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Cost of a 'Sex and the City' Wedding

    For all you Sex and the City fans out there, this one's for you! 

If you are Carrie Bradshaw's biggest fan (I love her, too), then I know you are tapping your foot and checking your watch for the big release of the Sex and the City movie.  Buy your tickets ahead online now!  Since the previews and reviews have spread the news that Carrie and Big are to be married in the movie, I thought we could examine the potential cost of their on-screen wedding.  The New York Post covered the filming and each detail that went into the wedding scene.  If after seeing the film this weekend you are inspired to throw your own Bradshaw-Big wedding, here is what you can expect:

Carrie is wearing a Vivienne Westwood gown.  Along with the veil, the price of Carrie's wedding gown starts at $18,000.  Average U.S. cost for a wedding gown: $1500

The Christian Dior "Gladiator platforms" Carrie wears for her wedding day cost $770.  Interested?  You can find them on eLuxury.com.  Want them covered in rhinestones?  Add another $100.

Bridesmaids, beware.  Think $300 is pricey to ask your girlfriends to pay for their dresses?  Try $3,000.  The Zac Posen dresses that Miranda wears as a bridesmaid costs $5,300 for floor-length, $3,200 for knee-length.

At the wedding, Carrie carries a bouquet of white roses and ranunculus, costing upward of $350 for the single bouquet.  Her bridesmaids' bouquets would cost around $200 each. 

Want to host your next big event in the same place Carrie does?  The reception is held at New York Public Library's Astor Hall and McGraw Rotunda.  The price for renting the space starts at $50,000.  Don't forget to add on the price of a ceremony space (the library does not allow ceremonies) and transportation to your reception.

Overall, Carrie and Big's Sex and the City wedding would easily cost upward of $1 Million.  Compared to the average U.S. wedding cost of $28,732, this event is definitely not one to be missed!  Have fun at the movies, and let me know how you like it!  I'm seeing it myself Friday!

Summer Time Cakes

    Summer has arrived (at least in hot and humid Florida), and summertime brides are putting the final touches on their wedding details.  One of my favorite parts of planning my own wedding was deciding on--and tasting--the cake!  We chose cupcakes in three flavors with three different colors of icing that was decorated like peonies atop each little cake. 
    For summer weddings, colorful, floral cakes work well to bring the outside in.  Here are some of my (and America's) favorite cakes, as featured on Brides.com.   
                                                  
 
  
 

Wedding at the Ranch

    Jenna Bush and Henry Hager were married last Saturday, May 10, in Crawford, Texas.  The bride wore a beaded organza v-neck gown by Oscar de la Renta that fit the outdoor ranch ceremony perfectly.  Who knew that a presidential wedding could be so understated and intimate?  I love their choice of an outdoor springtime wedding, Jenna's simple and elegant bridal style, and the sweet touches like the Texas limestone cross that served as an altar.  Congrats, newlyweds!  Cheers!

Portraits by Cobblestone Rue

    One of my very best friends, Dawn, is expecting her first baby any day now, and one of my favorite photographers, Garrett Nudd, has recently launched a "couture portrait studio" called Cobblestone Rue.   Together, they teamed up to shoot Dawn's pre-baby portraits and the results are amazing.  Garrett and his wife Joy shoot tons of creative and couture wedding photography, and have now found a way to continue documenting the lives of their brides by shooting pregnancy photos and baby photos down the road.  For some, including myself, traditional pregnancy photos can be almost uncomfortable to look at for anyone but the parents-to-be.  Garrett's take on photography, however, captures scenes and emotions that are true art.  For those of you still looking for engagement/wedding/portrait photographers, take a minute to check out Garrett's site and blog. 

Other portraits by Garrett Nudd:

Engagement Journaling

    As any bride will tell you, your engagement and wedding will go by in the blink of an eye!  Looking back at my own 7 month engagement, there were so many decisions to be made and little obstacles to overcome that a lot of my planning just blends together.  Over time, I will forget about some of the choices we made for our wedding and some of the funny stories about that time in our lives.  I am not a diary-keeper but sometimes wish I were, as it is so easy to forget special moments and events.  Today I came across the easiest and possibly most fun to look back on way to journal: keeping a Record of the day.  This is a useful way to record and itemize ideas when planning any event, but could be done daily on index cards to record thoughts at the end of your day.  Here are some wedding-inspired cards.  Grab a set of 4x6 index cards and you're good to go!

Modern Ring Bearer Pillows

    In our wedding, we didn't have a ring bearer, because a) we didn't know any boys little enough for the job, and b) I've seen too many cheesy ring bearer pillows.  Turns out I didn't look hard enough.  If I could have a re-do, I might have had the flower girl carry the rings down on one of these adorable "pillows" (more like ring displays).  My sister served as our flower girl and carried down a small, moss-covered basket filled with petals.  To fit the theme, I suppose she could have carried this instead:

A little bird's nest holding two rings would definitely have fit the bill.  Here are other ring bearer "pillows" I found on Etsy--it seems you really can find a fitting display to get those rings down the aisle in style.

Celeb Engagement News

    Another celebrity couple has announced their engagement--this time it's Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds, who have been dating a little under a year.  No wedding date has been set. 

Super Chic Bridesmaids

    The latest bridal party dresses are sweet and chic, very feminine, and very flirty.  I know that "re-wearing" a bridesmaid's dress is usually a joke, but I'd wear any of these to a party, as a guest at a wedding, or just a night out with the girls.

    It seems that anything goes now for bridesmaids attire.  Still, consider the theme and tone of your wedding, and how formal your wedding gown is.  If you're wearing an crystal-beaded ball gown, then go for floor length bridesmaid dresses and amp up the girls' jewelry.  Wearing lace or a simple sheath?  Dress the bridal party down a notch by offering them different styles of brighter colored dresses in a flowing chiffon or taffeta.   Your bridal party can be wearing a shade in the same color family as the rest of the wedding decor, and it's ok if they aren't in exactly the same dress as each other.