Tiffany Blue Christmas

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! It's hard to believe that Christmas is next Saturday.

I love this time of year...family togetherness, parties, tasty treats and delicious food, and of course the DECORATIONS! One of my favorite things to do is look at window displays for stores - more specifically, Tiffany & Co. There's something so magical about Tiffany's - maybe it's the timelessness and tradition behind it. I pass by Tiffany's frequently (it's a block away from my office) and I got to thinking, wouldn't it be fun to do a "Tiffany" themed Christmas for holiday decor sometime. The hues don't really fit in with my home decor (maybe someday!) but I found a few pics online to bring a little holiday bliss and inspiration to you.

I hope this post has inspired you to be creative and hope you have a fabulous holiday season with friends and family!

(Photographs courtesy of Polyvore, Country Living, Martha Stewart, and Tiffany's)

Custom Wedding Gown Sketch

Pictures are great to remember your wedding day but why not a sketch of the gown you dreamed of since you were a little girl?!

Famous designers like Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier have been giving sketches to their celebrity brides for years. Why not feel a little like a celebrity too! You know Kate Middleton will get a sketch of her royal wedding gown in the coming months!

A sketch of your wedding gown would make an excellent wedding or anniversary gift! Husbands - remember, your first anniversary should be something "paper"!

Visit Etsy seller, MeganHamilton, or go to www.mydreamlines.com.

Flower Girl Dresses

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. It's hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us. Seriously, where has 2010 gone?

David and I went to St. Louis over Thanksgiving to be with his family. His one brother, Mike, and his wife, Christine, and their 3 girls live in St. Louis. Their girls, Megan, Lauren, and Allison are going to be our flower girls. They are the cutest and sweetest girls ever. I am so excited to officially become their Aunt. While we were in St. Louis, I got to see the flower girl dresses Christine and I decided on a couple of months ago.

All 3 girls will be wearing the same style dress from Strasburg Children http://www.strasburgchildren.com/product.asp?lt=d&deptid=7124&sec=girls&pfid=SBC00235. They are adorable. Allison even modeled her dress for me while I was there. She kept saying "I cute, I cute"! I can't wait till the wedding day to see everyone dressed up.

Now we need to finalize the tuxedo's for the guys and find a ring bearer outfit. Handsome, handsome!

Royal Wedding Date Set!!!

It's official, William and Kate (or shall I say Catherine,now) have set their wedding date. The grand nuptials will take place on Friday, April 29, 2011. William and Kate said that they really wanted a spring wedding and on a Friday. I just love spring weddings!

I must admit, when I heard they set their date for April 29th, I had a big sigh of relief. I'm so glad that they aren't getting married on my wedding or rehearsal day. I can't wait to watch this royal wedding on TV. Royal weddings usually set trends so perhaps I'll implement an idea or two from William and Kate's wedding.

The next detail to possibly be released will be the designer of Kate's wedding gown. Stay tuned!!!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40331330/ns/today-today_people/?GT1=43001

THE Ring

Prince William and his fiancée,Kate Middleton, greet photographers at St. James's Palace in London on Tuesday after announcing their engagement. The Prince gave his bride-to-be the oval sapphire ring that Prince Charles gave to Princess Diana.

http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,20442382,00.html#20877509

Why William proposed with Di's ring:

http://www.usmagazine.com/healthylifestyle/news/prince-william-why-i-proposed-with-princess-dis-engagement-ring-20101611

Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress???

Curious to see what Kate Middleton's wedding dress might look like?

See this article: www.brides.com/wedding-dresses-style/wedding-dresses/2010/09/Kate-Middleton-Wedding-Dress-Top-Designers-Sketch-Ideas#slide=1

I hope she goes with a Reem!

Royal Wedding

So in case you haven't heard by now, Prince William and Kate Middleton are officially engaged!!! It has been 8 years in the making. They got engaged last month while vacationing in Kenya. They plan to marry in May or June of 2011!

