Always A Blogsmaid » Shopping Ops

AABNJ Glamour Event … Update!

Salome — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:38:17 +0000

Well it pains me to say this, but due to the ongoing wintry mix tomorrow’s Glamour Event in Englewood will be canceled. We will absolutely be rescheduling the event for a later date and will be sure you ladies are taken care of with luxurious services, surprise discounts & tons of other fun treats. In fact, we have several new raffle prizes already in the works ladies!

Those of you in the NJ/NYC area (and beyond) try to stay warm, dry & safe. I think this could be a fabulous couch, movie and hot cocoa night. Does anyone drink hot cocoa anymore? Does Swiss Miss still have a job? Well no matter, a nice bottle of wine works too!

Sal

Glamour Event – Hosted by AABNJ & BBF

Salome — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:12:19 +0000

Don’t you think it’s about time you had a little GLAM in your life?

So excited to invite you to our Glamour Event, hosted by Always a Bridesmaid New Jersey & Bride’s Best Friends! Bride’s Best Friends is an adorable bridesmaid’s salon in Englewood, NJ with an incredible selection which includes dresses for mothers & flower girls. We are teaming up to offer you a lovely afternoon of fashion, cocktails, beauty and wedding planning rescue. Stop by next Saturday the 27th to enjoy amazing discounts on beautiful dresses & wedding consulting services. In true Glam style – treat yourself to a complimentary hair & make-up trial by none other than Model Bride. Oh wait, did I forget to mention there will also be trunk show from the lovely Liz Fields Bridesmaids Collection and a free raffle with sweet prizes?

Ladies, RSVP quickly on this one. Champagne and Mimosa’s on a Saturday afternoon. Love.

Salome

Exquisite Bride : Gowns Giving Back

Salome — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:16:39 +0000

A little late in getting this out to you but there is still time!! Our lovely friends over at Exquisite Bride in Millburn are digging deep and giving back. For every bridal gown sold from January 21, 2010, to February 21, 2010, Exquisite Bride is donating a percentage of the sales to the Red Cross Haiti Relief.

The store is amazing, selection breathtaking & the team outstanding. This is the ultimate win-win ladies, select a stunning gown and partner with Exquisite Bride in their philanthropic plight.

Exquisite Bride is located in Millburn, New Jersey (just minutes from the short hills mall)

110 Essex Street

973-379-4450

www.exquisite-bride.com

Salome

Borrowed Bling

Salome — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:12:44 +0000

Yet another awesome “wedding related” company/service that I plan to add to my 2010 must-do list. Adorn Brides is a great company with a great concept, perhaps you have heard of them or even read about them here on the Blogsmaid ?? They specialize in jewelry rental for weddings and other special events. Actually, let me rephrase that – special jewelry for any event.

The process is simple, the prices are reasonable, and the product is stunning. I’ve pulled a few pics below of my favorites but there are many more options to peruse. Its a very organized system and all pieces come fully insured so yes, please feel free to party like a rock star. As long as the pieces you desire are available on the date of your event, you can borrow beautiful jewels for your special day. Whether it’s the perfect bracelet to compliment your grandmother’s antique earrings, a jaw-dropping statement necklace or a simple, delicate diamond pendant, Adorn Brides has you covered. Not only do they offer single pieces but they also have jewelry sets which are perfect for those of us who want to take the guess work out of it but still want to make sure we look put together and fabulous!

Great options for bridesmaids too! If you want your girls to have the same look, why not go the rental route to be sure they will all be looking pristine in their identical or complimentary jewels. Have a lot of ladies to tend to? No worries…discounts on orders for multiple bridesmaid sets .

