the Big Beautiful.” Amen to that!

The Best Wedding Day Primer…Ever

April 29th, 2010

Are you debating doing your own makeup for your wedding? Wondering what you’ll need to make you and your bridesmaids look gorgeous on your wedding day? Well have we got a GREAT new product for you: PurpleLabs new Pearlesque Show Silicone Free Primer.

First a Bit About Primers:
Makeup primers are often used by cosmetic professionals to make your skin look poreless, keep it moisturized, and keep your makeup on all day (very important for a wedding!!). This can be used with our without makeup, but if using with makeup you need to apply your primer first. Like all other products, there are many different kinds of primers and choosing the right now for you can be a bit of a task. Here’s something every gal should know about silicone based products. Although they do prevent shine, they have been known to cause breakouts since the silicone coats your skin and makes it occlusive (prevents penetration by trapping everything in – even the bad stuff). Break outs before your wedding are NOT COOL, so we thank cosmetic companys’ like PurpleLab for giving us other fabulous options!

PurpleLabPrimerNow The Main Event:
Pearlesque Show is a silicone free primer with that goes on super smooth. It minimizes your pores, hydrates your skin, AND evens your skin tone but that’s not all: its luxurious to the max. Evoking old Hollywood Starlet style, PurpleLab infused their new product with crushed pearls that create an instant youthful glow. What else is in it you ask? An array of mother nature’s gifts to the world such as kiwi, honey, grapeseed oil, lavender, aloe, and ginkgo biloba. This product will help keep that that expensive makeup you bought on your beautiful face all day.

So get buy it off of HSN TODAY!!  Pearlesque Show is usually the low price of $27.50, but for today and tomorrow: its $22.50!! Woo Hoo!

Classic Wedding Elegance with Pearls

April 19th, 2010

Pearls are almost always associated with classic wedding beauty and tradition. The sheer elegance of the pearl makes it an almost given for the refined, elegant bride-to-be.

Did you know the ancient Greeks associated the pearl with love, unrivaled beauty, and  marital harmony. Thats right, according to the ancient Greeks if you wear pearls on your wedding day you and your husband will live in marital bliss. But what pearls to wear? Well, never fear now you can rent the most gorgeous pearls at Adorn Brides for an incredible price!!

HartleyEarrings

  Rent these elegant, genuine diamond and pearl Hartley Earrings for only $75!

 

 

 

 

Colburn Pendant

 Looking for the perfect mix of modern and traditional? Look no further! The Colburn Pendant is a truly unique piece with an intricate diamond vine containing 3 accent diamonds weaving between 3 large pearls! Rent this pearl necklace for only $75!

 

 

  

 BuddingNecklace

Want something with a little more…omph??? The gorgeous Budding Necklace is for the nature lover in all of us. A stunning garden pattern featuring vines wwith accented pearls and diamonds in an organic asymmetrical shape! Rent this one of a kind pearl necklace for only $150!

This Cake Costs A lot of Dough

April 5th, 2010

Wedding cakes tend to run the gamut from a DIY cake made by mom to a ridiculously large life-size portrait of the bride.  Although no two brides can agree on what the best wedding cake would be – everyone knows it’s an important part of the ceremony.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when while you’re ordering

Cakes Need to Be Transported:

Unless you’re a character on either Bewitched or Charmed, odds are you can’t make objects appear and reappear without having someone lift and move them.  Make sure you run through the transportation with your baker to make sure everyone’s on the same page about boxing, packing materials, and reception directions.  Professionals are usually really good about making this process work flawlessly. However, if your new mother-in-law decides to make the cake herself you should ask her to make it slightly smaller and designate at least 2 friends to help her with the transportation…the last thing you need is to arrive at the reception hall with a cake covered m-i-l. Not good, not good at all…

When Elaborate Goes Awry:

I have no words...

I have no words...

Please heed this warning: when it comes to wedding cakes STAY SIMPLE. Unless you’ve got boatloads of money on the best baker in your state – keep it simple. Complex cakes can sometimes go awry and totally put a damper on your special day. For example take the cake to the left. The idea was beautiful: dolphins playing on a cake. But the execution leaves a little something to be desired. Instead of being playful and happy, it looks like there’s been a massacre in Flippers family and everyone was invited to witness the aftermath.

Your cake should be something you both really love:  tasty, elegant, and beautiful. Don’t fuss, or freak out over it, or feel the need to go overboard. Sometimes a simple cake tastes the best and looks the prettiest.

Remember Your Guests:

You might want to have this elaborate cake but remember, your guests just want something delicious. It is possible to have both but keep in mind, it takes a very talented baker to do this. This might be obvious to some but do a tasting at the bakers with your future hubs. If they serve other baked goods, buy a few. Get one of their little cakes to bring to your mothers or his mothers or someones mothers. It’ll give you a good idea about the bakers normal level of product deliciousness (is that a real phrase? I don’t think so)

Have you Heard the Bridal Buzz?

March 29th, 2010

Searching for unique touches for your wedding? Tired of looking at the same colors/styles for guest books, center pieces, and shower gifts? Me too. That’s why I’ve fallen in love with the super cute blog Bridal Buzz. It’s a delicious mix of Etsy.com and wedding style blogs.

BridalBuzzOf course, Kristin Cronkright – the gal who runs the blog – isn’t your typical blogger. She’s an invitation designer herself which means she understands the need for party uniqueness better than most. Kristin does all the DIY wedding research so you don’t have too.

Go check out Bridal Buzz today because somewhere in her awesome collection of wedding and party inspirations is the idea you’ve been waiting for.