Nominated!
Thrilled to be nominated with a bunch of other great blogs for the Lovelies Award! Click the above pic,
or here, to vote for us! It’s super easy. 🙂 Thanks in advance!
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Shop It!
If you keep up with this blog on a semi-regular basis then you are well aware that my fashion obsession pretty closely rivals my wedding obsession. In addition to centerpieces, lighting, and flowers, I also spend a lot of time swooning over gowns, shoes, and jewelry. Sometimes the styling is just so right I have to share it with anyone who will take a look!
This is one of those times.
More often than not, bridesmaids are put in colorful frocks and then subdued shoes and jewelry. This look {above} does the opposite and it’s fantastic! The neutral dresses have gorgeous detail, and pops of pink tie the whole outfit into the wedding palette. Do you love it?!
/As seen on Style Me Pretty/Dress ~ Love by Enzoani/Necklace ~ Murphy Jewelry/
I was inspired to put together a couple of looks with a beige core and colorful accessories:
Coral is my favorite color for this spring!
Dress | Necklace | Shoes
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Is this something you like or do you prefer more color?
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We’ve been nominated in The Lovelies 2011! Click here to vote!
A Day Late And 44 Cents Short
I tooooooooootally meant to do this post in time for you to take advantage of it with Valentine’s Day cards! Oops! Oh well – you can take this info and put it to good use with your wedding/shower invitations.
There are cities all over with great love-themed names. It’s easy to have your mail postmarked from them – just address and stamp your mail like normal, put it all in one big envelope and send it to:
Postmaster
Remailing (or ‘Valentine Remailing’ if you do this next year)
City, State, Zip
Here are some of my favorites:
Bliss, ID 83314
Bridal Veil, OR 97010
Heart Butte, MT 59448
Lovejoy, GA 30250
Loveland, CO 80538
Lovely, KY 41231
Loving, TX 76460
Romance, AR 72136
Romeo, CO 81148
Sugar City, ID 83448
Valentine, NE 69201
And my Number One Favorite is…..Loveville, MD 20656. Because it’s near me! Would you have your invitations remailed from somewhere romantic-sounding?
Wedding Outfitters
MOST of you probably already know that the Urban Outfitters company (also operating Free People and Anthropologie) will debut a wedding line this coming Monday named BHLDN {pronounced “beholden”}. Well the world wide webz is all atwitter as sneak peeks were revealed today! And let me tell you, these were very generous “sneaks”! I can only imagine what is left to share with us on Valentine’s Day.
You’re probably seeing them everywhere, so I’m going to skip the wedding dresses. Instead, I’ve picked a few of my favorite bridesmaids dresses, shoes, and accessories.
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Do you have any favorites yet? The wedding gowns will run between $1000 and $4000 so if that’s way out of your budget….stick to loving the accessories! (like me!)
~All pictures via Aisle Dash – click on over to see about 49 more looks!~
Do It Yarnself
I am slightly embarrassed with my attempt at title humor. Forgive me? It’s no secret that the writing portion of blog posts is not my strong point so just move on along and get to the pictures!
Yarn poms are definitely not a new idea, and neither are yarn pom flowers. I’m trying to practice my craftiness, though, so I bought two skeins of yarn and went to work! I thought the yellow ones could sorta-kinda-maybe be an alternative to Billy Balls (Craspedia) if you find yourself with more time than money in your wedding planning journey.
Obviously you could spend more time shaping them for a more polished look. I really love how the white turned out though! It reminds me of cotton.
I basically followed these instructions for the pom flowers, but cut the strings down once the loops were tied. Then I shaped and shaped and shaped! (Hey, if you have any ideas on what I can do with tons of scrap yarn fuzz, let me know!) Green floral wire was my quick stem for today’s purpose.
The yarn ball flowers are just yarn wrapped around a small styrofoam form.
