Nina Shoes - 17th and Park

Wendy Williams Features Nina Shostopper!

Wendy Williams wore the Nina Shostopper light-up booties when she served as ringmaster for the Big Apple Circus, then featured them on her show.

Many thanks to Wendy and her hundreds of Facebook fans who immediately liked the shoes.

Nina Shostopper

How To Include Your Dog In The Wedding

The November issue of Brides Magazine featured the most adorable photos of dolled-up dogs. It was a gift to all canine caregivers out there. How cute!

To all my fellow animal lovers out there, I know how much your canine babies mean to you. I know if I had my way, I'd bring my pup with me everywhere!

So what should you do when the church won't let Fifi be the flower girl? Don't panic.

Here are several ways to feature your furry friends in the wedding festivites:

1. Photos

Bring your dog during your engagement or wedding photoshoot. You can use the pictures in a variety of ways, such as save-the-dates, table numbers, the guest book, thank-you cards, and slideshows.

2. Table Names

Name your wedding tables after the beloved pets you and your fiance grew up with. On the back of the card, include a photo and small description. It's even cuter if the photo includes you or your hubby as a child with the animal. It's a great conversation piece for guests.

3. Favors

Give your guests bone-shaped cookies. They could even feature a cute tag that reads: "I'm sorry I couldn't be here today, but I sure hope you had a great time celebrating with my Mom and Dad! xowoofxo, Fido."

Here are some more helpful hints from Brides Magazine as well as some fun wedding stories from Petside.com.

And please meet my chihuahua Meeko, whom I absolutely adore! B and I couldn't imagine our big day without Meeko. We got him a little bow-tie, and he was ready to go. :)

He wasn't overly thrilled with the bow-tie at first. :P

But he came around. :)

Did you include your pet on your wedding day? How did you do it? Please your tips and stories.

Wishing you all glamorous planning,

xoxo

-Lindsey (Nina's Newlywed)

Top Ten Wedding Movies

This isn't your typical Top Ten list of wedding movies. Some entries definitely push the wedding-movie boundary, but hey, we love them anyway!

No. 10 - Sixteen Candles, 1984

Although its more about Samantha's sweet sixteen than her sister's wedding, Sixteen Candles has to be included here. It barely made the cut because some doubt it's a legitimate wedding move.

But it's my list, and I'll put what I want on it! :)

No. 9 - Sweet Home Alabama, 2002

Considered by some as to be the happy ending to Breakfast at Tiffany's, this movie is a classic chick flick. Nobody finds their soulmate when she's ten.

No. 8 - My Best Friend's Wedding, 1997

This is a no-brainer! Who doesn't love this classic tale of falling in love with your best friend and battling it out with his fiance?!

No. 7 - The Wedding Singer, 1998

This easily ranks as one of my personal favorites. I love a good rom com set in the 80's.

No. 6 - I Love You, Man, 2009

Paul Rudd and Jason Segal share such a beautiful bromance in this movie!

No. 5 - The Princess Bride, 1987

What a classic! This movie is hilarious no matter how many times you've seen it.

No. 4 - The Hangover, 2009

Too many forget to mention this movie because it's so much more than a wedding movie. Nevertheless, it deserves a huge spot on the list. I CAN'T WAIT for the sequel!

No. 3 - Father of the Bride, 1991

No. 2 - Wedding Crashers, 2005

Not your typical wedding movie! Unlike some of the chick flicks on this list, this movie is beloved by both men and women alike.

No. 1 - 27 Dresses, 2008

This is the perfect movie to watch with your bridesmaids before your wedding. Katherine Heigl is the perfect choice for this role!

Honorable Mentions

Some of these films could argue for a spot on this esteemed list. But I don't like them personally, so naturally they were cut. :)

Please share your faves in the comments section below!

xx,

Krystina

Real Simple Readers Receive Nina Shoes Discount

Real Simple Magazine chose the Nina Unilla glitter sandal as its shoe pick for holiday parties and ringing in the New Year.

Enter the code REALSIMPLE at checkout to receive a 20% site-wide discount.

Nina Unilla

Bridesmaid Shoes

Bridesmaid dresses can be a bit of a nightmare (as you all know), but shoes are a no-brainer. Duh! They all wore Nina, of course. :)

Since I had nine bridesmaids, I choose three styles and they ranked them. This allowed them to have yet another choice for a bit of individuality. Fortunately, they all wore either their first or second choice, so everyone was happy.

What were my picks? The Nina Greco, Vonda, and Urika - all in silver.

 
(From left to right: Liz in Urika, Me in a custom Elga, Elisa in Vonda, and Gladys in Greco.)

(They all looked fabulous! Such great shoe models.)

Even though you shouldn't give your bridesmaids too many attire options (let's face it, you don't want a distracting circus of colors and styles), they can still retain some individual style if you give them limited options.

Here are a few other parameters to consider:

1. Nail Color - Give them color options. I told my BM's to wear Sugar Daddy by Essie (pale pink) or they could have a french manicure. It's a good thing I did because one told me she was thinking about painting her nails blue!

2. Jewelry - Have them show you ALL the jewelry they plan to wear. This way you have vito rights. I was afraid someone would show up in peacock feathered earrings trying to be themed! 

3. Hair and makeup - You NEED to discuss hair and makeup with your party. Give them pictures of how you envision them looking. This way they won't show up with a bouffant and teal eyeliner. :)

4. Major changes - Have an open dialogue with all wedding party members (including the guys) about making big, last-minute changes to their appearance. Ask them to please wait until the day after your wedding if they suddenly want to dye their hair pink or get a new facial piercing. Hey, I asked my little brothers to shave their facial hair!