I am so excited and anxious to hear the details unfold: their date, the dress, the cake, venue, flowers..... I'm also a little nervous that they will wed on my wedding day (May 14th). I really hope they do not wed on May 14th because I will really want to watch the wedding on TV and if they marry the same day I do, I'll be a little busy, haha. (Thank goodness for the 5 hour time difference though!) In all seriousness, I can't wait to see this royal wedding. I wasn't born yet when Diana and Charles got married and am a little jealous of those who got to watch it. If William and Kate wed on a week day (like Diana and Charles) I already told my boss I will be out that day!

I am so happy for the cute royal couple and look forward to learning about their wedding details. I'm not exactly sure what I'm most anxious about?! Her dress, perhaps?! What detail of William and Kate's wedding are you most excited for?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36740125/vp/34328514#34328514?from=en-us_msnhp>1=43006

2010 ABC Conference Re-cap

I'm back from Phoenix from the ABC Annual Business of Brides Conference. It was an informative conference and I had a wonderful time. The 2 major highlights of the conference were definitely hearing Sasha Souza and David Tutera speak. They were both very engaging and awesome presenters. I literally got goose bumps when they spoke about their passion for their business and weddings.

I also met a lot of great people and did some networking. I am also very happy and proud to announce that my roommate, Ariel, of Ariel Yve Design presented and was awarded her Master Bridal Consultant designation. Way to go, Ariel! You deserve it!

I'm back in Cincinnati now with my batteries re-charged and even more passionate about weddings and starting my business. What a great conference!

Next year's conference will be in Baltimore, MD. I can't wait to hear who the keynote speakers will be and more details about it. Stay tuned!

Here is a pic I snagged of David Tutera while he was giving his presentation. Awesome seats!

2010 ABC's Annual Business of Brides Conference

Bright and early Sunday morning I will be flying to Phoenix, Arizona for the Association of Bridal Consultants Annual Business of Brides Conference!!! It is being held at the Arizona Grand Resort. I've never been to Phoenix so I am looking forward to traveling to a new place. I am also excited to room with Ariel Yve of Ariel Yve Design (www.arielyve.com) again.

This year's keynote speakers include David Tutera, Sasha Souza, and Alan Berg. Wow! What a conference this will be! I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE David Tutera and look forward to meeting him. I've heard he is a doll and quite charming. I have heard Sasha Souza speak before at a previous ABC event and she was engaging as could be.

Needless to say. I am super stoked for Phoenix, warm weather, meeting new people, seeing old friends, learning about new wedding trends and reinforcing my passion for weddings.

I'll be back on Wednesday, friends. Pictures to come!!!

Artyce Bridal Shoes

I am starting to think about my bridal accessories, i.e. shoes, veil, jewelry etc. I really want my bridal ensemble to look complete and compliment my dress. I am a pretty super classic and traditional bride, but shoes are the one thing I can be a little more daring and artsy with.

While watching one of my favorite TV shows, WE TV's, My Fair Wedding, David Tutera (celebrity planner extraordinaire), introduced a semi-new company called Artyce Designs Custom Footwear. And do they ever mean CUSTOM! Wowsa! Whatever you want they can pretty much create it. You begin by selecting the style of shoe you want and then design from there. Standard bridal shoes with a little embellishment start at $279.

My favorite is the "butterfly" shoe. I love the rainbow effect on the heals. I am seriously thinking about calling them to design my bridal shoes. While I don't want to give away the design I have in mind, you can bet I will incorporate my "something blue". Check out their website to see the glam power of their shoes! One could definitely hold up traffic donning Artyce heals! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

http://www.artycedesigns.com/boutique.html

Shellac Manicure

Further to my post of yesterday, I went to my regular nail salon, Zoom (in Mason), and got the shellac manicure. It was fantastic! The do the normal manicure routine and then they use special shellac nail gel and then you put your hands under a UV light and let sit for a few minutes, then they proceed to put whatever nail color you choose and repeat. My nails are beautiful. They are suppose to last at least 2 weeks. I'll report the results in a few. So far though, I'm loving it!

