reem acra spring 2007, martha stewart

Originally uploaded by KikiLaRae

This Reem Acra dress takes my breath away.

The sweet blush tone, the swingy skirt, the low (too low for me)-cut bodice.

I am simply swooning over this gorgeous dress.

Sigh.

(dress is from 2007 runway, featured by Martha Stewart)

If I were about 40 pounds lighter and looked like Rachel Bilson, I would SO wear something like this to my bachelorette party.

RB and this dress are so friggen hot.

I am “average-ish.” I am not 5′7″ and 110 pounds. This photo is my dorky inspiration for my wedding… even though I know it’d be quite unhealthy for me to be that size, I can look at this photo before I grab a scoop of ice cream or a beer. Maybe it’ll help!

studiomcc.blogspot.com anemone

Originally uploaded by KikiLaRae

I gave up on my grand illusion that I could possibly put together my wedding bouquet, as well as corsages for my mamma and the FMIL. SO…. I visited a florist.

I stepped into the shop and said, “I want something with ranunculus and French anemone” — which are the awesome white blossoms in the photo (which I borrowed from Studio MCC - go Wisconsin!)

I was dismayed to see that they didn’t have pages and pages of bouquets that they’ve personally done, but they did have some inspiration from magazines and books… enough that I could say “that’s too big,” “that’s too floufy,” “that’s too ugly.”

I think I’d better stop at a few other florists, but its refreshing to know that I won’t be spending $2000 on flowers… that’s just not my thing.

Another great stationary store nearby.

Lunalux is all shades of cute or classy and completely personalizable.

They’ve got some great samples of previous work on their site and blog, and seem to have some brilliant creative minds cooking up some beautiful things. I’m not sure what their pricerange is, but feel free to give ‘em a call and ask!

paper orchid stationary

Originally uploaded by KikiLaRae

Have you seen Paper Orchid Stationary?

They have this great collection of cutout invitations, as well as cupcake liners, etc.

The beauty of them is that they don’t actually cost that much.

For example: a pack of 50 of these invitations would be $80. That includes the yellow backer (where the cutout is), the insert papers and the envelope. So… 150 invitations would cost $240? Cool.

They’ll also do custom printing — starting at $40 for 50 (and only $57 for 150 invitations!)

And, 50 RSVP cards are only $36 with envelopes.

If you’re having a budget wedding, it could be feasible to order 150 custom printed invitations, RSVP cards and thank you cards for around $500. Nice.

shu uemura false lashes

Originally uploaded by KikiLaRae

I’m a girl with thin but long lashes. I get it. When I wear mascara frequently, my thin lashes seem to become even more thin. Ack.

As a result, I’m a huge fan of false lashes for big events. There’s no question that I’ll be sticking some falsies onto my upper lids on the day we get hitched.

I’ve always been happy with MAC false lashes, but I think I found the ones I’ll use on my wedding day. Day-um, Shu Uemura packs a punch with these criss-cross lashes.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also find lashes made of feathers and feathered velvet. They come in shocking blue, and of course black and brown.

The real beauty is that they start at $20!

Jenny Lee

Originally uploaded by KikiLaRae

I really dig this lace-up back by Jenny Lee.

The lace-up space is broad (nearly the entire back), the laces are thick (so much classier than thin straps) and the dress just exudes classic beauty.

The cut is modest yet beautiful.
I like the ballerina-style of the front of the gown.

If I didn’t already have a dress, I’d seriously track this baby down and try it on. Its available at one shop in Minnesota — L’atelier Couture in Saint Paul (along with several other amazing lines, like Elizabeth Fillmore, Jesus del Pozo and Rosa Clara). Or, you could hop a plane to NYC and check it out at Bergdorf Goodman. Its your choice.

Image from JennyLee.com

MAC fergie

Originally uploaded by KikiLaRae

I love MAC. So much that, I even go to their little events in which they launch new collections.

I’ve used MAC and their talented artists for most of the weddings in which I’ve participated.

I’m even considering using them for my own wedding (though I have a few months to pin down an artist).

Check out this gorgeous look that they’ve posted on their site. It’s called “Fergie.” I love it (though I think it needs some bronzer and blush to finish it off).

I love the neutral yet sexy eye color, the dark shade in the crease, the lighter shade near the lash line and the false lashes that go out to “there.” There’s the dramatic liner and of course the shadow under the eyes, giving the impact of all-around liner without the small-eye syndrome that comes from applying liner all the way around.

These colors could work on most any bride, and the dramatic yet subtle application takes the look from everyday to “wow.”

Image from MAC

vendor fetch

Originally uploaded by KikiLaRae

Bella Gala, the monster company of all things wedding, has come up with this handy-dandy vendor fetch.

I’ll just ignore the fact that the image is an impossibly close rendition of the iPhone or iPod Touch.

The Vendor Fetch allows you to search for venues based on location, style of venue, size of our wedding, features of the site or price of the venue.

This tool is quite handy if you’re still undecided on the location of your wedding and want to uncover some sites that you wouldn’t have found otherwise.

Its annoying because it doesn’t allow direct comparisons and it seems that many of the photos are broken.

But, in all honesty, this tool is quite awesome. Take it for a spin!

miel_y_leche_limoncello_cupcake

Originally uploaded by KikiLaRae

The GTB and I headed into Letterbox stationary shop to see if they had a certain flavor of cupcake.

(backstory: we’re catering our cake — or cupcakes to be exact — for our wedding with Miel y Leche. We adore Sheela, she’s funny and kind and innovative and willing to go the extra mile to make sure our wedding cupcakes — and display — are nothing short of amazing. We had decided on three flavors, but there’s one left to choose. We just HAVE to try that flavor before we sign on the dotted line. Of course it wasn’t one of the flavors available, so we decided to try 3 other flavors, for fun. The chocolate raspberry is AMAZING. Strawberry coconut is light and delicious. Cherry almond is, as we expected tasty.)

As we stood in line to pay, 2 women in their mid-to-late 60s (clearly from one of the more affluent suburbs, based on the amount of jewelry, designer duds and perfectly coifed hair) were commenting on the cupcakes. One of the women reached her hand out and actually touched one of the cupcakes. If she didn’t walk away with frosting on her finger, I’d be shocked.

This is when the woman working (I’m going to assume it was the owner, Kimberley, though I’ve never actually met her) was like, “Hey, lady, come back here. I can’t sell that cupcake now that you’ve paid for it.”

Older woman #1 (I’ll refrain from the word lady) - “I’ll pay for 1/2 of it and we can share.”

Older woman #2 - glances back and walks away.

Older woman #1 - follows her

Kimberley (I think) - chases them out of the store - “Lady - get back here! You just ruined this cupcake.”

It escalated. I was thinking (hoping) that that stupid older lady would have a cupcake thrown at her head, but it never happened.

Moral of the story: Letterbox is not only awesome, but people who mess with them don’t escape unscathed. This is a business at which I actually want to spend my money!

(image from Cupcake Takes The Cake