So, there is nothing more terrible than a bad prom updo on a bride... it’s just sad and even when an updo is done correctly sometimes it ends up looking too stiff and serious. I think wearing hair down for your wedding should be done more often, it’s romantic and carefree. I understand that sometimes there are situations where it may be necessary to wear your hair up, terrible humidity, etc. But for the most part I think a woman wearing her hair down and unadorned is absolutely beautiful. The key is to embrace what you’ve got, you know your hair... don’t try to flat iron your hair bone straight in 70 percent humidity when you have crazy corkscrew curls. The same goes for any hair type. Stick to your natural texture. Also, you can’t deny the power of products. When your hair is damp you need to apply some kind of thickening spray to add body, I also like texturizing products which really help hold your style. When it comes to hairspray, it’s all about finding something that holds without creating helmet hair. L’Oreal’s famous Elnett hairspray is lovely, it holds well and brushes out like a champ. So no matter what length or style your hair is, it’s absolutely possible to wear it down and natural!!

Lauren

Imagine it. It’s your big day. There’s a knock on the door. It’s a beautiful sparkly gift from your very soon to be husband. You, in turn, hand the messenger a gift for your betrothed... What is it? A watch? Cufflinks? A tie!?!??! How about some naughty pictures of you in your wedding veil and nothing else!? WHAT!? I don’t want to get myself in trouble, but I think that sexy boudoir photos are the perfect pre-wedding gift. Why not take sassy photos while everything is still mostly in the place it’s supposed to be!?! And can you imagine your dudes face when he sees them!!! I think it’s priceless. And these photos don’t have to be dirty or inappropriate, but tasteful and sexy. This is a gift for your husband, not anyone else!!! And if it eases your mind, most of these photos are all camera angles, so you aren’t running around nude... unless you want to ;)

You can find great photographers in any area. Sitting fees can be anywhere from $150 dollars and up. Your wedding photographer would probably be more than willing to offer you a great deal on boudoir photo shoot.

I highly suggest this as a great gift for the hubs and a fun & empowering experience for you. Just remember if you are confident, it will come across in the photos.

Lauren

 

Jamie Peisel and Jonah Ansell

Date Engaged

December 2009

Where did you meet?

He was in a business suit.

She was in a bathing suit.

It was attraction at first sight.

As soon as they said hello — it became much more than attraction.

“Are you interested in buying life insurance?” he asked.

“Excuse me?” she replied, confused as to who had let this alleged salesman into the rooftop pool party.
“We have a number of great policies,” he continued — trying to not look too out of place amidst the sea of bikinis and board shorts.

“Should I take this schmuck seriously?” she asked herself.

He labored on, maintaining a straight face, offering up buy-in options at $50k intervals — for flood, fire, tornado.  Whatever foes she faced — he claimed to offer the remedy.

And just seconds before she rejected him – “Hi.  I’m Jonah.”

He extended his hand.  Their handshake turned into a game of arcade basketball.  The game of basketball turned into a pitcher of sangria.  The pitcher of sangria turned into her buying a little black dress.  The little black dress led them across the streets of Chicago.  To a dive bar.  To a second dive bar.  To a night full of friends. 

How did he propose?

In late 2010, Jamie and Jonah were prepping for a big cross country move (Chicago to LA).

She was starting grad school out at USC.  He was returning to the land of 74-degree sunshine, where he would eventually go on to launch his own marketing and production company.  He decided that he would ask her to marry him along the way.

As Jonah recalls:

