Money-Saving Monday: J.Crew Wedding Gowns for under $300 !

Ursula/J.Crew Wedding

 I know it's not Monday yet but I'm so excited about this week's finds. I was browsing the virtual racks of cyber-space when I came across these gorgeous dresses for under $300. Some of them are regularly priced under $600, which is still great. But there are a few hidden gems that are marked down. And if you act now you can get an additional 40% off all final sales when you use the promo code "Style40". But you have to hurry because it expires tonight at 11:59pm.

Sinclair/ J.Crew Wedding

Shhhhhhh, it's a secret... Well, that's how J.Crew makes it seem anyway. You don't get to see the sale price until you actually click on the dresses. Here are the links to both the Sinclair and the Ursula. Both are regularly priced at $595 but are on sale for $479.99. And with the promo code ("Style40") it will only be $287.99 before taxes!!!  As of right now the Sinclair is only available in sizes 12-18 which is a good look for my bodacious beauties because typically the larger sizes are sold out quicker due to the fact that most retail chains carry smaller amounts of larger sizes. The Ursula is available in all sizes.

So Hurry!! then go to my shop, Beyond A Veil,  to find the perfect accessories to go with these simply elegant dress. Hey I know you have the money. I just saved you over $300 !!

Conquering Your Color Scheme



www.sweetandlovelylife.com

So it's time to plan the wedding of your dreams. One of the first big decisions that you must make is the colors and theme. You probably have already had this whole thing mapped out in your head since you were six (or if you were anything like my daughter is, 3). I know, I know Barbie and Ken's wedding colors were the perfect shade of turquoise and fuchsia, but a lot has changed since then. For one, you have a real live breathing partner with real human emotions and opinions to take into consideration.

First think about some of the reoccurring themes and intimate moments you and your fiancé share. Where was your first date? Which shirt of his makes him look the most handsome? Where did he propose to you? Where was your first kiss? Every one of these moments has a mood that they invoke. And if you were to pick a color based off the most potent of those memories what would it be?



The Perfect Palette

Next think about the season in which you plan on getting married. This will help you decide which tone of your colors will be easier to find and which seasonal flowers will help to enhance your event and help your budget. Let's say for instance your main color is purple. If your wedding is in the spring then you would look at more of a lavender or a paler shade of purple. If you decide to get married in the fall then you would use a richer jewel tone like Plum.

Lastly look at your venue. Is there wallpaper? Is the color of the rug very noticeable? If there are things that really do stand out then why not just work with them instead of against them. Use some of your supporting colors to help enhance the smaller details of the event. Accent colors tend to be on the opposite side of the color wheel, but that doesn't have to be literal. The opposite of purple is yellow, and camel (a yellowish brown very close to khaki) works great with all shades of purple and is basically the matte version of metallic gold.

Color schemes have proven to be one of the most stressful aspects of planning a wedding, and being that I was a visual-art major you could argue that I am a bit bias. But thanks to the Internet there is a lot of help out there. There are millions of websites with idea boards and examples you can reference. My favorite is The Perfect Palette; they have so many examples to choose from that you can look up based on color and/or season. Pintrest is also a great place to look (there are millions of girls out there planning their make believe weddings). Also doing a Bing image search can help you get a few inspirational pictures that best illustrate your colors, theme and mood.

Good Luck!

Big City Engagement Shoot

Once Wed

I found this amazing photo shoot on one of my favorite sites Oncewed.com and am obsessed with its perfection (hence the bold print). This bride-to-be's style is spot on; the tulle cocktail skirt pair with the shimmery t-shirt, the chambray blouse with the dark denim shorts and the long sleeved lace cocktail dress.

OnceWed

what makes this shoot so flawless is its simplicity. The Brooklyn Bridge, the apple blossoms and their front stoop are just backdrops to their love story.

Big thanks to Once Wed for showing us yet another inspiring and beautiful shoot.

DIY: Burlap and Lace Rustic Wedding Vase

Phew! It's been awhile but I'm back. I've been haunted by the desire to get back to writing and most importantly creating new pieces for the last phew months.
Now that my family is finally settled into our new beautiful home here in Atlanta I have finally been able to start creating and start a few article concepts.

I've been focusing a lot on honing in on my niche. Who am I designing and writing for? How do I fit into her lifestyle? I now have a much better grasp on my customer and I'm really excited to show you what I've made for her.

Meanwhile, with the loss of so much of our stuff in hurricane Superstorm Sandy it became hard to recognise what we still had and what we need to pick up. For Mother's Day my dear sweet hubby gave me two dozen roses and I realized that we no longer owned a flower vase. At firsts I used the plastic pitcher but then I spotted a milk carton in the recycle bin and got this idea for a cute and quick vase that can be used for center pieces and other table decor.


                                                      This is what you will need:                                                                                          

Cardboard milk carton
Burlap
Scissors
Glue gun
Lace
Other decorations and doodads

1. Neatly cut the top off your carton. Measure your burlap by lining up the top edge of the carton with the clean edge of your burlap and wrapping it around your carton. Add about a half inch to the length to be safe and cut. Make your length cut by measuring the length of your carton and adding two inches.

