Wahine to Wed

The simply chic bride

2011-07-03T01:28:00.000-07:00

Make a statement in something simple but tailored to fit only you..

Beautiful ruched flower at the back with a fitted bodice in the front.

Simply fabulous.

$950

Order from reddoll

~Beautiful bride~

2011-06-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

I have a secret to share with you...

I have found the most beautiful bridal hair pieces.

Ornately handcrafted with love

I can't decide between the bridal cap..

and the poof!

Simply gorgeous.

There's more...

Twigs & Honey

Sweet dreams & lingerie

2011-04-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

For those brides that are in cooler climates...

Wedding stockings!

For the Alabaster Bride

2011-04-03T02:08:00.000-07:00

Reese Witherspoon got married in pink last week.. why not?

It Must Be Roses gown $1,400

yes, I want it!

Blushing bride

2011-03-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

MOKO bride

Bridal art.. make yourself beautiful in print

2011-03-25T03:02:00.000-07:00

Grab the print

from Julie-Anne's lovely

TheNebulousKingdom

shop

Glorious tiered wedding gown

2011-02-25T01:07:00.000-08:00

Beautiful, beautiful sheer layers that create a soft silhouette

Elegant and etheral

$1,450

Bastante Gown

Wedding party by Elie Saab~!

2011-01-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

Spring 2011 Couture gown collection by Elie Saab

winter blooms dress

2011-01-03T13:05:00.000-08:00

I am in love with this winter wedding style dress. For the bride or even bridesmaids..

Would look lovely with a grey suited groom or groomsmen. Made from 60% wool in a US size 4-6. Only one available here on esty.com

Wedding puzzle guestbook

2010-12-02T00:12:00.000-08:00

Forget about paper, we're going to write on the tree.

Much better than looking through a book.

Make your own custom puzzle on etsy.

Vintage is so modern.

2010-06-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

Wahine to Wed loves vintage inspired gowns~!

This looks almost exactly like a vintage wedding gown I bought for $100!

Check it out @

bridal bliss designs

$677

We heart the english dept. dresses!!

2010-06-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Oysters and Pearls dress $900

Giselle dress $800

the english dept.

shop now!

Cuban Bride

2010-05-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

National Geographic Photo of the Day; Havana, Cuba

How to do the dip kiss wedding shot..

2010-04-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

We hit the 6 month mark since our wedding yesterday! Wow! It seems like just yesterday we were doing this..

This week in VIVA: Wedding Special!

2010-04-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Desert Bride

2010-03-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

Savoring the Sweetness of Your Touch

2010-03-17T00:39:00.000-07:00

The calm after the storm.

Designer flower girl dresses on Gilt!

2010-03-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

Looking for a dress for the older flowergirl?

$35 today!

Sizes 7-14

Wedded Bliss dress

2010-03-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

A lovely dress from SarahSeven on etsy.com

$1,400USD

Gilt's Exclusive Weekend Wedding Sale!

2010-03-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Need an invite to join Gilt? ;-)

Welcome to the English Dept. 2010 bridal collection

2010-02-20T22:40:00.000-08:00

Beautiful, delicate, simplistic gowns...

from

White wilderness bride

2010-02-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

Lily Donaldson by Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
styled by Gerge Cortina

Country doll bride

2010-02-14T00:32:00.000-08:00

Wedding picture

2010-01-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

Working on our thank you card at the moment..Sigh, so many choices and not much time.

Sneak peek: Our wedding~!

2009-12-14T01:55:00.001-08:00

More to come of my kiwi and i... ;-)

BGWIII- Bridal Gown of Week 3 + bridesmaid

2009-11-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

Bridal gown by Lanvin 2010 collection

On the runway..

The red bridesmaid by Lanvin.

See his 2010 Ready-to-Wear collection.

Dress picks of the week

2009-11-20T20:41:00.001-08:00

Bridal gown by Giambattista Valli

Modest bride with gorgeous shape to the dress. Simplicity at it's best. Lovely pointed heels. I could see Sarah Jessica Parker in this.

Bridesmaid gown by Giambattista Valli

Modern drape style top with slim silhouette through the hips.

Beautiful texture in the fabric of the dress.

Blushing flowergirl by Monsoon

Sweet and not too ornate. Fabulous circles and satin material.

Add an ivory rose to tie in with the wedding party.