Before we began our cross-country road trip, I told Jamie we were staying at a bunch of budget motels to save money.  Like… she knew we were going to Vegas, but I convinced her we were staying about 40 miles off the strip.  I even had her do a big Costco trip to stock up on things in bulk so we wouldn’t have to pay top dollar at gas stations along the way.  Expectations were set very low.  And they were reinforced by a counterfeit itinerary that led her to believe this was a very low-stakes, functional journey.  After dinner with some good family friends in Omaha, we spent the first night in the Nebraskan boonies.  We spent our second night in Denver — and enjoyed our one “splurge” — a night out at the Nuggets game.  She fought hard to keep me from spending our next night in Western Colorado, after she learned that we’d be driving through a blizzard just to stay at a $28/night Super 8 smoking room.  Luckily, she had gotten the flu along the way and was a little bit fuzzy and out of it.  Before we embarked for Western Colorado, I told her that she should take a couple of Tylenol PMs to make the drive go easy.  She passed the F out.  I rerouted the GPS and headed straight to Aspen.  She woke up to pure darkness and blizzard, asking where we were.  I told her that due to the blizzard, I’d had to take a detour.  The weather was really bad.  Some cars had literally driven off the road, so she bought it.  I then told her that I thought that I’d made a mistake, and needed to ask for directions.  She was pissed at me by this point.  Angry at me for planning this whole road trip by myself, not asking for her input or letting her help.  Saying that I’m a know-it-all, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, etc.  So, I said, stop, I don’t want to fight, let’s just stop and get a cup of coffee and try to figure out a place to stay around here for the night.

We parked at the side of the icy road and walked through the blizzard into this hotel which I “happened” to see.  I asked a guy at the hotel desk (little does she know, the nicest hotel in Aspen) if they have a place where we can get a cup of coffee.  He points us to this little 1920s bar, that is completely empty, except for a lone bartender and a dude playing Lay Lady Lay (our song) on an acoustic guitar.  Before Jamie can figure out what’s going on, I got down on a knee, pulled out a tennis ball (which I’ve carved a hole in and hid the ring inside) and asked her to marry me.  She says no, it gets extremely awkward.  No, all was good, we checked into the hotel and had a sweet room overlooking the mountains.  I’d worked with the head of concierge at the hotel to make the room a little vignette of our relationship (read: I’m a total tool) with memorabilia and stuff strewn about.  I’d also made a last minute switch from champagne to chicken noodle soup, hot chocolate, and tea, due to Jamie being sick.  The rest of the trip was a blast — we celebrated w/ her dad in New Mexico, spent two nights in a penthouse in Vegas, spent a few days here in LA getting settled before we went to NY for Christmas w/ her family.

It’s been a wonderful journey — and we have, to our chagrin, found a way to truly and proudly call L.A. our home.

When is your wedding date?

October 15th, 2011

Why did you pick the area you are getting married in?

Jamie grew up in Savannah, it's a highly desirable place for our guests to visit, and we can't imagine a more beautiful/romantic place to get married.

Where do you reside now?

Los Angeles, CA

Anything interesting or out of the ordinary you are including in your
wedding day?

We made a Save-the-Date video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC-g1DR4KsI that by the way, we can also make for you. We'll be implementing some of the themes of the video and song into our wedding - who knows maybe Jamie will jump rope down the aisle.

Get the look: Dress, BHLDN; shoes, Charles by Charles David; ring, JCrew; & earrings, Forever21.

How adorable is this girl!?!? I absolutely love Emma Roberts. Not only is she super cute and talented, this chick has a fabulous sense of style. I adore this Alice+Olivia gown on her and think that this is the perfect vintage charm for a chic boho wedding. I found this brilliant dress on BHLDN, Anthropologie’s newest bridal store. The key when searching this look is to find a champagne/antiqued hue with fitted bodice and a perfectly a-line skirt. You want the length to fall right about mid-calf, if you are petite, you want the skirt to hit more at the knee. The super high nude platform shoes make this look wearable for just about any height/body type. Those shoes are champion for making your legs look insanely long, which in turn makes you look supermodel tall!! Yes please. Fun black enameled floral jewels really give the look a fun twist.

Don’t be afraid to rock celebrity style on your big day!!!

Lauren

I just moved to San Diego and in my mind I was moving to sunny California, wrong. Dude, Cali is COLD!!! I am absolutely shocked. That got me thinking, what about those SOCAL brides who are freezing their tail’s off in the middle of summer!?!? They need something chic to cover up with just like the winter brides. So here are some great options for both summer and winter cover ups.

