Bridal Guide Pin to Win Contest!

I'm excited to share that I've teamed up with Bridal Guide to offer a dream wedding design by yours truly for one lucky bride-to-be in need of direction and inspiration!

For my currently engaged brides in the US, this is a special opportunity to see your vision defined, plus the winner will also receive fashion for the entire bridal party, a week-long honeymoon at a resort on the southern tip of Mexico and have their wedding featured in the pages of Bridal Guide Magazine!

To enter, go to www.pinterest.com/bridalguide (create a Pinterest account if you don't have one yet), and 'Follow' Bridal Guide. Then start pinning! Create a Pinterest board and pin up to 10 images from BridalGuide.com or the Bridal Guide Pinterest page that shows off the style you want for your wedding, including images that also tell a lot about who YOU are. Be sure to title your Pinterest board “Bridal Guide Dream Wedding Design Contest” and add an additional pin of the contest logo image. Oh, and I almost forgot, we want to see our adorable couples! Include another pin (for 12 total) of either a photo or video of you and your fiancé!

Submit your board by July 16th to be entered: www.bridalguide.com/sweepstakes/pin-to-win/how-to-enter

For all of the details, visit www.bridalguide.com/sweepstakes/pin-to-win! GOOD LUCK!!! 

xoxo,
David

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to...

Which is exactly what I did when I saw my friends last night for my birthday because I missed them so much. Being in New York for a couple days to shoot for My Fair Wedding gave me a chance to put together a dinner with eighteen of my closest friends and of course, Ryan. 

I love just stepping back and watching my friends as they talk and eat. Because everybody there is someone I've known for so long. One friend I've known for over twenty years; I did her daughter's wedding and we've been like the best of friends since. Everyone there was also there for my wedding in Vermont and my big birthday in Italy. They're the people who I feel like we pick right back up wherever we left off. I love living in LA, but I miss my friends in NY. 

And tonight I'm going to see my mom and my dad for dinner, which also always makes me feel wonderful having that connected time. 

My staff also threw me a little party in the office with gorgeous treats care of Enjou Chocolat! 

And thank you for all of your birthday wishes, they mean a lot.

With love,

DT

                             

 

Filming of MFW has begun!

Everybody watch out and hold on to your veils because in this season of My Fair Wedding you're in for some surprises... I can't tell you too much, but I'll keep sharing tidbits along the way to the season premiere. 

We're truly covering the show reality-style this time around and what I like to say is that it's the "unveiled" version of My Fair Wedding. They're pulling back the curtain--it's not just me meeting the bride and making a few changes creating a beautiful wedding. The reality is that every wedding has its drama and has its challenges, but what they also have is me to do the best I can to step in and fix it. 

After twenty-five years of being in the business, I always say that I've seen it all--but after starting the new season of My Fair Wedding, I guess I haven't. 

Should a bride DIY?

I always say that brides who plan their own weddings should have everything so prepared that the week before they aren't doing anything and instead sitting back and enjoying the excitement of the coming day of their wedding. So if a bride wants to DIY, she needs to embrace it and needs to be organzied--plan everything in advance so she's not scraping hot glue off of their nails the day before her wedding. But when they do, I love it when brides DIY because it's truly a cost-effective way to have a wedding that adds so much of their personality to it.

And with my line Down the Aisle in Style™, which you can find at Jo-Anns and AC Moore, brides can find something inexpensive that helps show off their personality. One cool thing is that you can even make a DIY wedding an opportunity to throw a crafting party, making it a fun activity to do with your bridesmaids while you enjoy a few cocktails, and you'll be proud of what you've done and what you've all made. It could be your invites, your candles, printed materials, your favors or even down to the accents on the flowers with dashes of bling. There's something to be said about doing it yourself that makes your wedding truly share that personal touch. Plus, when using my craft line, there are tips on the back of all the packaging, so I'm there for you every step of the way.

I'm all for crafting, making it special and doing it yourself... just not last minute, so you can relax and feel like a guest at your own wedding. So when you're getting ready to go down the aisle on a DIY budget--start with going down the crafting aisle first.

xoxo,

David

Subtle yet stylish hair accessories

A lot of brides don’t know what to do with their hair for their wedding. Do I wear it up, do I wear it down? Do I wear it pulled back? Do I wear it in ringlets? I hear it constantly. My advice is always to wear your hair in a way that is representative of you. You want to be recognizable to your groom and your guests—not to look like someone playing the role of a bride!

A hairpin (such as the ones in my Down the Aisle in Style™ line for Jo-Ann’s) can add a bit of personality without overpowering who you are. As for the style, I personally love when women wear their hair half-up, half-down. It shows that they’re not taking themselves too seriously and it’s a way to add a bit of playfulness to an otherwise sophisticated hairstyle.

Brides can also wear their hair fully up for the ceremony, and then switch to half up, half down for the party with the use of a gorgeous pin. Using a pin to glam up a half up, half down hairstyle is simple, stylish, not to mention inexpensive since you won’t need to hire a stylist!

The rule of thumb here is that accessorizing is crucial, and knowing how to accessorize is just as important. A beautiful pin does the job without taking away from YOU.

xo,
David

Blown away

Brett Culp, a videographer for many of my brides' events (in fact, almost ALL of the videos on my website were done by him!), produced this video for his favorite artist, Sarah Groves' song "Miracle". I lOVE this video and hope you do too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOCQQQ7-GQI

LED Branches that light up centerpieces

It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that I like drama! My plans and designs have to be big, fabulous and over-the-top. Of course, all that drama usually equals crazy, stupid, over-the-top budgets. That’s why it made so much sense for me to create my Down the Aisle in Style™ line at Jo-Ann’s because I wanted all of my brides to have the look and feel of a dramatic and chic wedding—without having to spend a fortune.

One popular item in my Down the Aisle in Style™ collection is my set of illuminated branches. These are stylish and so much fun! They are beautiful white branches with tips that light up with battery-operated LEDs. The branches can give dramatic height to your centerpieces and create that sparkle that so many of my brides crave.

The branches are perfect for a white winter wonderland wedding—just like the one I created for my Snow White bride last month on My Fair Wedding. But you certainly don’t need to have a winter wedding to use these branches! They work just as well for ceremony archways and columns or incorporated in an all-white floral wedding design.

So no matter your budget, you can have fabulous elements that add drama, style, and sophistication to your big day!

xoxo,
David