TGIF...I think...

Well...let the wedding season begin! I have my first wedding shower this Sunday. I think I may have a few more, as we have four weddings this summer . Actually, we have quite an action packed weekend, something to do Friday and Saturday night, and then the shower on Sunday. So not sure if it's TGIF for me...sometimes I'd rather just sit on the couch and eat potato chips! Have a great weekend everyone.

p.s. sending out big HUGE hugs to M :)

p.p.s. Just giving a heads up on a guest blogger we're going to have for the week March 10th. It's going to be my sister Michelle (not the same M mentioned above, but they do have the same name). She's very creative and talented and will have lots of tres cool things to say....so stay tuned!

history friday?

Don't worry, this won't be a boring history lesson. I was just trying to decide what to blog about today, and I thought, why not see some dresses from history past? Two of my favorite dresses of all time are Jacqueline Kennedy's dress from her 1953 wedding to JFK.

Can you believe that they had 1200 people at their reception at Hammersmith Farm! It was the childhood summer home of Jackie in Newport, Rhode Island. At one time it was open to the public, but now belongs to the guy who owns Fruit of the Loom (just an interesting tid-bit of information you can bring up at your next cocktail party).

My other favorite all-time dress is from Grace Kelly's weddings to Prince Ranier of Monaco in 1956. They were first married in a civil ceremony (which she preferred) and were married again the following day in a Catholic ceremony. Apparently they were not allowed to look at each other during the church ceremony.

images from Yale Press

Grace's dress was a gift to her from MGM studios. Her entire wedding was even planned by MGM studios. When she became engaged, she had 7 years left in her contract. Prince Ranier did not want her to continue acting, so to get out of her contract, they allowed MGM to film the wedding for a television audience. 30 million people watched her become a princess. Her last film "High Society" was released after her wedding, and was not allowed to be shown in Monaco. Incidentally, this is like the best movie ever!

The costumes are amazing, and it's pretty funny to boot. I also think that she wore her real engagement ring from Prince Ranier (10 carats, emerald cut!), but not entirely sure, so don't quote me on that. Be sure to rent this one, it's awesome!

etsy love

I found this great Etsy shop through Laura Ryan's blog. Twigs & Honey makes custom head pieces, perfect for the fashion forward bride. She will do custom orders and with prices between $40 to $65, they are so affordable!



*sorry, I don't know how to make the pics larger...

say yes to the dress

image from the Knot

The Knot has a feature showing your 10 favourite gowns from the 2008 collections. I particularly like this dress from Vera Wang. Though I'm not sure everyone can wear a huge bow at their waist, it's still quite pretty. Did you notice the title of the post? Have you ever seen the show "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC. It's about the holy grail of bridal shops, Klienfeld, in NYC.

This store is "may-jah" as Victoria Beckham would say. They claim to have the largest selection of bridal gowns in the world, and it is serious business! Check out the show...

like I said...I love the bling!

I seriously considered purchasing these at Target last week (was on the vay-cay, and I don't get to Target too often, living in Canada and all!). This was even after my sister S told me I couldn't wear sparkly sneakers. Husband actually liked them, which really surprised me! Sometimes I get really cheap when I'm in Target, and I thought that $29 was too expensive. Of course, this didn't seem an issue when I was at Banana Republic and the Gap! Anyway, I'm sure I'll regret the decision...just might have to make an emergency trip to the States to purchase these after all. Sorry S. They are from the Converse One Star brand Target is now carrying. They have a lot of nice stuff, not just shoes. You know what I love about Target, when stuff goes on sale, it really goes on sale. The Husband got t-shirts for $3 people!!

Speaking of Banana Republic, I did find a cute dress to wear to a wedding this summer. It was on sale, so that made me feel good...


It's now priced at $99 and it's all silk. A pretty good price I thought. Would be perfect for a bridal shower or day after brunch (though now looking at the picture, mine is quite a bit longer). It will look perfect with these shoes from Delman that I picked up at 50% off at Christmas.

