15 January 2009

New Designs for 2009

I've been knee deep in website updates over the last few weeks. We've added a new line of invitation paper that is a shimmering linen metallic, and have made a lot of changes to the ordering process for invites which hopefully in the end will make things a lot easier for clients. On the very near horizon we'll also be adding thermography and engraving as printing options, so basically we should have everything covered from DIY to blow the budget luxury. Here are a few photos from a couple of the new designs we're getting on the website in the next couple of days.







14 January 2009

The Bride's Cafe

I just wanted to give a plug to Janie over at The Bride's Cafe. If you haven't checked out her new site, swing by. It's overflowing with gorgeous images, and interviews with some of the industry's most innovative leaders. Janie is a ridiculously talented floral designer with a great eye for fresh ideas, and by the way a wonderful person. Giant congrats to her on the new site!


13 January 2009

The Globes

I know it's been talked about to death on half the blogs you probably read, but facts are the Golden Globes were this weekend and that means we all become little self-made fashion critics right? There were hits and misses, but above all else I fell in love! Did anyone else want to rob Freida Pinto for her jewelry? She's the lovely young actress from Slumdog Millionaire. The earrings .... the cuff .... I know I could never afford them, but where are they from? Who made them? Why did Ryan Seacrest not ask the only question I needed an answer for? Anyhow, here is my jewelry porn...



09 January 2009

Colorful Creations = Cheap, Sparkly Shoes


Was I the last to know? Recently I was browsing the new In Style Weddings, and I stumbled on these ... and the listed price is $70! Huh??? For something sparkly to wear on your wedding day at a reasonable price, these can't be beat.

08 January 2009

The Best of the Best

I just received an email from Junebug Weddings and thought I'd share. They have put together their "Best from the Best" photo gallery for 2008. It's overflowing with brilliant images from beautiful events and certain to inspire...

My personal favorite would have to be this one.


The Great and Powerful Workout Video

This post isn't necessary wedding related, but I know that many, many brides out there are trying to trim down or tone up to look great in all those photos. In that regard I hope it's helpful to someone out there. In honesty, I've always been pretty thin. I have never dieted. However, 3 months ago I had surgery which removed a tumor, lymph node, muscle tissue and rib from my back. When they took the rib, they snipped one of my main nerves so I have no feeling at all around the right side of my waist from my mid-back all the way around to my belly button. The result is that I'm still puffy and swollen as my system tries to make new nerve connections and heal around the tissue they took out. Fun stuff huh? Anyhow, I sat around for a month thinking, well the puffiness should start to go down soon. Month 2 I started getting frustrated and tried out new workout routines. Month 3 I got a little routine down that seems to be getting some results.

I should mention that I grew up dancing, so anything dance related draws my attention. I will spend a day watching the worst dance movies ever made just to see the choreography, and when "So You Think You Can Dance" premieres ever year I want to throw a party. I decided to try every dance related workout video out there until I found something I liked. Here are my top picks.
The NYC Ballet Workout is actually a video I picked up in 2002 before my own wedding. For people that have taken dance, it's basically an hour long intensive warm up which kicks the crap out of your legs and abs (in a good way.) It brings you through series of plies, crunches, small jumps and stretches. To me, it's the video I always come back to. I just ordered Part 2 and will let you know how it is.



Next up is Bollywood fun with Hemalayaa. I mean ... why not? This video isn't exactly a stand alone workout routine, but it will make you sweat and teach you how to shake your shoulders like a Bollywood star. I wouldn't do it in front of anyone as she has you doing things like "Gorilla Walking" and the classic "Running Man." In the end, it's a fun way to get your cardio in.

I decide to give Hemalayaa another shot and bought this video about a month ago. I figured, for $8 on amazon, what the hell? I have to say that this one is a much more intensive workout than the previous video. I did all 3 sections back to back and by the end wanted to curl up into a fetal position and rock back and forth for awhile. I liked that it mixed standing and floor work, and I really could see my abs working (aka wanting to jump out of my body.) I think adding one section of this workout to another routine would be great.



O.K... don't laugh. Actually, go ahead. I laugh at myself for this pick. Dade and I were on a JetBlue flight back from Virginia at 6AM and all that was on T.V. was infomercials. I got sucked into the Core Rhythms pitch and on Christmas morning their starter kit was waiting under the tree for me. This video is supposed to sculpt your body while teaching you Latin Dance. It comes with 6 different workouts, all of which are based on aspects of ballroom dancing. The 2 hosts are pros on Dancing with the Stars. I've done the long workout disc which is 45 minutes, and I have to say that I certainly felt my "core" working. One thing I do really like about this series is that you can flip your angle from being in front of the instructor to being behind her, and you can also pause to get help about each move. it's a little pricier than the other videos at $60 for the set, but I do think if you stick to it it will work to get you toned and drop a few pounds.


Last, and certainly not least is my weekly session with this guy ... Steve Ross. I didn't have a DVD image, so I just pasted his head into this post. He hosts a show on the Oxygen network called Inhale every morning at 6AM. I set my DVR to tape it every few days. It's an hour of high intensity yoga. What I like about it is that the music is great, and you're moving around a lot. It's not a "get into a position and hold it for a half an hour" kind of workout. It's more of a "twist yourself over and over again into crazy knots that somehow feel good" kind of workout. I've been taking his class off and on for about 4 years, and I have to say I always feel better when I'm "on" rather than "off."

05 January 2009

The Little Shoebox


Last week I was catching a flight back to New Hampshire after visiting my family in Baltimore for a couple of days, and wound up meeting the owner of my new favorite shoe store, The Little Shoebox. Now I should mention that I'm one of those people who puts on headphones and dreads the idea of someone wanting to talk to me through a flight, but I think Emilie and I just clicked for some reason. We spent an hour flying through a snowstorm, fingers crossed we'd be able to land and talking shop about owning small businesses. Once I got home I had to check out her website! For those brides out there looking to do a dramatic shoe (for the all important shoe shot under the dress,) how about one of these?

Emilie has 2 locations, one in Towson, MD and the other in Bethesda. If you're in the area, definitely check them out! She's running huge sales right now. Send us photos of what you pick up.