Spotted: Red Tulip Jewelry, Wedding Jewelry

While cruising down Union Street one day, we stumbled in to Mingle and discovered Red Tulip Jewelry and found it hard not to inquire about the artists behind the line. Friends Yvonne Henry and Claudia Lee began designing jewelry as a creative outlet, designing pieces for the friends and family (lucky!). Encouragement came left and right about them starting a business and without looking back, Red Tulip Jewelry was born.

Soon later, friends began getting married and asking the duo to create unique pieces for their wedding day. Yvonne tells us she was overwhelmed with joy at these offers and now finds herself doing more and more wedding day pieces. “Knowing that the jewelry is providing beauty and joy for the lucky bride’s special day is like I am part of the wedding, a great honor,” she says. Just by looking at her work you can see her inspirations shine through: music, fashion, nature and of course, her loved ones. Yvonne is a designer who truly stands behind her work, custom-designing and creating each piece by hand with her heart chock full of love. Just the way it’s supposed to be, especially for your Big Day. Visit Mingle at 1815 Union Street in San Francisco for a peek of their versatile, every-day pieces or their website at http://www.redtulipjewelry.com/.

Julia's Fashion File: Beauty and The Brooch

Adorning your bridal ensemble with a brooch, like jewelry, needs to be done tastefully or it can go terribly awry. However, unlike your typical drop earrings or dainty pearl necklace, a brooch can add something extra special and unique to your overall look; it's different, fun, and if done properly, will have people wishing they'd thought of it themselves.

As I was perusing the net this morning to find some pieces that I felt would enhance a bride's beauty, I was surprised to see that there weren't a whole lot of pictures out there showing brides how to use them or where to put them. Here are a few of the ideas that I found useful on Bride.net:

1) Use it as a hair pin and put it in your favorite up-do (like in the top above). You can work with your stylist to incorporate it in.

2) Add it to your sash in the front or in the back of the gown (bridesmaids dresses, too!):

3) Place it on your bouquet's at the base where the stems are gathered:

4) Add it to your flower girl's basket or ring bearer's pillow:

5) Strategically place it on a more simple gown to add flare:

There are countless ways to enhance your ensemble with a tasteful brooch. Play around with it and get a few opinions on where it looks best on the gown you've chosen.

Now where do you find an amazing brooch that feels right for you? The Internet (eBay will have tons!) again, will be a fantastic resource for you. As well as antique shops, second hand stores, and vintage jewelry shops.

I found a few I really love on Wedding Factory Direct and Emmaline Bride: http://www.weddingfactorydirect.com/index.html and http://emmalinebride.com/index.php.

Now go forth, my beauties, and find the brooch that makes you excited!

xoxo

Jules

Spotted: Great Bridesmaid Gifts

It's always a neat idea when the bride and groom treat their guests to inexpensive flip-flops for the dance floor. Now how about treating your bridesmaids to these adorable gold-glittered sandals from JCrew?

For just $29.50, these jelly capri sandals are a perfect gift for your besties and totally comfortable for dancing. And if you feel like they're not quite enough as a gift, JCrew is famous for their always in-fashion hair ties, headbands, jewelry and mini wallets, all displayed conveniently by the check-out station. Ca-ching!