Ring Pillows I'm Loving! - great inspiration for your New York Wedding

I'm loving these ring pillows I found on Etsy.

I love this one with the giant silk flower ring bearer pillow on top of a Celadon green pillow.

I am loving this one with the pretty crystal ring bearer pillow, it reminds me of my wedding crystal hair accessory.

And if you are having a destination wedding or Beach themed wedding check out this super sweet coral ring bearer pillow

For a more rustic wedding theme here is a Rustic Birch Bark and Moss ring bearer pillow.

Or this rustic burlap ring bearer pillow is so sweet!

And there is something so beautifully classic about the Irish Linen Ring Bearer Pillow.

xo

Get the dress of your dreams without paying full price at SmartBride Boutique - Tips on buying a used wedding dess

Would you ever consider buying a used gown? How about that amazing crystal belt accessory that was used only once?
Would you consider it if one of your favorite designers was now 50% off?

There is a great site called SmartBride Boutique that specializes in helping today's savvy brides create the wedding day of their dreams without sacrificing designer names or fabulous style. Local brides connect to buy, sell and save on everything wedding; including: wedding dresses, bridesmaid gowns, decor, accessories and more.
And you get to buy these lovely gowns and accessories for a great discount.

This crystal belt or headband is fab from HautBride and is being sold by the bride at about 50% off!

If you do decide that this is for you, here are some useful tips (via SmartBride) on buying a used designer gown:


Tip #1: A Clean Dress is Best

Look for dresses that have already been cleaned, so that you know if there are any permanent stains and whether or not they will be visible on your wedding day. This way you won’t have to pay a potentially costly dry cleaning bill.


Tip#2: Shop Local

By shopping locally you can inspect the dress closely for stains and damage from insects or improper care. Be sure to treat going to an individual seller’s home the way you would if you were visiting a bridal boutique.

Bring a friend or your mom with you so you can get an honest opinion from someone who wants to make sure you feel fabulous on your wedding day.


Tip#3: Ask About Alterations

Keep in mind that alterations can completely change the fit of a gown and some alterations are reversible while others are not.

Be sure to get the name and number of the seamstress who did the initial alterations because she will know the dress inside and out. You may wish to call her with questions before you buy the dress.


Tip#4: Do Your Research

If you’re buying a designer or brand name gown, ask the seller to provide you with a style number so you can reference the manufacturer’s website.

Visit bridal boutiques to find out the average cost of the designer dresses you’re searching for online. Generally, if you’re buying a dress that is one year old or newer, has not been damaged, and has only been worn once, then you should pay no more than 50% of the original retail cost for the dress.


Tip#5: Be Ready to Negotiate

Are you willing to pay the seller’s original asking price if the dress is exactly as the seller described and it’s the perfect dress for you? Or do you have a lower price in mind based on your research and budget? Be prepared to negotiate, but remain fair with the seller so both of you can be happy with the sale.

Good Luck!

xo

Tuesday Wedding Shoe Day - today we are featuring fashionable wedding ballet flats - I know!

I know we love our heels! Especially our Wedding Shoes! But after a long night of wedding dances and cutting loose you are going to wish you had these wedding ballet slippers near by so that the party won't stop when your feet do ;)

These are are from the  Dessy group and come in many different colors. You can have your bridesmaids have a matching pair as well. And with all Dessy Group fashions everything matches! Shoes, dresses, accessories, so there are no worries trying to get matching swatches here. And look how cute!

xo

Such a Sweet New York Proposal Photo Shoot by New York Wedding Photographer Josh Wong Photographer

It's that time of year where there are so many great proposals to be shared. Here is a super sweet NYC wedding proposal by Josh Wong Photography.
Every year around Christmas time, Lauren and James like to come to New York City and take in the sights for the holidays. They enjoy visiting the Rockefeller Ice Rink, Radio City, FAO Schwartz, and they even ride in the Central Park horse carriages. This year, James had a little surprise in store for Lauren. Little did she know that James had contacted Josh Wong Photography earlier wanting to set up a shoot to document his marriage proposal to her at the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink. This time of year, there are huge crowds that want to go ice skating at the center but James had arranged to have everyone cleared off the ice rink when the clock struck 6:00pm. When the magic hour arrived, they had the entire rink all to themselves so he could propose to Lauren. What an amazing surprise!