Wedding Cake Update

I've been a blogging slacker since the I left for The Wedding MBA Conference in Las Vegas at the end of September (it was a great conference by the way!).

The weekend after I got back from my trip we received a letter from our bakery, Maribelle, stating that they were closing up shop and they returned our deposit. I was pretty bummed because their cake was to die for.

On the other hand, I had been thinking that I wasn't in-love with our cake design. It was pretty - but somewhat ordinary. I wanted better (dream bigger - that's my motto!). So I guess Maribelle closing was a sign from the wedding gods. Back to the drawing board for us...

Dave and I immediately set up 2 cake tastings: one at Sweet Water Bakehouse in the Reading Bridal District, and the other at A Spoon Fulla Sugar in Symmes Township. Both were wonderful and we are confident that they could each deliver what we want. We do have a third tasting appointment at Bakery Hill (Midwest Culinary Institute - Cincinnati State) on November 20th (she couldn't meet with us sooner). As David said as soon as he read the letter from Maribelle "If you have to repeat any of the wedding planning process - the cake tasting is the best part to repeat!"

I'll let you know who we end up contracting with. I definitely see sugar flowers and red velvet cake in our future though!

Save The Date's

I am please to announce that we mailed our Save The Date's last week. As far as design goes, I knew exactly what I wanted. Dave's brother, Steve, and sister-in-law, Hannah executed my (our, haha) vision beautifully. They were great to work with. We are also getting a bid from them to do our wedding invitations. Steve and Hannah's company is called Vellum Designs - check them out, really! http://www.vellumdesigns.com/

Save The Date's are great idea to send when you have a lot of out-of-town guests because it prompts people to put the date on their calendar and start budgeting and planning their travel to your wedding. They don't necessarily have to follow suit with the theme of your wedding but I opted to do so because to me, it's the first glimpse of your wedding that your guests will see. The message I wanted to convey to my guests is that our wedding is going to be elegant, chic, and timeless. Pink is very me and one of our wedding colors so it made sense to use it. I love the awning strip effect it has - c'est tres chic! Isn't it just charming?!

Model In A Bottle

Your wedding day is the most photographed day of your life. That's why I highly recommend having your make-up done by a professional and also using a product called, Model In A Bottle, to keep your face looking fresh and beautiful all day/night long.

Model In A Bottle really is a revolutionary product. It keeps your make-up fresh all day and is resistant to tears, sweat, and humidity. You can't be the price either! As soon as I discovered it, I bought it and can attest to its authenticity.

This is a must-have for a night out on the town and on your wedding day! What are your favorite or must-have beauty products?

http://www.modelinabottle.com/index.html

Introducing The Shellac Manicure

Do you love getting manicures but hate how quickly it gets ruined?! Well, I have the product for you! I'm a girly girl and love having beautiful nails. I recently found this new nail company/polish that can keep your manicure looking fabulous for 14 days (perfect for any girl, but especially for a bride). It's called Shellac by CND. Now this is what I call state-of-the-art technology!

See the websites below and find a salon that offers the Shellac manicure:

http://www.cnd.com/Consumer.aspx

http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2010/03/introducing-cnd-shellac-hybrid-nail-color.html

Stay beautiful girls!

Wedding MBA 2010 Convention

Today I am off to Las Vegas for the 7th Annual Wedding MBA Convention. I am super excited to go to this conference and learn more about the "business" side of weddings and to meet new people. Every time I go to a wedding conference I gain a wealth of knowledge, as well as meeting new friends.

I am thrilled to attend Wedding MBA because I have never been to Las Vegas. I am world traveler, but Vegas is one place I just haven't gotten to yet. I am so excited to see all that Vegas has to offer.

Au revoir...I'm off to viva Las Vegas!

Summer Celebrity Weddings of 2010

As fall is rapidly approaching, I was thinking about all of the fabulous celebrity weddings that occurred this past summer. The wedding that received the most hype was definitely Chelsea Clinton's wedding. I LOVED Chelsea's dress (a Vera Wang). Classic and timeless! Chelsea really looked gorgeous.

