Bridal Jewelry Blog by Mandy Greenan

This is why I love you Canadian brides

2008-12-02T13:44:00.004-05:00

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

2008-12-01T19:41:00.002-05:00

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!)

Wishlists!

2008-11-30T23:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

We're back from holiday and literally burning the midnight oil to get our brand new WISHLIST feature ready for Cyber-Monday! We're so excited about it... now you can shop Tigerlilly, put items on your wishlist that you love, and even email your wishlist to others!

We're also unveiling our (new) One-of-a-kind- Vintage Hair Brooch collection today! Just in time for holiday parties! Check it out!

xoxo

Hello World!

2008-11-15T10:19:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, we sent 11 international packages out to brides all over the world. It was the most in one day ever! We sent 2 to Australia, 2 to Ireland, 1 to Japan, 1 to Hong Kong, 2 to the UK, 2 to Canada, and 1 to Sweden.

In fact, almost 1/4 of all of our website visitors are from countries other than the US. We ship anywhere in the world for a flat $20 via priority mail. If there is ever a problem with receiving your package, we will work with you to fix it, guaranteed!

It's easy to order - when you put an item in your shopping cart, it will ask you your country, then it will give you shipping options available to you. We normally use priority mail, because it is by far the most affordable option, but if you're in a hurry and need trackable shipping, we can also use UPS or FedEx.

Ballerina bun wrap

2008-11-03T18:46:00.002-05:00

So, we were contacted a month or so ago by a stylist for an upcoming show on NBC who wanted to borrow some hair jewelry for a scene with ballerinas. She chose a flora vine in gold and 2 breena combs with golden shadow stones for each ballerina:

This was the inspiration look:

But we decided that on camera, crystals would be sparklier than the pearls, so we went with the flora vine instead of the bloom, which is what's shown above. Then, we wanted just a little more for the sides of the bun, so we chose the breena combs with golden shadow crystals:

For the show, Kings, which is premiering in March, they used a comb on each side of the bun on each girl.

Now, why am I telling you all of this, aside from that it's really cool that they used our accessories? Well, we just got the samples back, and now we have 4 gold flora vines and 8 silver breena combs with golden shadow crystals in perfect condition - and there's a great story behind them! So, if you're interested in purchasing the samples for yourself or for your bridesmaids, contact me at mandy@tigerlillyjewelry.com, and I'll give you a discount code and instructions on how to buy them. Since they are samples, they'll be half off!! That's right - instead of $120 each, the breena combs are $60, and instead of $225 for the floras, they're only $112.50.

Speaking of samples - we have sold off a lot of them, but we still have quite a lot of samples here, including, surprisingly, lots of our most popular designs. I'm going to try to get a list up of what's left soon on the website!

New Bracelets

2008-10-30T16:31:00.002-04:00

Introducing the new Pandora bracelet! A large 1.25" by .75" oval Swarovski crystal stone is at the center of a 2.5" by 1.5" antique silver filigree covered in Swarovski crystals of different shapes and sizes. 3 strands of A grade freshwater pearls complete the look. We're already taking pre-orders on this one!

Next up is the Valencia, made entirely of Swarovski crystals and a big diamond antiqued silver filigree (measuring 2" across and wide). This has chunkier rhinestones at the 4 corners and at the center, with 3 strands of crystals going around your wrist. I swear, I feel like I have super powers when I put this on.

Finally, we have a new Toula bracelet to coordinate with the Toula earrings I showed you a couple of days ago. The diamond filigree is nearly 2" by 1" across, with bands of fine chain circling the rest of your wrist. So pretty!

All 3 of these bracelets should fit snugly, so if you measure your wrist before you order and let us know the measurement (if ordering online, in the little comments box above the order button), we'll make sure it's just right!

New earrings!

2008-10-28T20:10:00.002-04:00

I'm so excited about the new earrings and bracelets this season. They are definitely blingyer than ever and so much fun! We've had several brides pre-order these Toula earrings, and the Francesca earrings, below:

How awesome are these? We're so in love. Finally, the new Clementine earrings, that perfectly coordinate with our Amore jewelry, the Quinn tiara, and pearl and rhinestone headband:

I'll show you the bracelets tomorrow!

