Petticoats and Cakes

Everyone wants their wedding to be extra special.  What makes it extra special is the people in it because no one else is like you!  It's the little details that separate all these weddings from each other.  So what are those little details?  What can you do to make it uniquely yours?

Idea #1: COLORFUL PETTICOAT

WE'RE DYEING PETTICOATS!!  Yeah.  And like, NO ONE ELSE does this, so you saw it here first!!  Remember how adding a pop of color with your dress is super cute?  Well check out THIS idea!! WHICH I might add is ALL Renee the Wedding Lady!  She can dye your petticoat any color you want!  So imagine a red petticoat peeking out under a white satin gown, or peacock blue tulle fluffing out your ivory chiffon dress! I'm super excited about this idea for many reasons:

1) It is a wonderful photo opportunity! 

2) Can you say personalization!? (Which is spelled u-n-i-q-u-e.)

3) Tie in your favorite color that just didn't quite work for the bridesmaids!

Our lovely Claire modeled the pink petticoat that Renee dyed!

 SEE PHOTO OP!! How cute is this!!

I realize you can't even see the petticoat here, but I really like it.  And I get to decide on the pictures.

You can spin with it, show it off, and just generally play with the petticoat in YOUR color!

Beautiful Claire :)

Looks like NYC...actually Camarillo.

Idea #2: THE GROOM'S CAKE

The Groom's Cake is a wonderful way to surprise and honor your new husband on your wedding day! And has absolutely nothing to do with petticoats.  Depending on your man he may or may not want to be super involved in the planning of the wedding and it's a great way to make his tastes included!

Remember THIS bad larry from "Steel Magnolia's"? Yeah.  That's what got this started.

And also, "Steel Magnolia's" = SO MANY TISSUES

Pretty much there are no rules here.  You can serve whatever you want however you want whenever you want!  You can serve a candy tower at the end of the night, you can serve fruitcake at the rehearsal, you can served pie at the cocktail hour...it's up to you!!  Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

Baseball theme!!  This cap is one of my all time favorites!  (Even thought I'm a Dodgers girl).  AND THEN there's the idea of like 80,000  baseball cupcakes!!  In a baseball glove! Being thrown at your guests from the outfield...

So your man was the first kid in his neighborhood to conquer Mario Bros.  First of all  CONGRATS to him cause I still have not beat it. And clearly we have to celebrate his conquest!!  Maybe he's more into other games...like this pool table cake!  Maybe he's a big fan of Zelda...or Tetris...make it about him!

YOU GUYS IT'S A STORM TROOPER CAKE!! Forget the groom...I want this cake.  Star Wars is amazing.  End of story.  He would LOVE this.  Now clearly if I was a groom (!?) then I would want a ninja cake...which of course looks like this:

Yep. Invisible.  Just like a NINJA.

I love nerds.  And the cakes that they love.  Look at these superhero cupcakes!! And the APPS.  Yes.  Apps.  This is just too good!!  You could put his favorite apps on a cup cake and then BAM "Look what I got for you honey!"  He'll love it. :)

These last three are dedicated to all those Scottish donut lovers out there!

I approve of these cakes!!  The donut tower is a great idea...you can take that idea and change it into a cookie tower, a candy tower, or even a beer tower!  It all depends on what the Mr. is interested in.  And who better to pick something for him than YOU!

Just to recap we can dye your petticoat any color you want, it's about $50 and it needs to be a cotton petticoat so that it actually holds the dye.  We need a few weeks to make sure we get it right, so bring it at least a month before you need it!  We are VERY proud and excited to offer this new service to our brides! 

And now I reallllllyyy just want some cake...

The Queen Mother: The Authority on Mother of the Bride Gowns

The most important dress on a wedding day is the bride's.  Other important dresses include the bridesmaids, the flower girl, your almost sister-in-law, and various states of un-dress.

The dress that you may have thought about for a moment but put on the "later" list is the Mother of the Bride dress.  WAIT!! Put it on the "NOW"! Why?! The wedding isn't for 5 months. Yes, but your mom needs to have options for her gown, too!  And remember how in wedding world all dresses take longer than expected to ship?  Same applies to your Mother's Dress!

But it's just the Mother's Dress...it's not that big a deal...?

SCHWHAT?! THIS IS THE WOMAN THAT BIRTHED YOU!! And makes your favorite pancakes.  And taught you how to shave your legs. And helped you buy your wedding dress. (Or some other mushy nostalgic stuff.)  And she is also probably helping you on your big day in many ways from financial, to planning, to moral support.

