Posts Tagged ‘Wedding’

Wedding Wear: the shoes and styles for wedding season

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

by Holly Clinard

Wedding season is upon us! I don’t know how many hoots and hollers I’ve heard lately from both friends and readers about the tons of wedding events, rehearsal dinners and engagement parties they plan on attending over the summertime. I guess it’s just these warm California months that get the lovebirds wanting to have pretty outdoor weddings and celebrations! What a great thing to be a part of your friend or family member’s special day, though, right? And really, it’s just another excuse to go out and purchase some new gorgeous dresses and shoes that are wedding-wear appropriate. It’s all part of the fun!

Recently, I’ve come across this great new online boutique based out of Orange County called House of PlumRed. House of PlumRed is one rapidly growing and respected voice for new trends, with collections that promote chic and edgy style for all varieties of women and occasions. One thing that I especially dig about PlumRed (besides their under $50 price bracket!) is that they carry only low quantities of each fashion to give you the full boutique experience that you simply can’t get anywhere else! Uhh-dore! So with the help of some of my favorite online stores of the moment, I’ve managed to show off to you a few outfits that’ll have ya for once glad it’s not you who’s walking down the aisle!

For starters let me just say that most wedding-attending gals want to stand out in that holy matrimony-watching crowd! Well, House of PlumRed’s One Sleeve Layered Dress will do just that for you as you step onto the wedding scene. This dreamy, layered pink dress is perfect for any summer occasion, really (at an under $30 price too!). Sorta reminds me of something my favorite gal Whitney Port would sport!

To pair with this fab trendy-girl dress, you simply must have these Jessica Bennett ‘Marek’ Sandals that can be found at a hot little sale price on Nordstrom.com! You can’t go wrong with this outfit—and these gorgeous metallic heels bring it all together.

If it’s the hippie-chic look you’re after, then you’ll wanna head straight for HOPR’s Editorial Layer Floral Dress that you can effortlessly layer up with long, stringed beads (as pictured) or even a bib necklace. This is seriously a great little number that’ll have you sitting comfortably at the daytime ceremony, and dancing the night away at the evening reception!

Dress up your hippie-chic look with these lovely Nina ‘Papina’ heels—they come in three great colors: powder sand, silver or ivory (all of them will give off that soft, summer vibe). They’re your classic go-to special occasion peep toe pump that will hang around your closet for years to come.

If it’s a more conservative and classic look that you boast, try this sleeveless v-neck wrap dress that’s super duper comfy. A bright summery choice and a rich color to add to your wardrobe. Hey, and who doesn’t love a little number with pockets in it, really!? The wrap v-neck style hides any mid-section imperfections and accentuates only your best!

I gotta tell ya that a richly colored dress like this calls for none other than some sweet gold sandals for you to step into. Nordstrom’s BP. ‘Empire’ Sandal is at the top of my list for this season’s special-event shoe. With a stunning gold twist t-strap and a heel height that’s just right, you’ll be toasting to the happy couple in style (and glancing down at your pretty shoes in between speeches!)!

So to all of you wedding-goers out there—sit back, unwind and raise your glasses to your summer’s special occasion and the hot outfit you brought along with you for the ride!

xoxo,

holly in heels

Holly in Heels

smitten with shoes, addicted to style.

You can follow Holly’s chic shoe blog at www.hollyinheels.com

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Posted in fashion&style | 2 Comments »

How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

On Friday, I have the honor of being Maid of Honor in my wonderful, dear friend Anne’s wedding. I have a few other friends in similar situations who have asked me, How do you write a maid of honor speech?

Well, I’m no writer…wait…ok, so here are the steps that I took.

Brainstorm and research:

Go through old emails between the two of you for inspiration. Maybe there are some early ones from when her and her beau started dating or fell in love? You can make a joke about how you two are close and can trust each other with your deepest thoughts and secrets, except for today, when you’re sharing her emails.

Ask her family for intimate stories about her childhood or things that will make it more personal.

Go through old photos that might spark memories.

And then write all these things down so you have a big mess of thoughts, stories and emotions regarding your friend.

Organize:

So now it’s time to make some sense out of all this! Keep in mind that you don’t want it to be too too long. And if you’re not funny, now’s not the time to try out your latest stand-up routine. (But that’s really a whole other issue, isn’t it: people who aren’t funny but think they are.)  Leave the funny to the best man. He’s also the one who should delve into the groom’s past gaffs. Let the bride be elegant today – not the butt of your jokes about that time at Mardi Gras.

