Fresh finds, unique ideas, and hot trends in the world of weddings
New Year? New Ring!
If you’re among the nearly one million brides-to-be who received an engagement ring over the holidays, it’s time to ring in the new year by scratching the first few items off your wedding day “to do” countdown. Kick start your 2009 wedding plans now!
Unfortunately, for most newly engaged women – the excitement of finally finding “the one” is dampened by a hard dose of stress and anxiety. Sure, you’ll find about a gazillion wedding planning checklists out there, but they all tend to overwhelm more than they help, and all essentially fail to address the fundamental question: “Where do I begin?”
After you’ve announced the exciting news and taken some time to bask in your newly engaged glow, it’s time to get cracking. Here are the first three wedding planning tasks you absolutely must accomplish before anything else. Cross these items off your wedding checklist – and you’re on your way.
where to find
The Elegala.com guide to getting engaged has everything you need to know to kick start your 2009 wedding plans.
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Take a Seat
In the beginning, there was a white folding chair. Then came Chivari, the ornate gold-flecked ballroom standard. Twenty years later, a wedding detail long-starved for options is reveling in newfound creativity. The aptly named GloChair has a sleek, glowing back that emits a soft blue-green light, adding a contemporary spark to posh event seating. The plush Chameleon Chair is available in a variety of sumptuous colors, patterns, and fabrics such as satin, suede or velvet to create looks that range from traditional to over-the-top.
where to find
GloChair, Lounge22, lounge22.com, 818-502-0351, $20 per chair; Chameleon Chair Collection, chameleonchair.com, 310-973-8200, from $7.95 per chair
link | More: Aisle Style | Buzzworthy Ideas
Hot Headgear
It may be your day to be a princess, but donning a rhinestone tiara is not required. Handcrafted headpieces from Jennifer Behr are glamorous alternatives featuring silk camellias, orchids, feathers, or diamonds that are more avant garde than cheesy. Since the headpieces have been spotted on the likes of Natalie Portman and featured in Gossip Girl, you can safely splurge on these wedding accessories knowing that you’ll likely sport the look again – which is more than you can say for the typical bridal crown.
where to find
Jennifer Behr, 718-569-2896, $68-$500, Jenniferbehr.com
link | More: Aisle Style
Take Back Your Wedding Registry
Tired of registries filled with practical mainstays owned by every newlywed in town? Tailor your wish list to your personal style.
The Do Gooder
Do your heart some good by creating a wedding gift registry with a more altruistic bent.
Where to Find: featuring more than one million charities from which to choose, JustGive.org is a non-profit website that lets couples build a wedding registry directed to their favorite causes.
The Luxe Lover
Bedding is a registry staple, but this is your chance to sink those pedicured toes into the Mercedes of linens. Get sumptuous threads that feel delicious on your skin and last forever.
Where to Find: Down to Basics (downtobasics.com) offers a specialty registry for high-quality, high thread count linens from lines such as Ann Gish and Sferra. They also have a storefront on Newbury Street in Boston.
The Risk Taker
You met your fiancé while running a class V rapid and feel incomplete without your backpack. With such an affinity for the outdoors, why place house with your registry? Instead, ask for all those outdoor toys you’ve both been dreaming of.
Where to Find: Outdoor retailers such as REI (rei.com) offer gift registries conspicuously absent of china, linen and crystal.
where to find
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas
The Pear Infusion
The pomegranate may have enjoyed recent reign as the cocktail flav du jour, but the pear may just take over thanks to the release of two pearl-flavored vodkas: Absolut Pears and Grey Goose La Poire. Paul Westerkamp, beverage director of Boston’s swanky 33 Restaurant & Lounge, thinks the pear will prove to be more than just the latest in a long line of flavored vodkas because of its place in our collective past. Pomegranates may be novel, but who hasn’t had a pear?
“Like the apple, the pear brings back comforting thoughts of Americana,” says Westerkamp, who added a seasonal cocktail using the new liquors to his menu in September. “People respond to flavors like that.”
Pear and Apple Tart
Show your guests that you’re a bona fide cocktail queen by serving up this signature pear drink from Westerkamp to start your wedding reception.You may want to conduct a few taste tests to see how the pear’s crisp mellow sweetness mixes with faves like martinis and mojitos. Ah, the hardship…
We just hope the Pomegranate doesn’t take it too hard.
