Wedding Party Gifts July 6, 2009

Now that the wedding is over, I can finally rave about our wedding party gifts! Not surprisingly they were from Etsy - we knew we wanted something personalized and unique so I spent many happy hours shopping through the many vendors. For my girls I was looking for a piece of jewelry that could be customized with colors, initials, or something for each bridesmaid – Cindy V. had both! I got each girl a jewel cluster necklace in a different color with a tiny initial charm…I couldn’t resist getting one for myself too.

Shopping for the guys was a little trickier at first (isn’t it always?). We had played around with the idea of cufflinks but didn’t find any we liked until I happened upon these awesome ones made out of antique typewriter keys at QA Create. Sold! We got each groomsmen and Drew a set of cufflinks with their initials which they wore on the wedding day. I thought they looked pretty cool against the classic black and white tuxes. I’ll have detail shots from the day up in the near future!

Net-A-Porter Wedding Boutique March 18, 2009

There is no better place for couture eye candy on the web than Net-A-Porter, and now they have a wedding boutique! I especially love that they have a stylish mother of the bride section, and a guest section split up what type of affair you’ll be attending. Of course a lot of the items are pretty pricey, but it’s worth a look all the same for fashion forward inspiration.

The deconstructed web-like look of this necklace is gorgeous and would be so pretty on an edgy bride.

A classic cocktail dress with unexpected metal detailing. I love it.

This dress is all about the back, and $895, it’s still cheaper than a lot of wedding gowns out there.

Of course I had to post some shoes. Beach wedding, honeymoon, rehearsal dinner, I could find so many excuses to wear these.

 

 

Vintage Look for Less March 8, 2009

dress belt buckle earrings shoes veil/fascinator

All of this for only $286.42? I saw this gorgeous chiffon dress with beaded cap sleeves and immediately thought what a statement it would make on a vintage inspired bride. This look would require a somewhat crafty touch, but I think fashioning a belt out of ribbon and an antique belt buckle ($14) and turning bits of rescued tulle, netting, and flowers ($12) into something like this would be so worth the challenge:

Marla J Designs February 25, 2009

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately, I have about a billion and one things going on…not only are we under the three month mark until the wedding, work has been insane, we’ve had house guests every weekend for a straight month, and I’ve started training for a half marathon (more on that later). So needless to say I’ve fallen behind on more than a few areas in my life! But I have Spring Break coming up for teaching and grad school so I should have lots of new posts up soon, including the very first BridalCheek giveaway which I’m totally excited about. Yay free stuff!

In the meantime, let me start with a long overdue post about Marla J Designs, yet another fabulous Etsy resource for the vintage-inspired bride. I found Marla’s page in my quest for vintage jewelry, and she has some fabulous and affordable pieces, not to mention handmade birdbage veils and flower/feather fascinators. Here are some of my favorites:

Art Deco Earrings January 19, 2009

I’ve always loved Art Deco anything, so pretty early on I planned on keeping my eye out for jewelry (vintage or reproduction) from that era. My dress has a 1940s Hollywood vibe, so I figured some semi-dramatic earrings would be perfect since the rest of my jewelry is pretty minimal. I already snagged a fabulous citrine brooch from the 1940s to pin the sash at the back of my dress, and these are a few options I’m considering for earrings:

 

So pretty, and I love the baguette shapes at the bottom. These are $120 at Jardin Jewelry.

These Gwenyth earrings from Anna Bellagio are probably my favorite right now. I love the delicate shape they have and they’re the cheapest at $68!

Oh, Isaac Manevitz I love pretty much everything you design, and these are no exception.

Of course, I could always be a little more authentic with vintage screwback earrings. These are currently up on Ebay for a highest bid of $9.99!

 

Vintage Jewelry November 28, 2008

I’ve been on the hunt for vintage or vintage inspired jewelry since my dress has a definite 1940s flair. Amanda at VintageGlam turned me on to Ben Amun, which has some absolutely gorgeous pieces (check out her gorgeous earrings on the site) but I’m never one to stop shopping!

