Getting Married? Get Committed!

Getting married? Looking for ways to keep it eco-friendly? Then you need to come check out Committed! 

This is a fantastic wedding show featuring wedding vendors who are all members of the Chicago Green Wedding Alliance. (Like me!) Not only will you get to meet some great like-minded wedding folks, there will be plenty of food to nibble on, drinks to sip, and more! 

While you're there, be sure to visit to the Rumpus Room, where there will be fun, hands-on activities. That's here I'll be hanging out as a volunteer for the event, so be sure to stop by and say HI! 

For tickets, click HERE

Beautiful "Fish and Bird" Wedding

Look at this gorgeous wedding, inspired by the Tom Waits song, "Fish and Bird." It is featured today on the Wedding Chicks blog.

When Janelle and Chris were first dating, Chris sent Janelle a note with the lyrics to the song. This became the theme for their gorgeous backyard wedding. 

There were so many amazing elements, including succulents (!!), a jellyfish backdrop, and even pie.

Not only do I love all the beautiful details of this couple's wedding, but they happen to be two people I know and absolutely adore.

Congratulations, Chris and Janelle! I wish you a lifetime of love, laughter, joy, and game nights with friends! 

Check out the full gallery of photos by Julia Franzosa Photography (one of my favorites!) HERE.

You Light Up My Life

The kids and I went to the Museum of Science and Industry today. While walking through exhibits, I came across the Galaxy Dress, a gown made up of  LED lights.

So, anyone out there considering a light-up wedding dress? 

A Cephalopod Wedding Dress.... Happy Monday!

You may not know this, but I'm a bit of a cephalopod nut. Squid, octopus, cuttlefish - I love them all. So, imagine my delight when I found details of this wonderful DIY wedding at craftster.org.

The bride sewed her own wedding dress - a funky frock speckled with squid! There was a bright green peek-a-boo petticoat that completed the outfit.

The wedding cake was modeled after their invitations, which featured the couple as giants chasing movie monsters. Thus, the cake featured a city skyline and was artfully adorned with tentacles. Love it!

Just had to share this delight with you. It truly made my day!

Sarah & Pete's Moving, Murderous Wedding

Let me begin by saying that no one was actually murdered at Sarah and Pete's wedding. Well, at least not that I know of.

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I can tell you a bit more.

Sarah & Pete had a 10-10-10 wedding at my favorite venue, Catalyst Ranch. Their ceremony included two wonderful readings, the first being a selection from Madeleine L'Engle's "The Irrational Season." The other reading was actually dialogue from the movie adaptation of Neil Gaiman's book, Stardust. Sarah, a young adult librarian, selected these readings and they were just perfect.

I especially love this part from the Stardust reading: "My heart… It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it’s trying to escape because it doesn’t belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I’d wish for nothing in exchange – no gifts. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine."

Wow.... It definitely goes into my collection of favorite quotes!

And (getting back to the ceremony) I even got to use a line from The Princess Bride during the wedding. How's that for a cool ceremony? I loved it!!

Besides picking great readings, Sarah and Pete included many other personal elements to their wedding day. My favorite detail was their wonderful attire. Sarah wore a lovely satin dress, which was handmade for her by her grandmother. Pete wore his grandfather's original wedding suit. Isn't that so cool?

Also - the wedding cake absolutely has to be mentioned. It was made by none other than the groom himself! Pete is a professional baker and he baked the cake AND decorated it. Can you believe it?? Even the pretty fondant flowers and detailed autumn leave that adorned the cake were his creations.

This just keeps getting better!

But wait - there's more! Now for the "murderous" part.....

The wedding reception featured a wedding-themed murder mystery. FUN! It also explains why I saw a different bride dash past just before the ceremony. I did a double-take and was a bit confused until I realized the other was the faux bride. For a minute there, it looked like the bride from the wedding downstairs was making a run for it!

In any case, it was a gorgeous day for a very cool wedding of a really lovely couple.

Congratulations, Sarah & Pete! I wish you all the very best for a happy life together!

Cedric & Jessica's Wedding (Part 2)

A few more delicious details......

Jessica's dress was so fabulous - and laced up the back. She looked amazing! And just to add one more sweet note, her hot pink shoes featured a heart on the sole.

(For those of you who can't imagine walking in high heels, I'm happy to report that Jessica was completely graceful in these beauties. So there.)

The bridesmaids were lovely in green dresses. The groomsmen wore coordinating green ties - and cool black sneakers. Love it!

The reception, in addition to being a feast for the eyes, was also literally a feast! There was tons of amazing Brazialian-themed food, including grilled steak, beef with plantains, black beans.... and, of course, a variety of cup cakes for dessert. My kind of party!

Bridesmaids Dresses to Make You Cringe

We've all seen our share of bad bridesmaids dresses. Some of us have even been forced to wear them.

Just thank your lucky stars you didn't have to wear this floral monstrosity!

