Venue Spotlight: Battery Gardens

For New York City and metro area brides do go check out this great downtown venue. There is even an outdoor space for a ceremony and a nearby park for photos.
www.batterygardens.com

Natural Bridal Styles

This style is very versatile and 100% natural. It provides the option to wear a veil (birdcage or traditional) or a variety of hair accessories.

Other bridal styles can be seen here http://www.khamitkinks.com/bridal.html

Bobbi Brown for the Bride

Bobbi Brown's makeup collections have always been complimentary to women of color. Check out the bridal collection at http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/. Any makeup tips for the big day?

Classy CoverUps

Etsy is a community of quality handmade goods. They have some of the most unique items available on the internet. This item so far is my favorite. It's also a great coverup for a strapless wedding gown. Not to mention very stylish with a vintage feel. What do you think?

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14443507

City Hall Bride

City hall weddings can be oh so glamourous. Check out the photos on lifelovelipstick.

Color Eye Candy

This color is simply stunning. Perfect for the bride who loves color. Check out these photos from The Bride's Cafe.

Couture Bride Eye Candy

For the bride where budget is not an issue. Giambattista Valli's line of wedding dresses for 2009 can be seen at www.brides.com.

Inspiration Boards

I love to do inspiration boards to imagine how my ideas, colors and themes would work together. It's also a way to filter ideas since there are so many images online. Here is one i did for a friend who is getting married next April. If anyone knows where the photos came from let me know. You make make your own inspiration board here: http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php

Real Weddings

I just found this beautifully elegant wedding featured on The Bride's Cafe. I'm loving the all white theme. Congrats to the beautiful couple. Enjoy!

I Love Makeup

Perfection. Great bridal look too. Not overdone and still very natural but all glam. Having great cheekbones doesn't hurt either. Now to replicate this look on myself.

Hair Spotlight: Essence.com

I am so glad that I found out that essence.com has an extensive hair gallery. They have photos of all sorts of styles from relaxed to natural to wigs. As a natural haired bride I love that essence.com has provided fabulous dos for special occasions that can easily be translated to my hair texture. This site is a must for the fashion forward black bride. I especially love the options posted. I can't wait to try these styles on myself.

Shoe Love

It seems that all the wedding photos and blogs that I have seen lately have fabulous shots of fabulous shoes. Especially designer ones. I too want a great shot of my fabulous shoes on my wedding day. So I have been on the lookout for "the" shoe. I usually don't wear heels but for my wedding day I am willing to sacrifice. I have been searching all over the internet looking for deals on designer shoes. Many sites have great options. So here's to happy searching. Will you be wearing a pair of to die for designer shoes on your wedding day?

Jimmy Choo Epsie Strappy Sandal

http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/

Valentino Mena Slingback

http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/index.jhtml

Valentino Strappy Napa Sandal

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/

Nordstrom Love

This department store favorite has great elegant options for the bride on a budget. Check out the dress section and find bridal options for a fraction of the price of well known ateliers. Even better they have great bridesmaid dresses too.

(Top: ABS by Allen Schwartz)
(Bottom: Maggy London)
http://www.nordstrom.com

So what happens now?

I got engaged in May during the holiday weekend. Since then I have been non stop looking at magazines and blogs. We haven't set a date yet and that makes it hard to come up with ideas and color themes. With this blog I hope to channel my inspirations and things I generally love about weddings and all things pretty. I have been a fan of weddings for as long as I can remember and I hope to share that with you all. So join me in finding new and beautiful inspiration in one of the oldest and most celebrated traditions in the world.