Having said all that: MOM! YOU'RE IMPORTANT! And here to expound upon the topic is our owner, Pam Henderson (The Queen Mother) who is 1) adorable 2) has great fashion sense and 3) has great experience in the area personally and professionally!

Pam Henderson: "The Mother is the Hostess!"

We also decided to do a little bit of a fashion show for ya'll (I was hanging out with my friend from Texas).  Just to show you a few options of what is available to you lovely Moms!

Dress #1

This is one of Pam's actual dresses that she got through the store and then had tailored to her shape!  We love the elegant neckline and the gorgeous sparkley focal point.  The high, wide collar draws the eye upward adding to the upper body and minimizing the hips.  It also makes your waist look smaller with the smooth straight line.  This dress is actually available in a full length and Pam had it shortened for her event.  Seriously though: my favorite part is the neckline showing your lovely decolletage (fancy french for cleavage.)

And here's the back...super flattering!  Plus Pam knows how to stand to flattered her figure. TAKE NOTE EVERYONE!  She's doing it right.

 And THIS is the shoe option she chose to match with it!!  Perfect.  The sparkle matches the dress sparkle!  We carry this shoe in store and it can be ordered in black!  Beeteedubbs...great heel height.

Dress #2

This is one of Pam's Mother of the Bride dresses!!  (What's up Katheryn!) And it's GORGEOUS!!  She has been able to wear to other events because it's a real color and NOT just a beige or tan! 

You can see the buttons and the ruffle details in this picture.   It's a great fit that elongates the torso making you look long and lean using these little details.  And check out the sassarific back!!  A flirty little fringe all around the bottom of the jacket!

For this dress there are two shoe options.

Option #1

This is for you glamour girls!!  These Benjamin Adams shoes are faaaabulouuuus!!

Option #2:

For you ladies who looooove a good shoe but want more detail in the fabric not the bling.

Dress #3

And now for something a little more evening!! I LOVE this dress.  I was so excited when she pulled it for the blog because it's just soooo glamorous!  It's a really comfortable stretch fabric that moves nicely with your body.

Check out this collar!! Eeee!! It's such great detail!!  Seriously, if you have an elegant wedding to host, this dress will kill!! Like, in a good way, not a murderous way.  Ok, anyway, yeah, LOVE IT!  And let's not forget how hot Pam looks in this.  Which I will example below:

"DANG GINA!" That's what Jazmyn always says.  I don't know why she says it or what is means but I feel like it's SUUUPER applicable to this situation.  And by "situation" I mean Pam in this dress.

There you have it moms!! And if you are looking for something more chiffon-y there is always the option of ordering a bridesmaid dress and adding a sparkley brooch!

Recap:

- Mom is important!

- Don't put off dress shopping!

- We have everything you need!

- There are tons of options for your gown and accessories!

- Pam is cute!

- And last but not least:

This blog is brought to you by my side pony tail.

SEE YOU SOON MOMS!!

Nichole wears Summer Royale : Gown of the Month!

I may or may not have mentioned our discount store: "Off Pickwick".

I know.  Cutesy.

So the cool thing about Off Pickwick is that nothing in the store is over $499.  Yes.  $499. For a WEDDING GOWN.  Oh, and not just ANY wedding gowns either.  These are exquisite gowns (which I spelled correctly the first time, btdubbs).  I am going to introduce you to one of them today.

Introducing Summer Royale by Maggie Sottero

This is Nichole!!  She is one of our Gown Specialists/Resident Bride <3

"But Tabitha!  You can't take pictures of the gowns!! It's against the copyright rules with the manufacturer!! There are signs all over the store and I got chastised when I tried to photograph!"
Yep!  You're right!

The reason I am able to post pictures with her real name and tell you how much she costs is because this gown is discontinued which changes the copyright rules.  The dress is no longer available from Maggie Sottero, BUT we have thiiiiis onnnneee!!

Summer is a beautiful silk dupioni (texture-y silk that has this awesome half shine-half matte look)  and is originally around $2100...Two Thousand One Hundred dollars.  21HUNDRED!  And now it's $499.  LADIES THIS IS RIDICULOUS.  But again, discontinued gown...can't sell it for full price and we have promised that nothing at Off Pickwick is over $499 so there you have it.  Amazingly gorgeous gown: tiny price.

