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Are you ready to come on a tour of BHLDN with me?
Houston, TX is so fortunate to be the chosen location for the world's first brick-and-mortar BHLDN. I am surrounded with so much eye-candy and inspiration, it pretty much blows my mind on a continual basis.
Coming from a Wedding Planning background, I can see that BHLDN has pretty much blown the roof off the typical wedding gown vendor experience. Normally a bride would walk into a room with racks of dresses lining the walls, and have to fossick through them like trying to find a $5 bill in a sea of bills in a wallet - tightly packed, and impossible to see without fishing it out. When you walk into the Bridal section at BHLDN, it's like walking into a European museum. Everything is thoughtfully and beautifully displayed on mannequins, so you can walk around it to get a 360 degree view and see how everything hangs. Walking into that space will make your jaw drop - I see it every day. It's amazing.
I am IN LOVE with so many of their event dresses. Kiss the days of one-use bridesmaid dresses goodbye. The dresses here are DEFINITELY something that you'd want to wear again - so much attention to detail, and designed to be just as comfortable as they are pretty. I will have to post some pictures of some of the event dresses soon. And don't even get me started on the accessories and decor items! I've already bought, this, this and this.
Aside from the products and the way the store is so impeccably and beautifully fitted and designed, I love that everyone on the team is excited to work there. No one is just working there for the sake of employment - they are all so creatively focused, and genuinely happy to be part of this team. I have several coworkers who moved to Houston from outside of Texas just for the privilege of working for BHLDN - so you've gotta know that they are gung-ho for this brand!
So if you're looking for a place to find the perfect party dress, decor for a party you're planning, or of course a gown for your wedding - come on over to BHLDN. And even if you're not, come over just to check out the store - it's like a gallery - you'll want to look around for hours!
*last image of me and some of my coworkers taken by j. cogliandro photography.
When I was little, I saw a small chapel. It was green and purple, and I'd never seen anything like it. To this day, I don't know if it really was green and purple, or if my memory is just painting it that way.
Part of me thinks that I was imagining it. When I was 14 I wanted a lime green convertible with a purple interior - so who knows if I just imagined the chapel, or if the chapel influenced my desire for such a bizarre convertible? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? :)
My first job was in the 11th grade. I worked as an interior designer's assistant on weekends. I would help them put together their mood boards (which back then I just called "picture boards", for lack of a better term). One time I had put a swatch of purple next to a swatch of green, and the designers looked at me like I was crazy. Ever since then, my dreams of green and purple getting married died. I actually grew to dislike the color purple. It's only in the last few months that it has grown back on me.
What about you? Are there any colors that you used to dislike that you're now changing your mind about?
I love being able to wear layers and pleats and patterns and lace and silk... women have so many options when it comes to what we wear.
I was talking to a coworker the other day and she reminded me of that quote "You wear your clothes, don't let your clothes wear you." I love that what we wear is an extension of our personality - what we wear tells a story of who we are.
That also applies to what we carry. Our totes, purses, bags, clutches... we all express ourselves by what we hold. When looking for clutches online recently, I stumbled on this lovely etsy store called Eclu. It's filled with gorgeous, feminine purses - frill and flower, simple and detailed - it has a lovely variety. In addition to purses, Eclu also sells charming handmade home decor items, along with other beautiful gifts.
Eclu is owned and operated by Jami, who's work is inspired by the subtleties in nature. Her ideas are constantly born where she least expects it, especially living ten minutes from the beach, and living in a serene wooded neighborhood in Boston.
As a child, Jami would create decorations for her family home. She would delight in the details of making paper purses and accessories, and even constructed paper houses. Then when she had her own children, she was able to create those projects all over again with them, which then extended into her etsy store. Creating at home for her Etsy store meant she could spend more time with her children, so it was the perfect solution to keeping her creativity in action and sharing her favorite pasttime with her loved ones.
Jami is generously giving away a customized clutch to one lucky reader! Whoever wins will be able to design their own clutch with Jami, so you'll be able to carry an extension of your personality with you everywhere you go. To enter, please leave a comment here telling me four key words that describe your personality and what goodies you like most from Jami's shop. I will announce the winner next week.
I sometimes wake up with fragments of stories playing in my mind. Remnants of dreams that weren't fully grasped as I wake up to greet the morning light.
I love that we never fully know ourselves the way that we think we do. We are constantly learning new things about ourselves. Even our subconscious has a "mind of it's own" - telling us stories as we sleep. We wake up and remember ambiguous scenes and try to fill in the blanks. Sometimes I wake up remembering a dream, but then when I go to tell my husband about it, it floats out the window and I can't remember it's face anymore.
I've had dreams that were so bizarre that even in the dream I knew I was dreaming. Then I've had dreams that have seemed so real that I was truly surprised when I woke up to discover they weren't. Recurring dreams are the strangest to me. It's like we're trying to tell ourselves something over and over again so that we don't forget, or that God is reminding us of something important.
