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Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

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St. Patrick’s Day is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. First, celebrated as a holy day in Ireland, it has turned into an all-out celebration of Irish heritage. Irish and non-Irish participants around the world join in the festivities by wearing green, eating green foods and drinking green beer, and proudly showing off their shamrocks and leprechauns. Everyone gets in on the action including pets and kids. The adorable t-shirt below is from Ashlyn Bowtique and the pet collar is from Lucky Fiona.

Parades are a big part of the celebration. They start the first weekend in March, in big and small cities and town around the country. Though large cities like Boston and New York have heavily-attended parades, tiny little Savannah, Georgia, is said to have the highest attendance of all the parades in the U.S. Savannah dyes their historic fountains green to drum up excitement before parade day.

Chicago, of course, is known for dying its entire river green. And even little known New London, Wisconsin, gets in on the celebration, changing its name to New Dublin for the week of St. Paddy’s day. This bag from Momo Ringo can be used all year round.

In Syracuse, NY, the Irish section called Tipperary Hill kicks off festivities on the first Sunday in March with delivery of the green beer to Coleman’s Irish Pub. At midnight, March 17th, they paint a shamrock below the ‘green on top’ light, which is an upside down traffic light at an intersection where green, still means go, but is the first light on top. These vintage-inspired blocks are from Gongy and Squish.

Growing up, we moved to a predominantly Irish neighborhood. I was 12 and it was my first introduction to corned beef and cabbage (Mrs. Kehoe made it for me) and claddagh rings (Stephanie McCabe had one) and many Irish blessings, songs (all learned from Joe Finn), and toasts. Though I’m Italian, 100%, it’s fun to be Irish-for-the-day.

Tiara Trauma

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As if you didn’t have enough decisions to make whilst planning your wedding you will have to think about what to wear on your head. For the groom this is fairly simple as most choose to avoid a hat unless you are having a grand affair and a top hat is required. Yet for the bride the decision about headwear is complicated and it is better not to choose a tiara before you have chosen your dress. However if you have chosen a vintage inspired gown then this headband from Chez Bec would be the perfect accessory.

Firstly a bride will need to think about how to wear her hair, up in a french pleat, half up or half down or fully down. Obviously this may depend on the style of dress you have chosen or you may have already chosen a beautiful tiara, like the slightly unusual motifs of pearls and crystals used in the design of the above tiara from Tiararama.

Whether you choose a tiara, hair slides or combs, veil or fascinator there is plenty of choice in styles available. Pearls are a traditional stone for wedding jewels and look great worn in the hair, as shown above in with the gorgeous tiara from Be Something New .

Yet you may want your headwear to add even more sparkle to your wedding day. Many jewellery designers can create bespoke tiaras, combs or headbands in a choice of Swarovski crystals to add colour to your day, as seen in the combs above from Tilley Jewels Bride.

Maybe pearls or crystals are not the look you are after but require a more dramatic statement piece. A fascinator is a great alternative to princess fairytale inspired tiaras, featuring feathers, netting and even pearls, crystals or rhinestones. Fascinators are also proving a popular choice for Mothers of the Bride and guests as an alternative to hats. Whilst you could stick to bridal creams and whites, a fascinator maybe your chance to add some drama, especially with this fabulous peacock feather fascinator from Nyjole J Walters Jewellery Design.

Beach Party

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We are in the height of Summer here in the UK and I know some of you are lucky enough to have year round sunshine. I am fortunate to live near to the beach and cannot think of a better theme for a party. Think of the fun you could have decorating the venue and choosing beach inspired treasures to incorporate into your day, like the fab cake topper above from Lollipop Workshop.

Choosing a theme for your wedding is probably the most difficult thing about planning your celebration. Perhaps you have a little gem of an idea but are not quite sure how to bring it to fruition or maybe you have chosen the most fantastic colour for your bridesmaids gowns and want to use this as the starting point. Maybe you just love starfish and want to use this as the starting point, like these gorgeous hair accessories from Dreams by the Sea.

