Off the Cuff

Tuxedos have always been the standard for men's formal wear but for our seaside soiree, we wanted something a little less formal but still refined and sharp. So the gents will arrive in stylish suits by Alfani Red in solid navy. The slim fit is not only flattering but modern too. They will also don fitted white Kenneth Cole Reaction dress shirts. I am particularly fond of the mercer tonal stripe detail. The tailored look will be completed with a custom designed microfiber tie in white with gold for the groom and fuchsia with gold for the groomsmen. Phalaenopsis orchids with bear grass for the groom to compliment my bouquet and lush fuchsia roses with bear grass for the groomsmen.

While the suit purchases was a bit of a splurge, we felt it was still a great investment in the long run because the guys will definitely put some mileage on them. Macy's had some special sales that saved us some moolah so the total cost was $442 (not including the shirts & custom ties). We did put it on plastic but it saved us an additional 15% so it was worth it.

The Hardware pt.3

Yesterday, Pepe picked out his titanium wedding band at Ross-Simons. He decided not to get a precious metal wedding band. Like most men, he doesn't wear jewelry so wearing something as heavy or solid as platinum or palladium was out of the question. He liked a style in the white gold but selected the titanium band for the durability and light weight factor. Most men will lose their wedding band if they are not used to wearing jewelry. It is definitely important for the ring to feel snug. This ring will be a test for the new hubby. As for me, the hunt for the wedding band continues. The selection out there is just really limited. I am going to MRT Jewelers today in hopes of finding a band as they carry a large selection of estate jewelry.

Modern Meets Vintage Love

When we first started planning our wedding, Pepe and I didn't exactly decide on a particular theme or color scheme but we knew we wanted something Asian, chic, modern and colorful. Our venue, the Rotunda ballroom is a blank slate. It has lovely hard wood floors, sweeping ocean views, and a charming carousel that adds a vintage element to compliment the otherwise modern layout of the reception ballroom. Most of the wedding porn inspiration I found on the web had a vintage or rustic feel to it. The colors were usually saturated or soft playful pastels and grey tones. There was always a hodge podge of nifty cute stuff. Something I love because that is exactly me. Modern Meets Vintage. But I wonder if there can be a happy marriage of both in our wedding? My idea is to add a few pieces of vintage love to our wedding, things that can work harmoniously well with the contemporary look. Like the delicate pearl and swarovski crystal hair comb below (one of my favorites!). I think it will compliment my soft flowy romantic wedding dress.



via Etsy

The Hardware pt.2

Sunday, we go shopping for wedding bands. My sparkler has a unique design that may need to be custom made. Pepe wants something simple and durable so we are looking at other options other then gold like platinum, titanium, or tungsten. Design wise, simplicity is the ultimate in sophistication.

The setting is a split micropave halo ring with diamond accents on the side and a round brilliant "centerpiece" a little over 2 carats total. I think a nice compliment is a band of micro pave diamonds.

Frugal Find: The Flower Girl dresses

Another fancy find for the frugalista bride! Ebay seller 87sweetgirl has a fabulous selection of flower girl dresses starting at $8.95. You can also find floral hair bands, flower sashes, and other special occasion outfits listed on her ebay site. Pepe and I fell in love with the particular style pictured above. The ivory satin bodice and tulle overlay rose petal dress in fuchsia features a removable flower sash that is purrfect for a spring/summer look. I found a similar style on PinkMarie.com for $42.95 but the one on ebay is $14.99 for a starting bid and $19.99 for Buy It Now. I am going to bid for one dress to test the quality of the dress as I want my little lovelies in nice garments. The reviews for the seller have been mostly positive too.

Low and Behold! Bridal Flats!

Meet Mes Souliers! Coloriffics Carmen, retails $66. These enchanted flats went over my budget a bit but with such stylish charms and comfortable sensibility, I think they are going to be worth it! I just wish they were available on Zappos as I would have no qualms about purchasing them online. I did find a few local bridal shops in the area that sell the brand so I'll make some phone calls tomorrow to see if the shoes are available in a size 7 and Ivory color. After my fabulous fitting with Rose today, I am super excited to see how the shoes will look at the second fitting when the dress gets hemmed. I am glad I continued to shop around as the selection of flats are limited. Coloriffics Carmen heel height is under the 2 inch mark. The stylish straps and feminine peep toes were made to show off a pedicure. Other contenders included the Annie Aliza and RSVP Sadie (but not available in my size).

