BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Last week I got an awesome opportunity to work with NC Bridal Showcase, where I will be working on their runway presentation as Fashion Director! Its a part time job, that I only work for about three times per year! 

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENT! TODAY, I went to a meeting with Premier Bride Magazine, a nationally published bridal magazine, and they have decided to hire me to write for them! My first assignment that I submitted with the magazine will be published in their upcoming magazine! 

Brides Magazine, watch out, I'm coming for you! :D

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




PS- next week I will be getting my computer, so get ready!!! I will be posting allll the time!!!
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With that said, here's the perfect thing to do with your girls, before getting hitched...


get ready for "Book Club!"


"I see a lot of law breakers in here...!"

Stay Tuned...

I am such a terrible blogger, and I apologize to my readers about that!  The past six months have been a whirlwind, and I couldn't be any happier!  I am back in school, and my first semester was pretty tough, but I made it through with a 3.3 GPA.  I was only .05 away from reaching the Deans List, so that was really encouraging!

I have secured a new job, at DSW Shoe warehouse, and it truly is the best job ever for shoe retail!  I get a sweet discount, and not to mention I get to look at shoes all day long.  My computer died midway through the semester, so I have been without one for the past four months.  It has been rough without one.  Thankfully, I have the internet on my phone, which I totally utilize, and also my moms computer.  When I was in school, I would borrow a computer from the school, which was usually a MAC.

I have been paying on a new computer, and hopefully within the next month or so, I will be able to bring it home.  It is a used Mac computer, and I am so thrilled to be getting it!

I will be making a big announcement next week, probably Friday, about some awesome things in my life, that my readers should know about! So PLEASE STAY TUNED!

ENOUGH ABOUT ME!

I just want to end this post today, with a little sparkle in your day!

Verragio came out with this gem, and I would love nothing other than to rock this bauble---more than you know!

Can you say stunning!!! OMG I LOVE IT!

Interesting Reception Decor

While cruising Pinterest yesterday, I found some of the most amazing ideas that I have ever seen! It just inspires me to think outside the box, and so should you! 

How about a swanky outdoor cocktail area...

Or a nice walk under the greenery...

Or staring at the beautiful floral arrangement with cascading crystals...

Or some wisteria...

Pretty globes?...

Fairy Tale Romance...

What about framing it?

A romantic night under the stars...

my personal favorite--- This bride below decided to rent a parachute and it only cost her $35!!!

I hope that this has inspired you to think outside of the box when thinking of awesome reception decor! 

Being a Princess on Your Wedding Day

Have you seen the commercial for the Beautiful fragrance by Estee Lauder?  It pictures a bride getting ready for her wedding and the dress that she is wearing is simply stunning!  I have been searching for this dress for quite some time now, and I could not find it!  I ended up emailing Estee Lauder last night, and this morning I had a response!  The gown is by Oscar de la Renta, and its from the Spring 2011 line.  The stunning Oscar de la Renta  gown is silk taffeta, with a gorgeous sweeping skirt, and a draped sleeve.  Talk about elegant!

Here is the advertisement, just in case you havent seen it...

and her is a still picture of the gown from the commercial...

and here is the runway shot...

I just love this gown. This gown reminds me of a princess, which is why I named this posting, "Being a Princess on Your Wedding Day."

Here are some more princess gowns, from one of my favorite designers: Allure Bridals

Their gowns are some of my favorites because of the quality of the gowns, and the romantic fabrics that they use.  Their designs are timeless, and sleek.  Their new 2012 line is really stunning, and you can see why.

Speaking of Princess gowns, I suppose it is only fitting to mention the Alfred Angelo Disney Fairy Tale Wedding Gowns. They have completely redone their princess gowns, some even in other colors other than white or ivory.  Here is the link to their site:  Disney Fairy Tale Wedding Gowns by Alfred Angelo

They are romantic, and for the right bride, they are the perfect dress!  Remember, find the dress that "speaks to you" and makes you feel beautiful.  Once that wedding gown is found, everything else will fall into place! 

