Bridal Market: Spotlight on Eco-Chic Designers {Part 2}

Our spotlight on eco-conscious designers continues with sneak peaks at Elizabeth St. John and Adele Wechsler's fall 2011 collections. First up is Adele, whose designs we've featured before both here and as guest bloggers on Style Me Pretty.

Love both halter dresses in particular. Next up is the latest line from Elizabeth St. John. 

If you have a favorite "green" designer, let us know!

Bridal Market: Spotlight on Eco-Chic Designers

While many of the gowns at this fall's market seem inspired by nature, there are still only a handful of designers dedicated to green practices and manufacturing. And since everyone at Bridal Bubbly loves the planet as much as we love our readers, we wanted to spotlight those eco-chic designers bent on proving being environmentally conscious doesn't mean sacrificing style.

My favorite new discovery is LA-based designer Lindee Daniel. Honestly, her dresses are so pretty the fact that she uses natural fibers and pure practices is just icing on the cake.

See? Sheer loveliness. 

Oh, how I wish I could zoom in on pictures like the techies on NCIS can! I'm dying to get a better look at the above dress's fabric. Regardless, the sweetheart neckline and tiered skirt are great. 

So simple and sweet. The flutter of fabric at the neckline is soft and flattering. 

Admittedly, he veil paired with this dress is pretty distracting (tomorrow's post: new veil trends!), but I love the mix of fabrics and textures.

More eco-chic designs to come later today!

Bridal Market: Spotlight on Bridesmaid Dresses {Part 2}

More bridesmaid dresses we loved from NYC's latest bridal market:

This sophisticated lace sheath from Legends by Romona Keveza would be a great pick for an intimate wedding in the city. 

We did a wedding this past spring where the maids of honor wore white dresses by Lela Rose with contrasting sashes at the waist. A slightly unusual choice, but it looked beautiful, and didn't take away from the bride's gown at all. Love this one-shouldered frock from Lela.

Let's be honest: this nude dress by Melissa Sweet is a really hard color to pull off (I would look like a cadaver). But it does look super chic with black accessories, and I love the soft fabric and draping in the skirt. Also, I'm coveting the model's kicky ponytail and bangs. 

High drama by Jim Hjelm, with bonus points for the gown's pockets and empire waist line (a much more forgiving silhouette for those of us who like to eat multiple desserts at a wedding!) 

Martha Stewart Weddings claims this Simple Silhouettes dress is electric blue. I'm not getting any electricity from the color, but the cut would be flattering on a variety of body types, and Simple Silhouettes has dozens of colors to choose from anyway. 

Not everybody is a fuchsia fan, but I think the color works well with this cut. Also, the model is one tall drink of water, which is probably because she's duh, a model, but I'm choosing to believe I'd look the same in this Alvina Valenta gown. 

Which bridesmaid dress from market week was your favorite? 

-Alison 

Bridal Market: Spotlight on Bridesmaid Dresses

Bridal designers recently showed their latest collections in New York City. The gowns won't be available in stores until next year, but everybody in the Engaging Affairs office is already drooling over the designs. This week we'll be featuring the coming trends in the bridal world, along with the new dresses that took our breath away.

Of course, when people think of bridal fashion, wedding gowns are the first thing that come to mind, but the latest in bridesmaid dresses are also debuted at market. Having once worked in a bridal shop that carried the amazing creations of Anna Maier~Ulla-Maija, I was thrilled to discover that the couture bridal house is launching a bridesmaid line. And as you would expect from a designer known for flawless fit and dramatic silhouettes, these bridesmaid dresses are absolute show-stoppers.

I love this navy ball gown so much I'm thisclose to begging one of my sisters to get married just so I can wear it. (No pressure for them or their boyfriends, right?) 

This red gown is actual the bridesmaid version of the wedding dress that our very own Amy wore for her wedding. Good to know it's equally stunning in white or red! 

Notice how the ruched bodice and draped skirt on this green dress draws the eye to the narrowest part of the model's waist. That's good design. 

Another great design detail: how the neckline on this lace sheath is softly dipped instead of cut straight across. It's a difference your bridesmaids will thank you for! 

Unfortunately, I don't have a closer image of the detailing on this gray gown, but I suspect it's another type of lace. Probably my favorite of the two fitted silhouettes. The sharply defined sweetheart neckline draws attention to the model's shoulders and collar bone, and I'm a big fan of the fluted skirt. 

More bridesmaid highlights from other designers to come later today! 

-Alison

A Bride Who Blogs!

