Archive for the ‘Always a Bridesmaid’ Category

We love Napa…even in the chilly winter months. Spark some romance cuddled in a comfy robe with a nice glass of red wine overlooking the Napa River. A great place to get started is the River Terrace Inn, located in the heart of downtown Napa.

Recommended Resort:  River Terrace Inn. This tranquil retreat nestled along the River Trail and the Oxbow Park Preserve of the Napa Valley Wine Country is walking distance from downtown Napa’s charming wine tasting salons, restaurants, art galleries, nightlife and attractions such as Oxbow Public Market, Napa Valley Opera House and Napa Valley Wine Train.

Featuring a pristine riverfront setting, the River Terrace Inn is a refreshing blend of upscale elegance and cool California charm. Stretch out in their 106 luxurious guestrooms and suites where warm wood tones are accented by rich, vibrantly colored fabrics and rugs.

Check In:  1600 Soscol Avenue in Napa. 866-NAPA-FUN riverterraceinn.com

Check Out:  Restaurant Cuvée. Located in the center of downtown Napa adjacent to River Terrace Inn, this fun eatery offers a low country feel and living room ambiance complemented by distinctive cuisine with a high country flavor and polished edge.

Cuvée’s community-focused menu is solely dictated by regional availability and ripeness, producing rich comfort food flavors reengineered to a level of “high cuisine.” While offering an extensive local wine list, the bar also features a robust beer list focused on Northern California micro brews as well as fresh garden-inspired drinks.

Chef Mackey’s enhancements to Cuvée include an on-site garden to harvest organic herbs and vegetables for farm-to-table ingredients as well as new weekly themed guest receptions such as “Cupcake Happy Hour” on Tasting Tuesday and “Bubbles and Buckets” on Fried-day.

Don’t Miss:  Napa Valley Wine Country Honeymoon Package. Experience two nights of romantic bliss in a River Front Deluxe Jacuzzi Room with a private balcony overlooking the Napa River.

A lovely bouquet of roses, box of chocolates and chilled champagne await you upon arrival. Enjoy an intimate dinner at one of Napa’s most popular restaurants. Awaken to breakfast in bed or on your private balcony before enjoying an exclusive private wine tasting tour of three boutique wineries in a chauffeured limousine.

Blog post by Always a Bridesmaid Contributor Darren Elms.

Photos courtesy of River Terrace Inn.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

Hillary Scott of popular country group Lady Antebellum got herself hitched! She and now husband Chris Tyrrell tied the knot in upstate New York last Saturday and bride looked stunning in a custom gown by designer Vera Wang.

“Hillary was joyous, over the moon,” Wang told PEOPLE magazine. “And [she was] actually very enchanted with the thought of a hand-pieced, hand-engineered lace mermaid wedding gown.”

The strapless dress featured all-over lace underlay, a layered tulle skirt with horsehair banding and a hand-cut corded lace applique with hand-applied crystal-and-pearl beading.

“While the dress was very tailored, the lace work was extremely feminine,” Wang explains.

Scott finished her look with an embroidered, cathedral-length mantilla veil with hand-cut Chantilly lace applique.

“[She was] a contemporary vision of a traditional bride,” Wang says proudly.

What do you think? Tell us with your personal comments.

Blog post by Always a Bridesmaid Columnist Darren Elms.

Photos courtesy of People Magazine.

Do you have the new Real Weddings Magazine iPhone and iPad App?

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

Your email:

 

Too young for a maid of honor and too grown up to be a flower girl, your junior bridesmaid should make an entrance all her own. Give her a dress she will wear proudly as she makes her way down the aisle. Check out these stylish designs in smaller sizes from some of our favorite bridal designers that can be found here locally in Granite Bay at Diamond Bridal Gallery.

Alfred Sung Junior Bridesmaid Style JR500

An adorable halter cocktail length dupioni dress with matching skinny belt and pockets at side seams of full skirt. Also available full length.

Alfred Sung Junior Bridesmaid style JR506

This lovely strapless cocktail length peau de soie dress with sweetheart features a pleated surplice bodice. Matching belt and flower detail at natural waist. Pockets at side seams of full pleated skirt. Also available full length.

Dessy Collection Junior Bridesmaid JR508

A strapless full-length, lux chiffon dress with shirred bodice and matching flower detail is pretty as a picture.

After Six Junior Bridesmaid Style JR509

A shimmery strapless cocktail length matte satin dress with matching skinny belt. Pockets at side seams of full shirred skirt. Also available full length.

After Six Junior Bridesmaid Style JR513

Go for a little drama with this strapless, full-length renaissance satin dress with draped detail at bodice and a-line skirt with slight train.

Dessy Collection Junior Bridesmaid JR514

All grown up in this one shoulder, matte satin and lux chiffon full length dress with draped bodice and full skirt.

All of these gorgeous junior bridesmaid dresses are available locally at Diamond Bridal Gallery, 6963 Douglas Boulevard in Granite Bay. 916-521-9856, diamondbridalgallery.com.

