Blogs

Last Friday, we were in for a thrill at Loehmann's "Grab the Gown" event at their flagship store in Chelsea, NYC. East coast brides, hailing everywhere from Philly to West Virginia, braved torrential rains to line up for their shot at scoring the ultimate designer gown for less. Despite the gloomy forecast and 7 a.m. start time, the energy was electric. "There's no rules, so I'm going to go crazy!" said Lisette, the first shopper in line, who had been waiting since 11:30 p.m. the night before. 

Up for grabs: 800 gowns from Allure Bridal, Pronovias, Demetrios and more, with price tags slashed down to $1,000 or less (originally costing up to $11,000). As we watched the mayhem unfold, celebrity wedding planner David Tutera shouted words of encouragement along with us ("Be careful, but run fast, because there's a lot of gorgeous dresses!").

Watch the most extreme shopping event of the year here!

Guest blogger: Emma Arendoski, founder and CEO of Emmaline Bride, The Wedding Guide for the Handmade Bride, a website dedicated to all things handmade for weddings. Launched in 2009, the site has grown into the leading online voice for handmade weddings. Emma's mission is to empower her readers to support handmade through the use of handcrafted wedding items for all parts of the wedding planning process.

Here, she shares an excerpt from her first book, The Handcrafted Wedding: More Than 300 Fun and Imaginative Handcrafted Ways to Personalize Your Wedding Day (Sellers Publishing, October 2012).

Photo Credit: © 2012 Thomas Gardella for Michelle Gardella Photography

Each week, we feature music recommendations from Scratch Weddings, the nation's leader with the best wedding DJs at affordable prices. This week's post comes from DJ Lil Ray. Since relocating to NYC from her native Atlanta, DJ Lil Ray has blown up: opening for acts like M.I.A. and Childish Gambino, spinning at SXSW and the GenArt Film Festival and making regular DJ appearances at NYC's hottest night spots. She hooks audiences by linking current music with favorites from decades past, what she calls musical time travel. "Weddings are so much fun! It's great playing to a big group of happy people who are all there to celebrate together. Each one is unique, and it's exciting to tailor the playlist accordingly.”

 

Photo Credit: Matt Andrews Photography

Through excitement and jitters, quirky-themed bridal showers and big-day hiccups, bridesmaids are there for their best girlfriend in every way. Considering how much effort, attention, and love they give throughout the whole wedding planning process, acknowledging them with a few karaoke-worthy moments will ensure they have a great time at the reception (and creating a few dance floor photo ops with these tunes doesn’t hurt, either).

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are officially husband-and-wife!

"It's great to be married, the ceremony was beautiful and it was so special to be surrounded by our family and friends," the couple told People.

The Trouble With the Curve star, 31, and his longtime love, 30, were wed on Oct. 19 in Puglia, Italy. A source revealed to The New York Post that "it's a location that is very special to them"—according to reports, Biel and Timberlake attended the 2008 nuptials of Beverly Mitchell (Biel's former co-star on "7th Heaven"), in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast, which isn't too far away.

Several hundred guests flew to Italy to celebrate the couple's nuptials at Borgo Egnazia, an ultra-luxurious hotel that's set against a stunning backdrop of the Adriatic Sea and surrounded by fragrant prickly pear and lavender. Il Giornale di Puglia, an Italian newspaper, originally reported that Lady Gaga and Elton John were in attendance, but the stars' reps have since denied those claims. Confirmed guests included Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg, Jimmy Fallon, and music producer Timbaland. 

Bridal shower – accomplished! Even though my wedding is more than three months away, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get down to San Diego until just before the big day. So, my mom and one of her closest friends planned a beautiful shower in my honor.

1. Don’t feel like you have to look a certain way.
The only work I had to do was finding the perfect outfit. I wanted to look a bit traditional by wearing white, but I also wanted to mix it up and keep it fun. My dress came with black ribbon straps and an exposed back zipper, so I added a black velvet belt with an edgy rhinestone applique to make an even bigger contrast against the white lace. The goal was sassy, and I’m pretty sure I achieved it. If white isn’t your thing, wear what is. You don’t want to spend the event fussing with straps or feeling self-conscious, so forget any “rules” and wear what makes you feel good.

Here’s a unique and meaningful way to cherish your special day: a pretty handcrafted silver-plated calendar bracelet ($70) with a Swarovski crystal marking your wedding date. This “Not Just Any Old Day” bracelet is available at their website, notjustanyoldday.com:

The creator, Michele Esposito, recalled how her grandmother always cherished a necklace made by Michele’s grandfather, a jeweler, which noted their wedding anniversary. His sentimental gesture inspired Michele to create the charm when she was looking for a unique gift. The bracelet is not only a great item for yourself but also for your bridesmaids (you can mark either their birthdays or their own wedding dates).

Another cool piece is the Calendar Key ($80). Actor Antonio Sabato Jr.’s bride fastened the key to her bouquet.

Shimmering gowns and golden hues dominated the runway at Romona Keveza's 2013 show, dedicated to Bond girls. With such showstopping gowns dazzling down the runway, the Kérastase Paris design team opted to keep the hair sleek and chic.

Photo courtesy of Kérastase Paris

Photo courtesy of Kérastase Paris

Here, learn how to get the look:

Step 1: On clean, dry hair spray a generous amount of Lotion Densitive GL Spray. Then apply Mousse Substantive directly on the roots. Blow dry smooth and straight using a boar bristle brush.

Step 2: Create a deep side part over the left eye — the further over the side part, the more dramatic of a swoop you’ll create at the fringe. Then clip that hair out of the way. Just make sure you take out enough hair so the fringe is solid and doesn’t separate when swooped.

Photo via Bridal Guide on Instagram

David Tutera stopped by Z100, New York's hit music station, to chat about — what else? — weddings! Here, five things we learned from the show:

Marchesa's runway show was a standout for its bold floral influences, exquisite beadwork and ethereal draping. But as much as we obsessed over the dresses, the models' lit-from-within makeup look deserves an honorable mention, too! Lead makeup artist Talia Shobrook was inspired by "a bride with confidence" and Indian beauty, which is reflected in the gold, shimmering eyes. Read below to learn how to get this look with the same Laura Mercier products she used at the show.

Flawless Face

Step 1: Prep skin with foundation primer. 

Step 2: Apply foundation and conceal problem areas.

Step 3: Contour cheekbones with bronzing powder and apply blush to the apples of the cheeks, blending up into the cheek bone.

Step 4: Dab a light pink lipstick on the cheeks to create a pop of color. Dust setting powder on the skin for a fresh, matte finish.

Laura Mercier Products Used:

Last week, we heard from the winners of our Pin to Win a Dream Wedding Design by David Tutera Contest, Rigo Garcia and Claudia Hernandez, giving us the inside scoop on their wedding-planning consultation with the one and only David Tutera. And now, David is sharing his take on their once-in-a-lifetime meeting!

"When you meet a couple such as the two of them, you can see the immediate spark, that they're so in love and that they are so dedicated to one another" said Tutera. "They're just very real, they're very sincere, they were so excited."

Watch this exclusive video of their meeting:

"We are really inspired by his work and we feel very blessed to have met him and to have the opportunity of having some of his ideas incorporated in our wedding," said Hernandez.

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein