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For more information about these bridesmaid dresses, visit:
jlmcouture.com
badgleymischka.com
enzoani.com
verawang.com
priscillaofboston.com
ariadress.com

Posted by Naima at 10:48 a.m.

Check out reemacra.com, moniquelhuillier.com, elizabethfillmorebridal.com, verawang.com, inesdisanto.com, and aimeeusa.com

Happy Spring! Don’t know what it’s like in your neck of the woods but the gods have blessed The Big Apple this year with the best weather we’ve had in a long time. The tulips, lilacs, cherry blossoms, daffodils and dogwoods are in full bloom and all of this glorious nature provided the perfect backdrop for the fresh, new styles just featured in the New York Bridal Fashion market. In fact, for the past week (including this past weekend)

I’ve been out of the office attending fashion shows and visiting showrooms with BG’s dynamic fashion team, Naima DiFranco and Maureen Choi. Armed with our trail mix (no time for lunch or dinner over the weekend!) and comfy shoes, we saw close to 50 designers and hundreds of bridal and bridesmaid dresses.

The gowns are amazing! We were all inspired and pretty much dazzled by the beauty and creativity of the designs and I promise to highlight some of the shows for you in my next blog.

If you haven’t started your dress search yet, get ready to be thrilled by what you’ll see. In the meantime, I’m off trail mix for a while and relishing some healthy meals (and wearing higher heels again!)

Posted by Diane at 10:07 p.m.

Psst… I’ve got a seriously, amazing, going-to-stop-your-heart secret on how to score (!) five—yes, you read right—five free (underline seven times) nights at two of the poshest hotels on the planet. The two Six Senses resort properties in the island nation of the Maldives in the South Pacific are gifting five-night stays to folks that have booked five previous evenings of rest and relaxation at these outrageously luxe locations. The hotels have intimate thatched villas accommodations, holistic spas, organic food and blissfully remote locations. Set on a spot where the jungle, sugar sands and transparent waters meet, the Soneva Fushi property is completely unplugged with a ‘No News, No Shoes’ policy. The sister site, Soneva Gili, is a series of breezy bungalows on stilts, so you can only imagine how amazing the water sports and plain old relaxing can be here. So, now all you need to do is claim your prize of five free nights, which can be divided among the two. So, what’s the catch you ask? Well, all you’ve got to do is spend a few hours giving back to the community. The hotels, which reflect a sense of social and environmental responsibility, have hosted daily activities in the community for guests to give back. Each day you’re asked to help out around the place by doing marine conversation, youth education and other activities. The program runs from June 1 until October 12. Go to sixsenses.com for more information.

Here's a new twist on ye olde destination wedding. Weddingpaperdivas, an online stationer, reports that "localista"(new coinage, thanks guys!) couples are going practical by choosing nearby destinations instead of more exotic locales to celebrate their nuptials. When it comes to riding out the recession, localistas are very resourceful folks. So maybe it's Seattle or maybe it's Miami. Chicago anyone? Take a look at these adorable save-the-dates.

Just around this time of year—in anticipation of the upcoming spring/summer wedding season—the book blitz begins at Bridal Guide and we receive lots of tomes on all things wedding-related—from flowers to cakes to planning. One such publication came across my desk recently and it’s a great read. Stylish Weddings for Less: How to Plan Your Dream Wedding on a Budget by Catherine Sabino (Filipacchi Publishing) is guaranteed to calm your nerves as you discover how to plan a fun, chic wedding and still save some coin.

Just as we do in Bridal Guide, Ms. Sabino (full disclosure: Catherine is a former magazine colleague of mine and a terrific editor) features real couples’ weddings, breaks down their budgets, offers invaluable advice and takes you through the entire wedding planning process with ease. You’ll love the look of the book and be inspired by the beautiful visuals such as this completely adorable pink floral and bow-wrapped cake by Dan Pasky, dandanbakingco.com:

After criss-crossing the city all day, dropping off the dry cleaning, cooking (a hopefully healthy) dinner and hitting the playground with my daughter, I don’t often take enough time to think of what other’s may be dealing with everyday. I’m sure with planning a wedding, you can barely come up for air. Which is why I really fell in love with the concept behind Wish Upon a Wedding.

Launched in January 2010 by event planner Liz Guthrie, Wish Upon a Wedding seeks to grant the wish of couples with a terminal or serious illness to have a magical wedding or civil union that they can share with their loved ones. There are three types of wedding wishes based on the severity of the illness: Urgent Wish, Boutique Wish and Romantic Wish. While all the wedding planning components and travel arrangements are made by the dedicated staff at Wish Upon a Wedding, the organization is completely dependent on volunteers in all aspects of the wedding industry to offer services, in addition to financial and air mile donors.

The Budget Guru tries to be thrifty, but she's also very much into her creature comforts. So when a pair of Sanuk Yoga Mat Sandals landed in my office (you never know what's going to end up here!), I not only appreciated the price but I immediately slipped them on. Loving the squishy but firm texture—yes, they're made out of yoga mats—I envisioned a bride giving them to her bridal party for an inexpensive post-wedding thank-you that says, "Gee, pals, take a load off those tootsies that you've been so tirelessly running around on over the last six months, all in the service of ME and MY WEDDING..." Nice gesture!

Go to sanuk.com. The sandals are a mere $26/pair. Fancier pairs go for $32.

Posted by Susan at 2:47 p.m.

I have to share the most adorable wedding-related note cards. Ever! Copper Willow Paper Studio, an eco-luxe company based in Southern California (my hood), hand-creates gorgeous stationery that any bride would be proud to use, while utilizing sustainable production practices. Both their paper and envelopes are made from recycled clothing and brown paper bags. Even their ribbons are created from recycled materials. Here are some of my faves:

Aren’t the kid ones so funny?? For more info, check out copperwillow.com. Cheers!

Posted by Aimée at 3:28 p.m.

Posted by Maureen at 11:01 a.m.