look who didn't need any help

July 8, 2013

Dear ESB,

My boyfriend and I are eloping to Vegas in two months time and we're very excited! Before everyone shudders at the thought, we are getting married by an officiant in the desert under an old tree. We originally loved the idea of an old Vegas chapel, until we read all the terrifying reviews.

We have found a great photographer that takes photos only on film and are going to be taking some shots around various mid-century style locations in Vegas and also in the Nevada desert.

Because we are eloping nobody knows and therefore my sisters and girlfriends can't help me in terms of my outfit, makeup and hair. So I'm counting on the sisterhood of ESB - please help me!

This is my dress [pictured above] (except I will be wearing a white slip underneath). I know it's going to be boiling hot, but it's going to be hot regardless of what I wear.

My flowers are going to be a bunch of white daisies. These have been ordered already.

Now for the things I have no idea what to do:

I was thinking for shoes white, pointed heels, like this but where do I find something like this that doesn't cost the earth? Also open to other suggestions for shoes that don't look like this... (I don't like my toes however, so maybe no open-toe suggestions)

I have straight, medium length brown hair...any suggestions for a hair style? 

I've absolutely no idea.

And for make-up, I want to keep it all quite romantic and natural, no red lips.

Thank you in advance!!

- Secret bride

*****

Nov 11, 2013

How did you accessorize???

*****

Nov 11, 2013

hello :)

I wore white patent leather pumps by Marc Jacobs, Satomi Kawakita tiny pearl studs (from Catbird) and that was it!

I mean. THIS IS PERFECT, AMIRITE?

Photo by Gaby Jeter (with more to follow!)

Dear ESB: I have a gnarly knuckle rash....

Dear ESB,

I have been married almost a year now, and still continue to be in need of your advice :)

I have developed a nickel allergy and I cannot wear my engagement ring or wedding band without developing a painful rash. My rings are my Grandmother's and this development sucks. I still want to wear some type of wedding band. 

Problem is, from what I read, platinum and titanium are the only 100% nickel free rings. I normally wear yellow or rose gold metals. Also, all the platinum/titanium rings I have found are ugly. Really ugly. 

Any chance you or you readers can help me find a new nickel free that is attractive?

-Gnarly Knuckle

*****

If you search "platinum" on the catbird site, you'll come up with a bunch of options. I'm partial to Satomi Kawakita's eternity band [pictured above]….

Seeking: An engagement ring for a fat finger

Dear ESB

I'm having a lot of trouble finding larger engagement rings. I'm a size 8.5 and I like a lot of what you post. Our budget is under $4k but I really like stuff like this: 

Nora Kogan Rapture Ring (pictured above)

Anna Sheffield’s Hazeline Ring

Anna Sheffield’s Bea Ring

Satomi Kawakita Hexagon Ring (the only one that has my size)

Thanks!

*****

My little birdie at Catbird tells me:

We can order most anything in her size, including the Satomi hex ring. 

ALSO: 

Katie Diamond Suri ring

These guys are on sale! We can resize them for her.

p.s. If you do fall in love with a ring from somewhere other than Catbird (WHYYYYYYYEEEE? but anyway) don't be afraid to ask about special orders/resizing.

lil wedding earring roundup

Theodore Stud Earrings from Macha ($265)

Mountain Studs from Mociun ($195)

Gold Ball Studs by Satomi Kawakita at Steven Alan ($528)

Lee Hale Black Rose Thorn Earrings at Erie Basin ($205)

Oxidized Bronze Faceted Earrings from mikinora ($44)

pls help me find a wedding band and stuff

I have a wonderful loving fiance who loves me enough to go shopping on his own and pick out a ring that he knew I would love... did I mention on his own?  However, had I been involved in the choosing process I would have gone a little more Conroy and Wilcox.

I have attached a photo of the ring. (Pardon the artist hands)

That said, I have been scouring the interwebz  looking for an awesome band to make my set more me. I have found some interesting gold bands as well as some other interesting rings including this Mociun ring which I have been leaning towards... but it is a little pricier than I would like.

The question I have for you is do you know of any awesome bands or designers I could wear with this super classic yellow gold solitaire to make the set more unique?

ALSO, My mother and sister and I are coming in to the city to go dress shopping on the 10th of March, I have plenty of appointments including Lovely, but do you have any good suggestions for boutiques that I may have missed?

*****

Let me let you in on a little secret from the other side: after you're married, you don't have to wear your engagement ring every day.

I get so many emails from you guys stressing out about finding a band to match the engagement ring you didn't even always get to pick out yourself. DON'T SWEAT IT SO HARD.



Anyhoo.

Here are a few less-pricey-than-the-Mociun rings I'm feeling for you.

(Conroy & Wilcox at Metier)

(Bario-Neal)

(Satomi Kawakita)

As for wedding boutiques, would you please please please PRETTY PLEASE go check out Stone Fox Bride?

