Fall Sample Sale

Junko Yoshioka is hosting a sample sale at their SoHo bridal salon on 580 Broadway, NYC. This 2-day event will take place October 1st and 2nd from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

Get up to 70% off gorgeous, couture wedding gowns! Sample sale prices range from $700-3,000 (Originally $2,500-8,000).

Call for an appointment 212.206.9302

Say "I do" to J. Crew

Check out the J. Crew wedding trunk show for the upcoming fall/winter 2009 and spring 2010 collections at 30 Rockefeller Center, NYC. Sat 9/26 - Sun 9/27 from 8 - 11 AM.

RSVP to Ashley@jcrew.com

8 Fabulous Dresses!!!

Vera Wang

Vera Wang

Romona Keveza

Platinum for Priscilla of Boston

Lazaro

Junko Yoshioka

Giambattista Valli

Elie Saab

A Sketch of Your Wedding Dress

Okaaay, I know I've been slacking. It's been almost a month since my last post. Ugh. Sorry ladies~ I've been preoccupied. I accepted a new position within my company on April 1st, so that's been keeping me busy on the weekdays (meaning, I'm not in the mood to sit in front of a computer again when I get home from work -- can ya blame me?). During the weekends, I'm doing one of two things -- planning our next vacation (Italy, baby!!!) or sitting at home waiting for prospective buyers to come see our place. Right now, I'm having an open house, and I thought I'd squeeze in a post while I wait for the knock on our door. We're trying to sell our place and move to a bigger place this year. Anyway... take a look at the beautiful sketch below...


To make up for my slacking, I wanted to find something cool to share with you all and I think I found it! This website My Dream Lines.com was featured in the spring 2009 issue of InStyle Weddings Magazine. They offer custom sketches of your wedding gown by an artist who lives in the South of France *lucky bastard*. The sketch would be approx. 8 1/2 x 11 in size if you want to frame it, or you could order it as a set of thank you cards. Prices start at about $100 depending on how detailed you want your sketch to be. For example, if you want to include your veil and bouquet, it might cost extra.

I think this would make a great gift! A gift to yourself for all the planning you did for the big day. A gift from the groom to the bride on the wedding day. A gift from husband to wife on their 1st year anniversary (afterall, paper is the traditional 1 yr anniversary gift). A gift from a friend or sister to the bride. Or even, a gift from you to your bridesmaids -- because you can order sketches of the bridesmaids dresses too!I I just love it~

What's the ugliest dress you've ever worn?

Do you want a $2,500 shopping spree at the Amsale flagship store in NYC? Then, enter this contest!! All you have to do is submit a photo of the worst dress you've ever worn or ever seen, and then choose the Amsale dress that you would rather wear. You'll need to write a short story behind the worst dress and why you love the Amsale dress you picked. There's only 3 days left before the contest ends, so hurry! And... GOOD LUCK!

Photos from the Wedding Salon Event

Wow, what a night!! My girlfriend and I arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel around 6 PM tonight and found a looong line of excited brides wrapped around the hotel and down the corner of Madison Avenue. Fortunately, the line moved pretty quickly and we were at the top of the winding stairs in about 15-20 minutes. Unfortunately, we were clearly not the first few hundred or so that made the early bird cut to receive the coveted gift bags. Oh well.

Here's a shot from the second floor balcony... it was hot, busy, and packed!


We pretty much made a bee line directly to where the cakes were displayed and indulged in the yummy samples. I have to say, my favorite was from Make My Cake -- I thought they had the most moist and fluffy cake there. Delicioso! (Apparently, they bake all their ingredients from scratch and they don't use any preservatives. No wonder it was so yummy!) Check them out in Harlem.


I took a photo of this cake below because it was so interesting... love the iced branches! This one is from Nine Cakes in Brooklyn.


And of course, the cake queen, Sylvia Weinstock herself, was at the event! Look at the intricate cake below with all the beautiful sugar flowers. She was sampling a unique flavor, apricot and caramel, and was promoting her new book.


There she is! Sylvia Weinstock...


And another celebrity sighting... Colin Cowie was there. I didn't get a photo of him because a bunch of brides were flocking around him, but I did manage to take this photo of the floral arrangement he had on display. Can you believe these are carnations? Who would know? This would make a beautiful centerpiece... and that's coming from someone who normally hates carnations.


I don't know who arranged this table, but I liked the color combo of the turquoise linens, gold chairs, and mix of orange, pink, and green flowers. Lovely~



Uniquely shaped vases make for an interesting table setting. This was done by PBG Events. Apparently, what they're really known for is there "award winning event lighting."