2. Because burlap has so many spaces, only hot glue horizontal lines at the far sides near the corners to reduce glue exposure. Start with just one line of glue and press your burlap on the carton making sure everything is lined up correctly. Wait till your first line is dry before you move on to be sure that nothing shifts while you rotate the carton to the next side. Once you put down the glue pull the burlap tight with one hand and flip over the carton with the other pressing down for 10 seconds. Do this with all four sides.

Tip: I was able to get rid of the exposed glue by rubbing the hot edge of the gun nozzle along the edged of the carton.

3. Cut flaps on all four corners of the bottom of the burlap.

4. Glue the bottom flaps down, doing the opposites side first (as seen here).

5. Fill in any gaps that may appear at the top of the carton with glue and smooth burlap to the sides.

6. Add lace or any other decorative pieces that suite your event.
Tip: Because lace has even less space to glue down, I glued into the small circles that are in the middle of the pattern and placed small pearl embellishments over them to cover the exposed glue.






Well I hope you like my first official DIY. There will be many more to come. Please let me know if you have any questions or need any clarification for any of the steps. I'm glad to help!

Free Manzanita Tree and Shells

When I first thought about writing this entry I had yet to see the damage that was done to our home by Hurricane Sandy. It's hard to find a silver lining for the fact that I am officially "displaced" due to 3 feet of water that flowed throughout my entire house. Now that I am settled in my parents home in Boston, I can see the extent of the damage in the New York area from a distance of sorts and am deeply affected by the families who are without power during this winter season.
 I sat on finishing this post due to the fact that there are so many devastated families and neighborhoods on the northeast coast. In some ways it would be insensitive to write about collecting twigs for a wedding that at this point is probably canceled due to the fact that many venues, let alone homes are ruined. But being as that I'm obsessed with DIY and helping others save money during these trying times I wanted to share an idea I had while watching for falling branches during my first coffee run after the Super Storm Sandy. Brides-to-be in the northeast who desire a wishing tree for their special day and are still able to celebrate their nuptuals should try to salvage large sections of the fallen trees in their neighborhood. Start looking for long wide tree branches or saw some off of larger sections. In my opinion I wouldn't worry about stripping the bark off. Instead I would sand down any particularly rough patches and just paint the whole thing for a clean consistent look. Try to look for branches that have the most width, which will make for the most drama.

Here is a great Manzanita DIY from Wedding Chicks which also includes a free wish card template made especially for card stock. You can also checkout my previous Manzanita post to get some centerpiece and decor ideas.

Martha Stewart Weddings

Those of you who live near beaches can also take advantage of the seashells and driftwood that has been cast ashore from the storm. Above is an image from Martha Stewart Weddings site. They painted a branch from a Manzanita tree to give a beautiful coral effect. With a smaller piece like this it would be much easier to strip the bark of any type of wood to attain this smooth look.

Do you have any creative twig ideas? Share them with us!

Money-Saving Monday: Pronovias Inspired Etsy Dress

Wonderxue

Pronovias

Ok, I've been MIA for a few weeks but I'm back with your money-saving Monday find.
I am a proud member of the Etsy handmade and vintage community and wanted to be sure to feature my fellow handmade artisans and designers. This week I would like to feature a handmade seller, Wanderxue. This impressive shop has a great selection of designer inspired dresses and low price-points.
It was hard to pick a dress to show you due to the large number of dresses already reserved. I fell in love with this Pronovias inspired gown the second I saw it. I actually like the Wonderxue version better than the designer version. The sweetheart shaped feather bodice covered with white feathers, and tulle skirts makes this piece truly ethreal. And at a price of only $388 it fits any  budget.

Anniversary Special

Last Wednesday was my husband and I's 3rd wedding anniversary. Because of our busy schedules we were not able to do anything romantic. A tender and kiss and hug had to do for the day, but we made plans for a date this coming weekend.

Just last night I found myself looking at pictures from the last three years and realized how drastically things have changed. When we were married I was still working in The City in the fashion industry, but was soon laid off. I was also pregnant at the time so we opted to get married at the courthouse and save money for  our new family.We had a reception a month later in the event room of my sister's building in midtown. Back then and even now I am so glad that we did it the way we had. I don't think that I would have handled the stress and excitement of planning and executing a wedding very well at that stage of my life.

You would think that writing a blog about weddings and making couture veils would cause me to long for a grand affair with all the bells and whistles. Actually I am just as excited if not more excited about being a part of so many other people's weddings. To make something that speaks so intimately to a bride that she wears it for the world to see is my dream come true.

This veil pictured above is the veil I made and wore to the courthouse September 25th 2009. It is not only the anniversary of me and my husband's day of matrimony, it is also the anniversary of my love affair with beautiful bridal things. So cheers to Beyond A Veil! May we have many many years and memories together.

Love, Kiara