We need a report from the front.

Photo: Stone Fox Bride + Fox Fodder Farm by Josie Miner, styling by Jaclyn Hodes

aaaaaand here's the e-ring

I asked Sarah to write up a little post for us, since so many of you email me asking how to rock your vintage + non-traditional engagement rings with wedding bands.

My engagement ring isn't a traditional engagement ring and I was never really worried about having a matchy-matchy engagement ring/wedding band (the many jewelers I spoke with on my long search also confirmed my instincts- this is an age old tradition that would have no impact our marriage/future happiness whatsoever. phew.)

So when searching for a wedding ring i considered all options: simple bands, stackables, cocktails rings, other engagement rings, no ring at all...really, every ring I came across in my long search was fair game. But THE ring had to fit this bill: something I hadn't seen, something I could wear on the opposite hand of my engagement ring without looking like I was channeling Elizabeth Taylor (I love me some sparkle, but my engagement ring is already a blingfest), something fairly versatile, something that knocked my knickers off.

I loved the idea of a ring that I could stack other bands around (hello future anniversary presents!) but would still stand out as my wedding band. Most importantly, I wanted something that feels like me, the way my engagement ring does. And when I saw this ring I felt like Mocium had crawled inside my brain and designed this ring specifically for me. It took me less than 10 seconds to know it was the one.

The perfect response to this query, no?

Dear ESB,

I was relieved to see that aren't bored by ring questions, because they've been running through my head a lot lately. I'm planning to get a wedding ring to complement my lovely engagement ring. FH has been encouraging me to get something more flashy than the engagement ring, rather than a traditional gold band. That is exactly what I want to do, or at least what part of me wants to do. I'll admit it: I sometimes get quietly envious of girls with glittery, flashy diamond clusters on their rings. But I LOVE my engagement ring and how delicate it is, and don't want to overpower it.

I've never been much of a jewelry wearer and don't feel too confident in my judgment of what works well together and what doesn't. I've fallen for this ring (though it's well beyond my $1K price limit) but you can't really stack these, right? Either of these seem more stackable, but I still worry that the effect of the engagement ring would be lost.

Maybe just a thin, textured band is really the only appropriate way to complement it? Or should I choose whatever other ring that calls to me, and wear it on a different finger? (Is it silly for me to want to keep them both on the same finger, together forever?)

Alright, I guess that's enough links and questions for one email. Any ideas from you and your readers would be so, so welcome. 

*****

CHOOSE THE RING THAT CALLS TO YOU.

(fwiw, I stack two rings that absolutely do not go together, and I love em on the same hand.)

p.s. Check out Sarah's engagement story + more photos of her custom Marc Johns (hellloo) over here.

tiny polka dot band

omgeee!

satomi kawakita at catbird

dragon scale-y wedding bands

How gorg are these??

By Satomi Kawakita via n &n via Melinda Josie

I basically never look at my Google Reader anymore. Everything is coming from Pinterest.

How much should we spend on wedding bands?

Dear ESB,

My beau and I are getting married in Sept and we've decided to bypass the whole big engagement ring bling. I'm not much of a jewelry girl anyway, and we've been living together for three years so our engagement was a series of honest, straight-up conversations about getting married, rather than a surprise, down-on-one-knee, huge rock hooplah. We also think that there is so much more we could drop a few grand on than a fancy ring (like more travelling!)

We would like to get wedding bands though, for the ceremony and also because it would be nice to have some sort of signifier of our marriage. As you probably guessed, we don't want to drop a ton of money, but would like something that will last, won't discolour or break, pass down to our kids etc. What type of metal should we be looking for? How do we know if its good quality? In what price range? A few hundred dollars each, or is that unreasonable?

*****

Gold is the stuff that heirlooms are made of.

Depending on the size and width of the ring, and the type of gold you choose, you can expect to pay anywhere from $198 (for Satomi Kawakita's thin band, which I love) to $1200 (for Sarah Perlis's 8mm wide square hammered band).

Silver is a lot cheaper, but it tarnishes easily and won't hold up to years of wear.

And let's not even discuss the ugly/uber hard metals like titanium and tungsten. (This comment thread haunts me.)

*Edit: Lauren just busted me. Though platinum is heavier than gold (and almost twice as expensive), apparently it is more "bendable."*

**Also, I feel like a jerk for not mentioning the vintage option. If you go with vintage bands, you could get away with spending less than a few hundred each. There are a kajillion bands for sale on etsy and ebay. Or, even better, start digging at local antique shops. (Thanks, Celia! And everyone. You guys are the coolest.)**

how bout a DOUBLE FINGER wedding band?

If I were you, I'd go for it.

By Satomi Kawakita, new at catbird

______________________________

(I must again credit Jamie's hawk eye. I was fixated on Satomi Kawakita's thin band, which is gorg, but this one takes the cake.)