Bridal Bouquet: Fashion
Handy bags, perfect pearls, and divine delicates all deserve a spot on your shopping list.
TRAVELING BRIGHT
Colorful new Island Totes from Maine-based designer Angela Adams take brides from pre-wedding planning straight through the honeymoon in organized style. “Brides can haul all their files and binders in one of these totes,” Adams says. “Then after the wedding, they can drop all that stuff and use it as a carry-on for the plane and to hold travel guides.”
While you’re toting, stow an Angela Adams journal in there, too, so you can record your favorite moments from before and after the Big Day. “We’ve designed journals in a variety of shapes and sizes so that—you guessed it—they fit in our bags and totes,” Adams says.
Or, you can share: “Giving these totes filled with goodies as bridesmaid gifts is a fantabulous idea,” says Adams. “You could fill it with something fun like candy and champagne with a custom label, a small painting or photo album, or something the bridesmaids can plant, like nice bulbs or seeds, and have as a reminder of the occasion when it blooms.” Available at Fresh Eggs, 58 Clarendon St., Boston, 617-247-8150.
OOH LA LA!
Now is the best time to go lingerie shopping: Not only do you need the perfect undergarment for The Dress, you’ll also want a week’s worth of seductive and playful pieces for your honeymoon. Take care of everything at French Dressing, a pretty, intimate, friendly lingerie shop hidden in the Flat of Beacon Hill.
Store owner Brenna Graham carries beautiful, flattering white pieces from Aubade (the shade she recommends for your wedding night), the must-have NuBra (which won’t show a thing even under the most revealing of strapless, plunging and backless gowns) and a selection of sassy blue panties. “Lots of brides want really fun blue underwear,” Graham says. “Our favorite right now is a pale blue thong from Cosabella’s Forever collection.”
For your post-vow vacation, pick up a mix: a black chemise and briefs; a sexy teddy; matching boyshorts and camisoles; pajama pants and coordinating tops. “It’s good to have at least one ensemble that’s cute and totally comfortable—something you’ll feel good in every day,” Graham says. Pack it all in a Classy Bride pink satin lingerie bag, embroidered with your newest title: “Mrs.”
PEARL GIRL
When it comes to bridal jewelry, pearls are the classic. As interpreted by Swampscott-based jewelry designer Lynn Schwartzman, owner of LRS Design, they become the foundation for eye-catching pieces with
contemporary—yet enduring—style.
“Pearls are perfect for brides,” Schwartzman says. “I like to combine them with other elements, like colored stones such as aquamarine or tanzanite. It’s a slight spin off traditional, but not too far out there.” Her most popular bridal necklace is the SeaBubble, a strand of individual pearls interspersed with pearl clusters. Her Rose-Covered Cottage necklace (created with a Nantucket bride in mind) blends vintage European rose beads with pearls. Earrings range from classic pearl drops, rendered modern by the pearls’ teardrop shapes, to more daring danglers of tiny pearl buttons on gleaming sterling silver. And Schwartzman is happy to create custom designs for brides, maids of honor and bridesmaids.