After living in Seattle I just can’t shake my love of all things Nordstrom. I was recently down at the Park Meadows store and discovered the Wedding Suite. The Suite carries a number of lines from different designers with a price range of $160 to $3,300. Plus on top of your gown they can help you with bridesmaid dresses, suits for the men, and accessories.

This dress is by Tadashi Shoji. Just gorgeous and only $548.

This simple textured gown from Nicole Miller is also fabulous!

And my personal favorite …

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend… combine them with a beautiful, sleek and modern piece of artwork and you have yourself a creation from John Atencio.

Does the ring showcase the diamond, or is the diamond merely the canvas for the ring? You choose!

The Oyster Diamond Ring

The Intrigue

The Episode

The Apropos

The Venture London

The Elevate

The Ventana Quad

The Intrinsic

Did you know John Atencio studied art here in Colorado?

Found on www.JohnAtencio.com

Wrapped up in that little blue box is the new Tiffany Grace collection.  The collection features princess-cut and round brilliant diamonds bezel-set in platinum.

The tiara sparkles with an open pattern of circles and squares that would top off a gown with gorgeous.

Tennis champion Maria Sharapova wore these diamond drop earrings from the collection at the 2011 US Open.  If only I could wear something like this while exercising- it would make it all worth it!

You can find this beautiful collection at your Tiffany’s store or online!

Or are we returning to our roots?

Red has been popping up everywhere as an alternative to the white wedding dress.

Here is a little history lesson on the Red wedding gown thanks to Luxurious Wedding Style Report.

Throughout the ages, Red was the traditional wedding dress color. Red is the color of good luck and auspiciousness. White was never even considered until 1840 when Queen Victoria had a white wedding gown made to incorporate some white lace she owned. Wanting to be like the Queen, women soon adopted the White Wedding Gown.

Roman brides wore fiery red veils. Today, Greek, Albanian and Armenian brides wear red veils. Chinese brides wear red wedding gowns and are carried to the ceremony in a red litter. Then the bride walks on a red carpet and is greeted by the groom who lifts her red veil. In ancient Russia people also loved the color red which symbolized joy, sun and beauty by wearing a red color sundress.

Roman brides wore red to protect themselves from evil. Brides in the middle ages wore red as a mark of the high status and many Indian brides still hold to this tradition. Chinese brides still wear red on their wedding day as a expression of good luck.

This OUI for MATTISON by Malan Breton gown was the finale for the Malan Breton Fall 2011 Collection.

Marina K Couture Isabelle gown from the Diamond Collection.

Ari Dein fine lingerie is quickly making a name for itself.  Designed and produced in the Garment District in NYC the label has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Gossip Girl as worn by actress Leighton Meester.  In 2012 the line will be seen in the new adaptation of The Great Gatsby which is perfect for its classic styling.  

The Trousseau Collection from Ari is beautiful and guaranteed to make you fell wonderful on your wedding night.  This is my favorite – if only it had been around when I got married. 

And because I am sure you want to see what is next check out the Fall/Winter 2011 Look Book.

When the big-wig, smart folks over at CNN justify dropping a quick mortgage payment on a pair of Christian Louboutin heels – you better believe that my ears perk up! CNN recently posted an article explaining that the OH.SO.GORGEOUS red-soled shoes aren’t just popular because of their beauty … there’s actually a science behind why women across the world covet their heels!

The article explains, “Behind each trademark red-soled shoe is a feat of custom engineering. ‘The heel is engineering in itself,’ said the sought-after designer in his Paris atelier. ‘This little thing that supports the human weight has to have a precise balance.’”

Umm, BRIDES – for the sake of SCIENCE, get yourself to Barneys and splurge!

The article also goes on to say, “But as long as women continue to covet his designs he maintains that the sky is the limit in terms of what he can design. ‘For me there ain’t no high heel high enough,’” [Louboutin] said.

Touché, Mr. Louboutin, Touché indeed.

Dear Bridesmaids,

Your days of spending way too much money on dresses that are less than flattering and are ultimately doomed to sit in your closet for the next 20 years are over!  Rent the Runway has recently added a bridal section to their website!

Carlos Miele; Rent $300

In 2009, Rent the Runway was launched for women to rent dresses, accessories, and other fashionable products online instead of going out and paying full price for designer apparel.   Customers can currently choose from over 120 designer brands. Joanna Manganaro from Women’s Editor of Stylesight claims that websites such as this one “allow women to maintain a high level of style without breaking the bank.”

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent; Rent $75

With the newest addition of their bridal section, brides can choose from a great variety of bridesmaids dresses and accessories without asking her beloved friends to fork over a large chunk of change for a dress they are not likely to  wear again.  Brides can browse by color, style or through the collections of designers such as Nicole Miller and Missoni. It also allows them to mix-and-match a variety of dresses that can be uniquely and better fit to each individual woman in their party.  Every designer will “offer up to four styles in up to four seasonal colors”.

Soshanna; Rent $50.00

At this time only bridesmaids dresses and accessories are being offered.  We are all keeping our fingers crossed for the day when they start renting bridal gowns! Happy shopping, ladies!

I found this gorgeous wedding gown by Pricilla of Boston from my favorite collection “Vineyard”

THE Dress can be different for everybody. It can be long, lacy, pouffy, sleek, white, ivory… maybe even aqua blue chiffon if that’s what suits you. But out of allllll the beautiful wedding dresses out there to choose from, it can be a little overwhelming trying to pick just one! Here, Priscilla of Boston has created a profile quiz to help you narrow down your own style and therefore make the wedding gown shopping a little easier as well. Going in with some ideas of what makes you feel like you will help oodles when searching through all that silk, tulle, taffeta and lace (and even the aqua blue chiffon).

French bride photographed by Olivier Lalin.

Click here for Priscilla’s Quiz!

Priscilla says I’m a “classic” bride (go figure). What are you??

On Sunday, April 6th, A Touch of Bliss produced Hopscotch Hustle: Hip Moms and Cool Tots hit the runway for the benefit of WeeCycle. The event was held at The Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver.


Guests were greeted by a children’s choir and bubble machines flocked the entryway. 30 momprenuer vendors filled the foyer and two side ballrooms where guests found amazing goodies from Comfortably Fun, Wondertoast, and Shady Baby. Passed fancy carnival fare included milkshake shots with oreo cookies, corn dogs and fruit loops in Asian spoons. Over 100 items were featured in the silent auction.


The little ones enjoyed their own bar, face painting and balloon animals. Hula Hoops, Spin Art, life sized Jenga and Connect Four kept everyone entertained.
In the afternoon, the main event took the stage as the runway show began. 40 adult models and 40 kids modeled the spring fashions of local Denver and Boulder boutiques including Blush, Loft 22, Tallulah Jones, and Real Baby. Here is a shot of me thanking our sponsors and over 40 volunteers!

Littleague, a hip hop performance family friendly group opened the show and kept the energy high!!

Here comes my little guy opening the show with Anna P!

The show featured baby wearing styles from Becoming Mothers.

Have you ever seen a Bugaboo on a runway?

Here is Patrycja modeling looks from Loft 22, and five months pregnant – gorgeous!

Thank you to everyone who participated, donated and volunteered, we raised over $7000 for the WeeCycle organization!

Thank you to Ricardo Mejia for shooting the event free of charge – fabulous!