Monday, February 23, 2009

Planning Wedding = Nesting Instinct



Photos Courtesy of Chewing the Cud

With shows about Bridezillas, and Nightmare Weddings - it is just as likely that a bride will feel self conscious about her wedding, as it is for her to go crazy with it. In fact, many of the brides I work with are overly apologetic about things such as "wasting my time," or "being too picky."

It's your party girls - live it!

Let's face it, women are all a little bit crazy when it comes to getting hitched, but I would like to argue that there is historical precedent for this!

In Europe, and even in the frontier days of America, it was common for a woman's mother to start her dowry or dowry chest when she was an infant. Women learn to anticipate this great coming together, where a woman leaves her tribe and joins that of another. She prepares for it mentally, and in many countries and cultures women still make physical preparations such as amassing linens and household items to bring with her to new her home.

In modern America most women do not have a dowry chest. We do not sit around coal burning stoves and embroider pillow cases for a future life we don't even have a glimpse of yet. In fact, most psychologists would probably deem this type of anticipation unhealthy.

Despite the possibility of running amok against 100 years of psychological research, the secret anthropologist in me sees the parallel between getting married and the nesting instinct and finds it to be a beautiful expression of love, and emerging independence.

Planning a wedding is a chance for a woman to show her family, her friends, and most of all - her husband - how seriously she takes their marriage and partnership.

If you need help relating to your future bride, or sister who is getting married, or best friend, then picture this:

A blue jay building her nest, frantically adding scraps of newspaper, pieces of grass, old leaves and even her own feathers! She is past the mating stage. She is finished preening for on-lookers and potential suitors. She is now in the process of making her bed, so that she can lie in it.

Getting married is the first phase in building a home with your new partner, and best friend. There's no shame in that!





Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day !

For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.
Rainer Maria Rilke

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/36/113817618_d11e781111.jpg?v=0

Friday, February 6, 2009

Kryptonite


Photos: Jill Broussard
p.s. peep her new BLOG


Here was my submission piece for the Feb NACE meeting held at Ducky Bob's here in Dallas.

Components: slag glass, LED lights, pink roses, milk glass pedestal bowl.

My table theme was: A socialite is turning 50 and is throwing herself a birthday party. She wants it to speak of vintage Hollywood Glamour and she is fascinated with Marilyn Monroe. She also wants a centerpiece design that no one has seen before.

So - I also made individual place card settings for each guest using Marilyn's pic, and tucked a rose into each napkin ring.

The lighting was pretty bad inside of the showroom, but hopefully some pics of the piece on the table will surface shortly.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Why Fashion Matters (to me)


I am in love with Oscar de la Renta.

Two weeks ago I was walking through Northpark Mall and was transfixed by a beautiful blue and white strapless gown. I have not been able to find a photo of it since then on either Oscar's website or through any of their other vendors. It was stunning.

And although I have no doubt that this gown was probably more than $5,000.00 - it made me happy to look at it. I thought about that gown for the rest of the day. It was an art piece. The lines were thoughtful and crisp. The colors were simple but striking. It was not gaudy and it was not loud - but if a woman walked into a party wearing this gown there would be no ignoring her.

It was classic. It was playful. It was inspiring.

These three traits are the reason that fashion matters to me. It's a collage of both mass opinion and creativity. We wear it. We live in it. We agonize over it. We celebrate it.

Enjoy this Grecian gown from the Spring 2009 ready to wear line.

Lovely. Impractical. Luxe.