BHLDN and the Advent of Wedding Season

Something old, something new...

A friend put me on to the website BLHDN . Maybe you had heard, but I had not, and boy was I psyched when I gave it a look. Lots of frilly dresses with vintage detailing....right up my alley.  Last year saw me at nine weddings, this year I will only be attending four. I would like to dedicate this blog to the four blushing brides that I know getting married in 2011 as well as all you others out there. BLHDN has a host of vintage accessories for the wedding day, and the wedding night!

 

Even if it goes unseen, a bride's shoe is one of the most important accessories of the wedding. Every bride is looking for something spectacular. I love idea of colored shoes for the bride, the blue trend is over.  Please let it die. Why not wear a simple, classy and elegant  white shoe. While clip-ons may seem so Eighties the Festooned Shoe Clips are classic. You may never wear your wedding slipper again, but you certainly should find use for the clip- ons again. The Festooned Shoe Clips are  $ 80.00.

 

The Forget-Me -Not Garter is so burlesque.. oooooh weeeee! The mesh fabric is adorned with a vintagey glass beads. It is both princessy and sexy without being over the top. Appropriately named the forget-me- not; if anyone gets a peek at it, i doubt they will ever forget. The Forget Me Not Garter sales for  $ 92.00.

 

Who says anyone should see your something blue. This peach and baby blue ensemble is perfect for the wedding night. The velvet bows at the middle of the breastbone of the Knotted Gamine Bra and top of the waistline of the Knotted Gamine Thong are are soft blue and outline the delicate peach lace. Each piece is also lined in the soft blue-gray.  Rightly so, the pieces are exquistely gamine.

 

Now for my absolute favorite which is absolutely perfect for the wedding night. You do not necessarily need anything else underneath it, but the Vanity Table Peignor is the perfect cover-up for a negligee. I am thinking of getting one myself. Think Grecian goddess meets Victorian. It is both all in the same. The lovely white soft silk is corseted by tea-stained lace. It is simply glamorous. The Vanity Table Peignor sales for $250.00.

Until tomorrow,

Chamele

BHLDN Fascinates! Fascinator Hats

I would like to dedicate this blog to Management, for asking all the right questions:

Everyone knows what is happening Friday, April 29th. It is the Royal Wedding; and while we have not been under British rule for quite some time, that does not stop us from being fascinated with our prim cousins. Notably, there is a growing fascination with the Future Princess and her chic, clean style. She is often times found sporting a hat, as is the custom for the country. It appears that her ladylike style is rubbing off on her American cousins. The growing amusement with hats, particularly fascinators, among a younger demographics has become ever apparent.

 

A male colleague was intrigued and raised a question that none of the women in the room could answer: Why is it called a fascinator? We could only describe what one was but could not quite relay the origins of the term. If you know why it is called such then please tell me.  A fascinator is an ornate headband which may contain netting, feathers, bows and other embellishments. The fascinator was generally worn in lieu of a hat and and dates to the 19th and 20th centuries.*

BHLDN has several incredibly beautiful and ostentatious fascinators. Though they are listed as headbands on the website, by definition , I believe they would fit the bill to be considered fascinators. The  Magnolia Frame Headband, by Jane Tran is a big bronze flower. Constructed of nylon, cupro, and metal, the Magnolia Headband is handmade in USA and sales for

$80.00.

 

The Voluminous Silk Headband is a huge bloom of pale pink organza. The headband is also made in the USA by ban.do. It sales for $130.00.

 

Now getting into the wedding-wear. BHLDN offers two pieces that are worthy of a Royal Wedding. The Beauregard Headband is a little steep, but certainly worth it. At $550.00, Riche ostrich feathers and velvet ribbon are adorned atop a straw toque. Handmade in the USA by James Coviello'.

 

The  Velvet Cocktail Hat is also a little steep at $495.00, but it is exquisite!  Rolls of velvet ribbon are trimmed with netting and attached by a metal comb. Also James Coviello, the Velvet Cocktail Hat made in USA.  That's what I am talking about, homegrown.

 

Because I have not received my invitation, I will watch the wedding home, cum chapeau, of course. (Smile!)

 

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Chamele

Wish Upon A Wedding Atlanta: Promoting Love for a Good Cause

Hello Divas!

Life is what you make it. Make it beautiful!

Today I am thrilled to tell you about an outstanding organization.  Wish Upon a Wedding, is a non-profit that grants couples who are facing terminal illness or other serious circumstances the wedding of their dreams.  Fantabulous!  This past Thursday, Wish Upon a Wedding Atlanta granted its first couple, Clifford and Devan Towers, the wedding of their dreams at the W Hotel in Buckhead.

The Happy Couple!

Clifford is facing renal failure and receives Dialysis three times per week.  He is currently on a wait list to receive a kidney transplant.  However, he has not had to suffer this ordeal alone.  His fiance and now wife, Devan, has been by his side during his illness from day one.  With the help of some of Atlanta's premier wedding vendors, Wish Upon a Wedding was able to give Clifford and Devan a once in a lifetime wedding.  Some of the fabulous vendors that donated their goods, services, and time are:  StudioWed Atlanta; LuxeExpressions; Lemiga Events; I Do Linens; Perfect Creations and Design; Lethal Rhythms; Janet HowardStudio; Three Ring Media; Sweet Sensations, and Peachy Treats.

Also, this Sunday, November 21st, Wish Upon a Wedding Atlanta is having their first Gala celebrating the foundation.  The Blissful Wishes Ball will be held at La Fais Do-Do in West Midtown.  The proceeds from this event will raise much needed funds so the organization can continue to grant wedding wishes.  Click here to purchase tickets!

