Holy crap! Have you guys heard about this yet? If not, y'all need to be ready to click away on Friday, March 12th at noon, EST. The Gilt Groupe has teamed up with The Martha and is having an amazing sale all weekend long! You know quantities will be limited though, so make sure you get on line early!

Not familiar with Gilt? What about Gilt Fuse? No? Oh honey-pie, you must become a member toute de suite (that means right now, y'all!). Go. Hurry. I think you get membership faster is someone invites you, but I'm not sure - I can't remember. I'm a member of so many of these damn shopping sites that I don't know if I had to wait on this one or not. Anyway, if ya need some help, shoot me an email and I'll hook you up! So what is it? On-line shopping that is so fabulous it hurts. Great designers, great prices, limited quantities.  I love Gilt Fuse, it's a lot more affordable than Gilt, but Gilt is total eye-candy.

So what's going on this weekend? It's their Weekend Wedding! Here's a list of some of the incredible designers for sale!

Carolina Herrera gowns

Bridesmaid dresses by Thread, Amsale and Vera Wang Lavender

Flower girl dresses by Pippa and Julie

Lingerie by Elle MacPherson Intimates

Hickey Freeman Boys suits

Lulu Frost accessories

Temperley London dresses

Judith Leiber 

Vanessa Noel

Lauren Merkin

Prive Salon

Tara Pearls 

Blueprint Cleanse

Heather Moore

Sergio Rossi

Stuart Weitzman

The savings are generally pretty great. For Gilt Fuse prices are about half of retail. Right now they've got an American Retro silk floral dress for $68, retail of $198. Gilt has a Cynthia Rowley shoulder bag for $199, retail of $395. Not bad, right? I'd bust out the credit card and get ready to shop, especially if you are pretty true to size. And jewelry, come ON! It's a no-brainer.

Not sure how to buy a wedding dress on-line? Well, Gilt enlisted the help of Gabriella Risatti of Gabriella New York Bridal Salon for a little Q&A on their backstage pass area. Here's what she's got to say about it.

How long before the wedding should brides start looking for the gown?

If you plan to buy the gown on-line, you'll need plenty of time for alterations - at least three months before the wedding.

The Thirty-Something Bride Commentary: Dude. I say WAY before that. Keep your sanity and go for  6 months.

What information should you have on-hand when you're looking to buy your dress on-line?

You should know what types of silhouettes flatter you body and what color looks best on you: pure white or ivory. You should also have yourself professionally measured in advance. The three most important measurements are bust, waist and hip. You should reference the size chart of the designer and compare your measurements before purchasing your gown. And don't buy a gown with the hopes of losing weight - always play it safe with a wedding dress. It's a lot easier to take a dress in than it is to let it out!

The Thirty-Something Bride Commentary: Totally. You need to try on dresses in a shop before you buy on-line. And make sure a TAILOR measures you and not some 16-year old shop girl! And seriously, you need to check out the designer size charts. When I was measured for my gown, I was really worried that it would not be long enough. My worst nightmare was a high-water wedding gown. Even though the ladies balked at my request, I MADE them measure me from hollow (that little spot between your collar bones) to waist, waist to hem and hollow to hem. Why? Because I'm long-waisted as hell and you cannot tell this by looking at me at all. I ordered a size 6 dress. My hollow to hem measurement? A size 16 on the designer chart! I thought the sales girl was going to shit her pants. That measurement ensured my dress would be long enough.

How often should a bride go for fittings?

A bride should have three fittings, with the final fitting seven to ten days prior to the wedding. Brides often lose weight right before the wedding due to nerves, so that final fitting is crucial.

The Thirty-Something Bride Commentary: Yup. Sadly, I unintentionally lost several pounds the week before the wedding. Dress was a little lose and my chicken cutlets slid all around.

Do you have advice for brides on a limited budget?

If you have a limited budget, opt for a simpler gown and accessorize it yourself. By avoiding the embellishments - beading and lace - you can still have a wonderful gown, but at a lower cost. To personalize your gown and save money, ask friends and family for jewelry, sashes, veils and headpieces that you can borrow.

