{Sneak Peek} Maura & Alan

TGIF!  What are your weekend plans?  I never made it to the pumpkin patch last weekend & this weekend is looking no more promising.  It may just have to be a post-Halloween trip.  Speaking of Halloween, this little blog is all Halloween, all the time next week.  So this sneak peek isn't next Wedding Wednesday but the first Wedding Wednesday of November:

Ah, yes.  We're kicking off November with the prettiest, elegant pink & white wedding.  It's a must see!

For this week's orange & white wedding eye candy, please visit Orange & White Florida Wedding.

Happy weekend!

Photography: Kim Reimer Photography  /  Submitted via Two Bright Lights

{Trash the Dress} Snowy-style

Let's get the winter wedding party started!  I could think of no better way to kick off the 
winter wedding celebration than with an amazingly beautiful trash the dress session on a brisk January day on the western slope of Colorado:

The gorgeous Bride Courtney was less interested in ruining her wedding gown & more interested taking the golden opportunity to wear it again & capture fun photos with her rugged Groom Jerad free from the hustle & bustle of their wedding day.  With just a few, simple elements like relaxed attitudes, a snowy ranch landscape & a dramatic cloudy day, the happy couple created a special winter day to remember.

And the Bride wore warm snow boots!

The Bride & Groom in the winter wonderland:

Footsteps in the snow lead to the newly married couple:

Gorgeous, just absolutely gorgeous!  The last image reminds me very much of Ansel Adams' photography, simply with the addition of a Bride & Groom.  It's safe to say that snowy-style is a good style!  

The winter wedding celebration continues tomorrow with a charming, holiday wedding!

Photography: Vendla Stockdale Photography  /  Submitted via Two Bright Lights

{Trash the Dress} Equestrian-style

Is this Bride channeling her inner Julia Roberts & pulling a Runaway Bride??!!

No need to panic, my friends.  This isn't a runaway bride; this is a Trash the Dress session done right.

Welcome to the beauty of Trash the Dress, Colorado-style.  The premise is simple.  Take a beautiful Bride wearing her wedding gown, cowboy boots & cowboy hat.  Add her gorgeous mare.  Mix those ingredients with the bare scenery of a desert.  Let the accomplished rider & her mare loose.  The results are AMAZING!

I like the idea of the Trash the Dress session featuring the Bride doing something she loves in her wedding gown.  It's a fun, interesting approach.  Now if I only knew how to ride a horse . . .

Photography by Vendla Stockdale Photography  /  Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Koru Kate Finds: Giselle

Giselle Wedding Gown

Image by Elizabeth Dye at englishdept

Way back when I was on the hunt for the perfect wedding gown . . .

The Giselle wedding gown was my very first love.  Simple & sweet, just my style.   That Alencon lace detail?  I die!  Oh, I fell in love, so hard.  I printed out a photo of the Giselle wedding gown, tucked it in my wedding folder & considered the dress search over.  I'd picked out matching wedding invitations with an Alencon lace detail.  I was sold!

I booked my first trip to Lovely Bridal Shop during an Elizabeth Dye trunk show & although I was open-minded & tried on a bit of everything, Giselle still had my heart.  But I worried about a tea-length dress for a formal church ceremony, not to mention during winter.  During my second trip to Lovely, I tried on the full-length version of Giselle.  It wasn't right for me.  The fit was awful for my body & the lace detail was lost.  Giselle was soon forgotten when I fell in love, true love, with the last dress I tried on: my wedding dress!

Alas, Elizabeth Dye remains a favorite wedding gown designer of mine & as I happily perused her new, beautiful collection, I was pleased as punch to discover a redesigned, full-length Giselle to present as the latest Koru Kate Finds:

Giselle Wedding Gown, full-length

Image via Elizabeth Dye at englishdept

Love, love, LOVE!  The new, full-length Giselle is the perfect replica of the tea length version.  Same flattering A-line silouhette & same sweet lace detail.  It's absolutely divine in my humble opinion.  I don't wish I could go back & have this dress but I am really, really excited for the Brides-to-be that have this lovely dress as an option!  

Be sure to check out the other fabulous Elizabeth Dye options at The English Department too!