Try to think of three or four major points about her personality that you can compliment and maybe share a little story about. And mention the groom a bit too – anything that gives the guests a deeper understanding of why this couple is together – cuz that’s what the day is all about.

Finish the speech with a toast to the bride and groom.

Practice:

Make sure the speech rolls of your tongue – so practice giving it a few times. If you stumble anywhere, you may want to change the words to something that’s easier to deliver. As you read it, you might think of funny little asides to throw in here and there, but if they don’t come naturally, don’t force it. (I’m the queen of forcing things and I just feel idiotic afterward. Learn from my mistakes.)

Put the speech on pretty paper or notecards (you can even consider putting it in an envelope for the bride to keep afterward) and you’re all set. My last piece of advice, which is more of a reminder to myself: don’t forget it on the wedding day.

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Top 5 Ways I Have Decreased My Wedding Stress

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Courtesy of Flickr user Marshed

Courtesy of Flickr user Marshed

After coming down from the shock and excitement from my surprise engagement I sat with my new fiancé and we decided we wanted a small wedding (75 people MAX) outside of Los Angeles.  Cut to a few hours later, upon telling my parents of my brilliant plan, my mother laughed at the guest number and told me that wouldn’t even cover our family alone.  Let the wedding stress begin!

I love my parents and love that they are so excited for my wedding – and aside from advising me that I should do my wedding in my hometown of Los Angeles (so Grandma Ann and Grandma Ona can come) and upping the number of invites (we do have a lot of wonderful friends and family) they have let me make my wedding choices.  My main goal is to stay completely sane and refuse to become the bridezilla that I have seen many people around me turn into.  While these choices may not be for everyone – these are the things that I have done to make my life for the next year a little more tolerable.

Hired a Wedding Planner

Wedding

Design by Beth Helmstetter, Photography by Steve Steinhardt

At first, my mom and I thought that our years of event planning would make this wedding planning thing a breeze.  After I started to make the “to-do” list – and tried to figure out how that would work out while having a full time job – I turned to my mother and we decided hiring a professional to do this would make our lives a whole lot easier.  I found the lovely and talented Beth Helmstetter from flipping through magazines and searching bridal blogs.  Her aesthetic is AMAZING and she couldn’t be nicer.  Adding her to my life has been a complete blessing.

No Bridesmaids

Much to the dismay of many of my friends, I opted out of bridesmaids.  I always knew my cousin (who is 3 months older and like a sister to me) would be my maid of honor.  With my cousin by my side, my fiancé’s brother on hisBridesmaids side, I immediately felt at ease.  I decided to make my brother my best man – and the bridal party of three was set.  No hurt feelings.  No unhappy girls in dresses they don’t want to buy.  No coordinating schedules.  Immediate relief.

No Save The Dates

This was a tough decision – and one that my mother did not accept willingly.  My wedding is on the Sunday of a holiday weekend (I know some of you are rolling your eyes, but when you are Jewish and want a summer wedding, you can’t start your wedding until after sundown on a Saturday – and that could be like 8:30pm!).  Every rule in the book says I should be sending save the dates.  But I have chosen against them for several reasons.  1) Nearly everyone who is invited already knows when and where the wedding is.  2) Procrastinating on getting the invitation style together made me realize I was cutting it awfully close to the date I should be sending the Save The Dates, and rushing to get them out seemed way too stressful.  3) Isn’t the invitation the save the date??  How many times do I really need to remind people that I am getting married?

Small Group for Dress Shopping

I went dress shopping three times.  The first time I went with my grandma and mother.  The second time I just went SYTTDwith my mom.  The third time I brought my mom and cousin.  On the third time I found my dress. All three of us loved the dress.  I didn’t need more opinions to confuse my choice.  I have seen how large groups can upset a bride (I watch Say Yes To The Dress!)  Keeping it small and personal made everything so much easier.

Knowing When to Stop Talking About It

I think it is very sweet when people ask me about my wedding.  And I love talking about it – to an extent.  But after a while, there are only so many things I can say about my wedding colors, flower choices, dress, table linens… I tend to keep my answers to wedding questions short and sweet.  Some people have laughed at me calling me the “anti-bride” because I don’t want to gush over every detail.  The fact is, I am looking forward to my wedding – but talking about it all the time in great detail starts to stress me out.  I want to enjoy the process and I want to enjoy the day.  It’s not that I hate my wedding and hate talking about it – I just hate feeling stressed.

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