Show me a girl who doesn’t love shoes and I’ll show you a liar. There’s just something about a new pair of heels that make you walk taller (metaphorically and literally), with more confidence, and maybe even a hint of sass. I love shoes and I’ve been come to be known amongst my friends as a bit of a shoe whore even. All brands from Payless to Manolo are in my closet and I love each and every pair.

So when it comes to the shoes I wear for my wedding- they’ve gotta be something special. And I’m not worried about comfort. You’re talking to the girl who wore high heeled boots on walking tours of London and ballet flats hiking up muddy trails in Napa the day I got engaged. And I’m convinced that all these years of self inflicted feet torture has only been in preparation for my wedding shoes. I’m prepared to endure for a pair of 5 inch beauties. I’ve been on a major shoe hunt for about a year. Yes, an entire year I have scoured shoe sites for the perfect foot adornment. I want black to go with the rest of my accessories and also so I can wear them again. White bridal shoes are rarely able to be worn after your day and colorful wedding shoes are a new trend, not to mention incredible practical for potential use later on. Here are a few of my favorites-

Badgley Mischka “Carlton” found at Nordstrom.

Tony Bianco “Grettel” Sadly only distributed in Australia and New Zealand.

Christian Loubouin “Declic Glitter Pumps” found at Saks.

Martinez Valero “Ozzie” found at Zappos. I believe these are a Louboutin look-a-like for a budget savvy bride with style.

Stuart Weitzman “Larosa” found on StuartWeitzman.com. These are my personal favorites and current front-runner for my wedding day. They would go perfectly with my belt!!

If you’re a fellow shoe whore who shares a passion for all that is tall let me know what you think! And please post a link to your favorite shoe if you’ve got it! I’d love some opinions and always open to other options and suggestions. You can never have too many.

And because of my post title- if you haven’t seen this YouTube video… watch it! Let’s get some shoes. Betch.

If you’re planning your wedding and haven’t heard of Etsy- go there now. You can find anything you need and customize it to your desire with experienced designers. Invitations, jewelry, garters, pillows, gifts, articles of clothing, truly anything can be found and designed specifically for you. I found a few items that I want to share.

I found my headpiece on Etsy for a fabulous $45 through Brendasbridalveils. And just recently I purchased my sash/belt for my dress from EmiciBridal. The designer is Marie and she makes gorgeous sashes, pillows, and headpieces and is happy to customize anything you need. Her belt that I found was beautiful as is but I wanted it a little longer and sewn on top of a black ribbon so it won’t snag my dress. She’s making the alterations and my belt should be here in a couple weeks. I can’t wait to see it! The original belt is $125 and with my customizations I’m paying $200. Totally worth it considering other belts in bridal salons are easily twice this much and not as well made. This is the belt without my requested customizations-

Another one of my favorite Etsy vendors is Cathy5591. She makes some beautiful, delicate necklaces including this original beauty that gracefully decorates the brides back. And these pieces are a total steal $45-$60.

And check out these gorgeous bolero jackets from Tiana Che. Perfect for a bride who wants a little extra style or warmth. And no matter what color you choose, you can wear these long after the wedding is over as an awesome statement piece with a cute pair of jeans and some heels. HUGE plus. They are priced around $200.

These earrings ($119) are also a love of mine. They don’t necessarily go with the rest of my accessories otherwise, I’d buy them myself. But Lizardi Bridal makes really beautiful vintage looking jewelry and will customize any of her pieces to be perfect for you.

As I mentioned, these items are all at great prices and significantly less than what you’d pay at a bridal salon. Do some shopping around before you commit to your jewelry. These are pieces that you’ll want to keep around and even potentially pass down to family members or friends getting married. Work with a designer whose style you love and see if they can help you create those special pieces just for you or your bridesmaids. Enjoy!

So we got our cake!!! I’m so happy. I originally saw this design on an episode of Cake Boss where buddy was designing it for a Brides Magazine photo shoot. I saw the photo in the magazine and immediately ripped it out to add to my “inspiration” photo pile. I didn’t think there was any remotely possible way to get this cake knowing that the detail work would be incredibly time intensive and therefore expensive. (According to the magazine photo, the cake is about $15 per slice.)

But thanks to the AMAZING bakery, Muscoreil’s, here in Buffalo and the wonderful owner Dave, we have worked out a version of this cake that can be mine all mine AND still stay in the budget!!!

Our cake will be a square, 4-tiered version of this cake with no flowers. (In your head remove the bottom and top layer from the picture and that is what our cake will look like.) We wanted to keep it simple yet striking and stay with our classic black and white theme. The delicate black piping is almost lace-like which fits in with the lace textures we are working into the design of our wedding. We picked buttercream icing and chose 2 cake flavors in alternating tiers- white almond cake with raspberry filling and chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and raspberry filling. And Muscoreil’s doesn’t just make gorgeous cakes… they make gorgeous cakes that taste just as delicious as they look.