If you are looking for some pretty dresses for the upcoming wedding season, take a scoot over to Banana Republic, I'm sure you'll find something! They also have great shoes and handbags.

daily obsession

Frankly, I'm getting quite tired of my chipped, tea stained mugs. While doing my weekly browse of Anthropologie, I found these dainty tea cups...they're quite civilized. I think my sister-in-law P might like these. She's way into tea, and asked for some china tea cups for Christmas. She was lucky to receive some very pretty ones, which she promptly dropped on the driveway on her way home from our gift exchange. (sorry P, had to tell the story!) If I decide to give her some of these beauts, I'll be sure to wrap them in extra bubble paper!

If you too would like to feel like you're sipping tea with the Queen, be sure to register for something like these!

Images from Anthropologie.

sweet treats

Found these totally adorable favours via Martha's Wedding Blog. How cute are they?! They are from Valerie Confections.

worth a looky!

Michelle Rago, bridal and event planner extraordinaire, has launched a blog. She will surely keep us inspired with features from her own events. She is currently blogging about a recent wedding in Palm Beach and the pictures are fab!

picture from Michelle Rago's blog

an upgrade?

First off, let me state that I LOVE my engagement ring. It's a beautiful 3 stone ring, with a sapphire in the middle and a diamond on either side. I love it because it's different, not only because of the coloured stone, but because it's yellow gold, not something you see much of these days. That being said....I have many fingers, and a whole other hand with no rings on it to speak of. Is it wrong of me to ask for an upgrade? Okay, not so much an upgrade, as I will always wear my wedding ring, but just a lil' somethin' somethin' for my other hand. If you're still searching for your rock, then you might like some of these...



These diamonds are from Estate Diamond Jewelry, and I love their vintage vibe. Now I know there are those "about to be engaged" people, or married people for that matter, that don't really care for the whole "diamond as a symbol for our love" type of thing. Some think it's a waste of hard earned cash....I'm not one of those. Call me what you will, I like me some shiny bling! So dear Husband, we've got two years to save up for one of these beauties (it will be our tenth, though I should say he did surprise me with a very beautiful diamond and sapphire wedding band this year, it matches my other ring, and we didn't want to spend the money when we were looking for wedding rings). And don't worry, it's not all about me...I'll cut him some sort of deal...he can buy some fishing thing, that sounds fair!

J. Crew weddings

In case you were unaware....J.Crew sells everything you need to outfit your bridal party. And now, they have Ashley, their wedding specialist, who will help you choose your look. They really do have some great dresses, at totally reasonable prices! Do be sure to check them out!

fab find!

I'm back from the Florida vay-cay...it was sunny, hot and great to be on the beach with the fam! Of course, now that I'm back to the dry winter, I feel like my skin (used to all that wonderful humidity) is about to shrivel up. Thankfully, I found some great products at Bath & Body Works. I generally avoid this place, because the smell of everything just about knocks you over, but they have some really amazing products that should not be overlooked.
First off, my favorite body lotion, Tahiti Sweetie. It smells like the tropics and keeps your skin moisturized all day long. It's a great deal at $15.
This is a new product for me...and I love it! It's the Patricia Wexler M.D. anti-aging moisturizer with SPF 30. It's $39.50, a little more expensive for B&BW, but a little goes a long way.
And lastly, my ultimate fave....and perfect for getting your digits in supreme form for showing off that engagement rock...the Suddenly Sauna mitts for your hands. They come with this little measuring cup, you fill it up and pour into the mitts. Then, the mitts heat up...you put on your favorite hand cream and put on the mitts for 15 mins. Your hands come out sooooo soft! These would also be awesome for my sister S, who is constantly freezing cold! I did notice online, they have the same product for feet....I guess I was so excited about the mitts, that I didn't notice. They are $16 for 4 pairs of mitts.

