Yumi Katsura's 2011 Bridal Collection

Yumi Katsura is an internationally well-known Japanese designer of ready-to-wear and haute couture bridal gowns and is definitely in the mix when it comes to modern Japanese weddings. According to her blog and AllKPop, her 2011 collection  is said to have been influenced by K-Pop music artists B2ST, 4minute, and Supernova’s visual styles and performances so she personally designed outfits suited to their image.

Here are photos of her gowns from the Tokyo Grand Collection 2011, launched in February 23. The dresses in the collection feature her signature intricate lacework, origami folds, whimsical applique work, and exquisite beading.

Short wedding dresses from Katsura Yumi's 2011 Tokyo Collection (photo via Sanspo)

See more of Yumi Katsura's 2011 Wedding Dress Collection in the Paris 2011 GRAND COLLECTION IN TOKYO RENAISSANCE JAPAN official website.

Hatsuko Endo Modern Japanese Wedding Gown Collection

Hatsuko Endo is a pioneer in Japan's wedding industry, having opened the first ever bridal "grooming parlor" in 1905 in Ginza, Tokyo Japan. Before she opened one, the only makeup Japanese women used was a white rice powder infused with lead like those used by geisha. Later on her boutique also started carrying kimonos for traditional weddings. Nowadays, the Hatsuko Endo brand is synonymous with Japanese weddings, both modern and traditional.  

Some gowns from the Hatsuko Endo Weddings Collection:

Mariage for Hatsuko Endo Weddings

Hatsuko Endo Weddings

Import Collection for Hatsuko Endo Weddings

Visit the Hatsuko Endo Weddings website for more.

Push Cakes by Meringue Bake Shop

I have been waiting, waiting, waiting for someone to come out with these...and now I have found some worthy of sharing! I actually read about this new sweet indulgence about a year ago. I couldn't find any more information on them and the bakery I read about never promoted them. A friend of mine had a link to this local bakery on her Facebook page that I noticed the other day. I loved their logo and of course can not help checking out local sweet spots so, off to Meringue Bake Shop I went! They are based in Anaheim, California and the first thing to catch my eye... Push Cakes! There they were...these little tubes filled with yummy layers of cake and frosting! I made sure to ask if they could be shipped before sharing them with you and yep, they sure can be! These would be so cute to add to a dessert station! I predict they will be the up and coming thing (you heard it here, first!)

Can we talk about flavors? Oh for the love of cake! 

• Orange Crush* - Orange crush cake/Creamsicle buttercream
• Queen of Hearts* - Red Velvet cake/Cream Cheese buttercream
• Happy Birthday* - Vanilla confetti cake/Vanilla Confetti buttercream
• Birthday Cake - Vanilla cake/Chocolate buttercream/Sprinkles
• Sweet and Salty - Vanilla cake/Salted Caramel buttercream/Caramel
• AFCB - Yellow cake/Caramel/Peanuts/Chocolate buttercream
• Black & White* - Chocolate cake/Vanilla buttercream/Chocolate Flakes/Gold Glitter
• Tea Time* - Vanilla cake/Lemon buttercream/Sparkling sugar/Fresh berries in season (raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries)
• Groovy* - Vanilla rainbow cake/Frosting of your choice (not available in mini size)
• Fauxstess* - Chocolate cake/Creme/Chocolate buttercream
• Girls/Boys - Vanilla cake/Strawberry or Blue Raspberry buttercream/Sprinkles/Glitter 
• Spring Break - Vanilla cake/Graham cracker crust/Keylime buttercream
• Pink Lady* - Lemonade cake/Raspberry buttercream
• Campfire - Graham cracker cake/Chocolate buttercream/Toasted Marshmallows 
• Pina Colada - Pineapple cake/Coconut cream buttercream
• A Kid Again - Yellow cake/Cookie Dough/Peanut Butter buttercream 
• Southern Belle - Coconut cake/Coconut cream buttercream

I am going to hunt down Meringue Bake Shop in person and get my hands on some of these and I promise to report back! I just love that they are different and I know they are going to be all the rage! If you want to read more about them you can join PushCakes on Facebook and of course contact them regarding shipping! 

