Fashion: Seersucker from Billy Reid

Posted by Sherri Caudell Brennan, Shopping and Fashion Expert

I know we're just heading into Winter, but if you're always planning ahead like me, then I think you'll love the idea of a seersucker suit for a Spring or Summer groom! I'm loving this one from Billy Reid. It's preppy as ever, but it still allows a guy's inner quirk to shine through.

The Billy Reid headquarters is actually a turn of the century bookstore in historic downtown Florence, Alabama, and his Southern Gentleman aesthetic greets you at every turn: His shops abound with antiques, heirlooms, and personal touches. If you're not fortunate enough to find yourself near one of the shops, you can point your groom to be in the right direction by saving the website to his favorites for him.

 

Photos courtesy of Billy Reid

Etiquette: Should You Use Address Labels?

Posted by Talley Sue Hohlfeld, Etiquette Expert

Even though I'm the magazine's etiquette junkie, I'm not actually easily offended. So I was surprised at my reaction a couple of months ago when I received a shower invitation with a stick-on address label . (And my name misspelled.)  

My first thought was, "They only invited me for the gift." I *never* think like that! So why did I mind it this time? (I even resented the misspelling of my name--which I normally don't even notice.)

It was that label. Oh, it was clear instead of white, and it used a pretty font. But it looked like they had invited SO many people that it would be a tremendous hardship to actually address the invitation. 

Then last week I got a large creamy envelope in the mail with a cursive font, in blue like a pen might be, printed straight onto the envelope. "Junk mail," I thought. I was halfway across the room before it occurred to me to dig it out of the trash to check: It was a Thanksgiving card from my insurance agent.

Is that the vibe you want on your wedding invitation? I sure hope not! Especially because both those events are considered to be a "trigger" for gift giving, you want to make them as personal as possible. (Calligraphy may not be *your* personal touch, but it is *A* personal touch; that's what sets it apart from any sort of mechanized printing.)

Save labels or computer printing for the return address or the reply-card envelope.

I would suggest avoiding them even on the save-the-date, to keep it from getting tossed.

Watch your mail for the next 2 weeks--how much mail do you get that has a handwritten address, and how does *it* make you feel? Isn't that the feeling you want your wedding mailings to be linked to?

You don't need to pay for calligraphy, and you can absolutely recruit help with the handwriting, but I urge you NOT to use labels, or to print directly on the envelope.

How will you address your envelopes?

Real Wedding Follow-Up: Caroline & Keat, Part 6

Posted by Caroline Crown, whose wedding is featured in our Fall issue

I have been friends with many of my bridesmaids since high school, so our mothers are friends as well. It’s become a tradition amongst my friends that a group of the mothers and daughters will host a shower together. Luckily everyone who planned this shower knew me well, and agreed that there would be no games, no theme, and that everyone would open a gift. Each person at the shower picked a gift that was not their own, opened it, then showed it to the group and said who it was from. It’s a very fun thing to do and helped to move things along!

Another shower was in New York City, at one of my bridesmaid's apartments, just before I moved. Two of my bridesmaids planned a fun evening shower where we enjoyed margaritas and Mexican food--my favorite!

And my final shower (a Southern-themed one) was hosted by my mother-in-law’s friends at Table 52, a very chic Chicago restaurant (Michelle and President Obama went there for Valentine's Day). We all feasted on southern comfort food, which was perfectly inline with our Southern wedding!

How many showers are you having?

Expert Advice: Talking hair with Sally Hershberger

Posted by Darcy Miller, Editorial Director

Sally Hershberger

Like you, I'm sure, I've already heard all about stylist-to-the-stars Sally Hershberger, but last week I finally got the chance to meet her when we taped the MARTHA destination weddings special. She was sweet enough to offer you guys even more of her inside tips for your wedding day hair here on the Brides Guide, and we'll also have her back on the show to get tips on shorter hair wedding hair (although while on set with Martha and Sally advised me to grow my hair out!).

Now I know not everyone can afford to have her cut their hair, but her luxe product line is available practically everywhere and is the solution for everything from dealing with humidity to battling wayward winds. Here's a link to the segment on the show. And, of course, find more tips for fabulous hair online.

 

Sally with all of her gorgeous models. Tune in tonight on The Fine Living Network to watch this episode!

Darcy: Besides growing it out, what are some chic options for brides with super short hair?

Sally: I recommend slicking short hair back with a styling gel to give a wet look similar to Twiggy. It's a really chic way to think outside of the bridal hair box.

D: Updos are huge right now! What are your tips for modernizing the classics: chignons, buns, and French twists.

S: I love classic up-dos with a twist. Last season on the runway, I noticed that several designers incorporated fabrics twisted into the up-dos, which added great texture to the style and created a modernized look.

D: Our brides are really loving the birdcage veil. What¹s the best way to wear them?

S: When wearing a statement piece like a birdcage veil, you've got to pull the hair off the face with a sleek up-do. A classic chignon is elegant and will let the veil do all the talking.

D: Mother-of-the-bride hair often looks so...mother-of-the-bride. Any styling tips for fashionista MOB¹s?

S: The mother-of-the-bride’s style should not compete with the bride’s look. I think age-appropriateness is key. Stick to a simple blow-out for the most flattering look.

D: Hair+Destination Wedding+Tropical Weather=Sweaty Nightmare. Help!

S: I'm constantly on location for photo shoots and am often faced with difficult climate situations. Aside from praying for good weather, all you can do is fall back on products. Moisturizing products work well in harsh weather, so opt for those, as well as a good finishing cream.

Real Wedding Follow-Up: Caroline & Keat, Part 5

Posted by Caroline Crown, whose wedding is featured in our Fall issue

I told you about the gifts I gave my bridal party in yesterday's post, but today I wanted to go back to my bridesmaids. Who I asked to wear white. In November.

I’ve always known that my bridesmaids would be standing beside me in white. It was never a question, even when I realized the wedding was going to be in November. Originally I told all the girls to pick their own white dresses--any length, material, whatever they wanted as long as they felt good in it. I thought I was being nice, but I soon came to realize that it was stressing everyone out. The bridesmaids were worried they would have the wrong shade of white and that they would be “the one” who ruined the overall look.

Photography by Bryan Johnson and Caleb Chancey

Needless to say, I was overruled and the bridesmaids decided to have me choose one designer, then they would choose their own dresses. At the time, I was lucky enough to work within spitting distance of two of my bridesmaids. So we scoured the Internet for cool white dresses that were available in many different styles. It wasn’t long until we came to Thread’s website. They have an amazing dress selection, and after speaking with Diane, who works at Thread, all 13 of us agreed this company was the way to go. Diane made a process that can be quite difficult amazingly easy. She worked with each of the 12 bridesmaids to help them find their perfect fit, style, and size.

Once the girls had their dresses, I told them to accessorize as they like--whatever jewelry, makeup, and nail color they wanted. I wanted everyone to feel beautiful and look like herself, not a bridesmaid.

What are you thinking for your bridal party's attire?

Real Wedding Follow-Up: Caroline & Keat, Part 4

Posted by Caroline Crown, whose wedding is featured in our Fall issue

Yesterday, I mentioned the Palmetto tree and crescent moon as recurring icons throughout our weekend-long destination wedding.

In addition to appearing on our guest bags, the logos also showed up on our groomsmen as cufflinks. The gift itself was somewhat of a no-brainer, but they’re kind of the perfect gift for guys. We had the jeweler who made our wedding rings customize a pair of cufflinks for us: one cufflink was the palmetto and the other was a crescent moon.

Photography by Bryan Johnson and Caleb Chancey

I have to say that thinking up the perfect bridesmaid and groomsmen gift was difficult for Keat and I. Our wedding party of 24 was a mix of brothers and sisters, childhood, high school, college, and work friends! We wanted to thank each person with a creative and thoughtful gift that showed how much we appreciated them standing beside us on our big day. And the bridesmaids’ gifts were a bit trickier. After all, I was already forcing my 12 friends to wear white in November (tomorrow’s post!), which is not exactly ideal. Finding a creative and thoughtful gift for 12 very different personalities was a bit of a challenge.

