Thursday Trend Day | Your guest's are coming give them the virtual key to the city

Hello Lovelies!

They're coming to New York. Your wedding guests.
And they're all asking you the same thing: “What should we do while we're there?”

Help has arrived. Today, Manhattan User's Guide launches a Key-to-the-city service for your special event visitors. We'll provide tailored recommendations about shopping, restaurants, and the arts, customized for your group, so they'll get the most out of their time in New York. Key is a mini-website, created just for your guests, that they can access in the weeks before they arrive to make plans, buy tickets, get reservations. Every entry includes address, phone, website, and a map link. And it's available to them while they're in town, optimized for smart phones and tablets, so the information is always at hand.

xo

A New York Real Engagement Photoshoot | Liana & Stephen

Hello Lovelies!

Here is a beautiful engagement photoshoot submitted by Turnquist Photography.
Here is more from them: It was a fun engagement session held on a beautiful summer evening at the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, NY. These two were a blast to photograph because their love for each other was so natural & it oozed from them. It was so contagious to feel happiness & love when we are around these two. Super easy going & she was such a natural beauty w/ the most amazing eyes!

xo

Tuesday Shoeday | Your Something Blue

Hello Lovelies!

I love when your something blue is your wedding shoe! How cute are these something blue!

Image via Pinterest

Enjoy!

Paola and Jared's Real New York Wedding in Tappan Hill

Hello Lovelies!

Today I have this lovely New York Wedding submitted by Guy Heart Studio.

Here is more from the photographer: After a fun morning of getting ready (separately, of course) and setting off for the church, Paola and Jared were married at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in New York City by Father Gary Mead. After the ceremony, the bridal party jumped in a limo to Central Park to take advantage of the bright fall foliage for pictures and portraits. With a great bridal party, the group was light-hearted and kept up the energy with easy-going banter (mostly about the growing collection of leaves sticking to the bottom of Paola's dress as they walked around the park!). Then, they headed up to Tappan Hill Mansion for the reception. After an easy photo session with family members, it was time to really start the party. Paola and Jared enjoyed a night of dancing, laughing and maybe even a few happy tears as the intimate group of guests listened to the special toasts given by Paola's father, the maid of honor and best man. Overall, it was a day of infectious happiness -- and one that they'll never forget.

Photographer:  Guy Heart Studio
Caterer:  Abigail Kirsch
Floral Designer:  House of Flowers
Reception Venue:  Tappan Hill Mansion
Makeup Artist:  Arnee Dodd Bridal Artistry
Bridesmaid Dresses:  Bill Levkoff

xo

Bridal Events & Wedding Showcases for this weekend in NYC

Hello Lovelies,

Hope you had a great week! This weekend there are two great events that you can join for some fun. See below for details.

xo

Wedding Giveaway! | Colin Cowie's Wedding Planner & Keepsake Organizer

Hello Lovelies!

Yesterday was fun, I attended the launch of Colin Cowie's Wedding Planner & Keepsake Organizer and got a copy to review. Well, I got to say it is lovely and chock full of useful and pretty wedding planning tools and inspiration. Of course it is! It's Colin! The organizer also coordinates well with the Colin Cowie weddings website which is a nice touch. Below are some sneak peaks inside the organizer just for you ;)
And here is the giveaway... one lucky reader will win the wedding giveaway and get their very own free copy!
How you say??!! Scroll Below!

Ho do you enter you ask???
It's EASY :)

1. Comment on this blog post below and make sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you win :)
2. Like Lela New York on Facebook.

Want more chances to win?!
-Tweet this giveaway
- Follow Lela New York on Twitter
- Follow Lela New York on Pinterest

DEADLINE to enter is January 31st So hurry!
One random winner will be announced on February 1st.

Valid only in the United States.
The winner will be contacted directly by Lela New York.

Good Luck!

______________CLOSED CONTEST___________

AND THE WINNER IS.... Caitlin Green! YAY!

Real New York Wedding of Megan & Benny | Classic Weddings

Hello Lovelies!

Today I have a uber lovely classic wedding submitted by the talented Jason Groupp Photography.

