Photo of the Day
We love this adorable way to frame the bride!
We love this adorable way to frame the bride!
Oprah Winfrey's generosity is legendary — we're still kicking ourselves that we never got a chance to visit her talk show in Chicago (who could forget when her entire audience received new cars?). Now she's outdone herself once again by gifting the dress off her back to one lucky Twitter fan from Atlanta!
Brandi (who goes by the name @snobabi23) sent a funny tweet to the media mogul gushing over the stunning Brian Bennier dress that she wore on Essence Magazine's cover. Ask and ye shall receive:
To her surprise, a package arrived in the mail just one week later:
We can't wait to see a photo of Brandi on her big day! Props to her for scoring a wedding gown with such fascinating history.
Photo Credit: Twitter
Plus, read about another unbelievable wedding dream that came true recently.
Photo by: Erin McGinn on Snippet & Ink via Lover.ly
Tip of the Day: Bring out the tulle for your flower girls! Springtime is all about lighter fabrics with an airier feel. Have your little ones practice wearing their light and fluffy "princess dress" in advance so that they feel comfortable on the big day.
Plus, check out Adorable Flower Girl Dresses and Accessories. Visit sharonnaylor.net for more great wedding tips and advice.
Winter wedding perfection: A stunning photo with a nearly-frozen waterfall in the background!
Unleash your inner princess dreams with a frothy layered ballgown. Layers are incredibly graceful because of the way they flow and sway gently as you glide down the aisle. With the light airiness of a layered ballgown, you will appear to be floating on air. We love this style paired with an elegant dreamy veil. Soft waves in the hair add a modern edge to this look.
The key to looking good in a layered ballgown is ensuring the waist is tight and fitted. This gives you a gorgeous hourglass look. Here a few of our favorite frothy ballgowns by Watters, Oleg Cassini for David's Bridal, and Ella Rosa.
—Naima DiFranco
The sub-freezing weather makes me want to stay inside with comfort food and candlelight. Here are some ways to put a cozy spin on evenings at home.
Le Creuset Heritage French Skillet
Growing up with this storied heavy-duty enameled cast iron cookware, the classic ombré-orange “Flame” was always my favorite color, but I’m now quite partial to “Quince,” pictured here (also available in “Flame” and “Cherry”). The skillet is based on a pan from Le Creuset’s design archives ($99.99, williamssonoma.com).
Dansk Kobenstyle Casserole
Vintage Kobenstyle pieces have been selling furiously on eBay, so thank goodness Dansk saw fit to bring back this groovy line of Danish cookware. Bonus points: The lid can also be used as a trivet for serving (from $80, dansk.com).
Birdkage Shibori Mini Bib Apron
These aprons are so gorgeous, I’d not only wear this for cooking, I’d keep it on for the finished meal — the perfect hostess-with-the-mostess wear ($90, birdkagestyle.com).
Photo by: Limelight Photography Sarah McDonald on Glamour & Grace via Lover.ly
Tip of the Day: Gratitude is a big building block of a happy marriage. Relationship counselors say that a strong and happy marriage includes lots of affirmation from both partners. Tell your guy all of the ways he’s making you happy and being an awesome guy in general. You'll likely start hearing more often how awesome YOU are as well.
Plus, check out 10 Commandments for a Happy Marriage. Visit sharonnaylor.net for more great wedding tips and advice.
Photo by: Ali Harper Photography on Grey Likes Weddings via Lover.ly
Tip of the Day: If you’ve decided to invite children to your big day, find out what their ages will be by the wedding date. Many venues offer special discount pricing for toddlers under three and/or kids 12 and under, so you'll need this essential info as the time draws closer.
Plus, learn How to Get a Handle on Your Guest List. Visit sharonnaylor.net for more great wedding tips and advice.
I am super excited to share that I lost another five pounds last week and broke through my plateau (finally!), bringing my total weight-loss to 50 pounds so far! I am officially more than halfway toward my goal of 135 pounds, and I couldn’t be happier. Now that spring time is just around the corner, it’s time to buckle down and complete my journey.
To break through my plateau, I just kept up with my workouts and have been eating healthy. I’ve also been trying to add strength training into my workouts, which I believe helped. I’ve been doing my routines from Bonne Marcus twice a week on top of our weekly training session. Diet-wise, I've continued trying to cut down on my carbs and sugar while making sure I get a ton of vegetables and proteins in. My favorite recipe from last week was Spinach and White Bean Soup from Fitness Magazine. It's so easy to make because all you need to do is throw everything into your slow cooker. It's the perfect meal to bring to work for lunch — it's full of vegetables and kept me full until I got home for dinner.