Since I knew it was going to be chilly on the day of the wedding, I got each bridesmaid a navy pashmina. Not exactly mind-blowing, I know, but I didn’t want them to be cold! My next gift was a product that was introduced to me by one of the fabulous celebrity makeup artists I worked with while at Chanel. By Terry Lip Balm is the most luxurious and perfect lip balm. It looks great on everyone, but with a price tag of $65, it’s not something you would necessarily buy for yourself. By gifting the By Terry Lip Balm, I was able to share something I loved with the girls I loved! The final part of the bridesmaid gift was treating them to blowouts the day of the wedding. Again, the least I could do for making them wear white with me!

What are you doing for bridal party gifts?

Fashion: Miguel Ases on Sale at Fragments

Posted by Sherri Caudell Brennan, Shopping and Fashion Market Editor

Fragments always has great jewelry sales online. Right now they have a showstopper necklace by Miguel Ases for less than half its usual price. From those by Vera Wang to Reem Acra, statement necklaces have been all over the bridal runways. Why not make your bridal look au currant with a sterling silver choker embellished with Swarovski crystals? It started out at $690, and Fragments has it marked down to $275.

Will you go bold or dainty for your wedding jewelry?

Image courtesy of Fragments and Miguel Ases

Honeymoons: Travel Guide

Posted by Jennifer Miranda, Associate Editor

How are you choosing where to go on your honeymoon? I'm guessing no one is picking a spot on a globe, spinning that globe, and committing to going wherever your finger lands.

If you're having trouble deciding on a destination, look no further than our Destination Weddings and Dream Honeymoons issue, on newsstands now. In it, you'll find our Destination Decoder that tells you where to go when. Looking for fun in the sun on a Caribbean vacation? December to February is the time to go. Cosmopolitan, conversion-friendly shopping? Pack your bags for Buenos Aires in June.

We also tell you where to avoid, so pick up a copy today!

Photo shot by Johnny Miller.

Real Wedding Follow-Up: Caroline & Keat, Part 3

Posted by Caroline Crown, whose wedding is featured in our Fall issue

Today I'm back and following up on Calder's post yesterday, and I wanted to share a bit about our welcome bags.

The navy and ivory canvas totes boasted the state's signature Palmetto tree and crescent moon with our family names and wedding weekend date embroidered into it. In fact, the icons of the tree and moon appeared in a few places (tomorrow I'll share one more). Inside, we stuffed a bevy of little goodies, including:

• Custom labeled bottled waters
• Mini candle
• For Your Party barrel-style matches (navy with white C)
• Taste of Charleston spiral-bound 3"x 5" cookbook
• Benne Wafers (local sweet/salty bite)
• Cheese Zingers (a Southern favorite)
• Lord Ashley Cooper's Dictionary of Charlestonese (a quirky little booklet on how to pronounce all things Charleston)
• Charleston Tea Plantation loose tea
• Custom pens and Palmetto notepads
• Charleston Magazine
• Charleston Visitor Center Booklet with maps
• Wedding Weekend info printed in tri-fold fashion

What are you doing for your welcome bag?

Party Lines: PartyParty

Posted by Britni Wood, Style Expert

There are few things that say party like sparkly garlands and candy-colored pinatas. And there are few people that make sparkly garlands and candy colored pinatas quite like CONFETTISYSTEM. How fun to throw a bachelorette party and decorate with all of their amazing creations!

Our Style Director, Katie Hatch, blogged about the amazing pinatas from CONFETTISYSTEM in February, and the design duo have had quite a year. From being featured in music videos, fashion shows, and window installations for some of the coolest stores around, they've found a happy home this holiday season at Urban Outfitters with a collaboration called PartyParty. The items should be hitting stores soon, so eat, drink, be married, and for goodness sake, be sparkly!

photos by estelle hanania