For cost estimating purposes, here’s my breakdown:
Yarn ~ $2.29 per skein (you could make approximately a zillion poms out of 1 skein)
Styrofoam balls ~ $3.00 for 12
Floral Wire ~ $2.50 for 115 feet
Ta-da! What do you think? I hope you don’t hate it because they will make a cameo appearance again tomorrow in a centerpiece idea I’m working on…
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Chanel and Bows
Perfect combo, I think.
Photographer: ZZ Photography & Design | As seen on Wedding Chicks
Romantic Sole Mates
A surprise wedding + a Tiffany blue and hot pink color scheme + the perfect shoes!
Shoes by Romantic Soles, as seen on SMP
Aren’t the hearts on the bottom just darling? And at these prices, they would also
make perfect Valentine’s Day shoes!
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The Most Gorgeous ~ Table Linens
Ah! This is pure genious and completely inspired – layers and layers of tulle overlay! It’s 15 layers, to be exact, in three different shades covering a deep gold tablecloth.
I included a picture of the bride and her ‘maids because their dresses are just too beautiful not to. This whole wedding proves that a simple palette is not boring and texture means a lot. It is breathtaking.
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Photography by Michele M. Waite, via Style Me Pretty
Coordination & Event Design by Steven Moore Designs
Bride’s dress is “Diana” by Vera Wang
Bridesmaids dresses were made by Jennifer Ryan
Super Bowl Revolt!
Who else is being forced to watch the Super Bowl today? As much as I want to stay home and work on the new site (get ready!) and DIY projects (beware my pseudo craftiness!), my husband is carting me to a friends house for the first half of the game. Let that a be a shining example of compromise to all of you 🙂
In light of my strong dislike for anything sports related I won’t show you any dips or ribs or wings; instead, how about something you can make next week as a Valentine’s treat? Yes…..that’s more my speed…
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shooters
These are so simple yet look luxurious. Hull out strawberries, dip the bottoms in chocolate, and then fill with whatever you like. {The ones pictured hold a mixture of vanilla vodka, Godiva liquor, and chocolate syrup – yum.} Here are some TIPS from the creators. Enjoy!
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Wedding Dresses ~ The TP Edition
My sweet friend Alicia from The Charity Wedding was also so kind to guest post for me today. She swooped in at the last minute to help me and with two glasses of vino in her put together a piece of Friday Wedding Hilarity! Read, enjoy, and head into your weekend giggling. 🙂
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Hello Niche White readers! I am so excited to be here today with you. Nicole has a busy week and she needed a little help to keep her blog flowing with goodness, so that is where I come in. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to post and I didn’t have a ton of time to figure it out so I decided to head to her blog for inspiration. As you know, she always posts the latest fashion trends, eye-catching photos, unique ideas, and things you just don’t expect to look as fabulous as they do, but of course they do look fabulous. Out of nowhere, the thought of wedding dresses made of toilet paper popped in my head. Bear with me friends, it was late, I had a long day, and I was already on my second glass of pinot grigio. Now don’t get me wrong I am not trying to insinuate that dresses made of 2-ply are the latest fashion trend but I can assure you what I found is both unique and eye-catching not to mention pretty much fabulous. These are NOT the crap dresses that you made at your bridal shower during one of the games that no one likes to play. Prepare to be amazed.
Alright so this one is pretty much artsy and probably not real. BUT let me tell you there are some that are real.
Yep this is real and made completely out of what you wipe with.
Be honest, if I didn’t tell you, would you have known? Absolutely no way.
So come to find out, there is an entire contest dedicated to dresses made from toilet paper that takes place year after year. Tell me you are not impressed.
Seriously, am I crazy or is this awesome?
These are gorgeous. Vera Wang take note. Now we all know how brittle toilet paper is and yet these artisans are creating braids, flowers, and full out gorgeous gowns.
If this teaches us anything it is that with a little ingenuity and effort, you could create something absolutely gorgeous on a budget. I’m not sure how well a TP dress would hold up through walking around, pictures, sweating, and dancing but if you could pull it off, without anyone knowing, wouldn’t it be fabulous?
Happy Friday Friends! Let this inspire you to create something amazing this weekend while having a whole new appreciation for toilet paper!
