Email vs. Personalized Notes

With all the convenient ways to communicate these days, it’s easy to forget the meaning and power of a personalized, handwritten note or card. With everyone juggling demanding schedules, we’ll often log onto our computers and just shoot a quick email or post a message via facebook or other social networks. Certainly when you’re pressed and you need to say thank you for a job well done, or you just want to say thank you for the nice gift, you can send a quick email but if you want to take it a step further just take a moment to write a simple note and I promise you when one receives a card in the mail with a hand written note from you, it makes one feel special. It makes one feel as though you thought of them and took a great deal of time out of your life to buy a card, a stamp and you actually sat down and wrote them a note. And that my friends is a feeling neither an email, facebook or any other social site can deliver!

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Tenderest of traditions: The Wedding Gown.

For most brides their wedding gown is more than a dress. It’s more than what they’ll wear on what they consider to be one of the most important day of their lives. The wedding gown is the embodiment of a dream realized, a dream they’ve dreamed since a little girl while playing dress up with a close friend. A dream realized from the first time they saw that “special” little boy whom made them giggle and of she went, dreaming of what their wedding day would be like. The wedding gown celebrates the tenderest of traditions, yet it reflects greatly the personality of the bride, her sense of style, her sense passion and certainly her sense of self! Within the next few weeks, I’ll be featuring some of my favorite bridal designers and the gowns that I think are simply stunning. My personal taste in gowns varies from designers and the current mood. I love bold, and I do mean bold. I love to see a designer step out of the box to present a gown that is sexy, classic, modern and yes, bold. After all, this is the only time in your life when you will be able to make such a statement in a gown of this magnitude and I say, have at it.
Bridal Gown Series One begins with designer Romona Keveza. I love this designer for taking a few risks with the gowns, for choosing such plush fabrics and tender colors. In this collection, style number RK130 (the very first gown) is my favorite gown of all. Look at the details in the gown, allow your eyes to focus on the ruffles which will adore your body. Allow yourself to be drawn to the several bows that makes the gown what it is. Pay attention to the way the gown fits her body and hugs her curves. I'm sure the gown was tailored to her body and certainly you'll afford yourself the same. I personally would wear this gown without a neck piece due to the oversized bow but would have a stunning cuff to compliment the drama the dress invites. I also love the veil which compliments the dress very well, and as I'm certain you can see, I can go on forever about how sexy and stunning this dress is but certainly you can appreciate the finest details of the dress. For more information on Romona Keveza, visit them online RomonaKeveza.com

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The Little White Dress?

For as long as I’ve been a girl (and it’s been a long time) I’ve always heard of the “little black dress,” and how every woman should and must own such piece of fashion gold. Just as I’ve mastered the “little black dress,” collection, one of my favorite designers Amsale decided that it was time to give the “little black dress” a run for its money by pioneering the “little white dress.” Yes, you read correctly, the “little white dress.” Who should wear this little white dress you ask? Well, anyone off course. Well if you’re attending a wedding certainly you’re not going to wear the little white dress (you know because of the silent rule no one other then the bride wears white) but these little numbers can certainly be worn to any other occasions. Brides can wear these little white dresses as their wedding dress, or they can change into this dress before they arrive at the wedding reception or before they depart for the evening. Personally I think a bride should change during her reception, but that’s another blog. The little white dress is most definitely best worn to weddings that are less formal and not recommended for the grand cathedral wedding with full mass. Expecting nothing less from Amsale, this splendid designer mastered the little white dress concept, or at the very least managed to have taken the idea to the next level by creating an entire collection. I must tell you most of the little white dresses are very similar to the other wedding dresses. What do I mean by that? Well, in the collection, the dresses are sleeveless, strapless, and will not fit most girls unless they’re on the slim side. Despite those minor strikes in that collection, I must confess to you that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE these little white dresses! They’re quite fresh, timeless, fun, modern and if you can pull of this look, you’re certainly guaranteed to be a breath of fresh air in any event.

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It's All About The Shoes

For the longest time, shoes have been a close and dear friend of mine. The love for shoes goes back to perhaps my prom where I wore high heels for the very first time. Yes, I was a senior in high school before I put on a pair of heels and I remember not being happy that I needed to dress up for the prom either. You see, I was such a tom-boy in high school and my love affair with was with the football team, my sweatpants and t-shirts and occasionally my jeans. But the prom changed all of that when I had to attend and when I put on that pair of Steve Madden dark champagne laced up 3 inch heels, I thought to myself “these aren’t to bad” and it was over for me. You’ll soon notice as we get to know each other, how much passion I have for a great pair of shoes.
To me, whether you’re a guest attending a wedding, a mitzvah, a corporate event or in my case, the school open house you have given some thought to what fabulous shoe you will wear that day.
For brides, choosing a stunning pair of shoes can easily be as important as choosing the wedding gown! Why? One reason is because photographers are so creative in how they are capturing shoe images and those photos are at times works of art and I couldn’t love it any more! Off course if you’re a bride you will want to look your best in your stellar pair; whether you’re choosing a pair of Christian Louboutin, Steve Madden, Badgley Mischka, Mui Mui or Valentino, wear your shoes before the big “introduction to the world” which will allow your feet to adjust to the shoes. At times, depending on how high my shoes are and I promise you when brought my first pair of Christian Louboutin (5inch) I walked around the house with them for an entire evening and I slept in them to ensure I would be able to wear them at a big Gala I was attending. Regardless of your style whether you’re a classic yet modern, tres chic yet timeless or even vintage with an edge, your shoes can make an impression and ad sass to your whole look. Below are some of my favorite shoes which will compliment any dress or any occasion. Some are more daring than others but I love anything bold while paired with something classic. Enjoy!

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The Art of Photography

Photography is perhaps the greatest invention on this earth (besides you know light, cars and others, you know what I mean) as far as I’m concerned. I always tell my brides “skim on anything but don’t skim on the photography.” After all is said and done, that’s what you left to remind you of your special day. I came across this wonderful photographer’s site and just fell in love with these pictures. Tinywaterphoto photographed the actual wedding ceremony and reception but the next day continued to photographed the couple in a playful, honeymoon style. I love the provocative nature of the pictures, I love the sexiness of the photos and the romance between the two newly weds. I was thinking how fun must it have been to be playing with your man like that and know that it’s being captured on film for your pleasure for years to come. To view more, visit http://www.tinywaterphoto.com/

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The New Mr. & Mrs. Teffero Jefferies

This past weekend, (September 5th) I had the outmost honor of planning the very first wedding at the magnificcant Hotel Palomar for Teferro and Renita Jefferies. With over 13 years of experience in planning weddings in all kinds of hotels from Sheraton Hotels, Ritz Carlton, and St. Regis, to very distinctive brands, I must confess no service received has compared to the services received this past weekend from the staff of the Palomar. Teferro looked so incredibly handsome in this tux and Renita was radiant in her gown. Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Teferro Jefferies.

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Technology

For the past 10+ years that I've been planning weddings, the world of technology has changed dramatically. We are so fortunate to be able to communicate with each other with just a click of a computer mouse or a push of a button from our cell phones. Not to long ago, I had an hour long conversation on via Facebook IM with a very close friend whom resides in Venezuela out of all places. I was thrilled when I realized that hour long conversation didn’t cause me a penny or a minute from my carefully monitored cell phone plan.
Brides and grooms have a way to reach out to other brides and grooms from all parts of the planet. Whether you have questions about an old African American tradition that you’d like clarification on or want ideas of how to incorporate an Irish dish into your menu planning, the resource is at your fingertips.

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