I am still in the midst of our super-tiring cross-country move from Nashville to Los Angeles, but I wanted to stop by and try to make at least ONE post. Come April I’ll be back to normal, but as of right now things are a little hectic. After two weeks in LA apartment-hunting, we finally signed our lease, and now I’m back home and get to start the fun part…packing! Actually, we are super lucky in that the movers are going to pack for us (seriously, this is an option. I strongly advise you to take it if you can) but I am tying together a gazillion loose ends before I leave so I’m kinda frazzled. I barely have energy to put on anything except a sweatshirt and running pants, and my hair is…well, let’s just say I’m having flashbacks to 7th grade.
But, I wanted to report back on the key things I learned while I was out in Los Angeles: 1) LA has a lot of homeless people and 2) Tory Burch makes the best flats ever. And yes, I realize that those two observations do not sound good together. But they are in fact each true.
I have a big foot (size 10, sometimes 11), and it’s narrow, which means I have a super hard time finding comfortable shoes. I’ve been on the hunt for a pair of black, comfortable flats for awhile now. After trying out and returning several pairs, I finally decided to splurge and spend some money on a good pair of shoes. So I got the Tory Burch Eddie patent leather flat. The report? They are like shoe heaven. I walked an average of 5 miles a day for two weeks with them, and I have no blisters, no marks, no sore feet. Nada.
If you’re looking for a comfortable pair of flats for your wedding (like come in a great silver or nude color), or for your honeymoon, I highly suggest them. I like them because they do not have any obvious emblems on them and the patent leather can take a beating. They were a big splurge for me (I normally never spend more than $80 on shoes, which is probably why they are never comfortable), but considering how often I’ll wear them, they are worth it.
I’m currently loving all the Kate Moss wedding photos that are being featured on Vogue.com. The accompanying article is great as well…if you haven’t read it yet, you should. It gives a fun glimpse into Kate Moss’s wedding day, and all the beautiful yet simple details that went into it.
Kate Moss was my favorite of the supermodels. She always managed to look effortlessly cool and comfortable no matter what she was wearing, and she was gorgeous without a stitch of makeup. Plus, she used to date Johnny Depp. They were like that painfully beautiful and mysterious couple in high school that everybody wished they could hang out with (or date). I think we should all take a moment to reflect upon Kate +Johhny and what used to be. It’s like a yearbook photo!
Now, Kate’s married to The Kill’s Jamie Hince. I guess he’ll have to do.
Moss and Hince tied the knot on July 1 in the Cotswold region of England, alongside guests such as Jack White, Karen Elson, Naomi Campell, Jude Law, Sadie Frost, and Lucinda Williams. Click here to see all the pictures and read about the Friday afternoon wedding. (She switched it from Saturday to accommodate famed photographer Mario Testino’s schedule. That’s a no-brainer.)
The beauty of the wedding was that it looks like something you could easily take inspiration from without breaking the bank. Kate Moss enlisted the help of fashion show designer Sam Gainsbury and partner Anna Whiting to design and plan the event. “Sam is a genius,” Kate told Vogue, “but this is the first and last wedding she said she’s ever doing!”
I love how Kate and her team didn’t go overboard with the details…it looks like something that was thoughtfully put together without a visual overload. The flowers were simple and so were the colors. With that many beautiful people in a room, you don’t need much!
Below is a collection of details from Kate Moss’s wedding, and my ideas for how you can recreate the look and feel of her big day on a non-supermodel budget.
Image courtesy of Vogue. Photograph by Mario Testino
Kate’s dress was designed by John Galliano, who said he was inspired by Jazz Age photographs of Zelda Fitzgerald.
Zelda Fitzgerald
I think one of the best wedding dress designers who successfully captures that vintage style is Claire Pettibone.
Cloisonne wedding dress by Claire Pettibone, $3500-$5,000
A designer named Johanna Johnson has some AMAZING veils, but they will set you back about $800. Instead, trying doing a Google search for “cap veil.” I found this antique 1920′s veil below for $129.
The tables had small bunches of apricot and lilac roses, Victorian chandeliars, bentwood bistro chairs, and vintage stemware…
Photo courtesy of Vogue.
Photo courtesy of Vogue.