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A Photographer’s Top 5 Wedding Moments ~ Guest Post
Huge thanks today to Casie from Rebel Belle Photography for guest posting! I am not anywhere exciting, just trying to finish up some things (read: the new Niche White site has to be ready by Monday or I will lose my mind) and couldn’t dedicate any time to a good blog post. Casie is so kind to help me out; please go check out her site and catch up with her on her blog or Twitter!
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Happy Friday Everyone!! I promise you that every day this week has felt as if it should’ve been a Friday for me – should’ve, would’ve, could’ve – if I had magical powers. I think that that might be my requested “Super Hero Power” if I could indeed have one; the magical power to make EVERY day a FRIday. I’d also request to have super hero photographic eyes, but I don’t want to get greedy in the super hero skills department. Unless it’s buy one get one free day…
Nic was so fantastic to ask lil’ ol’ me to guest blog for her today – and I couldn’t be more thrilled! So, I’ve got the Billy Joel tunes rockin’ and I’m ready to roll….
I recently met with a bride who, straight off the bat, before she was even comfortably sitting told me, “I am so nervous!” You see, this was her very first vendor meeting! I can totally relate to those nerves. There’s always a bit of natural-nerves when meeting someone for the first time. Are you going to click? Are they going to get your style? Your vision? Are they going to understand why you’ve put The Electric Slide on the “do not play” list?
We, of course, wound up clicking famously. We had quite a bit in common, and she’s one of the best friends of a former bride of mine. I loved her, she loved me right back – and perfect photographer/bride BFF-ness was born. I think I may have even heard angels singing. True. Story.
We chatted a lot about the details of her wedding day, my experience, and somehow wound our way into the awesome conversation of some of my favorite Wedding Day Moments.
Photographers are known for capturing moments – that is what we do, and most of us, live and breathe for as many moments as we can document. There is simply nothing better. So…I’ve put together a little “Top Five” if you will (sorry…I’m not as nifty as Mr. David Letterman and his TOP TEN list) of my very favorite Wedding Day Moments…DRUM ROLL PUH-LEASE!!
5. Till’ Death Do Us Part…
Number Five on My List of Favorite Wedding Moments? Goes to those words we’ve all been waiting to utter from the first moment we knew what weddings were all about (and yes – proven fact, gentlemen? We women have known what weddings are ALL about since birth.)
There is something so intense about this moment, so genuine, so real – because these are the words you’ve been longing to hear. And, yes, other words have been whispered, and the rings will be there in just a second or two…but those words?! Those words are incredibly powerful. In sickness & in health. For better. For Worse. For richer. For poorer. From this day forward!
I mean – is there ANYTHING more phenomenal than those words? Or in knowing that you’ve found this ONE person who is taking you – not only as you have been, and not only as you will be – but for who you are right now, in this moment?!
For those who write their own vows? Ugh, forget it. I darn near lose it every time. (Yes. I am admitting to perhaps tearing up a time or two behind the camera) …someday when I get married? I’m hoping that Mr.Married-to-Casie-Dude will promise to always kill bugs for me (because I am certifiably hysterical at the sight of bugs), always pick up after the dog (I…ahm…don’t pick up dog poop), and to always take out the trash (“mans job”…am I right?)…Hey! This girl can dream!
4. Family Moments
I was at a wedding a couple of years ago. It was an outdoor lakeside reception, a little chillier than most Floridian evenings…but you couldn’t really feel that with all the love on the dance floor. There was this one particular moment where I stood back and took it all in. These two families were now one. They were all laughing, and dancing, and truly living life. Nothing could’ve been better than that moment.
So from having your mom clasp your necklace just right to moments of laughter with your girls – best friends and sisters – to watching your groom dance with his momma and shake hands with your daddy. Is there anything better?
I promise you – very likely, it will never matter if your flowers were the perfect shade of tangerine (yes. Apparently “tangerine” is a color) but these moments, with your family and closest friends? Those are the moments to live for.