The Thirty-Something Bride Commentary: This is such fabulous advice and totally what I did for my own ensemble. My dress was classically simple with zero embellishments. I was able to make it my own with accessories.

Have you noticed and recurring trends among brides lately?

We have noticed most of our brides are looking for a fitted silhouette, rather than a full skirt. The mermaid silhouette and the birdcage veil are also very popular.

The Thirty-Something Bride Commentary: True enough, but you need to go with what looks good on you. Do not sacrifice beauty for trend. I REALLY wanted a birdcage veil. However, I have a REALLY long neck. The poof of the birdcage veil on top of my head made me look like one of those bobble-head dolls. I was so sad not to have one, but I know I would have looked dumb as hell.

How does the bride to be know when she's found "The One."

I often hear, "I couldn't stop thinking about that gown." There will be one special gown that you think about more than any other, and that is your dress.

The Thirty-Something Bride Commentary: True dat.

So get organized and get ready for this amazing sale! It starts on-line Friday, March 12th, at noon EST.

All photos and interview courtesty of Gilt.

You know, navigating around your own website can be a little daunting sometimes. All the HTML and CSS crap? I have no idea what that stuff really is, I just pretend I know what I'm doing and then suddenly, I've done it right and haven't lost all my stuff. Excellent. Ask me how I did it and I will not be able to do so. "Um, well I clicked here, and then I typed some stuff with a whole bunch of symbols and then I clicked over here and it worked!" Voila!

Blind ignorance makes the bravest of souls, yes?

At any rate, I finally figured out how to put all my DIY stuff into it's own heading (so proud of this seemingly easy task!). That way, if you want to see anything I did for my wedding and totally copy it, go right ahead. I'll also post any other fab stuff I find there too.

And let's talk about DIY ideas for a second, okay?

It's totally OK to take an idea and make it your own. Now, I wouldn't take your BFF's wedding theme and mimic it down to the last flower petal because that will piss her off, but imitation is the highest form of flattery. And guess what? Blogs are inspiring. Blogs are ideas. Blogs are supposed to be fun!

In continuing my blog post-wedding my hope is to inspire and help. Did I have the most fabulous wedding by Wedding Industry Complex standards? No. Was it fabulous by DIY standards? No. Was it fabulously "green and sustainable?" No. Was it totally budget-friendly? No. But I did incorporate a little of all those aspects into our wedding and made it special to us. That is what is important. Do your own thing, ladies. Get inspired here or elsewhere, just get inspired!

Feeling overwhelmed? Then stop and sit and think. I wish I'd done that somewhere in the planning process. Refocus on the marriage, not the wedding and the little things will fall into place. Clarity will come, just give it the opportunity to do so.

Oh, and if you have a fab idea to share, let me know and I'll post about it. I certainly don't have all the fresh new ideas, that's for sure. I'm all about knocking it off and making it my own version of fabulous.

I just love engagement shoots, don't you? I like the ones that have themes. The new 50's vintage theme is pretty cool. The whole retro thing has always been near and dear to my heart. I was shopping consignment stores in the mid-80's. I was oh-so-very Molly Ringwald-esque (more Pretty in Pink, less Breakfast Club). However, even the most brilliant of photographers cannot capture what isn't. All the hip styling in the world cannot capture love if it isn't really there. I believe it's one of the reasons I think wedding photographers are wedding photographers - they enjoy capturing that love. I know my own photographer Jonathon is one of the biggest saps I've ever met. He's so mushy and sweet, but in such a real way. It never makes your teeth hurt, it's just endears you towards him more and more all the time.

A few weeks ago I was meeting with the really nice folks over at Wedding 101 and Joe and Rhonda Hendricks of Joe Hendricks Photography showed up to hang some new pictures. It was the first time I'd met them, but I really felt like we were old friends from the start. I guess blogging does that amongst wedding folk. Who knows, I just thought they were splendid people. I ran into Rhonda and one of her brides last weekend at the HER Nashville brunch and my initial feeling was confirmed. The Hendrick's have been so kind as to let me feature one of their engagement sessions! So exciting! The thing I love about this shoot is that you can just see that this couple has a ton of fun together. Their passion for each other is almost palpable. At least it is to me.