- 2 parts Grey Goose La Poire or Absolut Pears
- 2 parts sweet and sour mix
- 1 part apple liqueur
- Splash of lime juice
Shake and strain into chilled martini glass. Dust rim with mixture of cinnamon, sugar, and allspice. Garnish with pear slice.
where to find
link | More: Nosh and Nog
Sip in Style
You’ve meticulously planned every detail from the shoes on your feet to the wedding songs you’ll dance to. Now you can check off refreshing your guests with the new limited edition Evian water bottle designed by fashion designer Christian Lacroix. Dressed in a chic lace pattern, the frosted bottles are pretty enough to display for guests seeking something cool after a turn on the dance floor. Even if you don’t feature them at the main event, the design is stylish enough to include in your fastidiously assembled wedding guest baskets.
where to find
Evian Natural Mineral Water, shopevian.com, $118.00 for a case of 12
link | More: In the Details | Nosh and Nog
Shop ‘til Someone Else Drops
Between demanding jobs and jam-packed to-do lists, busy brides barely have time to eat, let alone paw through piles of merchandise to find the right looks for everything from the engagement gala to the bon voyage lunch. The most maxed-out brides are calling on personal shopping services to do the dirty work for them - scouring the shops for the most stylish ensembles and gifts.
where to find
Shopping services catering to brides are popping up all over the country. Polished Social Image in Boston and New York (socialimage.net) will pre-select items tailored to your tastes before you set foot in the store for $250 per hour. Dallas-based Shopping Chauffeur (shopping-chauffeur.com) and Atlanta’s Plaid Monkey (plaidmonkey.com) specialize in group shopping tours, working with brides and wedding parties to create customized VIP personal shopping experiences. Tours, starting at $175 per person at Shopping Chauffeur and $600 per excursion at Plaid Monkey, include perks like luxury transportation, lunch at a premier restaurant, private dressing rooms, and personal shopping assistance throughout the day.
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Coming Up Lemons
When the time for wedding toasts rolls around, consider swapping basic champagne for shots of chilled limoncello. The liqueur made from fermented Sorrento lemons was invented on the coast of southern Italy more than 100 years ago and is traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestive. The sweet, lemony beverage has gained recent popularity in America due to celebrity endorsements from the likes of Danny DeVito, George Clooney and Avril Lavigne. Restaurants this side of the Atlantic have recently begun offering it on cocktail and dessert menus because of its refreshing lemon flavor that lacks the bitterness of actual lemon juice.
where to find
Pallini Limoncello, www.pallini.us
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | In the Details | Nosh and Nog
Deck Your Derriere
Round out your honeymoon trousseau with sweet little underthings. We love the luxurious line from couture lingerie brand, Spoylt. (Famously style-privy celebs like Jessica Simpson and Eva Longoria are fans). Designed by women for women, Spoylt’s decadent delicates, handcrafted from carefully selected and dyed fabrics, strike a balance between demure and daring. After all, you deserve to spoil yourself when it comes to your bridal lingerie.
where to find
Visit Spoylt.com to purchase online and access a list of worldwide retailers.
link | More: Aisle Style
Sultan-worthy Style
Modern-day brides are the past’s fabled princesses, reincarnated with fab stilettos and PDAs, of course. And as such, they deserve a stylish tent to fit their outdoor wedding fairy tale. Raj Tents, a diamond in the white vinyl rough, offers snazzy ways to escape the elements at your wedding reception. Their collection of luxury canopies is handcrafted in India with the highest quality cotton. Sultry color combinations come to life with exotic embroidery and woodblock printing, an ancient East Asian technique. Carved wooden chairs, silk cushions, and glowing lanterns add the finishing touches that will transform an ordinary space into a scene from Arabian Nights.
where to find
Raj Tents serves clients throughout the U.S. Basic rentals start at $1,500; custom designs start at $3,450. They’ll send a crew to set up the tent on location or provide instructions for self setup. Rajtents.com, 310-320-6600
link | More: Aisle Style | Buzzworthy Ideas
Last Chance to Win an Early Honeymoon!
Do you have a great wedding idea or have you been to a recent wedding where a specific detail really made you say “wow.” We want to hear from you! Send us your unique, buzzworthy, or downright crazy ideas and emerging trends in the world of weddings. We’ll feature the best entries right here on the Unveiled Wedding Blog (with credit to you as the source, of course).