3. The First Look
I am a big fan of The First Look – in which the bride and groom see each other BEFORE the ceremony. I know, I know…it’s so rebellious! And there are those who LOVE the idea, and those who can’t believe it exists. There are a lot of “pros” to The First Look, but my favorite is the reason to as why I love it so much.
I mean, I completely 100% could not adore The First Look more without my heart potentially exploding. Quite simply? You will NEVER get a moment where it is JUST the two of you before your ceremony. It’s a quiet moment, and an intensely-uniquely-emotional moment. Those emotions are so incredible that while editing my last First Look for Scott & Dani’s St. Augustine wedding? *I* was tearing up a full 24 hours later. (okay, so…maybe I’m a bit of a sap – that’s the 2nd time I’ve admitted to crying…neither here nor there, my friends.) It’s hard for me NOT to fall in love with my Brides & Grooms.
2. The Walk Down The Aisle
Now THIS might be a shocker, since I just proclaimed The First Look (done BEFORE the ceremony and EXCLUSIVELY with only the bride/groom present) as one of my favorite wedding day moments. But HERE is one that will always TOP all the others (except for my #1 Favorite Moment) AND it will STILL be emotional and fantastical whether you see your groom before the ceremony or wait until THIS moment right here….
The music begins. Your guests stand and face you, smiles beaming from their faces. You and your father, arm in arm, begin the walk down the aisle. THIS is the moment, right?! You can’t stop smiling, and maybe there’s even a tear in your eyes. Your daddy squeezes your arm in support, because he knows it too – THIS is the moment! Maybe he’s a little scared to give his baby girl away – but he knows – the man at the end of this aisle, that you both move towards – is the only man he could ever give you away to.
Okay. I have tears in my eyes writing that and I’ve never ever been married. (Sap! I know! *sigh*) And while I capture these moments – you know which one is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE?!
The one of your groom. His infectious smile. The playful nudge from his best man. His expressive eyes that say it all – THIS is the moment. See, he’s been waiting for this moment too! I always love capturing an image of the GROOM as you are walking towards him.
I know, I know…how very 27 Dresses of Me…but its true! That moment is darn near perfect!
1. MR&MRS!
So what could be EVEN better than THAT moment? Well it’s my FAVORITE moment EVER at ANY wedding I have ever had the honor to photograph…and THAT is the moment where your officiant announces YOU and YOUR Groom as the BRAND NEW “Mr. & Mrs.”
There’s applause, and hugs. High-fives and tears of ultimate happiness. Ohhhh and you two will be smiling your faces off, hand in hand, rings all glitzy and glam, your bouquet held proudly in the air! You two did it!! You did the “unthinkable” – you FOUND each other! You FELL.IN.LOVE! And you crazy kids proclaimed it to the world from the mountain tops of wedded bliss.
THAT’s my favorite moment. Right there. Freeze-Frame it. It’s golden. It’s perfect. A brand new beginning. The NEW Mr. & Mrs.
Congratulations, you adorable little love bugs!! Here’s to a lifetime of happiness, and my hope that your Dude-To-Be will be the killer of all insects as well! ♥
Dress of the Day – BOLD
Colorful wedding dresses will be a continuing trend in 2011, but would you be brave enough to take it this far? Regardless of your answer you can’t deny the beauty of this design:
“For the most daring of brides, the true siren, a black wedding dress signals the energy and passion, and madness, of a bride. A punctuation of black, combined with traditional wedding details such as floating crystals and delicate vertical shirring, is sexy but still of the moment. Ella captures all of this and then some, pushing to the furthest boundaries.” ~ Vera Wang
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Mix It Up
Are you so excited to plan your vintage wedding? Can you hardly contain yourself over all the beautiful pieces out there to use in your modern wedding? Or are you utterly torn, not knowing which look you most want for your day?
If you love the romantic, less-structured feel of vintage events but also long for bold, clean designs then this inspiration shoot will give you some great ideas on how to blend the best of both worlds.