Just Crazed

Crazy in Love or Just Crazed?
Available on Etsy in tilependantjewelry's shop

Nearly six months since our beautiful wedding day, we're happily living the life of newlyweds. Do you know what has surprised me the most? The amount of work that comes after the wedding. This is the dirty little secret that nobody bothered to tell me. I was thrilled to banish our wedding to-do list to the deep depths of some random drawer but our post-wedding to-do list is a close rival.

Here is our Post-Wedding Laundry List:

1. Decide on name change & make it official. Unfortunately, Facebook doesn't count.
2. Pick an image for thank you card & order those puppies.
3. Write said thank you cards. I can hardly wait!
4. Choose images for your wedding album. Mission impossible.
5. Clean & preserve wedding gown. Or figure out how to wear it again :-)
6. Finish submissions to wedding blogs. It's my dream to be a Wedding Grad on APW.

We have some serious post-wedding work ahead of us. As of today, we have completed Task #2. Go team!!!!

Are we crazy in love or just crazed? It depends on the moment.

Ready, Set, GO!

Our sweet boy Bailey before he was sent to doggie day care

Red roses from my fiance!

My wedding dress: I wish I could wear it again & again!

Me & My Gorgeous Bridesmaids

I'm going to the chapel & I'm going to get married!
(Above photos were taken by friends)

The night before our wedding, my cousin/bridesmaid & I stayed up until 4am packing up the wedding items, cleaning the condo, finishing DIY projects & gossiping. It was a little crazy & I wouldn't recommend it to everyone but it enabled me to wake up on our wedding day without a single care or worry. Everything was done! I noted the sunshine & blue skies & immediately text RZ to say, "It is our beautiful wedding day!" From that moment on, I was on Cloud Nine.

My getting ready crew consisted of my fabulous bridesmaids, my lovely Mom & RZ's great Mom, plus the make-up artist, the hair stylist, the wedding planner & the photographers. Our condo quickly transformed into a dressing room. I had an open house policy so my crew showed up throughout the morning in various stages of hair, make-up & dress. My heart warmed at the sight of each girl's bright, happy, shiny face.

I have to say, I did little more than relax in the hours before our ceremony. My biggest task was walking Bailey & taking him to his doggie daycare/hotel. Then I was able to chill & eat (seriously, Brides-to-be- eating is important!!) while everyone buzzed around me. The hair stylist & make-up artist worked their magic. The beautiful flowers were delivered. Red roses & a sweet note from my fiance arrived. Candid photos were snapped. Girls dashed here & there. It was shaping up to be a wonderful wedding day!

Of course, I was the last lady to get ready. The bridesmaids & Moms were dressed & they looked stunning!! I had my "Classic Bride" make-up done, then had my side chignon styled & my chiffon flower placed. At last, it was time to put on my wedding dress!!! I had waited for this moment for so long & I savored every second. The gorgeous dress. The simple veil. The sparkly shoes. The pearl earrings & the pearl/rhinestone bracelet. The calla lily bouquet. I had carefully chosen every last detail to transform me into my ideal version of a Bride. I've never felt more beautiful!!

Before we left for the church, we had an almond champagne toast & it was my very favorite part of getting ready. Here I was with my favorite women in the world. We looked beautiful & we were pumped: we were on the brink of my marriage ceremony! It doesn't get more special than this (a true understatement). We huddled in the living room & cheered the wedding day. Cheers!

It's A Wrap! 2nd Edition

Unexpected Something Blue!
Image from Style Me Pretty via Sparkle & Hay

The week is winding down (TGIF!) & here is the second installment of some goodies:

A Perfect Something Blue or any color of your choice!

OMG, I would have loved to receive this adorable print as a wedding gift!

We're not the only ones who think TGP is awesome!
Three cheers for our talented wedding photographers!

When do you say enough is enough of wedding eye candy?
(Seriously, are you reading this blog? I highly recommend it!)

I have been crushing hard on this green tote bag

When can I move in?

Happy Weekend!

Dreaming in White

Images via Haute Design Photos by David's Bridal

Did I get married one year too early?

2011 has brought some very, very good news for Brides-to-be searching for their ultimate wedding gown. The options are getting better & brighter! BHLDN introduces its fabulous, amazing wedding collection of gowns & accessories. Lilly Pulitzer joins the wedding gown game & offers some gorgeous gowns. Last but not least, wedding gown powerhouse Vera Wang takes her game to a new level by giving us an modern, affordable wedding gown collection at David's Bridal. Yes, you read that correctly!