Best of all – winning entries are automatically entered to win a two night stay at the super luxe Taj Hotel in Boston’s fashionable Newbury Street, where you can escape all the pre-wedding insanity or cap off your honeymoon with a fabulous vacation!
But you better hurry and get your submissions in today - October 31st is the deadline for entries.
where to find
To enter, please tell us your idea by completing this brief form. Our editors will contact you should your entry be selected for a future Unveiled feature and, of course, a fabulous giveaway!
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas
Share the Love
Between your mother-in-law’s bridge club and your fiance’s college lacrosse team, chances are not everyone attending your wedding will know much about the chain of events resulting in their being “gathered here today.” Fill them in with professionally written and designed keepsake booklets that relay how you met, how he proposed, and other notable moments in your lives together.
Pause here for a moment to say, “ick,” at this seemingly cheesy idea, then think of it this way: The magazine-style brochure or booklet will bring home the emotion of your celebration while preventing you from having to explain how you met to one of his distant relatives when you’d rather be partying with friends. Another plus? These booklets can double as wedding favors for your guests.
The process takes anywhere from three months to a year, beginning with an in-depth interview with a professional writer. You’ll select a design and color palette and submit engagement photos or personal snapshots (professional photography is preferred, but not required).
where to find
Courship Stories, courtship-stories.com, 888-427-8584; Echo Memoirs, echomemoirs.com, 604-261-1858; Storied Memories, storied-memories.com, 888-573-4336. Costs vary greatly by company but start at around $975 per project.
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | In the Details
Happier Travels To You
Schlepping overstuffed suitcases as sweat stains threaten the freshness of your fabulous, if impractical, day-one honeymoon ensemble, or worse – stewing in yesterday’s travel clothing while awaiting your bag that errantly made a detour to Yemen - is hardly a romantic way to spend your first hours as newlyweds. Instead, enlist a luggage forwarding service, and enjoy the worry-free honeymoon travel that comes with knowing your bags await upon your arrival. Whether its skis, a set of golf clubs, or shoes – lots and lots of shoes - they’ll collect it all from your home while you jet off to your honeymoon or wedding destination, and voila, your luggage is waiting for you in your room. And there you’ll relax with a tasty beverage in hand, smirking slightly as you think of those fellow honeymooners still stuck at baggage claim – wishing they were as savvy as you.
It’s easier than you think. Simply schedule your desired pick up, destination location, and travel time with a luggage forwarding service, and they’ll handle the rest. Sure, such convenience doesn’t come cheap. You can expect to pay about $100 per bag on average, and prices vary depending on where you are going, weight and number of bags, and how quickly you want them to get there.
But if you’re planning a trip that cannot go wrong – and we think a honeymoon falls into this category - you may want to seriously consider this dreamy excuse to pack heavy and travel light.
where to find
Consult this list of reputable luggage forwarding services:
The Luggage Club, 877-231-5131
Luggage Forward, 866-416-7447
Luggage Free, 800-361-6871
XS Baggage, 866-656-6977
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | Planning Made Simple
Clutch Control
So you’ve got the rock and you’ve found your frock, but you’re a bit perturbed whenit comes to your wedding day arm candy. In the world of wedding accessories and bridal purses, the profusion of gaudy beading and chintzy white satin just doesn’t cut it for the fashion forward bride. Answering the call for a suitable option are online storefronts that make getting your hands on a stylish couture bag for your wedding convenient and affordable.
Take M. Avery Designs. This interactive online handbag salon allows you to design a one-of-a-kind bag where you can select the shape, fabric and adornments. And if you’ve got a vision in your head, designer Megan Avery will work with you to create the bag of your dreams. Another option is 1154 Lill Studio, an online boutique where brides can choose from over twenty five styles, then mix and match from hundreds of fabric choices for the exterior, interior, pockets, trim, straps and more.
where to find
M. Avery Designs, maverydesigns.com, 201-876-1198. Prices start around $50 depending on style and fabric. 1154 Lill Studio, 1154lillstudio.com, 773-292-6310. Prices range from about $50 for a wristlet and up to $80 for a handbag
link | More: Aisle Style | In the Details
Green My Ride
The latest vendors to jump on the green wedding bandwagon are the ones who will actually get you to and from the church. A number of green-oriented wedding transportation services now feature fleets of fuel-efficient sedans, limos, or buses. Book the same way you would that gas guzzling Hummer limo, since eco-transportation options are comparable in price. Then celebrate the fact that you can still arrive instyle, just while taking up a fraction of the carbon footprint. Who said it’s not easy being green?
where to find
PlanetTran, planettran.com, 888-756-8876; OZOcar, ozocar.com, 866-696-5966; Elite Green Car, elitegreencar.com, 404-350-8511; Eco Limo, eco-limo.com, 888-432-6546. Rates are similar to gas-powered car services, starting at about $50 per hour.
