Seen In Miami Love

Miami is a unique part of the fashion and hip world. The city has it's own style, it's own pace, it's own way of doing things. The style (both fashion wise and culture wise) is a fantastic mix of central and south America, the sun and beach, and a kind of fashion that is a balance of the crazy color prints and light solid tones. If you're looking for a good example of Miami fashion and lifestyle, check out the tv show Burn Notice, and the fashion designer Ulrike Herzner (from Project Runway season 3).


Fist, I wanted to find a location for the wedding that really hit the Miami feel, and I found the Renaissance Eden Roc Beach Resort and Spa in Miami Beach. For the ceremony, something very simple. The emphasis for this wedding is the reception - Miami is about the socializing - not "the party" like LA is, or bars and clubs like New York, but the sit and talk, drink some wine, and enjoy the scenery. So the wedding, a little something on the beach, a simple aisle and arch, guests standing for the short ceremony, and bringing it back to the Renaissance's Ocean View Terrace for the reception, with additional guests showing up then.


The reception itself, very much a focus on a cocktail and hoers d'oeuvres reception. The terrace is a smattering of low couches and cocktail tables, some chairs. A DJ and lighting provide for a hip environment for the group to enjoy the night. The drinks, in the colors of the wedding (three shades of pink) - I found these really refreshing looking drinks on the Knot and they just screamed the look and feel I was going for.


For the clothes - I wanted to hit that fashionable side I described earlier. It's either a big flashy colorful print, or a light solid color. The bridesmaids dress I found first and I absolutely LOVE it! This dress is from Two Birds Bridesmaid, and it's one dress you can style 10 different ways, and I don't mean some boring styles - the dress comes with instructions on the 10 different styles and they are night and day contrast from each other and FAB!


The bride's gown took some hunting, and I really love what I found. This Reem Acra dress from the Spring '08 collection is perfect. The architecture of the dress is very Miami, the beading is a nice salute to both the Latin influences and the shape is very palm tree. Last, the overall flowy-ness of the gown and shade is the ultimate finish. This dress screams Miami beach wedding and sexy scene.


For the flowers of the wedding, I wanted to use a native flower to southern Florida, and I found this beautiful pink rain lilly and it's just the thing. To wrap it up, the cake. I wanted to go back to the color scheme but subtly, but I wanted it also a little sweet. (Sweet "aww" not sweet sugar). So this lovely creation from Maisie Fantaisie was perfect.


And there you go! I very Miami wedding - hitting the style, the feel, the pace, and the fun that truly optimizes the city and the lifestyle.

{Rebekah} Miami: Seen in Miami Love by bekahross

Fashionably Foreign

When I first found out today's wedding theme, fashion, I wanted to find an honest to goodness haute couture gown. Unfortunately, the bridal gown market has taken the term couture and labeled any piece of crap as couture. (Pardon my French).


Luckily for me, I know what couture really means (thank you Project Runway). From Wikipedia: "In France, the term haute couture is protected by law and is defined by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris based in Paris, France. Their rules state that only "those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves" of the label haute couture."


So I chose one of the very few designers that is officially recognized by the government of France, Elie Saab. The beautiful gown on the left, the splurge gown, is from Elie Saab's Spring 2009 collection and costs about $100,000. You heard me right. I noticed the gown looked so much like a fluffy sari, that I went with a fashion infused Indian wedding theme. The silver sandals are Jimmy Choo's ($750), and the earrings are Me & Ro ($1,250)- a jewelry designer I found on InStyle that is so in right now.


When thinking of an Indian wedding, the first thing that came to my mind was the beautiful henna tattoos on the bride's hands, or Mehndi. The designs on the left cost about $266 to have a professional do. For the bouquet? Authentic Indian water lily's (a real pain to find, worthy of the $500 bouquet cost). I love the invitations, woven paisley invites, surprisingly only $164 for 100 from Wedding Paper Divas. When you add the paisley theme to the cake (and yes, paisley is authentic Indian), I found this very chic cake from Carrie's Cakes for $480. Wrap the wedding with a ceremony and reception in an indoor "tent" made of loads of draped fabric ($10,000) and you've got a very name-brand, fashionable wedding for only $113,410.


Or you could save your money and have the steal wedding. The sari is direct from india, with woven lace and faux gold threads, for only $240. That's right, over $99,700 less. The sandals are gold (to go better with the sari) and are made by Dessa ($65). The earings are, surprisingly enough, also by Me & Ro, but cost only $389. So you're still getting designer label without spending a grand. The flowers are pink oriental lillies, with 40 stems for $169. So much easier to get your hands on, too. The invites, also by Wedding Paper Divas, are more on the cute side, but they're so fun you can't help but love them, and at $99.50 for 50, why not?


The cake's fun too, and at $300 it's certainly worth the money. Lastly, the tent. *Sigh*. This tent is from one of my all time favorite companies ever - Raj Tents. Oh man, I just got goose bumps. I'm gunna say it again. Raj Tents. Ooo! Whatever you do, check out this website. It is so lush. When I win the lottery I'm buying a whole lot of stuff from them. The neatest part - you can buy, not rent, buy, a square tent with the lavish fabrics, for only $2,000. And you can have theme siestas and tea parties with your friends. Ooo nosh. The total for the steal wedding? $3,271.44.

{Rebekah} Fashion: Fashionably Foreign by bekahross