Ok so I have BIG decisions coming at me and they all revolve around the age old argument of having a bridal shower at a home versus a hotel or restaurant. Anyone out there have any defining thoughts that will make this decision easier?

I initially loved the idea of doing a catered fete poolside at my 1920′s style townhouse complete with tray pass mimosas (this is where it pays to have bff’s in the industry because they KNOW how to plan a party!). But with all of the amazing oceanside restaurants in LA (hello Malibu!) I’m wavering. This is where my event planning mind kicks in – home reads more warm and personal…and more work! Swanky hotel or restaurant reads chic “LA” gathering, less work but perhaps more stuffy? And then there’s the games (insert Hollywood horror flick scream here). I’m not a big shower games gal so possibilities of finding me mummified in a toilet paper wedding dress will most likely depend on mimosa intake!

I truly believe registering for your wedding exemplifies how you will work together as couple over the years to make important choices (like which new wine glasses to get), problem solve (we had to take a ten minute time out in the towel section of Bed Bath & Beyond) and how to make compromises (I got to register for the new veggie steamer and in return he got an espresso machine).

It took us three days, two trips to Crate & Barrel and one minor blow up (aforementioned Bed Bath & Beyond self imposed time out) but we did it! And if you’re registering in the LA area I must insist you check out the Bed Bath & Beyond flagship in West Los Angeles (11854 West Olympic Boulevard). While not normally a BB&B fan, this place is the mother ship for brides-to-be. They keep all of the good stuff on the basement level so as we descended down the long escalator and began to catch a glimpse of the fine china and Kate Spade crystal frames it took all of my will power to not plow over the couple in front of us.

Crate & Barrel also has some great registering parties too. You can’t beat the dangerous combo of a scanner in one hand and cocktail in the other!

In my world, Wednesday mornings all look exactly the same – grab coffee and stop at the newsstand to get the weekly magazines hot off the press. While most people look at these as guilty pleasures, I scour them for client mentions and trend ideas. Between Hollywood royalty having recently wed (didn’t Reese look AMAZING in her blush Monique Lhuillier custom creation!) and a royal wedding across the pond quickly approaching (can’t wait to see Kate’s dress of choice) the weekly magazines have gone wedding wild! Check out a spread I particularly enjoyed in OK! Weekly about top trends for spring brides. Enjoy!

Image Courtesy of OK! Weekly

Modern Bride Magazine Circa 2008...RIP

I love the feel of a glossy fashion magazine between my fingertips—what fashionista doesn’t?

Throughout the years, I’ve spent many a day pitching Frederick’s to bridal magazines, but I’ve never really pored over and analyzed the pages of those magazines as obsessively as I have now. I find the newsstands to be a little more barren of bridal magazines than days of old; I just can’t seem to get enough.

Of course I love the convenience and speed of sites like StyleMePretty.com and TheKnot.com (love their print edition, too), but web surfing doesn’t feel quite as special and as the sound of tearing out that prefect wedding dress from the pages of a hot-off-the-press magazine!