Congratulations Lauren and James on your engagement!

Want to share your proposal or wedding story? Please see our Submissions page.
Love this, comment below!

xo

Super Sweet New York Wedding Proposal inspired by P.S. I Love You

Despite the snowstorm, a complete reschedule and the NYC Snowpocalypse Sarah, from Brilliant Event Planning, managed to pull off a P.S. I Love You -inspired proposal for Shaun & Marina.

It began with a special calligraphed love note delivered to their hotel room early in the day, continued with more love letters and surprise box seats at the NYC Ballet and ended at a private terrace room overlooking the city skyline with this private moment ...she said YES!

Brilliant Event Planning offers planning services for marriage proposals, weddings and events.
photos of their Brilliant moment from Zlatko Batistich

First Ever Bridal Collections by Fashion designers Lilly Pulitzer, David Meister, Carmen Marc Valvo and Angel Sanchez

That's right, Designer Bride, is launching the first ever bridal collections by esteemed ready-to-wear designers, we aim to create fashion forward bridal dresses, at an unbeatable value.

They just launched their first collections this year and it includes Lilly Pulitzer, David Meister, Carmen Marc Valvo and Angel Sanchez!

These are my favorites from the new 2011 wedding dress collections:

Designer Bride's collections are available in the following NY locations (other locals on website):

Wedding Dresser Couture by Vassa

1044 Broadway, Woodmere
11598 NY, US

Ph. 516-792-5955

www.weddingdressercouture.com
Wedding Atelier

103 5th Avenue (betw. 17th & 18th), 2nd Floor, New York
10003 NY, US

Ph. 646-638-3263
Wb.
www.weddingatelier.com/media/
Kleinfeld

110 West 20 Street, New York
10011 NY, US

Ph. 646-633-4300
Wb.
www.kleinfeldbridal.com

xo

A Real New York Wedding - Told by the Bride - Great New York Wedding Inspiration

I love when brides share their wedding with us! It's such an intimate and special time and I feel super grateful they want to share this time with us and you.

Lara wrote in to share her wedding to Christopher.
Here is their story of their big day from the words of Lara.

Chris and I met through a mutual friend in the fall of 2006.  We knew just a few months into dating that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.  Chris proposed in May of 2009 and I was beyond excited I was going to be his wife!  He chose a beautiful round brilliant stone set in a micro-pave band that was exactly my style - simple and elegant!  It was actually the ring that became the inspiration for our wedding planning.

It was important for us and our families to be married in a church.  We found The Church of Saint Aidan and I immediately fell in love with the beautiful 80-foot-long black and white tiled aisle and the very dramatic altar.

When it came time to start searching for a reception location I knew I wanted something on the more intimate and romantic side.  I kept thinking "simple and elegant" like my ring.  As soon as I stepped inside the Royalton Mansion I fell in love.  The mansion, a colonial built in the 1920s, is tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood in Roslyn Heights, NY and was restored a few years ago.  It is quite modest on the outside until you enter through the mahogany doors into the grand foyer of checkered charcoal grey and white marble floors, antique brass chandeliers, and a breathtaking curved mahogany banister.  It was just perfect!  What I loved even more than the entryway was the grand ballroom decorated with gorgeous crystal chandeliers and sconces and etched white marble fireplaces.  The room was so clean and bright with its creamy white walls and pillars, yet so cozy and romantic, that I loved the idea of working with a blank palette.

Since we were being married Labor Day weekend, I felt like I was kind of stuck in between two seasons when choosing a color scheme:  summer and fall.  I decided to go with a deep purple being the main color (reminding me of fall) with touches of bright green, white, and ivory to lighten things up a bit..  My bridesmaids wore long chiffon gowns in aubergine and carried green hydrangeas, green dendrobium orchids, white stock, and purple lisianthus flowers.  I was happy with the overall look and thought the flowers really brightened up and complimented the deep purple gowns well.  We decided on black tuxes for the guys and wanted to keep the purple theme going for them as well.  I was afraid that the deep purple would be too dark against the black tuxes and might go unnoticed so we chose a deep purple and lavender striped tie for them.

