Monogrammed Chevron Beaded Clutch (Bridesmaids gift?)

Its glamorous and elegant and sophisticated and fun all at the same time.  I think this may be the next big thing!  Earlier this week I had a design meeting for one of our spring weddings at Garden District in Naples. When I pulled into the parking space I noticed something very exciting in the window- a pop up shop!  In case you haven't heard the term, a pop up shop is a temporary retail store.

 

This pop up shop, called Monogram Goods Naples Garden District, has the most wonderful personalized gift, apparel and home collections.  Everything, monogrammed.  But the scene stealer in this shop, the beaded clutches:

I about fell over when I saw all the chevron options.  There must've been 20-30 different bead colors to choose from, so the possibilities are endless.

I think these would make the most amazing maid of honor or bridesmaids gifts.  Something that you know they would cherish forever.

The solids are amazing too of course. You can personalize both the inside top and bottom!

 The white with gold is my favorite for a bride's clutch.  I love this one that has a heart on the inside with her wedding date.

Pricing
I can't believe how awesome it is, considering the personalization:
$158 for a solid clutch with a monogram
$168 for a chevron clutch with a monogram
$20 to add an interior personalization

Okay, so how to get. Use one of the below methods for the best personalization options.  Be sure to let them know that you found them via WeddingTidbits!:
Call the shop and ask for the Monogram goods pop up shop 239-434-6700 or
Email info@monogramgoods.com or
Go to the shop! I vote for this method so you can see all their goodies.  It's located at 137 Tenth Street North, Naples, Florida 34102

Side notes: They take 4 weeks for delivery, so if you're getting married soon - order quickly. Once you receive your clutch, instagram or twitter a photo with hashtag #MGClutch

Something Blue

Just a little Saturday happiness.

Something Blue.

How much does it cost to be a bridesmaid?

The average cost of being a bridesmaid is apparently about $1695. Something interesting I came across on twitter this morning. Its a bit scary, when you look at it this way. However, my thought is that your bridesmaids should be your absolute nearest and dearest to you. Would I be willing to write a check to one of my nearest and dearest for $1695? Yes I would. Its the most important day of her life (to date) and I know that being an honored part of it would mean a heck of alot more to both of us than $1695.

The reason I was inclined to write this post was because so many of our clients stressed how they were so concerned about how much they were asking of their maids. Put yourself in their shoes- wouldn't it be worth it to you?

Photo by Hilary Hopkins, and she is lovely if you didn't know. This image was our Scottish & British wedding from a few years back.  Want to see the kilts?

The ultimate wedding travel gift & a giveaway!

My clients will often ask what is a little something they can give to their bridesmaids just before they leave to head down to their destination wedding.  I love this pair because its perfectly small, airport friendly, and completely on the mark for sun-shining-get-me-to-the-beach-now weather. I found and immediately fell in love with these Travel Packets. How many times have you gotten off the airplane and just wanted to start all over? Enter La Fresh...

These La Fresh travel pockets are beyond amazing. I keep one in my purse and they're stocked in our Bridal Party ER box.  Yes, they make a combo pack for the guys too.

Some might think matching wedding party tanks or tees are cheesy.  I don't.  When I'm waiting to get my hair and makeup done, I want to look cute some how.

Another great thing, its so light you can mail this cute gift with minimal postage.  Throw in an itunes gift card so that they can buy an audio-book to listen to during their flights, and you have the ultimate destination wedding travel gift. Have a bit more to spend?  Pre-load an ipod shuffle and include that too. Guaranteed giddiness.

Giveaway: Two ways to win a travel pouch (We're giving away up to 5!)
1. Leave a comment with your favorite travel item or tip or
2. Tweet this post (click below)
Grand Prize for the best tip or tweet: A travel pouch, a bunch of Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazines, and an itunes card.
Everyone (Wedding Industry Pros included!) in the continental US is eligible to win. Winner announced Friday.

Quick tip: Put a weekend itinerary in with the gift.  One more chance to remind everyone in the wedding party what time rehearsal is and what time to show up for hair & makeup and pictures.

No your bridesmaids don't need to look like they stepped out of a catalog

I am by no means saying that matching dresses are bad. It is perfectly fine, completely traditional, and looks lovely. However, this is one of those "rules" that I feel is safe to abandon. I came across a perfect example in this most recent issue of InStyle Weddings.
Here's how to do this right, without risking scary wedding party photos:

1. Request that everyone stay in a color palette you've selected (print this out for them!). {Quick Tip} pick up paint chips from the home improvement store.
2. Be very clear on what you do not want see (no crushed velvet, no prints or patterns, no trains, etc.).
3. Be very clear on what you would like to see (length, formality, and fabric types)
4. Make it fun and personal. Make a date with each of your girls individually to shop for their dress and shoes.