Flowergirl dress of the Week

2009-11-13T12:33:00.001-08:00

Flower girl dress of the Week

It's only glitz and glam for your little flowergirl. This silk taffeta party dress will be custom made to your girl's measurements up to 7T. Other colors are also available.

etsy.com

Bridesmaid & Bridal gowns of the Week

2009-11-13T01:20:00.000-08:00

Bridesmaid dress of the week
Gorgeous gown by Jane Yeh. Sky blue ruched silk chiffon.

Bridal gown of the week
Absolutely smashing bridal gown by Jane Yeh. Love love love the feathers and slim silhouette. If I could choose another gown this would be the one I would wear...

Bride & Groom DIY placecards

2009-11-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

One of the details I wanted to work on for the reception was the Bride & Groom place cards. I used left over silver card stock from the invitations and purchased another 149 swarovski crystal rhinestones for our letters.

I used a boning tool to create a clean crease to "tent" the cards. Very very handy in cardmaking of any kind! To create clean neat letters I used a printed template and lightly traced over the letters with a blunt pencil. This created a slight indent in the paper which I filled lightly with elmer's glue and placed the crystals. I used a ruler to line up the edges of the straight letters (i.e. R, M, B, I D, E)

I used a single feather plume for the Bride placecard. I cut out the Bride and glued it onto another card with spray adhesive, tucking the feather behind. Viola!

Extravagant hair

2009-11-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

I really like these gorgeous hairstyles. Even a simple hairdo can be spiced up with a sassy little hat and veil or maybe a feathered flower. The black hair pieces stand out the most with a white dress. A bit daring but perfect for a black and white affair..

DIY standout invitations

2009-11-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

I designed my own invitations a few months before the wedding and enjoyed it immensely! I drew designs on scrap paper and made a few samples with materials from the paper and craft stores. In the end I feel in love with a silver and yellow scheme. The silver and cream were quite strong with accents of poppy canary yellow. The silver and cream looked classy, with some glitz to it. I used silver card stock, celeste card stock, white flecked paper and clear matte paper. I used white envelopes with silver calligraphy for the addresses and our own photostamps.

A silver wire ribbon wrapped the invitation with a little bow accenting the left side.

The silver card opened up with the celeste white cardstock used as a RSVP card. I used spray adhesive to attach the clear matte paper onto the backing with the RSVP information. The heart was transparent. Beneath the RSVP card, slotted into the silver card was the invitation. I used a dark grey text to soften the script on the paper. A bit of yellow in the swirls. There were two hearts cut out of the invitation and the RSVP card and lined up when put together.

A sparkling swarvoski white crystal accent in between handwritten silver intials.
How long did it take to make my invitations. If it was done back to back.. 2 days!

Mr. and Mrs. Kiwi!

2009-11-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

Wow! My wedding day has come and gone just like that! The last month beforehand was extremely chaotic so I didn't have the luxury of posting up the details leading up to it. Once we get our pictures from our fab photographers Tiffany & Jared from Style-ish.com I can share some of our wedding with my lovely readers. ;-)

Since the wedding, I have relocated to New Zealand with my kiwi husband. You can follow on my new blog My Kiwi and I where I discover the land of Aotearoa with my kane.

I'll be continuing my blog for a time with a stronger new zealand influence. Today I am happy to share with you the current Spring'09 issue of New Zealand Weddings! Very classy magazine showcases the season's newest bridal gowns with trendy photoshoots, as well as tips for Styling and Planning your wedding.

Peony envy

2009-09-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

I just found out that Peonies will be out of season for my wedding ;-( (sob!) So my dreams of luscious peony blooms are wilting fast.

Sigh, the florist showed me some white roses that I could use as a substitute. You can't substitute peonies. I'm irritated at the tropical flower population here.. I want country blooms~!

My imaginary bouquet.

Beauty and the Bride

2009-09-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

One month until I'll be a tickled pink bride~!

My inspiration board~

2009-09-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

Grey by Robert Rodriguez (Black Label)

2009-09-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today on Hautelook for your bridesmaids.

<---Sophia Tulle dress $317 for the modern, chic wedding

Lee gown ---->
$458 for your elegant, whimsical wedding

Sugar flowers never tasted so good..

2009-09-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

I love this modern cake with sugar carnations from theknot.com. It's sweet and simple.

