Sneak Peak: Tiaras for a Fairy Birthday Party

My oldest daughter is turning seven next month, and when she settled on a fairies theme for her birthday party, I couldn't have been more excited.  We're using the fairy stories and traditions of Cornwall as our inspiration, to give the party a twist on all the other fairy-themed parties out there.

I'm just bursting with ideas and plans, and will post about the party once it's over.  My justification for posting here, beyond wanting to share what I've been working so hard on, is that a ton of the projects I'm undertaking would be perfect for the DIY bride.  But for now, I just wanted to give a little sneak peak of one of the details I've been working on.

All the little girls who attend the party will get their own fairy tiara, complete with entwined silver vines and Swarovski crystals:

Twelve little tiaras, all in a row.

I couldn't resist the opportunity to dress up for the party myself, and of course I needed a tiara for my costume:

It's a six-year-old girly-girl's dream to have a tiara-designing mom who buys Swarovski crystals by the 10 gross package.

Fabulous Product: Chic Invitations Printed the Old Fashioned Way

One look at my brief bio and it's pretty clear that I'm a big geek.  I love archaic and obscure knowledge.  I love learning for learning's sake.  I love dead languages and ancient technologies.   (I built a wood fired oven in my backyard!  By myself!  While I was pregnant!  I can get seriously obsessed with these projects.)

I think the women who run Starshaped Press might get me.  They create the most amazing wedding invitations and other printed paper products I've seen in a very long time.

It's not just that the designers at Starshaped Press are remarkable artists.  It's that they use a real, classic press.  Not just any new-computerized-digitized-make-a-single-plate press (ok, those are kind of cool, too, but not as cool as this).  An honest to goodness, set each letter by hand, use antique metal and wood type, set in a typecase, PRESS.

Just a bit of the marvelous machinery at Starshaped Press.

 That kind of dedication to the art, that kind of passion for the craft, is a sure sign of quality.  And just look at a few of their gorgeous designs.

Swoon.  Now please excuse me, I'm feeling a need to go re-read The Mysterious Stranger now.  

Fabulous Products: Keeping Warm and Staying Stylish on Your Wedding Day

I love the fall.  The crisp air.  Picking apples.  The fiery display of the trees in autumn.  Of course, here in Phoenix, fall just means that it's finally cool enough to venture outside again.  But despite the reality of my fall, come September, my mind turns to those classic cool-weather themes from my youth.

What's a fall or winter bride to do to keep warm?  I'm completely in love with the colorful, high-collared, Victorian-inspired bolero jackets and shrugs that we've been seeing.   Here are a couple gorgeous examples:

From the Irish designer Bonzie:

Photo by www.eyrnsheaphoto.com 

These shrugs frame the face beautifully, and are available in a rainbow of colors or classic bridal whites.  At only $110 for this couture silk accessory, it's a show-stopper and a steal!  Check out their other fabulous designs--clothes and accessories--as well!


Designer Angelika Liv also makes gorgeous bolero jackets that look absolutely divine with a strapless or spaghetti strap dress.  Check these out:

At only $85, these silk jackets add color, elegance, warmth, and modesty without breaking the bank.

Of course, if you want to go a more traditional route, we at Tradewind Tiaras are happy to make a beautiful velvet wrap for you!

Real Wedding: Rachel and Jay

Some weddings are so beautiful the images just stop you in your tracks.  That's what happened the first time I saw the very first image from Rachel and Jay's wedding.  I had to see more.  The vibrant color, the fabulous blend of rural beauty and city sophistication, the tiny touches that make a wedding truly unique and special.  Check it out!

Can you believe the sunflower field shots weren't planned?  The photographer spotted them on the drive to the ceremony!  I could hardly believe it when looking at all those vibrant yellow details at the wedding.  What luck--and what a lucky couple to have such an observant, thoughtful photographer!    All photos were taken by the talented Kansas City based Sarah Dickerson.  Please go check out the full set of Rachel and Jay's wedding photos on her blog, where you'll find many more (and bigger!) pictures of this wedding (and a bunch of other great photos, as well).

Fabulous Product: Stylish, Green, and Affordable Wooden Flatware

I'm so excited to share this product with you!  These are perhaps the most chic, neat disposable cutlery I've ever encountered:

Ecoware disposable wooden cutlery.

