east side bride

HAPPY FUCKING FRIDAY

2012-01-27T10:32:00.000-08:00

there's a cranky one for you up on 100 layer cake. (and by cranky, i mean AWESOME.)

v. interested to see how the cakelets respond this time.

i'm holding off on posting feather love's "vintage wedding" guest post til monday, so you've got that to look forward to.

photo of frances, my spirit animal, via cevd

At long last, IT'S EPISODE 4

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Relationship drama, a thank-you card dilemma, AND a really juicy question from a (maybe?) virgin. All packed into 7 minutes.

Call (323) 905-4ESB to record your questions, comments and kudos.

friendship bracelets are so over.

2012-01-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

I've been rocking this big ol Macha ring all over the place and feeling like a rock star.*

And then they just tweeted THIS PIC? WHAT THE WHAT?

*I won the ring, in fact, in a "What is the most Rock n Roll Christmas present you ever received?" contest Macha ran on Twitter back in December. My answer was a mummified baby mouse carcass, obv.

Swanky bridesmaids dresses in regular AND plus sizes?

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Dear ESB,

In June I am going to marry the totally awesome man of my dreams. He is SO awesome that he is even letting me pull off a ridiculous vintage circus inspired wedding, and has agreed to all my planning requests (Giant giraffe backdrop, tons of balloons, yard games, etc.) We even had a fun carnival themed engagement shoot.

I am having a ton of fun making crafty things and executing all of my plans, not feeling stressed about any of it.... Except regarding what the bridesmaids should wear.

I have three best ladies, and they are the raddest three ladies around. They are all smart and sexy, and have great individual style. While I am fine with them choosing their own dresses, they have decided that they still want to coordinate, and are hoping for something brightly colored, or sparkly, or vintage inspired... (In other words, something that will fit the wedding theme and make them look awesome).

We thought it would be easy for them to find coordinating dresses that they loved and looked good in. However, my MOH is a size 14-16, Future sister in law is a size 22-24, and my bestie cousin is a size 6. The four of us have been searching for MONTHS and haven't found anything that is even remotely attractive and available in BOTH standard and plus sizes.

Any chance you and your awesome audience can help us out?

sadly,
Circus Girl

*****

1. "vintage inspired" doesn't actually really mean anything. (more on that tomorrow.) i mean. are you going for the 1890's? the 20's? the 50's? you realize that ALL CLOTHES are inspired by the past, right??

2. RACHEL PALLY ALL THE WAY. These colors/patterns are circus-y enough for me. And definitely inspired by a vintage.

More importantly, RP makes excellent plus size dresses that coordinate beautifully with her main line.

I'll shut up about Rachel Pally now. And you can all stop asking me for bridesmaids dresses! kthxbye

Top photo by Frederick W. Glasier via Vintage Vivant

couple lil going-to-the-courthouse dresses

2012-01-25T14:03:00.000-08:00

Isabel Marant (Note: you need bigger boobs to wear this dress)

Proenza Schouler (pls be not so tall)

Dear ESB: I'm having hair issues

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I felt like i needed a change, so I walked into a hair salon and asked them to "cut it all off." Little did I know, my boyfriend was planning on proposing to me the following week.

"OMG, I just cut off all my hair," I screamed at him. Since the proposal I've been questioned as to what I am going to do with my hair. My wedding is this May, I don't really have time to grow it out. Can you please help me with a cool alternative that does not involve flowers or feathers.

PS, I've attached a photo of my new hair cut and a link to the dress I'm getting.

*****

Rock It.

You don't need anything on your head.

I've solved your bridesmaids dress dilemmas

2012-01-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, April has solved your dilemmas.

Rachel Pally has MANY very excellent styles and colors in the $140-250 range, and some of em are half off right now. (Or: Sign up for Rachel Pally emails and receive 20% off your first regular price order.)

She's also got bridesmaids jumpsuits, just fyiz.

A Wedding in Polaroids

2012-01-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

And the most thorough, thoughtful, helpful write-up I have yet had the pleasure of publishing.

Take it away April:

Sitting down to write about our wedding seems an awful lot like an Academy Award acceptance speech -- there were so many incredible people and friends involved. I'm about to start blurting out a list of names before the orchestra starts playing the STOP TALKING music.

About our wedding: it happened over labor day weekend in a small town 2 hours north of San Francisco. Monte Rio is beautiful, remote and very California without having the expense of nearby wine country. The ceremony was on a meadow by the Russian River with the reception at the community center. We treated it like it like a destination wedding.