Let's elaborate more on the amazingness of Summer Royale.  There are floral accents in the pick ups of the dress and also a detachable floral on shoulder accent that you can take on and off as you choose.  She is a corset back (what's up, tiny waist), and has a chapel length train that bustles beautifully with these side pick ups.

beeeeeUUUUUtiiiiifulllllll

We chose a cathedral length veil with small crystals because the gown does not have any "bling" on it.  AND because the dress looks beautiful through the veil.

See: pretty.

BABY SPARKLES!!!

Then come the accessories!!  Nichole said, "OH! I know!!  Get the pearl and crystal twisty one!"  And she was right...it's perfect.  Especially with the veil.  And especially on Nichole's long elegant neck.  I'm a fan of this necklace because it is classy and not quite traditional bridal.

twistyyyyyyyyy

Then I had to add my twist to the look.  I really love head pieces and birdcage veils!  So I was like "Dude hold still I'm about to 1940's you."  Renee pinned on the shoulder aaaaand VOILA:

Totally different look!!

HOLY TUNA SALAD Nichole is so beautiful!!

OK NOW HERE'S MY FAVORITE PART!!! Let's change it up for the reception!! Yay!!!

I took the birdcage off, turned it the other way, tucked some of the netting into the comb, and placed it over her side pony tail making it suuuuuuuper fun and flirty!!

Nichole called me an accessory wizard.  That's what's up.  I'm like Harry Potter with a fascinator.

So I would encourage you all to check out Off Pickwick.  This is only ONE of the $499 gowns...and she's not the only outrageous deal there!!  Off Pickwick is open from 12-5pm on Saturdays and by appointment Monday - Friday, SERIOUSLY...check it out!

SIDENOTE: Only 5 months until Nichole's wedding!! The excitement is building :)

Dye-ing for Color

Hey guys so guess what.

We dye shoes.

Renee as Vana "White"

And we can pretty much do any color you could possibly imagine.

Now, I know that when I say the word "dyeable" you all think of dyed-to-match circa 1992 "my hand bag matches my shoes on Easter Sunday" kind of situations.

This is not what we do.

When we dye shoes it's like REEEDICULOUSLY cute because it's more along the lines of peacock blue shoes with your gorgeous ivory gown.  Which is much better than the matching pink shoes and dresses of 1992.

It's a fun and flirty way to add a splash of color to your bridal ensemble and also a great way to incorporate more of your colors into your wedding party.  So if you're having your girls wear black and they each have a different shade of green shoe BAM you've got the colors all tied together.

Exhibit A

In store we sell a huge selection of dyeable shoes for you to choose from.  Once the shoe is chosen Renee will go through the color swatches with you and pick what you're looking for.  Then she works her magic which involves elves and incantations and TA-DA you have beautiful shoes!!

Exhibit B

So you come in, buy your cute shoes and then pick out a color with Renee:

(Magic involving elves and incantations:)

That's how it's done.  I can't tell you the exact science because Renee was sworn to silencio by the gods of shoe dyeing.

So, remember those SUPER cute shoes that Jennifer won and I showed them to you guys? YES THEY ARE DYEABLE.  Imagine them in pink or red...or YELLOW.  Oh Man.

Plus, you can dye JUST the bow giving them that adorable color accent under your dress.  It's almost like having a little secret...like when you are wearing really cute undies and you walk around all day feeling extra pretty.  Isn't that how you want to feel on your wedding day!?!?

I also have to show you these because they are some of the cutest things I've seen possibly in my whole life:

That's how it's done.  Magic and imagination.  And no terrible 90's "Full House" dyed-to-match-ness.

Another little note to self is that not all whites are created equal. There's white, diamond white, ivory, pearl, alabaster, candle light, feather, oyster, light ivory, and hurt-your-retinas white.  And while we realize that the rest of the world has white and off-white we would like to share with you that your "white" shoes may not match your "white" dress...but we can dye-to-fix that problem, too.

Lady dudes, we got your back.

Fact: We can dye a satin shoe to black after your event so that you suddenly have a very cute black heel that matches everything!!

Other Fact:  We can't dye shoes from outside sources because we don't know how the fabric will react to our specific dye.  It could be bad.  And then you'll be upset.  Which makes us upset.  It's a terrible cycle.  So we just avoid it!

OH YEAH AND if you are a Platinum Member you get complimentary shoe dying! Just thought you should know :)