Thursday, October 27, 2011

PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT & REAL WEDDING - ALEXIS STEIN PHOTOGRAPHY

I am all giddy with excitement after viewing so many gorgeous photos sent to me from Alexis Stein Photography that I can't even contain myself! Alexis and I met at this years' New York Magazine bridal show and I knew there was something special about her and her work from that moment.

Alexis and Keith, a professional wedding photography couple (who just got married this month!), make up Alexis Stein Photography and have over 20 years combined experience. Their work is a blend of artistic, photo-journalistic, and conceptual styles of shooting, and they love capturing the perfect images that tell the story of the day – that pretty much sums up what every couple should be after, in my opinion.

These two really go above and beyond in getting to know the people they work with and making everyone feel right at home, which is so important on your wedding day. They are relaxed, not overbearing, and get along with everyone – this is just as important as the quality of the pictures they take – no one wants to be surrounded by pushy, grumpy people on the happiest day of their life. Alexis and Keith say, “a day of shooting with Alexis Stein Photography is like a day with family” – I LOVE THIS! I could go on and on, but I’ll let their pictures speak for themselves.

Alexis and Keith shot a gorgeous wedding on Martha’s Vineyard in May 2011 for Lauren and Todd. The wedding took place at Captain Flander’s House and the atmosphere was absolutely breathtaking. Take a look at my favorite detail shots and my favorite couple shots below. Then, head over to Alexis and Keith’s blog for even more gorgeousness.

THE DETAILS


THE COUPLE


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

TUESDAY SHOESDAY

These black satin booties by Pura Lopez for BHLDN are perfect for a New York City night out. You may not be able to walk far in the 4.5" wrapped heel, but that's what taxis are for. And wherever you end up, you'll look like a bombshell. The best part? They come with black AND white ribbons so you can completely change your look on the fly.

 Image found via BHLDN

Monday, October 24, 2011

MONDAY'S MAKEUP TIP - APPLY FINISHING TOUCHES

Friends, I'm sad to say that this is the last installment of Elke Von Freudenberg's makeup tips for all of you brave souls who plan to apply your own makeup, Kate Middleton style, on your big day. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll have a ton more beauty inspiration from Elke in the future. Today's post is all about the finishing touches and I'm loving it.

When you're done with your look, you may want to apply a little more blush, and then finish with a final brush of loose powder. Make sure everything is blended well. If you feel like you have a lot of makeup on, lightly mist with a soft spray of water to set. This will take away the feeling of makeup on your skin and also helps to set the makeup. If you want your skin to glow, lightly brush on a soft shimmering eye shadow or the new shimmer loose powders. To avoid over doing it, just dust across the tops of the cheekbones and collar bones. For a more over-all glow, you can even go across the forehead and chin.


Image found via Focus On Style 

Celebrity Eyebrow Expert, Elke Von Freudenberg, is considered one of the best eyebrow specialists in New York.
 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

TUESDAY SHOESDAY

These lovely little ballet flats by Marc Jacobs are perfect for a dreary NYC day like today. I can imagine myself prancing through a farmer's market showing off the sweet scalloped detail and stunning color. The color is called Licis - I've never heard of it, but I'm loving it.

Image found via Zappos Couture

Monday, October 17, 2011

MONDAY'S MAKEUP TIP - APPLY FALSE EYELASHES ONE BY ONE

Who doesn't love fake eyelashes? Today, Elke Von Freudenberg teaches us how to apply them the right way so that they look beautiful and natural. For tips on how to wake up your eyes, click here.

