Don’t get me wrong, I love me some intricate details on a wedding gown.  Three dimensional fabric flowers, intricate ruching, playful ruffles…love it all.  And I really DO want to love this Vera Wang dress with its decadent layer upon layer of fabric details.

But try as I might, I can’t get over the feeling that it’s wearing the model rather than the other way around.  Presumably someone out there can pull this off but I don’t know…it just seems so overwhelming in this image.  Just me?

…and on an unrelated note, why is the Vera Wang website going out of its way to be so user un-friendly?  Yes she’s an icon, dresses speak for themselves, yadda yadda yadda but why the need to block prospective brides from getting any info on her lovely dresses without first creating a user account?

I mean I know the reason (lead generation, market research, etc), but unfortunately the site is failing to provide any really useful information on what most site visitors are surely there for – more detailed images and information on the latest season’s designs.  This despite the fact that it’s the first stop for anyone who’s fallen in love with her gowns after seeing them in her multimillion dollar ad campaign.  Seems a little silly to hold this information hostage from prospective customers on your own site when you can get price info, fabric construction and more detailed pictures via Style Me Pretty’s Look Book (incidentally I do think it looks eminently more wearble in this image).

…someone help me off this soapbox?

The latest issue of Town & Country Weddings magazine features the most incredible collaboration between the reigning queen of all things sweet, Amy Atlas and some totally drool-worthy jewels.

It’s hard to pick a favorite from this line up but if pressed, I think I’d have to say those playful pink jumbo barber pole candy sticks dripping in sapphires and aquamarine gemstones.

Seriously…all this bling + decadent sweet things = heart palpitations.  I love it.

Yesterday I was at Sam’s Club stocking up on dog food for Daisy when I spotted the most adorable, flower girl appropriate dresses.  AT SAM’S CLUB!!  Are they some decadent silk dupioni variety?  Well of course not.  But for a really cute dress that a little girl is going to wear on one day and then promptly grow out of, I think they are fantastic.

I love the Neapolitan pink/brown number and the fun pink and green plaid would be perfect for a spring garden affair.   AND THE PRICE!!! I mean seriously, how are you going to beat $18.98 for a flower girl dress?  So if you’re still in search of a cute flower girl dress that won’t break the bank, get thee to your local Sam’s Club pronto!

By now you know I’m a huge fan of BelCanto designs.  Mari Palmer, the genius behind all that awesome, vintage bling works tireless to score some majorly pretty, timeless pieces and breath new life into them as one of a kind bridal accessories.  Her Etsy shop has been hugely popular for a while now for good reason.  So I was very excited to get an email from Mari recently announcing BelCanto’s new, stand-alone website.

Recently launched and still being updated with the latest and greatest offerings, the BelCanto e-store will carry some of Mari’s outstanding pieces and lots of items that won’t be available on Etsy.  Worth a visit for sure!  Best of all, she has such a treasure trove of pieces yet to be worked, she can create pretty much anything your little heart desires.  Check the site often as she’ll be updating regularly with new inventory.

It’s been a little while since I did a review of some hot shoes, and that just won’t do for a shoe lover like me!  So today’s post is my red fix.

It takes a certain kind of bride to rock some red shoes under her dress…one that I’m pretty sure I want to be BFFs with.  Lining them all up this way shows you just how many shades of this gorgeous color there are.  When I think about red I immediately envision a deep, blood like red vs. fire engine red or even candy apple red.   Regardless of the shade, they are all equally fearless, bold and super fun.

I think my favorites of the bunch are the those sky high Stuart Weitzman’s (first row, left), the flower-adorned Nannette Lepore’s (second row, left) and those absolutely insane glittered Louboutin’s.  I mean if you’re going to go red, you might as well throw glitter into the mix right?

{Photo credits:  Top row: Stuart Weitzman “Paradise”, BCBG “Dante”; Second row:  Nannette Lepore “Sweetheart”, Nine West “Fluffy”; Third row:  Christian Louboutin “Glittered Platform”, Christian Louboutin “Ernesta”; Fourth row: rsvp “Rain”, Promiscuous “Celebrate”; Fifth row: Nina “Quenna”, Nina “Electra”}