Summer. clockwise from the top middle: Alex Bridal on Etsy, Elizabeth and James, Elizabeth and James, Haute Hippie.

When looking for a summer coverup, make sure to pay close attention to the weight of the fabric. You want something lightweight that will keep you warm without overheating you. Look for laces and other breathable fabrics. Be bold and even throw on a metallic blazer!! Why not!?!? It’s your wedding you can do whatever the heck you want to!!! I think the key is actually to get something that it will be possible to re-wear otherwise it’s sorta a waste.

Winter. Clockwise from the top middle: MaryandAngelika on Etsy, Halston Heritage, Alex Bridal on Etsy, Calvin Klein.

Now let's not forget the actual freezing cold winter, you can go crazy with a winter coverup, anything from a thick silk dupioni to a fur shawl. When it’s stupid cold out a gorgeous winter white wool coat will do the job nicely, plus, you can actually wear it again. Just make sure that whatever you choose to cover up with that the shape works for your gown.

Lauren

As most of you know I don’t care much for wedding etiquette... I think most of it is antiquated and plain old silly, but there is something that I am a firm believer in... and that’s NOT blabbering constantly about where you are registered... And even furthermore, putting anything in your invitation that suggests where you are registered is just beyond tacky!!!! I think that sometimes people do it thinking they are making life easier for their guests, but I think it can easily be misconstrued as only being concerned with gifts and that is just so not-fabulous. When doing research on the post I found that most people agree with me... but just in case you don’t believe me...

The Knot.com’s Q&A states, “ ...gift information should be included with your wedding invitations. Tell your wedding party, parents, and close friends where you are registered, and let them fill guests in. Guests know that they are supposed to ask your mom, your maid of honor, or even you where you're registered. Putting it in the invite is still considered bad form because it suggests that the gift is more important than the potential guest.”

Peggy Post, an expert on etiquette says, “Gift registry information should never be included in a wedding invitation. Tradition still holds that the practice of including lists of gift registries with wedding invitations is considered tacky and inappropriate. Why? It puts more emphasis on the gift and less on the request that the recipient join you on your special day. Gift registries are wonderful tools. But get the word out the old-fashioned way: word of mouth (and don't email gift registry information, even if you're listed on a registry Web site). For shower invitations, however, it's okay to include wedding gift registry information -- a list of stores, mail-order catalogs, or Internet addresses -- on the invitation if the hostess prefers.”

Kristen Klett over at WeddingAces.com is also on my side saying, “While we like to consider ourselves modern gals, there are some new trends that we just can’t get behind.  The practice of including registry or other gift preferences on one’s wedding invitation is still a big ‘no-no’ in our book.“Now come on!” you might say.  “Everyone knows that you’re supposed to give gifts at a wedding and aren’t we making things easier on our guests by providing them with our registry information?”Nope.  No way.  Even on occasions where gifts are appreciated, or even expected, in our opinion it’s just plain tacky to imply that you require a guest to bring a gift as “admission” to your celebration.  Weddings are an excellent example of “expected” gift-giving occasions.  And while we certainly appreciate and take advantage of the convenience of gift registries, etiquette dictates that references to our gift preferences must be carefully chosen and discreet.

So, yes. I hate to break it to you... I’m right. If you are having a shower, those in charge of throwing in are more than welcome to list the stores you are registered at to get the word out. If you have a wedding website, make a page devoted to pointing your friends and family to your registered stores... Just avoid putting that information in your invitations... I know how old school wedding etiquette has become, but this is just one rule I like to see followed.

Lauren

Chantel Marie Maxwell and Matthew Michael Love

Date Engaged

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Where did you meet?

To start off as you all probably know, Matthew and I actually grew up together. Our parents were good friends growing up. I remember when I was younger going over to his parents' house for fourth of July or his family coming to our house for pool parties and always playing with his older sister Ashley. Matthew always wanted to tag along, but we didn't want him to! Ha Ha...As we grew older we saw less and less of each other because both families' lives got very busy. Ashley then started working for my mom in 2003, and she and I became really good friends again. I was always seeing Matthew around then. About two years later during his senior year Ashley was supposed to attend his senior prom with him but ended up not being able to since she was going to London for hair school. Ashley came to me and asked if I would go with him and of course I said yes! At the time I was dating someone, and I looked at him like a good friend and confided in him about things. Then our lives started going in different directions again. Ashley opened her own salon and we saw less and less of each other once again.