A different proposal

I love getting daily deals in my inbox and one site I use all the time is Groupon! Each day it's a new deal! I love when they offer photo deals and Edible Arrangement deals. You can't buy in bulk on this site - you usually get the option of buying 1 deal for yourself and 1 as a gift. It's great for trying new restaurants, too! Well, when Greg decided to pop the question to Dana, he thought of a creative way to do it. You see, Dana is a big Groupon fan like me. She checks her email every day to see what the Deal of the Day is. On January 5, 2011 the deal of the day was her proposal! 

Check out the entire post here....this is one of those engagements you can file under 
"most creative"! Great job, Greg! Congratulations to both....I bet the wedding is going to be fun and unique as well!

Is a Couture Wedding Gown Perfect For Your Perfect Wedding?

Some women grow up dreaming of their wedding gown and have been putting aside money to pay for their gown and their wedding since they were children. You need to have the funds to spend for a couture gown, it's not for the faint of heart, but if this is what you want, there are a variety of ways to get the gown that makes you delirious with joy.

There are the big houses. The Diors and Chanels. Quite frankly, you're going to pay up to $100,000 for these gowns. That's a lot of money. Even if you check in at $10,000 that's a lot of money. Only you can decide if it's worth it to you. You do want to be really sure about the marriage, though. While researching for this, I ran over a quote that said something like "the marriage didn't last but we'll always remember the gown." Tacky. Getting married isn't a social event. What you do about your bridal gown still needs to be seen through the lens of a wedding ceremony that moves you from engaged to married. Your focus still needs to be on creating wedding vows that will be the bedrock for that marriage. Your gown is what you wear as you make those wedding vows.


There is vintage. eBay and vintage dress shops and sites can help you find a vintage dress if couture from a different era is what you're looking for. This can raise or lower the price considerably. Lower it, if it's a dress that was worn by a person who happened to love the dress. Raise it, if it's a by-product of a famous failed marriage.  Don't be afraid of the waft of failure though. Your happy marriage can be the redemption of a beautiful gown. It seems that a beautiful gown deserves to be worn at a happy occasion doesn't it?

There are current designers. These gowns are still pricey, but they're pricey in the $1,500-5000 realm of pricey, which seems to bring them into the budget of a lot more people. Spend some time poking around on Google with couture wedding gowns and you'll be bedazzled by the beauty.

Why would anyone spend this kind of money for a one-day dress? Well.

• They are gorgeous. It's not to say there aren't gorgeous gowns to be had for a lot less, but the design details are astonishing. And they're custom fit to your body, so that works on the comfort thing!
•  You're supporting the arts. People who create handmade clothing are artists. The fabrics are unbelievable. There are so many other places at your wedding where you're celebrating beauty; you might as well be one of them!
• Your marriage is a special time. It exists outside time. You do it once and never again (hear me on this?!) Dare to look fabulous.
• You live in a world where it is not uncommon. This may not be a big stretch for you, so you want the right gown when you marry the right partner.
• You can and you want to. If one of these gowns fits your budget, if you're not putting it on a credit card to pay off for the next 12 years, buy the wedding dress of your dreams and wow your world. You want to be beautiful for your partner. Go ahead.

Both partners should work at being beautiful for one another throughout their marriage. It helps to keep the sizzle going. And the sizzle is important in keeping marriage alive.

Bottom Line?: Give your relationship the chance it deserves to succeed wildly, against all odds! After all, you deserve it. Your relationship deserves it! And now I'd like to invite you to sign up to receive 2 free templates for creating the wedding ceremony of your dreams, the wedding vows of your heart and the marriage of a lifetime:

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Free Fonts for Weddings

While browsing some favorite blogs today I somehow found myself stumbling upon fonts. Cool fonts. FREE FONTS. I love freebies! Installing them is pretty easy - although if you haven't ever installed fonts or you haven't done it in awhile, at the end of this post I will tell you want to do. But, for now check out these fonts you can download and use for DIY save the dates, invites and thank you's!

The script font on this invitation from East Six (oh my god AMAZING invitations) is called Porcelain and you can download it FREE here!

Want the stamp pad look without the stamp pad? There's a font for that! 

And you can get it here for free!