The posh bridesmaid

2009-09-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

I love this drapey, fluttery sleeve dress. The pink looks perfect with the blonde hair.. Unfortunately, this dress is kinda short in the front.

The mega discount designer sales online~!

2009-09-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

So today I am blogging about online shopping~! Love it~! It may be my sweetest downfall. There are two sites I have recently found out about this year that I am in love with.

Gilt.com
and
Hautelook.com
(*pronounced oat-look, i used to say hot-look ;-) need to brush up on my french!)

Each site offers extremely discounted designer wear, fragrance, watches, jewelry, shoes, housewares, shoes, children's clothing, etc.. The sales typically last about 36 hours. Gilt sales start at 9:00pm EST and Hautelook sales start at 8:00am PST.

I bought two bridesmaid dresses from Hautelook.com but unfortunately had to return one because of the color mismatch.

These sites are great because there are always HUGE SALEs~! Unfortunately these sites are also widely known (even though you may feel as if you are exclusively shopping from your home!) Many times you can log on a hour or two after a sale has started and find "sold out" signs blazing across the screen~!
Here's an overview of the two websites.

Hautelook:
PROS
-Starts at 8am when I wake up so I can check it out first thing in the morning.
-Lots of dress sales in all styles and lengths~!

CONS
-Shipping can take up to 3 weeks~! It's really hit or miss.
-Sometimes there are only a couple sales going on.
-Returns for store credit only.

Gilt groupe:
PROS
-Lots of top name designers
-Variety of sales going on at the same time.
-Search by style choice and size.

CONS
-More $$$ expensive than Hautelook
-Sales start at the end of the day (9pm.)

i heart you.

2009-09-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

I <3 this "love story" marc jacobs clutch. I saw it at Nordstrom's rack for $300 and then the next time I went back it was gone. I am obsessed with cutout hearts at the moment (i.e. wedding invitations) This dress is gorgeous as well; made out of vegan leather by Livalone.

The modern bride

2009-09-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

The modern bride still is classy and loves her vintage roots. That hair comb is killer with the birdcage veil. And I am obsessed with her pointed bodice.. it looks similar to Sarah Jessica Parker's in Sex in the City only much more fitted and much better overall ;-)

It's an etsy day for the classy bride~!

2009-08-31T19:24:00.001-07:00

Here's my picks on etsy today...

Top row left to right: White sequins and Beaded divine Hair Comb $18, Golden Garden Belt $30
Middle row: Vintage one button headband $16
Bottom row: Swarovski Rhinestone and beaded trim halo headband $42, Couture white bride feather bouquet $160
(*all prices in USD on etsy.com)

Happy First Year to I am style-ish blog~!

2009-08-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to Iamstyle-ish.com's creator and fashionista, Tiffany! She has a fabulous blog complete with lookbooks, beauty tips and the hottest high heels around (sigh.) Here's a peek at the goodies she is giving away..

Check out her blog here www.iamstyle-ish.com

(psst. I'll let you in on a secret.. Her and her husband are shooting our wedding~! I'll do a post later with more on Style-ish photography~!)

Fall is looking grey..

2009-08-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

I love the drapery on the bodice.. It makes the dress fit perfectly to the body and then billows out towards the ground as you walk. The crimson red and grey combinationis stunning. Anyone looking for fall/winter wedding colors?

sigh. so much to do..

2009-08-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

It's such a lazy day.. I feel like curling up on the front lawn.

Sassy in silver

2009-08-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

searched once, twice, thrice... Day#?? Week #3~!

Tickled pink by Elie Saab

2009-08-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

I love the flow of this gown from Elie Saab. The color is the perfect pink.. muted with luminous undertones. This could be a wedding gown for the sophisticated bride or even a bridesmaid dress for the chic maid of honor. The dress below is the epitome of "pretty in pink~!"

And the shoes the model is wearing.. so high~!

More to come from this designer.. I am in love with his gowns. ;-)

Creme de la creme- little white dresses

2009-08-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

These little white confections have the most delicate details. They may be short but they are not simple~!

Let me introduce you to Georges Chakra's lovely collection here in french Mariages magazine.

And Lebanese fashion designer Georges Chakra himself making an appearance on the catwalk after the presentation of his Haute Couture spring-summer 2009 collection in Paris~!

