Still Beholden

With BHLDN. I couldn't resist sharing a few more of my favorite moments from my visit to the BHLDN headquarters.

What's that you say, watch a stunning fashion show and then wander aimlessly through a house full of bridal couture, party dresses and handcrafted shoes, trying on at will? Don't mind if I do!

Meet my absolute favorite: The Zinnia Gown!




images by amanda of ruffled and me!

For those who are curious about more details, BHLDN wedding dresses will range from $600-$4,000. For example, my personal favorite above, the darling coral and grey Zinnia, will be $1,800. {I'm so tempted to wear the Zinnia to a friend's outdoor wedding this summer! What do you think, over the top?}. BHLDN shoes were commissioned from the talents of Bettye Muller and Chie Mihara, some made from vintage french fabric (there were only 32 pairs made of those so shop quickly!). Accessories come from the likes of cult faves Ban.do and Jennifer Behr. The aim of the collection is to provide brides with the handmade, nearly-one-of-kind, extra-special pieces that you can use to make the bid-day truly you.
Personally, the entire concept, from beginning to end, transported me into a fairytale party~land which I really didn't want to leave. What do you think luvies? Are you smitten too?

I've Got a Crush {On BHLDN}

BHLDN is the brain child of Anthropologie alum Kristin Norris and her darling creative team. Here’s a little inside scoop on the name {because I didn’t get it at first either}: pronounced be~holden, BHLDN is actually based on the Dutch word blijven which means to keep. And their tagline is "Be You, Be Loved." Certainly do love that!

After being lucky enough to get a sneak peak at BHLDN’s first collection, I’d happily have and hold any of the spot-on bridal looks, party frocks, bridesmaid dresses, accessories or shoes. As the BHLDN team told us, the line seeks to capture the emotional qualities of life, for your big day and everyday, which I think is a rather fabulous brand ethos. {And one I can attest is truly heartfelt by the passionate BHLDN team}.

But really, they had me at the shoes.

There is entirely too much goodness to drool over but if I had to narrow my crushes down they’d have to include:

Gorgeous gowns,



Fanciful footwear,



Dazzling detail,



Fabulous flowers,



Sweet settings,



Blogging buddies,



Lovely lunches,



And on BHLDN’s utter charm and cheeky whit.



The BHLDN e-tail site goes live on Monday, February 14th {Valentine’s Day of course}. You'll not only get to purchase their gorgeous creations on the spot, you'll be able to get overnight delivery and enjoy free returns. Because if you want to get married next week and wear a fabulous dress you should be able to! Brilliant.

So for the lovely lady who find herself newly engaged next Monday, BHLDN will be your go-to spot for unique, accessible yet aspirational bridal style. Later this spring BHLDN will branch out into wedding décor and event accessories, making it a truly one-stop-shop for a bride who wants to think out of the staid wedding box.

For the perpetual wedding fan {i.e. already married women like myself} I will be visiting BHLDN routinely to oohhh and ahhhh and get design inspiration for my own wedding & event styling services.

And, obviously, to pick up a fabulous pair of shoes {or two}!

Thank you BHLDN for inviting us to peak under your skirts before your big launch. I'll be sharing a few more of my favorite moments with you tomorrow so do check back.

You can see even more behind-the-scenes details from blogging darlings Amanda, Jen, Joy, Emily, Vane and Joanna.

Be You, Be Loved!
*Mrs. E

Wedding Wednesday {Cupcake Alternative}

While there are a myriad of wedding cake alternatives out there (I've seen pancakes, pies, cookies and custom candy buffets among others) cupcakes remain the dominant trend. And don't get me wrong, I do love a good cupcake. But they're tipping over into the over-exposed, the expected, the ordinary category.

That's why I came to a full stop when I saw these gold-leafed mini cakes from Sweetapolita.


imags via sweetapolita, spotted on mimi+meg

Still small and individual, just like a cupcake, but instead, in the form of a sweetly heart shaped cake covered in edible gold!

Now that adds a whole new glamorously-romantic factor to mini dessert idea. And I, for one, am completely in love.

Wedding Wednesday {Jenny's Girls}

I just discovered Jenny Packham's absolutely heavenly 2011 collection - all with names as pretty as the looks themselves.

Meet Dearest, Syrie, Antonella, Minerva and Saskia.

 




I'd love a dancing-date with any of them!

Wedding Wednesday

I first spied this deliciously sweet elopement, captured by Lang Photography, over at Ruffled. The brilliant take on a wedding dress had me at hello.



I also found the bride's look to be a perfect match for the new line of couture hairpieces from Jannie Baltzer.



Leave the bouquet behind and I'd happily rock the complete ensemble to a baby shower I'm hosting this weekend!

Think anyone would think it was over the top?!

Our Wedding Photos Debut!

It's official. I"m finally able to share our wedding photos! Thanks so much for being patient with me. It's actually fun to get to show them to you now since at this exact time last year we were in the thick of planning!



Head to Style Me Pretty, where the darlings Abby adn Erin have posted a great sampling of Jose Villa's beautiful work. You can also read a bit more detail about how we pulled everything together.

I also want to say a formal thank you to all of my fabulous vendors!

I got so much help from incredibly talented people including  Brown Sugar Design, Grace Edmands Caligraphy, Primele, Party Poms, Country Life Naturals and Paloma’s Nest. Our day would not have come together so beautifully without them.

