We Love: Jennifer Behr

After writing a piece a few days ago about fascinators replacing the traditional tiara, I received a comment from Kilee of Happy Hour Bride who directed me to Jennifer Behr, and wow what a great place to be directed to. I am now officially a fan and will defiantly be considering her accessories when advising brides on putting together their final look.

Jennifer perfected her skills in a tiny custom millinery shop in the suburbs of Baltimore, spending hours meticulously stitching custom headpieces after completing a college degree in sculpture and art history. In due course, Frederic Fekkai, at the time in partnership with Chanel, found Jennifer and recruited her to design a hair accessory collection which would later be discontinued.

As luck would have it a buyer at Bergdorf Goodman gave her the boost she needed and told her to start her own line, buying her pieces sight unseen and starting the brilliance that today has become the Jennifer Behr line.

Jennifer is “inspired by the richness of silks, feathers, stones, pythons and leathers,” in her quest to create elegant and vibrant pieces, which are all produced by hand in her Brooklyn studio.

I have posted some pictures from both her seasonal and bridal collections, however for more information visit her website here.

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Temari: Maki’s Cakes

A few months ago we wrote a feature on Maki’s Cakes, an amazing bakery in Middlesex specialising in wedding cakes – both modern and traditional. A sneak back at their website this week and I see they have yet again succeeded in amazing us.

Maki’s now features a section for their signature cakes called ‘Temari’ – named after a thousand year old craft from Japan where coloured silk would be weaved onto a small toy ball for children. Maki has taken this idea and it has inspired her new range of individual cakes for weddings.

Small cakes are priced at £9 each, and large is £12.

For these and more designs see www.makiscakes.com

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So In Love With: Elie Saab

Elie Saab seems to be everywhere right now, whether his designs are hot on the catwalks of Rome and Milan, or making Angelina Jolie look even more amazing at the Oscars. I decided to check out what all the fuss was about, and boy should there be fuss.

Elie’s wedding gown designs are the epitome of elegance, fused with glamour and drama. The dresses are luxurious and modern – they exude Elie’s unique vision. They are so feminine, but so powerful and striking. I want it.

Check out some of the latest collection available at Pronovias (New Bond Street).

Race you there…

Norma

Orion

Pisces

Taurus

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DIY Wedding Books from Blurb

There were so many photographers at the National Wedding show on Sunday offering photographic services and books. Granted some of them are on padded paper and mounted, however you have to pay top dollar for it, and I don’t think some of the trimmings are even improvements.

If you want a good quality book of memories and are prepared to do a little work yourself then why not check out Blurb.

Blurb offers a piece of free software that allows you to create your own quality books, including novels, blog books, photographic collections and wedding books. I personally use the service for photographic portfolios and the quality is stunning. Click here to see some great examples of wedding books made by other users.

It’s a very simple service to use (even my Mum has made one and she’s not the greatest on the computer). All you need to do is download the software and you can use the program offline to personalise and create your perfect book, giving you ultimate control over the content. Once you’re done just re upload the book using the step by step instructions and order online. Simple.

Pricing starts at £7.95 for a 0-40 page 7 inch square softcover book, and go to £87.95 for a 401-440 page 13 x 11 inch hardback beast with image wrap, however if you prefer a dust cover instead this is slightly cheaper. Even at the top price you’re still saving a healthy sum.

You can have any number of pages in any size book, and all can have an image wrap or dust cover, changing the price accordingly. (Note: These prices take into consideration premium paper which is slightly more expensive however worth it for the quality)

The pages and layout are completely customisable and it’s worth a look  if  you want to put all those memories away in a professional book without paying the premium that a photographer may charge.

If anyone needs any help setting up stuff then let me know and i’ll be happy to help.

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Fascinators; The New Tiara?

Holly and myself attended the National Wedding show yesterday, getting lots of new ideas.