Besides our own marriage, here's what we wanted for our guests:

- to have a relaxing long weekend on the river.
- to enjoy themselves so much that they were really sad when the weekend was over.
- to leave feeling like they really got to know other people and made new friends.
(To that end we created a Facebook group to organize lodging, communicated on our save the dates that guests needed to book lodging pronto and gave people the resources to find rental houses together. We also created a custom google map with important location and people's rentals.) As far as we know, success!

Long term, WE owe the photographers, big time. We didn't have a pile of cash to burn, so we decided early on to spend on what was important to us. Pictures last forever, right? We wanted the photographs to represent the time we had that weekend and Chloe Aftel did just that. Bonus: she is hilarious and a joy to work with (she did our engagement shots too). She does magical things with Polaroids and captured the romantic, ephemeral parts of marrying someone you love. Waking up the day after the weddings and flipping through the prints was immediate gratification! We had another photographer manning the photo booth during cocktails -- Meg Messina took fantastic wedding guest portraits.

Finally, a shot of gratitude to Jennifer Tipton. She came on as the wedding day coordinator but she was indispensable long before that. She was wonderful to work with and was on top of everything during the weekend.

The dress: it was St. Lucia sample by Jenny Packham, purchased at San Francisco's Glamour Closet. This is the place to go if you want an expensive dress for half-price. Ideal for people who a) are motived bargain shoppers or b) don't mind if their dress has a few fix-it blemishes.
The headpiece: bought a couple but settled on the Mignonne Handmade - Nature Girl Halo in ivory.
The bridesmaids: almost all wore long, pale pink Rachel Pally. She designs with modal jersey, aka feels like pajamas.

The cake(s): we didn't want a wedding cake per se. We bought basically one of every cake from Miette. Beautiful/delicious/not $1000.

And finally, here's the rest of the Rad people/places/things near California's Sonoma valley....

Artistry by Alan: Oh my, those lashes! He comes from a Hollywood background and sat me down, did his magic and I looked like myself but flawless. What cinched it for me is he did make-up on the movie Clueless. HELLO 90's girl fantasy!
Brian Ho of Dreams in Audio: the best damn unwedding DJ we could've found (sf-based)
Fork Catering: food truck extraordinaire, tasty, local, fresh food.
Pinterest: I had an Inspiration and Final Wedding board to manage the look since our wedding decor didn't really have a strong theme besides what we liked.
Virb: hosted our wedding website! Easy and (more importantly) stylish.

The last note: we ended up with 12 kids/babies on the attending guest list(!). Besides reserving the playground adjacent to the reception site we also introduced the parents beforehand via email. We had a kid activities, made programs with a colorable illustration. One of my favorite parts of the reception was the kids smashing a Confetti System-style piñata we filled with toys and candy. It was joyful having them around!

OH, I cannot believe I almost forgot to mention my favorite wedding stress coping mechanism. No, not stress eating (close second!) — my favorite way to let of irrational impulses and wedding industry wackness out was by creating the Twitter account @BRIDEHULK. In the same vein as internet meme @DrunkHulk, you tweet the rage away. I did not man @BRIDEHULK myself, I enlisted the help of about 10 other brides who were also wedding planning last year. Most of us graduated out but there are still a couple friends who are getting married in 2012. I hope the tradition will live on and would be happy to share login information with others who find themselves fed-up with one too many staged wedding blog posts, difficult potential vendors and crazy-pants family drama.

Cheers!
April

(Chloe Aftel also took super gorg digital photos. A few of em are up over here.)

business in front, party at the back

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hello to my Snarky Sister,

I am getting married in October to the artistically minded scientist I've been searching for. And found the MOST AMAZING Escada wedding dress which is completely modest in the front, but is backless. As in almost butt crack backless with beaded straps. For 85% off no less on the internet. Oh and there's a bow which snaps onto the butt area. I thought I would hate the bow, but once the aforementioned fiance took some pics of the back, with and without the bow, this minimalist woman actually decided to go with the bow.

We're having a VERY short ceremony, hopefully outside and with a mention of the Higgs boson particle and dueling accordions.

My question is this: what kind of shrug would work? All the weddingy sweaters/jackets/wraps are cropped bolero looking things and that WILL NOT WORK with the whole almost butt crack dress, but anything long will look strange with the bow.

