I told you I had another gorgeous bride up my sleeve, didn’t I?  I have been waiting with bated breathe for these photos to arrive in my inbox from my friend Mandy.  I was able to hear all the details from the big event while I was visiting last week, I truly cannot stop staring at her dress in these photos! It’s funny after you get married and then you see other people do cool things at their wedding and you want to kick yourself for not thinking of it.  Please note the 40′s shoes and navy blue tights on this bride and you may understand my feelings.

Location: DUMBO, Brooklyn

Matt and Mandy met through their church, and became friends when Mandy found out he lived in Brooklyn Heights.  She was curious about his apartment and invited herself over for a visit – they became friends immediately, and continued to spend time together for the next 6 months, until Matt asked her out.  They were married on October 3, 2009 on a chamber music venue called Bargemusic, an old refurbished barge docked next to the Brooklyn Bridge.

The wedding day was made special and personal by all their friends who helped with different aspects of the ceremony; from the aisle music and hair/make up to flowers, decor, and food.

A little about the dress: Lisa Ventuso, the brides good friend and bridesmaid, offered to design the dress for her, so they went to Anthropologie one afternoon and Mandy told her everything she liked about dresses in the store (the collar of one, the skirt of another, etc) and she designed the wedding gown based on that one trip. Shortly after, Lisa moved to California, so Mandy rounded up a couple of other friends that helped her pick out fabric from Mood, and recommended a seamstress.

She found a pair of navy shoes at Shoegasm, and really really wanted them to go with the dress, but everyone told her they were too casual. Three days before the wedding, when Lisa got back in town, she decided that sheer navy tights from American Apparel would bring the dress and shoes together. Mandy was skeptical, and didn’t even get to try everything on together until the afternoon before the wedding!!! Luckily, it worked and made the whole outfit feel more unique (just like Mandy!) She decided to forgo a veil in favor of a beaded headband, purchased from the seller LittleWhiteDresser on Etsy. The look could not have been any more perfect (in my opinion.)

While I’m at it, I should also give a little love to her hubby Matt (FYI, the best husbands are the ones named Matt!) He is a lovely talented photographer and I think you should sneak a peek at his blog.

Yes, that is right my sisters…I am offering up to you the first of three lovely brides today.  I mean it only seems appropriate that I post on the beautiful and stunning friends that I have, especially when they are  rockin’ vintage-inspired bridal looks, right?

So with no furthur ado, I give you the ballad of Renee and Eric:

Couple: Eric Esper, artist and Renee Posdal, executive assistant/office manager

They met one fateful night at Gold Star Bar on Division Street in Chicago. Renee was with her friend from work, Eric was with some buddies from Michigan. She noticed his handlebar mustache, he noticed her bright red shoulder length bob (thanks to Manic Panic!).  Although the union was short the first time around, a trans-Atlantic move to London for Renee, a few different relationships for each, the reunion led to a lasting relationship. They now live in Logan Square (Chicago) and share a pug named Monster.

Married October 3, 2009 in Sturgeon Bay, WI.

Dress: BCBG Max Azria

Veil: Something Bold with fascinator from Claire’s Boutique

Bracelet and Earrings: Nanda on etsy

Boutonniere: Ardesign on etsy

Now I have spoken of my love for magazines in the past, but  have I described the bizarre nature in which I go about reading them? I read magazines from back to front, the first time only looking at the photos, then I read a second time and read through and dog-ear the pieces that I like, then I usually put the magazine down for a week or two and pick it up later to find things that I may have missed.  What?  I like to get my money’s worth!

I think this is also a bizarre habit learned after years of being a publicist and looking for client mentions.  There is nothing worse than telling a client that they didn’t make it into  a pub that they were slated to be in, only to realize later that you missed the inclusion.  So re-reading became pretty standard practice and now that magazines are no longer required reading, it has spilled over to my personal life.

So I was re-reading my recent Bust Magazine and looking at the stinkin’ cute Ellen Page(and Alia Shawkat) piece when I saw my cake stand!  Now this is not really a big deal, I guess, but it made me happy.  Ellen page, cupcakes and my super-cute cake stand (purchased by my friend Melissa for my Bridal Shower last year)….Awesome!  This is one of my favorite gifts of all time because it is the cake stand I used for my wedding cake!  (Now I promised that I would do a wedding post this month, so this should tide you over until I pull together the real deal.  Also, I must confess I haven’t even looked at 1/4 of my wedding photos…it was too overwhelming, so I plan to take this on soon.)

*If you would like to purchase the cake stand for yourself, you can pick it up online at Fishs Eddy.  It comes in 3 sizes too!