We love our friends. That's why they're our friends, after all. But we all express our own style differently, so make sure to address this before the big day. Spare yourself stress and unintentionally hurting someone's feelings! I was very vocal with our wedding party. I handled it in a very nice way and didn't run into any problems. Hopefully, I'll pay them back by following all their wedding day rules one day!

Do you have a funny story about a bridesmaid showing up with purple hair? Or maybe you have other pointers to prepare friends for your wedding day? Please comment and share your stories with us!

Wishing you all glamorous planning,

xoxo

-Lindsey (Nina's Newlywed)

Brides Magazine Features Nina Vaso As Perfect Winter Wedding Shoes

The editors of Brides Magazine featured the growing feathers trend by highlighting a range of pieces including gowns, handbags, bouquets and shoes.

The Nina Vaso sandal was selected as an excellent way to capture this trend for winter weddings.

Nina Vaso

How To Write All Those Wedding Thank-You Notes

Thanksgiving marked my two-month wedding anniversary. Yay!

Obviously, I had much to be thankful for, but I also had so many more thank-you notes left to write. Oh, the dreadful thank-you's.... Gulp!

Of course, we want our guests to know how much we appreciate their gifts. But let's face it, no one looks forward to hand cramping or searching for another way to say 'Thank you.' Well, I've got some major tips for your needs.

I decided to go straight to the experts. Stacy and Marina from East Six, who designed my lovely thank-you notes (and invitations), gave me some great advice to share with you. Here's what they say will take you from "I Do" to "Thank You" in no time.

1. Get some gorgeous thank-you notes. They will keep you motivated and also impress your guests!

2. If you plan on using your stationery for correspondence well after the wedding, order them with a design or monogram instead of something like "thank you." They remain versatile this way.

3. Hint: The smaller they are, the less you have to write :)

4. Set a goal. Try to get all your notes out no more three months after your wedding. If you complete a few per day after work, then you will be done in no time!

5. Always mention the gift. And how you will use it or how thoughtful it was. Here's an example:

"Thank you so much for the beautiful silver serving platter. We will cherish it and cannot wait to have you over for dinner!"

Or if the gift was monetary...

"Thank you so much for the generous gift. We plan to put it toward our new apartment!"

6. Postage. Spice it up with a custom stamp, perhaps a photo from your wedding or your new monogram.

Here are a few more examples for content. One friend suggested I make a few templates and then vary each slightly to personalize for each person. It helps with the whole writers block thing. :)

"Thank you so much for the crystal wine goblets. We now have the complete set and our bar looks wonderful. We look forward to having a glass of wine with you both on your next visit. Our wedding day was so special and we are delighted you were able to celebrate with us."

"We can't wait to have you over for a latte! We absolutely love the wonderful Nespresso machine you got for us. Every morning we enjoy our cappuccino, espresso, etc. and think of the wonderful couple who sent it to us. Thank you for celebrating our big day with us. We hope you enjoyed the evening as much as we did."

"Thank you so much for making the long trip to celebrate our wedding day with us. We are so happy that you were able to make it because it would not have been the same without you. Also, thank you for the extremely generous gift. There were many items left on our registry that we were able to purchase that helped us complete our home."

"The engraved picture frame that you sent us is beautiful. Thank you for such a thoughtful and special gift. We will cherish it forever. You both were greatly missed at the wedding but we completely understand why you were unable to attend. Hopefully, we will be able to see you soon and celebrate then. Thank you for thinking of us during this special time in our lives."

Hopefully, this helps you in writing your wedding thank-you notes. I found some more great tips from our friends at BRIDAL GUIDE, Always A Blogsmaid, and One Wed.

Did you have a hard time finishing your thank-you notes? What were your biggest struggles and how did you overcome them? Please share any tips you may have for newlyweds.

Wishing you all glamorous planning,

xoxo

-Lindsey (Nina's Newlywed)

New York Magazine Features Nina Bridal Shoes

The Nina Granite, Nina Curry, Nina Vaso and Nina Ulina bridal styles were featured in New York Magazine's Shop-A-Matic Wedding Accessories roundup, along side a gorgeous selection of shoes, capes and rings.

Nina Ulina

Nina Granite

Nina Curry

Nina Vaso

How To Be An Organized Bride-To-Be

In a previous post, How To Organize Your Wedding, I suggested making a PowerPoint. Well, let me show you just how powerful a PowerPoint can be for organizational bliss!

A PowerPoint is a fantastic way to assemble all your thoughts into one fluid presentation. Sending a well-organized visual to all your vendors is key for getting everyone on the same page. I sent mine to EVERYONE - bridesmaids, wedding planner, caterer, even my dj!

The first slide should be a great shot of your venue with the date of the wedding and your names. I used the nickname our friends call us. Brinzy is our names fused together - kind of like Brangelina!

 

Next, display your wedding palette with a brief description of specific shades you want. The more specific, the better.

The remaning slides should include everything from attire to flowers to hotel accomodations. Have as many slides as you feel necessary to display your full vision. Here are a few more of mine:

 

I even put confirmation information on some slides where I placed online orders. Having all the information in one place saved me from searching through emails.

Remember: the more your vendors understand your vision, the better they can serve you and your guests on the big day. Don't be afraid to put it all in there; my PowerPoint had nearly 40 slides!

Don't forget to keep an updated version of your presentation saved on your USB so it's handy during vendor meetings.

What are some other ways you stay sane and orgazined for your wedding? Do you have any tips for other brides? Please comment and share with us!

Wishing you all glamorous planning!

xoxo

--Lindsey (Nina's Newlywed)