Love Padlocks in Spain

Attaching a padlock to a bridge and throwing the key into the river is seen as a symbol of enduring love and this rather romantic idea of love padlocks, otherwise known as love locks, is proving a popular craze in most cities across Europe after the publication of the 2007 cult best-seller Ho Voglia De Te (I Want You) which saw a young couple attach a padlock to the city's Milvian Bridge and throw away the key into the river, as a sign of their love.  

This trend has spread, but not of course without controversy. 

Whilst it is a lovely romantic idea, it does appear sadly that in some cities it has caused problems with the weight of thousands of padlocks threatening structures and historical monuments, the Rialto bridge in Italy is one such structure that has suffered, I guess due to it´s already popular romantic setting. 

The not so romantic authorities of many cities have been apparently dismantling the padlocks with cutters, but in Moscow they have built metal trees instead on Luzhkov Bridge, giving a designated area for friends and lovers to express their love and affection.

Wouldn´t it be fabulous to have these in Marbella!

I was quite intrigued by this idea though and found out there is a bridge in most of the Spanish cities where this latest craze has developed including Malaga and Sevilla and even now in Madrid.

Perhaps Spain should now build some romantic structures to attract what I think is rather a romantic idea but in the meantime this could be perhaps bought into your wedding day either in the ceremony, stationery or even in the props.

I do love an inspiration so thought I would share this with you!

Hear Me Today on Martha Stewart Radio

How to start? Planning your wedding is a bit like building a house -- you need a strong foundation. Today I'll be providing tips on how to get started, choosing a venue, and things to think about when picking a caterer, a cake, flowers and more. With experience planning hundreds of luxurious weddings, I have a few sure-fire tips to having the wedding of your dreams. Tune in to Martha Stewart Living Radio today at 5pm -- I'll be there with tips I'll share to help get you started on the right path.

Today,  on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius XM 110, 5-6pm

Amsale Spring Trunk Show

Amsale's Spring Trunk Show at the Wedding Library is from April 28th to May 5th.  Space is filling up fast so make your appointment soon at ido@theweddinglibrary.com or call us at 212-327-0100.

Desert Rose

It's that time again..and we're gearing up for another photo shoot for Exquisite Weddings Magazine.  Lots of fun ideas in the works but thought we would take some time to look back at our last shoot with them and some of the inspiration behind the concept of what we titled ...Desert Rose.

We knew we wanted to create a bohemian desert feel with a Moroccan influence and a splash of desert glam.  Pairing with Twigg Botanicals, we infused bright pops of color through the florals, trickling bougainvillea and just a touch of cacti for another nod to the desert.  I loved how the pinks, corals and bursts of red seemed to play with the aqua and greens. An eclectic mix of vintage glassware and china that we gathered, mix and match flatware, peacock feathers, camel tassels and jeweled place cards all lent themselves to the bohemian vibe and danced on the sequin linen (our own little oasis) at the center of the table.  The specialty drink we titled "Sweet Sahara" also added a refreshing flavor to the shoot.

Mini flowering cactus that we planted in vintage teacups served as favors with little tags that read "pricked by love" created by the ever talented Courtney from Brightly Designed.  We also wanted to give the gorgeous cake that was dreamed up by Erica O'Brien a prominent place...and it looked lovely upon the vintage furniture piece provided by Archive Vintage Rentals.  So many fun pieces from them that we had fun playing with in styling the shoot!  We just loved how Erica took the inspiration we gave her too and created a cake beyond our wildest dreams.  Many thanks to our amazing team of vendors and Exquisite Weddings Magazine for inviting us to get in on the fun and showcase a little more of what we love to do!  Looking forward to the next one!

Etsy's New Wedding Site

Wow, I've been neglecting my blog for so long that they've changed the entire interface for access! But I'm back, despite how technology is trying to thwart me.

What prompted me to get my act together?  An invitation from Etsy to preview their newly formatted Wedding Store, in bricks and mortar!  Etsy beautifully curated hundreds of their favorite wedding items to share with their industry, press and brides in a specially created pop-up store front.  As I learned, old fashioned shopping/viewing tickets sold out instantly, but you can find all their special items at etsy.com any old time.  And as of Saturday at 2pm,  view the new Weddings Marketplace, where you'll find wedding style curated by theme, how-to demonstrations, planning advice and loads of favorite etsy products.

The window of the West Village, Horatio Street Pop-Up

A charming paper bouquet

Each item has it's etsy source tagged to it

Love a highly designed ring pillow :)

To qualify for etsy, items must be made by the seller, or be vintage -- what a great combination!

I didn't realize how strong etsy is on attire

Etsy is also one of the few sites that doesn't neglect stylish items for the boys...

I think these hand-made shoes are the bomb.

Charming -- also fun as a table number

Etsy will also be adding registry -- now that's smart!

Stationery ideas abound at Etsy

Eco Friendly Rice Butterfly Confetti

Traditionally rice is thrown at the bride and groom to bring them fertility and good luck and the word confetti comes from the Italians who traditionally threw sweets at the lucky couple, confetto.

All this, however, sounds painful and as we are always searching for eco friendly alternatives to our weddings, we were delighted to find this new product, rice butterflies which we will now be stocking in our shop.

These gorgeous butterflies are currently available in white, red, yellow, green and blue but shortly will be available in pink.  As they are so lightweight they stay in the air for longer ensuring your photographer will capture the magic and give your photos the wow factor.

We love them and with all the symbolic meanings behind throwing rice at the happy couple, we cannot think of a better way to start your married life than to be blessed by fluttering butterflies!

REAL WEDDING - KELLY & DAYYAN

Covering weddings in Palm Beach is such a dream. The light is usually picture perfect (even under a few raindrops) and Kelly & Dayyan's wedding day joins all the others we have been so warmly invited to work on as one of our favourites for its simple elegance and chic details. If you did not see our recent feature in Bride to Be Magazine - here is our behind the scenes favourite pic re-cap from their day!!

Credits: Brides Gown (Collette Dinnigan) | Reception: Dunes Restaurant, Palm Beach | Stationery (Design Lane) | Cake by (Tanya Russell) | Flowers by (White House Flowers)