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | In the Details
Collar Couture
When did wedding party roles get so complicated? Nowadays, you can have a man-of-honor named Chuck or a best woman named Carol, so it’s no surprise that Fido is the new ring bearer of choice. As including dogs in the wedding ceremony becomes de rigueur, the pressing question arises: what should your furry friend wear for this momentous occasion since the average leash or collar simply won’t do? That’s where Hamptons Hound comes in. This luxury pet boutique has a special bridal line of intricately hand-beaded or rhinestone leather collars suitable for even the most elegant events.
Let’s just hope that Fido doesn’t see his snazzy new ensemble as an open invitation to join the dinner table at the reception.
where to find
Hamptons Hound, hamptonshound.com, 212-564-5949, $40-180
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | In the Details
Contribute to Unveiled and Win!
Do you have a great wedding idea or have you been to a recent wedding where a specific detail really made you say “wow.” We want to hear from you! Send us your unique, buzzworthy, or downright crazy ideas and emerging trends in the world of weddings. We’ll feature the best entries right here on the Unveiled Wedding Blog (with credit to you as the source, of course).
Best of all – winning entries are automatically entered to win a two night stay at the super luxe Taj Hotel in Boston’s fashionable Newbury Street, where you can escape all the pre-wedding insanity or cap off your honeymoon with a fabulous vacation!
where to find
To enter, please tell us your idea by completing this brief form. Our editors will contact you should your entry be selected for a future Unveiled feature and, of course, a fabulous giveaway!
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas
The Lash of Luxury
Batting an eye is an old standby in the arsenal of feminine wiles, but guys should beware - this invaluable tool just gained a convincing upgrade. Eyelash extensions are the newest health and beauty treatments for brides seeking to accessorize their wedding day look with extreme flutter power after Paris Hilton and Jennifer Lopez first sported the wide-eyed look on the red carpet.
Not to be confused with the self-stick falsies of yesteryear, these semi-permanent, synthetic extensions mimic the natural lash. A technician applies them one at a time using tweezers and adhesive, which takes about anhour and a half. They last for two months, and wearers can swim, bathe, shower, and workout without compromising their thick-lashed look.
where to find
Salons such as John Barrett in New York and Fred Segal Beauty in Santa Monica have added the treatment to meet demand. New England brides can pop into Boston’s LuxLash (luxlash.com, 866-587-5274) for extensions. The Newbury Street spa offers complete services for bridal parties.
link | More: Aisle Style | Buzzworthy Ideas
Party With a Rock Star
It turns out chivari chairs and silk table linens aren’t the only upgrades for rent. Today’s hottest party accessory is the rentable rock star. You can now splurge on the living breathing version of stars such as Christina Aguilera, Joe Cocker, or Carrie Underwood to belt out your first dance song or headline the entire affair. For those of us without a Hollywood in, Grabow Entertainment offers VIP access to some of the hottest acts in the music industry. They handle all the details, from contracting the event with the talent’s agent to managing onsite production. They make hiring the stars a lot easier than you think, provided you can foot the bill.
where to find
Grabow Entertainment, grabow.biz, 888-290-1162. Prices range from $10,000-$20,000 for lesser celebrity acts up to $100,000 and beyond for the artists in highest demand.
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas
Extreme Bachelorette Party
Alas, saying farewell to singledom no longer requires donning a dime-store tiara while a lubed-up dancer named Duke invades your personal space. Wild bachelorette party send-offs have a new G-rated cousin: extreme weekends of sky-diving, rock climbing, and white water rafting to name a few.