When it came to my gown I was all over the place: first I wanted all lace, then I thought I wanted satin, then I wanted a rouched bodice, then I reverted back to lace loving styles with lace detailing.  In the end, and the 10th dress I tried on at Kleinfeld, I decided on an all lace gown.  I honestly never would have picked my gown off the rack.  My bridal gown consultant chose it for me and when I looked at it on the hanger I almost didn’t want to try it on.  I told myself ahead of time I was going to be really open-minded so I went for it.  As soon as I put it on I knew it was meant for my body-type and felt so elegant and beautiful.  I loved the mermaid style and the gorgeous alencon lace and the low back.  The only thing that threw me off was that it came with this thin satin ribbon around the waist that just did not look right.  I knew I needed something bolder than that to accentuate my waist so after purchasing my gown I started looking into beaded belts.  The prices were ridiculous (in my opinion) for something that looked so easy to make so I decided to try it out!  I went into the garment district in Manhattan and purchased beaded appliqué and champagne satin ribbon.  I used fabric glue that the salesperson at the trimming store recommended and recruited my mom to help me out, gluing on the appliqué and sewing on little clasps to secure the belt around my waist.  It was a success and I loved how the vintage looking beaded appliqué really complimented the alencon lace of my dress.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to keep the grand ballroom of the Royalton bright and clean looking for our wedding reception.  We chose ivory damask linens and white flowers for our centerpieces.  I wanted the centerpieces to look airy and flowing so we decided on white hydrangea and white dendrobium orchids.  I added just a tiny pop of color to the tables with the menus in ivory paper stock and purple print, with a lovely purple hydrangea as the design.  We decorated the fireplaces in the ballroom with old family photos, some even dating back to the 1920s, complimented by white rose petals and loose greens.

We are both huge foodies so choosing our menu was really important to us and the quality of food was a huge factor in choosing our venue location.  We wanted a more sophisticated menu with a wide range of choices similar to what you could find in a Manhattan restaurant.  We chose a pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass accompanied by lobster risotto, filet mignon accompanied by truffle oil red bliss mashed potatoes, French cut chicken breast stuffed with spinach, sundried tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese, and ricotta spinach gnocchi in a sage butter sauce for our dinner entrée options.  We knew we were going to have a Venetian desert hour, with a wide array of deserts for our guests to choose from, so we decided that the flavors of our cake should be light and refreshing.  We chose a white cake with butter cream frosting and blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries.  It was delish!

The entire day and evening celebration was just a dream come true for Chris and me.  It was filled with love and romance and everything was just as beautiful as we ever could have imagined.  The celebration was such a blast and our incredible band, Code Bleu, kept us, our families and guests on the dance floor the entire night.  Like everyone tells you (although you never truly believe it until the day of) your wedding day goes by all too quickly.  We both felt like we blinked and it was all over.  Luckily, our wonderful and very talented photographers at Duet Photography and Video captured every moment so beautifully and with such style.  I was floored at the artistry of the photographs and the emotions captured in each picture.  I hope you enjoy them as well!

Wedding Details:

Bride: Lara Speranza Watro

Groom:  Christopher Watro

Wedding Date: September 3, 2010

Photography: Duet Photography & Video-Huntington, NY

Flowers: Spitz & Peck Florist- Cedarhurst, NY

Ceremony Location: Church of Saint Aidan - Williston Park, NY

Reception Location: The Royalton Mansion - Roslyn Heigts, NY

Dress: Tara Keely by Lazaro

Thanks for Sharing Lara!

xo

Tuesday, Shoe day - My Fav Christian Louboutin Wedding Shoes

Ok so excuse me while I quote Rachel Zoe, " I just died!" These are absolutely my favorite crystalized wedding shoes! And of course they are Louboutins!

If you want that little something blue without ruining the rest of your color scheme these fab wedding shoes have the inside covered in blue, so only you know it's there.

Want to be bold? Try to have your little something blue be your wedding shoe! This Christian Louboutin wedding shoes aren't for the faint at heart. LOVE all the crystals!

And of course you need a matching bag?! LOVE!

xo