Annie Girl Designs

2008-10-28T15:59:00.002-04:00

At the Martha Stewart party during market, I got to meet up with my friend Annie Sokoloff, the designer behind Annie Girl and Anna Elyse. I am such a huge fan of Annie's designs. Here is Luna wearing a custom vintage inspired dress by Annie Girl:

The quality of Annie's dresses is absolutely unmatched. Everything is handmade by Annie and her staff and no detail is overlooked. Even the buttons on Luna's dress have little rhinestones on them!

What is also SO COOL about Annie Girl is that you can go on their website here and play dress up with different color combinations! Luna had so much fun creating her own ivory dress with a pink sash and flower.

In other news... I'm working on getting some new earrings up tonight or tomorrow, so look for some big, blingy chandeliers!

Some new headbands

2008-10-26T14:33:00.003-04:00

Today I have 3 new headbands to show you. The first is Irina:

I love this look so much. It's so soft and pretty and modern. I think like every store at market picked one of these up! Irina is made with tulle that you can tie with a ribbon or pin into place (there are little loops on the ends), and there's a cluster of Swarovski crystals at the side.

Andi designed the other 2 I'm showing you today:

This is the Roxy. This design is just fierce. I mean, PLEASE, consider this for all of your pre-wedding parties and showers, including rehearsal dinner - it so rocks! Kleinfeld ordered it in all white, so I can't wait to see what that looks like. I'll probably post it on the website and here.

And finally, the Sandrine. It's just so sexy and playful at the same time! During the photo shoot, we were messing Andi's hair up and making it look like the morning after. Look, she's doing a bridesmaid walk of shame! But it kind of looks that way, doesn't it? Too funny. Ok, I like this one also for pre-wedding parties, rehearsal dinner, and it's totally wearable to cocktail parties post wedding. I love it for a fun reception look-change, and I love it for the actual ceremony if you can pull it off. We can make it in pretty much any color too. Oh, and I love it for naughty bridesmaids, of course!

Unveiled Preview!

2008-10-25T17:54:00.003-04:00

It's a rather daunting task to put an entire new collection online, so I've decided that I'm going to give you the new pieces a few at a time each day. That way, I get to sort of introduce them here in the blog and tell you a bit more about them than in the space on the website.

Today we're introducing the first 3 combs from Unveiled. Unveiled is a collection of veil alternatives. We have heard from so many brides that you don't want to wear a traditional veil, but you still want to feel like a bride. So, we took the traditional veiling materials - tulle, Russian netting, feathers, crystals... and whipped up an anti-veil collection using veiling fabrics and components. We really, really love it and we hope you do too!

I'm starting with Pip, probably my favorite new piece. I wear her all the time. She's this awesomely cute little feather piece that goes with everything - wedding dress, bridesmaid dress, cocktail dress, and yes, I wear her with jeans and I don't get weird looks. And guess what! Andi designed her!

This is Lulu. Lulu is made with tiny wisps of Russian netting, with a few Ostrich feathers thrown in, and 2 little moonstone sprouts. We think this is a great reception look!
We can also make Lulu in colors - very fun for bridesmaids too.

Finally, our new Pixie flower comb. With petals made of silk and tulle, and a Swarovski crystal center, this is so cute and modern and refreshing, don't you think? It is really versatile too - wear it in the front like Andi is here, or tuck it next to a low bun, or higher up on the side of your head... This is another piece that will have a life after your wedding, too.

More to come tomorrow!

xoxo

The Great Bridal Expo

2008-10-22T23:14:00.002-04:00

So, lots of cool things happened at market that I want to tell you about. One of the things I'm most excited about is our new partnership with the Great Bridal Expo (www.greatbridalexpo.com). They put on huge bridal shows twice a year in 25 cities across the country... and they chose Tigerlilly as the exclusive designer for all of the runway jewelry and headpieces during those shows!

I'll be personally attending a lot of the shows (as many as I can!) and meeting you one on one. The first show is in DC on January 3 and from there they are in different cities nearly every week! But the cool thing is, even if I'm not personally attending, you'll get to see the Tigerlilly jewelry in person on the runway! We're so excited and really grateful to Cliff Martell and Gerry Loback for choosing us.