If you're applying false eyelashes, single eyelashes are the most natural looking. An easy way to apply them is to apply one coat of mascara, let dry. Apply a dot of glue on the tip of the lash and along the length. This is actually the part that anchors to your lashes. Then, take your tweezers, looking down, and place 2-3 single lashes on the outer 1/4 of the eye. Let the glue dry, and then another coat of mascara to seal the lashes together. False eyelashes go a long way in making your eyes dramatic and the focus of the face

Image found via real beauty 

Celebrity Eyebrow Expert, Elke Von Freudenberg, is considered one of the best eyebrow specialists in New York.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

WEDNESDAY'S WORDS TO LIVE BY

Image found via Etsy

TUESDAY SHOESDAY

Oh, how I love these platform oxfords by Cole Haan! The 4 1/4 inch leather wrapped heal looks surprisingly not so terrifying to walk in, and I am obsessed with this color combo - fuschia, greige (who doesn't love greige?!) and burgundy - gorgeous! There are also a ton more color combos available, so check them out.

Image found via Cole Haan

MONDAY'S MAKEUP TIP - WAKE UP YOUR EYES

Elke Von Freudenberg's makeup tip for this week is all about the eyes. For tips on filling in your brows, click here.

A soft shimmering cream or white is beautiful on the brow bone, and the inner corners of the eyes, both above and below the lashes. This wakes up the eyes and creates a beautiful highlight. To make eyes appear larger, apply a sand or taupe in the crease of the eye. Blend so that the shadow fades well. Keep the eyes looking neutral, while the colors emphasize the cheeks and lips. Make the most dramatic part of the eye your lashes and eyeliner as this looks the best in pictures. Take a black or brown pencil and line the lashes on the outer 1/2 or 1/4 of the eye. Blend with a Q-tip. Then, take your mascara and an eyeliner brush, and lightly line the eye with your mascara. Once it's dried, smudge again, and you'll find that your eyeliner will stay on forever. If your mascara is waterproof, that's even better. And remember to curl your lashes before, not after mascara.

Image found via Michelle Montes

Thursday, October 6, 2011

PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT - ROBERT LONDON WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

I met Robert a few months ago through the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) and we talked about doing a feature on him for my blog - he came up with a great idea of featuring all the different religious and ethnic weddings he's done in New York City. I immediately jumped at the chance to be a part of this because it's one of the reasons I love New York - there are so many different people and different places to get married, that you really can't repeat the same wedding twice. So without further adieu, I give to you Robert London of Robert London Wedding Photography.


These images illustrate why being a wedding photographer in NYC is so great, I receive emails all the time from people around the world who are coming to NYC to have a destination wedding. Also there is such a depth of religions and cultures of people who reside here there are literally thousands of places of worship, I believe unequal to any place elsewhere in the world. Wedding photographers in smaller towns go to the same houses of worship and the few wedding halls in the community - that would make me crazy; it would just become too formal after some time. Here in NYC staying fresh and experiencing new cultures and venues is just  a way of life!

Candelabra headdress (Shamadan) Shamadan is traditionally performed at weddings in Egypt. The candles represent light, love and prosperity. The Egyptian phrase used to describe dancing with a candelabra is Raqs Al Shamadan, commonly referred to as Shamadan. The ancient Egyptians were the first civilization to regard marriage as a legal relationship.

Korean: Notice no one smiles, and I knew this Bride - she is one of the funniest people so it was odd to see her in this character. It was my first Korean wedding so during the formals I said “okay everyone smile” and she responded “just take the picture, Korean’s don’t smile!”

One interesting belief in Korea is that if the groom smiles a lot during the ceremony, the couple's first child will be a boy!

Classical Lebanese belly dancing will often be performed at the wedding reception, symbolizing the bride's transformation into a sensual woman. If the bride steps on  a single girl's foot it is believed that it'll bring her luck and that she's going to marry soon.
  
 
 The Lion dance originated in China close to a thousand years ago. There are different variations of the lion dance in other Asian cultures.

The Guan Gong (Cantonese: Kwan Kung) lion has a red based face, black fur, with a long black beard (as he was also known as the "Duke with the Beautiful Beard"). The tail is red with black trim. He is known as the second brother and sports two coins on the collar. This Lion is known as Hsing Shih (Shing Shi) or the Awakened Lion. This lion is generally used by most.
The southern lion exhibits a wide variety of colour and has a distinctive head with large eyes, a mirror on the forehead, and a single horn at center of the head.

