Wedding Style Guide: April 2011

Vintage Weddings - One Hundred Years of Bridal Fashion & Style

I have to confess I love books and wedding dresses so when this absolutely beautiful book turned up on my desk yesterday I was a little ecstatic. Vintage Weddings - One Hundred Years of Bridal Fashion & Style by Marnie Fogg is, as you guessed it, all about amazing wedding dresses. From the 1900's through till now discover the designes and trends that changed the world of bridal design forever. With foreword by designer extrodinaire Bruce Oldfield OBE it's a absolutley gorgoeus book full of wonderful pictures and information. It even includes a wedding planner and a section on groom's fashion of the time. In perfect time for the Royal wedding! Vintage Weddings is published by Cameron House and is available at all good bookstores from June 2011 for $49.99.

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Wedding Video of Cherise & Aaron

There's something lovely about a truly gorgeous wedding video. Along with photographs, a video is a fabulous reminder and keepsake of your wedding day and is also something wonderful to share with friends and family who weren't able to attend. Curtis Heyne from Living Cinema very kindly sent us this wonderful video of Cherise & Aaron's wedding, held at Hahn Estate in Santa Barbara, California. Happy Royal wedding day!

Sophisticated Chic from Living Cinema.

Photography: Elizabeth Messina
Wedding Wedding planner: Lisa Vorce of Oh, How Charming!
Ceremony loocation: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
Reception site: Hahn Estate
Cake: Vanilla Bake Shop
Flowers: Mindy Rice
Invitations: Papel Paper and Press
Videography: Living Cinema
Bride's dress: Vera Wang
Bridesmaid apparel: Lavin
Groom's tuxedo: Tom Ford

Posted by Emilie Harrison

L.O.V.E

Valentino are doing some truly amazing things with their shoes at the moment. Take a look at these beauties! I am in love with the gorgeous caramel coloured satin and lace of the first two and who would have thought leather and tulle would make such a gorgeous combo? If you're wanting to get your hands on these visit www.net-a-porter.com.

Bow-embellished satin sandals £782

Lace and satin platfrom pumps £442

Leather and tulle-embellished mesh sandals $822

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Shop till you Drop

It's true now, thanks to Westfield, that stylists aren't just for celebrities. If you're wanting a new look, a new wardrobe and a new you head on down to your nearest Westfield store, meet with one of their talented stylists and be on your merry way. It's that easy! Visit www.westfield.com.au to find your nearest store.

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Last Chance!

Don't forget that entries for our fabulous Esteele competition close this Friday 29th April at 5pm AEST. To enter email us at competitions@styleguide.com.au and answer this question - What's the first meal would you cook for your partner as a married couple? Good luck!

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Milliner Magic

Emerging vintage-inspired designer Jessica Beattie has launched her inaugural bridal collection Enchanted and is set to bring old-world romance back for the modern bride. Trained by acclaimed milliner Neil Grigg, the Sydney-based designer’s unique, handcrafted headpieces are already favourites at Fashions on the Field. Her new bridal collection features a selection of headpieces, veils, and handmade silk flowers that are soft and delicate in detail, using handcrafted luxury materials and bead work (the same bead work used by the house of Chanel!). Jessica will continue her handmade tradition, tailoring pieces to each bride’s requirements. The Deluxe range of silk flowers is handmade in Australia, and can be made-to-measure, using the same fabric as a wedding dress, in any colour or size. Jessica Beattie Millinery is dedicated to giving clients a bespoke service and as part of the bridal package, customers can use the service after the wedding to adapt their headpiece for other occasions such as casual or race wear. With over 60 pieces in the collection, prices range from $130 for a standard handmade flower on a comb to $1,500 for a cloche. View the full collection launching at Sydney Bridal Expo 16 & 17 April 2011 or at www.jessicabeattie.com.au.

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Happy Easter!

