As mentioned last week, on Saturday I went to my first wedding here in Los Angeles at Smog Shoppe (photos are coming). Thankfully the time on the invitation was not the actual start time of the ceremony as we hit some serious traffic. I LOVE when ceremonies start later than the printed time and I love even more when guests are greeted with white wine sangria to sip before the ceremony begins. The bride was beautiful, the groom dapper, the food outstanding (I believe it was catered by Auntie Em’s in Eagle Rock) and the music kickin’. The wedding itself was beautiful, lovely and fun. I ended up going with the Donna Morgan strapless dress that I wrote about for SWS Fashion Friday and believe it or not another guest, a woman I had never met before, told me that she almost wore the exact same dress (glad she didn’t). I left my Solemates on my heels all night and felt great the next day. More inspirational details to come.
I cannot believe it is almost August and that was only my first of eight weddings this year.
We’ve got an itinerary locked down for our Boston/Maine wedding roadtrip vacation! Was my boyfriend excited about the fact that this trip is going to cost us about $2k each? Of course not. Do I have fun vacation things planned including hiking and a night in the seaside town of Camden, Maine at the Camden Harbour Inn rated by Brides magazine as a top honeymoon destination? Absolutely. I think we both just need a getaway holiday and hopefully this week we will lock in a dog sitter for our two little muppets.
I learned that Wedding Paper Divas is having a sweet promotion. If you purchase your Save the Date cards with WPD you can receive a $75 credit towards your wedding invites. More info here: http://bit.ly/WPDstdc.
We received the invitation to our friends’ Australian destination wedding. Our names were printed on the actual invitation and I found this quite striking and very cool. Garden party chic is the requested dress code and right away my boyfriend knew exactly what he was going to wear.
A friend of mine introduced me to the website Dream Bridal. The site is essentially a bridal resale site - like The Green Hanger Shop - that aims to offer dream designer dresses at affordable prices. I do not see much as far as wedding guest or bridesmaid fashion, but if your bride-to-be friend is looking for affordable options this may be another place to shop. My dream bridal dress looks something like this.
I bought a six-pack of blank wedding cards this weekend at Target for five dollars. With two weddings in the next three weeks I had to do it and I do recommend buying in bulk if you are attending enough weddings to justify a pack of anything.
Have a great wedding survival tip to share with the Survive Wedding Season community? Email your tips to solutions@surviveweddingseason.com.
Your Attendance Is Appreciated!™
My friend Monica (aka the LA Busy Bride) is getting married tomorrow at Smog Shoppe here in Culver City. This will be my first time attending this green event space and I cannot wait; it always sounds quite magical. I also, of course, am quite excited to see my friend get married! Both the ceremony and reception will be held within the same location so no driving all over town or researching directions required.
Aside from charging my camera (so I can share pix with you) I am about halfway prepared to attend tomorrow’s I Do. What is checked off the list? A wedding present purchased from the Traveler’s Joy honeymoon registry with a nice color printout of the gift to go in the card, and a pedicure (thanks to bellacures and John Frieda’s Sheer Blonde Entourage). What is still to be completed? A manicure, a card, and finalizing my dress, shoes, jewelry and bag. Today’s Fashion Friday is dedicated to my dress.
Donna Morgan Strapless Silk Chiffon Dress ($138 at Nordstrom.com)
After much deliberation on whether or not I really need a new wedding party dress I purchased the above from Nordstrom.com. I think this cocktail dress might be just right for both tomorrow’s affair and the Maine wedding in three weeks. But is it too white? As you know, guests should never wear white (see: Stay Away From The Pretty White Dress). But this dress - with a white base is technically a patterned dress of blue red and purple.
Tell me what you think - especially the brides out there. Am I pushing it and need to reconsider my clothing options? Or am I over-thinking this selection and should start focusing on shoes? Please leave your comments below.
Have a great wedding survival tip to share with the Survive Wedding Season community? Email your tips to solutions@surviveweddingseason.com.