Tie the Knot

Step in style with ties that don't suck. The guys at Cyberoptix Tie Lab create simply just that! They have stylish screen printed silk or microfiber ties as well as bow ties too. Pepe and the guys will definitely be sporting one the design prints featured on their Etsy store. The great part is the ties come in an array of colors and the prices are reasonable too. Check out their store for more ties!

Little White Dress pt. II

Gallery of short and sassy reception style dresses to delight the eyes!

Little White Dress

My beautiful Pronovias Romina dress made an appearance on last night's episode of Say Yes to the Dress: The Group Calls It. The bride who wore it looked absolutely stunning! However, I will have to change into a second dress as it is customary in Cambodian culture for the bride to wear a traditional outfit when greeting guests at their table. I'm still on the fence on whether I want to go this route or if I should change into a reception dress as my Romina is so lacey-long and delicate. I've seen a rise in this popular trend where more brides are opting for a wardrobe change into something more fun and flirty and short. Some brides still opt for a full length gown but modern and stylish. I've fallen in love with a few short styles including the soft and romantic Oscar de la Renta dress, Jasmine Couture chic dress and the ultra sophisticated Romona Keveza number

22E53

F417

RK91

Frugal Find: Veils

Veil. In botany - a part of some fungi. In bridal - a part of the 40 billion dollar empire. This means that a relatively cheap fabric like tulle or some other sheer material gets upgraded with a hefty price tag. I got sticker shock after my first wedding dress experience. The thousand dollar dresses did not make me bat an eyelash but the $450 veil (I wanted to accessorize with my lace Pronovias gown) made me cry poor. Finding the purrrfect veil can be a little complicated too. There are just so many options! Wedding veils come in different colors, cuts/styles/embellishments, lengths, fullness and finished edges. So where does a bride begin? Well I recommend this site, Occansey designs to get a better understanding of what your options are when it comes to the types of wedding veils available. They offer custom design quality veils for a reasonable price but it was still too much for this budget bride. I can't justify spending no more than $50 for a veil for 30 minutes (for ceremony and photo ops). A good quality mantilla (type of lace veil) with a scalloped edge will cost you well over $200 and that's just for a fingertip length. So I thought for sure my dream of having a beautiful cathedral (floor length) mantilla veil would be out of my reach. But I was wrong. I will be able to have the "wind swept beach effect" with a long soft flowy veil (thanks to countless of beach wedding inspiration pictures). You just got to know where to look and the first place I looked was Ebay. I actually found a preowned veil in excellent condition for a fraction of what the new one would cost! While it may not have been the exact length I wanted, I realize I could still purchase a second longer veil from the original designer. After all my veil was only $15 (retails for $65 on the designer's site). I also have room in my budget for a beautiful hair piece. Of course I recommend Etsy.com to find the perfect accessory.

As for my veil, my only concern is that the lace is not nearly identical to the lace on my dress but I know it doesn't have to be matchy matchy but we will see if it compliments the dress. It will be the $15 gamble.

Meet Dayton

The bridal shop gave me a call today to tell me Dayton has arrived! The sample dress is on loan as part of the lending program by Blue by Enzoani. I missed the trunk show at another bridal shop so I tried to locate the nearest dress shop that carried the line. Unfortunately, the 2011 dresses won't be available until after January so I asked if they could send me a sample. I will get to meet her tomorrow. So excited!

The dress has a unique feature - a sweet heart neckline with a detachable Swarovski crystal halter strap and razor back. The modified mermaid is a light weight tulle and lace dress with a ethereal train. Puuurrfect for an elegant beach wedding!

Visit Blue by Enzoani, click on the 2011 line for Dayton

Frugal Find: Bridesmaid Dress

Thanks to Budget Savvy Bride's post! Otherwise I would have never stumbled upon these uber cute, super sweet stylish dresses. The best part is the dress prices range from $45-$60. They are purrrfect for a seaside soiree. The only downside is that they don't seem to come in my wedding colors but I am willing to pay more for just the right colors. Hope my girls like the design because I totally fancy em! Ananya on etsy.