How to Plan an Extreme Bachelorette Party:
Adventure Bachelorette Party (hitzadventures.com) organizes everything from the lodging to the activity with trusted outfitters around the U.S. Packages start at $349 per person, depending on location and activity, and cost includes just about everything but airfare. Good news ladies - they plan stripper-free adventure bachelor parties for the guys too.
where to find
Hitz Adventures, hitzadventures.com, 248-910-8152
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas
True Colors
Tired of paying homage to the homogenous, some stationers are branching out with new lines of invitations and announcements that represent a more inclusive cross-section of brides. Multicultural wedding invitations add color to the white wedding with rich jewel tones and illustrations of brides and bridesmaids from African American, Latino, Hispanic and Asian backgrounds. The new options are available for every component of your stationery suite from save-the-dates and attendant cards to shower and rehearsal dinner invites. From an industry that banks on weddings as expressions of individuality, we think this makes only too much sense.
where to find
Kemse & Company, kemseandcompany.com, 888-656-1452; Bonnie Marcus Collection, bonniemarcus.com, 866-675-7895. Boxes of eight to 10 start at $10.
link | More: In the Details
Rock Their World
Between unflattering dresses and Friday nights spent licking envelopes, bridesmaids have it tough. The best cure for the always-a-bridesmaid blues? A little bling of their own.
Embraced by celebrities like Oprah, Tyra Banks and Kirsten Dunst, the Ah Ring is a diamond pinkie ring featuring eleven small round cut diamonds fashioned in a 14-karat white gold band. It’s a great idea for bridesmaid gifts your girls will actually like, since this is a diamond ring that celebrates their relationship status for a change. For your single pals, “A” stands for Available, and “h,” happy – or for those already taken, Attached and happy.
It will also cost you more than a cliché monogrammed tote – maybe give it as a special gift for your maid-of-honor if you don’t want to take out a loan to supply them for your nine bridesmaids – but these sparkling rocks are sure to earn forgiveness for that requisite teeth whitening you forced them to endure.
where to find
Divine Diamonds,divinediamonds.com, $295
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | In the Details
Good Grooming
Your guy just sprung for the diamond on your left finger, so it’s a nice gesture to give him a little something too. Yet, we’re not talking some over-the-top gift that only benefits him. Slip him The Groom’s Instruction Manual by former groom Shandon Fowler, out this year from Quirk Books. Stress to him that this is not like the number of other sleepy, how-to planning guides for men that have come before it; Fowler presents the useful basics in a hilarious guy-oriented manner. If your fiance doesn’t believe you, turn to the introduction on foral arrangements that suggests, “most men with any common sense would have already skipped to the next section.”
The point, of course, is that we believe an informed groom is an involved groom, which every bride wants. You may not be so excited when he’s cackling at the bridezilla graphic (the book is full of funny graphics and witty captions to keep them reading), but we’re betting you’d rather he laugh now and plan later than not at all.
where to find
Quirk Books, quirkbooks.com, $15.95
link | More: For the Guys | Planning Made Simple
Custom ‘maid
Weddings are often about compromise, but when it comes to your bridesmaids of varying sizes and shapes all fitting into the same dress, there’s often no wiggle room. Thankfully, modern alternatives have arrived to ensure your ‘maids feel fabulous while providing a cohesive look for the wedding party.
Online boutiques like Olivia Luca and Coco Myles now allow you to create one-of-a-kind bridesmaid dresses by selecting body style, skirt shape, fabric, color, and embellishments. You can have as much or as little control as you like; each girl can create her own style (with your direction), or the whole bridal party can get together to create one dress that everyone loves.
Another concept is brought to you by Twobirds. The boutique features one simple dress that can be worn more than 10 different ways, with instructions on creating each look. The bride selects a color and each bridesmaid can wrap her dress into the variation that caters to her personal style and figure.
where to find
Olivia Luca, Olivialuca.com, 503-753-2787, from $260; Colo Myles, Colomyles.com, 866-599-2626, from $125; Twobirds, Twobirdsbridesmaid.com, 212-633-1384, from $270.
link | More: Aisle Style | Buzzworthy Ideas
Wall Art
Graffiti at your wedding? Oh, the horror! The dubious art form may be the last idea you had in mind for your wedding decorations, but a little wall artwork can actually add some flair to a bland function space. Wonderful Graffiti Wedding’s removable vinyl letters and symbols appear painted on when affized to smooth surface, making it easy to enhance your decor with a quote, poem, or welcome note. The good news, especially if your venue has a strict “nothing on the walls” policy, is that you can place these standard or custom-made transfers just about anywhere - on the dance floor, entrance doors, even on your getaway car. Order four to six weeks in advance, then apply yourself or arrange for professional installation. After the wedding, the strips are easily peeled away without causing any surface damage.