One of the first blogs I started reading was http://kevinandamanda.com. I still read Amanda's blog and get email updates from her. She has no idea but, she totally inspired me to blog. Now, she blogs (a lot) about cupcakes. How can you not get a daily dose of cupcakes? She travels all over, she has an amazing camera (and photo tutorials) and 2 adorable Boston Terriers. In her spare time (serious?) she has another site that offers handwriting and scrapbooking fonts. They are some of my favorites and you have a lot to choose from. You can download one or all of them for free here!

Now we need to talk about how you install these lovely fonts onto your computer! If you use a MAC you are on your own...because I use Windows and that is what I will cover!

When you choose to download any of these fonts they will come in a .zip file and will most likely be placed in your Download folder. You just need to double click on the file to unzip it. Inside each file will be an example of the font and another file that should end in a .ttf extension, which stands for True Type Font. This is the file you will need to install. If you want before you begin to download fonts you could make a new folder and put all .zip files there (easy to find them later!). So, here are the instructions to install:

Click Control Panel, then Fonts (this opens a new window. if you do not see the "File" option at the top left side of the box hit the ALT key and it will pop up)

Click FILE, INSTALL NEW FONT (this opens a new box and you have to know where you put the unzipped file with the .ttf extension)

Click on the file with the .ttf extension (or it will say True Type Font over to the left side)

Click install

Start enjoying your new FREE fonts!!

Different Types of Couture Wedding Gowns

 

Couture wedding gowns are designed by leading fashion houses especially on order. They are high quality fashionable ones made of good quality fabrics that would last longer than the ready made ones and are made specifically to one's tastes and preferences. You need the right dress style for the great occasion of your wedding that would enhance your appearance.

Couture wedding gowns are durable and last longer when preserved in acid free storage conditions. In some families, it is a tradition to wear the wedding gowns of their mother. This is not the thing to save money, but it is considered to be a privilege and prestige to wear the traditional dress. If you do not have such a dress and want to order one to create the custom, specially made couture wedding gowns should be your ideal choice as they are made from selected fabrics and their design would suit all types of atmosphere and would never go outdated.

If you are going to select your wedding dress, you must have some knowledge of the different styles and parts of a gown. The basic knowledge of the sleeves, bodice, neckline, silhouette and the train will help you to choose the dress. The different types of silhouette are the ball gown, with tight bodice, the empire with high waistline, a-line dresses that have a hefty bottom, dropped waists and Basques with a trimming outer effect, the sheath that fits closely and the mermaid that flows around the knees.

You can select the half sleeves up to the elbow with a puff, sleeveless ones that are popular today, and spaghetti straps in skin colors or off the shoulder sleeves to expose your beauty. Choose the neckline of the wedding gowns to be high or low, off the shoulder, portrait, and sweet heart or to have one sleeve with a trapezium typed neck. Backless gowns will suit you and would expose your beauty especially if your shoulders are fleshy and broad.

The shorter, longer or tea length wedding gowns with flowing and floating materials will look flattering to a variety of body types. There are a wide variety of couture wedding dresses available these days and a bride getting ready for her wedding could easily find one to have a style she adores in one of the online stores. The style should not only compliment your body type but also should make you feel comfortable on the day of your wedding.

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Anthropologie goes bridal

Well, yesterday was the big premiere of Anthropologies new bridal line BHLDN. Did you take a peek? What are your thoughts? I think it definitely fits a certain type of bride; vintage, retro, wealthy (haha!). I did really like some of the social occasion wear dresses and the prices were not that off from normal bridesmaid dresses! I think most of the styles had a fresh vibe to them and, of course, they would be perfect for any social occasion. 

TWIRLED SWEETHEART DRESS - $240 

This dress is featured in the color Dried Lavendar and it is also available in grapefruit, grass and butterfly print (as of this writing they do not show the dress with these different colors or the swatches). The sizes available are 0 - 14. They have left out anyone who wears a size larger than a 14 in the entire line so, I guess, make sure all your maids are on the smaller side (insert a raised eyebrow here). 


There are some dresses I just don't quite understand like this one - is it weird to anyone else that the lace just kind of...ends? 