Those bridesmaids are smiling on the outside, but inside, they're shrieking.

You can thank the folks at Awkward Family Photos for sharing the joy.

Wedding Profile: Mangesh & Raquel's Colorful Spanish-Indian Celebration at Baha'i Temple

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of officiating the wedding ceremony of Mangesh and Raquel at the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette.

Mangesh, a native of India, and Raquel, from Spain, had a wonderful, multicultural ceremony. It was such a delight to be a part of this celebration!

The ceremony included readings in Spanish and Hindi, as well as a reading of Seven Wishes, as a nod to the tradition of the Seven Steps, or Saptapadi, of Indian weddings. Seven of their friends shared blessings for the couple, in English and Spanish.

One of my favorite touches was that Raquel's wedding flowers were presented as a part of the ceremony. Rather than walking in with a bouquet, she was given flowers after her entrance, by her parents and sister, and Mangesh's parents and brother. The long-stemmed roses were gathered in a bunch and Mangesh tied them together with a red scarf - from Raquel's hometown in Spain. It was a beautiful symbol of the joining of their two families and cultures.

And, last but not least, take a look at Raquel's incredible dress! Mangesh brought it back for her from India this summer. It was unbelievably beautiful, with delicately intricate beading and embroidery. I made sure to take a picture so I could show my mom. As a seamstress, I knew she would appreciate the amazing details. And she did. (There was much ooh-ing and ahh-ing.)

The wedding was a spectacular sight - a gorgeous feast of colors amidst the grand beauty of the temple. A wonderful experience I'll never forget!

Congratulations, Raquel and Mangesh!

I wish you all the best - I know you will have a long and happy life together!

The First Lady's First Gown

A few weeks ago my family went on a vacation to Washington, D.C. I've always wanted to take a trip to D.C. and ours definitely lived up to my expectations. I had a ball!

One of my "must-sees" (on the list just after the National Portrait Gallery) was the gown Michele Obama wore to the inaugural ball. The dress, along with the other First Ladies' gowns, is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

As the daughter of a seamstress, I have a great appreciation for dresses. While I'm not overly enamored with the idea of wearing a fancy frock, I sure do like seeing them!

Yep, I'm one of those folks who watches the award shows to see the clothes - not the actual awards.

So, it was a big thrill to see the gowns worn by the First Ladies. Some were stunning, such as the sleeveless pink gown worn by Mamie Eisenhower for the 1953 inauguration. It had over 2,000 rhinestones!

Others were just surprising - not for their impressiveness, but for the lack thereof. Such as the pale green dress that zippered up the front, worn by Betty Ford to state dinners at the White House. Zipper? In the front??? I know my mother would not have approved!

Michelle's dress was so beautiful up close! I know it caused a stir with the one strap (gasp!) But I can attest to the fact that it was lovely.

It was fantastic to see the dress on display with the actual jewelry she wore with it. Those long earrings were gorgeous. And check out that honkin' big ring just below. You could easily visualize how sparkly and spectacular she was that night!

I was left wondering whether her dress has inspired wedding gown look-alikes. I guess that was a "Duh!" on my part. Of course there are!

Here is one by Sarah Houston .
You, too, can be the First Lady for one day!

Audey Designs: Fun & funky dresses for fun & funky YOU!

This is the fabulous Fall 2010 collection from local designer, AUDEY.

I saw her gorgeous designs at IndieWed and loved, Loved, LOVED them!

My favorites are the dresses with the colored petticoats worn by the ballerinas.
I just adore that flouncy splash of color!



P.S. - Jess Audey donates a portion of each sale to a charitable organization.
This quarter the donation is going to EqualityNow.org. Very cool!

Wedding Tips to Enjoy With Your Cup of Coffee

My favorite thing about Sunday morning is what my family calls, "Big Breakfast" which we enjoy while sharing the Sunday paper. While drinking my coffee and enjoying one of my husband's fantastic homemade scones, I happily discovered that today's Chicago Tribune featured a Wedding Survival Guide.

I paged through it and found some great tips for brides and grooms. An article definitely worth checking out is Wedding Clothes That Fit Your Bottom Line, offering several good tips such as:

• Shop the bridesmaids dresses for your gown. They often have the same styles available in the wedding gown and bridesmaid dress categories.
• Look into non-bridal shops for dresses. Places like J.Crew and Ann Taylor have dresses that make beautiful wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses - at lower prices.
• For groomsmen, let them wear their own suits, in coordinating colors.
• For bridesmaids, pick a color and let them pick out their own dresses. They'll save money - and have a dress they can wear again.

Another helpful article I came across was Ahh...the Smell of Freshly Saved Cash, which offered suggestions on saving money on wedding flowers. One of my favorite tips was to create simple centerpieces by using mason jars with bouquets of seasonal flowers. I can just picture a bunch of peonies for a summer wedding - it would be a lovely, fresh display. (That could also be because I just spent Friday afternoon digging up weeds and planting peonies!)

