My Addiction

I, like most girls, have an unhealthy addiction to shoes. Pumps, boots, sandals, platforms, wedges, flats; I'm an equal opportunity buyer. My shoes take up 1 1/2 closets in our little 1 bedroom apartment, and upon walking into any department store my first stop is the shoe department.  Hopefully you have a better idea of my obsession. 

So naturally, shopping for my wedding shoes is of the utmost importance. I would love to say that the sky is the limit on wedding shoes, but I don't want to take advantage of the fact that my parents are so graciously paying for the entire wedding. With that said, it doesn't mean that I have to settle for a marked down pair of shoes from 3 seasons ago at TJ Maxx. (No offense to all you Maxxinistas out there. Trust me, I love a bargain just as much as you!)

I began my search by looking up the All-Stars: Manolo, Louboutin, and Choo. I found a beautiful pair of Loubs that would be perfect for my big day, until I looked at the price. I nearly spit out my coffee when I realized I would be paying almost $5000 for them! Then I thought that maybe I could find a similar pair for less, and voila, I did. I suddenly came to find that almost any pair of high end designer shoes has a more affordable counterpart. Here are a few examples that I found.

On the left: Jimmy Choo rhinestone sandals for $1500 

On the right: Vince Camuto for $140

On the left: Manolo Blahnik embellished pumps for $1300

On the right: Badgley Mischka for $245

On the left: Christian Louboutin Crystal Pigalle pump for $3400

On the right: Salvatore Ferragamo for $950 

  

On the left: Miu Miu crystal heel sandals for $990

On the right: Badgley Mischka for $255

And if you're looking for a little something blue...

On the left: Manolo Blahnik blue satin pump (made famous by Carrie Bradshaw) $965

On the right: RSVP for $79

The lesson to be learned here is that if you find a pair of shoes that you like, and they seem a little too far out of your price range, don't give up right away. There may just be a look-alike that won't hurt your bank account as much. They won't be the exact same pair (unless you go into knockoff territory, and that's just not me) but you can find a pair that's pretty damn close. As for me, the search continues for the right pair.

Wedding Jewelry

I'm not a big jewelry girl. 90% of my pieces are costume, and I keep them in a messy pile on my dresser. For my wedding, I don't plan on piling on a ton of bling for the sake of looking beautiful; it's not my style. I would like to keep it classy, but unique. I hadn't even thought about my wedding jewelry until my future mother-in-law asked me how I was accessorizing my dress (which I still haven't found). I decided to see what I could find online. 

My initial search led me the most recognizable name in bridal jewelry: Neil Lane. Beautiful pieces, but not really my style. 

My next search led me to Roberto Coin, who had a few more pieces that were my style

Such a daring piece, but on the right bride, this could look amazing.

I found a few more designers that caught my eye, but nothing that really wowed me. Even my go-to designer, David Yurman failed to show me anything special (trust me, he's still my favorite). I think I'd rather go to Jeweler's Row in the city and get something made that's just for me. 

Dress Shopping

2 weeks ago I started dress shopping. What I thought was going to be a long day of appointments and trying on countless puffy dresses ended up being a fun day of trying on different styles while enjoying champagne with my bridesmaids, mom, and mother in law! We went to 3 boutiques and each one was it's own different experience. 

1. La Bella Moda 

Aside from not finding a single dress that I liked, the experience at this store was awful. The woman helping me was very rude to and short with me and my bridesmaids, and even had the nerve to say "This should probably be the last dress you try on. We book our appointments hourly and my next bride is waiting downstairs." (Are you kidding me?!) Needless to say, I will not be contacting this store again, or recommending it to anybody.

2. Bridals by Danielle

By the time we got to our second stop, we all had a sour taste in our mouths. But we went into it open minded, telling ourselves that not all stores are like La Bella Moda. We were pleasantly surprised with Bridals by Danielle. They had a great variety of designers and dresses, and the saleswoman assisting me was extremely friendly and helpful in finding dresses that were suited to my style. She even paired the dresses that I like with a veil and accessories so I could get a better idea of the whole look.  My only critique of the store would be the woman who works at the front desk. We arrived early, and she was very rude to us, almost as if she didn't want us there. Besides her, I would definitely recommend this store to any bride.