Check out these beauties below…

Sapphire & Diamond Jewelry Set

Brighton Wedding Jewelry Set

Rental Price: $1,050 (Retail Value: $51,000.00)

Princess Bridal Jewelry Set

Denton Bridal Jewelry Set

Rental Price: $590 (Retail Value: $22,850.00)

Vintage Diamond Jewelry Set

Waverly Bridal Jewelry Set

Rental Price: $590 (Retail Value: $22,000.00)

Classic Pearl Jewelry Set

Fairford Pearl Jewelry Set

Rental Price: $440 (Retail Value: $20,800.oo)

Diamond Chandelier Necklace

Lockwood Necklace

Rental Price: $490 (Retail Value: $24,000.00)

Fancy Yellow Diamond Necklace

Crestwood Necklace

Rental Price: $1,900.00 (Retail Value: $17,500.00)

Pearl Diamond Bracelet

Riley Bracelet

Rental Price: $290 (Retail Value: $10,000.00)

Diamond Cuff Bracelet

Chadwick Bracelet

Rental Price: $490 (Retail Value: $21,000.00)

AND, the lovely crew at Adorn Brides are hooking up our readers once again…style savvy Always a Blogsmaid readers please use the code 20FSBLOG to receive 20% off AND free shipping, for all orders placed before January 31st 2010. Budget friendly beauties!!

Salome

Crazy for Custom Clutches

Salome — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:47:29 +0000

So excited to tell you all about {AO3} Designs! I adore this company and all of their beautiful and fun bags.

First, let’s take a look at some gorgeous bridal clutches. For brides who would like to infuse a little vintage and very personal touch, if you send {AO3} a piece of fabric or anything similar, they can create a custom clutch – the {Something Old to Something New} Bridal Clutch. Below, see a before and after where {AO3} Designs crafted a custom piece from the sleeve from a vintage family wedding dress.

Something Old

Something New - Front View

Something New - Back

Cool concept right? Ah, and just so pretty!

A few other classic bridal options…

And of course, we can’t forget about those beloved bridesmaids. There are quite literally hundreds of color combinations to choose from for your ladies. There are beautiful collections and patterns, many of which can be accented with a ribbon or fabric of your choice to compliment your colors. You can choose different patterns all with the same accent, or flip it around. Imagine the possibilities!

A quick look at the options for accent colors -

And if you would like to add a little something extra, for just a bit more you can include a monogram inside each bag – initials, wedding date? hmm….

And here is just a selection of a few other clutches I love. But trust me, there are waaay to many pretty pieces to even scratch the surface.

Oh goodness, this pretty little number has a hand strap on the back to make it easier and more comfortable to carry. Which in my mind translates to: with a little bit of practice, I should be able to carry my bag and my drink in one hand

Ohhh I love wristlets, I will definitely be rockin’ these come springtime! Who needs a wedding or special occasion to wear a cute bag? Seriously?

As an extra special bonus {AO3} Designs will be offering Always a Blogsmaid readers a 10% discount on any orders placed before January 15th 2010. To take advantage of this offer, simply contact Angela at info@ao3designs.com and let her know that you found her at the Blogsmaid!

xHappy Holidaysx,

Salome

Spa Week!!

Mayra Castillo — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:57:10 +0000

Am I the only person in the city who had never heard of Spa Week?? I was out with one of my college friends the other night and her cousin was telling us about these glorious sounding spa treatments she was getting done this week. I wondered, why didn’t she spread them out? It sounded like a lot of pampering all in one week. She looked at me like I was crazy when I asked her (yeah, I didn’t just think it) and told me all about Spa Week. Participating spas offer a list for $50 treatments. Where have I been? I’ve already purchased something!

Ladies, be sure to act quickly! You only have until this Sunday to take advantage of these great deals!

P.S. If you buy a gift certificate, the holder has until the end of the month to utilize their treatment!

Oh Jeeves!

Mayra Castillo — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:11:43 +0000

Yesterday afternoon on my way back from Coney Island I decided to stop by my dry cleaners to pick up some stuff. Coney Island? Yeah, Xochitl and I are obsessed with people watching at ChaCha’s on the boardwalk and try to get out there once every summer. Anywho I stopped by and he said my stuff wasn’t ready, so I headed on my merry way. As soon as I turned the corner I heard someone screaming, but I figured it’s Brooklyn, so I kept walking. Turns out my clothes WERE ready…and he chased me three blocks until I realized he was yelling at me to get me to come back. Isn’t that so nice? People lie when they say New Yorkers aren’t nice. I was so excited that I gave him the flowers I had bought at the deli…and he gave me a hug.