Your Attendance Is Appreciated!™
This Monday at the London Hotel in West Hollywood The Wedding Salon held a special Bridal Event. My friend Monica - a July Bride-To-Be who is on the lookout for a non-cheesy wedding DJ - invited me to join her but due to a prior commitment (i.e., dog feeding duty while my boyfriend was at a work meeting…shameless plug: visit www.twitter.com/tmtiw to learn more about his upcoming film debut) I could not be her date to explore the best in local Los Angeles wedding vendors (and trust me, I would have loved to go). So instead I said, “Hey, Monica, why don’t you write me a report on the event.” And lucky for all of us, that is exactly what she did. Thanks Monica!
But before I share with you Monica’s Wedding Salon review I want to tell you a little about her so that you get a sense of the source. Monica is in the music business. She loves accessories, has a hip/eclectic/fun fashion sensibility and is an absolute foodie. She is getting married in July at Smog Shoppe - an incredible green wedding space here in Los Angeles, well, Culver City. Personally I am looking forward to this venue as I have yet to attend an event here.
Monica loves Monique Lhuillier, going to every amazing concert here in LA, and entertaining at home. She is also soon to be the mayor of everything on FourSquare and cares deeply for her friends and family. And this is why I want to share her report.
Monica’s Top Fave:
Favorite moment/find: R•Mine Bridal had models in gowns circulating throughout the event instead of a timed runway show. This was great for a busy bride like me because I never seem to be able to catch the runway shows. I either have to leave before they start and run to the next thing or I get to the event late and miss it.
Long story short, I came back from the bathroom and saw THE EXACT obnoxiously-large flower detail that I want to add to my dress. I asked this tiny model who she was representing - and because this event is so swanky the designer of this dress was there and standing two feet away. I met the designer, gushing about her dress and telling her about mine.
I have a beautiful Monique Lhuillier but want to add pockets and details to make it more me. The designer said she never does alterations but liked where I was going with my idea. She slipped me her card to make an appointment and now I heart Armine Ohanessian from R•Mine Bridal in Studio City.
Monica’s Other Faves:
Lots of freebies at this upscale show including ridiculously yummy vanilla cupcakes with caramel centers (!!!) from Blue Cupcake. The dessert buffet complete with ‘wedding cake pops’ almost made me regret my deposit for a dessert buffet with Auntie Em’s but I say almost because we really want to bring a piece of home to our wedding*.
Also, the open Hpnotiq vodka bar was a nice touch that took this event to a livelier louder decibel. I recommend the Hpnotiq and pineapple juice infusion cocktail. It made me break the self-imposed sobriety I had committed to since my Bachelorette party two weeks ago.
Locations and resorts were also so creative. There was a ranch handing out lavender bouquets and a villa boasting a large pot of sangria. Who wouldn’t want to talk to them and see what they’re all about? Not to mention, the London Hotel! They have so many services including group rates, private rooms for rehearsal dinners and roof top amenities - like a day of manis and pedis for bridal party in pool-side cabanas overlooking the city!
Monica’s Honorable Mention:
Gabriel Almodovar: How can you not love a man so focused on his trade that he committed to doing FULL makeovers (hair and makeup) for the entire five hour show. Brides were waiting over an hour in line for him. I don’t have time for that but just from his personality and having seen how he treated the other brides, I am going to contact him.
Monica’s Not Loving:
Still no DJ. So over the uber-cheesy DJs that remind me of high school dances. Are there no good DJs in LA that will do our reception? We don’t want Macarena, we want 90s Hip Hop mixed with Indie Rock with a little bit of Lady Gaga on the side!
The presence of the Beverly Hills plastic surgery physicians - yuk. But I did grab a stress ball in the shape of a breast (nipple and all) to take home to my fiance.
*Elle’s Notes:
Auntie Em’s Kitchen is incredible. They are located in Eagle Rock - just like Monica - and are known for their most delicious red velvet cupcakes. For my boyfriend’s birthday I special ordered two pies - one apple and one pear - as he does not like cake, and there was not one piece left to save for later. So Monica can’t go wrong with choosing Auntie Em’s for her wedding and come August I will be sure to tell her how amazing the desserts were.
Also, Monica still needs a wedding DJ. If you are a DJ or you know of a great LA-based DJ, please email me at solutions at surviveweddingseason dot com. And - plug - don’t forget to learn more about the film The Man That I Was. Just me being very proud of my man, Elle
For more on The Wedding Salon, watch the video below:
