A Thousand Facets--A MUST Follow Blog

Meet one of my dearest friends, Joanne --A jewelry designer, fashionista, world traveler and blogger.

Joanne and I have known each other for about twelve years, since we were college roomies. She majored in Fashion Design and I in Fashion Merchandising. Even though we never took a single class together, sharing a tiny narrow room, a small bathroom and an even smaller closet made us super buds--and she never got on my nerves, now that should tell you how awesome she is.

I am very much into fashion and like to follow some trends but still putting my own spin to them (seriously there are some trends I just don't get and wouldn't fall into just because everyone else is). But I also look to Joanne as my style guru. A Thousand Facets is the name of her blog, and it fits perfectly. In her blog you can read all about the things she appreciates, not just in fashion but in life. She doesn't have one specific style--which I love, because I don't either--but she does have her own style. By day, she is a jewelry designer for a company that sells to retailers. Some that have carried her designs have been: Anthropologie, Ann Taylor Loft, and Bloomingdales, just to name a few, and some of her pieces have been worn in the hit shows Glee and Ugly Betty. She loves to mix different types of materials, and she designs them from super eccentric to simple and chic, just like her!

I thought of her when choosing between a modest but intricate bracelet and a much bolder but elegant bracelet to wear on my wedding day, I knew she would want me to wear the bold one, so I did!

She is extremely talented and I have not yet seen a piece I haven't loved. Her blog inspires me to be more creative in my outfits and in life. So, visit A Thousand Facets, and be inspired.

Wedding Fun Facts

Did you ever wonder how some wedding traditions came about? I found some fun facts that may or may not be true, but found them kind of quirky and somewhat humorous.

•It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month" or what we know today as the "honeymoon." -- Butlerwebs

 

•Why is a wedding ring worn on the third finger?  It was once believed that a vein of blood ran directly from the third finger on the left hand to the heart. The vein was called vena amori, or the vein of love, and early writings on matrimonial procedure suggested that it would be appropriate for one's wedding ring to be worn on that special finger. Source: Ever Wonder Why? Douglas B. Smith / Mass Market Paperback / Published 1992

 

•Life in the 1500's:  Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. -- Butlerwebs

•February 10th is World Marriage Day.

 

•The second Saturday in September is a popular date for weddings, but not in 2004 when the second Saturday fell on September 11th.  Most couples did not want their wedding anniversary to fall on that date.

 

•The wedding shower originated with a Dutch maiden who fell in love with an impoverished miller.  Her friends "showered" her and her groom with many gifts so the couple could do without her dowry.

The Blingest of Blings

Before I mention the price of these puppies, let me say that the bling factor here has been taken to a whole new level--Talk about making a freaking statement!!!

As you can tell by the famous red soles, these are Christian Louboutin--Lady Claude 120 Pumps--and they run a hefty $3,175. So, what makes these shoes so expensive? Besides the fact that they are CL, the pale gold leather, peep-toe, 4.5" tall pumps are encrusted with iridescent Swarovski crystals, and that answers it all. 

But the real question is, would you spend almost as much, or possibly more on your shoes than your wedding dress? Would you compromise on your dress for these? I mean, they are fabulous! Well, I did a bit of research and if you are absolutely in love with these shoes, or mainly the idea of having such blingy shoes, I found an inexpensive option so that you can still have those eye-catching wedding shoes you've been wanting. 

Benjamin Adams from London makes very similar pumps, also covered in Swarovski crystals--except for the heels--but for A LOT less. His website sell them for £275, that's less than US$430. But I've also seen them for around $399 on other sites.

So, now you can have your dress and your bling too!

Bridal Jewelry and Bridesmaids Gifts Solution

I've had the pleasure of meeting the über creative, sweet and lively, Erin McDermott when she was the winner for a giveaway I was doing of personalized cards on a local e-newsletter a few months ago. 

Once I received her first email with her personalized information I noticed she had a link to her website attached to it, and I was curious. I clicked on it and learned that she was a jewelry designer, and immediately I had a rush of excitement because I LOVE jewelry. I saw her pieces on her website and just had to have a few. So, I went to her studio and picked out three pieces for myself and she also designed a beautiful necklace for my five year old niece, personalized with her initials.

After taking jewelry classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, Erin McDermott fell in love with the process of making jewelry. She uses semi-precious stones, sterling silver, organic forms, textures, glass, freshwater pearls, wood, and unique materials to create her classic but also modern and unique jewelry. I love them because they are delicate looking but definitely have a presence and make a statement.

She makes earrings, rings, necklaces and bracelets and has a bridal collection, a little girls collection, and my fave, her treasure chest collection, which is perfect for your bridesmaids gifts because she can personalize them, and I must say they are exquisite!