Be sure to check today's Trib for these helpful hints, as well as ideas on writing the perfect toast. That means you, Best Man!

A Bit O' Green for Your Wedding

In honor of St. Patrick's day, I present to you - Green Gowns!

My favorite color is green. So, if I had to do it all over again, would I pick a green dress?

Hmm.... I'm not sure. Maybe.

But, these gowns would make the decision tough. I especially love this first one, with the flowers. I found it at the Dream Wedding blog. Okay, maybe the green flowers are a little much, but I still love it. Maybe pale pink flowers instead?

The dress with white flowers, is also tempting. But, I really like the one with the yellow flower at the waist, too (found at AisleDash).

I guess it's a good thing I don't have to make this kind of decision!

Indie Wed favorites - continued

I enjoyed a fashion show at Indie Wed, which included work by several different designers.

One of my favorites was Dame Couture, a local Evanston shop, which had the loveliest wedding dresses!

I learned that the Dame Couture dresses are custom made and that they will even work with brides to create original dresses. So, you could take your mother's wedding dress and have it "re-imagined" into a style that's all you. How cool is that!?





Although I'm not a very good photographer, I still managed to get a few decent shots of the dresses. I thought all the dresses were fabulous, but I especially loved the one in the top picture with the striped fabric train. So gorgeous!













I think I want to get married again. I'd keep my husband, but I'd definitely wear a different dress. (no offense, Mom). I'd wear one by Dame Couture!

The wedding dress they'll talk about for years!

Well, I saw this dress and couldn't resist the urge to share.

I checked it out on snopes.com where I learned that it was worn by professional belly dancer, Anna Atamanchuk, for her civil wedding ceremony in 2007.

This photo shows her performing in the dress. Now, imagine this dress as she walked down the aisle....

So, any brides out there daring enough for a gown like this one?

What Ever Happened to Sleeves?

I have noticed something disturbing and wanted to bring it to your attention.

Sleeves have disappeared. It's true.
But don't be alarmed - this phenomenon appears to be limited to wedding gowns.

Seriously - just about every wedding gown I've seen in the past year has been sleeveless. So, where the heck did the sleeves go?

Well, I went on a mission to find out - and to see if wedding dresses with sleeves even exist.
It wasn't easy. I googled "long sleeve wedding dress" and "sleeve wedding dress" and tried other similar searches. Very often the dresses that showed up were (you guessed it!) sleeveless. One of the searches even resulted in my finding babydoll pajamas. I'm still trying to figure that one out.

But, I searched on and did ultimately find some lovely dresses.

So, for you brides out there who aren't as confident as Michelle Obama and may want to cover those upper arms - there is hope! It may take a bit of work, but your dress is out there.

Here are two of my favorites:

The one on the left, with the long jacket, is from ebay. The smoky-colored dress is by Jovani and listed as a bridesmaid dress, but I think it would be gorgeous for a bride.

Running of the Brides!

Filene's Basement will be hosting the annual Running of the Brides sale this Friday, July 24th. The sale opens at 8:00 a.m. at the Filene's on State Street.

Dresses normally priced anywhere from $900 to $9000 will be on sale for $249 to $699! No wonder people line up for hours before the sale opens!

Plus, there's a bonus! WeddingWire has teamed with Filene's to offer a drawing for gift certificates towards a wedding dress. Click here to enter online.

Will you be one of the running brides this Friday?

T-Shirts at the Wedding

Common sense says you shouldn't wear a t-shirt to a wedding. Or, at the very least, that little voice in your head that sounds suspiciously like your mom's should warn you against this major social faux pas.

But who ever said anything about a t-shirt wedding dress?

That's what you're looking at right here. The dress was created by the mother/daughter duo of Donna and Lauren Kroiz. I found the instructions for this cute recycled t-shirt dress at Craftzine, which has creative & fun DIY wedding projects. Be sure to check out the site for the pretty forget-me-not headpiece.

Get going, you crafty brides out there!

Wedding dress resource

I came across Once Wed, a website that allows brides to buy (or sell!) wedding dresses. Most of the dresses are used, but many are brand new and have never been worn. A great way to get a good deal!

This got me to wondering..... how do most brides feel about the idea of wearing a pre-owned gown? Leave a comment if you'd like to share your
opinion.

Green Wedding Gowns

Simply Dazzling Events, a New York event planning company with a fantastic blog, recently featured a unique eco-friendly wedding gown. The Chameleon Wedding Gown, created by Isadora Clothing, is made from organic cotton, bamboo and spandex jersey.

What's really cool about this dress is that it can be worn in many ways, depending on how you wrap and tie it. It can go from short-sleeved to strapless, with a bunch of changes in between.

The dress can be found (and purchased!) at Isadora Clothing's Etsy shop.

If you're into recycling, you can "re-imagine" your wedding dress after the Big Day. Just dye it, hem it, and wear it for many more years.

What a great idea!!!