Wedding Bells

Emma and Scott's wedding was so beautiful. The reception took place outside under a huge white tent. It was really magical and I wish them lots of love and happiness!

Buy Me Some Peanuts and...

Goodies from the rehearsal dinner tonight!

Wedding Woes

My cousin Emma is getting married in two weeks and between a hectic work schedule and all the excitement surrounding my Chicago trip, I may have totally put off looking for a dress. Ooops! It's a late afternoon wedding and semi-formal, so I've narrowed it down to a few favorites. Ideally, I'd like to have a dress that I'll wear again for other nice occasions (or even a fun date night).


This Alice + Olivia number is my first choice. I actually bought it earlier today to ensure my size didn't sell out. I think this would be really versatile and I'd absolutely get multiple uses out of it. The only downside is that it's really plain (even for me). I'd pair it with some neon accessories and a bright mani to jazz it up a little (neons and neutrals are a great look right now).

I think these shoes would be a really fun pop of color:

Jessica Simpson Landy

And I could use a little help from Tom Binns in the accessories department, starting with these:


The other option would be wearing a bright, punchy dress with nude sandals or heels. These two strapless styles are my favorite (so far). I really wish I could find a pretty sea foam green dress, but apparently that's a tall order this season. Bold colors are much more prevalent.


J. Crew Alannah dress


Donna Morgan belted chiffon dress

What would you do (other than not procrastinate like I did)?
Any help is great!

Vermont Polaroid Love

Just wanted to share a few shots from my Vermont getaway. It was so beautiful I could have stayed for weeks! I highly recommend the Wildflower Inn if you're ever in the area. The views were breathtaking, the staff was friendly, and the breakfasts were delicious (I'm still dreaming about those fresh blueberry pancakes). Most of all, I enjoyed having so much of my family staying in one place. I think we took over at least half of the rooms! The rehearsal dinner took place right at the inn under a big white tent and was so relaxing. I'm trying to rationalize another trip up in the fall when the leaves are changing. Can you imagine how great the foliage would be? Also, how cute are those turquoise coffee mugs?! I wanted to take one home!

A big thanks to my Uncle Bobby and Aunt Lynn for hosting such a fabulous weekend. And congrats to the newlyweds, Mike and Amy!

Home Run Wedding

This baseball-themed wedding is one of the most creative and fun parties I've ever seen! The couple traveled all over the country visiting different ballparks so they decided it was a mutual passion they wanted to represent when they tied the knot. I think Amorology did a great job keeping it fun, but also tasteful and not too cheesy. I especially love the favors they made for guests--boxes filled with their favorite pancake mix labeled "hey, batter, batter!"-adorable! Place cards were made to look like tickets to a game and tables were labeled by section! The photographer even set up a baseball-themed backdrop and guests were invited to pose with props for a memorable album.

Every detail is so well thought out and executed. The only thing I was surprised by was that the cake didn't have anything to do with baseball. I was mildly disappointed, but I guess some things have to remain traditional. You seriously have to check out more photos here to see all of the great details that made their wedding so unique!

What's your favorite unexpected wedding theme?

It's All in the Details

I am absolutely smitten with this gorgeous veil! We're so used to seeing traditional white veils that match the wedding dress but this idea is amazing and complements the bride's hair and make-up perfectly. A shade in the cool, bluish-green family would look better with my darker hair. Can you tell I'm making a mental note of this image?! Such an unexpected and original detail, yet it totally works! Check out The Wedding Chicks for more beautiful pictures of the couple (her dress is fab, too!).

Bridal Bubbles

There's nothing quite as whimsical and romantic as a bride and groom exiting a church and being showered with rose petals, or in this case, scented bubbles. These aren't just any old bubbles; they're Les Bulles d’Agathe, "gourmet" bubbles developed by renowned perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. The bubbles come in three summery scents: fresh cut grass, mint, and pear. They were inspired by Kurkdijan's seven year-old niece and meant to help develop children's sense of smell. I think they're perfect for adults, too, and so much fun! I wouldn't mind purchasing a vial of cut grass bubbles and enjoying them at the park on a Sunday afternoon. In fact, I might do just that!

Which scent would you choose?

Gauzy Goodness

I am completely in love with this Elizabeth and James dress. I think it's perfect for my cousin's wedding and I would definitely get a lot of use out of it throughout the summer (date nights, cocktail parties, trips to Newport). The possibilities are endless. I think the contrast between light chiffon and the dark leather belt is fantastic, not to mention the pockets. So convenient! The sweetheart neckline is a great alternative to the totally unflattering straight-across strapless that I avoid at all costs. The color would look great with a nice tan.

What do you think?

The Perfect Dress?

I visited Borders over the weekend (one of my favorite stores ever) and scooped up a few new magazines and a copy of Julie and Julia (finally). I couldn't resist picking up a copy of People's Style Watch, mostly because it was loaded with cute dresses and accessories that I wanted to browse through. One of my favorite finds was this metallic Shoshanna dress that People claims is the perfect dress to carry you through wedding season. I couldn't agree more! The dress can be done up with sexy heels and an updo or dressed down with a cardigan and a low ponytail. I haven't seen the dress on Sak's website yet, but you can be sure I'll be checking back over the next few days.

Could you see yourself going to a wedding in this Shoshanna number?

Wedding Contender

I find myself going back to this dress when thinking about what to wear to my cousin's wedding later this summer. It's bright, simple, and I love the sweetheart neckline. The only problem is that it might be a little excessive for their casual Vermont nuptials. It would still make a great party dress!

Wedding Attire

I'm on a mission to find a dress for my cousin's wedding that's coming up in August. I've been obsessing over this Maggy London number since seeing it in Nordstrom's spring catalog, but when I tried it on it wasn't quite what I expected. I do love the colors, though, and I still think the dress is amazing. I'm afraid it would look a little too costume-y and like I raided Carol Brady's closet!

What do you think?

Bridesmaid Challenge

Last week I received an e-mail from my aunt (who follows this blog). Her friend needed some help coming up with ideas for bridesmaids gifts. She is getting married in June and has eight (yes, eight!) bridesmaids to shop for. She's already purchased each of them a bottle of Little Black Dress wine, because they all got to choose their own LBD to wear in the wedding. She wants to give them a little something else to go with the wine and wants to spend between ten and fifteen dollars per girl. I gladly accepted the challenge, and told her I'd scour the internet and get back to her later in the week.

I immediately began obsessing over the challenge. Growing up with two sisters, I know how hard it is to please three girls, let alone eight. The budget was somewhat limiting, too. I started thinking about personalized gifts (which can get pricey) and something that would appeal to most young women (tricky). Well, here are some of the ideas I came up with on my own. Please let me know what you think and if you have any ideas that I may have forgotten.

Personalized set of notecards $12


Liberty of London for MAC tinted lipglass $14


Chalk note glassware $5


Little Black Dress coffee table book $13


Assortment of Lush beauty goodies $15


Gift certificate for manicure $12


Sparkly headband $13


Selection of Dean & Deluca gourmet candies $12

Since replying to her original e-mail, I've also though of a Sephora gift card or a Max Brenner hug mug with homemade hot chocolate mix in a pretty package. Any other ideas?!

Help!
taylor