So Happy

2008-10-21T22:29:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone!!

I've stayed online tonight late just connecting with brides-to-be interested in the sample sale items. There's nothing better than a win/win situation in my book, and I am just so happy that we're connecting with the people that we are right now. And do you know what's so crazy? We've heard from so many different people and so far everyone has been interested in different pieces, so it's totally working out for all.

Now, I just want to say, we still have *many* of our most popular pieces available, and I have a feeling it's going to take a bit of time before everything is actually spoken for - so - *PLEASE* everyone - email us if there's something you've been eyeing, even if you think it's probably gone already. The sale has been going on for more than 24 hours and I'll give you this hint- our very best selling headpiece is still not spoken for! So don't assume your favorite is taken!

Market Is Over, It's Sample Sale Time!!!

2008-10-20T14:40:00.004-04:00

It's day 3 of market and I finally have a spare moment to write! I've been holding out on telling you this, but... we're having a HUGE post market sample sale. Right now, we have samples (brand new that we made for this market!), of really a lot of our designs. And we are selling them to you for HALF OFF.

That's right, you read that correctly. We need to do something with the literally hundreds of totally new samples that we've been making for the past few weeks and what better than to give them to you, our awesome blog readers?!

There are way too many pieces for us to list here or on the website, so I think the best way to do this is - if you are interested in buying one of the samples, email us at sales@tigerlillyjewelry.com and tell us what piece(s) you like. We will email you back to let you know if we have any of that style/color left.

So... to reiterate... we have hundreds of brand new samples from market that are 50% off, first come, first served. Good luck and I hope that we have your dream piece in stock for you!!

xoxo

I HEART NY

2008-10-15T23:10:00.004-04:00

So, Andi and I are taking off tomorrow for market and meeting up with the lovely Hoang Pham in NYC! We'll be out of the office until Tuesday, but checking email regularly, so if you have a jewelry emergency, be sure to email us. (sales@tigerlillyjewelry.com) (And if you are a store reading this and want to come by, walk ins are always welcome, or email us and we'll call you to set up an appointment. We're in suite 1429.)

As I sit here, the collections are designed (though in some cases not quite made and ready yet), the stain is drying on our new awesome displays (which I am debating whether or not to share with the world... but more on my display paranoia at a later date), and I'm just sitting here printing up line sheets and trying to think of what I'm forgetting.

NY Market, for those of you not in the industry, is basically a twice yearly event where designers all go to NY and set up little mini-stores for the weekend, and bridal boutiques from all over the country (and world) come and shop. This year, it's being held at the Intercontinental Hotel in NYC, though in years past it's always been held at the Waldorf. All of the designers have their own hotel rooms. They take the beds out, but the rest of the furniture stays, and you just have to make it work. God forbid you even *think* about hanging something on the wall. We have to be very creative in how to transform these rooms into our own showrooms for the weekend!

I'm really excited about the new pieces that are debuting... they will be on the website next week. The new collection is called "unveiled" - and it's basically 15 alternatives to the traditional veil, and a lot of them incorporate tulle and Russian netting, a nod to tradition, but in a new and perhaps unexpected/unconventional way.

SOOO many of you (I'm talking to you brides right now) are either not wearing a veil at all, or you're wearing one for the ceremony and then you want something more fun for the reception - this collection is for you!

There are some crazy designs - Twiggy - it's a headband with a tulle birds nest on it with semi precious gemstone "eggs" - but I just know some of you are going to LOVE IT. I totally would have rocked the Twiggy about halfway through my reception :)

There are also some really cool, subtle designs that are just enough to make you feel like a bride. Sans veil.

We've also added some very blingy pieces, which vibe a bit with our previous Ice collection. It's more of a mini collection - not enough new designs to warrant a whole new collection, but definitely some fun new pieces that I'm in love with - many of which were inspired by brides I've worked with recently on custom designs. Thank you Amy, Laura and Jenny!

