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HauteLook Debuts Wedding Party Sample Sale

With wedding season just around the corner, planning and attending weddings can get seriously pricey (especially if you want to rock a new look at each event!). Have no fear, ladies: We've found something that can help you get all the right looks—without emptying your wallet. HauteLook, an incredible sample-sale site, is having a wedding event starting TOMORROW. Whether you’re a bridesmaid, bride, groom or just a guest, there is something for you—and everything is 50-75% off. You'll score cool deals on dresses, accessories, lingerie and jewels. Plus, score wedding-day beauty essentials like Tan Towels, adorable flower girl dresses from industry vet Us Angels, or even book your honeymoon getaway! Since the sale opens at 8 AM PDT, we've set our alarm clocks for 11 AM here on the East Coast. And if you're a bride who hasn't started planning, get this: There are also top-notch wedding-planning books on sale. Better get a good night's sleep tonight—tomorrow you're going to shop til you drop!

—Emily Gardner

 

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Sail Away with Me

yco boatIt may be my job, my title and my duty to travel, but even I have daydreams about actually taking a fabulous vacation. Don’t tell my boss, but I often sit here at my desk Googling fantasies of kicking back on some remote beach and not having to write about it (wink). I also imagine myself wandering through quaint undiscovered villages, when suddenly I decide to stay for a month or longer! I learn the language, I become a regular at the corner café…okay, now I’m getting a bit carried away. But one globetrotting fantasy of mine that may become your honeymoon reality is a romantic sail aboard a chartered boat. I recently met with the folks from YCO, a Monaco-based yacht charter company that has a fleet of vessel options all over the world. Personally, I dream about cruising around some islands of the Mediterranean on a masted sailboat. The company also hosts boats—all of which come equipped with a full-service crew—in the far-flung South Seas, nearby Caribbean and anywhere else your heart desires (hola, South America! G-day, Aussieland). For more information, go to ycoyacht.com.

— Jenna Mahoney

Glass Class: Pair Your Wedding Wines the Right Way

Recently I attended a wine tasting at the Riedel showroom in New York City. Riedel has been creating fine crystal and glassware for 300 years (!) and none other than 11th-generation family member, Maximilian Riedel (pictured below), conducted this very informative session.

wine tasting

If you think that a classic, balloon-shaped glass is fine for all white wines and a taller, narrower wine glass is standard for all reds, then think again. Under Maximilian’s guidance, we discovered that when a wine is served in the incorrect glass shape it loses its aroma and taste significantly. I couldn’t get over how different a Riesling tasted in a Chardonnay glass. It was less fruity and much more acidic. The same was true for reds: A Pinot Noir lost its bouquet and rich cherry, plum taste when served in a Cabernet glass. Pure alcohol was the primary scent and it tasted dry and bitter. Not the way to enjoy a glass of wine!

You can bet that I am now a devotee of serving wine in its correct glass. Brides-to-be, what better time to stock up on the right glasses than now? Add them to your registry and also be sure to include a decanter on your list. According to Maximilan—who has designed some fantastic Riedel decanters—decanters allow wine to aerate, which provides a much richer, truer taste.

Here are the glass shapes to look for:

wine glasses

Meet Our New Guest Blogger

ken fish

My darling honeymooners:

I’m honored with a capital H to introduce a new series to our Traveler’s Tale blog. Our new guest blogger is Ken Fish, president and owner of the uber-chic, super fancy Absolute Travel, an outfitter that organizes honeymoons and other travel experiences from soup to nuts. The team specializes in off-the-beaten-path adventures with a luxurious touch (which, as you dedicated readers know, is so my style.) Without further ado, I present a letter of introduction from Mr. Fish:

Having been in the travel business for more than 22 years, I like to think that I’ve learned a few things that less seasoned travelers might find helpful. I am the president and owner of Absolute Travel, a luxury tour operator that has been designing customized itineraries for honeymooners since 1989. My travel experts are passionate about travel and dedicated to creating unforgettable honeymoons for our clients, and as a blogger for Bridal Guide, I look forward to sharing some of our hard-earned wisdom with you.