3. Unveiled Philadelphia

Perhaps my favorite store of the day. Unveiled is owned by Fran Erace, a 30 year veteran of the bridal industry. She creates a completely unique and fantastic experience when shopping for a wedding gown. The selection is a little smaller than most stores, but she carries designers who are not as well known, allowing you to see dresses that are different than you see in every other store. She allots 2 hours per appointment, so you don't feel rushed. The most unique feature of the Unveiled experience is the runway in the middle of the store. After you put a dress on, she walks you out to a runway where you can strut your stuff for your bridesmaids. It's so much fun! If I were to recommend 1 place to a bride, this would be it! Fran is awesome, the dresses are absolutely stunning, and I honestly think I may have found "the one" there!

We weren't allowed to take pictures, but we managed to sneak one at Bridals by Danielle. This isn't "the dress" but I definitely felt like a bride when I tried this on.

Happy New Year!

Danny and I are spending New Year's Eve at my family's shore house, so no blogging till 2013. I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe New Year and I hope that 2013 brings you lots of love and luck!

Wedding Do or Don't: White by Vera Wang

This is a post that I was very torn about writing, in fear that I may offend a few people, but in the end I've decided to post it to find out what everyone else thinks about this collection. Vera Wang is known as bridal royalty. When a girl gets engaged, the first thing she thinks about is her dress, and the two most common names that I hear thrown around are Monique Lhuillier and Vera Wang. Vera has designed the wedding gowns for some of the most well-known celebrities in the world (Jennifer Aniston, Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, and Jessica Simpson, just to name a few), which is why I was pretty surprised when I found out that she had designed a collection for David's Bridal. *gasp* 

This can be looked at in a few different ways:

1. For the bride on a budget, this is an amazing chance for her to wear Vera Wang on her wedding day without breaking her budget. 

2. For the bride not on a budget, this could be seen as a "faux" Vera Wang dress. ("My real Vera dress is way better.")

3. For private bridal boutique owners, this is not good news. (I'm losing customers to David's Bridal?! Damn you, Vera!)

I still have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, Vera can appeal to the masses by making her beautiful creations more affordable for women who don't have $6,000 to spend on a wedding dress. On the other hand, by making her designs available to more people, she's sort of "watering down" her amazingness. The moment you go from couture to ready-to-wear, you cheapen yourself. 

The big difference between Vera Wang and White by Vera Wang is not in the design and aesthetics, but in the material, beading, and construction of the gowns. We're talking silk and satin vs. polyester, hand beaded vs. machine beading, built-in corsets boning, lining, and covered buttons vs. zippers, standard fits, and little to no lining. 

Let's look at a few comparisons:

Vera Wang on the left. White by Vera Wang on the right for $1200.

Vera Wang on the left. White by Vera Wang on the right for $1000.

Vera Wang on the left. White by Vera Wang on the right for $1200.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter who or what you wear. If you're married to the one you love, then your wedding was a success. People will think you look beautiful in your gown regardless of who designed it, or how much you paid for it (which is nobody's business anyway). I leave you with a few more dresses from White by Vera Wang and these questions: Do you notice a difference? Which do you prefer? 

Dress Designer: Marchesa

I'm obsessed with the Marchesa Spring 2012 collection. I've always been a fan of Marchesa in general (2 of my favorite collections can be seen here: Resort 2010 and Resort 2012), but this collection blew me away. 90% of the dresses are dresses that I would wear on my wedding day. 

The collection manages to stay cohesive while experimenting with different styles. With dresses ranging from bohemian to modern to traditional, it's good for brides with all different tastes. 

Take a look at some of the dresses from the collection and let me know which ones are your favorites.

(Pictures from NY Mag)

I love the draping and the structure of the top.

I love this for a reception dress to change into after the ceremony.

My favorite piece from the collection, however I think my shoulders are a little too broad for the detailed sleeves on this one. Meh. 

Cute for a bohemian bride. Simple earrings or a cool headpiece would complete the outfit.

I love the sheer detailing on the top of this dress.

A little too simple for me, but beautiful.

One of my other favorites of the collection. I wish I could find a better picture of the back of the dress.

LOVE the zipper detailing on the back

I love this dress. Structured, but still retains movement.

A little simpler, but I love the detailing on the top.

Wedding Colors: Black and Gold

I knew this was going to happen. I had my wedding colors all picked out, then upon further research, I found another color scheme that I really love. Thankfully, it's not too far off of the original colors of navy and gold that I had picked. 

Right now I'm really loving black and white weddings with champagne accents. It's so simple, but I think the gold is a great accent color for winter weddings. Here are some great pictures from black and gold weddings that I found on Pinterest. With so much great inspiration, how could you not love these colors?