Take a sneak peak at Jenna's wedding! Great ideas abound at this Texan celebration.
Draping the tent with flags was a smart way to add interest and beauty to the ceiling of the tent.
The soft blue light from the luminarias not only accentuated her color palette but also created a beautiful nighttime glow.
Jenna's hair looked perfect with a soft sweep off to the side and a small sprig of simple white blooms. She looked natural yet very elegant.
When planning a wedding, you spend so much time thinking about all the details that sometimes important things slip through the cracks. With Mother's Day coming up this weekend, it's a good time to think about innovative ways to thank your mother for all of her help.
Sending her something to use the day of your wedding is a great way to acknowledge her support while also giving her a special keepsake. An embroidered hankie is a lovely idea because it can incorporate your wedding date as well as the wedding date of your parents or a special monogram. An example of this is the hankie below from Celtic Linen. The beautiful embroidery is from World of Isabella.
When I got married, I gave my mother a handkerchief embroidered with the initials and wedding dates of my grandmother, my mother and myself.
If hankies aren't your style, another great thank you is to send two great bottles of champagne or wine with dates that are important to you. Maybe one bottle from the year your were born and one with your fiance's birth year. You could also get one from the year your parents were married along with a bottle from the year you are getting married.
Whatever you choose for your mother this Sunday or on your wedding day, make it special, inventive and an expression of your deepest gratitude.
I just finished seeing tons of dresses at bridal market (which are all being uploaded into our gown gallery). I always love finding out which dresses were the favorites of our fashion editor, Shana Faust.
Here is Shana's sneak peek from next season's dress collections.
"Bridal market was so exciting this season," Shana says. "The collections were varied and diverse, with something to satisfy every type of bride. Some of my favorites included Oscar de la Renta's outstanding collection of ladylike gowns. From understated and minimal to voluminous and embellished, this show had it all. I loved this dress with an exaggerated bow, and this very fluid, slender gown with a belt."
"As always, I loved the Amsale collection," she says. "She offered both delicate and pretty choices, which will be popular with brides everywhere, and also a handful of gowns that were more sculptural and fashion forward. My favorites were this very sleek, sophisticated one-shouldered dress, and this very glamorous bubble-hemmed number."
"I was also completely seduced by the entire collection from Jenny Lee," Shana says. "This mauve-y colored gown with a rolled fabric flower embodies everything that this designer is known for: top-quality fabrics, an elegant silhouette, and a great fit. I just love this dress, which is currently available at Bergdorf Goodman."
"I adored this Grecian-inspired gown with sleeves from Rivini. It’s a very elegant choice for a bride looking to stay warm or keep her shoulders and arms covered."
"Carolina Herrera and Vera Wang also showed very strong collections," Shana says. "Vera’s collection is mostly full of modern shapes and silhouettes with romantic flourishes, while Carolina’s is all about looking polished and refined."
Here I am with Carolina Herrera (center) and Shana (left).
Designer Vera Wang strikes a pose with me backstage.
In honor of Cinco De Mayo, I could not help but show you a few of my favorite Mexican-themed ideas that we have covered in the magazine. (Cinco De Mayo is primarily a regional and not an obligatory federal holiday in Mexico. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. ) The fifth of May is an especially great date for me, because it's also my wedding anniversary.
Above: Tequila-marinated gravlax on plantain chips, shredded chicken mole on cucumber rolls, and chili in mini corn cups from DM Cuisine Ltd., all presented on fabric mats in summery colors.
Below: Paper banners from Mexican Sugar Skull, tiny colorful fabric mats for hors d'oeuvres, and white wine sangria with fruit-filled skewers.
Below: Spicy popcorn served in corn husks from MexGrocer, red and yellow corn kernels from Detroit Popcorn Company, and raffia ribbon from Raffit Ribbon. On right: Coaster cut to size and stamped with favorite festive stamps from Stampworx2000.
It seems that most brides I know spend so much time early on thinking about the cake, flowers, dress, etc., and then a few weeks (or even days) before the big event, they start to scramble to find gifts for their bridal party, parents, or even for their groom! When I met Heather Moore at a recent jewelry show, I thought her pieces would be perfect for bridal party gifts. I've always liked anything personalized (I guess that's why I've worked for Martha Stewart for over 16 years), and also think jewelry is nice since it can be worn the day of the wedding or at the rehearsal dinner. Have you found the perfect gift for you bridal party yet? Below are some tips from Heather herself.
"You want to give them something to remember the special day, but you also want to make sure it's unique and personal. My personalized collection, Heather Moore Jewelry, brings all of these important points to the table. These hand-stamped items are timely accents for a wedding gown, bridesmaids' dresses, or tuxedos. You can have each piece made to your specifications. Give each bridesmaid a charm with her initials, or stamp the best man's monogrammed initials onto a pair of cuff links. Unlike that sea green bridesmaid's dress that she'll only wear once, these are timeless pieces that can be worn for any occasion, forever. And you can continue to add on to your piece as time passes and other milestones occur."