Here is the story of the couple's big day: We spent our morning getting ready with our respective friends at different locations--Benny at the Hotel Z with his Best Man and Megan at Water's Edge with her bridesmaids. After Jason and Karen got some amazing shots of us seeing each other for the first time, we all headed over to 5 Pointz City to take some outdoor photos...in 40 degree weather! After our arctic-like adventure, we made our way back to the Water's Edge to take photos with our families and the bridal party. Next came the Ketubah signing, which was a quiet and intimate moment with only our closest friends, family and our beloved Rabbi, Jerome K. Davidson. Rabbi Davidson has officiated at many of our families special events. The actual wedding ceremony was definitely a surreal experience. We were both smiling like two crazy fools and holding onto each other's hands for dear life! We spoke the traditional Hebrew vows, as well as some vows of our own, which made the ceremony that more special and unique. After that, the wedding was in full swing. We had our fist dance to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To the Moon" and then went right into the Hora. One of our favorite photos taken at our wedding is a photo of Benny's face while he is on a chair being lifted during the Hora. Classic Benny face captured PERFECTLY by Jason! During the wedding, we were able to sneak away with Jason, Karen and John (our videographer), to take some photos on the dock which overlooks Manhattan and the 59th Street Bridge. The whole night passed by in a wonderful blur, spent mingling with family and dancing with our amazing friends.

xo

Details:
Photography: Jason Groupp Photography
Hair Stylist:  StylesOnB
Caterer:  Waters Edge Restaurant
Floral Designer:  Simple Elegant Floral Decorators
Reception Venue:  Waters Edge Restaurant
Invitation Designer:  William Arthur Fine Stationery
Dress Designer:  Anna Maier - Ulla-Maija Couture,Amsale
Band:  Faze 4 Orchestras
Makeup Artist:  Sally Duvall
Shoes:  Enzo Angiolini,Jimmy Choo
Jewelry:  Cambridge Jewelers,Abe Mor Diamond Cutters & C
Tuxedo and Mens Attire:  Brooks Brothers,Mens Warehouse
Officiant:  Rabbi Jerome K. Davidson
Video:  First Day Films

Tuesday Shoeday | Blush love

Hello Lovelies!

Enjoy this prettiness, and remember when it comes to your day have the special things you want to photograph ready for your photog to capture.

xo

 

 

Photo source

 

The Real Wedding Anniversary of Lindsay & Stephen

Hello Lovelies!

We have a lovely one-year anniversary. Showing how one couple had a simple yet magical one-year wedding anniversary. She put the dress back on, he put his suit back on and they had an intimate wedding occasion for two in their back yard, complete with cutting the top of their wedding cake.
The flowers were created by Victorian Gardens, concept and styling by The Bridal Tree, dress by Ivy and Aster from Altar Bridal, cake by Cake Girl and the photos by Alea Lovely Fine Art Photography.

Food For Thought Friday | Quotes & Sayings That Make You SMILE

Hello Lovelies,

Image Source

Hope the week was kind to you. If not and you are in NO mood! This one is for you!
Happy Weekend!

xo

Jessica + Brad's NYC Engagement Photo Shoot

Hello Lovelies!

I'm loving this engagement shoot submitted by Jason Groupp Photography.

Here is more from the photog: Jessica + Brad are from Louisville, Kentucky and were visiting New York City for the first time ever. Having just recently gotten engaged they decided to have their engagement photos taken in New York City. Jessica found Jason Groupp via a Google search and quickly learned about his signature IHNY sessions. It's a stylistic, fashion forward inspired take on the normal engagement session with NYC as the backdrop. The day is planned out with the couple from everything to their looks to the locations. With this particular shoot the day started in Chelsea on spots along the High Line, then the rain decided to come. Grand Central was next to get out of the rain for a bit. After a beer in Bryant Park it was back to the studio and a quick change to go to the Meatpacking district where bingo was played at Tortilla Flats and a couple tequila shots were downed!

xo

Arleen & Stu's Real Wedding in West Hampton

Hello Lovelies!

Today I'm featuring this West Hampton, NY wedding submitted by the wonderful Dear Stacey Wedding Photography.

The seaside affair took place at the magnificent venue Oceanbleu in West Hampton. Arleen and Stu said their vows in the sand and surf with panoramic views of the seascape. Every detail was carefully planned to incorporate their love for the beach which added such zst and personality to the happy day!

Details:
Photography: Dear Stacey Wedding Photography
Wedding Day Coordination: Blush Events

xo

Beauty without Bunnies

Hello Lovlies!

Image from My Beauty Bunny

I know this time of your life it really is (and should be) all about YOU, the bride. But today I wanted to bring something to your attention that after you can do what you wish with. And by the way I am not the type of person who tries to push her ideals on someone and I am by no means a perfect person, a vegetarian or a vegan but I do believe that in my vanity of trying to be beautiful I do not want to hurt poor bunnies or little animals in order to do so. With that being said, I recently found out (Bit slow on the news here) that some cosmetic companies in order to sell more products including in China have now started testing on animals, a totally unnecessary cruelty. I was really disappointed on some of these companies that have always marketed themselves as being cruelty free/bunny approved (including MAC cosmetics) and now have changed in order to make more profits. I don't want to preach but I know that I wanted to know about this and felt that some of you may want to know too.