where to find
Wonderful Graffiti Wedding, wonderfulgraffitiwedding.com, 877-577-5675. Standard designs start at $15; custom designs start at $!0 more.
link | More: Aisle Style | Buzzworthy Ideas | In the Details
Sweet Centerpieces
Tables topped with wedding flowers may look and smell good, but these s’mores stations make for a fun way to get guests’ mouths involved too. The all-in-one kits from Cosi Restaurants allow you to enjoy the gooey pleasures of this campfire favorite, minus all the smoke, ash, and mosquitos. As the latest in edible centerpieces, they also add an interesting aesthetic to your tables and an interactive dessert station to enjoy after the dinner plates have cleared. Each kit contains a hibachi, wooden platter, bamboo marshmallow skewers, matches, and, of course, marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.
where to find
If you’re not near one of the 100-plus Cosi locations across the country, order online at getcosi.com, $40 each.
link | More: Aisle Style | Buzzworthy Ideas | Nosh and Nog
Dress Redux
Your mom may think otherwise, but retiring your wedding dress to the closet for eternity hardly seems a fitting tribute. You now have another option to give added life to your gown.
Trash it!
We’re assuming you’ve heard of the Trash the Dress phenomenon that has made its rounds over the past few years. But if you’ve been so buried in planning that you haven’t, it involves one last photo shoot in your gown after your day is done. Only this time, you swim in it, roll around on the beach, even blast it with paintballs. It’s a way to add an artistic element to your wedding pictures that can also symbolically and forever free you from the rigors of wedding planning.
where to find
Cape Cod Photo & Video (1-800-760-VIDEO) offers trash the dress sessions for brides in the Cape Cod/New England area. Or visit Trashthedress.com for a list of photographers around the nation
link | More: Aisle Style | Buzzworthy Ideas
Going Postal
You may want to put a personal stamp on your wedding invitations, but it’s probably best not to wait for the post office to release your mug on their next commemorative series. So do it yourself at Zazzle.com, where you can make your own custom postage.
The site guides you through easy step-by-step instructions that even your mother-in-law could follow, and your options are practically endless. Use your engagement photo, monogram, or even your parents’ wedding picture. Simply select your size and quantity, upload an image, and add some text. Your very own personalized postage stamps should arrive in about a week.
where to find
Zazzle.com, books of 20 first class stamps start at $14.95
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | In the Details
Wedding Dress as Still Life
Sure, you only wear it once, but a wedding dress can be appreciated as a fashion objet d’art. Capture the masterpiece in all its glory with a one-of-a-kind fashion illustration by artist Jennifer Angilello. You’ll revere it long after you’ve retired the dress to the closet.
Why We Love It
This isn’t just a retread of the bridal or engagement portrait. Jennifer Angilello creates a sophisticated yet whimsical fashion illustration depicting you in your gown, all with a chic look that emphasizes your dress. Send in photos from your wedding or from a fitting, and Angilello creates a custom illustration ($375) in four to six weeks.
where to find
Artist, Jennifer Angilello (based in San Francisco), aboutthedress.com, 415-307-7990
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas
Alltop.com adds Unveiled to their list of top wedding blogs!
Alltop has added Unveiled to its list of the best wedding blogs. For those of you unfamiliar with the site, Alltop collects stories from “all the top” sites on the web and groups them by topic. Inclusion in the list is purely subjective, so we’re honored that their editors have deemed Unveiled worthy to be listed as one of the web’s best wedding blogs.
where to find
link | More:
Star Appeal
Think movie stars have all the fun? Think again. High-end jewelers also cater to brides looking to rent incredible accessories for their walk down the red carpet, er, aisle.
How It Works:
Adornbrides.com offers brides glamorous baubles for a day. Go online to browse their selection of high-end necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Then enter your wedding date, pick your jewelry type, and find your desired piece.