I love, LOVE the debut collection called White by Vera Wang. The collection is quite dreamy with different silhouettes & sweet details. It was tough to choose but my favorite gown is the blush organza beauty shown on the bottom right. At $1200, the White by Vera Wang gown is more accessible than VW's regular line. There are many beautiful options at decent prices- take a look here! Those lucky, lucky late 2011 & 2012 Brides!

But, to be honest, I don't think I would've picked anything different than my wedding gown :-)

Crush on BHLDN

I was anxiously awaiting the unveiling of BHLDN, the bridal line of Anthropologie. Monday was the big day & I spent hours perusing the dreamy collection of wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, shoes, hair accessories & more. It was soooo worth the wait! Here are my favs:

Graceful, Cascading Goddess Gown
Image via BHLDN

Cutie Fondant Tea Dress
Image via BHLDN

Shimmering, Burnished Organza Gown
Image via BHLDN

Have you checked out this fabulous collection? If not, RUN- don't walk! There is so much wedding eye candy. What are your favorites?

Busy Bride!

Snowy Winter Wedding
Available at Etsy in LoveNaturally's shop

I have a fun, exciting weekend planned as a Bride-to-be. My Mom flew in from California to join the festivities. Fabulous times ahead!

First, I have my hair & make-up trial with Ashimoto tomorrow. After the trial, we head to Ally's Bridal & Tuxedo for my first dress fitting. Time will tell if I ate too much for Thanksgiving! I'm crossing my fingers!! Glam hair & make-up + my wedding dress + my accessories = a preview of my bridal look. Does it get any better?

Well, believe it or not, it does. On Saturday, I'm attending my bridal shower at local, waterfront restaurant in Hoboken. Other than that, my bridesmaids & Mom have kept me in the dark about the details. Some of my favorite ladies are coming to celebrate with me & that's all I need to know. I'm so honored!

I will fill you in on the juicy details soon enough. Have a wonderful weekend!

Magical Alterations

Ally Bridal & Tuxedo Logo

Yesterday, I mentioned my wedding dress is perfect.

It just doesn't fit me perfectly. When I ordered my wedding dress, my measurements fell between two sizes. Lovely wisely recommended ordering the larger size as it's easier to alter a big dress than starve for a small dress & I happily followed their advice. And wow, it is big in every way, shape & form! The top is so large that it falls down if I don't hold it up. The bottom is inches & inches too long for short me. Clearly, alterations are needed.

Ally of Ally Bridal & Tuxedo to the rescue! Ally & I had never met but we have tons in common. We're both in the wedding business in Hoboken; we share the same web designer, the wonderful Kate of Bella Mi; & she altered my sister-in-law-to-be's wedding gown. I'm thrilled to support another local business, especially since it makes future fittings so convenient. Plus I know I can trust Ally to do a fabulous job.

I met Ally in her charming bridal shop on First Street in Hoboken, just three blocks away from Koru Wedding Shoppe. I put on my wedding dress & shoes &, within minutes, Ally pinned the dress to perfection. It felt amazing, just right. I could dance & the dress stayed in place! I could take a step without tripping over extra fabric! Miraculous!! I wanted to shower Ally with hugs & kisses!!!

My wedding dress in now in Ally's care so she can make it absolultely perfect for me. I'm beyond excited for my first dress fitting in early December. Although, as Ally warned me, I have to be careful not to gorge myself too much on Thanksgiving!

You're So Lovely

"You're So Lovely"
says Lovely Bridal Shop

I finally, finally had the chance to retrieve my wedding dress from Lovely Bridal Shop. It arrived one month early & I was unprepared. I hadn't found my wedding shoes yet! Not to mention, I didn't have a spare moment for a trip to Manhattan. Lovely assured me that my dress was in good hands & good company so I let time fly by. Finally, the time came to claim my wedding dress.

My Sister of Honor & I made our way to Lovely Bridal Shop on a beautiful Fall evening. Very, very unlike us, we arrived early. We ducked into Cafe Cluny, the adorable cafe across the street, to enjoy a glass of wine & share a cheese platter. An hour of good conversation later, we crossed the tree-lined street for my pick-up appointment at Lovely.

At long last, I was in the dressing room with my wedding gown. The dress was better than I remembered, much more beautiful than the sample dress I'd fallen in love with months ago. It was surreal! My wedding dress was here, really here! Right. In. Front. Of. Me.