While all journeys are special, a honeymoon is in a class of its own. Many newlyweds anxiously view this first trip together as a married couple as a symbol of how their union will fare, so we do everything in our power to ensure that the trip is flawless and filled with unexpected moments of joy. Simply put, our job is to make sure that your honeymoon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that starts your marriage off on the best foot possible!

Wedding Wars Episode 2 Recap


As the days pass on the remote Hawaiian island hosting Wedding Wars, the couples have been increasingly scheming and looking for a guaranteed way to win their $100,000 dream wedding, including a $25,000 cash prize. On last night's episode, the couples first had to fight tooth and nail—literally—for a chance to win a wedding flower package (worth $5,000). Although Frankie and Sofia (pictured at left) didn't win the blooms, Sofia was "able to get her aggressions out." The couples then participated in a tradition-themed immunity challenge to win their coveted cake topper. The task: For the groom to hold his bride-to-be up (on a shaking platform!) for as long as possible. But despite making valiant efforts in both challenges, Long Island natives Frankie and Sophia were eliminated and asked to leave the wedding chapel immediately. We checked in with the duo to hear their side of the story, get the dish on any wedding plans and share the lessons they learned about each other while filming.

Score Eco-Friendly Flowers (for Less!)

Do you have the heart of a DIY-er? Now you can put it to cost-conscious, hands-on use when it comes to your wedding blooms — always a big chunk of the bridal budget. Organic Bouquet, an online provider of eco-friendly, organic flowers, is trying to help you prune costs by making its wholesale division available to everyone. So go ahead and browse blooms like organic lilies, roses, hydrangeas, tulips and more, available at wholesale prices in single units or boxes, and then get creative with your friends and family: The result will be one-of-a-kind bouquets and table arrangements made all the more sweet by the savings to your wallet. You can even order 5-foot roses! Visit  ecoflowers.com for more information.

—Susan Schneider

Register For a New Home AND Help Rescue Efforts in Japan

After the wedding is over and the guests have left, you and your new husband can have the chance to walk into a brand new house…that's already all yours! Forgo the traditional demitasse spoon and blender by reigstering with Home for the Honeymoon, an international online registry which allows couples to collect "gifts" for a down payment on a home. The process is simple: Just link your PayPal account to Home for the Honeymoon (or create one if you don't have one yet!), and your guests will be able to contribute money to the purchase of your dream home. But Home for the Honeymoon has stepped up their game and moved into the charity arena at just the right time. The online registry is helping with the rebuilding efforts in Japan by pledging half of its profits from the next 20 couples that sign up to be donated to the Red Cross. After the first 20 couples have signed on, Home for the Honeymoon will continuously donate a portion of the profits to the relief efforts for the next three months. A new house and charity? Sign us up!

—Malvina Shishmanian

Rooms on Film: The Westcliff Hotel

Oprah slept here! So did John Travolta, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet (although those last two not at the same time for all you Titanic fans). This room is the Presidential Suite at the Westcliff Hotel in the outskirts of Johannesburg. From the room’s enormous terrace you can view at elephants grazing in the open zoo just below and take in the gloriousness of the purple jacaranda bushes. The bathroom is as big as an entire studio apartment in New York City, although I bet an apt doesn’t have towel warmers. And the main room has a wet bar and oversized dining table. Of course, I’ve got to point out the champagne and sweet treats that welcomed us to our first of many honeymoon suites across Africa.

—Jenna Mahoney

Ask the Expert: Urvi Prunier of Tejani Jewelry


First up, please meet your jewelry guru, Urvi Prunier!
The designer, who launched Tejani Jewelry in 2004, aimed to create a happy medium between super-pricey and low-end jewels.“High couture jewelry and accessories were out of reach of most brides, yet the more affordable pieces proved unattractive and of poor quality,” says the designer. The Tejani collection is stunning—so is Prunier(!)—and we're thrilled to bring her on board. Today's gown that needs styling:


 



This strapless, stretch-silk gown (from red-carpet favorite Nicole Miller) really screams “accessorize me!" I absolutely LOVE the simplicity and elegance; it lends itself to a variety of styling options. Plus, the asymmetrical ruffle gives this gown a very contemporary feeling. The bride really has so many different choices since there are no embellishments holding her back. per se. Because the gown gives the wearer so much freedom and flexibility, I'm offering up two different styling suggestions, because how you wear your dress is totally dependent on your personal style.

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