A tea-length vintage dress from the 50s gets a contemporary boost with black heels and those to-die-for short leather gloves. {They were DIY’ed from vintage gloves and zippers!}
This tablescape is the perfect combination of new and old ~ clean, modern pieces mixed with antique silver vases, perfume bottles, and glass jars adorned with Spanish moss.
A close-up on the amazing gloves, and a shot of the blue lace reception frock. This mini was paired with light gray tights and black shoes to mimic the color palette of the day. The pearl strands are another DIY accessory.
“The concept behind this wedding shoot was born as a study in beautifully blending very modern elements with traditional and vintage elements to create a richer look with interest and depth.” ~ Yelena Johnson, The Stylish Soiree
I think it was a success! The combined aesthetic here strikes a perfect balance between old, new, and chic! Plus it’s a great way to encourage brides {and planners!} to never feel boxed in by one ‘theme’; it is possible to blend and still have a cohesive style.
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Photographed by Heather Kincaid, Styled by Yelena Johnson, The Stylish Soiree
via Green Wedding Shoes {Click to see entire shoot}
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Hey That’s A Good Idea!
Don’t Etsy creators/artists/designers continue to amaze you all the time? This is, of course, assuming you’re as addicted to the site as I am. (You are, right?)
Today I was shopping looking for inspiration and came across this little piece of brilliance – a Love Life Calendar! This would make a great wedding gift, Valentine’s gift, or just as a tool to promote a continued, healthy romance in your own life.
There are four relationship components listed and assigned to a quarter section of a heart {as shown in the 2nd photo}. Each day you color in the corresponding pieces for those aspects you achieved. The object, obviously, is to see lots of red!
Some couples might think this is cheesy but just as we should write down our personal goals as a sort of road map, we should also pay close attention to our relationships. It’s no secret that marriage is work…but it can be fun work. 🙂
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Life Calendars by Brigada Creativa
Shoe Love – Showstopper!
This is my third and final shoe obsession of the day! Are you relieved, or DO YOU LOVE IT?
I labeled this the showstopper not only because the shoes are everything right with the world, but because the story behind the bride wearing them is, too. Well, the lady and her husband. You must read their story… I got a little misty. {Hint: The title is “Day-After Session, 10 Years in the Making”}
~ Badgley Mischka Kiwi, in Raspberry ~
{While we’re at it, isn’t that dress amazing too?}
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If you missed the first two shoe posts of the day, you can catch up HERE and HERE. Enjoy!
Shoe Love – Choices!
See, I told you this was a problem.
I fell in love with these romantic heels, especially in pink since Valentine’s Day is fast approaching! Of course, the black could work for that too… depends on what you have planned . 😉 But the best part is that they come in a flat version as well! See? There’s nothing not to love about my boys Mark and James. (Yeah, we’re close like that. Except not.)
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Stay tuned…the “Showstopper” shoes are coming up later this afternoon!
Shoe Love! (…or Obsession?)
Hi, my name is Nicole and I’m a Badgley Mischka shoe addict. Of course, if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of Tuesdays then that’s not really newsworthy.
The object of my affection today ~
Xavier (on sale for $133 – WIN!)
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{ Photography by Gina Meola Photography, via Style Me Pretty }
You must see this wedding! The bride’s dress is just BEYOND gorgeous,
and the reception features square tables – my favorite.
A Surprising J.Crew Bridesmaid
You all are going to think I’ve completely lost my marbles this Monday morning, but stick with me! If you’ve been planning your wedding for any length of time you surely know not all brides have the same fashion sense, and thankfully we’ve gotten to a place where this is embraced. You don’t want to wear white? Great! Don’t want a long frilly ballgown? Fabulous!
And what about your ‘maids? We’re all completely over the “put a big bow on their butts and make them ‘ugly’ ensembles”, right? Even so, maybe the dresses you’ve seen on the rack just don’t…jive with your wedding theme. Well please feel free – even excited! – to think outside of the traditional box. If J.Crew just isn’t for you….think again. Maybe it is.