What's the weirdest dream you've ever had? Or the most vivid?
"Kiss me, Kate."
I only just found out the other night that this famous quote comes from the Shakespeare play, "Taming of the Shrew".
Shakespeare had a way with words, didn't he? He could tell such elaborate stories and paint such pretty word pictures. Brian, some friends and I went to see "Taming of the Shrew" the other night at Miller Outdoor Theater. It was a balmy Houston night, but there's something so almost other-worldly about watching Shakespeare, that the humidity didn't bother me as much as it normally would. I'd read the play back in high school, but had forgotten how fun it was. Definitely a comedy, and definitely something that would rile up any woman if it were to be taken seriously.
I came back from the play inspired. And usually when I am inspired it leads to: a) a wild session of drawing, b) baking or cooking moments, or c) planning a party. This particular time it lead to a baking moment. Just like I'd revisited Taming of the Shrew after so many years, I was determined to tweak a classic recipe and make it my own. It resulted in a delicious Blackberry Lychee Cobbler. I will be posting the recipe up on my Facebook Page shortly.
What is your favorite Shakespeare play? My favorite two would have to be Hamlet and Midsummer Night's Dream.
Being a stylist for BHLDN means that I am surrounded by eye-candy all day long...
I was looking through some of my past food photography and as I was browsing, I caught myself thinking "that dessert kinda reminds me of the Fondant Tea Dress"... so I started playing a little game. I started thinking about what desserts particular BHLDN gowns reminded me of. You all know that I LOVE desserts and I adore BHLDN, so it was a lot of fun to see what I could come up with.
Here are some of my results:
The lined detail on the Fondant Tea Dress reminds me of these pink sugar cookies I made. This bride is girly and enjoys simplicity, like the simplicity of a sugar cookie. I had pressed lines into the fondant on top and the delicate lined pattern definitely reminds me of the white-on-white lines on the skirt of this dress.
The Burnished Organza Gown is so rich and decadent to me. The gold top, the layers of organza - OF COURSE it reminds me of my Chocolate Caramel layer cake! This bride is dreamy and likes the blend of vintage and glitz - just like this cake. A classic concept of chocolate cake, glammed up with layers and chocolate ganache icing.
This Blushing Crinoline Sheath is so delicate and rosy. The soft pink layers of the skirt remind of the the pink ruffles on my pink ruffle cake that I'd made for my niece's birthday. The bride who wears this is romantic and what's more romantic than a ruffle cake?!
Pinwheels are so playful and fun. The Pinwheel Tea Dress reminds me of Apricot Whoopie Pies. Playful and fun, but still small and feminine - perfect for the sassy bride.
I love the Confetti Rush Dress. Up close, you can see little confetti-like flecks in the skirting that reminds me of the shredded coconut of lamingtons. So cute! For the bride that wants to kick her heels off and party.
The Panes of Lace Gown is so refined and feminine to me. Demure and pretty, just like my Champagne Grape Charlottes.
The bride who wears the Greenbow Lace Gown is a free spirit. She likes to shop at Farmer's Markets and live the simple life. I think this dress is a perfect match for a simple sweet brioche with marmalade. 
The Metropolis Dress is for the City Girl who likes looking chic and feminine. She's active and likes experiencing the sites and sounds of the city, so my Double Chocolate Panna Cottas with Fig and Pistachio seems like the perfect match to me. It's more exciting than a regular baked dessert, and the blend of cream and fruit correlates nicely with this bride's blend of dainty and modern.
What do you think? Are there any other BHLDN gowns that remind you of a particular dessert?
My favorites lately are Lace and Lattes.
I've always been a fan of coffee, but lately I've been having it a lot. Perhaps it's because BHLDN has a Starbucks across the street (PS. I don't like Starbucks hot coffee for some reason - but I love their iced lattes and fraps!), or maybe because I really like using my milk frother at home - I've just been a little coffee nuts lately - especially for lattes. I don't like it strong, I like it milky and sweet - pretty much like a drinkable dessert. :)
Coffee Macarons are my favorite, and I've been making Cappuccino Ice cream a lot at home to combat this nasty Houston Heat. And then there's my lace obsession. I've been designing a lot of wedding invitations lately, and a lot of brides have wanted textiles and lace incorporated into their design, so our place is packed with spools of luscious vintage lace.
I am off to go sit down with a glass of latte and get back into the invitation groove. I will be adding additional albums to my City of Dionne Facebook page soon which will include pictures of invitation design, some of the party styling I've done and other prettiness.
PS. How do you like your coffee - short and black? Macchiato-style? Cappuccino? I really like Affogatos - which are replacing the creamer with vanilla ice cream. Such a treat!
