Sweeeeet!

It being Halloween and all, I thought it best to blog about some of my favorite treats. I had a dessert bar at my wedding because my husband LOVES candy! Here at Martha Stewart Weddings, we're always searching for the best source for candy and confections in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Recently Deputy Style Editor Randi Brookman-Harris turned me on to the Groovy Candies website.  They have tons of candy, but my favorite part is that you can search candies by color making it easy to match your sweet tooth to your wedding palette!

A Site I Like

If your husband-to-be has groomsmen scattered across the Northeast, here’s a great way to make sure they’re all wearing the same tux in the proper size on your wedding day: Visit a Sarno & Son store (there are four locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania) and choose everyone’s getups (the groom’s is free!). The groomsmen then visit one of the 150-plus Savvi Formalwear affiliate stores (in Connecticut, 
Delaware, the 
District of Columbia,
 Maryland, 
New Jersey, 
New York, 
Pennsylvania
, 
Virginia, 
Vermont
, or West Virginia
), and upload their measurements on the Sarno & Son site. You can log on to the site to keep tabs on who’s got his order in, and who needs a reminder. Two days before the big day, the guys can pick up their tuxes (and get any last-minute adjustments) from the affiliate store nearest to your wedding site. And you can hope the rest of your wedding is this hassle-free.

DIY Invites

You don’t have to be a graphic designer to create your own wedding invitations. Gryphon Stationers is based in San Francisco, but the company lets couples customize tasteful, pre-made designs to create a modern stationery suite online.  Click your way to deboss or letterpress printing and view several motifs and monogram fonts to find the style that’s right for you, all from the comfort of your home (or office).  If you’d prefer more guidance in the creative process, you can work with a Gryphon consultant to create a one-of-a-kind invite for your special day.

High-Fashion Head Gear

Jennifer Behr’s super-girly hair accessories (look how cute this clip is!) first caught my eye while I was shopping in Bergdorf Goodman more than a year ago. Each piece seemed to be a meticulously crafted, wearable work of art. I was so excited to hear that Jennifer recently launched a collection of bridal hair accessories, and was pleasantly surprised when I saw that she skipped traditional materials (rhinestones and white beads) in favor of feathers, lace, and hand-crafted faux flowers. Here are a few of my favorites:

Buttercream Dreams

If there is a name more synonymous with “dream wedding cake” than Sylvia Weinstock, I don’t know it. Her dazzling creations are as memorable as her signature huge-framed glasses!  And you all know about her role in pulling off the Today show wedding of Jessica and Cody.  I’ve been to her studio with many brides to taste and design their cakes, and the thing that always impresses me is how hands-on she is; she really takes you through the steps of choosing both the flavor (she serves dollops to sample on an artist’s palette) and the decoration. Weinstock is the undisputed master of sugar flowers—literally thousands of them blanketed Catherine Zeta Jones’s 4-foot wedding cake. CZJ is one of dozens of her celebrity clients, but if you don’t have a star’s budget, don’t despair. In the Fall issue of Martha Stewart Weddings (on newsstands now), Sylvia gives great insider tips on getting just the right wedding cake no matter who your baker is.

License to Chill

Calling all Connecticut brides.  The last thing you need is one more item on your to-do list, but I think even the most time-pressed brides-to-be should pencil in a weekend at 3 Liberty Bed and Breakfast. The historic B & B has arranged some great weekend packages for brides: The Bridal Getaway (for you and your future husband) is an especially sweet one. You’ll spend time at The White Dress by the Shore, which stocks gorgeous dresses and accessories for brides, ’maids, and moms, and enjoy a glass of Champagne while chatting with a bridal consultant. (Now is the perfect time to book an appointment: You'll receive an extra 5% off of any gown purchased at the sample sale being held through November 2nd!  Gowns are already priced at 50-70% off.)  Your next stop is Stonington Design + Paperie, where you’ll meet with the custom invitation atelier’s design experts. While you’re gone, your husband can play nine holes of golf, or arrange a fishing trip. The package price also includes two nights in a suite with a canopy bed and a hot tub, plus a half hour en suite massage for each of you. After a weekend of all-out pampering, I bet that to-do list will seem a little less daunting.

