I wonder how many brides reading this blog are planning a courthouse wedding? (By the by, whenever I think of a courthouse wedding I picture Jennifer Lopez marrying Dr. Karev from Grey's Anatomy, a la The Wedding Planner) Seriously though, do you plan a courthouse wedding? Is the whole point not to plan? If you were planning a courthouse wedding, would you pick out something special to wear, (I'd wear the above day dress from Nordstrom's with pearl studs and turquoise pumps) or would you go it casual like this couple? Anyone? Tell me. I'm curious.

Anyone got anything they need to label in a jaunty fashion? I think I might sense a placecard brainstorm coming on. Or perhaps an escort card epiphany? Fancy wooden tags and red and white striped bakers twine both available at Bell'occhio.

BTW: Escort cards sit all together at a table near the entrance to the reception space, telling your guests which table is theirs. Placecards sit at the dining tables, telling your guests which seat is theirs. As someone who deals with this distinction on a daily basis, I notice that the two names are often used interchangeably. They are indeed different. I realize that this fact will only be important to you for a very short time in your life, but I thought you might like to know. Please excuse the smarty-pants moment.

I know loads of you are planning destination weddings. From the questions and comments I get about far flung affairs, I'd say it was the next big thing! Chances are that if you're reading this website (whether you're having a backyard affair or a Tahitian Ball), you've probably already picked your wedding spot. But lemme ask you this: Have you decided on the honeymoon? Lesley Scott of Fashion Tribes has posted a fabulous list of the most fabulous destinations- all perfect for a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon experience.
The image above is from Necker Island, Sir Richard Branson's private island resort. I'd love to hear about it if anyone has been there. It sounds pretty awesome.

Not sure about you guys, but with a hefty price tag of around $90,000, this Lladro Niagara Chandelier is out, WAY OUT of my price range. But seriously, how hard would this be to make? I mean not exactly like this, not with porcelain or anything, but with paper butterflies and wire? I think I could do it. If I have an opportunity to try it out, I'll take pictures!

There is nothing I approve of more than Reem Acra's leap towards the "Juliet" look. I love the cap sleeves, the mini trains, the Shakespearean details. It's all just so pretty, it's hard to find fault with. While all of these seem so fresh to me, I can't imagine them ever being out of vogue. Is it just me... is the middle one fabulous? Or do you find it too "I just got back from the Renaissance Fair"?

Beautiful engagement/wedding bands from Jessica Fields. Available at The Artful Home. There's something about the Clover Band I really love. It's so modern, but still really dainty.

I was born with an inability to carry a neutral handbag. When I was five, (and my mother can vouch for this) I had a purple corduroy purse that I carried EVERYWHERE. I never did anything without it. Today, my go-to bag is bright green- but I also own a red one, a turquoise one, and an orange one. Black? No. Brown? Not really. It's not that I don't like neutrals, I do. I wear them all the time. I just like my bag to have a little snap-crackle-pop, if you know what I mean.
You can imagine my delight at finding a formal evening bag in "electric pumpkin"? Do I need to mention how adorable this would be for brides or their maids at a fall wedding? Available at Sugar Plums.

I came across Blue Velvet Vintage a few nights ago and bookmarked them for a future blog post. They have vintage designer finds and a lot of glamorous party dresses, many of which I totally coveted. One of my favorites was the dress above. I even thought it might work well as wedding dress for the right affair. Point being: I loved this dress even before I saw something very similar on Debra Messing at the Emmy's on Sunday night. From that point on, I no longer had any doubts. This little number has potential, as do many of their other little numbers.

Greetings from Rhode Island! We moved in this past weekend and are now in the process of setting up house. It's all very exciting, albeit somewhat overwhelming.
Last night we made our first dinner in our new house: tilapia with olive, tomato & lemon, home fries with onions & cheese, and a nice green salad. It felt really good to cook in the new place. It made it feel so much more like home.


The next major hurdle is to get a car to scoot around Providence with. As city folk who are used to hopping on the F train, this seems really bizarre (although slightly less bizarre than buying a lawnmower).

I came across the portfolio pages of photo stylist/crafter/designer Rebecca Thuss via Oh Joy!, and couldn't resist posting them here. Her site is truly a treasure trove of wedding related photographs and ideas, (mostly due to the fact that she's the former style director of Martha Stewart Weddings), and would be a great style resource for any bride. Check it out!

Isn't Etsy wonderful? Etsy reminds me of being a kid, when "making friendship bracelets" was still a viable career goal. It makes me want to kraft things and sell them to my friends. I love Etsy.
Today I found Imogene and Dannie, where there are many lovely little necklaces and things stamped from silver in fun shapes. I can't help but think these would make fantastic bridesmaid's gifts, each a bit different for each of your special girls. Perhaps an apple for the big city girl? A tree for the hippie? A fox for the... fox.
You get the idea. At around 45 bucks, they're special with out being too $pecial.

You can come back in a sec, but right now, you need to stop reading this and back up your files. ALL of your files need backing up. Back them up! I tell you this because it's what I wished someone told me Friday morning, right before my hard drive failed. Why? I don't really know. Apparently hard drives are allowed to just fail. I didn't know that. Seeing as how my brand new computer was running perfectly just seconds before it died, I was surprised to say the least. AND with the move in full swing, you could say that this crash was, hmmmm... a huge pain.
ANYWHO. Everyone knows that nothing raises the spirits of packing-weary, computer-less people everywhere like gorgeous dresses (which I found while browsing the internet on my husband's computer). All by Badgeley Mischka, all new this spring. While the one in the middle seems sort of obviously bridal, I love the subtle patterns on the two gowns on either side. I think either could be really unique yet elegant at an informal affair.

How cute would these be at a tea party picnic? These fancy forks, knives and spoons are fashioned after 1800's silverware, but are made from plastic in a smattering of bright colors. Pretty enough for a bridal shower, and strong enough to last for several seasons of picnics. You can even throw them in the dishwasher. Plastic never looked so good. Available at Charles & Marie.

These little lanterns from Urban Outfitters have been all over the place lately, but at only $12 each they're definitely worth mentioning. Picture a few hanging above each table, or as part of a buffet table display. Love the white lanterns against a darker table cloth.

We're back from the closing and everything went really well. We played musical papers for a while, promised to pay them lots of our money on a regular basis, and they gave us a house! Now we just have to pack up our lives, re-visit all our favorite restaurants one last time, and move everything a few hundred miles to the east. We're very excited.

Understandably, I've been cruising the blog circuit for interesting house stuff lately. Jackpot! I came across UK based RE via Oh Joy, and there are so many things on their site I would love to get my hands on. The glass is beautiful, (love the colored glasses and the cake stands) and they have adorable vintage/retro party decorations. Check it out, especially if you're looking for a special wedding gift for a very lucky couple.