Scrap the idea of bridesmaids dresses all together!
Whoa! I know I probably just offended a bunch of you with this. A button down white shirt with a pencil skirt and cardigan? Have I lost my mind? No. Add a great nude peep-toe, a long beautiful necklace, maybe a flower hair clip, and you’re in business for a casual garden wedding.
See? 😉
Love it! These ladies have the same basic uniform but chose shirts and accessories that worked for them. Just another example of what an open mind can do for you! Added bonus: Your girls can honestly wear these clothes again!
** Would you consider this style for your bridesmaids? **
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Cardigan, White Shirt, Pencil Skirt ~ All from J.Crew (not actual clothes shown in wedding)
{Photos by Lang Photographers – go see this beautiful wedding HERE!}
Hey, That’s A Good Idea!
{New Series!}
I love this little detail ~ sometimes the crowd needs some encouragement!
{Photograph by Our Labor of Love, via Elizabeth Anne Designs}
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P.S. Like the suits on these guys? See more seersucker inspiration HERE!
I Have Just One Thing To Say…
…you better WORK. (Remember RuPaul? Anyone?)
This isn’t very wedding related but I couldn’t help showing off some of my favorites from the Spring 2011 Paris Haute Couture shows this week. And if you go into this thinking these are great potential outfits for brides, bridesmaids, and wedding guests then it’s sorta relevant to this blog. So let’s go with that. 🙂 We’re starting with Dior!
I love the grays with the spring-y colors, and you have no idea how much the return of gloves thrills me. Plus, how fabulous is the bandeau veil? {See how it translates into a bridal look here}
Next up: Elie Saab! I limited it to 8 looks but please know that I loved eeeeverything.
*Pictures courtesy of Fashion Gone Rogue.
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This Day Could Use Some Yellow
After driving home in a slushy, messy, dangerous white-out last night {it only took 4 hours} I need a pop of color today! And a warm spring color at that. I think this will do:
See the beautiful Atlantic City wedding it belongs to HERE
{Photography by dinofa}
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Stone Cold Fox
Some brides don’t care about being called “Pretty” on their wedding day – they just want to be a stone cold fox. Maybe that bride will ditch the chiffon, trade a vintage vibe for something more….retro, and upgrade the typical strapless bridesmaids dresses to an off-the-shoulder stunner. The perfect designer for this type of lady is {drumroll please} Stone_Cold_Fox. Perfect, right? 😉
How about these for the bride and her ‘maids?
Having a hard time visualizing these coming down the aisle? Well, you’re in luck. One of the partners of SCF made these for her sister’s wedding…
Do you recognize the bride? You might know her name/blog…
Go find out and see all of this truly amazing wedding on 100 Layer Cake.
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You can see more of the Stone_Cold_Fox collections here, {Lady Bonita 2010 is my fave} and shop for their pieces at Revolve Clothing. Three more dresses I love:
Don Juan Dress, Alice B Toklas, and Commune
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What do you think? Is this your vibe or not so much? I really hope you’ll check out their site…I am most amazed that each piece is handmade and that they are so young! I’m looking forward to seeing lots of great stuff from SCF in the future.
The Most Gorgeous…
…table set-ups! I actually couldn’t choose between these two, so you get to decide – a glamorous reception dinner on the water or a dramatic, sweeping display on the beach?
OPTION A
And the same table at night, filled with people:
OPTION B
For the record, this table is not from a wedding but from a program called Oustanding in the Field. A team travels to different cities and prepares local, fresh dinners for their guests! Tickets for meals in the 2011 season go on sale March 20, check them out! All of their tables are worth seeing.
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So…who’s your winner for today’s “Most Gorgeous…”? It’s a tough one!
Sand In Your Thongs
Your white-beachy-wedding-thong sandals, that is!
These are the perfect flat for a beach wedding and/or reception,
then throw them in your trousseau!
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Want to buy some pretty sandals? Go here!
White Beaut’e thongs seen on Tumblr.
Niche White Bridal Loft 
