The Royal Wedding is Tomorrow! Oh Em Gee!

Personally, I'm not going to wait up 'till 4 in the morning to watch the royal wedding. As much as I would enjoy seeing it live and pretending that I was invited to such a grand event, I also have sleep to catch up on. Besides, we all know that the only thing we really care about is what Kate's wearing, and that's what tabloids and YouTube is for!

Amidst questions about what the dress is going to look like, bets are being placed on which tiara Kate is going to wear for her big day. Right now, most people are speculating that she will don the Russian fringe tiara (pictured above), which was made in 1919 for Queen Mary before being passed down to the Queen Mother, the Queen, and Princess Anne at their weddings. If Kate does wear this crown, she'll be the first "commoner" to do so (Yah! Power to the People!)

Although tiaras are becoming less popular for the rest of us "common brides," perhaps the royal wedding will create a new demand. If not, then I'm sure current and future brides- to- be will look into getting these cool twists on traditional princess headgear!

Crystal headband by Erica Koesler

Crystal headband by Malis Henderson

Crystal ribbon headband by Maria Elena

The headpieces above can be found at Kleinfeld's. If you go there during their blowout sale (which is coming up on May 3rd) you can get pretty good prices on pieces like these. Otherwise, however, they are pricey. Etsy has a lot of vendors that sell good quality pieces very similar to the ones shown above but at much more affordable prices. 

"Rebecca" by BridalBlooms, Etsy

Floral Bridal Headband by YJdesign, Etsy

Headbands not your thing? Try a beautiful comb:

Elise Vintage Rhinestone Spray Brooch/Hair Comb by belcanto, Etsy

Hats ON for Royal Wedding Week

Many years ago, this rom-com once taught me that British people love wearing big fabulous hats at weddings.

Philip Treacy has been the milliner for the royals since God knows when and has even made some delightful creations for Americans like Lady Gaga and Sarah Jessica Parker, which I think is a rather interesting juxtaposition in clientele (and style!)

I personally wish Americans would get with the program and wear cool hats at weddings. Brides are starting to do it. Let's start a trend shall we? Here are some less expensive options, since let's face it- if Philip Treacy is serving the British and American elite and not listing prices on his website, we probably can't afford it:

The "Lismore" $199 Etsy

The "Elwick Fascinator" $169 Etsy

Velvet Cocktail Hat, $495 BHLDN

Silk Coil Hat, $120 BHLDN

Profile Feather Hat Headband $212 Etsy

The best thing about the big hat? You can wear it again at your next Kentucky derby or while you clean the house.

Spring 2012: The Season of Sleeves?

When I was shopping for my wedding dress last year, I heard that 90% of all wedding dresses are strapless. I asked around and many other brides to be confirmed this stastitic to be true.

However, this statistic may no longer be accurate because in the past year or so more and more dresses have been popping up on the runway with sleeves or at least straps.

The Spring 2012 bridal collections will not disappoint when it comes to sleeved wedding dress options. I'm not sure if designers are following our demands or if they're trying to anticipate bridal fashion post royal wedding (since Kate Middleton's dress will likely have sleeves, following royal bridal fashion tradition)...but does it really matter?

Enjoy some haute couture bridal fashion fresh from the runway!:

Monique Lhuillier- this dress was actually the dress Lhuillier designed with Kate Middleton in mind!

 

Vera Wang

Claire Pettibone

Carolina Herrera

 

Carolina Herrera

Ooh la la- the Croquembouche!

I know this may be blasphemous, but I'm actually not a big fan of wedding cakes, overall. Fondant is not really my thing and I've had my share of really disappointing dry slices that needed to be washed down with a glass of champagne (so not a complete loss).

I can't be the only person who feels this way though, because cupcakes have become all the rage at weddings. Stacked into tiers, cupcakes are a really cute and affordable alternative to the traditional wedding cake.

However, if you're still not a big fan of cakey substances, or are looking for something more grand than cupcake tiers for your wedding, why not get inspired by the French?

 

The croquembouche (or pièce montée) is often served at weddings, baptisms, and first communions in France. It usually takes the form of a high cone of profiteroles filled with pastry cream, which is sometimes dipped in chocolate and bound with caramel. The croquembouche can also be decorated with threads of caramel, sugared almonds, chocolates, flowers, or ribbons. 

 

They can also include macarons or be completely covered in macarons (like in the picture above), which is deliciously stunning. 

The prices for these works of edible art depend on how complex and how tall your croquembouche is, but they are often less expensive than your typical four tiered wedding cake.  So, if you're looking for an affordable and unique alternative to a wedding cake, I would look no further than your local patisserie.

No Wedding Envy For Today :(

Sorry folks! I have reached the dark days of wedding planning and haven't had time to research this week's wedding envy. I like to think of it as a kind of "runner's wall" if you will. Somehow this photo perfectly describes my tooth and claw fight to get out of the cardboard box of chaotic wedding plans! But fear not- Madame G has some great posts in store, and I will rejoin the world of NB as soon as I make a damn decision on these bridesmaid dresses. In the meantime, enjoy the pyscho kitteh.

Happy Hump Day!

MPN

Wedding Envy- Earth Day Edition

Ok, so it's a little on the early side, but why not celebrate Earth Day every day?! Since we're in between Earth Hour (which was on March 26) and Earth Day (April 22), I thought I'd bring a little eco-friendliness into our lives today. But not just any eco-friendliness- SPARKLY eco-friendliness! Me & Ro is a great jewelry company that is beginning to be picked up by more mainstream department stores (i.e. Bloomingdale's). They pride themselves on their ethical practices, which include using conflict free diamonds, recycled gold and silver and- here's the kicker- fossilized ivory from mammoths and mastodons found in Russia and Alaska! They also no longer buy coral, but rather use antique coral in one-of-a-kind pieces and their packaging and mailing materials are 100% recycled. These are great pieces on their own, but the ethical conscience behind them make them even more special. And can someone please use that heart-shaped ring as an engagement ring? I dare someone to make snarky comments about your mammoth ivory being too small.

Top to Bottom: 1. 18K Gold Fossilized Ivory Heart Ring ($2,575); 2. 18K Gold Large Fossilized Ivory Heart Pendant ($3,175); 3. One-of-a-kind Pear Shape Opaque Diamond Earrings with Multi-Colored Pave Diamonds ($7,200)

Wedding Envy- Cocktail Edition

Happy Hump Day NBs! This week's wedding envy is inspired by some great cocktails I had over the weekend- including my very first Pimm's Cup (highly recommended)! Expensive cocktails are pretty easy to come by- and I'm not talking about $20 for a rum and coke kind of expensive, I'm talking hundreds if not thousands of dollars kind of expensive. Most of these cocktails include some sort of gold dusting or even pieces of jewelry floating around with the ice cubes. This particular drink, however, is special- not because it comes garnished with something sparkly, but because it's historic! Available at The Merchant House in Belfast, this Mai Tai will cost you roughly $1400! The reason? It's made with Wray & Nephew 17 year old rum- the original key ingredient that inspired Trader Vic to make the original Mai Tai cocktail at his bar in Oakland, California in 1944. There are only six bottles of this stuff in circulation, and this one at The Merchant House is probably the only one actually being drunk. So if you're REALLY in to Mai Tai's- this is the drink for you! Just make sure the person making the drink really knows what they're doing...