I am not sure that I am a big fan...yet. The prices points on everything are pretty steep (in my opinion). I was expecting it in the bridal gowns but, purses for $550 and hair pieces (oh they call them adornments) for $825? I just find those things a little hard to swallow...what about you?

Love is in the air!

Can you feel it? Tomorrow is the big day and I hope you are all better prepared then I am! It feels like I have been celebrating Valentine's Day for about 4 days now! It started with 24 handmade valentine's for my daughter's preschool class and then 50 heart cupcakes and every time I get a message on my phone it seems like it has something to do with Valentine's Day. I have seen lot's of items on sale already too! I posted once before about watching for the sales after Valentine's Day! Red, White and Pink are big wedding colors....as well as hearts, cupids and anything to do with the word "Love"! I found some awesome sale items already on Martha Stewart's website:

Martha Stewart Crafts Wood Stamp Set Valentines Day Hearts, Martha Stewart Crafts Large Double Punch Filigree Heart, Martha Stewart Crafts Valentines Day Mini Paper Treat Bags, Martha Stewart Crafts Heart And Love Cupcake Stencil and my FAVORITE item the image in the center Martha Stewart Crafts Valentines Day Mini Cello And Tray Bags. The treat bags (in the center) are $5.99 on Amazon.com and it includes 6 scalloped-edge paper trays, 6 printed cellophane bags, 6 gift tags, and ribbon! 

Hurry Hurry Hurry!

The "pop up" giveaway is on....TODAY ONLY! 

Here is a picture of the bracelet you can win!

Go here for instructions and how to enter...

 

It's all about the Blue Box....

On my goodness! Here is a fun giveaway that just "popped" up....and guess what? It's called a Pop Up Giveaway! How cute! So, check this out...it's such a tease! How about some Love, Kisses (Norman Love Style) and something in a little Blue Box for Valentine’s Day??? 
Ummm...yeah FOR SURE!!! 

What’s in the little blue box??  Check here tomorrow!! Enter the giveaway on Thursday, February 10th (that's tomorrow, folks!). What do you have to do to enter....easy....

You’ll need to Subscribe to WED (for NearlyWeds) which is a new online magazine for brides. They just launched their carbon-neutral and socially connected magazine! It's kinda fun...the magazine has direct links into their little "Wed Town" society where brides can chat it up about their big day or about what they are reading in the magazine! 

Or...if you are a wedding vendor Subscribe to WedBiz Journal (for wedding vendors) and either LIKE them on Facebook or retweet this giveaway info tomorrow — so get ready!! I will be trying my luck for the little blue box (hey, I love them too).

Freebie! DIY Bunting Banner

Good morning!! I thought we could start the day out on a freebie post! While shopping last night on Bake It Pretty, I found this amazing little freebie! Make your own bunting! The pdf files give you the entire alphabet so print out which letters you need (otherwise put 39 pages of paper in your printer!)....the possibilities are endless! 


Red and Blue Bunting
Pink and Green Bunting

Thank you, Bake It Pretty! These are awesome!

Holey Moley! Here is an amazing giveaway I just came across! Enter today and good luck! 

Treasury Giveaway of the Week 

Promo date: February 7, 2011 - February 11, 2011

Etsy Wedding Divas LOVE Collection worth $1,200

HERE'S HOW TO JOIN:

1. Become a fan.
2. "Like" their site.
3. Must leave comment on their website - you will be asked to enter your name, your email address, wedding date. Please read the Official Rules. Just remember, entries are limited to 1 per person per giveaway.

Winner will be announced after the promo period on this website. 

Hurry! This giveaway ends on February 11th!

Handmade Wooden Picture Frames by Organic Bloom

I came across these amazing frames today from a company called Organic Bloom. I got caught reading about their "success" story....and then moving onto their blogs about wedding cakes and all the other fun things they do! I am amazed when I find people who seem to have ALL THIS ENERGY! But, back to these incredible, hand made frames....I love them. Here's the catch....(isn't there always one?) they only sell - exclusively wholesale - to portrait photographers!! This is totally worth checking into with your photographer though...don't you think?!

(Click to enlarge!)

Chesley Summar Photography - Lebanon, TN

Kristin Geerts Photography - Bettendorf, IA 

Surprise Photography - Poughkeepsie, NY