Will Recession Spoil the Cinderella Wedding

The New York Times reports that the downturn in spending is causing Cinderella brides to downsize their dream wedding.

Recession? Time to Slash the Flower Budget
By NINA REYES
Published: December 21, 2008

As the financial condition of the country worsens, the wedding industry, so long considered recession-proof, is seeing fairy-tale weddings stripped of their sprites, their sparkle.

Read it

Has fear of the economic downturn caused you to rethink your wedding budget? Do tell.

News Flash! Carolina Herrera Sample Sale

Carolina Herrera Private Sale

Friday, December 19 through Monday, December 22

9:00 am to 6:30 daily

317 W. 33rd Street

(Just off of 8th Avenue)

More Carolina Herrera in Wedding Style or the runway show of the Caroline Herrera Spring 2008 Collection in New York Mag.

ooo la la.

h/t: The Bride's Guide: Ideas from Martha Stewart Weddings

Blue Christmas: The Sapphire Engagement Ring

"Will you marry me?"

According to TheKnot.com, 40 percent of all brides hear this question between November and February.

This makes the diamond engagement ring a popular gift at Christmas; however the trend nowadays is toward the non-diamond bling including the sapphire engagement ring.

None other than Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer may have set this trend in motion in 1981.

Given a selection of opulent rings from which to choose, Lady Diana picked an oval sapphire engagement ring that weighed 18 carats and was surrounded by 14 small diamonds in an elegant cluster setting.

It could be purchased from an upscale jeweler for a mere 28,000 British pounds, or the equivalent of $65,000 (at 1981 exchange rates).

Despite how this turned out, the sapphire engagement ring has continued to gain popularity.

“People want to buy rarity and value. They want diamonds and color gemstones that are not easy to replace,” said Rahul Kadakia, head of Christie’s North America jewelry department. He remarked about a recent sale of a cushion-shaped “blue velvet” sapphire. The 42.28 carat, rare color ring sold at nearly $3.5 million.

The sapphire comes from the Corundum family which includes the ruby. It is considered second in hardness to diamonds. The sapphire is symbolic of faithfulness.


Will this year be a blue Christmas for you?

Winter Weddings: Think Outside the Black

Jingle bells usher in winter weddings, holiday parties and the perennial question, what to wear. Think outside the little black dress this year.


Sparkle

Snowflakes. Diamonds. Crystals. Nothing says winter like sparkle on your ears, in your hair, around your waist.

Christos Bridal Dress ~Style Sienna.

Take me there





Color

Red. Green. Coral? Why not? Who's going to look at those little black crows when you show up in a color that sizzles.




After Six 6196 Red Strapless Party Dress with Pencil Skirt

Take me there










Alvina Valenta 9680 Green Chiffon Halter Evening Dress

Take me there

Bari Jay 247 Coral Charmeuse Halter Evening Dress with Bandeau Top


Take me there







Winter White

All heads turn toward sophisticated winter white.

Montage 16940 Winter White Evening Dress with Lace Topper

Take me there







Berry

Cranberry. Wineberry. Holly. Deep rich tones make dramatic entrances at any elegant affair.

Watters & Watters 2612 Wineberry Silk Halter Tea Length Party Dress


Take me there



Whatever you wear, make merry!

Oscar de la Renta: Here Comes the Bride 2009

The fabulosa Oscar takes the couture bride on a fantastic voyage of new glam and old tricks.

Contrast the avante garde silhouette of white duchess satin one shoulder cascading ribbon bridal gown above with the retro waltz down memory lane of this silk shantung pantsuit below.

Chacun a son gout.

More from Oscar de la Renta here.

Meet Maggie Sottero

While famous bridal designers such as Amsale Anberra, Christos and Vera Wang make headlines in the world of high fashion, other couture designers make bargain savvy brides very happy.

Maggie Sottero Bridal is one of these designers.