How to tell them what to wear

Hands down one of the trickiest (kinda) parts of the wedding invitation elements. Deciding on the attire wordage ranks right up there with getting your eyebrows waxed. It's no fun, but ya kinda gotta do it.Here are some articles and tips I found helpful from Wedding Channel, the knot, Destination I Do and Martha Stewart Weddings.

Now here's my 2 cents for destination weddings:

Island casual: Light weight and casual wear. Most guests will take this as nice shorts and short sleeved button up shirts or polos for the men and simple sundresses for the ladies.
Island/Tropical elegant: Again lightweight, and short sleeved, but adding a minimum of slacks and a full length sundress. Certainly less than sequins and ties though.
Resort elegant: Nearly the same as cocktail, only with lightweight fabrics being appropriate. No shorts, no sundresses. Yes to ties & slacks and cocktail dresses without sequins.

I do find it nice to state on guest guides when hats and/or wraps would be a benefit or appropriate.
{Quick Tip} J Crew currently has the best hands down grooms/groomsmen destination wedding suits available. Just sayin.

Wedding party gifts that aren't stupid

Truth be told, I think this is the best wedding party gift. The price is right, its itty bitty, good for both bridesmaids and groomsmen, and can totally be personalized in more ways than one. Personally, I would love if someone handed me this ipod shuffle:
The ipod above is just $49 at apple.com or just about anywhere ipods are sold. The 4GB below is awesome, as you can have it engraved with a name. I'll say that I am against engraving your names or wedding date on it. I do however recommend pre-loading some music they'll love. If you want to put your wedding "stamp" on it, pre-load it with songs you know will be played at your wedding. Empty ipods are boring without music (and kind of a tease).
Yeah, this is way better than a beer mug or monogrammed tote bag. Been there, done that.

Bridal Shower idea (this post is for bridesmaids)

I keep coming across this place setting by Amy Butler. It's anything but typical, and so of course- love it. While I can't say that I would register for it as my "good china", but its too special for "everyday", and I still want it.
I had a V8 moment (you know, that smack on the head from the commercials? I think those are so funny). This is a great place setting for small dinner parties, luncheons, or breakfasts! A set of 6-8 would be perfect.
So here's how the bridal shower part fits right in. Each bridesmaid contributes one setting, as her gift. Only, you don't wrap the gifts. Use them as the settings on the table for the shower you're hosting! Have your bride sit down at the table and let her unwrap one of the empty place setting boxes, with a note inside that explains what she's received. How lucky is your friend? So lucky.
By the way, did you know Amy Butler has free pdf designs you can download? How cool is that? Thank you Amy.

Has Ann Taylor Canceled Celebrations?

We’re going to a friend’s destination wedding later this month and I need a light blue dress. From past experience, we’ve had very good luck with Ann Taylor Celebrations line (both at our own wedding and for a friend's wedding). However, our local Ann Taylor store seems to have stopped carrying it and I’m wondering if Ann Taylor has cancelled the Celebrations line (seriously disappointing!).

The Ann Taylor Celebrations line has been a godsend to destination wedding brides. The dresses are good quality, relatively inexpensive, can be obtained at stores nationwide and come in a wide range of sizes so alterations are minimal.

I hope this is a temporary outage and not a full cancellation of the Celebrations line.

A really unique & beautiful wedding

I very rarely post about any weddings other than the ones I design & plan, but this one is too good to pass up. I found this featured wedding on the Southern Weddings Magazine blog (which happens to be one of my new fave reads). It takes place at one of my other favorites: the Wynn in Las Vegas.
Things I adore about this wedding...
````The bridesmaids have completely different dresses on and it looks awesome.
````I count at least 4 different centerpieces.
````A mix of long and round tables.
````Hello- did you see the chuppah and the arches leading to it? GORGEOUS.
You can see more photos at:
Victor Sizemore's Blog
Victors quite the talented photographer!
and
Southern Weddings Blog

How many people to get bride-ified?

Apparently, quite a few.

1st, there is the support team: Then there's the pros (Fresh Beauty Studio): The mom and sister duo (1st attempt at the sash that wouldn't cooperate): The final touches squad (attempt 2 at the sash): Yep, the bride too (that sash still isn't right): Then of course, you know mom, dad, and the wedding planner all have to get in on it (finally, we got the sash on!): And with that, complete Brideification: Boy that was tiring:
Thank you Julie Goodacre for the awesome photos!

Bachelorette Parties – Cooking School

It’s another bachelorette party – dressing up, wearing the mock veil, getting drunk, going bar hopping and feeling bad the next day. But that’s not what you want for your bachelorette party. You want different. You want fun. Sure you want to drink, but don’t want to get out of control. You want the kind of bachelorette party where you can take your mom and your 16-year-old niece. And did we say you want to have fun?