You pay a nonrefundable deposit of twenty-five percent of the total lease price (about $80-$400) when you make your reservation. When Adorn Brides ships your jewelry, the company reserves approximately one third of the retail value on your credit card as a security deposit (retail value ranges about $2,000-$11,000). You receive your jewelry via overnight delivery two days before your wedding. Return it on the first business day following your event in the enclosed pre-addressed and pre-paid packaging. Upon receipt of the return shipment, Adorn Brides removes the reserve and charges the remaining lease balance.
where to find
Adornbrides.com or inquire at your local jeweler.
link | More: Aisle Style | Buzzworthy Ideas
Confection-Free Cakes
Scattered plates with barely nibbled pieces of wedding cake are an all-too-familiar sight at receptions. If you want to serve a dessert your guests will actually eat, consider a wedding “cake” made of cheese. No, not the rich, loaded with sugar variety with graham cracker crust - literally a cake made of cheese stacked in tiers and decorated to look like a wedding cake. Adornments like foliage, grapes, berries, nuts, and flowers transform a creamy lancashire or unpasteurized cheddar into an elaborate wedding cake that can match your decor scheme.
The trend is taking off in the U.K. where cheese for dessert is prevalent. In its infancy on this side of the pond, this is a chance for you to be truly on the cusp. Guests with a savory soft spot and those last holdovers from the Atkins revolution will be only too happy to forego the buttercream frosting and rolled fondant.
where to find
Dean & DeLuca, a luzury grocer based in NYC, imports fine European cheese from The Fine Cheese Co. They will work closely with you to select and deliver the right contrast of suitable cheese for a cheese wedding cake. Visit finecheese.co.uk for inspiration, then call Dean & DeLuca, 800-999-0306 for a price quote.
link | More: Buzzworthy Ideas | Nosh and Nog
The Right Direction
On a fun scale of one to ten, wedding dress shopping easily gets a ten. Creating directions for out-of-town guests: most definitely a one. That is, until Weddingmapper.com recently launched its interactive site where you can create an online wedding map for your guests and personalize it with photos, web links, and descriptions. You plot your points using the easy-to-follow instructions, and your finished map is saved as a secure web page to share with guests.
The fun part comes in getting a little creative. Add the full map into a personal wedding website, design and print a customized version, or upload descriptive photos. Or play the part of resident tour guide by filling your map with interesting facts about your wedding locales. Just don’t blame us when you miss your final dress fitting while perfecting your map.
where to find
Supported by third party ads, Wedding Mapper is free to use; $9.95 removes ads, gets you a customized url, and lets you add additional links and upload files.
link | More: Planning Made Simple
Blinged Out Baked Goods
When it comes to wedding day bling, bejeweled brides have some competition. Now your cake can don jewelry too! That’s right, the latest adornments to hit wedding cakes are hand-made Swarovski Crystal Cake Jewelry. Design a sparkilicious cake bedecked with crystal monograms, hearts, flowers or butterflies.
How it Works: Order a cake from your local bakery, then use the customizing tools available at VeryDifferentCakes.com to design dazzling cake jewelry for it. Choose from a variety of sizes, jewel colors and styles. All pieces come with a stem that is easy to stick into any cake. Orders take three weeks to design and ship, so give yourself enough lead-time. Your bakery (or a bridesmaid) can apply the cake jewelry for you.
where to find
Crystal Monogram Cake Toppers (starting at $148), Crystal Heart Toppers (starting at $95), Crystal Flowers (starting at $9), Butterflies, Dragonflies and Lady Bugs (starting at $2) can be found at VeryDifferentCakes.com or call 323-466-1480.
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From Shoes to “Choos”
Give ordinary bridal kicks a shoe makeover even Jimmy would evny. Crystal shoe clips add a touch of edgy glamour to ordinary bridal shoes. Elegant and subtle, the clips come in a variety of designs featuring intricate beads, rhinestones, bows - you name it. Best of all, reuse them on other accessories after the big day.
where to find
Absolutely Audrey shoe clips (average about $30); find retailers near you or order online at absolutelyaudrey.com
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Let Them Eat Prada
Alas, the favor gods have smiled… Behold the long-awaited food and fashion fusion. Treat your guests to Stoli ganache-filled “Pravda” handbags. This twist on the traditional wedding favor is a tiny chocolate handbag in baby pink croc and adorned with an edible candy pearl clash. Who doesn’t love edible couture?
where to find
Visit chocochocohouse.com to order two-piece favor sets ($6.50/set; discounts on orders over 50)
Preferred vendor listed in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Wedding Event Planners section of Decidio.com
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Wedding Planning at : Honeymoon Travel Agents and Wedding Accessories
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Bloomcentral-Comprehensive florist web Directory.
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