HaselBride

Green Shoe Love

I loved my wedding shoes. {The Nine West Jojus in apple green.} It seems other brides-to-be do, too–I've had half a dozen inquires about where to find them or to see if I still the extras I purchased for sale. Sadly, I sold both pairs and plan to hang onto mine. However, I'm always on the lookout for beautiful green heels.

I found my pair on Overstock.com after seeing them in a real wedding featured on The Brides' Cafe. They were so comfortable–for a heel–and were a close–but inexpensive–match to the feathered Christian Louboutins {shown below} I lusted for featured on Style Me Pretty. I honestly didn't take them off until we left the reception and went back to our hotel room.

If you loved either of those green shoes, prepare to fall in love. J. Crew recently introduced the La Plume Satin Peep Toes from J. Crew. These are a fabulous take on the Louboutins, but without the ankle strap, which to me is a welcome change. Ankle straps can be so uncomfortable!

They are smidge pricey at $385, but still a steal compared to the $700+ price tag of the Louboutins. I love colored shoes with wedding gowns. It is a trend I hope becomes a classic. Are you wearing colored shoes? If so, in what shade?

Top image © Turtle Pond Photography. Please do not repost without providing credit and a link back to Turtle Pond and HaselBride. Thanks!

Additional images {from top to bottom} photographed by Cheri Pearl from Style Me Pretty {event design by Oh How Charming!} and J.Crew.

{Help!} Black or ivory?

When I first started this blog, I posted my inspiration for our winter wedding and how I became a reluctant winter bride. There were a few specific things that really swayed me into thinking a winter wedding would be just as beautiful as any other season {an inspiration board from Style Me Pretty, a crystal tree from Enjoy: The Blog, and a gorgeous fur coat from Knottie TarHeels&Rebels}. It has come time to make some decisions regarding the coat.

When we first started looking at gowns, I was sold on the idea of wearing a vintage fur coat in a brown or sable color. My mom and aunt didn't hold back and neither did the sales girls saying that they didn't like the brown at all. The seamstress who is altering my wedding gown, also creates faux-fur coats and stoles. I tried on one of those and liked it. So I decided I would go with ivory.

That is until I saw this fabulous black faux-fur jacket on photographer Anne Ruthmann's blog.

AHH! This is pretty much the exact design I had in mind, but in black. And I LOVE IT in black. I think it would be the perfect tie-in to the bridesmaids dresses and tuxes. Plus, there would be a possibility I would wear it again. However, my mom still doesn't love it which has me second guessing myself. What do you think? Black or ivory?

 

Images in square {clockwise}: © Brides.com, Brides.com, The Knot, New York Magazine.
Bottom photos: © Anne Ruthmann Photography.

Oh J.Crew....continued

Loving this clutch from J.Crew. Wishing it came in an apple green to coordinate with my shoes, but either way I want something to keep my lipstick and gloss handy. This could be perfect. {The price maybe not so much...what else is new with J.Crew?}

Did you carry a purse on your wedding day? If so, what was it like?

{Help!} Possible Wedding Day Jewelry

My dress is in, I found my shoes, so naturally I've started thinking about what jewelry I plan to wear. I love love bracelets. I wear the same two bracelets {one Nick gave me for our first Christmas, the other is a bracelet made from a necklace that belonged to my deceased godfather} every day with my engagement ring and grandmother's ring with a mix of other bangles.

On our wedding day, I'm planning to wear my engagement ring, my grandmother's ring, and the diamond studs my Dad bought me for Christmas my freshman year of college. I don't wear necklaces that often. I guess it is because I don't have a long neck and upper body, but I'm not really a necklace person. Since my dress is strapless and I'm not wearing dangly earrings, I think I'm going to need a necklace.

I've looked and looked at various websites {Bag, Borrow or Steal, I'm Over It, Sonya Renée} and have seen many beautiful necklaces, but nothing that really screamed out wear me! I really had no idea what I wanted to wear until the August issue of Vogue found its way into my mailbox. The necklace Kate Moss wears on the cover and in the corresponding feature story is PERFECT. Of course I love it, it is super expensive! It is a Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière strass necklace for only $795.

I found hope in a real wedding featured on Brooklyn Bride. The necklace worn by one of the brides was beautiful and pretty similar to the one featured in Vogue. However after I inquired, Lauren explained that it was her grandmother's, an antique necklace from the 1930s.

So, I'm back to the drawing board hoping to find something similar for not a ton of money. I've been  scouring ebay in the hopes of finding the perfect vintage necklace. I found this great necklace yesterday in an auction on ebay and told myself I would only bid up to $100. The auction ended tonight and the necklace sold for $273! I'm pretty disappointed, because this necklace was PERFECT, not expensive and almost exactly like the one above.

Where did you look for and/or purchase your wedding jewelry? Do you have any other great jewelry sites to share? Any ideas for other places to look for vintage costume jewelry?

Top image © Vogue/Condè Nast, photography by Mario Testino. Middle photo © Daniel Kreiger via Brooklyn Bride. Bottom photo from ebay listing.

{Help!} Possible bridesmaids gift and accessory

I'm wedding planning away today. {If you're one of my bridesmaids, please skip this post! That means you, Cat! I think you're the only one who might be reading.} If not, click continue to read more.