Can you think of anything amazing-like or do I just suck it up and be cold for the sake of my fucking gorgeous backless bowed dress? (it's floor-length - I know you hate tights but how do you feel about long underwear?)

*****

i require a photo

*****

http://www.bridalwave.tv/2007/08/escada_silk_wed.html

Because it's a large it hangs down a bit lower on me.

*****

suck it up for the ceremony. you'll be so giddy to be getting married, you won't notice the cold.

and then throw on a dressy full-length coat of some sort to make your getaway. (snapping off the bow if you need to.)

but first things first, lady. GET THAT BUTT CRACK TO A TAILOR.

LA dress shopping tips?

2012-01-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

Dear ESB,

My fella and I are currently taking a pre-wedding honeymoon (a funnymoon!), spending 8 months travelling up through Colombia and Central America before we fly home to Australia via LA. Once we get back we have about three weeks before the big day. I would highly recommend it to any bride to be. There is no pre-wedding angst, and you get to live and laugh through all the challenges and adventures that travelling throws at you.

Anyway, I don't have a dress yet, and fashion in Australia is kind of limited, so I was hoping that you could point me in the direction of a few alternative wedding dress shops in LA.

I am not a froofy bridal type. I am hoping to go for a kind of Kate Moss/Bianca Jagger aesthetic (and not spend more than about $800). I'm only going to have about four days for dress shopping, so given the tight schedule, want to collate a hit-list before I arrive. Any tips would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks for your help and eternal good sense.

*****

Just so we're clear, you don't need bridal shops.

You need a list of high-end-ish dept stores/boutiques to SCOUR for a white/white-ish/blush dress you can buy off the rack. You don't have time to mess around with special orders and alterations.

Off the top of my head, I'd recommend Barneys, Barneys Coop, Bloomingdale's (the big one at Century City), maybe Fred Segal, and of course Opening Ceremony, if only for comic effect.

Who knows, you might fall in love with the bow princess dress (pictured above) or this simple "ceremony dress."

Mostly just posting these photos b/c I'm rly into the hair.

LA LADIES? WHERE ELSE SHOULD OUR AUSSIE GO?

thought you might need this

2012-01-23T10:50:00.000-08:00

bundle up, my sickies.

Rooby a Red Kangaroo at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Manitoba, Canada (AP Photo/Assiniboine Park Zoo, Darlene Stack) via Zoo Borns via The Daily Beast

DEATH BY DAVID'S BRIDAL!!!!!!

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Dear ESB,

I am a bridesmaid for a close friend. Her maid of honor lives in London, so I have stepped up with the emotional support and random phone calls. A-okay by me. My problem is that the bride wants all of her bridesmaids to wear dresses such as these (number 4 would have to be my favorite out of the choices we have been given, and there are 6 more that I won't even bother to show you at this point):

1. Charmeuse Dress With Slit

2. One-Shoulder Chiffon

3. Satin Empire Ball Gown

4. A-Line With Beading

5. Satin/Chiffon Ball Gown

I am relieved that she has decided to stay away from teal, but now she wants us all to wear black. I have absolutely NO problem wearing black, but not in these dresses! I'm just not a fan of typical bridesmaid-y dresses that I'll spend a chunk of money on and NEVER WEAR AGAIN. I have tried to show her other options, but she feels that these dresses will be better for all of her very dynamic in size bridesmaids.

Would it be bad to wait a bit and try and convince her to chose other dresses (her wedding isn't until MAY of 2013)? And do you have any ideas of awesome dresses that will flatter all body types AND look awesome in black AND be cheap AND look good in uniform???

AND thank you.

-Bridesmaid being suffocated by a man named David's Bridal

*****

a) F*ck David's Bridal.

b) How do you even know what size you'll all be in May of 2013? Half of you could be pregnant. (Actually, #4 makes you look like you're pregnant already.)

c) THERE IS NO DRESS THAT FLATTERS ALL BODY TYPES. That's why they make dresses in more than one style.

Pls forward this to the bride.

Thx.

love,

Photo: Sam Ypma by Wilkosz & Way for Fashion Gone Rogue

Heidi Merrick: HELL YES

2012-01-21T15:27:00.000-08:00

For the boho/badass bride, a cotton gauze skirt with a stretch leather waistband! ($356)

or this amazeballs cotton gauze dress ($549)

via chelsea fuss

Why does my wedding feel like a total f*cking rush?