I love the floaty veil the model is wearing.. ;-)

I see those flowers in your hair..

2009-08-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

Loose curls and lush petals create the perfect halo for a dreamy bride. Add a veil for a touch of mystery.

The search for the silver dress resumes..

2009-08-12T11:47:00.001-07:00

Just when I thought I'd finished the collection, you let me down with your purple undertones and drabby length.. sigh.

Fresh from Paris~ the hottest bridal fashion in 2009

2009-08-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

My lovely cousin just flew back from Paris with these two delectable magazines~! I am so excited to own my first french wedding fashion magazines. Mariages magazine is from marie claire and has lots of runway pictures and photoshoots~! Marion-nous! magazine has more editorial and information for planning your wedding. Here's a sneak peak at some of the fabulous spreads~!

Weddings: Finding inspiration in other lands

2009-08-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

My kane came back from NZ with three of the latest bridal
magazines~! New Zealand Weddings, Bride & Groom and australian edition of Cosmopolitan Bride magazine~! I love international bridal and wedding magazines because
their material is so fresh and I have found them to be better than the average american wedding magazine. There are always different stylish wedding gowns from designers unheard of here in the U.S. I can't wait to post some inspiration from them~!

Ruffle inspiration in full color

2009-08-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

I love these bright almost neon colors~! And of course the magnificent ruffles..sigh.

The search for the silver dress ends

2009-08-04T18:11:00.001-07:00

"I spotted you when I least expected to find perfection. "

When you have it bad for Badgley..

2009-08-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with these grey ruffle heels by Badgley Mischka! Introducing the Tai pump heels...

Search for the silver dress continues

2009-07-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

Day #2 Sunlight sparks across her sequin silver dress..

Beached Beige

2009-07-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

Crimson crush

2009-07-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Searching for a silver dress..

2009-07-29T02:28:00.000-07:00

Pick your favorite bridal style~!

2009-07-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Pick your favorite ;-)

Option 1: The glamorous bride

Option 2: The garden party bride

Option 3: The beach bride

L.A.M.B. high heels

2009-07-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

L.A.M.B. shoes designed by Gwen Stefani are the hottest shoes around~! I was at Nordstrom's browsing their shoes and came upon some white and silver options for wedding shoes..

Spotted: gorgeous wedding gown

2009-07-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

I love this dress from etsy's Custombridal shop~! The Shale wedding dress at a negotiable price of $1,800. The ivory color goes so well against the organic green in the background.

Description from the seller:
"The original of this beautiful Thai silk dupioni dress features handmade thai silk gardenias appliqued onto the left bodice with vintage beads from Shale's mother's wedding dress (something old, anyone?). The A-line of the dress has a train hitch to facilitate post ceremony socializing, and joins to the bodice with a sculpted empire band allowing the V neckline to dip even lower at the back. A slight train dramatizes the look of the dress, which is lined with silk chiffon and an incorporated crinoline of white and apricot tulle."

Couture lashes

2009-07-19T13:49:00.001-07:00

The new issue of Pacific Rim Weddings magazine has some stunning couture lashes. Or as my cousin would say, "puni lashes" Fake eyelashes. It reminded of some similar flamboyant eyelashes in the Girls Aloud "Sexy! No No No..." music video. Here are some clips below of the girls and their lashes. They are dancing around in what looks like huge cellophane red skirts that are being blow around by fans but the close ups on their eyes are pretty cool.

I love love the feather eyelashes.. can you get more outrageous than that? I don't think I would wear them for my wedding though..

White couture dress love <3

2009-07-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have been searching for some one of a kind white ruffle dresses for my lovely bridesmaids.. These are above the budget but here's some eye candy from etsy designers englishdept, katetowers and carolhannah.

Wedding party incognito- fail

2009-07-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

There is a growing trend for the wedding party to put on mustaches and other things such as the noses and glasses below and take straight faced pictures.. I don't understand. It was comical for the first few weddings and unique but now it's just getting old. So brides, stop making your wedding party put odd things on their faces~! photos by Jill Thomas

Searching for the shoe that fits...