The lion, a symbol of power, wisdom, and good fortune, chases away evil spirits and brings hapiness, longevity, and good luck.

The Taiwanese lion is less elaborate and can be roughly divided into two categories: open-mouth lion (開口獅) and closed-mouth lion (閉口)

Orthodox Jewish
I have done many Jewish weddings of all types but a real Hasidic wedding is very unusual for a non Jewish person to work at - women and men stay in separate rooms until after the ceremony.


 
 Ketubah (Marriage Contract)
The ketubah outlines the chatan's various responsibilities - to provide his wife with food, shelter and clothing, and to be attentive to her emotional needs. Protecting the rights of a Jewish wife is so important that the marriage may not be solemnized until the contract has been completed.

Indian
This wedding was a mixed wedding, the Bride was not Hindu, however she and her whole family embraced the religion (at least for the day) and all dressed up in authentic Indian garments. This is a picture with her sister during the ceremony. 
 
Sikh
A brightly colored red dress, called Ghaghra Choli, with a lot of Gold Ornaments is worn by the Bride. The Groom, on the other hand, wears the Sherwani - long designer shirt with trousers. He also wears a Pagdi (Cap) and Duppata with Sherwani. There are special shoes called Jootis/ Mojaris, which are worn along the Sherwani.

Persian
This was called 'sheerne khoran' (eating sweets) or shirin khori, Eating sweet food at celebratory events, such as an engagement ceremony, carries symbolism, such as wishing for sweetness in the couple's life.





Franciscan Friars
St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers follows the Capuchin Franciscan tradition, they have an extreme view of Christian values towards the poor, and a fashion sense also – notice the beards.

 
Unconventional
This wedding was in the east village in a nightclub, the couple combined some traditional wedding aspects (like a pro photographer) with their unconventional lifestyle.

 
English_Xmas
This was at the Waldorf Astoria, you would never know that is was not taken in England.







Scottish
I am not sure why, but I have done a ton of Scottish weddings. The men are always in kilts, and most say that it is the only time they ever wear them. Although unlike tuxedos here in the states, the Scots seem to always own their kilts, which makes sense since the patterns have associations to particular clans and families. (I do own my own tux)

Cuban
Not sure what the fire was about and I could not find any reference, but it was funny that even at a festive party they could not hold back, and they spoke frequently of Castro.

Celebrity_Sighting
Clinton Kelly, from What Not to Wear, was filming near by and was kind enough to come over and take some photos with the Bride. I mentioned to him that “you cannot tell the Bride that she wore the wrong dress”


Thank you, Robert, for the contribution! I feel like I learned so much about so many different types of wedding celebrations, so thank you for enlightening us with your extensive experience!
 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

TUESDAY SHOESDAY

Today's Tuesday Shoesday is brought to you by my dear friend, Cindy Thompsen, who picked out today's beauties. These peep-toe black leather booties by Belle (Sigerson Morrison) may be just what I need to complete my Fall wardrobe. They are perfect for that in-between weather, but would also look smokin' with a pair of textured tights as the weather starts to chill. Check them out, and please help me in thanking Cindy for her lovely contribution.

 Image found via Sigerson Morrison

Monday, October 3, 2011

MONDAY'S MAKEUP TIP - FILL IN EYEBROWS

Today's makeup tip may be one of my faves from Elke Von Freudenberg because she is a brow master, and I found her through her amazing brow services in NYC - I had an appointment with her today actually! Last weeks' lip tip can be read here.
  

Brush and fill in eyebrows if needed with a shade that's 1-2 shades lighter than your eyebrow hairs. Too dark, and you can start looking a little harsh. Brush through with a toothbrush afterwards for a more natural look. 





Image found via shameless-fripperies