Well I will definitely make all efforts to update you on all of the trends and gossip and drama that we experience at market while we're there!!

xoxo

More from the runway

2008-10-10T20:39:00.002-04:00

We made a lot of pieces specifically for this show when they sent us pictures of dresses beforehand. Above is a Trina necklace in fuchsia and ruby that is quite fetching. We're actually donating it for a breast cancer charity auction next week - I'll have the details for you shortly.

This last one is probably my favorite. It is a hair vine... that is 3 feet long!! Yes, you wrap it around your whole head (or part of your hair like they did here) and *ping!* you're a glowy angelic supermodel.

Actually, Andi wore it at the shoot we just did here:

It's almost like a crystal boa.

On a personal note...

2008-10-09T23:32:00.004-04:00

So getting ready for NY market is always really stressful and time consuming. This year, my parents offered (begged) to watch my nearly 4 year old daughter Luna while we prepare for market, since they don't get to see her too often. She has been staying with them for a week now and I miss her so much! I'll be going up to pick her up tomorrow morning and I can not wait. I mean, I am in serious, serious Luna withdrawl right now.

Ok, so she is only 3 (almost 4), but she goes to preschool already every day, and she dresses herself for it. God forbid I intervene - she has her own very very concrete ideas about fashion at 3 (almost 4.) And of course, she loves accessories - purses, hats, belts, scarves... and JEWELRY. People, my girl insists on wearing hundred dollar necklaces to preschool. I kid you not.

Best of all, she already can string beads and makes her own necklaces for her friends. Can you tell how proud I am? So, I know I promised more pics from the runway show, but I just miss my girl so much I have to post this instead. Here's a very Luna outfit.

And here she is with our firstborn, Howserbear, the Siberian Rottweiler. (In this picture, Luna is actually wearing 3 different headpieces.) On location in the studio.

Jewelry from the Runway

2008-10-07T15:28:00.002-04:00

At last, we have the pictures from the Karen Sabag show from fashion week! It was so much fun seeing the pieces come down the runway. I love how stylists use things in different and creative ways - putting necklaces in the hair, putting hairpins on dresses, wearing bracelets as barrettes.

Here is the seaside necklace worn in the hair - fierce!

And here, the alvina bracelet worn as a barrette:

And here, an alvina comb sewn onto a gown:

So there were 4 of us attending the show, myself, Aaron, Andi, and a friend. There was a party beforehand, held upstairs. There were 2 front row seats and 2 seats right behind them, so we put our things down on the seats and headed up to the party. We came back down and people were sitting in our seats! Drama ensues.

Evidently, the 2 front row seats were given to Oprah magazine editors. Ok, I am not going to argue with that! Aaron, however, was not happy. As we were grappling about the front row, the 2nd row was taken. Aaron explains to these 2 that we were sponsors of the show, we made the accessories, etc, to which the gentleman replied, "Honey, everyone here is famous."

So, I just wanted to tell you that everything you hear about seating at these things is true! It was crazy! I was afraid to get up once we sat down for fear of my chair being stolen!

Here are a few more of my favorites, and I'll post some more tomorrow.

I have so much to show you!

2008-10-06T17:00:00.002-04:00

So it was our hurry-it's-almost-market photo shoot today! Look at Andi!

How amazing does she look??

We also got the image CD of the Karen Sabag runway show from fashion week, where Tigerlilly did all of the accessories. I'll post those soon!

xoxo

New Collections

2008-10-04T15:48:00.003-04:00

I don't know what it is about bridal market season that makes me create like 3 different new collections 2 weeks before the shows start. I guess I'm just that much of a procrastinator. NY Bridal Market is in 2 weeks, and we'll be showing new collections at that time to stores and the press. I thought I had everything all ready to go, until last week, when I realized I had to make at least 2 more "mini" collections. Why? Why do I do this to myself?

But I HAVE to, because people, we are coming up with the coolest headpieces right now! You are really going to love them. I set up a photo shoot for Monday and guess who is modeling? Our very own Andi! I'm so excited. As you may know from past photo shoots, I tend to go a little nuts with the concepts, like:

I know they're not the most "bridal" looking images, but they tell a story and they are beautiful, and that's what I want to express. You get the vibe of the piece, and obviously you're not going to dress up like an ice queen at your wedding (but if you do, please, please send me pictures!) but if you're having a winter wedding, it's a nice headpiece choice.

