No 500: Real Wedding: Louise and Charles

With the Kentucky Derby this weekend and in celebration of 500 posts, I set out in search of a Southern wedding filled with family, friends and traditions. I found just that in Louise and Charles' lovely wedding, photographed by husband and wife team, Brent and Amanda of Millie Holloman Photography. They were married on Figure Eight Island, NC, near Wilmington, in a tent (I must confess, I'm a sucker for a tented wedding. It must be my eternal crush on Gatsby). The tent was a lucky choice, because this wedding not only featured miles of style but plenty of rain. Frankly, I think the rain is one of the loveliest elements!

The bride's Monique Lhuillier gown, the Scarlet, is a perennial wedding classic, but this glowing bride made the dress look fresh. I particularly adore her ivory-outfitted bridesmaids, sporting J.Crew dresses and shoes. The men were dressed for Southern living: blue blazers and khakis, with pastel blue ties. Other Southern touches? The lush peonies and hydrangeas in both bouquets and centerpieces, designed by Salt Harbor. The hanging floral arrangements were a fresh approach to reception decor, and added a whimsical quality; the sparkler exit was another fabulous touch of fantasy. I simply adored Louise's get-away dress-I think it's time for brides to bring back the time-honored tradition of such an outfit. Besides, who can resist a second dress?

No 499: the Red Dress

With post No. 500 just around the corner (look forward to a big, fabulous featured wedding tomorrow) and my recital on Saturday, I thought I'd share a little preview of what my gown will look like. Mr Wonderful loves me in red and I couldn't disappoint him, so voila!

Image c/o David Downton via Ruby Press.

No 498: the Beau-Tie

With my recital days away (three, but who's counting?), I've been putting the finishing touches on the music, the collaboration and the clothes. When I first tried to explain to my parents how important the recital was, I told them it was my wedding to music. You spend so much time preparing for this hour of your life, and it is a public forum in which you devote yourself to music, so "marriage" was the best analogy I could come up with.

And at our wedding, I've always imagined Mr Wonderful in a beautifully tailored tuxedo, sporting a crisp bow tie, so naturally, I wanted the same for our big musical day. I ordered several "self-tie" bow ties (one in black silk, one in white, and another, just for fun) and was delighted when they arrived. I pulled Mr Wonderful over to the computer to watch a slew of YouTube videos professing "Simple Steps to Tying a Bow Tie".

They lied. Before I knew it, the kitchen was a hotbed of anxiety and we were both wearing pathetic-looking knot contraptions. I went to the bathroom, where I quickly identified where I'd gone wrong. I came bounding out to show Mr Wonderful the advancement in my skills; he replied, "Isn't it great, you figured out how to tie this damn thing." And when I showed him how much simpler it could be if he shortened the tie, he growled, "I already did that."
Apparently, I was not helping.

With only three days to the recital, the likelihood that Mr Wonderful will figure out the Art of Bow Tying for himself is very good. But it made me wonder: how many grooms give their clothes a test run before the big day? I could imagine him throwing a temper tantrum and ending up at the aisle, sans perfectly planned tie. While your sweetheart might try to bodily harm you if you suggest a trial run of his ensemble for the big day, wouldn't you rather have the meltdown at home and recruit someone else to tie that sucker?


Fabulous photo c/o Johnny Miller.


Update: After another failed attempt, Mr Wonderful put his head in a pillow and refused to speak for several minutes. Then, he picked up the tie and simply said, "I need Creedence." He figured out the basics, then went into the bathroom, armed with Brahms Symphony No. 3, Allegro con brio to finesse the art.

No 497: the Pinball Game

I love this image by the incomparable Richard Avedon. Photo c/o Time Life.

No 496: Splurge or Save?

I'll admit that usually, those "Splurge or Save" features in magazines confound me; the splurge is always so much more stylish and better constructed than the save, and who wants a knock-off anyway? But when I found myself in a "Splurge or Save" situation of my own, I was suddenly deeply grateful that, for once, I preferred the spendthrift's clutch.

Net-a-Porter has a fabulous wedding boutique that I regularly troll for high-end goodies from Lanvin, Vivienne Westwood, Fendi, Christian Louboutin and the like. This satin Valentino clutch, the first bag, caught my eye, but the $795 price tag was a touch steep for a white satin evening bag I probably couldn't use more than a dozen times for the duration of my natural life.

A few days later, I was enjoying another source for wedding goodies, Etsy. Imagine my delight when, as I was browsing through bridal clutches, I spotted the second bag, made by eclu! A sweeter, more whimsical version of the high-style bag I had drooled over days before, for only $50; it was like the bow-clad bag was just begging me to take him home.

No 495: Real Wedding: Lindsay and Scott

This wedding was a celebration, not only of a beautiful, stylish couple, but of their fabulous, stylish city: Manhattan. Scott proposed at the top of the Soho Grand Hotel, and hid the proposal under the guise of his sister's birthday. After popping the question, friends and family joined them to celebrate both events, and Lindsay and Scott were inspired by that joyful fête when designing their wedding.

They were married uptown in St. Paul's Chapel, on Columbia University's campus, surrounded by the sounds of a string quartet, Anthology Strings. The classic reception was held downtown at Twenty Four Fifth, a restored ballroom near Washington Square Park. And the incredible flowers that filled the space-Bay Bouquet, a florist in Tampa, FL.

The bride's incredible gown was designed by Junko Yoshioka and was purchased at Marc Ingram Bridal Atelier. Naturally, it was wildly different from what she imagined herself in, but I think the wedding community at large is thrilled she chose this gown. Her bridesmaids were outfitted by J.Crew and the groom wore a suit by Ermenegildo Zegna. But perhaps the single most important element of this wedding (besides the couple, and their love, and that stuff) was incredible, NY-based photographer Karen Wise; her photojournalistic perspective captures the New York quality of this wedding perfectly.