It’s true. I have a girl crush on Michelle Williams. (AS IF YOU DON’T!) She’s just perfection. Wonderfully stylish and talented. And a knock out! Like many gals, I’m often left wondering how she gets her perfect “look”. Her skin always looks flawless. And let’s face it, if there’s ONE day you want to have a flawless, natural beauty – it’s on your wedding day. Most of us are going to enlist the help of a talented makeup artist for our big day, however having some inspiration for bridal makeup is so important to ensure you get the look you really want. There are also a ton of other events and photo ops leading up to a wedding – engagement photos, bridal showers, stagettes – that require picture perfect makeup as well.  As a self professed Sephora-holic, I’m here to share with you La Belle Bride’s picks for Michelle Williams style makeup.

All of the above items are must-have items not only on Sephora.com but also for our La Belle Bride team (minus Michael). Finding the perfect moisterizer can sometimes feel like the most grueling process in the world, however fear not because Korres Anti Ageing  Cream is heaven-sent.  Light-weight and made from natural ingredients, this cream smells wonderful. Now that your skin is perfectly hydrated, Stila’s illuminating liquid foundation is ready to smooth out that completion while adding a hint of iridencent shine.   Next up, Nars blush in Orgasm.  This blush has long been a best seller and for good reason – once you start using it, you won’t look back.  Layer a dash of Bobbi Brown shimmer brick across your cheeks and you’ve got that perfect sun kissed look.  Last but not least, a new edition to my makeup regime, Kat Von D’s lipstick in Painted Love or Cathedral.  I may not approve of her taste in men but dude, she makes a good lipstick.

And that’s that!  Michelle Williams approved makeup for your wedding or any event leading up to your wedding.

Spring 2011 is bringing us back to the basics for bridesmaid style. We’re talking about pops of primary colors making their way to a wedding near you. And it’s refreshingly stylish and exciting. Vibrant reds, electric blues and sunny yellow hues are slowly but surely forging the path out of the cold winter and into the warm lookbooks for spring.  Let’s face it, we’re all over this thing called winter.  (I’m not looking at you Cali friends.  You weather-smug jerks. PS I love you.)  So let’s just throw ourselves into spring and hope for the best.  Forget the groundhog, hibernating animals and the obvious weather outside – I’m declaring that spring is on the horizon and we better start getting our spring wardrobes sorted – ESPECIALLY for our bridesmaids!   Please note, I’m intensely fond of Saja Weddings‘ bridesmaid collection along with Lela Rose’s collaboration with the Dessy Group.  Some matches are just made in heaven.  Happy Friday!

Blue (left to right): Dara Chiffon Dress by Joanna August, Empire Dress by Saja Wedding, Blue Blue Goddess Dress via Bloomingdales |  Yellow: Chiffon Amanda Dress via Joanna August, Easton Pearson via Net-a-Porter, Beaded Neck Dress by Shoshanna via Shopbop |  Red: Pleated Dress with Leather Trim by Alice and Olivia via Shopbop,  One-Shoulder Taffeta Dress and One-Shoulder Draped Dress by BCBG via Bloomingdales

You’ve noticed, right? Blush pink is taking over the world! Popping up in weddings across the country and with good reason – it’s feminine and…well…hot! So this Fashion Friday is dedicated in its entirety to this rising trend for 2011 bridesmaid dresses. We’re making you blush with these sweet yet strong pink bridesmaid options. Any old googler can find your run of the mill bridesmaid dresses, so we’ve dug up the crème de la crème in non-traditional bridesmaid dresses. Just for you. xoxo

Top Row (left to right) – Thread Social and Club Monaco (via Shopbop) | Second Row (left to right) – Richard Nicole (via Net-a-Porter), Halston Heritage (via Bloomingdales), Azzaro (via Net-a-Porter) | Third Row (left to right) – Club Monaco (via Shopbop)

Dudesday!!

It seems like it’s been ages since I have been able to pass on my wisdom to you grooms out there. With La Belle Bride’s Top Weddings of 2010 feature, I had some extra time to think about today’s Dudesday post. So let’s get right into it shall we?

Every generation that comes along thinks that they are the first to discover everything. When you are young everything is new because…well let’s face it you are young and don’t know anything yet (apologies to my tween readers). We think that every fashion trend that comes along is brand new. As we get older we realize that fashion is an endless cycle of the same ideas with a slightly new spin on it. Everywhere we look now we are seeing vintage ideas being presented as new and there is nothing wrong with that. Look at groomswear, when we look at what is being worn these days we can’t deny that it has been heavily influenced by styles of the past. With the rise in popularity of shows like Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire, guys out there are digging those old school trends. Here are some modern looks that have that blast from the past feel that can be applied to your wedding.

Suits by Ramsey

Suits by Simon Spurr

Suits by Dunhill

Suits by Moschino via Refinery 29

You’ll never take me alive copper, yeah seeeee! Ahem, sorry I got a little caught up in the old school mobster vibe going on here. These old vintage styles with a modern twist are so timeless that you’ll look back at your wedding photos and think you looked like the bomb.  ESPECIALLY after a couple years of marriage since by this point you’ll have probably put on 20 pounds and have entered your “nose trimming years”.

Hope you lads (and brides-to-be) have been a bit inspired by this. Don’t be scared to look to the past for ideas for your wedding day attire.  Just remember to give  a little fist pound to your grandpa since you’re most likely ripping off his style from days of yore.

We’re gonna talk chunky wedding necklaces today. Chunky, anti-typical bridal, ARTISTIC necklaces that are show stoppers. I’m not sure about you, but the times where I’m like – STOP THE SHOW – about a bride’s wedding style, it typically has a lot to do with the way she’s accessorized herself. I’m in love with the anti-typical, unique bride. My friend Ruth wore one of the most beautiful vintage-esque pendants on her wedding day and even though it was quite a few years ago now, I’ll never forget how amazing she looked walking down the aisle. YES, her dress was amazing – but that necklace brought it all together.

When shopping for bridal jewelry it’s easy to get sucked into the “bridal vortex” of thinking that you can ONLY shop at bridal stores for accessories. UNTRUE! That’s not to say that bridal stores don’t have nice jewelry (at times) but in the case of each of the three ladies below, they saw outside of the bridal box. And pretty much blew my hair back with their style.

(You can see each of the original wedding posts from these photos here, here and here.)

So let’s try to dig up some vintage/chunky wedding necklace inspiration for you guys.  A friend turned me on to Gemma Redux jewelry.  They specialize in crafting a mixture of metals, stones and textures into a creation that’s an instant statement piece.  Proof: Blake Lively wears this stuff.  Which makes it legit. XOXO!

Next stop is some treats from the jewelry section chez Shopbop.  Shopbop aggressively steals many hours from my productive work week due to it’s unceasingly stylish lines of clothing and accessories.  Their necklace section is not one to be messed with.  And PS they have some decent sales in there as well.

Necklaces: Top Left: Kenneth Jay Lane | Top Right: Lee Angel | Bottom Left: Rachel Leigh |  Bottom Right:  Fallon Jewelry

I love them all.  In all their intricate, dangly glory.  Ok, truth is that I think I have to have the wing necklace myself.  I’ve been stalking it for awhile.  (Michael, come onnnn. It’s on sale!) And that brings me to a great point about EVERY SINGLE necklace in this post: totally wearable post-wedding.  You’ll wear these suckers again.  No doubt.  Now if you’ll excuse me…I have a small purchase to make.  Have a great weekend, friends!  xoxo.

Wedding Photography Credit: Top: Kampphotography, Middle: Jagger Photography, Bottom: Aaron Shintaku