These Shoes Were Made for Walkin'

Another chapter in the HaselBride shoe saga...

When I was in Indiana, I begged my mom to make a quick pit stop on the way home from the airport. She begrudgingly* drove me to Saks Fifth Avenue, where I tried on the wonderful Manolo Blahnik silver Sedaraby that I've been obsessed with since, well, forever. It was heaven. Made of leather, it is so supple and soft and fabulous. I pranced around the store in it as my mom rolled her eyes. I love it, I really do BUT. Here goes...it is such a beautiful shoe and I would wear it again for a million other things after the wedding, BUT I just don't think it compliments my dress. The buckle and the silver might be too blinged out with my very beaded dress. So, I am back to the shoe drawing board and thinking maybe this time some color. {One day, I will own those shoes...I promise.}

We've all been eyeballing the lovely green feathered Christian Louboutins {also available in blue and red} that were featured in a real wedding post on Style Me Pretty. They are gorgeous and so unique, but at $760 are a bit too much of a splurge for me. Plus, where do you wear a feathered shoe after your wedding? Not too practical. {So so hard for me to admit, but it is true.}

Then Janie at The Bride's Cafe showcased a real wedding where the bride wore the Nine West Jojus in green. I had been admiring the light gray version for months on Piperlime, but I had never seen the green. So I Googled and searched every online department store and shoe shop {and a few brick and mortar stores}, until one day I finally found the green ones on Overstock.com. For $30. {Other colors were $80-90.}

In a crazy mad rush, I ordered three sizes to be sure I had my choice. They came in this week and I love them! They are so comfortable. Because they aren't super strappy and the front knotted straps are made of fabric with a soft leather underneath, they won't rub my feet raw after a long day of standing and dancing. However, I am not 100% sold on the green. Seems like everyone is wearing green shoes. Although I'd be in great company, I want to see what the light grey looks like in person. They were now on sale also {$50!}. I ordered those a few days ago, so they should be here next week. Then I think I'll try them both with my dress and see which I like best.

How did you chose your wedding shoes? Or if you haven't yet, what shoes are you daydreaming about now?

{*I did not inherit the love-to-shop gene from my mother, we think it came from my aunt or my father's love to shop for cars, guns and watches...you know guy things.}

Top images © Cheri Pearl via Style Me Pretty {event design by Oh How Charming!}, bottom images © Amy Squires via The Bride's Cafe.

Unusual Wedding Inspiration

My love affair with one of my constant inspirations in fashion and style began humbly enough. I caught a few of the edited episodes when the show became syndicated one summer. I started renting the seasons on dvd because I was in an art class that required late nights and watching tv shows helped me plow through the night and get projects done. What tv show do I speak of? You might have guessed it: Sex and the City.

Sex and the City was my gateway drug into out-of-the-box fashion. I bought my first pointy-toed shoes and rocked them with cropped pants to a party at a fraternity in college because Carrie did. During a late night, ebay search I bought a purse that looks like a magazine because not only was it FABULOUS, but Carrie had toted an identical one. Plus the show only strengthened my long-distance admiration for New York City {I've never been}.

Now I know you think I'm crazy, but Sex and the City will also serve as a slight inspiration for some of the details at our wedding. I won't be getting married in the city; it is a pretty small town, but I'm hoping to bring some of my favorite stylish elements of the show into our celebration. This is the first of a few posts featuring details inspired by my favorite show.

---

One of the most talked about trends started by Carrie and company was the oversized flower pin trend featured in season three. I know, I know, we've all seen this done a thousand times over and over, but I still love it.

When I first started looking at bridesmaids dresses, I stumbled upon these gorgeous silk dresses from Melissa Sweet with a great floral accent ala Sex and the City. I quickly learned that Melissa Sweet bridesmaids dresses are a bit out of our price range  {I'm hoping for something $150 or less}. I think I've found a way to include a rosette or poof without breaking the bank.

I found my answer in the February 2008 issue of domino. Pinned to a less, expensive dress, these poofs {as I so fondly refer to them} from Tinsel Trading  would add a little something extra to a simple, elegant black dress. On the top row, the first two are velvet mixed with silk {perfect for a winter wedding} and the other four are made from vintage metallic fabrics. All of them are available for purchase here.

I'm not sure if all of my bridesmaids will want to rock this look, but two of them are huge Sex and the City fans, so I'm sure they will be on board.

Have you found any wedding inspiration in your favorite tv shows?

SATC images © HBO and TBS. Bridesmaid dress images © Melissa Sweet. Rosette/poof images © Tinsel Trading. Layouts © HaselBride.

Something borrowed?

Doesn't everyone want to be covered in diamonds at their wedding like a celebrity on the red carpet? I do, I do! Well now, we can.   

The company who started handbag borrowing, Bag Borrow or Steal now offers designer jewelry for those of us who don't have Neil Lane and Harry Winston on speed dial.

Something borrowed and blue: gorgeous drop earrings by Vera Wang.

Something borrowed and flowered: a lovely Vera Wang necklace. I believe Sarah Jessica Parker wore a this or similar bracelet at one time. I love it.

Don't get me wrong, borrowing is still a bit pricey. However, if you want some bling, borrowing might be the way to go.

Images © Bag Borrow or Steal.