Call Me Old Fashioned

Call me old fashioned, but I have seen a trend in bridal gowns that I am not too fond of.  There is a growing trend in slits in wedding gowns.  Yes, I did say a slit in a wedding gown.  I don't understand this mentality of looking sexy on your wedding day. On your wedding day, you want to look classy, and sophisticated, not immortalized with a picture of your leg hanging out there!  Leave that for your wedding night, not for the ceremony!   I think that a slit is a great idea for the reception, but not for the ceremony!

While I think that these gowns are very pretty, I do not think that they are appropriate for a wedding.  I think that they could be more appropriate on the red carpet in another color.  

There is one exception to this rule, in my opinion.  There is a gown by Casablanca Bridal that includes a "zipper-slit." I LOVE THIS DRESS!   The BEST quality of this gown is that for the ceremony, you can have the zipper down, and then let loose and unzip it for the reception.

Here is the beautiful gown...
By the way- it is Casablanca 2022. :D

In my opinion, I think that Casablanca bridal got it right, they knew that the slit needed to be hidden for the ceremony and then letting it loose later!  

Embracing Your Collection

For those of you who know me well, you will know that I have a LOVE of Christmas Ornaments.  I have been collecting them for years now, and have quite the extensive collection.  I have about five boxes to be exact, of which are all organized.  One box is hand-made ornaments that were made from my grandma.  Each year, grandma asked me what I would like, among the most recent ones include Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants, Boo and Mike from Monsters Inc.  Call me a child, but I love them!  Two boxes are dedicated to Hallmark ornaments, while another box is dedicated to just barbies. The remaining boxes are dedicated to glass ornaments. I have twenty four barbie ornaments to be exact.  They range from barbies in ball gowns to cute little bikinis.   This year's Hallmark ornaments are so adorable and I want them all! Check them out...Awesome Barbie Ornaments

On a side note, I found online yesterday the Kate Middleton bride barbie doll.  Needless to say, I love her, and I want her!  I found her on the Bradford Exchange website.  

Check her out!  

I have had a love of fashion since a little kid, and it really shows.  The majority of my ornaments include heels, and other girly things, with an abundance of glitter. I just picked up some lace a couple days ago from a antique store, and I thought it might be cool to use as garland one day.

So what does this have to do with my bridal blog you ask?  Well, my thought was that you could incorporate your collection into your wedding.  Maybe when I get married, my favor would be a Christmas ornament.  That is something I would like to leave you with.  

Do you collect teapots?  Why not use them as a centerpiece so that you don't have to purchase centerpieces!  Or what about vintage cameras, purchase some vintage cameras and give them as favors. 

Be creative and embrace your collection! 

Oh for the love of cake!

I was in the grocery store today picking things up for home-made pizza, and I always make my rounds to the magazine section.  I saw the January edition of Brides Magazine and I was so intrigued. the cover dress is a Carolina Herrera wedding gown, valued at over $8000.  It was so stunning, and so un-traditional, that it piqued my interest and I had to open the book!  (guess that's what they want you to do)  Although it didn't have any of the "cake-like" qualities such as pickups or organza flowy parts to the skirt, I couldn't help thinking of cake.  (Maybe it was the brownies in my cart!"

Here's the gorgeous dress!

Carolina Herrera "Eva"

Pretty huh?! I thought so! :D

Anyways, Brides.com has this amazing tool online called Design Your Dream Cake, and you can find it here.

You can get a general gist of what you are looking for in a cake with this great little tool!  I love it! 

Then I stumbled upon some pix of cakes on their site, and here are my favorites. Although I am not fond of the color choices of the cakes, the general concept of them is impeccable!

and then I stumbled upon the Piece de re'sistance

("showpiece" in French)

This is my favorite!

When thinking of ideas for a cake, think of something that is not only going to compliment your personal wedding style, your theme, time of year, etc, but also make it reflect you and your groom to be.  It will always look classy if it reflects you!