So deal with the powerful smells and over zealous sales people, and check out Bath & Body Works....start getting that skin in shape for the big day!

check it out

I felt I had to share this totally hot website http://www.martiniboys.com/. Some of you may already know about it but for those of you that don't, it's great! If you are planning a vacation or live in one of these cities...Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, N.Y.C., or Miami, it is where you need to go to find out where to eat, go for coffee, go clubbing or to take in some artsy cultural stuff. It is completely unbiased and real information. I will be visiting it regularly while I plan a summer trip with a girlfriend to Montreal. Happy planning.

lovin' the moss and turquoise...

I was checking out some jewellery on Etsy tonight and came across these beautiful uber chic pieces. The combination of the moss and turqouise is one of my favourites right now and is completely fantastic for a wedding. Check out the following blogs for some vintage shopping for that special day!

www.recycledrings.etsy.com
www.iacua.etsy.com
www.1ofmykind.etsy.com


www.etsy.com

post it

I was mailing some long overdue letters this weekend and picked up a Canada Post brochure. It was all about how to create and order personalized stamps/postage. We all know that this has been a possibility for a long time but until lately it has seemed like a daunting task for a couple to do in amongst all the other wedding preparations. This website and/or order form make it super easy to do. I played around with it and uploaded an image (which took 2 seconds) from my computer and had a choice of 4 stamps. You can crop it how you like and you order per sheet (20 stamps per sheet). The picture I chose would be great for Thank you cards though you could really use any image for anything - I may even scan a drawing of my daughters to use for her birthday invitations.

all in the family

It's a long weekend here in Canada (Ontario, at least). We are celebrating the first ever "family day" in Ontario this Monday, the 18th. So find something fun to do that the whole family can enjoy...play some board games, go for a walk, do some crafts...and tell everyone how much you love them. I live very far away from my family (so I very much appreciate the holiday), and will be celebrating by taking a quick vay-cay to the sunny Florida beaches with the Husband and meeting up with my sister and the nephews. Have a great Family Day everyone...and President's Day for our southern neighbours!

some friday fashion

During my daily browse of all things wedding....I came across this dress from Priscilla of Boston.


It's just such the perfect blend of preppy and posh! I think it would be perfect for a summertime wedding...I'm thinking country club chic. Priscilla of Boston also has a great selection of short dresses...I've never actually seen anyone wear a short wedding dress, but who could resist with these options.


My one issue with wedding dresses, is that so many of them look the same, and I think that sometimes people are afraid to "think out of the box" a little, and make a statement on their wedding day. Any of these dresses would be a perfect fit for those of you looking for a little something different, but still 'wedding-y'. My ultimate pick is the following...a sophisticated power wedding dress! You definitely demand attention in this (picture with some fabulous necklace, maybe in a cool colour).

all dresses from Priscilla of Boston

you look mah-velous!

Picking the right makeup for your wedding day is essential. It has to be strong enough to translate into photographs (especially black and white), but subtle enough, that you still look like you! Getting your face professionally done, would surely be a treat, but if your handy with the brush, you can probably do it yourself. My sister did my makeup, she's crafty that way, and M did hers herself...she's quite talented! If you choose to do it yourself, I highly recommend paying a visit to the make-up counter. They can help you choose colours and give you hints for making your look last. Here are some of my favourite looks from the InStyle Wedding website.


Just remember, your wedding day is not the time to test out that goth look you've always wanted to try. You really just want to enhance your best features, look fresh and keep it simple.

cheap n' chic!

There is such a thing! Believe it or not, it's available at Old Navy. They have some great jewelry pieces for spring. What makes me extra happy, is that the bracelets fit on my wrist, and dangle there, just like on the skinny girls! Here are some pictures of the pieces I purchased yesterday...fab necklaces (I never thought I could wear necklaces, never thought I was thin enough...long story), earrings and spiffy bracelets.



In addition to jewelry they have some great looking handbags and shoes...

Be sure to stop by you closest Old Navy and pick up some great stuff....chances are, it's on sale!