Next thing I knew, I was staring at a Bride in the mirror. She was wearing a perfect, pretty wedding dress. I could hardly believe that Bride was me!

Oh So Lovely

Someday soon, I shall be headed to this quaint spot in the West Village of New York City . . .

The Great & The Lovely-
Lovely Bridal Shop

I got the unexpected, happy news that my wedding gown is HERE! One month early!! Thank you, thank you, Lovely Bridal Shop for the great surprise!!! Be still my racing heart, the good news just keeps coming.

Lovely's line-up of pretty, pretty dresses

Now I really wish I had my perfect shoes to try on with my wedding gown!

Dress Envy

Beautiful wedding gown by Lea Ann Belter

Sassy wedding gown by Sarah Seven

Romantic wedding gown by Elizabeth Dye
All above dresses available at Lovely Bridal Shop

When a wedding planning client buys their wedding gown, I tell them to stop looking. Don't visit one more bridal salon. Skip over the wedding dress ads in wedding magazines. Forget looking at wedding gown designers' web sites. Stop, stop, stop the madness now!

I have been trying to take my own advice in the wedding planning process but this wedding gown business has proved difficult. I bought my wedding gown earlier this month & I thought, "Thank God, I can stop looking at wedding gowns!" While there may be more beautiful, romantic wedding gowns, I knew with 100% certainty that I found the perfect dress for me. I have been in the wedding industry for ten years & it would be easy to revert to looking at wedding gowns with an eye for others' weddings, not my own. Sure enough, no problem. Now my addiction to the popular tv show, "Say Yes To The Dress", is another story.

Unlike most wedding magazines & blogs, "Say Yes To The Dress" is all about wedding gowns. There is no way to avoid the issue. There is no way I could stop watching the show either. So I watched the first show with a wary eye, hoping that a fantabulous wedding gown wouldn't tempt me or make me question my wedding gown choice. Nothing. Then I watched another show, feeling a bit more confident. Nothing. And you know what? Instead of the nightmare scenario that I might fall in love with another wedding gown, I fell more & more in love with my wedding gown.

No dress envy here. Just 100% satisfaction that I made the right choice!

Yes to the Lovely Dress!!

I'm at Lovely Bridal Shop to get my wedding gown!

There are sweet touches everywhere you look,
including this Lovely banner on the second floor landing

The lovely first floor at Lovely Bridal Shop

Every Bride has a unique story when it comes to finding their wedding gown. Many told me they tried on the first gown & purchased it. Some mentioned long & hard searches including several bridal salons & hundreds of dresses before they found their wedding gown. Others fall somewhere in between those two extremes.

Here is my story.

I was (somewhat) patiently waiting for my Mom to visit from California before I started looking for my wedding gown when I came across a new bridal shop opening in the West Village of New York City called Lovely Bridal Shop. Lovely is striving to do something different: offer romantic dresses, reasonable prices, sweet atmosphere & a lovely experience. I started following Lovely's blog & researching their designers, becoming more & more excited to shop for my wedding gown.

I lost any & all patience to wait for my Mom when Lovely hosted an Elizabeth Dye trunk show, a designer I liked. On the beautiful spring day of my appointment, RZ & I headed into the city together & he dropped me off at the doorstep of the renovated brownstone that is Lovely Bridal Shop. I was semi-nervous that the hype may be greater than the reality but as soon as I walked through the door, all my fears fell away. I breathed in the calm atmosphere & took in the gorgeous decor which is beyond beautiful. And those racks of gorgeous weddings gowns- incredible!

For the next 45 minutes, I had a ball playing dress up as a Bride. In some ways, after so many years as a wedding planner, I could hardly believe I was the Bride in the mirror! I told the owner Lanie about my wedding, my style & my budget & she pulled several dresses for me. She was great about styling the dresses with ribbon sashes, brooches & flower pins when appropriate. All of the gowns were stunning; a few were definite contenders. I was drawn to two gowns the most & I decided my Mom could help me decide when she came with me.