Maggie Sottero is among the most recognized bridal gown designers in the world. The company has been a recipient of a number of bridal industry awards, including six DEBI Awards, nine Desert Rose Awards, two DIVA Awards, and three Dallas Rose Awards, as well as numerous additional nominations.

Media hype aside, we note that three themes consistently distinguish Maggie Sottero bridal dresses from other designs: bold color, frank sex appeal and utter femininity.

Here are three dresses that recently caught our eye.



Maggie Sottero Ivana

Nobody dares to dream a bridal dress in color like Maggie Sottero.

From sultry "Ivana" ripe with burgundy touches to stunning "Aurora" rich in frosted brown, Maggie Sottero consistently extends the couture palette for brides to be.

Take me there

Maggie Sottero Suzanne

Maggie Sottero bridal dresses stretch the limits of sex appeal from the faintly sensuous to the boldly provocative.

The strapless bustier bodice of "Suzanne" is a gorgeous example.

(This regular feature of Maggie Sottero bridal dresses also helps ensure a wonderful fit through the bust and waist with the need for less tailoring.)

Take me there





Maggie Sottero Tuscana Vidal


Even when pushing the limits of just how much skin a bride should reveal, Maggie Sottero styles remain utterly feminine.

Like Tuscana Vidal, they are graceful not gauche.


Take me there







Best of all, Maggie Sottero offers the utmost in affordability without sacrificing an inch of couture style. Retail prices on Maggie Sottero wedding dresses range from $600 to $1600.

Visit the Maggie Sottero website here to find a Maggie salon in your area.

To snag a sample on sale, have a look at our Maggie Sottero collection.

Project Runway: Here Comes the Bride

In the next to last installment of Project Runway, the final four contestants squared off in a competition to design a wedding gown and bridesmaid dress. Which look could you wear?


Jerrell goes over the top in a dark ivory strapless princess a-line wedding dress with richly jeweled bust.


Kenley takes you on a flight of fantasy in a strapless tea length wedding dress embellished in feathers and anchored by sneakers.


Leann demonstrates a delicate touch with an ivory strapless bridal dress with cuffed neckline and daring silhouette.

Korto works magic into a sleeveless mermaid bridal dress with both fit and flare.

Wedded Bits: Passport 101

Destination wedding? Find out all you need to know about getting a passport well in advance of your departure.

Passport 101

Wedded Bits: Barbie Still Has It

From left: Dan Lecca, Courtesy of Mattel

Barbie always had everything—the coolest car, the hottest guy, the most beautiful house, and of course, the best clothes. While you might be a little past playing with dolls, it seems like Barbie has grown up right along with you, and again, has it all. The Romanticist, the new Barbie doll from Mattel's Vera Wang Bride collection is dressed in a strapless, mermaid style gown with lace-like accents giving it a chic, Mexican fiesta vibe. And where did Ms. Wang get her inspiration for the gown? Her own bridal collection we assume. If you want to dress just like Barbie, try Vera Wang's Audrey dress. The strapless mermaid gown is fused with Chantilly lace appliques and a pleated organza fan-tiered skirt. Prices range from $10,000-$13,000, but for around $150 you buy own your own miniature version at barbiecollector.com. —Cari Wolfert

Wedding Wisdom: When purchasing collectibles, make sure to keep everything in the original packaging. Removing it will lessen the value.

http://www.brides.com/blog/weddedbits/102/2008/09/2628/barbie_still_has_it.html

Vera Wang Dresses for Maids & Moms

Just off the runway - evening gowns and party dresses
by Vera Wang, the Queen of all things chic.

Vera Wang Dresses for Maids, Moms & Best Dressed Guests

Is Purple the New "Black?"

Jamie Lynn Sigler of Soprano's fame predicts a lot of purple for fall.

It's rich. It's regal. It's dark without being dreary. And it's perfect for fall and winter weddings.

Purple Facts

Since the days when only the rich could afford it and only the Roman upper echelon were permitted to wear it, the color purple has been associated with affluence, supremacy, dominance and magnificent opulence.