2009-07-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

Ooo, I want these shoes so badly~! Unfortunately I just looked on the White House Black Market website and they are no longer listed~! The only thing that cheered by up was this other fantastic picture by the same photographer that snapped these shoes...

pictures by Caroline Ghetes

Elizabeth Messina photography

2009-07-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

I was in awe when I came upon Elizabeth Messina's photography on her blog Kiss the Groom~! (Which is oh so stunning as well!) I want to take portraits like she does.. they are so vivid and full of life and emotion. This sepia portrait embodies the couture bride.

Fairy tale bridesmaids..

2009-07-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

I love love these "Birdy and Me" illustrations by Kelly Smith~! Such inspiration to start drawing again! She has beautiful pencil drawings accented with watercolors.

I love the soft, natural beauty of the girls with the flowing fabric and feathered hair pieces.

Aww and my dream wedding dress~! So sweet.

Check her out on etsy where you can buy prints of these girls and many more.

DIY mason jar lanterns

2009-06-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about our twilight reception lighting and stumbled on these delights. They are porcelain lanterns cast from actual mason jars. It gave me an idea.. what if you just took actual mason jars and painted the inside white. It would somewhat opaque but would probably still allow the candle flame to glow. I may try this out soon~! You can buy these in pairs for $90 on etsy.com from alyssa ettinger design shop. Photo by Jen Sliker.

A treetop reception in Aotearoa

2009-06-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Recently my Kane and I were looking through a book of amazing tree houses architects have designed all over the world. He then showed me a little wonder in Aotearoa. The Yellow Tree house restaurant designed by Pacific Environment Architects in collaboration with Yellow Pages.

It is a childhood dream of living in an enchanted forest. It's organic shape is similar to a spiral seashell, a butterfly cocoon or even an onion!

Unfortunately no reservations are being taken at the moment but around 2,000 people have had a chance to visit it. It is being taken into consideration now to re-open it to the public.

A perfect venue for small intimate weddings! It seats 18 people in the tree house with the catering facilities and restrooms at ground level. It is just south of Honey Centre in Wartworth.

A 60 meter wooden walkway weaves above the forest floor to the restaurant.

View http://www.yellowtreehouse.co.nz for ongoing updates, blog, video and still footage with live web cam images.
Visit http://www.pacificenvironments.co.nz for more information about the architects.

lunaphoto

2009-06-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite photo blogs is lunaphoto! Awesome photography team Mike and Paula Luna are based in San Diego, California but also do destination weddings. Here's some sweet photos they have taken recently.

Bridal bouquets

2009-06-24T21:17:00.001-07:00

So I have been thinking about my wedding flowers lately.. mostly the white ones.. Here are some options other than the ranunculus bouquet above.

Calla Lily
Meaning: Magnificent beauty
Best For: Bouquets and arrangements
Scent: Lightly fragrant
In Season: Spring and summer
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: This large tropical flower is very popular in weddings.

Orchid
Meaning: Love, beauty
Best For: Bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres
Scent: None
In Season: Year-round -- almost always imported
Price Range: Expensive
Floral Fact: This exotic flower comes in a variety of colors and sizes.

Peony
Meaning: Bashfulness, the American spirit of ambition and determination
Best For: Arrangements
Scent: Lightly fragrant
In Season: Late spring
Price Range: Expensive

*photos and text by theknot.com

Beautiful bridal hats and combs

2009-06-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like I should change by blog title to The Etsy Bride! I've been swooning over these gorgeous hair combs and bridal hats to accessorize a birdcage veil. Very vintage with a feel of being royalty to them.

Popular materials are flowers, extravagant feathers and swarovski crystals.

.

Oh la la~! xxoo

Something for a bride to clutch..

2009-06-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

So lately I have been daydreaming of beautiful clutches for my wedding day. More of a luxury item but when I noticed you can get one handmade and that can have a personalized message inside, I was hooked. Here are some fabulous ones I found on etsy.com. They are priced from $30-55.

One you can have an initial inscripted and another you can have your vows sewn into! I can't choose between silver or summer white!

DIY wedding cakes

2009-06-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

So I have decided I am going to make our wedding cake(s). The first cake bakery we called gave us a an estimate over way over our budget of $500! My kane and I have a specific design of cakes we would like to have at our wedding. Unfortunately it looks like if we want it done under budget, we are going to have to do it ourselves. So the past two days I have been watching cake demonstrations on youtube and on foodnetwork (Ace of cakes.) I made a list of supplies I will need..