A charm necklace featuring all of the brides maids around the heart on the jumbo charm:
A necklace with the wedding date:
Cufflinks for the groomsmen:
By now I'm sure you've heard all about the President's daughter's impending May 10th nuptials at her family ranch in Crawford, Texas. But here's something you may not have known: Her bridal party—14 of Jenna's closest friends, plus her maid of honor, twin-sister Barbara—is being outfitted in the colors of her native Texas by Lela Rose, a real talent in the fashion community and one of my fave designers.
Lela (left) and Karen Scheck (right), President of Lela Rose, stopped by the Martha Stewart Weddings offices yesterday to give us a sneak peak of what's in store. That's our Deputy Style Director Shana Faust at center.
Lela's sketches for the "House Party," as Jenna is calling her bridesmaids. The youthful, ombre gowns feature 7 different colors and styles made of crinkle silk chiffon backed in cotton voile; the shades are inspired by the lush Texan bluebonnets and Indian paint brush that are in season now, and the result unites the bridal party while highlighting each girl's individuality. Barbara alone will stand at the altar with her sister; her shimmery moonstone dress (not pictured) will be long and flowing, with a deep, low back and a ruffle along the hem.
Each girl had a say in the gown she would wear, a gutsy move which made for lots of fun and a beautiful mix of styles. Letting the bridesmaids weigh in definitely works for this situation—after all, this is a wedding that commands more attention than most—but maybe not for all. And while Lela and I both think it's a thoughtful idea, it could backfire if your bridesmaids pick gowns that don't fit in with the tone or look you want your wedding to have, especially if you don't have a designer guiding them the way Lela did. What do you think—would you let your bridesmaids choose or design their own gowns?
A great bridal website to check out is BFF Bridal. They always have fabulous tips and ideas and next week they're hosting an event in NYC. Head over to the W Union Square Hotel on April 29th to check out the best in bridal beauty and style. If you can't make it, read some of their tips below and on their website.
BFF Bridal recommends a smart and simple approach to your big day:
"When it comes to wedding day beauty, the two most important things for a
bride to remember are:
1. Aim to look like your everyday self, only with a touch more glamour.
You'll want to minimize flaws and stand out from your guests, but
you'll cherish the photos more down the road if they look like YOU at your
best. Plus, your fiance wants to say, "I do" to the same girl he proposed
to, not an overly made-up beauty victim.
2. Remember, you're a bride, not a Christmas tree. Which simply put means:
don't overdo it. If your dress is blinged out with embellishments, skip the
diamond necklace. If you're wearing an extravagant headpiece, go easy on the
earrings. The focus should be on your face, not the accessories."
Last week I was honored at a lunch for the Jewish Women's Foundation at The Pierre Hotel. (This post is coming a little late because I have been running around at bridal market since the event, seeing the next collection of wedding dresses! Two more shows to go and then I will post some highlights.)
Here I am at the lunch with bridal designer Reem Acra (on my left), my daughter on my lap, and candy shop maven Dylan Lauren (on my right).
The weddings editor in me could not resist making favors, so I turned to some of my favorite sources to make a little something to put at all my friends' places to thank them for their support. I worked with stationer Cheree Berry, who took my artwork and came up with a special design for a cone and a tag that was then letterpressed by Pantry Press. I have always loved these "cones" that Pantry Press is known for, and we have featured them with a graphic pattern in our last special issue. I tied the tag on the double case satin ribbon (from Masterstroke, a great resource for beautiful ribbons that sells to retailers and consumers from their website). For the candy, I put together various pink candies (chocolate lentils from Crossings and chocolate milkies, mints and maltballs from Koppers), since the cone was letterpressed in grey and pink. The tag read "thanks for your support, xo, darcy" because I always think it's nice to personalize.
Here is the finished product!
Our tabletop editor, Kate Berry, just finished seeing all the new wares from tabletop market that will be available in fall 2008. I wanted you to see some of her favorites, and get excited about some of the trends she is seeing.
"I love Royal Copenhagen's new line with Louise Campbell, The Elements Collection. It comes in 15 colorways, it is super fresh and young, and can go in the dishwasher!"
"Pictured above is Barbara Barry for Wedgwood's Pearl Strand dinnerware. I love this pattern because it works with both platinum and gold, since it has both in it."
"Vera Wang Naturals Collection introduces its newest colorway, fig. It is great because you can mix and match it any way you like."
Today I was on The Martha Stewart Show and highlighted crafts from the ribbon story in our new spring issue. As promised, here are some of my favorite ribbon crafts that we've featured in the magazine, and some places where my editors and I love to buy ribbon.
Buttercream coated petits fours by Wendy Kromer have embossed fondant ribbons. A pair of ballet flats by Little Raggio are adorned with beautiful ribbon.
A tight dome of roses is made even more beautiful when finished with an opulent satin ribbon and bow.
A beribboned cornflower bag holds a favor.
We wrapped tiers of cake in flowering ribbon trim.
Where to buy ribbon:
Tinsel Trading
Hyman Hendler
Master Stroke
Mokuba
Raffit Ribbon
Name Maker
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