The shoe hunt continues~ Badgley Mischka

Badgley Mischka shoes are simple & chic. Could they BE anymore me!? {Chandler Bing voice}. Each of their shoes is a modern twist on a classic style, and they all look like they were made purposely to be worn down the aisle. Of course its no surprise considering Mark and James of Badgley Mischka are bridal designers! The only thing that makes their shoe collection less than perfect is how limited the colors are... but with shoes as goregeous as these we'll gladly make do with the colors available!

xoxo

A bunch of...?

Supposedly all women love flowers. I must have totally missed that memo because I don’t love flowers and I know many women who don’t care for flowers at all. Don’t get me wrong I do like flowers, they are pretty and decorative and can be romantic, but I’m not crazy about them. And even for those who do love flowers, not every bride wants to carry a traditional bridal bouquet. There are many interesting non-floral options for brides to choose from;


The Brooch bouquet- This bouquet takes time and skill to put together. I’ve seen many of these go wrong, but if put together properly they can add an air of delicate vintage romance.

The Pearl bouquet- These are my absolute favorites! They are time consuming to make but so worth the effort. Pearls have a quiet classic beauty about them. I can never get enough to them!

The Crystal bouquet- On their own, these seem to be a cold an icy to me, and would work great for a winter themed wedding. However crystals can be combined with pearls for a softer look.

The Button bouquet- these straddle a fine line between chic and childish, but again its all down to the execution of it. Button bouquets are perfect for a weddings with a whimsical theme.

The Feather bouquet- Now I’ll be completely honest some of these are way too reminiscent of a feather duster for my liking! The trick here is to get the right combo of feather shapes, sizes and colors so it looks decorative rather than like a household cleaning item

                                                                            photo credit [etsy]

The Shell bouquet- These would be right at home at a beach wedding.

The Candy bouquet- These are great for carnival themed casual weddings.

The Christmas ball bouquet- The great thing about these is they dont cost very much especially if bought in bulk online..

                                                photo credit offbeatbride]


The combo bouquet- These combine two or more of the bouquets listed above as well as additional elements like felt, fiddleheads and tissue paper.

Some brides choose to carry something completely different from a bouquet such as a Bible,parasol, candle, lantern, purse or fan etc...

Moral of the story: a bride can carry absolutely anything she wants as she walks down the aisle.

xoxo

..Perfect timing..

The wedding gown shopping survival guide is an absolute must read series for every bride! If you have already tuned in to read the first article of the series then you know by now that timing is everything. Most brides are already aware that they shouldn’t wait too late to buy their gown but these days the most common mistake is buying the gown too early which can sometimes be even worse.

A gown that is bought over a year before the wedding is technically an early gown and even though some people may advise you to buy the gown early and "get it over with", an early gown comes with its own special brand of issues.

Storage issues- Bridal gowns can be quite tricky to store, they are usually heavy and yet extremely delicate at the same time and can easily loose their beauty if not stored correctly. Some bridal salons may be willing to hold the gown for you, but not many will keep a bridal gown for over a year unless you are paying for storage or have agreed to have your alterations done with them.  The other alternative is to bring the gown home and keep it in your closet, but if the gown is hanging for over a year it loses some of its bounce, especially if it has a built in crinoline. Crinolines are not supposed to be left hanging for long periods of time, their weight pulls them down and makes them flat and less springy than before, which defeats the entire purpose of having a crinoline in the first place! Ever noticed the way wrinkles seem to fall out of a dress or shirt after a it’s been hanging for a couple of days?... Same principle applies. Also, if the gown isn’t delivered in the right type of bag and on the right hanger, it does run the risk of getting discolored especially if its exposed to heat or sunlight.

The dreaded DRESS REMORSE. Raise your hand if you have a dress in your closet that you've never worn, and have no intentions of wearing, infact you cant even remember why you ever bought it in the first place, but somewhere in the back of your mind you remember trying it in the store and thinking you looked so hot in it but then once you got home you hated it..?  The point is, our sense of style is constantly evolving,  with this is mind its obvious that a dress we liked 2 years ago may not still be our dream dress today.  And considering how much a wedding dress costs and the fact that they are non-refundable, you don't want to experience any remorse with that kind of purchase.

Size matters.. When a dress is ordered your measurements are taken to select the right size..   If you have weight fluctuations (which are more likely over a longer period of time) the dress will need more extensive alterations to make it fit, which will cost more money...

In short unless you have some special extenuating circumstances, stick to the timeline and buy your dress somewhere around the 7-9 month mark. If you find the dress of your dreams over a year before your wedding. Resist the temptation to buy, even if you feel 100% certain that you will never love another dress as much as you love this one. Resist the urge to buy it, because trust me you will find another dress you love just as much as it or even more.

Stay stylish and stay tuned.

Shoes...SHOES...shoes!

Repeat after me, wedding shoes do not have to be white. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until you believe it. Too many brides allow themselves to be convinced that a)they must wear white shoes and b) it doesn’t matter what shoes they wear because “no one will even see your shoes” This is not true!! The SATC wedding shot above proves that the bride's shoes make many appearances, such as when the bride steps out of the car, when she raises her dress to walk up or down steps, while dancing the night away or anytime she feels like raising her dress to show off her fabulously dressed feet!!


There are only two situations in which I would advise a bride to wear white shoes;

• If she plans to wear a bright colored crinoline

• If she will be wearing a bright colored wedding dress.

If those scenarios don’t apply to you then kick those plain white pumps to the curb and search for something bold and brave. It doesn’t have to be a bright color, metallic colors or pastels work great too. The great shoe hunt is a series that takes brides on a search for the perfect wedding shoes. This weeks edition focuses on KATE SPADE. Let me start by saying that KATE SPADE is on my love/hate list. Her shoes are impeccably made, and last forever… but with prices averaging around $300 a pair.. they aren’t exactly affordable to the average bride, especially those on a budget…

Having said that, you can always stalk her shoes until you find it on sale somewhere.. These are some of my Kate Spade favorites that would look stunning on a bride:

xoxo