Mackenzie from Something Old, Something New
- favorite sites/blogs for inspiration: Oh Joy!, Decor 8, Fashion is Spinach, and Wedding Bee, (of course!)
- favorite planning resources (books, magazines, websites): BluePrint, Domino, Vintage Vogue Magazines, Hostess with the Mostess, ebay
- favorite wedding dress designer: Jenny Packham
- favorite bm dress designer: Butter by Nadia (Signature convertible wrap dress)
- favorite floral designer/floral inspiration: HouseMartin
- favorite cake designer: Kate Sullivan (Lovin Sullivan)
- favorite place to shop for jewelry/accessories: ylang 23 for engagement rings and wedding bands (Cathy Waterman is my favorite ring designer). Etsy and Ebay for costume jewelry.
- favorite place to shop for favors: Pearl River Mart, Economy Candy, and Paper Mart
- favorite places to buy craft supplies: Paper Source, Tinsel Trading Company, Paper Mart
- favorite place to shop for wedding and/or wedding party gifts: Pillows and Throws and Rosanna
Abby from Style Me Pretty
- favorite sites/blogs for inspiration: June Bug Weddings, Oh Joy!
- favorite planning resources (books, magazines, websites): Southern Weddings by Tara Guerard
- favorite wedding dress designer: Vera Wang
- favorite bm dress designer: Vera Wang
- favorite floral designer/floral inspiration: Livia Cetti on The Green Vase
- favorite cake designer: April Reed
- favorite photographer/blog: Heather Waraksa
- favorite place to shop for jewelry/accessories: love the small designers that Daily Candy finds
- favorite place to shop for shoes/shoe designer: Stuart Weitzman
- favorite place to shop for favors: I love homemade or area inspired favors
- favorite places to buy craft supplies: Flax Art Supply in San Francisco
- favorite place to shop for wedding and/or wedding party gifts: Abby Jean stationery
Chelsea from {frolic!}
- favorite sites/blogs for inspiration: The archives of Little Birds, Montmartre, Design Sponge, Rita Konig at the Domino Blogs, Oh Happy Day. A few favorite sites: Anna Wolf, Petersham Nurseries, Ariella Chezar. Event Planners like Fete, Jo Gartin, and Antony Todd inspire me. I like using You Tube and Rotten Tomatoes to track down great art direction from films or music videos that I have previously seen and been inspired by.
- favorite planning resources (books, magazines, websites): A stash of old and new wedding magazines. I only buy Martha’s, sometimes In Style Weddings, and local and foreign publications here and there. I find my favorite stories from Brides and Elegant Bride usually end up on Brides.com. I also love Donna Hay and Ina Gartin for inspirational table settings. I use Reprodepot to brainstorm fabrics even if I don’t end up buying there. Asianideas, foryourparty, jamaligardens.
- favorite wedding dress designer: Elizabeth Dye. I also love all the dresses at J Crew. Carolina Herrera and Vera Wang are also consistent favorites.
- favorite bm dress designer: Not loving matchy dresses right now. I still love what Thread is doing though as well as Simple Dress.
- favorite floral designer/floral inspiration: Ariella Chezar and Rose and Radish. They both keep their work fresh and different. Artfool has been a longtime favorite. They are versatile, but their work is always unconstructed and creative.
- favorite cake designer: April Reed
- favorite photographer/blog: Aisha Harley, no blog but I love her vintage style.
- favorite videographer: Reed Harkness 8 MM Films
- favorite place to shop for jewelry/accessories: Last Thursday, it is a local artists market here in Portland, OR.
- favorite place to shop for favors: Not really a huge fan of favors unless they are food or flowers.
- favorite places to buy craft supplies: The Button Emporium (the best source for vintage ribbon) here in Portland, Fabric Depot, Renaissance Ribbons, Midori Ribbon, Paper Zone, Art Media, Oblation.
- favorite place to shop for wedding and/or wedding party gifts: Local Boutiques like Canoe, Cielo, and Relish.
Anne from Perfect Bound
- favorite sites/blogs for inspiration: faye and greer
- favorite planning resources (books, magazines, websites): martha stewart weddings, vogue, travel + leisure, food and wine
- favorite wedding dress designer: monique lhuillier
- favorite bm dress designer: j.crew
- favorite floral designer/floral inspiration: studio sweet pea, NY
- favorite cake designer: Patisserie Lulu, NY
- favorite photographer/blog: too many to name…
- favorite videographer: wesley jones of filmjones
- favorite place to shop for jewelry/accessories: badgley mischka for handbags
- favorite place to shop for favors: smith and hawken
- favorite places to buy craft supplies: cb2
- favorite place to shop for wedding and/or wedding party gifts: red envelope
Joy from Oh Joy!
- favorite sites/blogs for inspiration: Brooklyn Bride, Something Old Something New, and Style Me Pretty.
- favorite planning resources (books, magazines, websites): Martha Stewart Weddings, Blueprint, and Domino for great ideas on party planning and decor.
