OUR NEW BLOG!

New year, new blog! Visit us at our new and improved blog at www.bridalbarblog.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yelp Homepage

We just received the sweetest email from a bride-to-be who wanted us to know that she raved about her experience at the store on Yelp.com and they liked the review so much the site bumped it to the day's featured review. Thank you Jacqueline! Glad we could assist you!

For those of you who don't know exactly what we do here in the store, we are a complimentary planning boutique. We offer totally free consultations to get you off to the right start toward your perfect big day. We don't charge a fee or take any mark up or commission, we simply guide you through the process, tell you it will be okay, and refer you to amazingly talented event professionals that fit your needs, style, and price point. How do we do it? Our vendors do pay us a flat annual fee to be represented by the brand, and those companies that participate are invited to do so, extensively reference checked and screened. We limit the number of professionals in each industry, varying their styles and prices so that we have something for everyone! No hidden agenda, no pressure to hire the professionals, just a safe haven to get ideas, advice, and referrals for your wedding. From TomKat's photographer to Kevin Costner's videographer and the eco and budget-friendly new and nearly new couture company, our group, well, let's just say the kick a**! If we wouldn't hire them for our own weddings, we wouldn't represent them.

Okay, 30 second commercial is officially over, back to your regularly scheduled programming!

Lavender

You've seen a lot of purple, lavender, and plum on the blog lately and you'll be seeing more of it this spring. Lavender is the latest hot color for '09 according to the Pantone projection book.Top row from left: Robert Evans Studios; Hello!Lucky
Middle row from left: Oh, How Charming!; Lyndsey Hamilton Events
Bottom row from left: Cobalt Events; W Hotel

Lilla Bello Studio

We're so excited to feature some of the latest and greatest work by the talented group at Lilla Bello Studio. We've admired their work for years (both in magazines and on tv) and now we get the chance to share their work with you. Toby and her crew have a client list that reads like the rolling credits of a blockbuster movie and it's obvious why. When she's not busy wrapping up gifts for heads of studios and flowers for Hollywood royalty, she's hard at work designing one-of-a-kind weddings. Take a look at a few of their fabulous fetes and enjoy!

Pacific Weddings Magazine, CA Favors

Thanks to the lovely ladies over at Pacific Weddings Magazine for asking us for our advice on some of the best favors for a California bride. The new issue just landed (and will be available for the taking at the bar very soon). But in the meantime, check out this sneak peek. The cover is truly a one-of-a-kind beauty!! Love the colors, fabulous florals, stunning bride, and clean look with no headlines (it's their 10th anniversary edition - congrats!!)

Campaign for Change

Great photos for a great cause. Want wonderful wedding pics for next to nothing...literally! Enter to win the chance for free photography with the purchase of a $50 tax-deductible raffle ticket for charity. Love it when the wedding community gives back and this time they give to you, not just to a good cause (well, you might be a good cause too).

Emilie Sommer of Emilie Inc. and her colleagues founded the Pink Initiative, an organization built by a collection of wedding industry professionals and private donors dedicated to funding awareness, outreach, education and research for breast cancer. And their raffle is running now through Valentine’s Day. Win 5K of wedding photography coverage for just a $50 raffle ticket! And give back to a great cause at the same time. Humm...love, good will, good odds, and a great cause - not a bad way to gift your Valentine this year.

For more information on getting involved in the cause, giving to it, or getting your ticket, check out the Pink Initiative.

Get Organized!

New year, new resolution - organize! And if you're newly engaged then there is no better time than the present to prepare yourself accordingly. Plan and prep in style and efficiently of course with this fabulous russell+hazel binder by Anne Chertoff (bridal expert from iVillage, Martha, Brides.com, and her own I Will to I Do).

The easy-to-use system takes a whole new approach to organization. Inside are printed tabs for primary sections and unprinted tabs for customization; there is a planning notebook for list-making, note-taking and sketching and the pages are perforated and punched so they can be moved to the binder. Also included are business-card holders, pockets for receipts, sheet protectors (perfect for fabric swatches or magazine clippings of dresses and flowers), post-it notes and page markers. These elements, with their chartreuse and orchid accents make it hard to stop planning!And if your the tech-savvy bride, download the worksheets available from russell+hazel. Just print out the worksheets and put them in the binder. Now you have no excuse not to stay on top of things!

Palace Blue

Next up in our color trends is palace blue by Pantone. Electrifying...need we say more? This color is truly magnetic in a room (and you'll certainly have your something blue covered). Consider pairing this color with a gunmetal gray, pale green, an eye-popping yellow, fuchsia, or all white. Top row from left: W Hotel; Lela Rose Bridesmaid
Middle row from left: Hello!Lucky; Robert Evans Studios

Map to the Altar

Destination wedding? Your parent's backyard after a church ceremony? Or perhaps a swanky ballroom affair? No matter how or where you wed, your guests should know where to go. But maps...so impersonal, so not with your wedding "vision." Well, think again! Laura Hooper Calligraphy has not only found a creative and custom way to get your guests to the party, but she's discovered the perfect welcome basket in the process. Weave your wedding locale into every element of the experience by turning your map into your gift too!

These canvas bags are perfect to welcome your friends and family to the party - design your own map and remind loved ones of the treasure that was your wedding.