-Revolving cake stand

-Large round cake pans

-Pastry Spatula

-Fondant Smoother

-Cotton strips

-Flower nail

-Airbrush for frosting

-Pastry knife

Fortunately I live with a Pampered Chef representative so the list might actually be shorter! Yesterday I bought 4 cake mixes at the store for 4/$5! What a steal! I figure no point in wasting expensive ingredients on the test cakes I bake and sculpt. I am going to make a batch of vanilla buttercream up as well. I think I might use fondant on the final cake but I am going to play around and see what works best.

Here's what I've learned so far in cake baking:

-Always preheat your oven as indicated in the recipe. If cake batter stands beyond ten minutes without being baked, the leavening agent in it will make the batter frothy and will produce an undesirable cake. When pans are filled with batter, they should immediately be placed into a preheated oven.

-Have all ingredients measured out and at room temperature

-Lightly grease the side of the pan according to methods. If you grease the side entirely, the batter will have a hard time clinging onto the pan while baking and will not rise well.

-Fill pan halfway with batter. Raise filled pan to about six inches above a hard surface and allow to drop. You eliminate any trapped air bubbles in the batter that create large holes in a finished cake.

-Quickly spin the pan and allow the batter to cling onto its side. Then quickly place in preheated oven and bake accordingly.

-When cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool in its pan, on a cooling rack for about ten minutes. This allows cake to keep its shape as it cools off.

love notes, from the editors of PWM

2009-06-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

My newest, favorite wedding blog.. from the editors of Pacific Weddings magazine, love notes~!

Check it out~! ;-)

A country romance

2009-06-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

There are so many outdoor weddings these days. I love the wildflowers, the bird's nest and tthe small topiary tree~!

Butterfly inspiration

2009-06-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

I have found lots of inspiration on esty.com to include butterflies in a country-themed wedding. From favors to table decorations and more. A delicate touch, just a few accents needed.

Cakelava~!

2009-06-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

I struck gold today when I found Cakelava's blog. Cakelava is a cake studio in Kailua, HI that is run by a husband and wife team. Rick and Sasha Reichart. They are known locally as well as nationally for their fantastic specialized cakes! They opened their kailua store in 2004.

Why cakelava? According to their website cakelava.com, "Rick chose the name cakelava because he wanted a name and concept that was based on something Hawaiian, something very beautiful, and organic at the same time, something that expressed his love of art without restrictions, but not so elusive that people wouldn’t understand the reference."

Their cakes can come in up to 17 different flavors!

- chai latte

- broke da mouth

- totally turtle

- peanut butter fudgey

- banana nutella

- the hawaii five-o

- bananarama

- lemon pucker

- guava lava

- hot fudge sundae

- coconut pineapple chunk

- chocolate dream

- strawberries chantilly

- kona toffee crunch

- rainbowlicious

- banana blueberry mascarpone

- local kine special

My favorite:

THE HAWAII FIVE-O

Chunky pineapple cake layers with fresh bananas, mango curd, coconut cream, and shredded coconut. Previously available as a Flavor of the Month only and back by popular demand.

mmm~! Sounds delicious.

Check out their awesome cakes at their blog here~!

Casablanca Bridal & Formals

2009-06-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

This past Friday I visited Casablanca Bridal & Formals in Honolulu. It is a gorgeous white, two story building on the corner of Farrington St and Beretania St. The sign by the door reads " By Appointment only" but I noticed they welcome walk-in clients as well. My cousin had booked a appointment for me prior so I could try on as many bridal gowns as I chose.

Upstairs you are greeted with high ceilings, floor to ceilings mirrors and brilliant sunlight shining in. The upstairs is where are all the bridal gowns are and below is more formal wear.

The dress attendants were very attentive and friendly. I was actually the one who chose to stop trying on dresses long before I suspect they would have stopped giving me new dress options. All of the gowns I ended up liking the most were Pronovias gowns from 2009 and 2010. I tried on bridal gowns that were in mermaid and trumpet shapes, which are more slim fitting and sleek. I chose 3 gowns to put on my "maybe" list. I hope to go back this week again to try on some other gowns with one of my bridesmaids.

Hawaii World Class Bridal Expo- This weekend~!