Living near the sea or holding your wedding on the beach is the perfect opportunity to have a beach themed party. Maybe you will use bright orchids as the focal point for a tropical beach theme. The gorgeous pink orchid hair clips above from Blue Lovebirds would be a perfect accessory for the bride or bridesmaids hair, made from silk they definitely would not wilt on the day.

Another beach theme is a little more rustic and would be ideal if you are a fan of the shabby chic trend that is currently very popular. Napkins could be sewn in Cath Kidston ‘Boat‘ fabric, boat or fish shape chocolate favors could be made using a chocolate mould and the wooden fishes above, from Giddy Kipper, would make great decorations perhaps tied to the back of a chair or even in place of namecards for place settings.

By choosing a beach theme you are not limited to a particular colour or design, as you can see the beach really does inspire different ideas.

Alternative Wedding Dresses

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Celebrities and friends are getting married all over the place and photos are appearing everywhere from Hello magazine to Facebook. Unfortunately I haven’t had any invites this year (not even from Kate Moss!) but I do love looking at all the wedding dresses. Of course the wedding of the year was Prince William and Kate Middleton, and whilst I did like her dress, I preferred Lily Allen’s vintage style dresses. The price for all of the ones we see in magazines are usually somewhat astronomical and out of reach for most of us, which makes handmade dresses on sites such as Etsy, even more appealing.

The dress above by blackmirrordesign is no doubt a brave statement to wear as a wedding dress, but if you like it; why not? Surely your wedding day is the best time to wear something that truly reflects you.

I have never understood why people pay so much for a dress that is worn for one day only and tends to look pretty similar to everyone else’s. Young girls dream of their wedding dress long before the boy has even been met; and the dream usually consists of stepping onto the aisle, the organ playing and everyone turning to look at you. I dreamt of a train so long it would reach the door while I was stood at the alter! In fact, it was only two or three feet long, and that got trodden on often enough! My wedding dress was bought in a charity shop for £5, which I then customised by opening the back and adding red ribbon lacing, tying ribbon around the medieval style sleeves and gluing on hundreds of beads to form a gothic style flower on the train. I was very proud of my dress and especially loved knowing that no-one else would have one the same.

I am still happily married, but if I were to get married again, I’d be brave and go for a dark red one. Something like this from thesecretboutique is just the thing.

My dress is packed up in a box in the roof, but there’s no rule to say you shouldn’t think of the future and get better value by buying a dress that can be worn on other occasions. Some simple dresses look absolutely stunning, and it does seem a shame that they often never see the light of day again. This dress by K T Jean Designs is so pretty and could easily be worn to a summer evening soiree.

Winter Adventure: Ice Skating

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The cold winter months can drag on when you’re stuck inside all day, but sometimes the best thing to do is get out and embrace the chilly weather. The ice rink in downtown Chicago has some of the best views of the city and I would try to go at least once a year to take it all in. It was always crowded and I was always wobbly, but, if nothing else, I would have a good laugh at myself and enjoyed some hot chocolate at the end of it all.

If you’re ever looking for an excuse to put on a twirly dress, ice skating is it. This knit dress by Jessica Rose Design features a full skirt that’s perfect for 360 spins or just trying to stay on your feet. The classic design, v-neck and full skirt are figure flattering for women of all shapes. And, since it’s cold outside, the knit fabric is perfect for layering with sweaters and scarves.

These amazing screen-printed leggings by Pretty Penny Designs are truly going to set you apart on the ice. Made of a cotton Lycra blend, you’ll be able to move around the ice with ease and stay warm as well. The blue and white fireworks pattern is a surprising accessory to your classic blue dress.

Of course, your legs are going to need a bit more warmth if you’re going to be out on the ice all day. These speckled blue leg warmers by Uniquely Chic for You are a great accessory, both on the ice and off. Made of wool and viscose yarn, these are sure to keep your legs warm and the relaxed fit ensure that they will fit right over your ice skates.

The cute and eco-friendly ice skates featured at the top of this post were created by Recycled Parts.