Before everyone goes of on their much anticipated very long weekend we just wanted to make sure we wish you and your families a wonderful Easter. Here's hopping the Easter Bunny brings us basketfulls of goodies! Aren't these Spring Chick cakes from Martha Stewart just gorgeous?! Delish! Happy Easter everyone! WSG x

Spring chick cakes recipe available on marthastewart.com

Posted by Emilie Harrison

The Gift Table

A big welcome to the new gift registry service on the block, The Gift Table. With an extensive list of brands on offer from Wedgewood, Alessi, Delonghi, Orson & Blake and many many more you will be spoilt for choice when choosing the bits and pieces to include on your registry list. Beside a gift registry service The Gift Table also offer a giving tree service and donation service, making it easier for friends and family to donate to a charity of your choice should that be your wish on your special day. For more infomation on The Gift Table visit www.thegifttable.com.au.

Harlequin polka dot teapot by Wedgewood $129

Espresso fully automatic coffe machine by Delonghi $999

Antwerp dining table by Orson & Blake $1,449.80

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Engagement Shoot

Engagement shoots are becoming more and more popular in Australia. They are a great way to celebrate your engagement as well as having a bit of a practice run before the big day! Courtney Raper sent me some images from a recent engagement session she photographed. It looks like a really fun and relaxed day.

Posted by Emma Henderson

Brisbane Bound

Designer Karen Willis Holmes is excited to announce the opening of her new Brisbane boutique on Saturday 7th May, 2011. The ready-to-wear store will be located at Shop 5, 2 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington and will be a blessing for brides in Queensland on the hunt for 'the' gown. KWH ready-to-wear stores do not work by appointment so visit www.karenwillisholmes.com.au for open times.

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Sweet Stationery Sale!

We received an email from the lovely Alicia at Akimbo Stationery today to let us know that throughout the month of May she'll be offering couples a 20% discount on wedding stationery. If you're in market for some gorgeous stationery Akimbo should definitely be on your list. To view their collections visit their website at www.akimbo.com.au.

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Beautiful Buttonholes

There's no excuse for boring buttonholes. If you're in need of some inspiration take direction from these beauties I found on the lovely blog Once Wed. With little details like ribbon, string or foliage you can turn a buttonhole from drab to fab in no time.

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Eau So Fresh

One of my favourite perfumes is Daisy by Marc Jacobs. As my bottle is running low I'm hoping it can be replaced with it's new sister, Eau So Fresh. Not only does it smell like heaven but the bottle is just eau so pretty and would look eau so lovely on my dresser. Eau heaven! On sale today from Myer, David Jones, The Perfume Connection and all good pharmacies. Eau de Toilette spray 75ml $115, 125ml $145 and body lotion 150ml $40.

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Like A Record Baby

How's this for an amazing wedding invitation? The designer, Kelli Anderson, writes all about it here on her blog (fantastic website too!).

Paper Record Player from kellianderson on Vimeo.

Thanks so much to my designer friend, Kellie Campbell, for the heads up. It's great to see such an interesting idea.

Posted by Jane Cameron

New York Bridal Fashion Week 2011

It's the biggest show of the year for American bridal designers so it's no wonder New York Bridal Fashion Week is a super popular event for designers, buyers, stylists and most of all brides. NYBFW really does showcase the best of the best bridal designers with a list of shows that includes the Queen's of bridal Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier & Marchesa. This year my favourite show was a tie between Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier. From looking at these collections it's easy to see why almost every bride on the planet would love to wear one of their gowns. Feminine, modern, intricate and in a simply delicious palette of colours, the collections certainly are divine. I'm in love with the colour of the season - pink. Whether it be a baby shade, dusky or as pastel as can be it's certainly a fresh colour. Reese Witherspoon recently tied the knot in a pale pink custom made Monique Lhuillier gown no doubt helping to kick of the trend. In terms of style the bubble hem seems to be high on designers must-do list with both Oscar de la Renta and Christos both sending some bubbly goodness down the runway. For a complete rundown of all the shows visit www.vogue.com.au.