I was already feeling high about dry cleaning this morning, and Xochitl happened to be meeting with Gerard atJeeves. I HAD to drop in on the meeting! A few weeks back a bride had them pick up her dress for cleaning and we were very impressed by their service, so we called them up to share a little bit of info. With such an expensive and sentimental dress, our brides often wonder where they should take their gown for dry cleaning and/or preservation…and we want to give you all the best options!

Jeeves picks and delivers your gown for free. Sounds unimportant right? It is not. You will be so happy to not have to lug your gown around after the wedding. Trust me on this one. They are also the only company recommended by Vera Wang, so if you have purchased a Vera Wang dress, then you might have already heard of them. Needless to say, they know how to handle a great dress!

If you still haven’t made arrangements for your dress and think you might book them, then take advantage of the discount that they are offering to our blog readers! Go to this link and you will be able to take advantage of $125 off your service.

Lucious Lashes

The Blogsmaid — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:20:59 +0000

You can file this one under “what will they think of next”, but I have to tell you that my new, favorite “Must Have” wedding related beauty treatment are eyelash extensions! I know, I know, how over the top can you get…… but seriously, they are absolutely amazing. I saw my friends from My Hair and Makeup months ago and noticed Claudia and Debbie had the most AMAZING lashes. They were absolutely captivating! Because I live to blog about these things, I set up an appointment to try it out. Two hours later, I was out the door and I was HOOKED. For six weeks, I was complimented again and again on my eyes, and I pretty much ran out of the house without make up, because, well, who needs makeup when you have AMAZING eye lashes!!!! (Mayra called them RIDICULOUS eye lashes, but WHO CARES what Mayra thinks). Eventually they all fell out, like your regular eye lashes would- they are bonded to your real lashes with surgical glue, and for about a week I went around with my puny, normal, human lashes. Then, in a panic, I realized that my college reunion was coming up and I could NOT show up without my super lashes. Here is the before.

And here is the after!

WOW, right?! Anyway, I think it’s a great way to add a little something to your look and it will last through the honeymoon and into the weeks when you are back in the office (at least after all that excitement is over, you can take comfort in the lash envy your co-workers will feel). Mention the blog post when you call My Hair and Makeup and the ladies will give you 10% off your lashes! As for my reunion, A BLAST! I literally partied like it was 1999. Rah, Rah Brunonia!!! Here’s a pic of the lashes in action with my friend Cathryn at out 10 year tent- btw, those seem to be her real lashes…. not fair.

Too Hip Groomsmen Gifts

The Blogsmaid — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:25:08 +0000

I was out of the office for most of the day today… I had a final walk through for Max and Mara's wedding which is this weekend at the Bowery. It's also like a college reunion for me, since many of my classmates will be there! The rest of my day was spent being on a panel at West Brooklyn Community High School's Career Day. I spoke with two other entrepreneurs (whose businesses seemed much cooler than mine; wedding planning is awesome, but I don't know if it's cool, per se, especially to high school kids). One of my Co-Panelists is a partner/ Marketing Manager at this awesome company called Flud Watches. I kind of think they are the PERFECT gift for the ultra-hip groomsmen out there! Plus, because I think like a wedding planner, the solid color digital ones are a great way to work in an accent color in those photos!!

The Carrie Dress, postponed

The Blogsmaid — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:41:10 +0000

Much like the wedding of Big and Carrie, the unveiling of the Carrie Dress at Gabriella New York, set to happen last night, was postponed… Hopefully, just as in the movie, when the event does happen (which will be soon!) we will all be more excited and more prepared than we were set to be the first time.

If you hadn't heard the news, Gabriella is, for a limited time taking orders for only 30 reproductions of the famous Carrie dresses. Once the dress is launched I will keep you posted because there will only be two days to place your orders for the 15,000 gowns.

I can't lie, I was sorry the event was postponed. I had been excited a) to see Gabriella's take on the gown and b) to go to an event held in honor of a piece of clothing. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on the date of the new event/ when the window opens for placing your orders.