J & J's Wedding: Part Three

The best part! The big day!!!

There was plenty of champagne...

...and a few gifts from the sweet groom and his family. I especially loved this beautiful engraved cuff with their new initial on it!

A gorgeous and exceptionally calm bride made the day super fun. P.S. J's cardi is from Target, I promptly went out and bought it Monday. Sorry, J, but remember imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

A few of the bridesmaids all dolled up

A beautiful flower for the bride's hair

The house party wore gorgeous bright colors that complimented each other beautifully

Bouquets at the ready

The bride and her precious flower girls

A group shot...I am wearing the bridesmaid shawl in the photo

Tons of elegant, well-thought-out touches made the day simply stunning.

Congratulations J & J!

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

J & J's Wedding: Part Two

J & J's rehearsal dinner was held at a ranch near San Diego. Being from Texas I was skeptical about such a place, but it was truly magical.

Peacocks roamed the grounds.

Daisies in Mason jars provided a cool, laid-back ambiance.

A good number of the girls wore their cowboy boots. Here are a few fun pairs.

University of Texas boots! This girl told me she got them in the Co-Op!

 A Longhorn on the front and the University seal on the back.

A family of boot-loving gals.

The mother of the bride's boots

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

Benji Wednesday: Wedding Edition

At J's bridal shower, one of her friends made a really amazing collage of all of her friends....

and look who made the cut!

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

I Love...

My new pink shoes. On sale at Aldo. When I got the Olivia Palermo dedicated WWWD e-mail and discovered they were reasonably priced I nearly injured myself trying to get to my computer fast enough to buy them. Pretty sure they are the only item of clothing we have in common. My Armani and Zac Posen collections are non existant of late, but I can dream, right? While we're at it, I also want her hair....

nail polish color is California Coral by Essie

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

J & J's Wedding: Part One

Everything about J's wedding was just amazing, but one of the most special times for me was the luncheon the day before the wedding. The wedding was in San Diego, the bride's hometown. The luncheon was held at Sbicca in Del Mar. The family of the bride and all the girlfriends enjoyed a lovely brunch on the upstairs patio. J's mom made all of the centerpieces out of teapots.

The guests wore fun, colorful summer frocks.

The nametags matched the menus and the invitations.   

The beautiful bride and her beautiful mother.

All of the bridesmaids received these cute canvas bags.

Inside were terry cloth wraps in J's colors

As well as toile lingerie bags made by J's mom

And, gorgeous hand knitted shawls made by J's mom

Honestly, this was one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received. Photos of the shawl to come, but here is the label. Each bridesmaid had a charm with her initial in it so we would know whose was whose.

A very special day for a very special group of friends.

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

Mad Men Recap: Episode One

Back from a weekend of bliss at J & J's beautiful wedding. Everything was perfect, the bride was as cool as a cucumber and we had a blast dancing into the wee hours of the night. What more could you ask for? Way more on the wedding to come in the next few days.

Did anyone watch Mad Men last night? Season Four premiered on AMC last eve and it was everything I hoped for.

Some stray observations:

-As always, I love Don Draper. Even more so this season than in the last season opener, but knowing Matt Weiner he will probably do something to change that sentiment right around the third episode.

-Joan's clothes are getting even better. I can't wait to see what's ahead. That navy dress with the ruffled pleats? Beyond.

-Don and Roger's banter may be the best thing about the entire show. As usual, I love Roger's un-PC comments about everything from feminism to the handicapped. It's so ridiculously over-the-top (and unheard of today) and he never seems too mean or serious so you can actually laugh about it.

-I'm really into Peggy's new hair cut. Ditching the pony and those awful bangs was a great move for her.

-Speaking of Peggy, who are all these lads following her around? Methinks none of them will stick and she might just find her way back into the arms of the contemptible Pete.

-Betty Draper is so lame I can barely watch her any more. Girlfriend needs an attitude adjustment. And what about that old shoe of a boyfriend? Is he just the creepiest or what?

I'm looking forward to the season ahead!

And for more Mad Men insight...

This great article from my mom on Elisabeth Moss and her thoughts on the season.

This article on what fashion trends from the '60s should be brought back. I'm so in agreement about pearl chokers, broaches and the chip-and-dip.

And speaking of shopping, here's an item about Janie Bryant, Mad Men's fashion designer creating her own line for QVC. Fire up the Master Card ladies.

xoxo

The Canary Diaries

Benji Wednesday

Benji and Luke got matching collars from Orvis recently. I love these because you can monogram their name and your phone number right on the collar eliminating the need for a noisy tag. And you can get them in tons of different colors.

I Love...

The other day Clueless was on TV. Can I even begin to explain why I love this movie so much? I think it all goes back to my mother not letting me see it in the theaters in 1995 when it came out. Good call, Mom.  When I finally did see it at a friends house a few years later I loved it. I mean, the clothes!!! I think everyone's favorite scene in that movie is when Cher picks out what she will wear for the day with the aid of her computerized closet.

Watching it now it's surprising how witty it is and how oddly charming and calming. The '90s are generally recognized as a time of prosperity and realtive ease for the United States and nothing paints a clearer picture of American entitlement and excess as Cher Horowitz does. There are way too many quotables from the movie. "Rolling with the homies," "he's such a Baldwin"--even funnier now, "But this is an Alaia!" And, I kind of love Paul Rudd as Cher's former step-brother. His coffee-house bred, plaid-shirted, pseudo-intellectual angst is so incredibly funny to me in a way it couldn't have been before. I think it's time for a major '90s redux.

I had to throw in this photo of the pen. I remember purchasing these at Claire's in the '90s and feeling super cool while writing with them. Maybe the pen should stay behind....

xoxo

The Canary Diaries