Now, this is so cool and so scary all at the same time! Live plants... there is an actual human being planted in the center of a floral arrangement and they move! Interesting or weird? Maybe both! You can use them as greeters, centerpieces, or just plain roaming entertainers at your event. Check them out at We Make Pretend.



Are you thinking about having ice sculptures at your wedding? Why not have a fresh flower frozen into your sculpture? I thought this was pretty cool... it's a tulip. From Okamoto.


What would a wedding event be without fabulous dresses? These gorgeous gowns were on display... all from Bridal Reflections.


My favorite one below!!! The detail on this dress is amaaaaazing... and the black flower accent so chic.


What an intricate bodice...


You have to be brave to wear this sexy number!


And finally, to add that finishing touch to your wedding day look... some vintage-inspired handbags. They're simply stunning, by Clara Kasavina. You get 20% off your purchase if you use the discount code "WSalon09" ... e-mail sales@clarakasavina.com to redeem.


Ok, I have to run! The Korea vs. Japan game is on tonight ... you know, the World Baseball Classics! It's the final!!! You know who I'm rooting for!

(P.S. -- To my girls AC, JS, and AK... it was great seeing you girls tonight!)

Shop the Latest Looks

Are you still searching for your perfect wedding dress? Lucky you -- the 2009 spring and summer collections are fresh and gorgeous! Check out the latest styles at one of the upcoming events at Mark Ingram's Bridal Atelier (by appointment only).

• Monique Lhuillier Trunk Show
  March 26-29
  

• Anne Barge & Badgley Mischka Pre-Market Preview
  April 2-3
  

• Junko Yoshioka Trunk Show
  April 16-18
  

• Elizabeth Fillmore Trunk Show
  April 23-25
  

• Oscar de le Renta Trunk Show
  April 27-May 2
  

• Peter Langner Trunk Show & Personal Appearance
  May 7-9
  

• Jenny Packham Trunk Show
  May 14-16

110 East 55th Street, 8th Floor
Btwn Lexington & Park Aves
212 319 6778

The Wedding Atelier in NYC

The Wedding Atelier has been featured in dozens of bridal magazines, the Rachel Ray Show, and The Knot. Apparently, they offer the ultimate experience in shopping for your wedding gown and accessories. I checked out their site and was impressed. Has anyone ever been?

Located at 103 Fifth Ave. (bet. 17th & 18th), 2nd floor
By appointment only

Kleinfeld -- love or hate?

I've heard mixed reviews about Kleinfeld. The brides I've talked to, either love the place or absolutely hate it. Personally, I think it depends on what kind of experience you're looking for. I visited the original Brooklyn store back in 2004 when I was shopping for my own wedding dress. (Btw, if you've been living under a rock for the past year, you may not know that Kleinfeld recently closed down its Brooklyn store and debuted in Manhattan on W. 20th Street btwn 6th & 7th Avenues.) Here are the pros and cons as I remember:

Pros

• Huge selection of wedding dresses
• Lots of trunk shows featuring the latest styles
• If you're lucky enough, you may meet one of the designers at the trunk show. I met Kenneth Pool who offered to customize the dress I had tried on. It was awesome getting his personal attention, with him saying things like "well, if you want, I could add a few beads around the bust and change the neckline to a sweetheart..." He was really charming and convincing, but in the end, I didn't buy the dress. Go figure.
  
• Sales staff are pretty good about bringing you only those dresses that are within your price range (so be honest!) so you don't waste your time trying on $10,000 dresses when your budget is really $2,000.

Cons

• Like I said, there is a huge selection of dresses, but you hardly get to check them out because the saleswoman crams you into the tight fitting room and runs around all by herself trying to find dresses she thinks you might like. (Bless her heart!) Now, if you're an open-minded, laidback bride, this should be fine. But if you're a picky, impatient bride (c'mon, you know who you are), you may get frustrated as the saleswoman brings you one dress after another, none matching the style you envisioned.
  
• Your experience will depend heavily on your saleswoman. If you get a pushy one (like I did), it may not be such a pleasant experience.
  
• The place is crowded so you may have to wait your turn to see yourself in the 3-way mirror. If you don't have much patience, this isn't going to work for you.
• It's hectic -- some say it's overwhelming. I think if you can deal with sample sales and bargain hunting, you can deal with Kleinfeld -- the level of hysteria is pretty much the same.

