Great Bridal Expo Coming Soon!

So, I've been speaking with runway Guru Cliff Martell, who is the visionary behind many of the top bridal runway shows around the country, including the Great Bridal Expo. Cliff discovered Tigerlilly a few years ago when styling a runway show for the WeddingChannel Couture show, and he's the guy who got us the *incredible* deal of being the exclusive provider of all of the headpieces and jewelry on the runways this year for the Great Bridal Expo!

Cliff is putting together an amazing show. It's big, statement pieces with color and feathers and bling! He doesn't want just 1 comb on a model, he wants 5! Needless to say, the shows are going to be fabulous. We are working feverishly to get everything finished before the holidays!

Here are a few of the pieces we're using:





The show kicks off in Washington, DC on January 3, and continues on to dozens of cities over the next several months. Here's January's schedule - please attend and look for a Tigerlilly treat in the gift bags... * and * 1 lucky winner from each show will win a $100 Tigerlilly gift certificate!

Jan 3: Washington DC - 12:00pm
OMNI SHOREHAM HOTEL
2500 Calvert St NW
Washington, DC 20008

Jan 4: Philadelphia - 12:00pm
SHERATON PHILADELPHIA CITY CENTER
17th & Race Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Jan 11: Baltimore - 12:00pm
SHERATON BALTIMORE CITY CENTER
101 W. Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Jan 17: Boston - 12:00pm
WESTIN BOSTON COPLEY PLACE
10 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02111

Jan 19: NYC - 5:30pm
NEW YORK MARRIOTT MARQUIS
1535 Broadway
New York, NY 10036

Jan 31: Charlotte - 12:00pm
BLAKE HOTEL CHARLOTTE
555 S McDOWELL STREET
CHARLOTTE, NC 28217

Music

Here's a little known fact...

Before I started making jewelry, I was a musician. Well, I guess I still am, because I play piano and you don't just stop doing that because you choose a different career. I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. To this day, I am so completely inspired by music in everything I do.

Several collections have been inspired by individual songs. The Dollface collection was inspired by the Squirrel Nut Zippers song Meant to Be, which I can't find on youtube, or I would link to it! However, the song that inspired a Midsummer Night's Dream is there - it's called Finn, by Tori Amos.

Right now, I have more favorite songs than I can even list! If I had to pick, it might be this: uninvited by Alanis Morissette.

I'd like to try something for other musically inspired people - do you have a favorite song that you'd like to translate into a Tigerlilly piece? I'd love to give it a try!

xoxo

Mandy

Pre-Wedding Parties

When my sister in law Beth was engaged to my brother, she wore white dresses to all of her pre-wedding parties - engagement parties, shower, rehearsal dinner - so that she could get used to wearing white. I thought that was such a cool idea! Check out these deals on nordstrom.com right now:



ABS by Allen Schwartz, regularly $348, on sale for 60% off (!!) for $138.90. Made in the USA. I would encourage you to also start getting used to wearing fun sparkly things in your hair, which hopefully will become habit before long! How about a gold 10 strand headband or a cluster of crystal flowers? Hey, the savings above pay for the hair jewelry!



Lily Pulitzer, regularly $298, on sale for 50% off for $148.90. This dress on it's own isn't nearly bride-ish enough, so you'll really need to amp up the bride-to-be factor with a hair flower like this or this.



ABS by Allen Schwartz, regularly $278, on sale for 50% off for $138.90. Pair it with a set of crystal hairpins or a feather poof!

Michael De Paulo

Flipping through my Women's Wear Daily last night, I was drawn to an article about elaborate evening gowns and saw a dress by Boston designer Michael De Paulo, which made me visit his website, www.michaeldepaulo.com.

I'm in love with several dresses:



Hello! This dress was MADE for a beach wedding, no? I'd pair it with the serephina vine (not yet online but available by inquiry) in the hair and nothing else. I love her shoes, too.


{serephina vine}


{rippled mystique}

I love his names. I'd probably up the drama factor even more and put a black birdcage veil with this, and maybe some sheer black gloves - perfect for a New Years or Valentines wedding!



