Accessory Finds: Bride & Groom

{etsy: designbykara}

For the ladies:

I found this seller on etsy who makes gorgeous...affordable, accessories, perfect for adding that touch of elegance to your wedding attire. go ther her shop: designbykara. Its hard to scour the ginormous monster that is "etsy" and find the perfect style and designer especially when it comes to wedding jewelry...because there are so many!!

designbykara does a great job making them vintage inspired, and having those awesome big baubles that us brides love without making it look cheap or fake! and I love the subtle color tints in the stones.

And what about the gents? They need to accessorize too!! These are a bit pricier than the ladies jewelry above but I had to share because I thought it was super cool..../nerdy...but cool

I know a lot of us brides used pantone colors and spreads to help us pinpoint our wedding colors and when we nailed it...we were ecstatic!! how many times have you gone to your fiance and said "which pink babe? this one, this one or this one?" I know I did. Well Pantone and Sonia Spencer linked up to make pantone cufflinks!! Thats right...I spotted them on the blog "What Junebug loves" and if I knew sooner before my wedding, I would've gotten those for my husband. At $110 a set, they would make a great grooms gift, or groomsmen gift depending on your budget.

Its a great way to tie in your colors and have the guy sport your color rather than depending on the usual vest/tie color or boutonniere color.

Hope you enjoy!

xoxo

Anna

Veil Fashion

Add a dash of high fashion or french couture to your wedding wardrobe by picking a unique veil. We all know of the cathedral, chapel, fingertip & mantilla veils...and the birdcage veil is definitely cutting into the scene right now. But to give you more options...You can go with the french veil look shown in the top left and bottom right. I love these...especially that lace one! I found it on 100 layer cake. Or you may want to pick something more high fashion like a bubble veil or the Marilyn piece by Sarah Gabriel . Sarah Gabriel has many awesome pieces so check them out!

check out how it looks when this bride totally rocked her unconventional veil (pictures right above)....seen on "kiss the groom".... Don't be afraid to try something different and unique!!

E-ring trend: Vintage... & Colored?

Arent these rings just gorgeous?! They have such style appeal to them and all very original! Now who wouldnt want to wear one of these beauties right?!

Now I'm not denying that we all love our sparkly white diamonds in our platinum's and white golds and all....but really, I have been seeing 1) a lot of vintage inspired rings... & 2) more and more colored e-rings!! Yes we all know the celebs have theirs like the famous J-Lo one but also gals like Carrie Underwood, Penelope Cruz and Carmen Electra are some of the celebs that have been sporting a colored rock on their finger....but I'm talking about a different look that I have been spotting all over the blog world, etsy, and many trendy engaged ladies. If you don't know, diamonds come in many many colors and I have to say, all those rustic colored ones...are just fantastic...they make for awesome jewelry pieces that are edgy, elegant, and original all at the same time. Other natural stones like some pictured above also come in a more natural state and exude these vibrant un-buffed colors...and when paired with these vintage inspired settings...well....its gorgeous!!

Four of these pieces are diamonds and another four are rubies! Can you believe it?!

These pictured above are the work of Cathy Waterman....I caught a glimpse of her work on "What Junebug Loves" wedding blog....and it made me remember all the times I've noticed beautiful vintage and rustic rings in a lot of the photos Ive been seeing in the wedding blog world.

This can also be a way to add originality to your engagement and show some of your personality, and also possibly, save your man some $$. The ones pictured above are a bit pricey but they are great design inspirations and you can also go to etsy to find some very cute rustic diamond rings with lots of personality....check out this one etsy store Bloomstudios. Another idea, scour vintage jewelry shops, and have some one re-set or re-design a piece that you find and absolutely love!

Would you rock one of these un-traditional engagement rings?

A Very Majestic Affair

With a dress fit for a queen, dramatic gold frames hanging from above, and lusciousness pouring out of every seem of the room; from all the candlelight, the roses, scrumptious cream and white linens, crystal and silvers galore....this wedding is truly "show-stopping" in a majestic, "commanding respect" kind of way. Natalie & Tod look absolutely Grand!!

The photographer Marcus Bell did a fantastic job capturing this "grand" essence of the this wedding. My favorite detail....the 3 huge frames hanging behind the bridal table...so dramatic!!

See more about Natalie & Tod's wedding here on Polk a Dot Bride....and check out more of Marcus Bell's work from Studio Impressions

Flower alternatives: Flores del sol

stumbled upon this beautiful blog flores del sol...ugh so lovely! and very inspiration worthy. Check out her creations using dried moss and plants. It is such a different look. Apparently she has an etsy shop but it is on hiatus for while. I think these would make good alternatives to centerpieces and they will definitely be total eye catchers!!