I also thought Carrie Underwood's wedding was beautiful. She looked great (as always) but I was a little surprised by her dress choice (a Monique Lhuillier). I personally, am not a fan of a lacy see-through corset bodice. I think it looks a little too much like lingerie. I love lacy wedding gowns but I think a wedding gown shouldn't shed too much skin. I personally love Pnina Tornai (that's who I thought originally designed Carrie's dress), but think her wedding gowns are a little too sexy and show too much skin. A lot of brides-to-be on TLC's Say Yes To The Dress buy Pnina Tornai gowns, but I just don't know if I'd feel comfortable walking down the aisle in a lingerie type bodice. To each their own I suppose!

What are some of your favorite celebrity weddings and gowns?

The Today Shows Throws A Wedding 2010

This has always been one of my favorite segments or contests on The Today Show. Thousands of couples send in their applications basically stating why they deserve a wedding and then fans pick which couple wins the dream wedding. The Today Show along with many generous vendors make the wedding happen! I love it! The couple chosen weds during The Today Show on Rockefeller Plaza. Fans (that means me and you) get to help "plan" their wedding from the rings, to the dress, to the honeymoon, and more. Today, I casted my voted for the Neil Lane wedding bands. Gorgeous!

This year's lucky couple are Missouri natives (and high school sweethearts)Melissa and Jeremy. Jeremy is serving our country in Afghanistan while Melissa is working on her Nursing Degree. What a truly deserving couple! They look like the sweetest couple! They will wed in October.

For more info visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38838949/ns/today-today_weddings/?GT1=43001

To vote and to take a look at ten years worth of Today Show Weddings visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37765605/ns/today-today_weddings/

Bridesmaid Dresses

This past Wednesday 2 of my bridesmaids and I went shopping for dresses. The trip was a success. We found a beautiful romantic and elegant dress! We were in-and-out of Bridal & Formal in 1 hour. We are master shoppers!

The consultants at Bridal & Formal were very helpful and we had a pleasant shopping experience. They even gave us a discount on the dresses (who doesn't love saving money!).

I knew I wanted my bridesmaids to wear a blush or light/pink elegant dress. I was initially open to both long and short dresses (sometimes short dresses are less expensive). We started looking at short dresses first. We quickly ruled those out. Either they weren't elegant enough or they didn't make my girls look their best (tea length dresses don't look quite right on petite girls). My wedding is pretty formal so we decided long dresses would be best. The styles of the long dresses appealed to us more anyhow. Sarina and Colleen only tried on a few dresses before we found "the one"!

We decided on the Belsoie L2021 (from the Jasmine Bridal label). The dresses will be in the New Shell Pink color. The dress is very figure flattering. Sarina and Colleen really loved the sweetheart neckline and how the dress elongated them. Don't you think a single strand pearl necklace would be just innately charming with the dress?!

So here is the dress (I've also included some pics of other contenders)...

Let me know what you think!

Bridesmaid Cards

Choosing your bridesmaids is a pretty big deal in my opinion. It's something that shouldn't be taken lightly. You should never feel obligated to ask someone to be in your wedding because you were in theirs, or because they are are family (however, it is a nice gesture), or because if you ask this person, than you have to ask this person.... These are the people that will standing up with you at the alter and supporting you and your marriage. These people you ask to stand up with you should be the truest of friends. I am very lucky to have a lot of great friends but 4 wonderful gals quickly came to mind: Emmy, Sarina, Kim, and Colleen.

Instead of just asking them over the phone or in person to be my bridesmaids, I decided to do something special. I made them very personalized cards and baked them my famous sugar cookie cut-outs. A lot of love and hard work went into these gifts!

I thought it would be funny to find pictures online of hideous bridesmaid dresses and paste those on a card and cut-out the faces of my friends with the saying "If I promise not to make you wear this"..... open the the card.... "Will you be my bridesmaid?" I also put a sentimental poem/note inside each card. Needless to say, the cards were a huge hit. My ladies loved the cards and we had a lot of laughs.

How did you ask your gal pals to be in your wedding?!