Archive for the ‘Bridesmaid Gifts’ Category

Welcome back to another installment of Real Weddings Magazine’s Partner Profiles!   

Today, we highlight the incredibly wonderful Sandy Keller of Advantage Bridal. Sandy’s always been so gracious to allow us to borrow some of her fabulous wedding accessories for our photo shoots. Have you been to her site lately? Yeah, lots of really cool wedding stuff there!  

Take it away Sandy!   

AdvantageBridal.com

Specialty?  Wedding and special occasion attire, accessories and gifts.  

When did you establish your business?  1992, within minutes of delivering my third child.  

What sets you apart from your competition?  We have the largest online selection, and manufacture many of our own products so they are exclusive to us alone.  

Where do you find inspiration?  Reading fashion journals and following the latest styles celebrities are wearing, shopping the malls, nature, old architecture.  

When you opened shop, what was your promise to your customers?  To deliver top quality products at affordable prices, in the most timely manner.  

Do you have any hidden talents?  Mind-reading, particularly my husband’s. Driving fast and not getting a traffic ticket. Tweeting, something I previously thought only birds did.  

What song is the soundtrack to your business day (or at least to how you feel right now)?  “When You Wish Upon A Star”  

Wine, Champagne, Beer or Cocktail?  If you are buying, I would like to order a mint mojito!!  

What is your favorite flower?  Stargazer Lily  

 Do you regularly blog? What’s your blog site?  Yes, site.advantagebridal.com/blog  

Bridal Veil from AdvantageBridal.com. Photo by Jodi Yorston Photography/Real Weddings Magazine. 

Bridal Veil from AdvantageBridal.com. Photo by Jodi Yorston Photography/Real Weddings Magazine.

Bridal Headband from AdvantageBridal.com. Photo by Jodi Yorston Photography/Real Weddings Magazine.

Bridal Headband from AdvantageBridal.com. Photo by Jodi Yorston Photography/Real Weddings Magazine.

Where is your favorite place to travel?  New Orleans—bless dem boys!! 

 If you weren’t in the wedding industry, what would you be doing?  Jumping feet first into establishing a foundation to help women with breast cancer. Since I am in the wedding industry, I have to rein myself in and take baby steps, but I am establishing a non-profit this year for women who cannot afford reconstruction.  

What three things are you most grateful for in life?  My supportive husband, my healthy children and my wonderful friends.  

If you were to plan your own wedding, or re-do your wedding, what element would be most important to you?  I would have a party this time! We had a tiny wedding in Las Vegas and didn’t celebrate it in a big way.  

What is the best advice you can give to brides and grooms getting married today? Order everything early!  We get so many last minute orders and we just hate to disappoint brides with news that we can’t give them what they desire to have on their wedding day or honeymoon. Also, manufacturers discontinue products frequently, and if they wait to buy it later, it may not be available.  

Anything else you’d like to share with  Real Weddings Magazine’s  brides?  If you have an idea for custom apparel, let us know and we’ll create it for you! We specialize in unique items and making wedding accessories that are unique to each bride.  

Find out more about Sandy and her team at AdvantageBridal.com online or by calling them at 877-933-7467.  

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As a woman, you should always be prepared!

As a bride, you should be extra prepared!

Real Weddings Magazine has always encouraged brides to create a custom “wedding day emergency kit” for all of the unexpected challenges that could possibly arise on your wedding day. In the pages of Real Weddings Magazine, we have suggested the following items:

Well, we just added more to the list! Braza products are an essential addition to your wedding day emergency kit. Braza has thought of EVERYTHING… and I mean EVERYTHING!

The Braza product line includes a wide range of sweet little “helpers” to assist us girls with everyday fashion emergencies. Fashion dilemmas don’t stand a chance with Braza’s convenient, comfortable and discreet fixes.

Braza even has taken the guesswork out of creating your own emergency kit and offers complete kits for all sorts of different situations. They even have a “Bridesmaid’s Diva Kit” that would make a great bridesmaid gift (one that your besties can actually use after the wedding).

Even if you end up problem-free on your wedding day, these products will never go to waste. I keep a fashion emergency kit in my car and it has definitely come in handy. You never know when you might need some flash adhesive tape (or as my hubby calls it, “tata tape”)!

