WEDLUXE

I fell in love with WEDLUXE a few months ago when my dad sent me a copy of it from Toronto. It's Canada's luxury wedding magazine, very similar to the Pacific WEDDINGS magazine that we have here in Hawai`i. They actually have 2 different editions - one for Toronto and Eastern Canada, and another one for Vancouver and Western Canada.

Of course when I first arrived in Toronto last week, I had to get the latest Winter/Spring 2009 copy! It's full of wonderful articles, beautiful Real Weddings and lots of great ideas and inspirations. If you are ever in Canada, make sure you pick up a copy of this awesome magazine!

Wedding Magazine Galore!

I love reading wedding books and magazines, and to be a good planner and designer, I need to keep up with the latest trends and designs. There are so many publications out there, but I am excited to say that I have added 2 more to my "favorite list"!

SAN FRANCISCO BRIDES
Thanks to my wonderful friend, Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films in San Francisco, I received a copy of the premiere issue of this magazine in the mail a few days ago. It is published by the same folks at the SAN FRANCISCO magazine (also one of my "must reads")! This magazine is chock-full of ideas for location, invitation, gifts, dresses, accessories... and it has an event calendar detailing all of the wedding-related events that are happening in the San Francisco bay area. An absolute beautiful magazine!

WEDDINGS UNVEILED

This magazine is geared toward Southern weddings. I absolutely love the colors, the look and feel and the decor of these romantic nuptials. All of the real weddings are very inspiring and it's very refreshing to see so many talented vendors in the Southern states - definitely an overall well put together magazine.

My Wedding Library

Most people know that I LOVE weddings (of course I do), and they have been asking me if I have a "wedding library" at home. As a matter of fact, I do - at my home office. I have a bookshelf full of books, magazines, clients' files as well as all the wedding invitations and favors that I have collected from the weddings that I was a guest at and planned. Very soon, I think I need to replace it with a bigger bookshelf as it's almost running out of space, and the shelving is slightly warping already from the weight of all the books and magazines!

Throughout the years, I have started collecting all these wonderful wedding books and magazines; most of which are my favorites and I'd love to share them with you...

I absolutely love Colin Cowie, Preston Bailey and Martha Stewart. You can always get incredible ideas from them. Vera, the Queen of Wedding Gowns, has this exceptional hardcover book called "Vera Wang on Weddings" (her first and hopefully not her last), that details everything from the blings to the wedding stationery to the ceremony to the bride's bouquet to the toasts... and of course the wedding fashion. It's a must-have for those who are planning a wedding or love weddings as much as I do.

Then, there was Emily Post, the Queen of Etiquette. Even though she has passed on for close to 50 years, her great granddaughter-in-law Peggy Post continues to be the spokeperson for the Emily Post Institute, and she wrote the book on wedding etiquette which is an excellent resource for all of you out there. It details all the do's and don'ts of every part of your wedding from the engagement parties to the invitations to the ceremony.

As for magazines, my 3 favorites are Pacific WEDDINGS, Grace Ormonde and The Bride & Bloom! They are each very different and unique, and have wonderful editorials, photographs and ideas. I can sit at my desk or my couch for days just drooling over these publications. They are amazing resources not just for brides-to-be, but also for wedding planners and designers. Which are your favorites?