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Know your Wedding Veil

Tip- A wedding veil should represent that signature look of yours.

Worn as an accessory to your hair style or as an enhancement to your dress or just as an excuse to add glamour in your day, a wedding veil is an important part of your wedding wardrobe to complete that signature look of yours and enhance your style.

When should you shop for your wedding veil - the perfect time to choose your wedding veil is after selecting that exquisite dress for your perfect day. Choose your hair style and lastly go and purchase that glamorous veil that will make people turn their heads when you are walking towards the aisle.

Wedding veils and where they came from - in ancient times of Hebrew and Romans wedding veils were worn by brides to bring good luck, present purity and for protection against evil spirits on the wedding day. During traditional times like these, wedding ceremonies were arranged by the groom’s and the bride’s families and therefore the bride and the groom were not allowed to see each other until their wedding day, as it was considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding day.

Today a wedding veil is something important to complete the total look of your wedding wardrobe. Choose according to your dress type and style.

Types of wedding veils - there are several types of wedding veils see the picture. Adapted from http:theringbearer.ca/images
Fly away
Elbow
Finger tip
Ballet
Chapel
Cathedral

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HOLLY AND EDDIE'S CITY HALL WEDDING

Near and dear to my heart always are the weddings that feature one of my very own brides--that is--a bride I've worked with and designed a dress for.  Holly came to me last summer wanting something she could wear for her late October wedding as well as reception eight months later cruising the San Francisco Bay on a yacht. I adore this Chantilly lace and 4-ply crepe dress we designed together.  It's easy and comfy to wear not to mention classy.  Here's what Holly herself had to say about Eddie and the wedding they planned: "We'd been together nearly seventeen years and after living together for nearly fifteen we decided to finally make it official. We wanted our wedding to be at the beautiful Marin Civic Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  We planned everything in just six weeks. We decided on just inviting family to the ceremony and dinner afterwards followed by a bash for friends and family in the Spring.  
It rained the entire week of our wedding date but that morning the sun came out just for us. We met everyone at the civic center and luckily we were able to have the ceremony in the beautiful garden there.  The ceremony was even more beautiful than I could imagine.  The county official was wonderful and that made our vowels even more touching.  I was surprised how happy we both were finally going through this tradition and to share it with our families, now officially joined. 


 






 
 







Special thanks to all of Holly and Eddie's family and friends who donated this medley of photos . . . .
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SHOOT CHIC

Just wanted to give everyone the heads up on our up and coming editorial, High Tea, a medley of images evoking an era when women took tea most days in an English country garden.  I know there are more than a few of you brides out there looking for a kind of Downton Abbey/Gatsby-inspired look for your wedding day. With the help of Jim Vetter, one of my favorite shooters, we made it all happen yesterday at the scenic Marin Art and Garden Center in Marin County, California. Between set ups, I shot a few behind the scenes pics you see here.   Special thanks to the staff and volunteers of MAGC who let us shoot around this magnificent landscape on such a sunny and perfect day . . . . .

 Hair and makeup by Rachel Gardea
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Recipe Rolodex: French Croquembouche | Perfect Dessert for a Shower, Engagement, Anniversary, etc.

I'm thrilled to welcome Heidi Murphy {of White Loft Studio} and Jocelyn Pierce {of Mayflour cake + confection} back today to share another mouth-watering recipe as part of CB's Recipe Rolodex series. Today, the girls are chatting all about the magnificent Croquembouche! Enjoy!


Says Heidi: "With warmer weather upon us, sometimes "less" feels more appropriate for celebrations where a fabulous dessert can take center stage. Served alongside a glass of champagne, in classic coupe garnished with a simple sprig of lavender, this is perfect for sweet celebrations from an intimate shower, engagement celebration, to an anniversary. All of your efforts will go into your Croquembouche creation but worth every effort as this elegant dessert tower really makes any gathering feel truly special. Jocelyn, from Mayflour Cake + Confection, is an experienced pastry chef but this is not beyond reach for any that enjoy their time in the kitchen and are up for a fun challenge. Jocelyn shares some insight and tips below on this treasure of a sweet."



Says Jocelyn: "A Croquembouche is a French dessert composed of pastry puffs, made from pâte à choux, which are built into a cone and bound with threads of caramel. It is often served in France at weddings and other celebrations. The name translates loosely to "crunch in the mouth" which refers to the hard caramel the puffs are dipped in. Traditionally, the pastry puffs are filled with pastry cream, although I like to do a mixture of pastry cream and whipped cream; it makes the filling just a bit lighter and very tasty.



It can be a bit difficult to make, but with such spectacular results, it's worth the time and care put in! A few tips if you want to give it a try:
  1. First, please be careful! Cooked sugar is extremely hot and the smallest stray drop can cause a blister; don't rush, make sure to shake any excess sugar off before moving to build your cone, and have a bowl of ice water ready to dip your hand into if you do get sugar on it. Better yet- wear a double layer of food service gloves!
  2. As soon as you get the color you want on your caramel, dip the pot in an ice bath to stop the cooking, then return to a low heat. You may need to turn the heat up and down as you assemble the Croquembouche to keep your caramel at the right consistency, just keep in mind that it will take on more color as you do.
  3. While you can make your puff pastries a day ahead, the pastry cream and assembly needs to happen the day of the event as pastry cream does not keep well, and moisture and heat can quickly effect the cooked sugar.
  4. A base cone structure can be helpful to build on and then remove, but if your caramel is at the right temperature it will set up immediately and you can build the cone free hand.
  5. The finished Croquembouche looks beautiful adorned with spun sugar and fresh or sugar flowers, and can be a wonderfully dramatic and elegant addition to your celebration!
Oh, if only I could sample that beautiful Croquembouche! Thanks to Jocelyn and Heidi for sharing this gorgeous confection! If you missed their initial debut on CB, check it out here - the duo created a beautiful Molasses Bundt Cake with a Guinness glaze!

Credits:
Photography + styling: Heidi of White Loft Studio
Croquembouche: Jocelyn of Mayflour cake + confection
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Neimaya and Lucas Wedding

Wedding Bells bride Neimaya wed her lover Lucas last month.
Neimaya work with NBC bank, i happen to know her as my banker for three years i bank with NBC, she is very honest, loving and hard working lady. Here is the sneak peak on her special day.

















Groom and best man tuxedos are also from our Wedding Bells men collection 





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