Amethyst, the purple gemstone, is associated with spirituality, mystery and pacification. It protects its wearers from getting too intoxicated with alcohol.

Also worn to make the wearer gentle and amiable, amethyst powers include: dreams, healing, peace, love, spiritual upliftment, courage, happiness and protection against thieves.

And unlike black, the many shades of purple offer the bridesmaid and best dressed guests a vibrant palette - from inky deep Parma violet, warmer purples through mauve to tonally related puce and magenta (Tyrian purple.)

Happily, both silver and gold look good against purple and it seems to suit blonds, redheads and raven tressed women alike.

So before you snag that "little black dress" this fall, have a look at the color purple.

Designer Bridal Dresses: The Second Time Around

"Love is lovelier... the second time around," goes the song that has been covered by everybody from Frank Sinatra to the Goo Goo Dolls.

Given that almost half of all weddings are second marriages for either bride or groom, this old standard is a oft heard refrain. Listen here.

Is the bride's dress lovelier as well?

The beauty of the second wedding is a woman's freedom from convention.

"Been there, done that, doing this my way" is the guiding principal for everything from the wedding march to her dress. Still pastel and ivory are top choices for color and simple, elegant styles reign supreme the second time around.

Here are a few ideas in Scarlett's Closet that make our cut.




Cameron Blake Style 13660 champagne silky crepe and silk chiffon two piece sheath and matching jacket offers an elegant and graceful silhouette to the not so blushing encore bride.

Take me there










Full length palazzo pants with a beaded side split sex up a dressy pantsuit in lavender silk chiffon by Cameron Blake.


Take me there.







A smart tailored silk shantung jacket and gown trimmed in pearls and lace by Alyce JDL Boutique suits the sophisticated Cinderella.


Take me there








Slimming styles such as Maggie Sottero "Chicago" gold stretch satin bridal dress - cut on the bias - are also favored.


Take me there




By contrast, many encore brides are happily wedded ladies who are renewing vows.

These fortunate women may indulge their Cinderella fantasy by wearing the ball gown they could not afford the first time they waltzed up the aisle.


Sposa St. Pucchi Z230 in ivory silk organza wedding gown fulfills any woman's Cinderella fantasy with magical style and yards and yards and yards of skirt.

Take me there




Dressing to be married - again - is simple, really.

Select a wedding dress that both reflects your personal style and matches the tone of your wedding ceremony.

And while you're shopping, hum along: "I feel pretty... oh so pretty..." which has been covered by everyone from Marnie Nixon to Sarah Brightman.

Watch

Skin Deep - It's Botox for Bridesmaids

According to the following article in the New York Times, brides are gifting attendants with Botox treatments and spray tans. In some cases, they are demanding that their attendants go for (and pay for) tooth whitening procedures and cosmetic surgery. Is the quest for wedding day bliss going too far?

It’s Botox for You, Dear Bridesmaids

By ABBY ELLIN
Published: July 24, 2008

AFTER the band was chosen and the napkins color-coordinated to match her shoes, Kacey Knauer, a bride-to-be, had another critical matter to address: her skin, and the skin of the nine women in her bridal party.

Read it

Bridesmaid Video: A Brief Guide About Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids have been essential to the wedding for centuries. They share this exhilarating and rewarding experience with the bride from the courtship to the reception. The maids are the ones she can count on to perform timeless duties - from warding off evil spirits to keeping the groom on his toes!

The Dessy Group keeps you up to date on modern bridesmaid trends. As your celebration approaches, they are your source for great bridesmaid dresses, destination wedding gowns and flower girl dresses.

Have a look at the Dessy Bridesmaid Video: A Brief Guide About Bridesmaids, then shop for one of a kind maids dresses by Dessy and After Six in Scarlett's Closet.

Connecticut Sample Sale: The Plumed Serpent

Brides to be in or near Westport, Connecticut can save $$$ on high end couture bridal gowns on July 18 and 19 at The Plumed Serpent.

Sample wedding dresses include styles by Anne Barge, Carolina Herrera, Monique Lhuillier, Romona Keveza, Vera Wang and many other world famous bridal designers.

It's a once a year event for a once in a lifetime occasion at an oh so chic salon. (Well, okay maybe twice in a lifetime, but who's counting?)

The Plumed Serpent
295 Post Road East
Westport, CT 06880

Designer Wedding Dresses: The Cinderella List

If two old farts can traipse around the world to fulfill their "bucket list," the Cinderella list is every little girl's fantasy wedding ensemble fulfilled.




1. A Picked Up Ball Gown

Richard Glasgow Style 1509 white silk satin strapless bridal dress with a romantic ball gown skirt. Pearl and crystal rhinestone embroidered medallions pick up the skirt.

Take me there





2. Sensual Silk


Christos Bridal Sienna white silk faille designer wedding dress features a ballerina scoop neckline, dropped waist, chapel train. Pearl and crystal rhinestone metallic embroidery embellishes the waist.


Take me there






3. Yards and yards of skirt


Casablanca 1690 white beaded lace and organza strapless a-line wedding dress, dropped waist, floor length skirt, semi cathedral train. White and silver embroidered detail.


Take me there





4. Barely there wedding slippers


Grace Footwear "Micaela" Silk Satin Ankle Strap Sandals with a very high 3.5 inch heel and just the hint of a platform.


Take me there








5. A sparkling tiara


Infused with playful whimsy, mirrored crystals surround pearls, silver beads and Swarovski crystals on a sparkling tiara to rival even diamonds.


Take me there




6. A charming prince

And lest we forget, no Cinderella list is complete without a handsome Prince Charming to wed, bed and live happily ever after.

(A girl can dream, can't she?)






What's on your Cinderella Wish List? Post a comment!

Fashion Rescue: Passing the Oops Test

I won't offer products that I have not used and approved. So our stock room (and home) has become a bit of a test laboratory for a new category of products I call "Fashion Rescue."

Miss Oops Mishap Tape is simply great.

You get 36 transparent double sided tape strips. These work amazingly well in ways the manufacturer planned and could not foresee.

-Fix the dropped stitches at the waist of a Vera Wang party dress in a snap.

-Repair the torn spine of a book with ease.

-Secure upholstery trim that came loose after the glue dried out.

I've become a mishap tape fool, spying all manner of rips, tears and simple mending projects that have gone undone because I a) lacked the skill; b) lacked the materials; c) lacked the time to tackle the project.

Frankly, testing Miss Oops Mishap tape is better and way more fun than mending. And let's face it, shoring up a falling hem or upholstery trim with a stapler is so 20th century.

You'll also appreciate the Miss Oops Mini Lint Roller.

Tote size and refills make this dandy lint remover a handy pick for your purse, glove box or desk drawer.

It's especially useful for women who wear lots of navy blue and black and also own pets.

Really.

When did you ever leave the house totally free of cat or dog hair? Somehow, no matter how careful (or clean) you are, a few stray hairs inevitably show up when you get into your car.

Yes, there are other, cheaper mini lint rollers out there. The packaging is not nearly as cute. (This is fashion, after all.)

We have more Fashion Rescue products on the way from Hollywood Fashion Tape. If they work half as well as Miss Oops, you'll see them soon in Scarlett's Closet.

Next on our test lab agenda: stain removal.

It Happens: Prepare, Recover, Repair on the Spot

Drinks spill. Lipstick smudges. Bra straps peek. Lint finds tuxedos. Sweat stains show. Shoes rub blisters on dressed up feet. No matter what the occasion- hot date or cool wedding - it happens.

Everyone knows the value of double sided apparel tape when a spaghetti strap breaks, your blouse gaps or you step into the hem of a long gown with a high heel. I would not have thought to use a household sponge to remove deodorant streaks from a little black dress, but it works. And mini lint rollers are as common as the day is long.

The problem is - aside from celebrity stylists and experienced wedding planners - no one has these items handy when you need them most - when "it" happens to you at work, school, senior prom, country club dance, cathedral wedding.

Now you can. So have a look at our new line of Fashion Rescue products from Miss Oops. And stand by for more helpful, tote-sized products from Hollywood Fashion Tape for starters.

Once they've passed our "oops test," Scarlett's Closet will offer many more ways to prevent, prepare, repair and recover gracefully - on the spot- from life's little emergencies with smart, handy products from today's hottest fashion rescue companies.

Want to try them out for yourself? Three ship for the same price as one!

Eco-Friendly: How Green Is Your Wedding?

When a woman envisions her ideal wedding, green is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, more and more couples are inspired by a growing concern for the environment to plan a wedding that is less wasteful and polluting. Moreover, going green gets easier all the time.

According to the Organic Trade Association, the number of earth-friendly products and services is growing offering everything from recycled paper invitations to "green" honeymoon hotels.

So whether you want a completely green wedding or just lean a little "green-ish" in the details, here are some eco-friendly ways to leave a smaller footprint on the earth on the most memorable day of your life.

1. Consider eco-friendly wedding invitations printed on recycled paper, non chlorine dye and vegetable based inks produced in a unionized print shop

2. Register locally for eco-friendly wedding gifts - hemp or cotton bedding, bamboo dishware, a fair trade teapot or cutting board made of recycled wood.

3. Eco-friendly wedding dresses made of natural fibers - cotton, hemp, silk or raw silk wedding dresses - consume less carbon than bridal dresses made of synthetic fiber. Eco-chic? Indeed. It's available if you look for it - Christos 823 White Silk Organza Bridal Dress with Cotton Embroidery.

4. Ask the caterer to prepare food with organic or locally grown produce for your reception.

5. Use soy wedding candles which burn longer, slower and with less soot than paraffin. They are also biodegradable.

6. Use locally grown wildflowers or purchase organic wedding flowers from a florist who specializes in arrangements made with organically grown blossoms.

7. Keep locations closet to home to reduce the distance guests must drive.

8. Consider small potted plants, wildflower seeds or chocolate from companies that donate part of their profits to environmental causes for wedding favors.

9. Donate leftover food to a local homeless shelter.

10. Ask friends and family to donate to a worthy environmental cause rather than give gifts.

... and these are just thought starters.

A green wedding offers the modern, socially awake couple a fun, practical and environmentally friendly way to personalize your wedding day and do some good along the way.

Trends: Wear Again Bridesmaid Dresses

At last! Bridal and formal designers are moving in the right direction with bridesmaid dresses that look great at any elegant affair. It's the bridesmaid dress you will want to wear again and again.

Jim Hjelm Occasions leads our list of favorite bridal and formal designers in the wear again category.

Have a look at a few styles on our website. Proof positive that Jim Hjelm offers smart, sophisticated full length evening dresses that boogie at a dinner dance as well as they waltz up the aisle.

The couture bridesmaid, mother of the bride or best dressed guest who wears Jim Hjelm dresses epitomizes fashionable elegance and has a definite sense of personal style.

Siri San Francisco is our top pick for wear again bridesmaid dresses.

Flattering lines, adorable styles in yummy silk fabrics, Siri tea length bridesmaid dresses can easily sashay past the doorman at a swank hotel for cocktails or a wedding reception with equal flair.

Fashion aside, all Siri dresses are silk - silk chiffon, silk organza, silk shantung, silk, silk, silk. Nothing reeks of class like silk, yet Siri dresses are very affordable.

My last word on Siri bridesmaid dresses: cute, cute, cute!

Who's your favorite designer of wear again bridesmaid dresses? We welcome your comments!