A little info about the happy couple:

Wedding date is set for May 22, 2010

Baskin Chapel at Brentwood Baptist Church

Pleasant Hills Mansion at The Governor's Club

The photo session was taken in downtown Nashville and on the Vanderbilt campus.

They love ice cream so Joe did some shots at Mike's Ice Cream Fountain down on Broadway!

(Can I admit that I' m a little sad that The Candyman and I don't have a heart-shadow picture? Too cute!)

 Is it weird I think this is sexy? There is nothing better than when a man holds a woman's face when he smooches her!

 Thanks to Joe Hendricks Photography for sharing their lovely photos! I just love the love!

WHO AM I? I used to be so cynical and snarky when it came to romance and love and all that nonsense. Ever since I met The Candyman, fell head over Jimmy Choo's for him and married the dude, I've been a sucker for all things romantic. Maybe that's why I continue to blog. I just look at these pictures and I just feel so goddamn happy. How can I not share it? Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I do! 

It is, I know it. My fellow bloggers will understand. Ashley of Ashely's Bride Guide (who by the way has under gone a fabulous new faceliftof sorts and looks FABULOUS. You must check her out. AMAZING ideas, even for non-Nashvillian brides!) feels my pain. It happens. I get it. But come ON!

What am I talking about? I'm talking about lifting content from other bloggers, putting it on your own site and not giving credit it where credit is due. I'm going to be a little vague about this because I don't feel like calling out the guilty parties by name as that's not my beef. It's the integrity behind the deed, versus the deed itself.  

I'm thinking about putting together a DIY section that covers what I did for my own wedding as well as anything else I find particularly inspiring now. In looking back at my old posts and linked sites, etc. I found another blog (one of national acclaim) that promoted something that I found while I was DIYing my invitations. After I blogged about it, another local (and more popular) blogger mentioned the info as well. Appropriately, she noted me as the source and it was much appreciated. However, the re-poster of the information sited the more popular blogger as the originator of the information and not me.

Petty, you betcha. Irritating - oh, so much so. Why? Because I work hard to post what I believe is my own information. I hate reposting info that's been around the blog-o-sphere more times than my luggage has been around the world (it's been places I haven't, like Micronesia!). I really try to put information out there that might be new and/or helpful. I try to make it as un-boring and as tongue-in-cheek as possible because that's just who I am. If I ever repost something, I do my utmost to find the original source and give credit where credit is due. When I posted the original information, it was something that I had found by chance, thought was cool and shared. It wasn't like I was trying to be the first on the block with the latest pictures from Vera Wang's runway show.

I'm going to admit it - I left a bitchy comment. It was NOT anonymous (I don't believe in that either).

What's my point? Blogs can be wonderful things. Each one has it's own unique voice. Not everyone has their own unique wedding planning ideas and that's OK, that's why we are all here is to share! It's like one big giant brainstorning session that never ends.  All I'm saying is let's make sure we give appropriate credit to those who do the leg work, OK?

Update on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 11:08PM by Louise

Let this post be a lesson. If you behave snarkily, you will get snarky back. I got what I gave. It's best to keep the snarky contained within my own posts, methinks.

When I lived in Chicago, every year I'd hear about this wonderful non-profit group that collected and distributed prom dresses for teenage girls in financially challenged communities. I always wanted to be a part of it, but always heard about it after the fact. Not so great for a would-be philanthropist, right? So what did I do? I raised $3700 for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago instead. I collected donations and support from friends, family members and complete strangers! To get these donations, all I had to do was run The Chicago Marathon. Piece of cake. Um, yeah.

So I haven't done a whole lot of fundraising since then and I really miss it. It makes you feel good. It makes you a nicer person all around and Lord knows, I need all of the niceness I can get. It's a good balance to the snarkiness. That's why I was so jazzed when I saw that Wedding 101 was a part of The Fairy Godmother Project of Music City! I've jumped in with both feet and am just so happy to be helping with this amazing adventure! This is the first time the event has been held in Nashville, so the goal is to make it a fabulous time for a group of incredible girls!

