Fab Cynthia Rowley at Target

I just visited our local Target and there’s a huge new display of outdoor, beach, picnic, and party goods by everyone’s favorite entertainer, Cynthia Rowley. You can find a fair amount of it on the Target website here, but I found lots of stuff that isn’t on the website when I went in person (like fun paper goods and decorative items!). If you have a Target registry, don’t pass these up:

Plastic fruit tumblers are $23.99 for set of 12:

Sailboat pocket tote bag with mini-binoculars makes a cute bridesmaid gift ($16.99):

Rattan 12-piece melamine dinnerware set (just $19.99 and also comes in pink!!):

Madras plaid steel beverage tub could look great at an outdoor reception ($12.99):

But here’s the high-low find of all time.

Tiffany & Co used to have the “Fruits” ceramic bowl and tray pictured below (since discontinued, but relatively pricey I assure you):

Here’s Rowley’s melamine fruit bowl and platter set ($13.99) and fruit tray ($9.99) that give you much the same, summery look for bargain prices!

This colorful, retro-cool stuff is great for an outdoor pre-wedding BBQ, rehearsal dinner, farewell brunch, or even a DIY wedding by the sea.

Love it, love Rowley!

Article on the RSVP

There’s a great article critiquing the waning tendency to RSVP in today’s NY Times Style section.  Check it out here.

From everything I’ve heard from people who’ve been through this before, people apparently will not RSVP to your wedding. This seems totally shocking, but I think this article sheds some light on why it happens.

Fashion Freakout

I just found this picture of Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag from “The Hills” at today’s Kentucky Derby and…

…I think he’s wearing our groomsmen tie! Nooooooooo! Gross!!

We’re doing tri-colored (pink, green, blue) bridesmaid dresses and ties, and this appears to be the Glen Plaid Stripe tie from Brooks Brothers.

This is very bad. Spencer sux!

Shower Rehash

It’s been a couple of weeks since my absolutely wonderful NYC shower (thanks the NYC bridesmaids who put together an incredible party!). We had brunch, games, gifts, and cupcakes in mix-and-match teacups (and everyone got to take their teacup home as party favor with a delicious Citrus Mint tea pyramid by Tea Forte (mmm…)) - see below:

I thought the invitation that the hostesses (we’ll just call them C, A, & J…) selected was so gorgeous, I had to share it with you guys.

In the interest of privacy, certain key phrases have been altered:

It’s from Wedding Paper Divas, and you can feel free to copy this pretty look. I love it!
Thank you again for my fun bridal shower! Dressing up in a tissue paper wedding dress was never more fun.

In the door and into the oven!

A wedding gift arrived today: the Williams-Sonoma Popover Pan!

For any reader who’s ever had popovers, you know that these eggy baked concoctions are pure heaven on earth. I did a little jig when I saw what was inside the box (which I’ll get to later), and immediately whipped up some popover batter.

THIS PAN IS AMAZING.

I’d made popovers tons of times before in muffin tins, but this pan lets you make them on a whole other level. They are super-easy to prepare, and they come out absolutely, magazine-quality perfect. This would really wow a group of houseguests or just be a fantastic weekend surprise!

Check out my popovers (the only two left since we pounced the minute they came out of the oven. These are the runts of the litter!):

My only gripe is a broader one about Williams-Sonoma: Everything arrives in massive boxes with tons of interior packaging and foam peanuts. I realize that they have to make sure things arrive in one piece, but the size of some of these boxes has been utterly ridiculous.

Here is a photo of all the packaging that came with this single, relatively small popover pan:

It looks absurd, right?!?

So get thee to a Williams-Sonoma store and buy thyself a popover pan… without the surplus packing!

Tag! You’re It!

I have been tagged by Jessica at Tying the Knot. Yay!

I am still relatively new to the world of blogging, but I think this is a good thing.
RULES:
1) you link back to the person who tagged you.
2) post these rules on your blog.
3) share six unimportant things about yourself.
4) tag six random people at the end of your entry.
5) let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs

OK, six random things about me….

1. I devour anything with caramel. I believe the best caramels in the world are the Celtic Sea Salt caramels from Bequet in Montana (see here).

2. I lost my first tooth in third grade (I was a very late bloomer!!).

3. We’re having cupcakes from Buttercup Bake Shop in NYC at our wedding. I like the yellow ones, so we’ll likely do a yellow and white color combination.

4. I am terrified of bats (see photo below- totally horrifying).

5. I am not terrified of spiders, which has made me the de facto spider hunter in our house. I’ve gotten really good at catching them and getting them outside ASAP.

6. I hopped onto the Ugg and Juicy Couture terry sweatsuit trends late, but I am clinging to both for dear life because they are so darned comfortable. Don’t judge me.

I tag:

Ocean State Bride

The Knot Interested

Snippet and Ink

The Preppy Wedding

That Bride

With this ring I obsess

Interesting NYT article on Jenna Bush’s wedding

Jenna Bush is getting married very soon, on May 10th to be precise. The New York Times published an interesting article discussing Jenna’s decision to have a “small” 200 guest wedding at her family’s ranch in TX over a sumptuous White House affair. See article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/fashion/20WEDDING.html?_r=1&ref=style&oref=slogin

Here’s the picture sketch of Jenna’s fourteen gradiated color bridesmaid dresses by Lela Rose:

This is the extremely high-end version of my own multi-colored bridesmaid wedding. Glad to see it’s in style this season!

A Giveaway Worth Doing

I arrived home today from class and there was a big cardboard box on our front porch! When I opened it, I realized it was the FREE 8″ nonstick frying pan from Calphalon that I got for simply registering for $600 of Calphalon products on our Williams-Sonoma registry! It’s gorgeous! Perfect for frying up a single egg or one grilled cheese.

Please note my red manicure that I got for my shower this past weekend…

All I had to do was print out our registry and fill out an address form, and a few weeks later the frying pan arrived.

I strongly recommend that anyone who registered for pots and pans from Calphalon (at W-S, and I think also at other stores) avail themselves of this deal. I found it on a link on the W-S registry manager. Totally worth it!

Favorite Flower: Ranunculus

Without a doubt, the ranunculus is my favorite flower for bouquets and wedding floral arrangements.

Sadly, it’s a spring flower, so much easier to find in a variety of colors right now than in August, when I’m to be married!

This month’s In Style Weddings has a feature on spring flowers (”Spring Into Action” on p. 274) that has absolutely amazing photos of a woodland wedding table setting done by NYC event designer Michelle Rago. These are her amazing ranunculus table arrangements. I love them!

Source: In Style Weddings, http://www.instyleweddings.com/weddings/cp/general/photos/0,,20181879_20181007_20421299,00.html

Style Inspiration: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Has anyone else caught this absolutely delightful movie? It’s out in theaters now, starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams. The film is set on the eve of WWII in London, and has the best costumes!

I’m not sure how far you’d want to go, but it would be great to get some late 1930s-early 1940s glamour into a wedding dress/bridesmaid dresses! Here are a few ideas:

J. Crew Mimi T-Shirt Dress (back):

Claire Pettibone Cloisonne dress:

Hollywould Susanna D’Orsay peeptoe:

Even if it’s not your style, this movie is such fun. It would make a great bridesmaids outing or mother/daughter night out!