- favorite wedding dress designer: Jenny Packham and Christos
- favorite bm dress designer: Melissa Sweet and Vera Wang
- favorite floral designer/floral inspiration: My dream florist would be Livia of The Green Vase.
- favorite cake designer: I can’t choose just one! Sarah Magid (in New York) for the most beautiful, organic cakes. I like that they’re pretty and a little quirky. For cupcakes, I love Cheyl’s work from Cupcake Blog and Le Cupcake in Australia. Jin Patisserie (California) for mini cakes. And, for overall, over the top in style… Lovin Sullivan Cakes (in New York).
- favorite photographer/blog: I love the work of Karen Wise (New York). I am biased because she was my photographer, but her still life work is amazing too.
- favorite videographer: Jon from Well Spun Wedding Films (Philadelphia) creates gorgeous documentary-style short films that have a bit of vintage film quality to them.
- favorite place to shop for jewelry/accessories: Twist has the best selection of jewelry for special occasions. Philip Crangi, Anthony Nak, and Becky Kelso are my favorites. Also, Bonbon Oiseau for modern and whimsical pieces.
- favorite place to shop for shoes/shoe designer: Kate Spade and Zappos
- favorite place to shop for favors: I’m a big fan of Mari’s New York since we used her artisanal brownies for my wedding. Also, these cookies from Cutie Pie Cookie Co. are super cute. I prefer to get the favors from the vendor and create my own packaging. The new Martha Stewart Crafts has a great selection of paper items & packaging.
- favorite places to buy craft supplies: Paper Source and Martha Stewart Crafts
- favorite place to shop for wedding and/or wedding party gifts: For crafty things, Curiosity Shoppe…for modern
design, A+R Store, and Anthropologie for simply pretty things.
Vane from Brooklyn Bride
- favorite sites/blogs for inspiration: weddingbee, perfectbound, rebecca thuss, faye and greer, housemartin, michelle rago, black*eiffel, {frolic!}, toast and tables, style me pretty, what junebug loves, shim+sons, design*sponge, decor8, oh joy!, bloesem, oh happy day, oh happy blog….so many more than I can name!!
- favorite planning resources (books, magazines, websites): the knot, modern bride, brides, southern bride, emily posts wedding etiquette
- favorite wedding dress designer: too many to have a favorite…vera wang, carolina hererra, junko yoshioka, amsale
- favorite bm dress designer: Simple Silhouettes, JCrew
- favorite floral designer/floral inspiration: Artfool
- favorite cake designer: lovin’ sullivan, april reed
- favorite photographer/blog: SOTA Dzine
- favorite videographer: wes jones
- favorite place to shop for jewelry/accessories: anthropologie, Barneys
- favorite place to shop for shoes/shoe designer: the new floor at Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys
- favorite place to shop for favors: i love mixing and matching from anywhere…could range from anthropologie to williams sonoma. it really depends on the wedding.
- favorite places to buy craft supplies: paper source, michaels, impress, pearl paint, ai friedman, martha stewart crafts
- favorite place to shop for wedding and/or wedding party gifts: same as the favors….it depends on the wedding.
Faye and Greer from Faye and Greer
- favorite sites/blogs for inspiration: Soiree Charleston, Oh How Charming!, Style Me Pretty, WeddingBee, Social Design, Brooklyn Bride, Oh Joy!, Something Old/Something New, Black Eiffel, {frolic!}, Oh happy blog!
- favorite planning resources (books, magazines, websites): Southern Weddings by Tara Guerard (book), Martha Stewart Weddings (mag + online), Junebug Weddings (web), Rebecca Thuss (web)
- favorite wedding dress designer: Nicole Miller (love the designs and the price), Jenny Lee
- favorite bm dress designer: J.Crew, though we also like less expensive non-bridesmaid alternatives like dresses from Anthropologie
- favorite mother-of-the-bride designer: Talbots, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s
- favorite floral designer/floral inspiration: Artfool, Ariella Chezar, Nancy Liu Chin
- favorite cake designer: The Cake Girls, April Reed, Kate Sullivan
- favorite photographer/blog: Jose Villa (+blog), Liz Banfield, Lisa Lefkowitz (+blog), Jessica Claire (+blog), Paul Johnson (+blog), Mel Barlow (to name a few!)
- favorite place to shop for jewelry/accessories: vintage jewelry from Etsy or Ebay, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s
- favorite place to shop for shoes/shoe designer: J.Crew (my wedding shoes from there were so pretty & comfortable!)
- favorite places to buy craft supplies: Martha Stewart at Michael’s
- favorite place to shop for wedding and/or wedding party gifts: Freddy & Ma for clutches as bridesmaid’s gifts, Iomoi
- favorite place to shop for wedding invites/stationery: Cheree Berry, CeciNY, Bird & Banner, Pearl & Marmalade, Wiley Valentine, Abby Jean Press, Sesame Letterpress, The Charming Gardener, Louella Press, Two Paperdolls
Rebecca from Weddex
- favorite sites/blogs for inspiration: StyleMePretty, The Brides Guide, hundreds of photographers blogs and of course WeddingBee!
