Rachel Riley Sale

Posted by Sherri Caudell Brennan, Shopping and Fashion Market Expert

You can always count on Rachel Riley to deliver charming outfits for little girls making their first appearance down the aisle. Now the company is holding a 50%-off sale online, and sizes are going fast!  You'll find dresses in pretty prints and plenty of color options—perfect for making your special flower girl feel like a princess.

All photos courtesy of Rachel Riley

Cold Comfort

Posted by Jennifer Miranda, Associate Editor

Summer has finally arrived in New York City, and, frankly, maybe we were better off without it! It's humid and muggy and damp, which makes for a less than fresh ride on a cramped subway car—not to mention the pile of frizz on top of my head (think Monica in that episode of Friends).

Do you hate the humidity as much as I do? If so, maybe a cold-weather honeymoon is in order. Everyone always talks about hitting the beach in Hawaii or Mexico with their new hubbies—and don't get me wrong, I love all those places, too, so long as I'm equipped with a killer ponytail—but I'm wondering if anyone is trekking out to, say, Nepal. Or skiing the French Alps this winter. Or cruising through Antarctica. Now, I know marshmallowy puffy coats don't scream sexy the way a slinky slip dress does, but there's got to be someone out there who finds snuggling by the fireplace just as romantic as watching the waves crash at sunset.

Any takers?

Acne Schmackney

Posted by Cara Sullivan, Beauty Expert

Acne is pretty much The. Worst. Thing. Ever. If you suffer from it, you know what I'm talking about. I was lucky enough to have beat it by the time my wedding day rolled around, but I can only imagine how much stress it would have added.

Back in high school, my face was a mess. I was good at pretending it didn't bother me, but I was secretly miserable and self-conscious, and I wore way too much makeup to try to cover it up. Eventually, my mom brought me to the dermatologist, where I tried pretty much every prescription drug under the sun, including Accutane. Twice. It worked well enough, but it wasn't life-changing in the way Panoxyl was.

That's right—after trying Retin A, Accutane, and a zillion other things, it was a bar of benzoyl peroxide soap from the drugstore that completely transformed my complexion. (When I say completely, I really mean it. People don't believe me now when I tell them I once had terrible skin.) If you're a bride-to-be and you're stressing about your acne, I really urge you to try it. Talk to your derm before you start using it, not because it's anything scary, but because it's always a good idea to talk to your doctor when you switch up your acne regimen.

Ring Sample Sale

Posted by Darcy Miller, Editorial Director

When it comes to budgets, rings often figure heavily into the wedding budget. How fortunate for you NYC brides, then, that I just heard about this great sample sale from Michael C. Fina. Visit the store to see rings and a selection of center diamonds in nearly every cut offered at below wholesale prices. Happy Friday!

Object(s) of Inspiration

Posted by Matthew Robbins, Contributor

Last week, I told you all about my (slight) obsession with silver vases and decorative objects. This week, it's pattern. All of these wonderful vases, pitchers, and bowls feature retro floral motifs, and I always find they provide amazing color palette inspiration. I also love to drop a random patterned piece in a group of three silver or solid pieces for a centerpiece—too much pattern can be overwhelming, but just a touch is a perfect surprise. 

A pitcher with a subtle blue floral pattern highlights the blue tones in the flowers and the table linen.

 

A Very Fond Farewell

Posted by Marisa Sellitti, Stationery Expert

Over the past few years at Martha Stewart Weddings, I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with such amazing talent: my colleagues and friends, photographers, contributors, and stationers just to name a few. It has been a truly rewarding experience,one that I will always cherish. Thank you all again and again, and thank you, readers, for being as loyal as you are!

During the past five months, I have been thrilled to share with you all the things and places I love and am inspired by when it comes to paper and such. On that note, I am sad to say this will be my final blog post on the Bride's Guide. As I bid you a final farewell, I will leave you with this. Calligraphy and Cakes, one of my all time favorite and most memorable stories I worked on here at Weddings. It was one of those amazing stories that combined all my loves: the classic art of calligraphy, confections, and paper. What could be sweeter that this. I feel so lucky to have worked with such a talented group on this story: Wendy Kromer, John DeCollibus, Michael Sull, Denise Sharp, Gail Brill, Anita Calero, and of course my former colleagues.

 

And what lies ahead? I am going to venture out into the freelance world which will afford more time with my son, who is such an amazing little person and who inspires me every day!

What inspires you every day? And how are you translating that to your wedding?

