As you know, I like to get expert planning tips from a variety of wedding businesses and vendors.  A few weeks ago, I had the chance to get some beauty tips from Kristie Stricher from Warren-Tricomi Los Angeles.  Kristie is a celebrity makeup artist and brow specialist.  Here are her bridal beauty tips so you look picture perfect on your wedding day:

 

• Keep your makeup classic and clean.  You don't want to look at your wedding photos years from now and think "What was I thinking with the smokey eyes".  
• Look like yourself, but have just enough makeup on so you look great in pictures.  I like to play up the eyes with a little eyeliner and individual false lashes.  If you have blue or green eyes, warm browns are nice to bring out the color without being too dramatic.  Brown eyes, look great with gold or gun metal silver.  
• Let your eyebrows fill-in for at least three months beforehand so you can have a nice full brow for your Eyebrow Specialist/MakeUp Artist to work with.  You'd be surprised what your brows will do in a few short months.  
• Don’t forget skincare.  Makeup will only look as good as the skin underneath it.  Getting regular facials may not be a part of every bride’s normal monthly regime, but for your wedding you may want to schedule facial appointments for at least 6 months before the big day.  Make each appointment special by asking your mom, maid-of-honor or bridesmaid(s) to go with you.
• I recommend that your makeup artist uses an airbrush to apply foundation to ensure maximum coverage and wearability.
• For destination weddings on a beach, using an airbrush to apply foundation can help it look flawless up to 12 hours even in the sun and humidity.  
• For a blushing, glowing bride I always use a soft pink blush with slight shimmer on the apple of the cheek.  Leaving the lip to be soft and delicate, I like to line and fill in the lip with a soft light rose lip liner and top lips with a slight sheen of gloss or even lip balm, which is easiest to touch up after all that smooching.  

 

If you’re getting married in the LA area, here’s the contact information for the Warren-Tricomi Los Angeles salon:

 

Address:  8327 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles   

Phone: (323) 651-4545

 

 

Click here for more wedding planning tips.

There are a lot of wedding events coming up in the next few weeks that I want to share with all of you.

The first is The Wedding Salon, celebrating the 5th anniversary of their luxury show in New York City on Monday, April 21st.   Unlike other bridal shows, The Wedding Salon is set up to resemble a wedding - complete with passed hors d'ouerves, signature drinks and my favorite, wedding cakes. 

Celebrity wedding vendors featured at the event include Sylvia Weinstock, David Tutera, Michael George and Thomas Noel, along with dozens of stationers, makeup and hair stylists, photographers and videographers, honeymoon destinations and musicians.

The event costs $75 for 2 tickets, but you can save $40 by entering the following promotional code on the registration page, and you'll receive 2 tickets for $35 - iVillageNY08P

 

If you won't be in New York on the 21st, The Wedding Salon will be in several other cities over the next few months:

Somerset, NJ - Wednesday, June 25th

Los Angeles, CA - Monday, September 22nd

Miami, FL - Monday, November 10th

 

If you go to any of the shows, please let us know if you meet any interesting vendors, or find a unique wedding idea!

Dave and I just got back from a week in LA. We went to a beautiful wedding, which I’ll tell you all about later this week. While we were in town I visited a number of shops and came across the Bead Boutique on 3rd Street.

My mother and sister have been going there for years, and now I know why. The shop is filled with beautiful beads, charms and chains and the customer can design their own necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

The store has a number of designs to help inspire you, or you can buy one the creations made by the store's owners, Pamela and Francesca.

In addition to making something for yourself – I made a double gold chain necklace with amethyst stones – you can take a class on how to make jewelry.

For brides looking to create something special for each of their bridesmaids, I recommend making custom jewelry for each of your girls. If you don’t live in Southern California, call the store and tell them what you want to do and they can help you create something special that your ‘maids are sure to wear again and again.

And while you're there, make something to wear on your honeymoon - there's no rule that you can't buy yourself a a wedding present.



Click here for more wedding planning tips.

For brides in the Los Angeles area it's not too late to order tickets for this year's Wedding Salon, Wednesday, September 26th from 4-9pm at the Four Seasons..

The luxury bridal event gives brides a chance to sample items from local caterers and bakers, get inspired by beautiful floral arrangements and meet with photographers, videographers and other wedding vendors. The goody bag is not to be believed.

You'll have to excuse the short posts this week. I'm home with the sniffles.

Arranging the seating chart is exciting and nerve wracking. Exciting because it means your wedding is only a few weeks, or even days away, and nerve wracking because it's always hard to seat guests when you're dealing with difficult family dynamics and odd numbers of people.

The traditional round table seats anywhere from 8 to 12 people. If you want to create an interesting look for your wedding reception you may opt for square tables where you have 2, 3 or 4 people on each side, depending on the dimensions of the table.

For a banquet style, you can use long rectangular tables that fit any where from 4 on each side, and one person at each end, or you can put several tables together creating a long table with 40-50 or more at one big table. If you do decide on this look, remember that guests should be able to get in and out effortlessly so they can easily get to the bathroom or dance floor.

Talk to your location manager and/or florist about linens for square or rectangular tables because you may have to rent the table AND the tablecloths.

The beautiful, long table, featured above was photographed by Tempting Weddings Photography based in California. You can visit their site to check out their beautiful work, or visit their blog, which features albums of real weddings they've shot. You'll get a great idea of how Ken & Teresa shoot weddings. The images in each “album” they post include: getting ready, formal portraits, the ceremony, reception and the details.

Having trouble deciding on a videographer? You’re not alone. Memories of an older siblings' tape of Mickey and Minnie dancing across the screen or a huge video camera and bright light making its way around the dance floor keep many couples from hiring a videographer. But times have changed, and just as the traditional photographer has evolved into a photojournalist, videographers are now videojournalists.

I was recently introduced to Kristen, owner of Bliss* Video Productions based in California. I watched every sample clip on her website, and if you're getting married in LA, San Francisco, or somewhere nearby I suggest you take a look too.

Kristen's choice of music and editing techniques create a unique video reflecting the bride and groom’s personalities, style as well as the look and feel of the day.

Don't shy away from video. Yes, a picture says a thousand words, but there's something wonderful about seeing you and your husband reciting your vows, sharing your first dance and watching the faces of your parents, grandparents and friends.

For myself, I love that I can watch my grandfather smiling and laughing at my wedding and I know my kids will one day enjoy watching their parents on the small screen.

Are you thinking of getting video? Can't decide? What's keeping you on the fence?

I definitely have a sweet tooth. Earlier this week I learned that Häagen-Dazs partnered with Hotel Triton in San Francisco to create the sweetest room ever!

Called "Sweet Spot" the room is equipped with everything you need to satisfy every ice cream lovers fantasy – a freezer stocked with classic flavors and new releases, and a closet filled with bowls, scoops and spoons so you can try every flavor as many times as your stomach will let you.

The couple featured above celebrated their engagement in the room, but if you're looking for a unique honeymoon suite this spot might be the perfect one for you.

Dave and I are planning a trip out west later this year for a destination wedding. Knowing my favorite flavor, chocolate chocolate chip, and his, butter pecan, might be there morning, noon and night is enough incentive for us to book a room.

What about you? What in-room feature is a must have for you – a tub for 2, a magic fingers bed?