I love the idea of finding a parure (matched set of jewelry) since I want earrings and a brooch to wear on my dress. Thanks for the Memories doesn’t have a lot of those, but they do have an absolutely incredible selection of individual pieces that may end up being too tempting for me to resist.

One of the many gorgeous Art Deco brooches.

I love this era of jewelry because it manages to be girly and geometric at the same time.

One end of this pin unscrews so you can wear it in your hat, your clothes, or your hair.

Yay shoe clips!

White Aisle September 24, 2008

I’m sure this is old news in the wedding blogging world, but I love White Aisle! I don’t know how I went so long before discovering it, especially since the whole vintage/modern hybrid design of their site is right up my alley. I was especially impressed with their bridal jewelry: it looks expensive but almost all of the pieces are very affordable. 

These earrings look way more luxe than their $14.99 price tag.

One of the better do-it-yourself program kits I’ve seen that includes a printed cover and your choice of paper and ribbon color for $1.50 a pop.

Gorgeous handmade silk flowers could be used to dress up ringbearer pillows, centerpieces, or bridesmaid’s hair. They come in a variety of sizes and range from $10 to $20 each.

 

Vintage Millinery Flowers September 18, 2008

A lot of brides like to dress up their wedding hairstyle with flowers, but depending on the quality and where you buy (and how encrusted it is with Swarovski crystals) one ornament can cost up to $150. I know because I’ve looked! If you’re shopping around for something similar, the Vintage Millinery Flowers Shoppe on Ebay is definitely worth a look. They have flowers, leaves, and feathers all out of vintage fabrics, and best of all almost everything in the store costs under $10.

Wedding Bands! August 6, 2008

Whenever Drew and I stop by our local indoor/outdoor mall (which incidentally reminds me freakishly of Disneyland), I always get my engagement ring cleaned. This weekend, while we were doing exactly that, we decided to just “look” at wedding bands, which turned into actually picking them out! Drew ended up deciding on a very simple tungsten band, which is perfect for his classic/modern hybrid taste. After trying on approximately half the store’s collection of bands, we decided to get one custom designed for me to match my engagement ring. This picture is somewhat similar to what it will look like, with a curved band so the two rings will fit together. Drew also had the idea to add three yellow sapphires in the center of the band to echo the center stone in my engagement ring, which I love, especially because I think it will be just as pretty worn alone. If you live in the Columbus area, the Diamond Cellar has been incredible to work with, and I can’t say enough about them. They treat us like celebrities every time we come in, and are always willing to price custom designs for you in the store or order in stones to look at free of charge. I can’t wait to wear my ring already!!!

The Great Jewelry Hunt Begins June 3, 2008

So now that I have the dress and the shoes nailed down (a year in advance, yes!) I can begin to accessorize…I usually don’t go overboard in this area so I’m really only looking for two pieces. I do want some sort of veil/headpiece, but something non-traditional like an antique net veil or a feathered pin etc. The other item I’ve begun casually shopping for is jewelry. Usually I wear only very basic jewelry, and come to think of it, jewelry that has been given to me as a gift. Especially since my dress is fairly simple I don’t want to go overboard but I do want to have something that speaks to the importance of the day. I’m thinking a fabulous pair of earrings…here are some of my preliminary finds!

I love how these would compliment the yellow in my engagement ring, and I love Asscher cut anything. I think I may want something that dangles a bit more though, just for a little drama…

Normally, these would be just a tad out of my price range, but I have been playing with the idea of borrowing bling from Bag Borrow or Steal. I think the concept of renting designer jewelry for a fraction of the price is completely awesome, but I also may want something I can keep.

I adore Joy O’s designs, especially the earrings that Anne Hathaway wore to New York Fashion Week. I think these infinity earrings are gorgeously simple, and the tiny champagne diamonds are a luxury touch at a budget $158.

And while I’m on a modern jewelry kick, I have to mention By the Stones, because I love their work as well. These Rain earrings are on my Want list, even though they probably are a bit too casual for what I’m envisioning for my wedding day. Maybe the rehearsal dinner? I just want an excuse to buy them!