She has other lovely inspirations using succulents and other materials like feathers, reeds, etc. My Favs are the yellow pom pom reeds.

Etsy Registry: Lace Porcelain Bowl

Can someone please start an Etsy Wedding Registry?! I mean...really!! I think it would be in people's best interest.

I would definitely put one of these lovely porcelain lace bowls on my registry over any piece of crystal any day!! with a price tag of $250...its a bit out of my range but you cant deny that these are gorgeous pieces.

find them on etsy by: isabelleabramson

On a more practical note though...if you are in the process of doing your registry; a little advice from our end. Have fun with it!! Don't get suckered into the "norm" items like china, silverware, crystal, a blender....unless you actually need them or can see yourself using them within the first three months of being married. Or you can put a different spin on things. Some people don't feel right putting really expensive things on their registry and asking people to buy it for them...i certainly didn't. So instead we chose to go with things we needed....Our guideline: will we use it at least once in three months? if yes, then we decided we needed it. For example with plates, we didn't put fine china, we put a nice everyday lenox set (mid price range) and decided to dress it up with nice place mats and cloth napkins from crate n' barrel to dress things up....that way we can use for fancy Christmas dinners or more casual cocktail gathering....and we were pretty sure that we were not going to be hosting anything that required nice china (however i do have a vintage pale pink china tea set but that was given to me out of personal fancy).

We put a lot of appliances because that is what we needed and we also put decor items that we knew we could use in the new home as well as more eco friendly items like cooking utensils, sheets/ towels.

But If you go to places like Amazon.com, you can literally put anything, from perfume, to sports equipment, house goods, patio stuff....and you can really really "go to town" with your registry.

The last thing you want is a bunch of boxes in your storage area full of things that people gave you and you have no space for or don't use.

Wedding Trend: Weddings Aussie (& NZ) style

Ok I know its not really a wedding "trend" per say but I have been really "diggin" the weddings that our Australians have been putting on. I mean everything about them is just effortlessly chill, original, fresh, elegant and dreamy. I don't know what it is...maybe its just what happens when you are south of the equator...who knows?!...all I know is that I Love it!!

In my blog readings since last Friday, I've stumbled upon these wonderful Aussie and NZ weddings....with a token engagement session which is absolutely A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!

Tina+Tim {Toowoomba Australia}

love love her dress and headpiece!!

impeccable photography by Darren of CK Metro in Australia

Check out the Green Wedding Shoes blog for more details


Amy+Jeremy {Matilda Bay, Australia}

You need to check out the rest of the photos at photographer: Natasja Kremers blog

The shots of that Oscar De La Renta Gown are insane. Its like she's floating on some frothy cloud.

Samara+ Nick Engagement photos {Toowoomba, Australia}

This is probably THE coolest E-session I have seen to-date...seriously....I want to "be" them....that's how cool it is. Loving the train shots.

This is nod numero dos for photog Darren @ CKMetro...and for Toowoomba, Australia. I guess that place has got it going on down there =)

Yolandee+husband {Te Awanga area, New Zealand}

And we cant forget about our New Zealanders. They too know how to make us wedding photo fanatics go crazy. I just love the dreamy look of these photos....and the small church is just picturesque.

Thanks Style Me Pretty for sharing!!

For more details find more New Zeland gorgeousness here

From Yolandee, the beautiful Bride:
The most important decision of all is the venue! If you get this right, everything else will fall into place. Besides the fact that The Old Church is one of the most beautiful places we’ve found in all our travels, they also take care of so much more than just offering a beautiful setting. The service is excellent yet personal, the food is amazing, the atmosphere is romantic, rustic and warm with a huge range of possibilities there to suite any couple and occasion. I stayed in the villa next door to The Old Church the night before and got ready there on the day. This was the most beautiful place for photos. For the next day we booked this beautiful homestead called Cape Estate, a 1000 acre farm outside the coastal village of Te Awanga, a short drive from the Old Church. Our parents, the wedding party and our friends who came from San Francisco stayed here. It’s private and tranquil with the most breathtaking views. Our wedding was on a Friday and on the Saturday many of our guests come to the house for second get together. We played tennis and games with the kids, had a bbq and lounged about around the huge open fireplace all night whilst sampling the beautiful local wine. It was the perfect way to get our friends and family to meet each other and the best way to have your wedding celebrations.