I received an e mail Wednesday from a past father of the bride.  I worked with John and his wife Susie over 3 years ago on their daughter Kate's wedding.  I can't believe that much time has gone by.  From time to time, I enjoy getting an e mail update from John on the family or just a smart wedding related article he's come across that makes him remember me.

The e mail I most recently received was a forward to a cooking blog his daughter Kate has started.  When I was working with them, Kate was working as a pastry chef in California.  I was most impressed by their wedding menu selections and know for a fact this family can call themselves the real deal when it comes to good food.

I won't go into so many details, because I want you all to read the blog, but to mark her third anniversary, Kate shares a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup as well as some advice and insight I find absolutely priceless.

Enjoy!
Sara

Italian Wedding Soup

It's my wedding anniversary today and I am feeling mushy. Mushy and moonstruck. (Sentimental isn't a remarkably different state for me, it's just a lot worse today. Or better? For better or for worse!) If you suspect you may find this post unbearable, kindly skip ahead to the recipe. It's such a good one, and I don't want you to miss it.

I've been thinking a lot about marriage this week, what I've learned in the three years I've been in one. This year had its rough parts, to be sure. It is a hard thing sometimes, being married. People don't really mention that when you're going into it, though when they do it's nearly impossible to take it heart and understand it. (Not us, I thought. We're deeply in love and so right for each other!) Well, we're still very much in love and still very right for each other, but I get it now. And I get how those hard times make the good times that much better. That a marriage is the sum of its parts and also something more: the highs and the lows and the in-betweens, the earth-shatteringly amazing and the mundane. The personal victories and setbacks shared as a team. The better and the worse. That it all gets melded and merged together, and there's your marriage. That the effect is cumulative, with a palpable feeling of weight and history and richness the further you go along.

Oh, but anyhow. You're here for soup. Let's get to it, because this one is something really special.
I might first point out that Italian wedding soup isn't actually served at weddings, in Italy or elsewhere. It's a mistranslation of Minestra Maritata, or "married soup", a nod to the well-matched pairing of greens and meat, and the marriage of flavors in the soup. (Slightly less auspicious, but we all know that "well-matched and married" trumps "wedding" despite those noisy cultural forces screaming otherwise.)

A good soup is also the sum of its parts, and also something more: the humble carrots and onions, the sturdy foundation of a good stock, a cheery bit of dill, a splash of wine and salt. Some time to allow the flavors to merge and meld. To marry.

Ina Garten's recipe is a deluxe version of the perfect chicken noodle soup, rich and balanced and sustaining. She'll be the first to tell you to use a homemade chicken stock, and I have to agree with her; you'll miss the depth and richness otherwise. If making your own stock seems like too much effort, here's a compromise, in the spirit of today's post: try the recipe first with store-bought. If you like it as much as I do, and I'm pretty sure you will, go for homemade the next time around. Make a big batch on a quiet Sunday and you'll have leftover stock to improve other soups and grains and stews all through the winter.

So that's it for now. Enjoy your soup. Enjoy the company of the people you love. And to my favorite person on the planet, the man who knows and loves me better than anyone, who makes the best Saturday morning cappuccinos, who still gives me butterflies and makes me blush: happy anniversary, my love.


Italian Wedding Soup
adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa; serves 8 as a main dish
for the meatballs:

• 3/4 pound ground chicken or turkey
• 1/2 pound uncooked chicken sausage (casings removed)
• 2/3 cup bread crumbs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, grated (plus extra for serving)
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the soup:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 C yellow onion, minced
• 1 C carrots, diced
• 3/4 C celery (2 stalks), diced
• 10 C chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1/2 C white wine
• 1 C baby pasta (fusilli, stars, mini farfalle, etc.)
• 1/4 C fresh dill, minced
• 10 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or Silpats if you have them. In a large bowl, gently mix the meatball ingredients together and shape into 1" meatballs. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sweat the onion, celery and carrots for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the meatballs, dill and spinach and cook an additional minute. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve with crusty bread and additional grated cheese.

Wedding photo edited from an original by Rodney Bailey.

Fabulous New Bridal Salon in Potomac {Love Couture}

We are so thrilled to share the news that there is a gorgeous new bridal salon in the Washington, D.C. area!  Love Couture Bridal Boutique is located in Potomac, Maryland and is luxurious, stylish and designed to give brides an amazing experience.

Love Couture is the creation of Sandy Leone, who has been in the bridal retail business for fifteen years and who believes that every bride should have a wonderful experience buying the gown of her dreams, whether she spends $1,000 or $10,000.  To that end, she has designed a store with spacious dressing rooms, rows upon rows of gowns and swanky detailing.

