Wedded Bits

Accessories & Jewelry

You know you'll love this

Courtesy of Bambako

If you want to add some Gossip Girl inspired style to your wedding but are working with a less than Blair Waldorf-sized budget, you'll love these exquisite but inexpensive headbands ($26 each) by Bambako. The company was founded by recent college graduate Abigail Ricarte, who started creating headbands "out of necessity" when she wanted something pretty to wear to a friend's birthday. Bambako's online shop is filled with chic, affordable headbands (prices start at just $12) and she also makes custom orders for brides and bridesmaids. —Kathryn Papanek

Wed-site Roundup

Wed-site Roundup

Courtesy of Something Old,
Something New

100 Layer Cake: Two friends share a wedding dress, but you'd never know it!

Go Frugal: 63 ways to save money on your wedding.

Bloomerism: Check out this pretty engagement photo with the couple's teal piano!

Oh So Beautiful Paper: The bride who designed these breathtaking DIY invitations has a whole lot of talent.

Vintage Glam Weddings: Forget flowers. Choose centerpieces inspired by the books and places you love.

Always a Blogsmaid: Get creative with your napkin folds: add flowers, lace, photos or even a ping-pong paddle!

Something Old, Something New: Give your groom a boutonniere that fits his personality.

*Photo by Fritts Rosenow Bespoke Boutonnieres

—Victoria Loustalot

Destination Weddings & Honeymoons

Vote for the TODAY show wedding honeymoon

The TODAY show is throwing a wedding and you get to pick all of the style details! They've already selected the wedding rings, and now it's time to pick the honeymoon destination. Watch the video below to see the four choices, then vote for your favorite here.

Modern Bride

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Weddings for us usually mean travel. We have family and friends around the country. The minute we get a save-the-date, we're online booking flights. Of course, we're more than happy to make the trip. How special is it when someone tells you that they want to be with you on the most important day of their lives?

Accessories & Jewelry

Your online destination for pretty pearls

Courtesy of PearlParadise.com

Pretty pearls are a wedding day jewelry staple. So if you are looking to wear the precious gem on your big day check out PearlParadise.com. Classic white freshwater pearl necklaces start at $70, although black, lavender, peach and multicolor styles are also available for the same price. Matching earrings start at $35 while bracelets (picture white for your and a color that matches their dresses for the bridesmaids) also start at $35. Browse more pearl jewelry at pearlparadise.com. —Cari Wolfert

Browse our picks for the latest trends in pearl jewelry.

Brides Magazine

Fresh Hair

Fernando Milani

It's safe to say that every bride wants her hair to look great for the wedding. For some women, that means a super-structured updo lacquered in place; for others, it's a softer, unfussy look. In our July/August issue, we show several minimalist styles like this super-simple 'do, worn straight with a jeweled headband. We think it's pretty and polished--but would you go this casual for your own wedding? —Sally, BRIDES Magazine

Colorado

Where there's smoke, there's awesome invites

Courtesy of Smokeproof Press

I think this poster-size invite—designed by Boulder, Colorado-based Cultural Operations, and printed by local letterpress studio, Smokeproof Press—is the ultimate in cool. I especially love how the wording is written in the style of a classic concert poster. I mean, who doesn't want to attend a "wedding hootenanny"?

This is a classic example of a casual wedding invitation. First, A 5-by-7-inch rectangular invite is standard, so a unique shape like this is the first thing that indicates an informal affair. Second, the colloquial language (no "request the honor of your presence" here) lets guests know to expect a casual event. And finally, take note of how the date is written: Using numerals says "casual." If the date were written out completely (e.g., "the twenty-sixth of April, two thousand and eight") that would make an invite appear more formal.

For more on how an invitation's design indicates the formality of an event, read my story "Invite-O-Meter" in the Fall/Winter 2009 issue of Brides Colorado, on newsstands August 18, 2009. —Lauren Matthews, editor, Brides Colorado

Celebrity Insider

American Idol Kara DioGuardi's $250,000 wedding day style

Courtesy of Vera Wang, Neil Lane and David Yurman

When American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi married Mike McCuddy last Sunday, the location may have been rustic (she married in Maine) but her wedding day style was definitely sensational. The bride, who wore a silk faille strapless mermaid gown from Vera Wang's Fall 2008 bridal collection, donned jewelry valued at $250,000. "She wanted something glamorous," says Neil Lane of her 30-carat diamond and platinum bracelet and 20-carat diamond chandelier earrings. It's no surprise that the wedding-day gems were fabulous: the bride's David Yurman engagement ring gave a preview of her sparkly bridal style. —Kathryn Papanek

I Will/I Won't

What is in your wedding season survival kit?

We are right in the middle of wedding season which probably means that not only is your wedding right around the corner, but that you are attending a lot of weddings for your friends and family as well. So we would like to know:

Modern Bride

It's Time to Vote!

I'm back again to remind you that voting starts today for our Modern Bride of the Year contest. How it works: Go here to watch our 10 semifinalists' videos and read their bios. Pick your favorite, and vote for her, as much as once an hour, every hour. On July 22, the five brides with the most votes will be chosen to come to NYC in August, where they'll compete for the title of Modern Bride of the Year and may be photographed for the cover of our December/January issue.