About two and a half years ago, his grandfather (Beep Beep) passed away, and my mother and I attended his viewing to pay our respects. I was so happy to see Matthew. We talked for a little while, catching up, and he asked if I wanted to go fishing with him and a friend of his that weekend, so I said yes! They ended up not going, but he called to see if I wanted to hangout, and I was SUPER excited. There was always something about Matthew. It's like I had always had a little crush on him and knew he always had one on me. We started hanging out a lot and going on dates. We went to Ashley's house one night with another couple because Matthew was house sitting. We shared our first kiss that night on the dock. We’ve been inseparable from that point on. His Beep Beep always asked Matthew when he was going to get a girlfriend and because of Beep Beep I will marry my best friend on November 5, 2011.

Most people say that they're marrying their best friend, but I truly am marrying my best friend and soulmate.

How did he propose?

Well, let's just start off by saying, I always told Matthew that my nails better be done and I better look nice for some pictures to be taken after we got engaged. With that being said, now for the proposal...

Last year around July, my mom and dad were talking about the four of us taking a short cruise to the Bahamas in September or November. I was super excited!! Thinking a proposal was coming, I automatically envisioned being proposed to on a beautiful beach there. The plans faded away as things came up. He had said one time before - we will be engaged before this coming Christmas. Thanksgiving came around, and if any of you know how Matthew works, you know right now he works every holiday. I was thinking - since my family is always in town for Thanksgiving, and we always have Thanksgiving lunch and dinner at my mom and dad's, that he would get off the boat and maybe surprise me then and do it that way...Christmas got closer and closer.

I didn't know there was anything going on. The giveaway should have been that my dad actually came into Savannah the Friday before, which he NEVER does, and he and Matthew ate at my favorite place, Outback, without inviting me!!

We went to his sister, Ashley's, salon Christmas party the night before it happened. I took my friend Allison who I hadn't seen in a while so needless to say, I had a blast that night, and Matthew was the responsible adult watching us. No one knew he was proposing the next day and that's why he wasn't letting loose and having fun because he was so nervous, or at least that's what I think! Well, the next day we went out to my parents house, and I wasn't feeling too hot. Matthew and my mom kept trying to get me to get off the couch and go do something. As you know it was right before Christmas and chilly outside. My dad just got a heater for his golf cart and Matthew and dad kept bugging me, "Let's go try it out!" I was thinking, I don't feel well, and what is the big deal, it's a freaking heater!! My mom came up too me and said, "Chantel, why don't you just go with them for a minute. It might make you feel better if you get up and move around." I got up and went in the garage where Matthew and dad were and told them I was ready to go.

Well, at this point they are trying to think of a reason to tell me dad's not going with us. If you know my dad, he always has to go if someone is going on a golf cart "adventure". About this time Mr. Billy pulls up. Boy did they get lucky!! Dad said he would just let us go and stay there and talk to Mr. Billy. On the way down there, Matthew said he wanted to give me an early Christmas present. I was thinking nothing of it. At this point I was thinking he was going to try and throw me off and propose after Christmas. We went down to the dock, walked out on it, and just sat there and talked for a little bit. Then he said he was going to give me something he had been working on, on the tugboat for a while as an early Christmas present. He pulled out a few folded pieces of notebook paper. He started reading this beautiful poem he had written me. I am still thinking nothing about a proposal, then at the end of the poem I thought he said, "And I hope one day she will be my wife". At this point he is on one knee, and I am speechless and fighting away tears as he is pulling a beautiful wooden box out of his coat. He opened it and asked me if I would marry him. With  a quick response, of course I said yes! So now looking back, the ending of the poem said, "And I hope she will be my wife". He caught me completely off guard and something you didn't know - our first kiss was on his sister's dock, so there was a theme there. I should have known!! I wouldn't change a thing that happened with my proposal. Yeah, I may not have looked my best or even had my nails done, but the point is Matthew loves me just as I am, and that's all that matters.