Try this on for size: Cooking School. It’s not some stodgy cooking school, we’re talking fun, wine and fantastic food you’ve cooked yourself. You bring the girlfriends, they provide the chef to teach you and the food to prepare. It’s a blast (and you even get to keep the apron).

We’re in love with the Viking Cooking School. For a bachelorette or bridal party, contact them directly for a Special Events Program.

We’ve done it several times and absolutely love it. We’ve taken the Basic Knife Skills class and the Date Night – Lobster Bisque and Steak. We’re already booked into the Indian Dinner for the spring.

Bridesmaid Dresses – Spring 2008 Collections

The Spring 2008 collections are out. After the fall collections (god, they were ugly), spring is a refreshing change.

A good friend of ours has been looking a for a nice navy blue bridesmaid dress at a reasonable price. Well, she’s in luck! Ann Taylor Celebrations collection has added some new colors, including navy blue. The “Cornflower Blue” color is still a favorite of ours…and very popular with people having destination weddings.

I love Greys Anatomy, but I love a wedding movie even more

Just this past Friday I was out on Captiva Island with my lovely April bride Melissa. We had a wowzer of a tasting feast thanks to the amazing chef at South Seas and lovely Amanda from catering. Anyhoo- during our feast, Melissa springs it on me that she has been a bridesmaid SEVEN times. I thought that only happened in the movies. One thing for sure about being a career bridesmaid- your friends truly love you. Being chosen as a bridesmaid is a big deal, it means "you've been an important part of my life, and now you'll be an important part of our lives" But now Melissa's the bride and is doing everything she can to completely enjoy every minute of planning the celebration of a lifetime. And really- I can't wait for this wedding. Kilts, bagpipers, and a dance I have to look up called the Gay Gordons. Although, Melissa's mom & dad gave us a preview and it looks like SO MUCH FUN!. Yep, it's going to be quite the party.
So what does any of this have to do with Greys Anatomy and wedding movies? Well, when Melissa mentioned her 2nd career as a bridesmaid, I was curious about how many times the average bride is a bridesmaid before they are a bride. I still don't know. But if anyone finds out- let me know. What I did find out during my search was that Katherine Heigl of Grey's Anatomy is starring in an upcoming movie (Due in theatres January 11th)called 27 Dresses. And even better, James Marsden is the leading man. In unison girls, "Ahhhh". To top it off, Modern Bride magazine is having a contest called "Always a Bridesmaid"!


A little info behind the contest: Modern Bride is looking for all current and former bridesmaids to submit in 100 words or less what’s great – or not – about being a ‘maid. Entrants must also submit a photo of themselves in a bridesmaid dress at a wedding and how many times they’ve been a ‘maid. The winner will have their entry published in a future issue of the magazine and will win a trip to the world premiere of 27 Dresses as the guest of Modern Bride’s Editor-in-Chief Antonia van der Meer. The winner will have their hair and makeup done, be outfitted in a gorgeous gown and will have their photo taken with Katherine Heigl.

Melissa- this has your name all over it. I wonder if you can enter 7 times. One for each photo. Ha! Ok, to enter the contest, just click here.

Showcase #4

From Me: A Big Beach Wedding Weekend Guest Gift. This is a super welcome bag, full of all kinds of goodies. This bag I made specifically for a hypothetical Bridesmaid- single, and in town for 4 full days. A note- if you can, customize the guest gifts for each kind of guest (couples, families, single gals/guys, etc.).

What's in it?
Beach Stuff: A hat, flip flops, beach towel, Seagrass beach mat, Market tote
Spa Stuff: Aromatherapy candle, body mist, and lotion and pajamas
Itinerary & Personal Note: A scrap book with the weekend events/times/locations/attire, a handwritten note welcoming & thanking her for coming
Info & Reads: Area map & brochures and a couple magazines to read by the pool
Drinks & Snacks: A bottle each of bubbly water, flat water & soda and a box each of crackers & cookies

Another showcase submission coming in a bit...

***To answer LouWed's question (see comments) about the bag- It's a market tote. Apparently I got really lucky because I found a couple at TJMaxx for $9.99! You can buy them at Sur La Table or The Container Store for $29.99. Just do a search on Market Tote. Oh, and I also found some on Ebay for $19.99, but the shipping was $10, so it evens out.

Spa getaway with the girls, golf retreat for the guys

Well if this isn't one of the neatest websites I've seen in a while...


Basically, with this FREE service, you can plan a group getaway, and manage everything online.




They have hundreds of locations, itineraries, and budgets to choose from. A cool option they offer- you can have hotels bid on your group trip! You can even order group "gear" like tee shirts and bags. A very funny thing they have- group mad libs. Those always made me laugh.

What do you mean its discontinued?

I came across these dresses while looking up an email address this morning. There are some really fantastic dresses out there right now. Long and short, strapless, halters, and cap sleeves- so much to choose from. All these dresses are by Amsale.