The Project is set up in two big phases. First, the collection of all things prom needs. Second, the distribution of all things prom! What fun!

So, how can you help? Here's how to get involved with phase one:

Hello, local ladies? I had better see you on Saturday, March 13th between 11am-3pm at The Factory in Franklin. I do not give a rat's ass if you think it's too far to drive if you live downtown. You'd drive to Franklin for you wedding gown, wouldn't you? Think about how awesome a girl is going to feel (as well as you) if she picks one of your dresses to wear for prom. Do not deny a girl her chance at prom fabulousness! Bring your honey along and check out The Factory, drop in on Wedding 101 for some fabulous bridal assistance, or hit up downtown Franklin for some fun shopping. There are two (yes TWO!) cupcake shops you can visit to contrast and compare cake/icing ratios. And if you can't make it to The Factory, you'd better have a damn good reason. Even if you can't make it, you can mail any of the appropriate goodies (see the list below) here:

The Fairly Godmother Project of Music City

c/o Beth Glascock

1737 Red Jacket Drive

Antioch, TN 37013

Another option is to email me and I'll come pick the stuff up. Seriously.

Here are the donation guidelines: 

• Dresses/cocktail style shoes fewer than 5 years old
• Dresses and shoes should be cleaned prior to donating
• Dresses and shoes should be in good condition
• Dresses can be long or short in length
• For health and safety reasons, makeup, perfume, and lotion must be unused
• Formal jewelry and purses
• Shawls & wraps must be in good condition

The point is we want these girls to feel and look like a million bucks!

And, because I want you ladies to get involved, there is a contest.  Oh yes there is. Any woman who comes to The Factory in Franklin (I'm planning on being there all day) and donates the most usable merchandise and mentions The Thirty-Something Bride will win herself a $50 gift certificate to Frugal MacDoogal. That's right, ladies BOOZE. Of course, you must be 21 years of age in order to win that little nuggets of happiness. ID's will be checked. I really don't need ABC gettin' all up in my grill for supplying liquor to minors.

The second phase of The Project is the distribution of the dresses to the girls. We want to make it as boutique-like as possible so that's it an actual shopping experience. Chappy's on Church has generously donated their entire restaurant for Boutique Day on March 27th! How amazing is that?

We're working on another sort of contest for non-local folks who want to participate too. Or, you could just mail some darn dresses. It's for a good cause - who needs a prize for the award of a philanthropy, right?

*Have I guilted you into it yet?*

Oh, and all you local vendors? Expect some phone calls. I'm going to be hitting you up and holding you to your offers of kindness made at the HER Nashville brunch. Oh yes, I am! That's right, I'm talking to you Faccio Bridal and I'm talking to you Eye Candy Salon! Y'all were dope enough (and totally not snooty) to offer some awesome goodies. THANK YOU!

So, hop to it ladies. Go dig through your closet. Pull at the dresses that are too big/small. Those shoes that kill your feet might fit another like Cinderella's glass slipper. Seriously, are you going to wear that black shrug again? You know you'll but something else if you can get away with it. And that lipstick gift with purchase from Clinique that you know is a heinous color on you without even trying it on? Bring that stuff too.

Do you want to just get involved and donate you time? Well, we need that too. Go here and volunteer. And guess what? All donation are tax deductible. Booya.

And in a show of good faith and charity, I'm going to post my own prom picture. This is actually from my junior prom. And yes, me and my high school BFF totally planned the black/white thing. I have to dig and try to find my senior prom picture. There are black lace fingerless gloves involved. Oh yes. In the meantime, enjoy at my expense.

Oh, I was still totally in my slouching phase. It's just no fun to be 16 and taller than EVERYONE.  And for the record, my hair wasn't pulled back on the sides or pulled up. It was totally Flock of Seagulls/Robert Smith-esque. Nice.....