Classic Party Rentals has locations throughout the U.S., and they have a fruitwood or black bentwood chair available in select locations (prices vary). Party Rental Ltd. also has locations throughout the U.S., and has the brown bentwood chair available that most closely matches the one at Kate’s wedding.
You can rent vintage glassware from companies such as Small Masterpiece, or if you’re having a smaller wedding, you can incorporate your own pieces. A search for “1920′s glassware” on Etsy can yield some fun results, such as this set of 12 1920′s glasses for $65, below.
London’s Peggy Porschen designed the wedding cake, which was a tier of six different cakes, each of which were a different flavor, with droplets of icing-sugar lily-of-the-valley blossoms. If you like to bake, Peggy’s website offers her tools of the trade…
Photo courtesy of Vogue.
Believe it or not, but Publix actually has a great selection of cakes. If you don’t see what you want, they can also copy pretty much any cake style you want. Their prices average between $350-$500 depending on size and style. The “Simply Devoted” style from Publix, below, can be decorated with roses like Kate’s cake, and you can also add more tiers.
Other fab details from Kate Moss’s wedding include:
Bar Hemingway from the Ritz Paris provided the drinks, including a signature drink called Kate 76: a combo of vodka, champagne, crushed ice, and sugar
The Palm Court jazz band provided the cocktail music
Chef Daniel de la Falaise served a dinner which included toro tartare with caviar, Longhorn veal with grilled peaches, and strawberry granita dusted with gold leaf, accompanied by Sesti and champagne.
Of the whole wedding-planning process, Kate (who told Vogue that the groom-to-be was “terrified.” I love that honesty!), said she had to rely on her friends to keep her sane:
“I don’t know how people do it. I’ve had big birthday parties, and I’ve thrown parties for other people, but this is a completely different thing. It’s the Met Ball! Because you have to look at every piece of cutlery; the details are intense. And then you wake up thinking about the ballet shoes for the girls; is the satin ribbon right? I’ve gone mental. Jamie thinks I’m mad, asking, ‘Are you gonna be all right? After the wedding, I’m hoping you’ll get back to normal!’”
It somehow feels good that even celebs have wedding freak outs…
What do you think of her wedding style? Love it/hate it?
If you’re a fan of shopping on ShopBop.com, you’re probably aware of their relatively new (they launched in March) online bridal boutique, which compiles wedding-worthy dresses and accessories from various designers. I admit I haven’t spent a lot of time on ShopBop (my online shopping consists of Gilt Groupe or HauteLook or Gap, mostly), so I thought I’d take a peek at what they have to offer. If you’re looking for a “second” wedding dress (are there that many of you gals out there?!), or a beachy/casual wedding dress, there are some decent options. But otherwise, I’m not super excited about their selection. Their bridesmaids dresses would be better if they were less expensive (most of the good ones range from $400-$1,000! I picked out my favorite “cheapies” below). So far my favorite part of the boutique is the accessories. While I hope the wedding dress selection gets better, the great thing about buying online with ShopBop is free shipping and returns. So, at least if your dress doesn’t fit you (or one of your bridesmaids), you won’t be out of luck. Below are my favorite selection’s from ShopBop.com’s Wedding Boutique.
Have you shopped for a wedding dress online? If so, what was your experience?
It might just be because I am secretly dying for one of these dresses, but I think the Herve Leger bandage dress in a cream or gold would make a great nontraditional wedding dress. It would be especially cute for an outdoor wedding or a more casual restaurant wedding. Bonus? You can wear this dress again and again and again and again (for that price you better be able to!).
As a newly engaged writer, I had a hard time finding the practical information I needed to plan my wedding. While the wedding books, magazines, and websites I read had pretty pictures, they seemed to just skim the surface when it came to providing helpful ways for me to create the wedding of my dreams. Now that I'm married, I hope this blog serves as a resource for all you other bride-to-be's, with unique ideas for wedding venues, wedding decorations, wedding dresses, and more!
Actually, we are super lucky in that the movers are going to pack for us (seriously, this is an option. I strongly advise you to take it if you can) but I am tying together a gazillion loose ends before I leave so I’m kinda frazzled. I barely have energy to put on anything except a sweatshirt and running pants, and my hair is…well, let’s just say I’m having flashbacks to 7th grade.
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