Also check out this video of Clifford and Devan telling their story. It is so heartwarming. 

Toodles!

Its Wedding Season! Gorgeous Accessories Are Key

Hello Divas!

I hope your life is fabulous and sunny!  It is so gorgeous here in Atlanta. I love it!

It is that time of the year, Bridal Season.  Yes, everyone is getting married and putting the finished touches together for that special day.  You Divas know how much I love weddings, I have been an amatuer make-up artist for two of my friend's weddings.

Of course, the dress is ALL IMPORTANT, but to make the dress truly shine and stand out, accessories are key.  The right bridal accessories will make the perfect dress and ultimately the bride gorgeous!  This bridal season there are some beautiful new classic but trendy accessories that I am loving for the modern day bride. Check them out:

Classic and beautiful.  Doesn't this headpiece take you back to the Roaring 20s.  I adore it!  A simple slim fitting wedding gown is all that is needed.

This Diamond Cuff bracelet is a stunner!  All you need is a dress, shoes, and maybe some studs. 

With shoes I am of the mind set that a bride should be comfortable so she can really enjoy the night.  That is why I love these slip-ons.  They look just like the shoes I wore when I got married, but with lots of bling!

If you are getting married this Spring or Summer, I hope this post gives you some gorgeous ideas!

This post was sponsored by David's Bridal.

Hot Drugstore Find of the Week: Revlon's Brow Fantasy Pencil & Gel

Hello Divas!

I am still recovering but getting back into the swing of things. The conference re-cap post is coming...still organizing and gathering pics! You guys are going to love it!

I just want to hip you guys to a great drugstore eye brow grooming pencil. Revlon's Brow Fantasy is functional and great quality. I first used this eye brow grooming pencil on my friend Deslyn at her wedding. It was exactly what we needed to define and tame her eyebrows. Revlon's Brow Fantasy is a pencil and eye brow gel in one. You simply use the pencil to fill in brows for a defined and/or full look. I love that the pencil portion is wide and very creamy. It fills in eye brows with ease. Next you use the gel to tame any fly away hairs and set the look in place. The gel is tinted with the color of the pencil and will last all day long. I know because I never had to re-touch Deslyn's eye brows on her wedding day! Using this pencil literally takes 2 minutes! It is so quick and easy and certainly does the job! The pencil comes in four shades ranging from dark blond to black. If you are on a budget, this is the perfect eye brow grooming kit! This pencil retails for $6.99 and you can purchase it at CVS.

Toodles!

Traveling with my Family

Hello Divas!

I hope you are having a wonderful day! Now I don't write about traveling or anything of the sort. I leave that to funkidivagirland she is good at it! But Tuesday night I participated in a Girl's Night Out on Twitter! Yes some of us Twitter Divas have a girl's night out every Tuesday night. This past Tuesday the subject was Travel. Specifically where to travel, traveling with kids, roadtrips, international travel, etc. What a fun conversation! All participants were asked to write a travel related post this week..so here goes.

This past weekend the hubby and I packed up the kids to take a roadtrip to Middle Virginia for my good girlfriend's wedding. It was an 8 hour trip and the first roadtrip we have taken with both kids. Luxe son was super excited. Here he is cheesing at 9pm the night we left!

As you can see the car is loaded down with stuff. Stroller, luggage, baby essentials, toys, you name it. Kids come with a lot of stuff!

Luxe baby was more curious about what all the excitement was about. Look at that look!


Unfortunately, I did not have the correct directions so we drove 4 hours out of the way! So my hubby had to get us back on the right track at 4 am in the morning. Not a pleasant experience.

But we arrived at the hotel at 8:30 am the next morning. Long trip. Here is my son after showing off some break dancing moves on the floor.


Of course, we are here for a wedding. I was the amatuer makeup artist for the bride...and here she is:


I used Lancome La Base Pro Primer, Lancome Teint Idole Ultra foundation, Lancome Sun Touched eyeshadow on lid, Lancome Click in the crease, and Iman Sahara on brow bone. And of course Defencil's on her lashes. On her lips I used Mac lip liner in Chesnut and Revlon Lip Palette in Honey Bunch. Cheeks..Nars Exhibit A of course. Very natural but beautiful.

Lastly, some photos of us at the wedding. Me, hubby and luxe son:


The whole family

Luxe Baby!



Unfortunately, I do not have anymore photos because I broke my camera while at the reception. Yikes! But the next morning after the wedding, we enjoyed viewing the beautiful fall leaves, the gorgeous mountains, and bright sun in Middle Virgina. We had breakfast at Biscuitville with friends. Yummmmy! And of course, on the way back we stopped at the Prime Outlet in Gaffney, SC, exit 90 off of Highway 85, and did some serious damage. I picked up several cute items for luxe baby at Carters. Luxe son got some new cargo pants and a cool button down shirt. Hubby came up on a beautiful quilted Ralph Lauren coat that was orginally $400 for only $69! I got a very cute purple sweater dress and jeans from Gap and I very nice slim fit pink polo shirt. We also had dinner at Five Guys Burgers and then back to Atlanta.

All in all it was a good trip. My tip when taking a road trip with kids: travel at night. The kids will sleep through it. When we arrived in VA, they were bright eyed and bushy tailed! No drama! Also be prepared for any possible situation. Pack extra clothes, diapers, baby food, strollers, toys, etc. Wipes are key and most importantly just go with the flow!

Toodles!