The salon carries bridal gowns by Lazaro, Pronovias, Ysa Makino, Marisa, Stephen Yearick and more.  Bridesmaids can select from Lela Rose, Cynthia Rowley, Dessy, Alfred Sung, After Six and B2.  The salon also carries a great selection of Mother of the Occasion dresses, evening dresses and frocks for flower girl!

I have to share my first experience with Love (before the salon was even open): a couple of weekends ago my bride had the belt from her dress stolen on her wedding day.  Naturally, she was really upset and called me--so I started calling bridal salons.  Most weren't even open yet, some weren't answering phones and some didn't have any belts like the satin and rhinestone one I was looking for.  But I put out a call on Twitter and my dear friend Doreen from Engaged Magazine reminded me that Sandy's salon was opening soon and hooked us up. 

Sure enough, Sandy produced an entire bag of gorgeous belts for me to take the bride for her to choose from. When I went to pick up the belts at Love, she was still unpacking!  Talk about customer service! Long story short, my bride ended up with a belt from Love that she adored and looked amazing with her gown. So you why I love Love Couture Bridal and can recommend them so highly!

The gowns are gorgeous, the salon is stunning and the staff is fabulous. We couldn't be more excited! The store is by appointment only so call (301-610-5683) or email (sandy@lovecouturebridal.com).  We'll see you at Love!

A Whimsical Washington Wedding {Elizabeth and Adam}

One of my most fun weddings of the year had to have been Elizabeth and Adam's September celebration. They were a fun couple with a great sense of humor and desire to have a very personalized, fun event!

 

Elizabeth started the day getting ready at The Willard Hotel with help a pair of very talented ladies: Katherine Nevitt for hair and Kim Giammaria for makeup. 

 After a few portraits outside, we were off to National City Christian Church for the ceremony.

The groom and groomsmen were already busy taking photos with the team from Fotobriceno in front of the historic church.

The couple worked with The Written Word for their beautiful paper products.

I love when brides walk down with both of their parents.  It's traditional in Jewish weddings but I love when brides of other faiths borrow the custom.

The bride's grandfather serenaded the couple on the violin during the ceremony. What a touching moment!

I can't remember the last time I'd worked in National City Christian Church but it's so gorgeous!  And I have to give a special shout-out to Eva, the church coordinator, for being so thorough and helpful.  Everyone at the church was great but we couldn't have done it without Eva!

Did I mention that this was a fun group?

After a little more goofing around, we were off to Meridian House for the reception where the team from Multiflor had hung lanterns in the wedding colors throughout the garden.  A string quartet from MSE Productions played as guests arrived and sipped on fruity sangria.

The house looked stunning thanks to floral decor by Nick Perez at Multiflor, lighting by EventEQ and linens and tableware from Perfect Settings.  I love when couples use color and these bold orange, yellow and merlot tones looked amazing!

Little flip books with photos from the couple's travels (and boy, have they traveled!) were tucked into guests' napkins.

Since we were short on space for an escort card table, we had a lovely seating chart designed by Lisa Sprites of Sprites Ink.

My favorite touch of the wedding was the wedding toast bingo cards!  Guests were invited to fill in words they thought toasters would say and then the first person to fill a row would yell "bingo!"

The toasts were great and we had several bingo winners (and some fun gag gifts for the winners)!

After an amazing dinner by Occasions Caterers, the couple took to the dance floor for their first dance and The Fabulous Fantoms kept guests dancing for the rest of the evening.

Instead of the wedding cake, the couple had cupcakes from their favorite cupcakery, Georgetown Cupcake, with their initials on top in wedding colors.  I can personally attest to the strawberry and chocolate peanut butter flavors--yum!

When guests weren't dancing, they were enjoying the dessert buffet from Occasions in the garden and making use of the fun outside photo studio from Fotobriceno.  I love Occasions' miniature sweets (because they don't have as many calories, of course)!

To say that they had fun with the wipe board balloons would be a vast understatement.

This was one seriously fun wedding that mixed elegance with whimsy. Everyone had such a fabulous time and the wedding fit the couple perfectly.  And isn't that what weddings should do?

Thanks to Linda and her fabulous team at Linder and Associates for the flawless transportation, to Dolce Studio Films for being so flexible when we decided to add video four days before the wedding, Wee Sit for providing a babysitting room so fun that event the kids didn't want to leave, and MarcParc for valet that is always efficient and top-notch.  Thanks to Joel and Kate from Occasions for making the numbers work and to Maria and Juan from Meridian House for being so helpful. Thanks to Juan Carlos Briceno of Fotobriceno for the gorgeous images and special thanks to Elizabeth and Adam for letting us be a part of such a fun day.  We had a blast!
Laura