The Princess Bride Tradition

In today's liberal, anything goes, culture, the bride to be may bypass the "old fashioned" modest wedding gown in favor of something trendy and frankly sexy. Consider the origins of the traditional wedding gown in regal pageantry and social distinction, "old fashioned" may never look quite the same.

Along with baptism and burial, marriage is one of the three great public occasions in a woman's life. It is the only one at which she gets to revel unabashedly in the glory of her central role.

For the bride, more than the groom, it is her Big Day, her day in the sun. By extension, the wedding gown has held a unique place in the marriage ceremony.

Throughout history, women have tried to make their bridal dresses special in order to celebrate the importance of the occasion, to make the beautiful bride more beautiful and the not so beautiful at least splendid to look at.

The Princess Bride

In medieval times, when royal marriages were of political importance and used to seal alliances between countries, the royal bride's regalia was designed to signify the prestige of her country, to impress the bridegroom's country with her own nation's apparent wealth and, if possible, outdo anything they could have afforded.

The royal wealth was also displayed in the choice of fabric, its color and style, using as much as possible of the costliest fabrics, spun, woven and dyed especially for this dress.

Wedding gowns of velvet, damask silk, satin or fur woven with gold and silver thread ensured that the princess was at her most majestic.

Colorful fabrics also signified status; dyes for red, blue and pure black were especially precious.

Precious gems - diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and pearls - were woven into the fabric so the bride would glitter and flash in the sunlight. In some cases, the gown would be so thickly encrusted with jewels, that the fabric beneath was hidden.

The Princess Bride wore yards and yards of a gathered and full skirt. Long sleeves swept the floor. Trains extended behind the gown so far, every step the bride took was an effort to drag it along. Thus began the measured cadence of the wedding march.

In its extreme, as far back as the 15th century, this material spectacle resulted in a wedding ensemble so heavy that Princess Margaret of Flanders could not move in her robes and had to be carried into the church by two gentlemen attendants!

Today's princess bride is still resplendent in wedding dresses rich with French lace, alight with seed pearls and crystal sequins or elegant with sheer flowing fingertip sleeves.

The "Celebrity" Knock-Off

Then as now, not many brides were princesses and most women could not afford such expense. But every bride did her best, regardless of social stature, to copy the fashion set by their beloved royals.

A noblewoman would impress her friends and her bridegroom's family with gems and fur, wearing velvet or silk fabrics trimmed in fox or rabbit because she could not usually afford mink or sable.

Even the most common of scullery maids did her best to shine on the day of her wedding.

Rather than the usual coarse homespun she wore every day, the common girl's wedding dress would be of linen, or fine wool, using as much fabric possible.

For her, every day clothes were sparingly cut due to the cost of fabric, so a gown with fingertip sleeves or a flowing train was a big step up in status.

The White Wedding Dress

The "traditional" white wedding gown as we know it today first appeared in the late eighteenth century ushered in by the regal Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria chose to marry Prince Albert in white silk and Honiton lace instead of silver which was the traditional color of Royal brides. Her example then made white the virtual rule for Victorian brides.

We still see her influence on modern brides in white or ivory wedding gowns ornamented with pearls and lace.

Subsequently, the introduction of machine made fabric and inexpensive muslins imported from India, in styles inspired by the classical world, put the traditional white wedding dress and veil within the reach of every woman.

The Traditional Bridal Dress in Modern Times

While styles have changed through the years, and our beloved royals now marry presidents and rock stars, the essentials of this wedding dress remain the same.

It was, and is a full length gown in white or an ivory shade of white, often boasting precious French lace with yards and yards of skirt and a flowing train.

The traditional wedding gown is richly beaded and embroidered to reflect both sunlight and candlelight, yet is styled more modestly than the most daring fashions of the day.

Whether it has short cap sleeves or long fingertip illusion sleeves, it most certainly has a train.

With the traditional wedding gown, we hear the echo of centuries gone by when a royal princess was her most princess-like on her wedding day and every commoner did her uncommon best to shine most brightly as a princess bride on her day in the sun.