It is so easy to get beauty products that are cruelty free that I personally do not want to support the ones that do. Here are some of my favorites:
Hourglass, Urban Decay, Tarte, Stilla, Too Faced, Trish McEvoy, Boscia, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Kat Von D, Cover FX, Carol's Daughter, DuWop, E.LF., NYX, gloProfessional, Hard Candy, Wet n Wild, Physicians Formula, Prestige Cosmetics and there are many more but you can check the list below.

Below is a link of PETA's site where you can look up companies that choose to test on animals and those that are cruelty free. This is the best list since these changes are new and some sites still have old facts on their sites.
http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/search.aspx?Product=5&Range=0&PageIndex=1

I also found out about this awesome beauty blog called My Beauty Bunny! This is an awesome beauty blog filled with goodies and ideas to make you oh so lovely! Plus they have there own lists of specific items such as mascaras for cruelty free shopping:
http://www.mybeautybunny.com/

Here you can search for particular products like hair care, lip care, etc.:
http://www.leapingbunny.org/shopping.php

Ok so that is it. Do what you wish with this info but I do hope you think about the bunnies :(

xo

Whitney & Tim's Real Wedding | Classic Blue & Blush Country Club Wedding | A New Jersey Wedding

Hello Lovelies!

Hope all is well and you are enjoying your engagement!
Today I am sharing a simply lovely wedding submitted by the wonderful Photography by Verdi.

Whitney and Tim's wedding was held at Echo Lake Country Club in New Jersey. Whitney's parents have been members for many years. It was a warm December 15th. evening. Whitney looked beautiful and all were super excited for such an amazing wedding. I love her shoes and her pattern lined dress!

xo

Food For Thought Fridays | Quotes & Sayings that make you Smile

Hello Lovelies!

As some of you are beginning your wedding planning and diving into this crazy world of bridal beauty remember to breathe and smile. It goes faster than you can imagine.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Source

xo

Wedding SAMPLE SALE Alert | Bridal Accessories

Hello Lovelies!

I wanted to pass along this info on the Bride's Head Revisited Etsy sample sale shop, in which all headpieces (including silk flowers and crystal accessories) are being offered at 60-80% off retail price.
The sample sale will continue on Etsy until everything is gone.

Enjoy!!!

Michelle & Ralph's Real Wedding | An Elegant & Classic Wedding

Hello Lovelies!

Today I am featuring this beautiful and elegant real wedding submitted by the talented Roberto Falck Photography.

I love all the pretty details and for the first time we have the couple's story of how they planned their wedding day as told by the groom! To read Ralph's planning scroll below:

On November 11, 2011, after months of stress picking out the “perfect” ring, I got down on one knee in a candlelit room and asked her to marry me. She knew I was the one because she could be herself around me, and she knew I would love her unconditionally and always be by her side. We planned for a summer 2012 wedding being that 12/12/12 would fall smack in the middle of the week. The stress of planning a wedding usually drives the bride to go a little nuts, hence the term “Bridezilla”; however, I must say I was much worse which had her affectionately dub me her “Groomzilla”. With the help of the website TheKnot.com, I narrowed our search down to venues that only held one event at a time and a place that fit our personalities and tastes. She wanted a place that was warm yet elegant, classy and of course beautiful. We were torn between two venues. I had actually been to weddings at both of them so I knew we couldn’t go wrong with either of them. The decision was made when Michelle walked into The Florentine Gardens and her eyes lit up. She immediately knew this was where she wanted to celebrate our love and share our day amongst family and friends. Our seven month engagement flew by and despite being stressful we embraced it. Using a list of recommended vendors from the two venues we considered was a great starting point. We focused on what was most important to the both of us, music and photography. The music was probably the easiest decision we had to make as I had known a fantastic DJ that is a good friend. Michelle, having the utmost respect and confidence in my opinion, left it up to me with her only request being if he’d be able to bring a percussionist as well. We placed photography as the most important decision after the venue. Michelle and I knew that pictures were what we’d look at most to remember and relive that day in our years to come.


Details:
Photographer:  Roberto Falck Photography
Reception Venue:  The Estate at Florentine Gardens

xo