Dress Dilemma

Yesterday, I attended Filene's Basement ROTB with my entourage. We had little success in the beginning as most of the nicer dresses were in piles on the floor or being hogged by brides who made the early bird arrival at 8 am. Well after 3 hours of trying on so-so gowns, I was able to accumulate a good number of really nice dresses through trades and the sharp eye of my girls. I fell in love with two particular dresses, both traditional styles and not at all what I thought I wanted since I was looking for something more modern yet still romantic. My final pick was a gorgeous all lace off white gown by Pronovias. Her name is Romina and she is two sizes too big for me and way too long but her soft delicate fabrics and sweeping train had me wrapped in rapture. I am not sure Romina is really for me but I am going to take her to the seamstress to see if she can be resized for petite-me. I am afraid to lose the beautiful lace details at the bottom of the dress if it needs to be hemmed. If not, my inexpensive purchase of a designer gown was still worth the experience of going to ROTB. I will probably sell the dress if alterations don't work out and have a dress custom made instead. Now this brings me to another dilemma. The dress I initially fell in love with was a Tara Keely gown which was not available at the bridal shop I visited (that carries the designer line). I tried on a very similar dress but can I really have this gown made without actually trying on the dress? I am not sure. I never thought finding a dress would be this challenging. I watch, Say Yes to the Dress and think about how silly those girls are because they are so indecisive and I am really not like that at all. Well I learned that choosing a dress is really an emotional decision because the wedding dress is a reflection of the bride's style and personality. It is really what defines her on that day.

Romina

Happy Feet: Kelsi Dagger Sandals

Beach brides rejoice! This is a sandal with a fancy flair! Purrrfect for sun and wear!

These enchanted flats also come in Black, Raspberry pink, yellow, light blue and light grey

Meet Monaco

The details:

T-Strap

Buckle enclosure

Ribbon Ruffle Accent

1/2 Heel

Leather outsole

Upper: 100% snake-embossed leather

Price Range: $50-$80

Traditional Simplicity

Just a Reminder!

Rhode Island and Southern Mass have quite a few bridal boutiques but I narrowed it down to my fave three places. If I don't find a dress at ROTB than I know for sure one of these bridal shops will carry the gown of my dreams. I might also consider taking a visit to Vows in Newton, MA to see if the price is better there.

1. Helene's Bridal Shop, East Providence R.I
- I want to try on Tara Keeley dresses

2. Ana's Bridal Shop, East Providence R.I
- Carries most of my fave brands like Enzoani blue, Pronovias, Paloma Blanca

3. Alexandra's Bridal Boutique, Fall River R.I
- I bought my prom dress and other special occasion dresses here with great success. They also have a wide selection of designer gowns too.

NWR: Modern Cambodian Home Fashion & Decor

I recently discovered Tendance-Khmere, a Paris based home decor boutique that carries everything from accent pillows in bold geometric patterns to hand-woven Cambodian silk quilts. Anyone looking to infuse color and culture into their living space will love that Tendance Khmere offers modern designs with a French-Cambodian sensibility. Look for their website launch in the near future and for more Cambodian fashion and furnishings, check out my links under Cambodian Resources.

Dream Dress: Tara Keely

Dream Dress: Rivini Balia

Style Me Pretty: Bridal Hair Accessories

For the budget savvy bride sometimes finding a similar alternative is a cost effective way of saving money. I found all of these bridal hair accessories on Etsy, some are splurges and others are steals! Below are a few of my favorite pieces. Click on the shop to see more pictures and info.


SPLURGE: Petite Magnolia Pins (Set of 3) - bridal head piece, bridal silk flower $27 at Heknowsmyname

SAVE: White Orchid Bridal Hair bobby Pin with White Swarovski Pearls $12 at Olini Floral


SPLURGE: Bridal Floral hair piece - white/ivory feathers and pearls $59 at MishandMash

SAVE: Garden Rose Hair Piece - silk flower with crystal pearls $39 at Heknowsmyname


SAVE: Ivory Bridal Silk Flower Hair pins with Russian veil,Tull and Swarovski pearl $12.95 at Svitlana