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hi ESB

God this wedding sh*t is stressful
We got engaged in November, did f*ck all as we just enjoyed hanging and being happy, told family in December when we went home for Xmas and now it feels like we're in this headlong rush
What the f*ck changed?
We were going to do a City Hall thing in March but that sh*t apparently needs planning (ok, it is our choice to plan i.e. take some time choosing a dress and restaurant. telling witnesses to get their ass there)

And I haven't got to the whole June thing in London with family. That sh*t is totally taking a back seat. I want to do nice invites and stuff but I already feel like I'm going to be texting people from the plane to f*cking come with 3 days notice.

My boyfriend is awesome but never plans ahead but I feel like I am nagging him to get this sorted. and that is not a cool feeling

Are weddings ever sorted really? Or do you just run out of time?

I wish my job wasn't so stressful too. but it is paying for all this. Oh and we have to sort out my boyfriend's visa the very day after we get married. Ha yes, that's the big f*cking cherry on the cake

What would you make sure was covered and what would you ditch?

*****

Yikes. Okay, here's what you ABSOLUTELY NEED TO DO:

1. Find a venue + someone to marry you

2. Set a date

3. Invite people, witnesses, whoever

4. Get a marriage license

5. Figure out what to wear

The food, the drinks, the flowers, the fancy invitations, even the rings, are all icing on the cake -- THE CAKE!

Just kidding, you don't need a cake.

But lady, if you don't make a plan and STICK TO IT, this thing is never gonna happen.

Arizona Muse for Louis Vuitton Cruise 2012 by Mark Segal via Fashion Gone Rogue

How did I miss this BOUFFANT HOW-TO?

2012-01-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

Starring our lady Hannah??

That bouffant is so good she had Rock n Roll Bride and I convinced her wedding photos were from the 70's.

Check out the step-by-step instructions over on {this is glamorous}

via TeenAngster via Gaby Cetrulo

tie-dye for bridesmaids?

2012-01-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

(bunny mask optional)

upstate via helevent

The world's first wedding crashing app

2012-01-19T10:46:00.000-08:00

Fiona-the-would-be-wedding-crasher just tipped me off about this iphone app. Sadly, it's still in beta -- I really wanted to test it out.

Crash Corsage, theoretically, will scour The Knot, etc, for wedding dates, times and locations, plus details about the bride and groom (dumb stories about how you met + where you got engaged!) and make them searchable so people in the area can crash your wedding.

The moral of the story is: STOP POSTING YOUR SHIT ALL OVER THE INTERNET, PEOPLE.

barrette remix: does tortoise shell work for a wedding?

2012-01-19T09:21:00.000-08:00

Hi there,

I know I'm about a year late on this.

But I loved it then, and I love it now. I basically want that exact Rodarte barrette, but I can't find anything that doesn't have any bullshit crystals or (gah) pearls. I'm getting married in late May of 2012; this is my dress.

(Ignore that "boho chic" nonsense. And I know my dress has a sparkly crystal bit, but it's such a small bit).

Since I can't find exactly what I want, I'm thinking of going in the other direction. So is tortoise shell too casual for a wedding?

*****

I'm still loving barrettes. (As are alllllllllll the ladies who seem to be growing out their bangs at the moment. WUSSYPANTSES.)

But I feel like you need something with a little shine.

Vintage brass pansies? ($15)

Vintage brass feather? ($30)

Vintage "Carved" Barrette ($20), which, I'm pretty sure is made out of plastic. But how Rodarte AWESOME would it be if you painted it gold??

Top Photo: Rodarte, New York Fashion Week SS 2011 by Anna Bauer

retail therapy

2012-01-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

I went to the mall to buy face cream, and I came home with a pair of high-waisted flares (on sale) and a tangerine sweater (not on sale).

Whoops.

Not 100% sold on the jeans -- I may have to wear em around the house for a day before I commit. But they did rate an ass-grab from H, so yay!

Now all I need is the pyuuurfect pair of brown wedges.

AND THAT'S ALL I NEED.

And some tank tops. And a black bathing suit? And new Sauconys. Oh, and face cream.

And that's all I need.

IS THIS TOO SNARKY FOR YOU??

2012-01-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

I'm the biggest loser of them all because I'm not drinking tea or coffee at the moment.

Got incredible joy out of walking to Downbeat and ordering a fucking DECAF LATTE on Saturday. It wasn't even a good latte.

But the no caffeine is helping my headaches. A lot.