The Bridal Bar on The Girls Next Door

So remember way back when we shared a few behind the scenes photos of our shoot for the Girls Next Door?!?! Well this past weekend the episode aired (and will continue to re-air for weeks to come so be sure to check it out)! Believe it or not, we have yet to see the segment, but the emails about those gorgeous gowns are flooding in. So to answer your question - where do you find those gowns?!?!? They are from Encore Bridal. Julie and her team will take great care of you!! Bunny or not :)The yummy cake was from the fabulous Fantasy Frostings and the flowers by the talented Eddie from Tic Tock.The gals left with rhinestone tanks by Weddingish, and of course all the amazing Bridal Bar vendors are in our stores and online. Thank you so, so much to the producers of the show and Bridget and Stacy for the AMAZING opportunity and for sharing your day and your lives with us! Thanks ladies for visiting, we hope to have you back soon for the next big day and we wish the newlyweds a very happy, happy and blessed marriage!!

Salmon Rose

Salmon Rose is the next Pantone color trend on the list. This mix between coral, pink, and a bit of orange makes this the new "it" pink for parties.Top row from left: Robert Evans Studios; Badgley Mischka
Middle row: Details Event Planning
Bottom row from left: Hello!Lucky; Lyndsey Hamilton Events

Book about life, not just the wedding

We just received some information about a new book put out by the folks at Harper Collins. We don't typical write reviews on this site (not enough hours in the day to read all the fabulous bridal books out there). But today we were inspired by a video short that was sent - interviewing the author about the content and inspiration behind the book.

The message is simple - remember the sweet things. Ellen Greene's husband past away after 21 years of marriage and this book is about their life together. But she didn't write it by thinking back about the big picture, she already had the little details jotted down. For the previous twenty years every time her husband (or fiance before they were married) did something sweet, small, seemingly insignificant, or simply said something of meaning, she would take a moment and write it down. What a great idea!! And what a brilliant gift to give yourself, your spouse, and your children to come.

Every time you notice something about him or her that you love or is meaningful to you, write it in a journal. That way every time you have a spat, you have the good times to go back to and remind yourself why you love that person. As time goes on, you have memories to enjoy, and as your kids grow up, you have an incredible gift to share with them long after the two of you have past.

So while you may not become the next best-selling author, this idea of regular gratitude for the little things he does will better your outlook, your memories, and your life. We are going to begin doing this at the bar I think. An an idea that could be applied to all your relationships to keep the scales balanced when things aren't always so perfect. Start the new year with this resolution because wedding planning is not really about the wedding, but about the two of you...and the little things.

To read Ellen's sweet things, check out the book and information on her website, Remember the Sweet Things. The book hits shelves on Jan. 27th.

Super Yellow

Up next in our Pantone spring colors inspiration is super yellow. It takes a bold bride to liven up a wedding with this color, but the result is pretty impactful.
Top row from left: Details Event Planning; J. Crew; Oh, How Charming!
Middle row from left: Details Event Planning; Tic Tock
Bottom row: Laura Hooper Calligraphy

Manifest Videography

Another day in the New Year, another new website. Congrats to Manifest Videography for completing their labor of love and new website. Known for their entertainment industry and music biz crossover, this documentary company has produced movies and shorts for everyone from Anthony Hopkins to rock bands. Manifest's latest celeb wedding was a Bridal Bar favorite, the lovely Kaitlin Olson & Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philladephia).

The company shoots exclusively in HD and has offices in LA and NYC for those bi-coastal brides. And yet, they are surpising affordable in the big picture.

Check out a quick clip of some of Manifest's fab wedding footage...

Bride Wars

This weekend marks the release of Bride Wars, the fun wedding flick starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. The movie is cute, a bit as you might expect, but a good release from the craze of wedding planning. And in honor of the film's debut, Hollywood.com decided to share the top ten bridezillas of the silver and small screens. Take a look back...

1. Uma Thurman, Kill Bill
2. Helena Bonham Carter, Corpse Bride
3. Julia Roberts, Runaway Bride
4. Cameron Diaz, Very Bad Things
5. Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
6. Jennifer Lopez, Monster-in-Law
7. Kimberly Williams, Father of the Bride
8. Alyson Hannigan, How I Met Your Mother
9. Julie Benz, Dexter
10. Toni Collette, Muriel's Wedding
So how big of a bridezilla are you?

Lucite Green

Next up in the color projection list is Lucite green. It's the first of three greens in season this season. There is a hint of a seafoam or blue undertone which makes the color a bit more feminine than the average green. Lovely!Top row from left: Vera Wang; Lyndsey Hamilton Events
Middle row: Lyndsey Hamilton Events
Bottom row from left: Tic Tock; Laura Hooper Calligraphy

Pantone Spring '09 Colors

Each season Pantone puts out their color projections for fashion and home. Since weddings are are expression of how we live, the colors translate and follow suit to our events. So to welcome in the new year, we thought we would take a look at the new colors of 2009. First up is Fuchsia Red:Top row from left: Cobalt Events; Tic Tock
Middle row from left: Oh, How Charming!;
Bottom row from left: Laura Hooper Calligraphy; Lyndsey Hamilton Events

Will you be making a bold statement with this color on your wedding day?

New Year, New Website for Details Event Planning

Throw out the old and bring in the new, and while you're at it, check out the new website by Details Event Planning. Beautiful! Love the variety they produce, from "perfectly preppy" to "eclectic and elegant," Lisa G and the girls have got it goin' on.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! The Bridal Bar wishes everyone a happy and healthy and prosperous 2009! We can't wait to see what this year holds for all of us.

Photo by Robert Evans Studios.