Also, be sure to check back - I'm so excited to share even more photos and stories of some of my favorite moments from that amazing day!

Sign Me Up

This sweet California wedding, shot by the ever-popular Max Wanger and just featured on Style Me Pretty caught my eye for so many reasons. The couple was gorgeous, the bride's Monique Lhuillier dress was perfection and the shoes were sparkly (a girl after my own shoe-loving heart).

After I got past the fashion and looked even closer, I noticed the particularly sweet attention paid to detail too. I shouldn't expect anything less from the dynamic duo that is Bash Please events.

 The unexpected, creative thoughtful little things are my favorite thing about weddings these days. It's the event planner in me. I particularly loved this wedding's brilliant use of signs.


all images by max wanger via style me pretty

Using just a handful of simple words sets such a welcoming tone, defining the wedding's personality perfectly.

It's a personality I want to be BFF's with!

Best Wedding Dress of the Year

Yes, I realize it's only the first week of Januray, but I'm done, I've found it already. THE best wedding of 2011! Yes, it's that good.




photography by natasja kremers

Need I say more? Oh, and the wedding itself is just as gorgeous. You can get your swoon on at photographer Natasja Kremers' blog!

Wedding Wednesday {The Best of 2010}

If you've stopped by here, really...anytime, in the last 365 days, you probably caught on to the fact that this was the year I got married. The process is an exciting, crazy, fun, overwhelming and extremely joyous experience. At least I feel lucky enough to have felt all of those emotions upon getting engaged and suddenly finding myself faced with this "momentous occasion."

But as I've said before, these days weddings can really be anything your heart desires. And for the event planner in me - this was pure heaven! I could not have had more fun dreaming up such a special experience with the man I chose to spend the rest of my life with. Not to mention playing with dresses, shoes, decor, food, paper, photography and everything in between!

So when looking back through the reams and reams of inspiration, the post below is probably my favorite moment in the whole process. When it had all come together, we were about to take off and anticipation was at its peak. It's a feeling I hope to hold onto for a very long time.

Best of Wedding Wednesday 2010
It seems a bride's work, or more accurately, a bride's brainstorming is never done. Even while I'm packing my bags for Mexico I'm still thinking of fun little details to incorporate into the big day.

Things like gorgeous hand calligraphed menus (those are my actual menus!), beautiful varieties of flowers (I ended up ordering polar star roses, ranunculus, alstroemeria and black calla lilies), fabulous shoes and gorgeous hair accessories make the day that much more personal.

1) Our wedding dinner menu, calligraphy by primele, 2) flowers by unknown, 3) manolos by elizabeth messina, 4)Mandizzle hair flower, 5) bouquet unknown and  6) sign by Tanja Lippert via erin ever after

As it has all come together, I've realized that although the wedding details are amazingly fun, what we're really planning is a moment of private commitment and collective joy. It's a special time to bring your nearest and dearest closest to you, turn to the person you love most in the entire world and devote your heart and every lasting friendship to him (or her!). It's an occasion to toast and cheer. It's the moment when you choose your family. Oh, and you get to put on a seriously rockin' dress. Does it get any better than that!? 

Well, I'll let you know in a couple of weeks! Thank you to all of my readers for your suggestions, input, advice and support. It means the world. I promise to share all when I return :) 

*E

Wow, it really was quite a ride that we won't soon forget. As an extra special treat for you, my unbelievably patient readers, here is the very first sneak-peak image of our wedding, shot by the adored Jose Villa!

The rest of the wedding will be revealed at a very special wedding blog very soon. You can also check out our engagement photo session with Jose here. The man does amazing things with a camera!

Finally, I want to say a massive thank you to every reader. Your thoughtful comments, emails, advice and  support meant the world. You were such a huge inspiration and often a huge help to me throughout the planning process and it made the whole experience that much more enjoyable.

So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Now it's time to start planning the 1-year anniversary celebration! ;)

*Mrs. E

Wedding Wednesday {Holidaze}

I know the holiday season is not the most popular wedding time of the year, but having just attended a December nuptial last weekend, I've got winter weddings on the brain.

Then I spied the new JL Designs Couture Holiday Collection, combined with the recent Christmas-themed fete a gaggle of wedding planning extraordinaires threw in LA -- the perfect palette and styling inspiration that now has me totally on the holiday wedding bandwagon!


images by leo patrone via green wedding shoes and by mr. haack via jl designs

Especially when it involves a Chloe lookalike named Bossy!

Have you been to any particularly fabulous winter weddings? I'd love to see some shots of your faves. Do send them my way!

Wedding Wednesday {Why I Love Weddings}

On Christmas eve the hubby and I will have been married for 8 months. EIGHT months. It has flown. How is it that just this time last year we were in the throws of planning. I must confess, before our own, I was never a huge fan of weddings. I'd never really pictured myself having one, often found them contrite, over the top or too often boring. I'm sure wedding like that still happen every day, but the wonderful thing is that they don't have to.

There are so many things to love about weddings. Things like

Head turning backs,


Saturated hues,


Lavish details,


Such pretty paper,


Dressing up,


Mouth watering tables,


Far-flung destinations,


And generally having the time of your life.


Best of all, you end the day with the person you've chosen to be with. Which is pretty darn cool for one single day. No wonder I just want to keep doing it again and again and again!

And many of you have been asking about our wedding pictures. I know the wait has been long and I thank you for your patience. The reveal will be happening VERY soon - stay tuned!