Sigh.

Fishs Eddy via amy*
______________________________

*So annoyed that permalinks for comments have disappeared. I need to speak to Google about that.

How to....

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Except for the cupcakes part.

Fuck cupcakes.

I don't like tea that much either.

Okay, here's my list:

1. make lists (obv)

2. eat (goat cheese on toast! with avocado!)

3. laugh (sure)

4. stay off the fucking internets for a few hours, why don't you??

5. hash out a synopsis with your new writing partner (i.e. ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING)

6. drive to glendale and see my week with marilyn or

7. track down dvds of the wild one and easy rider at the library

8. take a nap

9. take a hike

10. take a hot bath while

11. watching an enthralling ep of selling la

12. sleep the sleep of the just

Words to live by via The Shiny Squirrel

In which ESB has a frank talk with her readers

2012-01-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Everyone -- Casual readers and big ol fans and haters who claim not to be readers but seem to keep reading anyway,

I hoped I wouldn't have to write this post today, but. Let's get it out of the way once and for all.

YES. I have begun accepting sponsored posts from people I like who run businesses I want to promote. Businesses I know some (not all) of you will be way into supporting.*

And YES. I will fucking delete your comments if you are rude to my sponsors.

Hate on me all you want. Call me a bleeding cunt if you must.

But believe it or not, I'm running a business too.

xoxo,
ESB

Lemon centerpiece by SAUIPU
______________________________

*Of course ALL OF YOU won't approve of EVERY VENDOR I recommend. (Does every groom want a memento mori wedding band?)

Alison's getting married

2012-01-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

Did you know? Our TeenAngster is tying the knot!

I've been quietly eavesdropping on her wedding planning via twitter... okay, I'm not always quiet. sometimes I have to butt in.

Check out her AMAZEBALLS wedding band (above) scored on ebay!

And hellooooooooooo Memento Mori Ring for the hubs. (Bittersweets at Catbird)

I wasn't sold on the idea of a memorial ring, but I FUCKING LOVE this guy as a commitment ring.

A, pls to get it in the matching yellow gold, will you??

Hey Anon, I've got something for you

2012-01-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

It's A GRAIN OF SALT. Several, in fact.

I think you might need them.

Do you take everything you read that literally?

Emma + Tim run away to city hall

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

You guys, it's a write-up from THE GROOM:

Emma and I met each other in our mid-20s. We didn't grow up together, but we grew into adults together. Being an adult can be serious business, and we've come to recognise that part of what makes a relationship successful is to know when to be focused on the mundanity of life and when to embrace your whimsy let yourself be spontaneous.

That moment presented itself to us about nine months before our wedding day. We had been planning a straightforward wedding up to that point and had begun to feel that we weren't doing justice to the love we share. During a long discussion as we drove through the countryside near where we live, Emma remarked, "We should just run away and get married at City Hall in New York." We initially laughed and shrugged off the idea. Twenty four hours later, we were breaking the news to our family that we were eloping.

In retrospect, going halfway around the world to be married is an apt analogy for our relationship. It was an unforgettable adventure, punctuating the unforgettable adventure Emma and I had been on in the preceding six and a half years as we carved our our lives together. Much as we wanted to celebrate our nuptials with friends and family, there would be time for that we we returned; on our wedding day, there was only one person I wanted to be with and see happy.

We met with our photographer, Monica, on the morning of the wedding at City Hall. Thanks to East Side Bride, Emma had discovered Hart + Sol photography, who are based out of Brooklyn. We were secretly a little nervous about the idea of having a photographer there with us on the day, but we needn't have been. Monica took amazing photos, but more than that, her kind words and encouragement helped make a morning that might have otherwise been overrun by the stiff bureaucracy of City Hill a warm and gentle experience. Monica's photos captured the sincere and unfettered happiness in the expressions on our faces, in a way that I've never seen in Emma and I before. It's impossible to imagine the day without Monica there to help us focus and reflect on on the importance of that moment.

After the ceremony, Emma and I walked the High Line together as a gentle rain fell, had a wonderful candle-lit dinner on the Lower East Side, and then watched The Rosebuds play an intimate set at the Bowery Ballroom. A few days later we shipped out to London to visit friends, then continued our adventures in Paris and Berlin.

Emma and I were always going to fall in love with New York City -- it was wonderful to fall further in love with each other because of New York City.

So what if they didn't take Matt up on any of his restaurant recommends?

♥