New Haven CT Wedding

I recently had the great fortune of performing as the wedding coordinator for K and D in CT. Here are some teaser pics of their gorgeous wedding. It was so much fun ! She had some really fun ideas and everything went off without a hitch !I was happy to be a part of her special day. Hit me up via email for reviews on Amarantes by the Sea and some of her other vendors.

Jewelry...good for more than the Holidays...

Great finds at BR ( Banana Republic ).

Awesome bridesmaids gift. Always remind them of how much they mean to you. L.O.V.E charm necklace retailing for $49. Too cute !




Totally cute bracelet for only $49 ! Maybe not necessarily for the big day but a good option for all the parties in between.




I kind of like this one for bridesmaids bouquets or a really chic hostess gift, or a bridemaids gift or a moms gift... the possibilities are endless...

Fall 2009 Vera Wang and Badgley Mischka

So I was looking at the latest fall collections and i have to say I am a bit disappointed by Vera's collection. The whole Forest Fantasia theme threw me a little, I felt the looks didn't reflect it at all. Any who here are some of the ones I liked:
Badgley Mischka's collection I did like but felt like I have seen them before. Here are some I liked.

Grooms will love this !

Brewers Apprentice;

They provide you with a place to create either seventy-two 22-oz. bottles of your own hand-crafted beer or mead, or twenty six 750 ml. bottles of your favorite wine! How awesome is that your own personalized beer !

Forget monogram water bottles !

I think this is an awesome way to involve your groom or plan a beer making outing for your groomsmen !

And in an extra special hooray to females everywhere they are completely women owned !

Mind your manners...

This weekend I was asked more than twice about which fork to use for which meal or what each glass on the table meant. So I thought it was the perfect opportunity to blog a little recap about basic to formal table settings and some suggested tips you can use to remember which fork is for your salad and which knife is for your butter !

Less the etiquette police track you down and fine you :)

Basic:

Tip: "Holding your hands in front of you, touch the tips of your thumbs to the tips of your forefingers to make a lower case ‘b’ with your left hand and a lower case ‘d’ with your right hand. This reminds you that ‘bread and butter’ go to the left of the place setting and ‘drinks’ go on the right."

(Now this could make you look really silly but once you get the hang of it you won't have to create your own puppet show at the dinner table.)

“FORKS” The order, left to right is: F for Fork, O for Plate (the shape!), K for Knives and S for Spoons.

• Knife blades always face the plate
• The napkin goes to the left of the fork, or on the plate
• The bread and butter plate and knife are optional

Informal:

The picture shows a table setting for the following courses: Soup course, Salad or first course, Entrée, Dessert

Now informal has a lot of components and I encourage you to see the full description (here).
But for a quick what do I do with all these utensils scan the below.

Dinner Plate: In the middle under the napkin

Forks: 2 of them. One large for your entree one smaller for salad or appetizer. In an outside in order, so if you are using the salad fork first it will be on the "outside" next to the dinner fork. If the salad is served after the main course then it will be on the "inside" next to your plate.

Napkin: If it is not folded then it should go placed in a napkin ring either to the left of the forks or in the middle of the plate.

Dinner knife: Top the immediate right ( cutting edge facing inward).
Never place a dirty knife on the table, place mat or tablecloth !!!

Spoons: To the right of the knife. Same concept as the Forks outside-in. The picture shows soup being served first so the spoon is on the outside of the plate. Dessert spoon will be on the inside immediately next to the plate.

Glasses: Are always placed at the top right of the dinner plate.

Salad plate: Is placed to the left of the forks.

Bread plate with butter knife: Above the forks with the butter knife placed diagonally across the edge blade facing down.

Coffee cup and saucer: If serving is placed above and to the right of the knife and spoons.

Formal:

Illustration is set for Appetizer: Shellfish, First Course: Soup or fruit , Fish Course , Entrée, Salad

The most complicated of them all !