Blog post by Always a Bridesmaid Columnist Darren Elms.

Photos courtesy of their manufacturer.

Do you have the new Real Weddings Magazine iPhone and iPad App?

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

Your email:

 

Yellowstone National Park may have a reputation as a summer destination for nature loving campers and adventurers, but avid skiers will tell you it’s the winter months that draw them to the snowy slopes of southern Wyoming. At the southern entry point of the park, Jackson Hole has gone from sleepy old West town to bona fide world-class ski haven. One of our favorites is the “green” scene at Hotel Terra. This LEED-certified property is a must for romantic snow bunnies looking for ambiance and altitude.

Recommended Resort: Hotel Terra. Open, expansive windows bring Wyoming’s stunning outdoor natural beauty indoors at Hotel Terra. Eco-friendly by design, the property offers superior interior air quality, efficient temperature management, well insulated rooms, smoke-free environment, chemical-free cleaning products and state-of-the-art ventilation, collectively creating a healthier, restorative environment. Modern, yet cozy, the stylish interiors include inlaid gas fireplaces, contemporary western design features and rich material tones and textures throughout.

Check In: 3335 West Village Drive in Teton Village, Wyoming. 800-631-6281, hotelterrajacksonhole.com

Check Out: Free Ride (Air Credit Promotion)

Hotel Terra offers a rare opportunity for big savings on your flight to Jackson Hole. Get room credit to mitigate the cost of flight when you book five nights or more. Credit ranges from $300 to $850 per stay. The bigger the room type, the more you get back in your one-time credit at checkout.

Room type and savings breakdown are as follows:

• Terra Guest Room: One-time $300 credit

• One Bedroom Suite: One-time $600 credit

• Two Bedroom Suite: One-time $900 credit

Don’t Miss: The skiing. It doesn’t get much better than Jackson Hole, Wyoming, skiing and snowboarding. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is widely considered to offer the nation’s best and most exciting ski terrain. With more than 2,500 acres of beginner, intermediate and expert terrain set in the center of the famed Teton Mountain Range, Jackson Hole is the alpine experience of a lifetime.

Here are some of the amazing snow specs:

• Summit elevation of 10,450 feet

• Uphill capacity of 15,423 skiers per hour

• Open backcountry gate system allows expert skiers and snowboarders access to 3,000+ acres of additional, untouched terrain and snow

Runs:

• 50% Expert

• 40% Intermediate

• 10% Beginner

• 116 Named Trails on Map

Lifts:

• One New 100 Passenger Aerial Tram

• One Eight Px High-Speed Gondola

• Two Detachable Quad Chairlifts

• Four Fixed Grip Quad Chairlifts

• Two Triple Chirlifts

• One Double Chairlift

Snow:

Average of 459″/year (38.25 feet; 1166 cm; 11.6 meters) over the past 10 years

Instruction:

Jackson Hole’s Adult Mountain Sports School and Kids Ranch, offers instruction to every level, including guides to show your around Jackson’s legendary backcounty!

Blog post by Always a Bridesmaid Contributor Darren Elms.

Photos courtesy of Hotel Terra.

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

Mirror, mirror on the wall…who has the most dazzling dress of all?

Princess Diana, hands down. Sure, it’s VERY fairytale fantasy with those poofy sleeves and the meringue skirt. But, c’mon…that dress was EPIC. Until the recent nuptials of her son William to Kate, was there ever a wedding the world watched with more anticipation in our modern era?

Guess what? The dress and its magnificent 25-foot train are currently touring the U.S. as part of the exhibition Diana: A Celebration.

Throughout nine galleries, heirlooms, paintings, letters, videos and photos provide historical and personal context to the late princess’s life. Other items include 28 designer suits and evening gowns worn by the princess in her public life; two diamond tiaras and other priceless family jewels; the original text of the Earl Spencer’s moving tribute to his sister at the funeral in Westminister Abbey; the score and lyrics of the Elton John/Bernie Taupin composition, adapted from “Candle in the Wind;” original heritage family paintings; and books of condolences left by people throughout the world. But the true highlight of the exhibit is that famous wedding dress.

All profits generated to the Althorp Estate from Diana, A Celebration at Althorp and overseas go to The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Since 1998, the exhibition at Althorp has generated more than $2 million for charities supported by the memorial fund and has been visited by more than one million people, though it is open there for only two months out of the year.

The tour is currently at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and will move on to the Mall of America in Minneapolis from February 4 through June 10. Currently there are no plans to come to Sacramento, or California for that matter…but we’re hopeful. In summer, the exhibit is scheduled to move back to its permanent home in England.

Worth the trip to the Midwest? For any Princess Di fan, we think it’s a must.

For more information, click here.

Blog post by Always a Bridesmaid Columnist Darren Elms.

Photos courtesy of dianaexhibition.com.

Do you have the new Real Weddings Magazine iPhone and iPad App?

Check out the Real Weddings Contest Page! Great bridal loot for real Sacramento-area brides!

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!