Caveat -- All of my comments are based on my one experience at the Brooklyn store 5 years ago. I have no idea how the new Manhattan store is. If you're interested in checking them out, I highly recommend going on a trunk show day. This way, you can see the latest dresses from a designer you admire. Here are some upcoming trunk shows:

Jane Wang (Mar 3-5)
Kenneth Pool (Mar 6-8)
Augusta Jones (Mar 10-12)
Reem Acra (Mar 13-15)
Michelle Roth & Henry Roth (Mar 17-19)
Badgley Mischka (Mar 20-22)
Vineyard Collection (Mar 24-26)

***I'd love to see comments from brides who have already been to the Kleinfeld Manhattan store!!***

Elie Saab

Thanks for solving the mystery, Katt!! As soon as I read your comment on my last post, I went digging for more Elie Saab wedding gowns. This one is gorgeous!! Very rarely do I see long-sleeved gowns as stylish and beautiful as this one. There's so much going on, yet the overall look is still so classic and chic.

Does anyone know who the designer is???

This photo is from Paris Fashion Week, but I can't find who the designer is. Does anyone know? I'm dying to see the rest of his/her collection!!

Monique Lhuillier's 2009 Collection

Photos compliments of Coutorture.com

Sabrina Ann's Consignment Shop in PA

A bride I know just bought her wedding dress from a consignment shop in PA and highly recommends it! She sent me photos of her dress and it's absolutely beautiful. The shop is called Sabrina Ann and they carry both once worn and never worn dresses. The great thing is, all of the dresses are from the last 2 years, so you don't have to worry about sifting through a bunch of tired, outdated styles. According to their website, prices range from $400 to $3,000 for high-end designer gowns ... Badgley Mischka, Vera Wang, Melissa Sweet, Anne Barge...

If you have a dress to sell, they do all the work and then share the profits with you 50/50. Not a bad deal, right? Afterall, who doesn't need a few extra bucks in their wallet these days.

David's Bridal Debuts in NYC

Manhattan brides, your wait is finally over! The bridal mega-chain, David's Bridal, will have its grand opening in NYC this Thursday, March 5th. The new store will be in Chelsea at 751 Sixth Avenue (at 25th Street). Doors open at 11 AM. Oh, and there will be an in-store raffle for a free wedding gown, so good luck!!!

Filene's "Running of the Brides" Annual Event in NYC Union Square (Feb 27th)

Dresses for Less

Let's be real for a moment... as ugly as it sounds, we are in the midst of a "recession" right now, so here's a smart, budget-friendly place to buy your dream wedding gown for less. That is, if you don't mind buying a dress that has been worn by another bride before. A small sacrifice to make for hundreds or even thousands of dollars in savings. Visit www.OnceWed.com to see a listing of dresses currently for sale. Or, post your own dress for sale and make a few bucks!

Originally $3,500, this Monique Lhuillier gown is being resold at $1,500

Originally $4,600, this Reem Acra gown is being resold at $1,700

Feeling Charitable? Visit The Bridal Garden

The Bridal Garden is the only non-profit bridal boutique in New York City that offers designer wedding gowns at up to 75% off original prices! They carry gowns from designers such as Amsale, Melissa Sweet, Reem Acra, Monique Lhullier, Maggie Sottero, Angel Sanchez, Carolina Herrera, Vera Wang, and many more. They've been around since 1998 and all proceeds from sales go to improving the education of the city's children. Now, that's an amazing business model, don't you think? Where else can you shop for a wedding gown at significantly discounted prices, and know that your money is going to a good cause? By the way, you can also donate your gown to The Bridal Garden after your wedding, so another lucky customer can purchase it and keep the cycle going!

The Bridal Garden has been featured in InStyle, The New York Times, Modern Bride, and many other magazines, newspapers, and websites.

Make an appointment and visit them at 54 W. 21st Street, Suite 907. And of course, please tell us all about your experience right here on BlabberBride!!

A tribute to an all-time favorite...The Wedding Planner

The Wedding Planner... it's the movie that started it all for me! This movie was released in 2001, the year I graduated from college. As you can imagine, like many twenty-something year olds, I was lost and desperately looking for something to inspire me. I had gone from thinking I'd be a lawyer to possibly a psychologist, to then finally, joining the corporate world like the millions of other lost souls. Don't get me wrong... I have a nice, cushy job at a well-respected company. I don't want to seem ungrateful. It's just that my inspiration doesn't come from my 9-5 job. It comes from all the beautiful, stylish, and creative things that make a wedding. In hindsight, I think it was this movie... The Wedding Planner ... that sparked my obsession -- an obsession that has lasted for eight years now.

Here are a few fabulous photos from the movie. They feature three different wedding gowns -- all spectacular in their own way! Enjoy...