Oh my God, I'm just imagining what this dress FEELS like to wear - swooshing about like a silk mermaid... Diamond studs, for sure.

Style Me Pretty!!

Oh my God! We **LOVE** style me pretty here at Tigerlilly. Always inspiring and fresh and unique, it's an absolute favorite style blog. We were recently honored to be chosen for their Little Black Book of Very Important Vendors - a highly edited list of "the most innovative and chic wedding professionals on the planet." Wow! Thank you Abby, Michelle, and all at Style Me Pretty! They only select 3 vendors for each category, so we are really truly honored to be a part of the book.

Then I check my email this morning and WoW - we're the featured vendor today!



Abby talked about our birdcage veils and pictured one of our limited edition crystal veils, above. We too love the birdcage! There's something about them that transforms you into a glamorous, old hollywood starlet the second you put one on. We'll admit to wearing them around the studio when the mood strikes. The limited edition crystal veils are even more fun - the whole world looks a little more sparkly from behind one.

This is why I love you Canadian brides

We work with so many Canadians and I seriously love you guys! Today, I have the pleasure of working with Shari, a bride from Ontario, whose rocking her wedding in this:



For me, it was love at first sight. She emailed me this picture one evening, and I just had to respond to her immediately because I so love it. Today I sat down to actually come up with a custom piece for her, and asked her the first questions - you know, how she'll wear her hair, if she's wearing other jewelry, etc. And she said she doesn't want to tell me, she just wants to see how I would style the whole look, which of course is what I love to do here on the blog. So, here goes!

Ok, so I'm just going to think outloud here... First I'm feeling like it needs a statement piece in the hair. Girly and fun, and feathers are always good in that respect. It needs to have some volume, meaning it should come off the head a bit - something like a flower or feathers or crystals coming out at all angles in a big crystal explosion. Actually I like the sound of all of that - feathers and crystal explosion, all very 3D. I'm picturing the hair up in a high ballerina-style full bun (Audrey-esque) with the crystal poof on the side.




So something the size of the feather poof, but made like the bliss hairpins is what I'm leaning towards. But it will probably have some other element going on at the same time - feathers if I can work it, or possibly little bits of french netting or something in pink. Feathers would be pale pink too - probably dyed ostrich.

Other jewelry - I'm actually thinking no necklace. This dress is so strong on it's own, and the headpiece is going to be a statement, that I don't want to guild the lily. Small earrings, like pink cz posts or a little crystal drop. The one place where I might put another piece is on the wrist. I just had a little vision of these flowers:



Only in shades of pink and pale pale gold and iridescent silver all lined up on a cuff style bracelet. So pretty. The flowers would be different sizes and sort of clustered together encircling the wrist. I have to make that bracelet now!

Ok the bracelet just gave me another idea for the hair comb. OMG I am loving this possibly even more... I'm thinking the same flowers, bunches of them all together on a comb with little crystal sprouts to still give it some dimension. Yes, I'm changing my mind, I like the crystal flower garden for the comb and the wrist! I now have to make both, whether Shari wants them or not, because they are SO PRETTY in my head!!

Final idea is an all crystal mini top hat, to be worn on the side of the head. I like the flower garden more, but I've been wanting to make one and it has a playful vibe that would work very well here.

Thank you Shari!! I hope this helps you decide!

A Very Sweet Fiance

I just have to share a story that happened recently. The fiance of one of our customers emailed me asking about a surprise gift for his bride-to-be. She had ordered a headband from us, and he wanted to surprise her with a gift on their wedding day with a coordinating bracelet. Instead of just buying 1 bracelet (and choosing for her), he decided to buy her 2 bracelets that coordinated with her headband, give them both to her on the wedding day, and let her choose which she would wear that day (and keep the other for the honeymoon!) I just thought that was the sweetest thing! I won't reveal names because they aren't married yet and I certainly won't be ruining the surprise... but we all agree - he's a keeper!!

Related sidenote - GROOMS-TO-BE!! - LISTEN UP!! - we now have a wishlist feature on our website - how awesome would it be if you surprised your bride with jewelry she picked out herself?

What's the harm in registering? Somebody might just surprise you (and we are certainly here to help!)