So, if you love jewelry like I do and have that refined taste I know you do (and also just happen to need that perfect gift for your bridesmaids) visit www.erinmcdermott.com and contact her for personalized jewelry.

Tips For The Budget Conscious Bride

You just got engaged, or halfway through planning your wedding, and you are either a frugal bride, on a budget, or you have your parents' (or Fiancé's) voice in the back of your head, yelling at you to spend less. Either way, these tips may help you reduce some of those little extra costs that add up.

1) Check the sales rack - I know for some of you hearing the words "sales rack" is like a screeching sound that makes you cringe. Well, guess what? ON SALE does not mean lesser quality, it means you could get an expensive fabulous dress for less, meanwhile another bride got the same dress for a lot more. 

Me, I thought outside the box. For my wedding dress I had a bridesmaids dress made in all white, believe it or not I couldn't find anything as perfect as this one was for my wedding and my style. Since I had a beach wedding, this dress was light, comfortable and stunning (IMHO). I tried on several 'beach wedding dresses' and they felt heavy, I just knew I wouldn't be able to stand being in any them for very long. And the best part, because its not an actual wedding dress, I can have the dress dyed in one of my favorite colors and wear it again!  (A quick tip for this: a dark color will make it look like a totally different dress, not so much a lighter color...I'm thinking a dark magenta for mine)

2) Shop in the off season - For example, shoes! Now that summer is almost over, retailers are rolling out fall and winter shoes, which means those amazing, strappy shoes with rhinestones (that make your legs look so much sexier) are on sale. Also retailers are rolling out new collections, ie. Tip #1

3) Don't buy the first thing you see - Shop around and if you must have it after seeing what else is out there, then get it. The internet is your best friend, you can find more deals online, so use it to your advantage.

4) Give yourself plenty of time - The more time you have, the longer you can look around and will not have to make last minute, exorbitant purchases. You can look in a range of stores, especially those you think have nothing, because you never know, they might surprise you.

Adding a Little Sense of Humor to Your Wedding

So, you want to find ways to infuse your wedding with a few chuckles but not make a joke of it all and still keep it formal or elegant. These wedding cake toppers from Wedding Warehouse are the perfect way to incorporate your sense of humor in a subtle way. Wedding Warehouse carries all kinds of fun and innovative toppers, from the golf fanatic to the shopaholic. You can also find interchangeable ethnic bride and groom.

A whimsical statement can be more memorable than a traditional one because it is different. Creative and funny extras added can inject a sense of humor into the traditional wedding. So dare to give a little bit of hilarity to your wedding.

Review of My Destination Wedding at Majestic Colonial, Punta Cana, D.R.

A little overdue, but here is my review on how my destination wedding was at the Majestic Colonial Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

I am originally from the Dominican Republic, born and raised. So when my husband and I first started talking about where to have the wedding, we had no doubt that we wanted to have a destination wedding, and where better than my place of birth? 

The abundance of resorts in Punta Cana, and all around the coast of the island, made it challenging when selecting the perfect resort. After lots and lots of research we decided on the Majestic Colonial, but not before flying down there to see it for ourselves personally and meeting with a wedding coordinator about a year in advance. 

We have stayed at other resorts in the area before that are on the same level as the Majestic Colonial, but found that the Majestic was a better bang for your buck. We were pleasantly surprised with the rooms; they were the cleanest, most comfortable and nicest rooms I've seen in the PC area (for the money). 

For our wedding weekend, upon check-in, we were upgraded to a one bedroom suite (see above). This was very convenient when getting ready for the wedding, having my MOH, my mom, my MIL, the photographers, etc.

We got there on a Wednesday and our wedding took place on Friday, March 26, 2010. We met with the coordinator on Thursday to go over all the details and give her some of the decorations for them to put up, such as the chair sachés, table runners, paper lanterns, a picture of how we wanted the cake, etc.

My mom pretty much took care of the rest of the decor and guided the hotel wedding coordinator as to how to place everything. 

My wedding coordinator, Wardes, was great. She was very professional and pleasant to work with. Everything was timed perfectly and the ceremony started on time. 

Right after the ceremony, we had a champagne toast which is included in the wedding package and every guest got a glass of champagne. Everyone said they loved that we did that because it was different.

After the toast it was picture time. The guests went to the lobby bar for cocktails while we took our pictures. There are so many places throughout the resort that make beautiful backdrops for photography including the little chapel they have on premise, and we had the best photographers fly down with us, Bella Loren Photography. Even though we had an hour and a half to take pictures, until the reception started, we still ran out of time and wanted to take more, but it was also very hot and we wanted to get our groove on and see our friends and family.

We had the reception at the Tres Calaberas Terrace, where we had them set the tables in a big U shape, leaving the middle as the dance floor. This made for a more intimate setting.