2009-05-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow the Honolulu Convention Center will open it's doors at 6pm to thousands of eager wedding parties and brides for the Hawaii World Class Bridal Expo! Although it closes just four hours later, it will reopen a second day, Saturday from 11am to 5 pm. There is a fashion show on Friday at 7:30pm and one on Saturday at 2:30pm to showcase this season's bridal gowns as well as groom and wedding party attire. Tickets are $7 at the door.

My girlfriend Hanako will be helping out at the Masako Formals booth. You can check out their selection beforehand online at www.masakohawaii.com. Here are two bridal gowns by White One that are in store. I love the flow and simplicity of the gowns~!

Spin a color wheel

2009-05-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

So one thing on our minds these days is our wedding colors. So many colors to choose from and a million combinations. I like how the yellow blossoms are so striking against the summer blue sky. Yellow and blue are primary colors. I've mentioned the concept of complimentary colors to my Kane and he wasn't too interested. Here are some complimentary colors you can find via a color wheel.

Yellow->Violet

Orange->Blue

Red->Green

as well as my favorite...

Yellow Green (lime)->Red Violet (purple)

Complimentary colors are colors directly across from each other on the color wheel. These special harmonious duos are particularly vibrant because they are opposites.

A country wedding

2009-05-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

My kane and I would love to have a country wedding which would seem odd to most as we live in Hawaii. I think the dewy green backdrop would be perfect for bright pigments and flowers galore. The countryside has an old-fashioned romantic to it that draws me. The beautiful wildflowers and the luxurious expanses of pasture with large nuturing trees.

photo by James Rubio

There is one such local photographer that has caught my eye with his beautiful country photographs. James Rubio. He is an awesome photographer based out of Big Island, HI. I had wanted to have him do our engagement pictures but am not sure if we can make it over there before the wedding now..

Check James out on flickr.com or at his fabulous blog here. Enjoi.

Hawaii or New Zealand?

2009-05-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

We knew it would be a destination wedding from the beginning as we are both islanders in the Pacific. Since I first moved to Hawaii I had wanted to get married here. The draw of the lush, green countryside on Big Island was particularly persuasive. Yet when the idea of getting married actually became a reality I had decided I wanted to get married in New Zealand. And as ironic as it is, my Kane was actually the one who was keen on getting married in Hawaii. His family and friends wanted to come here and mine wanted to go to NZ.

After much debating, we have decided to get married in Hawaii this fall~! But, I won't be throwing away my new zealand and australian wedding magazines. I realized that international wedding magazines are refreshing and oh so chic!

Here's one of my favorites:

Issue 60 May-July 2009

http://www.brideandgroom.co.nz/

Ringing in our engagement

2009-05-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

A Wahine and Kane are headed down the aisle come this October. We have been dating nine months as of this May. It seems that the amount of time it takes to create the miracle of a baby is also enough time to create the miracle of the love of your life.

We settled on a classic six prong "Tiffany style" round brilliant diamond engagement ring after much contemplation. I had originally wanted a ring with a blue sapphire center surrounded by small diamonds. I thought my birthstone gemstone would add a personal touch.

Here is one such ring I had in mind. I found it on esty.com the most fabulous website ever for one of a kind creations. The seller Eidel Precious has a great jewelry shop with sensational gemstone jewelry. This ring was listed at $1,200 for a 1.8 ct sapphire surrounded by pave diamonds set in 14k white gold.

Ironic as it is, my Kane was the one to convince me that diamonds sparkle so much brighter than sapphire. So I started dreaming of beautiful diamonds.

The first ring I ever tried on was at the mall and it was diamond solitaire from Zales. I decided that because I had long thin fingers I would need at least a .5 carat diamond ring to look proportionate on my hand. As soon as I tried it on I was bedazzled.

Being deal seekers we searched the internet for something dazzling but affordable. Unfortunately what I thought looked good on a computer screen didn't look the same on my finger. Ring shopping was fun but exhausting after a few shops. I think more so for my Kane than for myself.

One day I was at work and I found an advertisement in MidWeek for Bidding Advantage. It is a new online auction site backed by The Honolulu Star Bulletin newspaper. One of the auctions was for a ROUND BRILLIANT DIAMOND. The starting bid was less than half the value of the diamond. I knew in an instant this was the diamond I was going to get for myself. I figured it couldn't have the much publicity yet so my odds of winning were high. As it was, we ended up being the only bidder on the auction. And a week later we picked up the diamond ring at Honolulu Trading Company!