Maggie Sottero

Maggie Sottero (my personal favorite wedding dress designer!) has now posted their Spring 2010 dress collection! The website can be accessed at: maggiesottero.com
The collection is full of beautiful and unique dresses. Shiny satin seems to be popular this season, which emphasizes the cascading lines of the dress. "Denise" shows off the elegance of this fabric with the gathered fabric and the drape of the top skirt. If you prefer a simpler look, their Destinations collection dresses have simpler lines. Each of them boasts a significant train however, which I would think would get in the way in certain outdoor settings (like the rocky shore where the models are posing). Straps of various configurations are also more prevalent this season, which is good for those who prefer that look. Of this seasons dresses,

**NEWSFLASH**

This just in from information headquarters!!! My brother, who is very manly and never looks at frilly things, has just sat patiently through all four hundred Maggie dresses and decided that his top five dresses, in order of preference are:

Winona
Sonya
Sara
Jorie Ann
Myra

Winona and Sonya were a close tie, with Sonya initially being ranked #1, but the decision was reviewed and overturned in favor of Winona. He describes Winona as "southern" and though he dislikes the sparkle of the straps, he does admit that the bow in the back is "alright".

Thank you to our guest contributor, my brother!

Daisy's date: June 4, 2011

So in the hurry to call all my relatives and let them know I was engaged, I mentioned to my grandmother, "Your anniversary is June 4, right? Well, it falls on a Saturday in 2011...would you mind if we used it?"
And Grammy started crying and said she would love that. So I came home and told my parents (who had gotten a call from Grammy as soon as I hung up with her), and they said, "Well, we'd better get that date!"

I realize that this leaves a whole 18 months until the wedding, and I probably didn't have to book the date at the church so soon, but who am I to put off any bit of wedding planning? Plus, June is a popular month, and I'd gotten my grandmother's hopes up.

This morningI went to the Catholic Church where I grew up, told them I was engaged, and asked if I could book June 4, 2011. The lady in the parish office looked at me and said "I don't even have a 2011 calendar yet!" Once I explained the whole grandmother story, though, she was very understanding and called our pastor's office, and they let me book it.

!!!!

Hi Everyone!!
Thank you, Lily, for your wonderful words. So here's how it happened, the story isn't that complicated:
Last night, Derek said we should go ice skating (I didn't really want to, I thought it would be too cold, but Derek promised we wouldn't have to stay long). So we went to a little outdoor rink in downtown Elkhart, IN (Derek's hometwon). It was all lit up for Christmas and very pretty. I think Lily mentioned that I used to ice skate when I was a little girl, so I like to do some spins or jumps just to see if I still can. I stopped spinning, and Derek skated up to me and said "Hey, would you like to do a lap with me as my fiance?" And he pulled out the ring!


The ring is a cushion cut diamond, which is a sort of rounded square. The setting is a cathedral setting with sort of trellis design--or a truss from a bridge (Derek thought it was appropriate because my college major was civil enginering). I love how it is so simple, but still kind of different.

As Lily mentioned, Derek and I started dating our sophomore year in college--we were both in the Notre Dame marching band together. He played baritone, I played mellophone. Our mutual friends decided we should go to the band formal together, and we just clicked. I knew he was The One when he accompanied me to see High School Musical On Ice, with only a few complaints.

And of course, I will be sharing all of my wedding plans on this blog! I can't wait to get started. Merry Christmas everyone!

Dear Friends,

It has been a long time since I last wrote, but I am now happy to post some joyful news! Daisy is engaged! I have known Daisy since freshman year of college, and her fiance since our sophomore year (right, Daisy?). They are an adorable couple - they compliment each other perfectly and are very much in love! I wish them all the best as they prepare for their life together!
I only got a brief synopsis, but I hear the proposal happened on ice (Daisy loves ice-skating). No doubt she will be posting soon with the full story, plus details about the wedding planning as it progresses.
Congratulations to Daisy and Dinkle!

Lily

Another Engagement!

Congratulations to my college friend Jesse, who is now engaged to his girlfriend of five and a half years! They are looking at a wedding either August or fall 2010. Their home state is Nebraska, so I assume that would be the location.

Old Fashioned Christmas Wedding

As promised, here is my Christmas-themed inspiration board. When I think "old-fashioned Christmas," I think red, green and gold, and long, furry white capes. Candles are a must, and centerpieces are easy with either poinsettias or a garland wreath. An easy favor? Custom ornaments!


Top Row:
Bridesmaid dress from Alfred Angelo, style 7050 in color Hunter;
Custom Christmas ornament from Howe House Limited Editions;
Martha Stewart Festive Red Poinsettia from 1800flowers.com.
Middle:
Bridal cape from Princess Bride Tiaras.
Bottom:
Holiday Red Bride's Bouquet from marthastewart.com;
Gold Candle Wreath from Janet's Boutique;
Holiday Wedding Cake by Jane Garcia.

True Fanatics

I guess I'm not the only one who thinks football and weddings go together like cake and ice cream.

Reception Halls

Who says October weddings aren't popular? For Andrea's date, Oct. 16th, all but two of the reception halls she called in the Hartford, CT area were already booked, 11 months in advance!
Fortunately, one of the places she did find happens to be where her fiance's parents had their reception, a generation ago.

Also, I want to comment that I have been reading the book Bridal Bargains--what a fantastic read! (Thanks to Theresa, whose wedding I was in earlier this year, you may remember). I know you shouldn't believe everything you hear/read, but, even if this stuff isn't true, it's like a gossip magazine--a down-and-dirty expose on the bridal industry. Really interesting stuff.

Please accept Lily's and my apologies for the slow down in posts...like everyone, we are particularly busy this time of year.