I just had to share this photo because the cake is unbelievable. I couldn’t be happier!!!

But- just a heads up who share my black and white vision- the bakery told us to make sure you don’t have too much black on your cake because there’s so much dye in the black icing, it can turn yours and your guests’ mouths black!

I’ve written a couple posts about where to begin your wedding planning, but sometimes you just need a little help. Now, I’m not usually one to promote specific events, because I don’t like to point brides in a direction where they’re going to leave feeling more overwhelmed than when they started. I also don’t like bridal events very much because the vendors can get extremely pushy and that is so not my style.

That being said, I recently heard about a great event coming up here in the great city of Columbus put on by some of the best in the wedding business and I couldn’t resist telling you about it!

This bridal workshop, What To Do Before Saying I Do, promises to be filled with great information and how to’s, so you can get all the knowledge you need to jump into wedding planning full force. This is your opportunity to learn the dos and don’ts from premiere wedding vendors in the area. You can ask them whatever you like and get your questions answered. This is also a fabulous opportunity to gush with other brides (including yours truly!) about your upcoming nuptials and get some fresh and creative ideas that will set your wedding apart from a sea of tulle and beading.

The event is FREE. Yes you heard me… FREE and it promises to be fun and educational and there is no obligation whatsoever to hire any of the vendors. But you’re welcome to if you’d like what you see or hear! You’re also welcome to bring a guest with you. (See below for RSVP information.)

Where: The Loft at Smith Brothers 580 North 4th Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215
When: Sunday, February 28, 2010 from 12pm-3pm

Vendors Present Will Include:
Alice’s Piece of Cake
Bloomtastic Florist
So Inviting Designs
DK Photographic
Emilie Duncan Event Planning
T.E.A.M DJ
MJ’s Candy & Events
Cameron Mitchell

Light Hors d’oeurves will be provided by Cameron Mitchell and there will also be door prizes given away!

A reservation is required. For questions and to RSVP, email your name and if you will be bringing a guest to: rsvp@bloomtastic.com

As mentioned, I will be attending so if you decide to come, please leave me a comment or tweet me so I know to look out for you and say hello! I’d love to meet you and hear all about your plans that is, as long as you don’t mind listening to some of mine too!

So if you know me at all or follow me on twitter, you’re probably aware that I have been laid off for the better part of a year. I was let go from my job last year during this lovely economy and struggled to find something new. Finally I have landed a new gig that promises to be challenging, fun, creative, and incredibly rewarding. I am the new Web Content Producer at ThisWeek Community Media. I’m on my second week and already my head is spinning with possibilities and new information! I love what I’m learning and all the people I work with. This job is exactly what I needed and have been hoping for. I’m so excited to do the things I love everyday as a career.

I also just turned 25 on February 3rd. I’ve heard turning 25 scares a lot of people but this was a birthday I was ready to embrace. It was a quiet and contemplative day and I tried to reflect on what I learned in the last year. This has been a year of exciting events as well as complicated challenges. But overall it was a year of growth in all areas of my life and I am extremely grateful for it. I have wonderful people in my life and overall I am the happiest I’ve ever been. My mind has been opened to possibilities and opportunities that I never thought possible both personally and professionally. I’ve made some great new friends and have been overwhelmed by the community support and encouragement I’ve received from people I’ve never even met. (Twitter rocks!) I’ve gotten rid of some toxic friends and improved my other relationships with those amazing, one of a kind type friends. (Marissa and Miranda- I’m talking about you!) I also feel that my relationship with my sister has grown stronger over the last year and I’m so lucky to have her there for me. But most of all I’m so excited to marry my best friend and love of my life. Chris impresses, amazes, and infatuates me every day and I truly can’t believe I will get to spend the rest of my life with him.

Not to mention that having this new job also makes wedding planning a little easier considering I will actually be able to contribute to our budget. I feel strongly that all couples should contribute something to their wedding budget and I was worried that I might not have been able to. Planning a wedding is really stressful and this new job actually takes some of that stress off of me. (Yeah- a job that takes stress away- how cool is that?)

I wanted to take a little time as well to thank you. I have a wonderful loyal readership and the people who send me emails and ask questions and tweet me are some of the most genuine, awesome people I’ve meet over the last year. Especially you Columbus peeps and the people who helped encourage me to never give up over this tough year. I have found support in people I’ve never met (and some I have briefly) and yet you have been so kind and helpful to me. When I announced I’d finally landed this new job, the flood of congratulations and well wishes I received was overwhelming. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.

Seriously- thank you.