Patent leather: is it acceptable for bridal shoes?

I am trying to figure out an internal debate: are patent leather shoes appropriate for a bride?  I'm leaning toward a longer tea length dress so my shoes will be on display, but I'm not a fan of most satin or white shoes.  I am, however, a fan of dark blue (like sapphire!) and T trap style pumps.  However, some of the best specimens, like the Gabriella Rochas below, are patent leather.

 

Or in creme, available at Zappos:

I also love spectators and two tones, but they often feature super-shiny patent leather.

Satin is obviously shiny too, so why is that so much more "acceptable" in my mind than patent leather?  Please note, I really despise satin shoes; I find them uncomfortable, impractical, and occasion-specific (when can you seriously wear satin shoes to the office?).  So I want leather or another fabric for my shoes...but the options are kind of painting me into a corner.

So far, Fitzwell shoes, available on Zappos, are winning the debate in my head.  The reviews are mixed, but the look seems to be the best of all worlds I'm going to get:

  

I'm also drawn to the cut-out detailing on these Fitzwells:

One of my inspirations: Bird Nerd

I love Mod Nuthatch by Bird Nerd over on Etsy.  I own a print of it, along with another bird collage print, and the colors, textures, and shapes are just so spot on to what I want to capture in my wedding.  I'd like to have the picture on the mantle at my wedding's venue, in a subtle place.

To visit her shop and perhaps find your own inspiration, go to Bird Nerd's Etsy Shop!

Anthropologie's Wedding line on BHLDN.com

I have been hearing buzz about this for months and I'm so glad it's finally out - the launch date was Valentines day this past Monday.  As I knew they would, they have some lovely tea length dresses.  Anthropologie rarely dissapoints!

The one above, "Tulle Era Dress," has such a lovely 1940s charm, or even something from the 20s even though the skirt silhouette does not match that period...I wish it came in a slightly lighter shade of offwhite!

This might be my favorite.  "Pinwheel Tea Dress" is a shorter, fuller tea length gown than a lot of the options out there, but the neckline is not strapless.  It might be the perfect gown for me.

"Fondant Tea Dress" is quite a bit simpler, and so is the price at just $600, but I adore the matte cotton-silk texture as well as the trim all around.

In Barcelona, I fell in love...with a dress

I am fairly committed to a tea length or ballerina length dress, which is hard to find, since theknot.com lists over 3,000 dresses floor length gowns and only 35 "tea length"...and most are a little too short, close to the knee, for my tastes.

Over the weekend, I was in Barcelona for a getaway with my fiancé and stumbled upon this beautiful dress at Purificación García.  All the things in a dress I want: not strapless, below the knee, natural waist, not satin.  M'encanta!

All of the flowers are embroidered on a sheer netting and the picture does not really do the dress justice.  It was truly lovely.  And yes, I know it's not purely white, but I'm not married to that idea anyway.  The dress has white with flowery lace...what says "wedding" more than that?

PS the dress was about 495 euros, so I did not get it.  That would buy a lot of tapas!

Honeycomb Tissue Balls

Everyone uses paper lanterns at their wedding.  As lovely as they are, paper lanterns are clichéd at this point.  For my wedding, I'm leaning toward the vintage, kitschy look of honeycomb tissue paper balls.  I like the selection at Bulk Party Supplies and Party Cheap.

The one drawback is the limitations: most of the colors, like cerise, navy, and sky blue (above) are only available in 12 inch globes.  The larger balls are limited to red, carnation pink, and white.   If you can't find the color you want, even in the smaller 12 inch, one website I found, Luna Bazaar, will make custom-dyed decorations for your event.

Of course, for a real vintage look, you can always go with honeycomb tissue paper bells.  That seems like a blast from the past!

  

I Heart Vendors: Loca Loves Pirate on Etsy

Check out LocaLovesPirate over at Etsy.  She is great to work with and her items are really funky and unique, with a retro flavor, even though a good portion of her stuff is new.  Here is a smattering of what she has available as of February 2011:

A gift registry for when you don't want "off the rack" items

Sure, flatware and place settings from Macy's are great (and useful!) but sometimes you may want to ask for gifts from a variety of stores, vintage and antique items, services, memberships, or donations.  Enter the Alternative Gift Registry, a free site created by the New American Dream.

You can add any pictures to illustrate your ideas, as well as links to purchase the items if they are available online.  It's a really simple and fun way to tailor your wish list, especially if you want to include price ranges of all levels, non-monetary gifts, or unique gifts that are not available online or in department stores.  

My favorite use of this, seen on a friends' registry: a dozen cupcakes for their reception.  Relatively easy but very worthwhile and fun!