Fast forward to a beautiful summer day one month later. My Mom & I returned to Lovely for the final selection. The plan was to show her my favorite dresses & maybe try on a few more gowns to give her the Lovely shopping experience that I had adored so much the first time. This time, we were helped by the kind Victoria who pulled the two dresses I liked & my Mom found three dresses for me to try on. My Mom sat back & relaxed downstairs while I came down to model each dress for her. We had fun playing with accessories like veils & headpieces to complete each look. I nixed Dress #1 because I didn't like the long version & I pretty much thought Dress #2 was the winner. Dress #3 & Dress #4 were fabulous, just not winners for me. Then I tried on Dress #5 & I fell in love instantly. Romantic. Simple. Me. This wedding gown was everything I had wanted & more- it blew me away.

I bought the last dress I tried on at Lovely Bridal Shop. That is my story of finding my wedding gown.

Celebration Time

Celebrations!
Image via Real Simple

Celebration time!

I'm having a lot of fun inspiring & celebrating our wedding this week! On Monday, my Mom & I met with our wonderful florist, Liz, of Elizabeth Koleto Designs & discussed wedding flowers. I loved the opportunity to dig into the creative side of our wedding! On Tuesday, my Mom & I visited our reception venue, Hyatt Regency Jersey City. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Vu Restaurant overlooking the Hudson River, then we took a short tour of the Manhattan Ballroom Foyer & Manhattan Ballroom. It was the first time my Mom was able to see our venue. On Wednesday, we went to the amazing Lovely Bride & found my wedding gown!!! Yipee! Oh, what a day!! Sounds like a fabulous week, right?

The awesome thing is we still have good times ahead. Friday is my birthday. Saturday is our engagement party. Sunday is the Fourth of July. Fun, fun & more fun!

Of course, I have tons to share with you! But right now, it's really important for me to live in the moment & savor the celebrations as they happen. I'm filing away the memories & taking tons of photos so this blog will be chock full of my wedding stories next week. Until then, take care~

The First Dress

I tried on this dress . . .

and this dress in a different color . . .

and this dress too! Plus about 13 more!
All images from Macy's

I bought the first dress I tried on!

No, not my wedding gown.

My Mom is visiting from California for our engagement party next weekend & we have tons of fun, wedding-related activities planned. The first item on the agenda was finding a dress for our engagement party. I needed a party dress that was cool for the summer heat & comfortable for a backyard party.

We started the day at the Olive Garden for their lunch special of soup, salad & breadsticks- yum! We needed the fuel for the big shopping day ahead. The hunt began at Macy's; the store was chock-full of beautiful, summer dresses. My Mom & I grabbed anything & everything that caught our eye. I ended up in the dressing room with at least 15 lovely dresses. I grabbed the one I liked the most & tried it on. I adored it- the fit was perfect & the style was unique. My Mom agreed. But I went on to try & model the others.

Much like Brides who buy the first wedding gown they try on, I bought the first engagement party dress I tried on. I couldn't top the look or feeling from that dress. As if I wasn't bursting with excitement for our engagement party before, I am positively brimming with anticipation now. I can't wait to celebrate with our family & friends!

Anthropologie + Weddings

Drifting By Dress
from Anthropolgie

Do you recognize this dress from the catalog cover?
Cooling Palette Dress from Anthropolgie

I love Anthropologie; who doesn't? I pour over its beautiful catalog featuring those gorgeous clothes as soon as I snatch it out of the mailbox. It was music to my ears when I learned that Anthropologie is set to launch a bridal line including wedding gowns & bridesmaid dresses. Many Brides turn to Anthropologie for their bridesmaid dresses so Anthropologie obviously noticed the trend. There are hints that they may expand into wedding invitations & such too. Awesome! I have been trying to find out when the Anthropologie bridal line is set to launch & it seems like Spring 2011. Sigh. That's a little late for me. Maybe I'll talk to my fiance & see if we can push back the wedding a bit!

One Dress, Two Dresses

Ballgown for the ceremony: Carina dress from Amsale

Casual Elsa dress for the reception: The Little White Dress made famous by Amsale.

Interesting tidbit from the April issue of Brides magazine: 5% of Brides buy more than one wedding dress, according to a survey from The Wedding Report. I get it. You wear a big, princess dress for the formal ceremony. Then you slip into something stylish & comfortable for the fun reception. I have planned weddings for Brides who have a costume change between the ceremony & reception. It's a cool idea.

Wait: there's more! 3% of those Brides purchase two gowns & 2% buy more than two gowns. More?!

Wow. As a Bride, I see things a bit differently now. I'm overwhelmed at the thought of finding one perfect dress, let alone two or more!