You might be on a plastic-fork-budget, but that doesn't mean you can't get something that looks unique and beautiful!  What a perfect element for a rustic-yet-elegant wedding.  Recyclable, biodegradable, stylish, and at only $8.95/100, the cost is similar to plastic silverware, and quite a bit less than rented silverware.  Ecoware is running a special right now, too, making the deal even better.  $2 off each 100 pack if you follow them on Twitter!  Go, follow, use coupon code "ecowedding10" and save.  This coupon code is only good for 10 days from today (September 11th, 2010), so hurry up and place those orders!  I know what I'm clicking as soon as I hit the "publish" button.  ;-)

To see the Ecoware in action, take a look at these photos from Michelle and Noah's wedding, exquisitely photographed by Liz Banfield.

Photo by Liz Banfield Photography

Photo by Liz Banfield Photography

The bride, Michelle, is also a wedding photographer, and she put her experience in the industry and her artistry to work to create an absolutely beautiful, sweet picnic wedding.  Check out many more details and beautiful photographs from Liz Banfield and Stephanie Colgan on The Bride's Cafe blog.  Every aspect of the wedding is as lovely and well-thought-out as these great wooden utensils!

Does My Veil Need an Edging?

Simple answer:  No!

1/8 inch ribbon edging

Ok, Let me explain.  Tulle (whether it's bridal illusion, silk tulle, or English netting) is an interlock fabric, not a woven fabric.  What that means (at least the meaning that's important for a bride to know) is that it doesn't fray.  No edging is necessary to protect the integrity of the fabric.

Really.  I promise.  I've seen vintage silk veils from the 1920s that still look as perfect as the day they were made.  My mother's cut edge silk tulle veil (made and worn nearly 40 years ago) is still in gorgeous condition.  Sample veils that we've made and used for years, and have been tried on by hundreds of brides. still have a perfect cut edge.

I personally love the simple look of a cut edge veil.  It's clean, light, modern and classic at the same time.  A cut edge never goes out of style.  I think that a cut edge looks especially spectacular on silk tulle wedding veils, with that incredibly flowing, soft drape.

Don't get me wrong--cut edge might be my favorite, but I also love the way edgings look.  It all depends on the dress, the personality of the bride, the overall look of the wedding.  An edged veil can look absolutely exquisite and perfect.

Bottom line, if you love the look of an edged veil, go for it!  Just don't think that you have to.

Pencil edged veil.

Veil with 1/8 ribbon edging.

Lace edged veil.

2 Great Photographers + 1 Wedding = A Gorgeous Case Study

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a different photographer covered a wedding?  What difference does a particular photographer's vision, style, equipment, and post processing really make?  Most of the time, we'd never know.  We could try to imagine, but those qualities are ephemeral, hard to grasp, especially for a bride and groom who are perhaps working with a professional photographer for the first time.

I want to show you something.  What if two exceptional, world-class photographers covered the same wedding?  What if they used different equipment, different methods?  What if we could see the same subject through the eyes (and lenses) of two different, but equally amazing artists?

It doesn't happen often.  But it happened this past spring, and I'm lucky enough to get to show you.

On a glorious spring day in Sonoma Valley, Jennifer and Eric got married.  And I believe that they may have been the luckiest couple on the planet, because two of my very favorite wedding photographers photographed their wedding.  Sam Hassas was hired by the couple, and his friend and fellow wedding photographer, Evan Baines, flew in from Tennessee to shoot alongside Sam.

Sam shot digital, full of saturated color and movement.  Very Sam Hassas.

Evan took the opportunity to shoot entirely in black and white film (yes, film!), adopting a very photo-journalistic style.  Evan is a master at capturing moments and emotions, and this set is very, very Evan Baines.

I've written enough.  Check out these pictures!

The astoundingly beautiful, incredibly lucky Jennifer and Eric, as captured by Sam Hassas:

You know I'm a sucker for those floating veil shots.

You have to go check out the full set on Sam's blog!  

Now on to the coverage from the equally exceptional Evan Baines:

Check out the full set on Evan's blog--you'll be glad you did!

There you are.  Two amazing photographers.  Two different mediums.  Two different styles.  The same story, told so beautifully, two different ways.

Many, many thanks to Sam and Evan for graciously allowing me to feature this wedding and their photography.