New York Fashion Week always makes me happy.  No, I don’t have the joy of actually attending, although maybe someday! {Fingers crossed!}

Fashion Week means it’s time for the next Pantone Color Report to make its debut.  And OH, how I love some of these colors!

Although it’s not too obvious since our website/blog re-design, our corporate color is turquoise.  And there it is, at the top of the list for 2010 Spring Colors – Pantone 15-5519.  My heart skipped a beat!

And who can help but love a color called Tomato Puree?!  And Pink Champagne – my fave!

But even beyond the greatness of the Spring Color Report is the fun of a whole new concept from Pantone and The Dessy Group. Pantone Wedding is a way to create inspiration boards to share and order color swatches to go with them! So much fun to play with.

You may have heard about Adorn fine jewelry rental recently on The CBS Early Show, or read about them in USA Today.  If you haven’t, here’s the deal.

You get to wear lots of expensive jewelry on your wedding day, without breaking your budget.

It’s that simple.

You go to the Adorn website, search through their online catalog for just the right pieces to compliment your look, and place your order.  Your jewelry arrives two business days before the wedding, and comes with return packaging to send it back.  Best of all, our friends get 25% off! Just use promo code SNAA016 at checkout!!

View the Full-Size Adorn Promo Flyer

Remember, use promo code SNAA016 to receive 25% OFF!!

Essense of Australia is launching their new couture line, Martina Liana and Love, A Bridal Boutique in Jacksonville Beach is hosting an exclusive presentation of the new Couture Bridal Line!  The trunk show will be held September 4-5, 2009.  Contact Love, A Bridal Boutique at (904) 242-9800 for reservations.

I could describe some the gowns’ amazing details, but think I will just share a few of my favorites (be forewarned, few things make me as happy as sparkles and lace).  These gowns are from Martina Liana’s 2009 collection…imagine what 2010 is going to bring!

What bride doesn’t want to have great hair for their hairstylist to brag about on their wedding day? Even though you may not be doing your hair on your big day, it’s still nice for the stylist to have an easy-to-work with mane that isn’t overdried or full of breakage.

There are tons of hair care products that claim to reduce the wear and tear that daily conditions put on your hair. While some of those may actually live up to what they say, you are really in control of the majority of damage that your tresses undergo. You ask, “How is that?” Well, my friend, it all comes down to heat exposure. If you are the kind of gal that takes a hot shower every day, followed by blow drying and straightening and/or rolling, chances are you’re hair could stand a break.

You may think you have no other options, but you would be surprised to learn there are actually many alternatives if you get creative. Instead of a hot shower, maybe try warm water. From personal experience, I have found that when I rinse my hair with cool water, after about a week, I had fewer dead ends. Next in the process, you could attempt using the cool setting for drying your hair, just be careful with letting the ends of your hair beat in the wind, as this is also very rough on your locks. When it comes to straighteners and rollers, there really is no easy way around it. If you want straight-as-a-board hair, or you just love having that Barbie bounce, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I would suggest testing out a few new styles. I have recently discovered that a side braid is very stylish and doable, but I don’t have to actually do anything to my hair before braiding it. Another personal favorite of mine is having tousled hair. Some may be afraid of not being able to pull it off, but if you don’t try it, you’ll never know!

So, don’t forget… you have the power! When in doubt about styling or tips, don’t be afraid to search the internet. Fifty percent of the world is made up of women. The chances that some of those women are wondering the same things as you are highly possible!

(photo from TheKnot.com)

One of the most important pieces to a bride’s outfit on her wedding day is her shoes. While it is common for a bride to wear a pair of shoes she already has, many brides purchase a new pair of shoes for this special occasion. At the end of her wedding day, the last thing any bride would want is a blister. Unfortunately, new shoes are the epitome of such a situation. On the bright side, there are a few ways this unwelcome occurrence can be avoided!

Before purchasing, make sure the shoes you are interested in fit properly. Blisters usually occur because a shoe is too tight or too loose. If a shoe store does not offer the size you need for the shoe you love, ask them if they can check other stores for you. If this does not work, check the internet. Considering that another culprit of blisters is sweating, ensure that your shoe has plenty of breathing room for your foot. These are very important factors to keep in mind before you buy your wedding day shoes.

After making the purchase, wear your new pair around the house for a few hours. This way, you will not only break them in, but you can also make sure they don’t blister in places like your heel, or pinky toe. If they do blister, you have two options. You can either exchange that pair for a different one, or arrange to wear Band-Aids in the proper places on your wedding day.

If you plan correctly, blisters and unpleasant foot pains can be easily avoided simply by taking a few extra steps before your wedding.

(photo courtesy of La Dolce Vita Studio, from Michelle and Jamaal’s April wedding)

I was just looking over the 2009 Fall Color Report from Pantone, and realized that I hadn’t posted about it.  Here’s a peak if you haven’t see the hot colors for fall:

Download the Pantone Fall 2009 Color Report (PDF)

I ♥ so many of these color combinations.  The possibilities are endless!  What are your favorites?  Are you using any of them in your fall wedding?

I saw these gorgeous creations on the Something Old, Something New blog yesterday and just had to share them!  As a true Southern girl I love pearls, but these are really something special.  They have a classic and vintage feel while adding the little more glitz.

Be sure to check out the complete collection from PenelliBelle on Etsy!