One of the main things I noticed on the runway was the number of fascinators replacing tiaras. I personally think they’re more original and creative than the traditional tiara and can bring colours and themes together. Whether you want to be brave and go for something dramatic, or just accepntuate your face with a bridcage veil or little hat, this is a lovely trend that I hope catches on.

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Barbie Wedding

This is amazing. From someone who played with Barbie’s even up until I was 12 (I’m going to get ripped about that…), I am very excited to share this with you. In keeping with ’50 Years of Barbie’ this year, Brides.com has published an article that chronicles all the designer Barbie wedding dresses every made since its first one in 1959, right up to Monique Lhullier and Reem Acra in 2008.

My favourite, however, has got to be the mini version of the ‘Audrey’ dress by Vera Wang…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Audrey’  is Vera’s second dress design for Barbie; with a modern mermaid silhouette gown of Chantilly lace and pleated organza. The neckline is embellished with flowers, while a beautiful ribbon wraps around the bodice.

Barbie always got the best dresses, but at least now they’re available life-size! See Vera Wang On Weddings for said life-size version. Or Barbie Collector for the mini-Audrey.

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Under the Trees

Trees and lights, to me, create such a beautiful sense of romance for a wedding – and for a reception, it can be easy to create such an outdoor effect, indoors. Plant and tree rental is easy, and there is a wide choice available to you. A small tree with branches could be turned into quite a feature, placed on a table with pens, card and string. Guests could write their own message to the couple and tie it onto the tree – making for great reading after the wedding and a unique keepsake.

Candles and bare branches can be striking as centrepieces. Don’t be afraid to expermiment with colours and spray paint before the wedding. Especially in winter, silver or white branches could be gorgeous – with accent bows or hanging decorations in the colour scheme of your wedding.

The last two plants are available to  buy from a website called Red Hot Plants for £70 and £95 respectively.

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Sugar Sweet

Today I had a random thought about the idea of personalised sugar cubes and cute little add-ons to a reception table, so I Googled it…and found none. I did find however, an adorable website called Truly Madly Deeply that claims itself to be ‘Shopping Heaven for Lovers Everywhere’. On it, I found lovely rose petal confettis, pomanders, decorated umbrellas and much more – including some very cute decorated sugar cubes!

All available to buy at a reasonable price – see website.

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The Healthy Glow Smoothie

Every bride wants to look healthy and glowing on their wedding day so a few weeks before why not start a routine of having a smoothie that’s designed to achieve just that. Here is one example that I have found below however there are plenty of different varieties to try!

The carrots in this one are packed with Vitamin A which are key to giving us healthy looking skin, healthy looking hair. The ingredients and instructions are as follows:

• Blender
• 2 Medium sized Carrots
• 1 Large Orange
• 1 Cup of Orange Juice (Preferably not from concentrate)
• 1 Cup of Ice

The amount listed should serve one person and allow a little extra for a quick fix later on or if you are just in thirsty for more!

Step 1
The First step is chop the Carrots into thin slices or, if you have more time, grate them. Secondly, peel the skin off the Orange and chop into smallish cubes.

Step 2
Add the Carrots and ice to the Blender with half of the cup of Orange Juice to provide some moisture to the mix. Blend on full power for 1 minute or until the carrot looks liquefied.

Step 3
Add the Orange cubes to the mix with the rest of the orange juice and blend on high power for up to 2 minutes, optionally stopping half way and giving it a shake around.

Step 4
Enjoy your smoothie. Have this smoothie twice a week to aid fat loss and drop a dress size, or just once a week if weight isn’t your key goal and you just want to see a glow on the surface! Combine this with 8 glasses of water a day and you will have an envious complexion in no time at all!

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Love Bites from Ritzy Bee

I’ve had this post from from Ritzy Bee saved for ages and I’ve finally managed to get round to blogging about it.

I adore this love bites post and I have added photos below. Like suggested they could be gorgeous little desserts or even little treats just scattered around the reception for those in need of a nibble.

Pictures credited to: 1+2+4+5+6 Martha Stewart 2+7 Country Living

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