Missing and Late RSVPs

Posted by Talley Sue Hohlfeld, Etiquette Expert

Brides who mail out invitations to their weddings have gone to great lengths over the years to try to coax an answer out of their guests. First, they added the letters "RSVP" to the lower left of their engraved invitations. Then they added an address there. Next, they purchased stationery (reply card and envelope), addressed the envelope, added a stamp, and created a form for people to simply fill in and check off. And yet still there are people who respond late or don't respond at all. What's a hostess to do?

She picks up the phone, that's what. E-mail is fine, too (and has the advantage that you can do a single bcc: to a large group, and send the e-mail to everyone at once). And she says, "We haven't heard from you; are you coming? We need to know so that we can be sure to be prepared for you."

It's also acceptable to ask each "sub hostess" (your mom, his mom, etc.) to make phone calls to the folks whose names are from her section of the list. (Guys can do this, too, and in fact, it might be better, because it's going to sound a teensy bit scolding, and it's easier to scold your own side of the family.)

Still don't have an answer? Make one last phone call; if you get their voice mail, say: "We haven't heard from you, so we're marking you down as 'not attending.'"

How's your RSVP rate? Have you had to start making phone calls, or are you worried that you'll have to?

Floral Hair Accessories

Posted by Katie Hatch, Style Director

It's hot outside, so I'm wearing my hair up all of the time these days. Some of you are getting married, despite the weather—after all, what choice do you have? If you're planning on up-dos for your bridal party, you may want to consider giving your attendants or your flower girl a little hair accessory as a gift that will also help them beat the heat on your wedding day. Here are some suggestions:

These are simple crepe paper flowers attached to bobby pins (the instructions are here.) B if you just want to start with beautiful waxed flowers, try looking at the D. Blumchen website, a favorite around here. 
Or for especially steamy climates, you could do this:

They may be even more helpful than the crepe paper bobby pins. Instructions are here. It's really just about stitching on an existing silk flower to a hair elastic. And you can find great silk millinery flowers at Nicholas Kniel's website.

Or, even better, check out the story in our latest issue about how to make these amazing flowers, which you can also buy directly from the craft editors who developed them (they started this as a side project before we asked them to share their skills with the Weddings readers!) at their website, www.handlespout.com

I love this one the most.

Will you be making any of these yourself or are you going straight to the source?

Say Yes to the Dress, Featuring One of Our Own

Posted by Shira Savada, Real Weddings Editor

Has anyone else noticed how many wedding-based TV shows there are these days? It seems like every time I turn on the TV a new one’s popping up on the screen. But my favorite is still TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress”—perfect for Friday night couch potato sessions if you ask me.

So far this season I’ve already seen two friends of mine on the show (one a bride-to-be, and one a sister of a bride). I thought that was weird enough. I mean what are the odds of me seeing two people I know on TV, much less on the same show? But then when I was tuning in a few weeks ago I was surprised to see a fellow Martha Stewart staffer.

Lee in the winning dress.

Lee and her friends have some fun accessorizing at Kleinfeld.

The peanut gallery.

Lee was actually married back in April of 2006, when she went on the show. Her hubby, Stuart, is from Whales, and they had a ceremony up in Rhinebeck, NY, at the Beekman Arms Inn with just seven guests. They never had a big reception, and Lee never got to wear a big white dress. So she secretly applied to be on the show. When she was accepted, she brought three of her girlfriends, her mom, and her man to Kleinfeld and soon fell in love with a Lazaro dress.

In true Martha fashion, Lee and Stuart hosted a viewing party in their apartment. A bunch of friends came over for a dessert-themed evening, complete with confections straight out of Martha’s cupcake and cookie books.

So, have any of you been on a bridal show? Maybe I’ve seen you…

Personalize It!

Posted by Darcy Miller, Editorial Director

I assume many of you have seen the crazy You Tube video (yes, we scooped the Today show!) with the bridal party dancing down the aisle. I guess it just goes to show that there’s no end to personalizing your wedding, even without spending a lot of money! But let's face it—most of you are probably not having your friends dance down the aisle. The good news? There are many other ways to personalize your ceremony without breaking into song or dance: Write your own vows, create personalized programs, include special readings, or have a friend officiate the ceremony.

Cheree Berry made giant signs that spelled out LOVE. When they kissed, the signs were turned over and read XOXO...now that’s personal.

Would you ever dance down the aisle? Or, more importantly, ask your friends to? If not, how are you planning on personalizing your wedding? P.S. Read this article for more ideas on this trend.