- favorite planning resources (books, magazines, websites): Pacific Weddings, Maria McBride, Weddings Unveiled, Grace Ormond, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine and I adore high end local publications such as Charleston Weddings Magazine!
- favorite wedding dress designer: Randy Fenoli [no longer designing but is new Fashion Director at Kleinfeld and taking personal bridal styling appointments – he is amazing and super fun!]
- favorite bm dress designer: Watters and J Crew
- favorite floral designer/floral inspiration: Preston Bailey, Michelle Rago/Signature Weddings, Soiree, Celebrations Ltd
- favorite cake designer: The Cakegirls, Perfect Endings, April Reed, Jim Smeal and of course Sylvia Weinstock
- favorite photographer/blog: Oh so many!!!! I am lucky to get paid to work with them all – favs this week include Stacey Kane, Whitebox Weddings, Paul Johnson, Aaron Delisie and Leigh Miller
- favorite videographer: *bliss, CVP [Tampa], Milk + Honey
- favorite place to shop for shoes/shoe designer: MyGlassSlipper (couture section), piperlime is fun too!
- favorite places to buy fun supplies: SeeJaneWork, Wonderful Grafitti, PaperSource
- favorite place to shop for wedding and/or wedding party gifts: ShopLoveMe by Celeb Planner Mindy Weiss
Danielle from Oh Happy Blog!
sites for inspiration: I find my inspiration in many non-wedding sources - I do best with pictures as my mind is very visual - so I will scour google images for something that I have in mind and then let it unfold organically from there… I also love to look through flickr for interesting photos that may send me off into a great direction with respect to color or mood…
blogs for inspiration: I am rather loyal to quite a few blogs… perfectbound, brooklyn bride, style me pretty, faye and greer, toast and tables, oh joy, blue orchid designs, this is glamorous, girl meets glamour, and peoples paper always have such lovely eye candy to fill my sweet tooth…
sources for inspiration: who doesn’t love martha? (and that includes blueprint)… I also love domino and lula (a UK fashion mag)… unveiled (Charleston bridal mag)… bride and bloom…
wedding dress designer: I would say that my favorite dress of all time is an Oscar de la Renta (3/4 length sleeves, tea length vintage dress) but it was a runway only piece… Isabella Margianu and Ines di Santo come in close second… and Claire Pettibone and Stephanie James Couture are third (but more budget-friendly)
bridesmaid dress designer: I really like to find non-wedding dress options for my bridesmaids… it just seems more practical… so I send my brides to bluefly so as to alleviate some of the costs associated with a wedding… however, for my brides that demand perfection- Melissa Sweet is - well - sweet! … and I also adore Thread
floral designer: I LOVE flowers (after all- it’s a big part of what I do as an event designer)… and there are so many great designers out there… White Lilac is amazing… as is Sillapere and R Jack Balthazar and Artfool… I love the creations of David Stark and Squareroot Designs… who can forget Green Vase… and Nancy Liu Chin…and Michelle Rago…and it is really hard to mention flowers without paying respects to Preston! I know that I have forgotton some great ones but these are a good start for finding a wide range of styles and inspiration…
cakes: Miette, Vanilla Bakery, April Reed, and Kate Sullivan
photographer: I firmly believe that photography is the absolute most important aspect of a wedding… and I am most privy to fashion-inspired photography… I love my local gems (Jacksonville) Scarlett Lillian and Agnes Lopez… but find great inspiration in the work of Karen Wise, Brian K Crain, Apertura, Just Married Photography, The Wiebners, Fairy Tale Productions… I really could go on and on as I add to my list daily- but I believe that this is a pretty good showcase…
videographer: I am really picky when it comes to videography because (little known fact) I attended the Academy for Creative Television and Video Production… this was a “special vocational school” where I earned working knowledge of videography and post-production along side my standard high school education… this being said- it can be tricky to find a wedding videographer that is not too cookie-cutter… I respect the work of Scarlett Lillian, First Sight Pictures, Cloud Nine Creative, Blue Skies Cinema, Well-Spun Wedding Films, and D Videography…
jewelry & accessories: I really am not a big jewelry kind of gal… I love Mikimoto pearls, Vera Rings, Dior anything… and Ritz Couture pieces… But mainly, I find my own collection from antique shops and estate sells…
shoes: I really love unique shoes… while I love the big names like Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik… I can appreciate an inexpensive but delightfully ornate find as well…
favors: I am all for a favor that your guests can eat love local find- Cami Cakes… but I always encourage brides to take a more personal approach- have your caterer prepare a family recipe… package it beautifully…. and attach a sincere note of appreciation for their attendance (perhaps in fancy penmanship from Bluebird Studios)
craft supplies: Paper Source is where I find the bulk of my supplies… Martha Stewart Crafts supplements the rest… and good ole Michaels and my local dollar store are great for last minute items
gifts: Mindy Weiss has a great store- shoploveme.com…. I really love the Ed Hardy Flasks…