When is your wedding date?

November 5, 2011

Why did you pick the area you are getting married in?

We picked Savannah Georgia to be our wedding location because it is where we both grew up and most of our families are in the area.

Where do you reside now?

We both reside in Savannah Georgia

Anything interesting or out of the ordinary you are including in your wedding day?

Nothing to out of the ordinary the day of our wedding besides a huge Rock N Roll marathon bringing in about 18,000 people. Ha Ha. We will be having a little fun with that and maybe putting on some tennis shoes for some photos to always remember our Rock N Roll wedding day! All of our sites are historical and our rehearsal dinner is being held at the Pirates House!

Anything else you would like to add?

We will have a photo booth, which I am SUPER excited about. The bridesmaids have vibrant purple shoes and the groomsman will be wearing burnt orange socks (not that they know it yet) ;) Those are just a couple of little fun details. I would love to have our baby girl Piper (our weimaraner) included some how, even if it's just for a few pictures, but I am still trying to figure that out at the moment.

 

Congrats Chantel and Matthew—we are so honored that you chose us to be a part of your day. –The MGE Team

Bootylicious. Indeed. How fabulous is this halter gown!? What we should admire about this look... The neck line is fabulous and for any lady who loves her shoulders and arms this is a must wear. The bow detail in the front is adorable, but also show’s off her tiny waist. The slim fit through the skirt is close, but not super tight so it shows off her shape without being skanky. Oh and congrats are in order for Kimmy, as she is recently engaged to... someone. I can’t wait to see her wedding, watch their show, then ultimately their divorce. What? I only speak the truth.

Get the look: Both gowns, JCrew; Earrings, Forever21; & Shoes, Cole Haan.

Don’t be afraid to rock celebrity style on your big day!!!

Lauren

Geez Cameron, have longer legs!?! Ugh. I think this is the perfect look for a summer rehearsal dinner. So chic and so comfortable. A cute white romper accented with a pop of bright red. The nude sandals just make her legs look even longer. I am obsessed with this look. And note, all shapes and sizes can wear rompers, the key is fit and length. Sometimes, if you have a booty when you try on a romper it will fit everywhere but your rear end, the result is a strange fit that rides up at the crotch and butt. NO GOOD. That doesn’t mean you can wear them. Get a larger size that gives you the appropriate length and fits your butt, then take it to a tailor to nip and tuck the top. Tailors are the key to looking super hot in your clothes, so find a good one ;)

Get the Look: Romper, JCrew; Blazer, Torn by Ronny Kobo; Belt, JCrew; Shoes, Dolce Vita; &Necklaces, Forever21.

Don’t be afraid to rock celebrity style on your big day!!!

Lauren

While the couple was finishing up their photos with family and friends, guests were invited to enjoy some fun lawn games and a signature drink served out of mason jars. The chalkboard theme carried throughout from the signs for the lawn games, the guestbook, dessert table, table numbers and Mr. and Mrs. signs for the bride and groom’s chairs. The dessert table was YUMMO…and featured a number of the couples pies instead of the traditional wedding cake.. Shades of white flowers with hints of green from the buds, stems and leaves provided a perfect accent to the white table linens keeping the look simple and clean. Thanks again to Shannon Christopher for the images. Thank you Jackie and Keith for allowing MG Events to be a part of your day! It was truly an honor and we wish you all the best for years to come. xoxoox

       

Jackie and Keith picked beautiful Hilton Head, SC to get married this spring. We love Jackie’s style…from her classic lace dress with the feather flower adornment, to her fabulous shoes and the clean whites and neutrals for the decor. These two wanted to start off the festivities with a “first look” and thanks to Shannon Christopher and his amazing photography skills, we are able to share in this very special emotional moment with them. Don’t you just love the banner boys?! So adorable and what a cute idea in loo of the traditional ring bearer. Tune in tomorrow for Part 2-Portraits