Sleep on This

Whenever I visit our sister office in downtown Manhattan, I'm always inspired by the great things the Merchandising Department is creating.  They're the people behind the new Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's, and they've spent a lot of time skillfully marrying form and function to develop the products for it.  In fact, all of the platters and cake stands we used at our Bridal Market party were from the line.  Why not add a few items to your bridal registry?  You can choose among cookware, linens, even holiday decorating items for your new home.  When I saw these bed linens, I was immediately struck by their simple beauty and also by how personal they are.  They remind me of all the luxurious yet unfussy bedding I've seen at Martha's home throughout the years.

From the Market

It's only been three days, but Bridal Market is already in full swing.  Bridal Market is the week when bridal fashion and accessories designers from across the country come to New York City to show their newest collections, and it wouldn't be complete without our annual party.  This year it was held at Tavern on the Green, a classic wedding venue and a New York City institution.  Last night, we not only toasted our peers in the wedding industry, but we also honored Marcia Egan Miller, our fabulous founding publisher, for helping to make Martha Stewart Weddings the amazing success it's been over the past 14 years.  Here are a few outtakes from our fun-filled night.

Our staff spent hours making Tavern on the Green look like it came straight from the pages of Martha Stewart Weddings.

We coaxed Matthew Robbins of Artfool, the genius behind the flowers for the Today show wedding,  to do the arrangements for this event, too!

Thankfully, Wendy Kromer was in town working on our next cake story.  She was gracious--and cool-headed--enough to whip up  one of the most beautiful cakes I've ever seen with just one night's notice!  I especially love that it's powder blue and white.

I always say music makes a party, and GDO Soul featuring Greg Denard kept the crowd on its feet all night.

I love a good dessert buffet; this one featured these cute mini cakes.

Monogrammed petit fours by Dragonfly Cakes served as delicious take-away favors for the event (the double "M" stands for Martha and Marcia).

Lots of designers and special friends came out to celebrate.  Here I am with Marcia (left) and designer Reem Acra (center).

Neil Brown (left), COO of Amsale, and designer Austin Scarlett (right), of Kenneth Poole, stopped by to say hello to Martha and me.

Mark Ingram of the Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier (left), Marcia, designer Monique Lhuillier (right) and I talked about the fashions we had seen earlier in the day.

Martha Stewart Weddings Publisher Amy Wilkins, designer Anne Barge and I caught Marcia mid-sentence!

Keep checking in throughout the coming weeks--I'll be posting more from behind the scenes at Bridal Market and give you a preview of the beautiful trends we're seeing on the runways.

Take Her Advice

Anyone who’s planned a wedding has stumbled through a few “delicate” situations: A friend who wants to bring her baby to an adults-only reception, or a mother-in-law who buys a chartreuse dress to wear on your big day. (“It’s seafoam!” she claims.) There are countless volumes to school brides in wedding etiquette, but no one wants to read a thousand pages of fussy rules when there are dresses to try on and cakes to sample. Brides who would like just a bit of guidance should pick up a copy of Karen Bussen’s Simple Stunning Wedding Etiquette, which answers brides’ most common questions in just 126 beautifully designed pages. With “DOs and DON’Ts” lists and “Sticky Situation” charts, Karen (a New York City wedding planner) gives the straightforward advice brides need without a lot of fluff.

Brides who live in Florida can meet Karen this Wednesday at her Café Boulud book signing in Palm Beach. Stop by from 5:30 to 6:30 for refreshments and a complimentary consultation, and you’ll be entered in a raffle to win a copy Simple Stunning Wedding Etiquette.

A Man, A Plan

When I had top event planner Colin Cowie on my radio show, we had a chance to sit down and have our first lengthy conversation. I was so impressed with his passion for entertaining. He makes sure that every guest attending his parties has a special experience. (Of course, the brides & grooms who hire him are always just as satisfied!) Even though he plans very sophisticated celebrity weddings, the ideas in his new book, "Extraordinary Weddings," can be inspirational to every bride. Each of his parties reflects the personality of the couple for whom he planned it. His book is a great place to start looking for ideas on making your wedding personal and beautiful.