Some of the basic differences are:

Service Plate: This large plate, also called a charger, serves as an under plate for the plate holding the first course, which will be brought to the table. When the first course is cleared, the service plate remains until the plate holding the entrée is served, at which point the two plates are exchanged. The charger may serve as the under plate for several courses which precede the entrée.

Oyster fork: If shellfish are to be served, the oyster fork is set to the right of the spoons. Note: It is the only fork ever placed on the right of the plate.

Glasses: These can number up to five and are placed so that the smaller ones are in front. The water goblet is placed directly above the knives. Just to the right goes a champagne flute; In front of these are placed a red and/or white wine glass and a sherry glass.

No more than three of any implement is ever placed on the table, except when an oyster fork is used in addition to three other forks. If more than three courses are served before dessert, then the utensil for the fourth course is brought in with the food; likewise the salad fork and knife may be brought in when the salad course is served.

Dessert spoons and forks are brought in on the dessert plate just before dessert is served.

All pictures and guidance from www.emilypost.com

And Speaking of destination weddings...

At the below mentioned resort I had the misfortune to spy a young beautiful bride drenched in sweat due to her traditional ball gown for a beach ceremony. Unfortunate and horrible for pictures this could have been easily avoided. This inspired me to find some cute and cost effective alternatives for a beach or casual wedding. I also think these would be great as second dresses since they are light and fun.

**Click on the picture and it will take you to its owner**

Paradise

So I just got back from celebrating my wedding anniversary at one of the best resorts in Punta Cana "Paradisus Palma Real". The resort is relatively new officially opening in the Spring of 2006. And though I went on a strictly pleasure trip I highly recommend it for a destination wedding. The grounds are immaculate, the staff highly trained and the location beautiful. The grounds even have their own mall !! Where you can get last minute essentials, gifts, liquor etc... (this is in addition to the resort shop which is fully stocked).

Affordable Jewelry

Ever been on emitations.com? Let me start by saying that they have the best selection of bootleg jewelry on the net ( and I mean bootleg in the nicest way possible :) ). Not only do they have celebrity knockoffs but they are affordable too! I especially like these small flower earrings for bridesmaids or flower girls.

These I found on Etsy and Whiteaisle also great sights for weddings finds.

Jennifer Behr

Oh so pretty ! In place of a veil why not a pretty flower or feather or beads ! Or both !
I love Jennifer Behr's bridal collection but I love even more her everyday colorful hair bands (some have even been featured on Gossip Girl).

Fun way to get some bling !

Today's Daily Candy Email !

I don't know how much deodorant you can possibly run through until you win, but I still think it could be fun... Think FREE DIAMOND !

September 22, 2008
A Diamond in the Stuff

There are the secrets you keep (stuffing your bra) and the ones you don’t (your cheating ex stuffing his shorts).

Then there’s the Secret that could make you rich.

Over the next three months, faux diamonds will be randomly embedded in packages of new Secret Flawless deodorant.* Find one in your stick, and Secret will convert the fake bling into the real thing: a flawless, $15,000, one-carat diamond.

Fear not if you don’t land the jewels; there’s plenty of riches to go around — gift cards, movie tickets, and five-star dinners — simply for using Secret Flawless. It provides strong protection, clear application, and a lightweight formula with a self-renewing fragrance and skin-nurturing conditioners.

The promotion will end before you know it, so hurry out and grab some sticks of Secret Flawless, find your treasure, and mount the rock however you wish.

No padding required.

For more information, go to secret.com.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends June, 30, 2009. For free method of entry and official rules, go to secretdiamondgiveaway.com.

Dinner Parties, Weddings, Babies... My favorite flower

Aren't they pretty ? Peonies definitely rank up there in my top 5. The best part is that it is the kind of flower that can be used in any arrangement whether it be for a wedding or a small dinner party of 6. Though not always available due to seasonal restrictions ( Usually in late Spring early Summer) they are known to represent the "flower of riches and honour" in certain cultures which not only makes it quite auspicious for weddings but gives you something to chat about with your guest as you gather round the dinner table. Here are some pics of Peonies both alone and in arrangements.