The reason I was looking up an email address at the Amsale website today was because I have a client who has chosen her bridesmaids dresses, and its a year yet before her wedding. It's important to email the designer (most websites have a customer service email link) and ask if the dress you've chosen will still be available for purchase the date of your wedding. I say email over phone call so that you get the response back in writing. Why? Well, let's just say that 2 of your 5 bridesmaids are also very on top of things and order their dresses as soon as you've picked it out. 2 months later, the 2 dresses that were ordered arrive. 2 and a half months before the wedding the remaining bridesmaids go to order their dresses and are told, "I'm sorry , we no longer carry that style". Uh oh. If you've got the email response, you've got some ground for a good resolution. If you don't have that email...you have 2 bridesmaids with dresses they've already paid for, and not enough time to find and order "perfect for my wedding" bridesmaid dresses. There isn't any easy solution for this mess. There is a solution- but it's probably not one that is going to make everyone happy.

Wedding Showcase #1

I am so thrilled about these! And honestly, I didn't realize so many people read this blog. I guess I'll keep it up; thanks everyone.

Enjoy just looking, post a comment, and/or send me an email if you want more info from the creators. I've gotten mucho grande feedback on this project, so there are many more great photos to come. I hope the showcase brings you some inspiration.

From Misty at Forever Weddings in California:

This is a tabletop Misty did for a recent bridal show. She's re-doing her office at the moment and is planning on sending another photo later this month.

From Vane at Brooklyn Bride:

"I did lavender sachets as favors...I've actually been meaning to try these out for a while as gifts for my bridesmaids, but your showcase gave me the push I needed to get my sewing machine out and start crackin. The fabric was from a napkin I bought on sale at Anthropologie, originally $4.00, I got it for $1.95! (note: 1 napkin made 8 sachets for me) The lavender I've had sitting in my closet for MONTHS since my cousin came back from Provence with 2 bags for me, but I'm sure you could find online as well. I would use them in sets of 3 tied with a pretty ribbon and place at each placesetting...your whole venue will smell like the south of France!"

From me:

I thought I would pull together a pre-wedding breakfast or brunch table. Perhaps something for you and the girls as you wait to get your hair & make-up done. A couple things I want to point out- it doesn't have to be dark to use candles. They always look pretty. Don't be afraid to use a few colors, but don't go overboard. Three is usually a good visual. If something looks flat, layer it for dimension. The napkins looked dreadful just laying there, so I added a tiny bloom set on top of each and it was a 100% improvement. Everything came out of my house except the scones & flowers. The table turned out so pretty that I emailed a couple nearby gals over for coffee tomorrow morning. I'll probably have to replace the scones though. I couldn't help myself.

"Wait, did someone get #17?" : The Bustle

You've got the dress of your dreams. And you've got the perfect bustle too. I have to admit, bustling, after all these years, still makes me nervous. Why? Have you seen some of these creations? There is a science to it, miss one and the whole thing is screwed up. Now, it's not so bad if there are only like 4 ties or two hooks. But when there are 27 - yes, TWENTY SEVEN, you can have issues. 27 little tiny white bows underneath 5 yards and 6 pounds of duchess satin requires at least 2 people who know what they are doing and 1 groom with some really strong arms. Why strong arms? It can take 20 minutes to get all those little ties done, and all those yards of satin need to be held at least shoulder height so that the people tying the little bows can read the little numbers on the underside of the dress. Nope folks, it ain't pretty.
So what to do? Have your designated bustle buddies (your bridesmaids, mom, or sister) go with you to your wedding dress salon or alteration shop and learn the best way to bustle the dress and to know exactly what it's supposed to look like when its done. The last thing you need is your grand entrance into your reception to be held up for 45 minutes while someone figures out your bustle DNA or for it to all come undone during your 1st dance.
This Ulla-Maija gown had a great looking bustle, and yes, it was the 27 tie kind that took 3 of us. But it looked fantastic didn't it?

The big red box with a bow

Yeah, I kind of love Red Envelope. It's a slight addiction. The thing is, they have really great stuff, the best sales, and quite frankly, the best gift wrapping ever. I've received 3 of their famous red boxes with the ivory grosgrain ribbon in the last couple years and I get sooooo excited when they arrived. Those boxes- I keep. They don't get handed to the next person with a birthday!

This week a new client asked me for help planning their "Be in our wedding party" Party! The couple and their friends are wine enthusiasts, so we decided a wine tasting party would be the perfect setting for the occasion. We found this wine tasting set at Red Envelope, on sale for $29.99

As an early thank you gift, each groomsmen is getting this tie case (with their wedding ties inside), also on sale for just $19.99

Each bridesmaid is getting this XO bracelet- again, on sale for $24.99.


I love sales.