According to Braza’s company slogan, no need to worry about a thing, “Problem Solved!”

Check out all of Braza incredible products at www.brazabra.com

Blog Post by Aimee Carroll, resident Girl Tested, Bride Approved Columnist.

Photos courtesy of www.brazabra.com

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Typically, at any wedding, the focus is always on the bride and her dress! Everyone wants to see and gush over the highly anticipated dress! I, on the other hand, want to see what’s under the dress! Ok, get your minds out of the gutter; I’m talking about the SHOES people!

For my own wedding, I spent the most time trying to find the perfect bridal shoes. My idea of the ultimate wedding shoes were a little unconventional – I wanted to find the most girly, frilly, shiny, hot-pink, high heels out there. I could only get away with wearing shoes like this on one day, my wedding day!

Low and behold, I found my perfect wedding shoes! Although the shoes were totally “me,” they weren’t exactly very wedding-ish! I needed to do something to make them a little more bridal, if that was at all possible.

I turned to Absolutely Audrey for help and they totally came through for me. Absolutely Audrey has a huge selection of shoe clips that can personalize any shoe or accessory for any occasion. The shoe clips come in every color imaginable and are available in a variety of shapes and materials.

I found the silver, pearl and rhinestone “Melina” shoe clip that matched the brooch on my dress and necklace flawlessly! They were the perfect way to tie my crazy shoes to the rest of my bridal attire.

Absolutely Audrey also suggests getting creative with the shoe clips and adding them to hats, jackets, shirts, scarves, clutches and purses. Just what every girl loves… unlimited options!

Personalize your shoes and check out Absolutely Audrey’s assortment of accessory clips at www.absolutelyaudrey.com

Blog Post by Aimee Carroll, resident Girl Tested, Bride Approved Columnist.

Photos courtesy of Absolutely Audrey and Sarah Maren Photography.

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Ladies, check out this fabulous find of the week…

Same Sky is a fair trade company founded in 2008 whose mission is to empower women worldwide and inspire a movement of women empowering women. The inaugural project was based in Kigali, Rwanda, where Mary Fisher, an author, artist and speaker who travels the world advocating for those who share her HIV-positive status, taught artisan women a style of crocheting used to create beautiful glass bead bracelets.

The company now employs HIV-positive women, who survived the 1994 Genocide, to hand make these lovely creations and help rebuild their lives at the same time. In addition to their wages (which are 15 times higher than the average for women in sub Saharan Africa), the artisans receive a daily stipend that covers transportation and a daily meal to take their medication.

I found this cause especially moving, and I highly suggest reading more about the history behind this effort on their Web site at samesky.com.

The bracelets are crocheted with hand-blown glass beads that come on a non-stretch cord that rolls on the wrist. They come in small and medium and adjust to fit as you wear them. A wonderful palette of colors gives you numerous options to choose from. These would make excellent bridesmaids gifts and would be perfect additions to their wedding ensemble. And if the bracelet wasn’t enough, each comes with a card hand signed by the artisan, creating an even more special connection between maker and buyer.

I love this company, and I think you will to. Though headquartered now in New York, the bracelets can be purchased on their Web site at samesky.com.

Blog Post by Always a Bridesmaid Columnist Darren Elms.

Photos courtesy of Same Sky.

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I have a confession…If I could get away with wearing loungewear out of my house 24/7, I would.

I’m addicted to cozy, comfy clothing. So when my friend Susan at Periwinkle Gifts in Folsom told me about the new pajama line from Lolita (of the uber-fab martini and wine glass fame!) I had to try them out.

And, frankly, I’m not sure there are enough superlatives available in the English language to express how much I love these jammies…truly.

If you’re a loungewear-aholic too, definitely check these babies out!

Available in a variety of fun Lolita prints, the set is $50 at Periwinkle Gifts at 404 Blue Ravine Road in Folsom (in the Target shopping center). They make great bridesmaid gifts, and a great gift for yourself, too!

Blog Post by Editor/Publisher Wendy Sipple.

Photos courtesy of Lolita.

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