Life. Love. Lipstick.

For years, I’ve pored over the beautiful wedding recaps in the Weddings We Loved thread of kvetch.  I love to see couples do things their own way.  Last week I was browsing the threads and found this beautiful wedding of  IB user tryingsohardtobelieve.  Stunning!  The bride and groom look like they are straight out of a magazine.  The invites and paper goods are to die for, and that cake?!  wow.

Definitely check out the full thread on IB.

Photography by Nick Murray.

I have been “shopping” for a handbag.  I wander around stores (both online and brick and mortar) looking at them, but don’t really intend to buy one anytime soon.  I need a new bag, badly, but right now all our funds are directed at furnishing the apartment and getting married.  So for now, I gaze.

I am drawn to bags in a variety of styles and price ranges, but the ones that have stuck out the most to me in the last few days have really surprised me.  They aren’t labels I would normally turn to for a new bag.  Here are my 3 favorite handbag labels… this week.

Betseyville by Betsey Johnson

Loud, flashy, obnoxious and over-the-top… what’s not to love?!  I am a lover of all things Betsey Johnson.  I love the girliness of it all.  Girly without all the saccharine.  

My favorites right now are this sweet yellow bow clutch and this rockin’ leopard diaper bag.  Would kill for either (or both) of these!

source

Kathy Van Zeeland

This designer is always a hit or miss.  Sometimes her bags look like granny purses.  Other times, I’m in total love.  I found one a couple of days ago that made me swoon.  I love pyramid studs on a bag, and the material this one is crafted of feels soooo good to the touch!  Would love this as a work tote.

source

Urban Outfitters

I’m a huge fan of Urban, and I actually get a lot of DIY inspiration from there.  But their bags… excuse me while I wipe the dribble from my chin.

source

Jessica Lynn, the beautiful blogger behind tying the knot, has launched her calligraphy business!  I am so excited to see her make this happen! 

Just check out these fun and pretty samples!

In the next couple of weeks, we will be tying the knot, just the two of us, with an anniversary party to follow in a year.  I spent the last week searching online and in person for the dress that is “just right.”  I don’t even know how to describe what I was looking for, except tailored, chic, and flattering… not easy when you’re quite visibly pregnant.  I found it!  

While looking on Motherhood Maternity’s website, I found the dress… for only $35.  What a good deal!  Then I ended up looking on Walmart.com just before I was going to order, and what did I find?  Same dress for $18!  I ordered it immediately.

Without further ado, here is the perfect dress for me!

The plan for the whole look is to put either red or green shoes with it, and maybe, just maybe, make a little birdcage veil.  We’ll see how much time I have before our wedding day.

Today, while out shopping, I stopped into my local Maternity Works and tried on the size I ordered.  PERFECT!  I can’t wait to put the whole look together!

On our way home on a road trip last week, I finally picked up a copy of Southern Weddings.  Oh. my. gosh.  I have always liked bridal magazines, but am very selective.  I like fewer ads, more real weddings.  Helloooo, SW!  

I know, there probably isn’t much to say about this fab mag that hasn’t already been said, but I thought I’d just highlight my 3 favorite things about the magazine.

• True Bride Confessions are little snippets at the bottom of every few pages.  They are exactly what you would think… My favorite?  “I want a ring bigger than hers.”  While that’s super shallow, I think there are so many ladies who can relate (btw, I’m actually not one of them because my ring is perfection, but I used to be that girl).
• This magazine is seriously packed with real weddings!  Who doesn’t love that?! It’s always my favorite  part of a magazine, and with 52 pages of the beautiful wedding pics and stories, this one is loaded!!
• I think my favorite feature in the issue is “Stepping Out,” which showcases beautiful (and colorful!) wedding shoes of real brides.  I used to do a lot of shoe posts on this blog because I LOVE them!

If you have not read this magazine yet, you seriously need to.  The real weddings are reason enough!  Even the advertisers are worthy of checking out.

I am willing to pass on my copy, so if anyone wants it, email me and it’s yours! rhondagaileubanks [at] gmail [dot] com .

Today I ran across 3 very different and amazing weddings, all which had one thing in common: awesome fashion sense!

First up, captured by Ashley Brokop, is these dashing men in suspenders in khakis.  The entire wedding of Lizzy and Johnathan is so darling.  Do yourself a favor and check out the compilation done by Southern Weddings.

Once again, let’s give it up for stylish grooms.  Now, it is entirely possible that the bride was behind the idea to wear such an awesome jacket and pocket square.  Regardless of whose idea it was, I’m loving it!  You also will not want to miss the ceremony photos from the wedding of Breanna and Charlie, shot by my favorite beach wedding photographer, Paul Johnson.  It’s truly breathtaking!

I found a dreamy set of photos on Style Me Pretty, and while not my personal style, the dress worn by bride Elle is so romantic and beautiful.  The photography alone, by Twin Lens Photography, is enough reason to go check out this post on SMP.

The second wedding of a loved one that I’m featuring is that of my cousin Christopher and his lovely wife Amanda.  Amanda has been considered family for awhile now, and I’m so happy that it’s official!

Tell us how you met.

We met through a mutual friend that was trying to get us together for over a year because she just knew we were perfect for each other.

Describe the proposal.

He proposed to me the night I graduated from college in front of both of our families in a great hole-in-the-wall Italian place that I love.

How long was your engagement? Was it too long, too short, just right?

Our engagement lasted four months.  Knowing I had a short timeline to plan really got me on the ball, but sometimes, looking back, it feels like a whirlwind.  I would have wanted a month or two more to plan.

Did you enjoy the wedding planning process?

I loved it.  You really learn how to be more decisive.

What was your favorite wedding detail?

My favorite wedding detail was putting together our vows.  Christopher and I chose carefully because we knew how important the words were.  He really liked doing that, which made me happy.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in planning the wedding?

One of my bridesmaids didn’t order her dress in time and couldn’t be in the wedding.  I was freaking out for a little while because I had already ordered flowers and we were going to be uneven, but then it turned out one of Christopher’s groomsman couldn’t be in the wedding either, so it worked out.

What went wrong on the wedding day, and how did you deal?

Right in the middle of my father/daughter dance, the music went out and we couldn’t get it back up again.  I was really upset because the music was really important to me, but the rest of the day had been so great, I worked past it.

Favorite moment of the day?

My favorite moment was during the first prayer of the ceremony.  We both closed our eyes, and Christopher put his head against mine to where our foreheads were touching.  It was incredibly sweet.

Was there a theme, mood, or certain colors you tried to incorporate?

My color was a dark purple called Lapis and a light lavender.  We had it in a public garden, and everything was very earthy and green.  There were big pillars in a circle where we had the ceremony, so we leaned toward a slight Grecian theme, but we didn’t overdo it.

Describe the reception food.

We had a buffet style dinner.  The food was homemade by the wonderful women in my family.  The food was put together so beautifully no one wanted to eat it!

Any special touches that made your wedding unique?

Christopher’s groom cake was a one of kind Nintendo cake (which we both love), and my music (if it had worked) was not your normal reception music.  It was very us.

Describe the wedding music.

The ceremony consisted of Ava Maria, Canon in D, the Lord’s Prayer done acapella, and a beautiful song from Pride and Prejudice named “Dawn”.

The reception would have been a lot of rock and roll, Dave Matthews Band, oldies, Indie, and all of my friend’s favorite songs.

Any advice for brides?

Make sure your wedding is completely your own.  Don’t let anyone try to decide things for you.  Ask for advice, but do what you and the groom want to do.  Also, try to involve the groom in it as much as possible.  It makes it more special.