Lazaro Bridesmaid's

I've always had a soft spot for Lazaro. My own wedding gown was a Lazaro gown circa 2002. Every now and then I drop by his site to check out what's new. I'm actually in a holiday meal turkey coma right now and almost came back to life after seeing a few of these designs for bridesmaids Spring, 2009.

THE Dress

I should probably mention that Dade and I have been married for over 6 years now. That means I picked out my gown close to 7 years ago. However, that has not changed my obsession with a dress I saw many, many moons ago on an episode of Sex and the City. It was a perfectly draped, strapless Badgley Mischka gown in which Carrie ended up splitting with Aidan ... again. It was something about that neckline that I tell you I still have dreams about. Anyhow, I was looking through the new Nicole Miller bridal line today and I actually found something that was similar enough that it brought me right back to that moment I first saw that scene. It's the Laeticia silk gown, and it retails for $1320 (probably a whole lot less than the original which I probably would have sold a kidney for while planning my wedding.) Here's a link to the full collection...

Bergdorf Goodman at The Holiday's

If I had to do something other than what I already do for a living, in my dream life I would be a window dresser ... actually no, I would be a travel writer but maybe I'd just dress windows during the holidays. That would be perfect. I know it's probably very hard work in real life, but to me it just seems like soooooo much fun! This evening I was gazing at one of my favorite blogs, The Paris Apartment and was awed by the phenomenal photos of the windows at Bergdorf Goodman this season. Take a peak and get inspired!!!

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Miss Dior Cherie

I hope you all had a very merry, happy holiday! I know I did. I'm actually between events right now. I've got a new crop of people showing up at my door in about an hour for a dinner party, but I thought I'd put pen to paper (in a manner of speaking) and start this entry before I forgot!

I should start by mentioning that I love our Tivo. Actually, it's not Tivo anymore. Now we have the DVR thing that comes with Dish Network. Anyhow, Dade and I were among the first people to run out and buy a Tivo about 8 years ago, and have never looked back. I don't watch commercials ... until last night. Anyone out there completely swept up by the new Miss Dior Cherie perfume ad? I want to live inside of this! It shouldn't have surprised me when the mighty google informed me that it was directed by Sophia Coppola ... AKA the woman I'm in love with who directed Marie Antoinette ... and the inspiration for my favorite bottle of champagne to hand over as a little hostess gift. I swear this commercial could inspire a wedding...

ZGallerie Finds

The power is back on! Of course our Internet is not, but Dade has been loaning me his phone to use as a modem so that I can check email and spend time surfing around online trying to finish up last minute Christmas shopping. In my never ending quest for the "perfect" gift, I ended up on ZGallerie's website and found some items I thought could work great for weddings!

The first thing that caught my eye was this centerpiece kit. The bottom and top are 2 different vases that can be used together or separate. You can put fruit, candy or ornaments (as I now have in mine) on the bottom and flowers in the top. Kind of cool! The set is $40, but they'll likely go on sale after the holidays so you may want to check back. One note... they are bigger than you think. I'll take some photos of mine and upload them once I have normal internet next week.

I also love these for people bringing purple into their event:

The apothecary beverage dispenser. Perfect for a signature drink at a casual Spring or Summer wedding, and the best price for these I could find anywhere, $35.

Baby it's cold outside...

Well, we got welcomed to Winter 2008 with a bang. We live in Southern New Hampshire and got run over by the largest ice storm I've seen since living in upstate New York in the early 90's. We lost power, phone and internet on Thursday night. The power company is working overtime, but until they reconnect us we'll be sitting by the wood stove. Thankfully we have a small generator and a gas stove, so while we may not be taking hot showers right now, we can eat hot meals and watch TV (thank you very much Dish Network!!)

Our property took a hit, but the house itself wasn't damaged so we've really lucked out. In our area we've seen homes which have a tree literally splitting them in half. Hopefully most of the canopy of ice will melt today which should help a lot with the cleanup. I'll be trying to check email via Dade's blackberry as often as I can, but if you don't hear from me for a couple of days, please know that I'll get in touch as soon as possible. Here are a few photos from our yard:

Bluefly Finds

There are many days when I regret ever making a purchase from Bluefly.com because they absolutely litter my email with ads and offers ... however, today isn't one of those days. Instead I ended up sucked into the "70% off" and found a few things to share for either a bride or the bridal party. I love some of these rich colors for a bridesmaids dress.

Marc Bouwer : $428

Vera Wang : $380

Carmen Marc Valco : $272

Vera Wang : $420

Vera Wang: $260

Amsale: $168

Vera Wang : $333

More Mercury Glass

I ended up in Pottery Barn this afternoon and found these mercury glass candle holders on sale for $3.99. I picked up a couple in silver, but they are available in the stores in an assortment of colors.

"Antique" and Mercury Glass Centerpieces

I'm huge on the holidays. If it shimmers and has a little glitter on it, I want it. One of the things I've collected over the years is mercury glass, and many of the little candle holders and vases I've found would work great for an evening wedding. Here are a few finds:

Jamali garden is a great resource. These aren't real mercury glass, but they have the exact same look for a lot less. I have some of the pink and the silver pieces which I line up on my dining room table filled with candles and ornaments during the holidays:

Wisteria is another great resource, though more expensive. Try to hit them up during their after Christmas sale to find great prices.