All of that being said, I had to really restrain myself from styling Andi to look like a deer a la Naima cycle 4 of America's Next Top Model:

(Although she is supposed to be a cheetah, I think.)

I stopped myself, because it was a little distracting from the headpieces. I still want to do it one day, though. Andi is very fawn-ish!

Feeling Lucky?

2008-09-30T10:17:00.002-04:00

You should be! Fate has brought you to our blog today to give you 20% off anything from the website, today only. This is completely unadvertised! You have to have stumbled upon this blog post, today before midnight pacific time (to be fair to our west coast friends.)

Use this coupon code:
LUCKY20

xoxo
Tigerlilly

Venice Necklaces

2008-09-19T11:55:00.006-04:00

So today I have some gorgeous Venice Necklaces for you! We have them in several colors: light colorado topaz (1 silver, 1 gold), olive, indicolite, jet, ruby, and rose!

Regular price: $90
Sample sale price: $30 each

Please comment below or email me if you'd like them!

mandy@tigerlillyjewelry.com

xoxo

Fab Fuchsia

2008-09-17T21:39:00.003-04:00

Today's sample sale items are both necklaces made in fun, fabulous fuchsia!

Chicago necklace - made in fuchsia instead of light rose as shown here

Regular price: $130
Crazy sale price: $40!!

I am seriously having heart palpitations just typing these prices... but I guess it's a sample sale!!

Okay, next up, one of my favorites, the New York necklace!

This one is as shown - in fuchsia.

Regular price: $150
Crazy sale price: $50

First ones to leave a comment will win the necklaces at these prices - please email me your email address after you post a comment at mandy@tigerlillyjewelry.com!

xoxo!

Sample Sale This Week!

2008-09-17T12:43:00.006-04:00

We are going to be moving our studio in a few months (more on that later!) but I'm starting to go through samples... and it's definitely time for a sample sale! These samples were made for photo shoots, runway shows, or market samples. They are in new, perfect condition. So this week, instead of a designer spotlight, I'm going to have a sample sale right here on the blog.

First up, we have a gorgeous Paris necklace:

Only this one is not lt colorado topaz, it is indian sapphire AB and silver shade:

Let me tell you, this necklace is BEAUTIFUL beautiful beautiful. I love it in these colors, and frankly I'm quite tempted to keep it for myself.

Regular price: $150
Crazy blog sample sale price: $50

Yes, that's 66% off. That's $100 off. That's crazy! What am I thinking?

Necklace #2 is the Vienna:

Regular price: $150
Crazy blog sample sale price: $50

Only this one is also indian sapphire AB. For those of you wondering what AB is, it is sort of an iridescent coating on the crystal. It is sort of a harsh effect on clear crystal, but on colors I think it's gorgeous.

So, if you love the color blueish gray and you deserve a new necklace, or if you have a friend/mother/future mother-in-law/bridesmaid who needs a gorgeous treat...

ADD A COMMENT BELOW RIGHT NOW! Tell me which necklace you'd like.

Comments are moderated, so it will not appear right away - don't worry, that just means I haven't ok'd it yet. And if you see no comments, that doesn't mean that you're the first - there might be some in front of you. I just don't want any disappointment there!! Sometimes there is a bit of a delay before I get the comment.

And if you miss this chance, not to worry. We'll be featuring 2 new pieces every day this week and next week. I'll upload each piece every day at 12:00 noon eastern time.

EDITED to say - please email me your email address if you win!!
mandy@tigerlillyjewelry.com

xoxo

Jewelry from the runway!

2008-09-12T15:44:00.002-04:00

The Karen Sabag Spring 09 show is up on youtube!

See it here!

Tigerlilly on NBC!

2008-09-12T12:28:00.002-04:00

So guess what! This morning we got a call from a stylist for a new show on NBC (I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you which one!) and they want to borrow some hair vines and combs! They're shooting next week and I'll have all of the details soon. We're so excited - our first foray into network television!

Here's what we're sending: