Memorial Day Inspiration: Pantone's Marsala and Classic Blue

In honor of Memorial Day on Monday (May 25), all of our salons (StarDust Celebrations, LuLu's Bridal, A Curvy Bride and A Bridal Closet) will be closed. We're waving our own version of red, white and blue to celebrate our military with this inspiration board made up of Pantone's Spring 2015 colors Marsala and Classic Blue. Happy Memorial Day!

image sources: Elizabeth Anne Designs, Green Wedding Shoes, JLM Couture and Style Me Pretty

Let Us Feature You in Your Wedding Gown (and a Holiday Closure Reminder)

Calling at StarDust, LuLu's and Curvy Brides! You may have noticed we love featuring our beautiful real brides on our blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Case in point, here are just a few of our lovely brides we've showcased in recent months:

photo: Jennifer Mooney

photo: Shaun Menary

photo: The Mamones

photo: John Gibson

photo: Lightly Photography

photo: Brilliant Studios

photo: Jillian Zamora

If you are a StarDust Bride, LuLu's Bride or Curvy Bride, we will show you some social media love if you share your photos with us! Just email your name, photographer's info, wedding date and your fave pics showcasing your gown to social@sdcbridal.com or tag us in your photos on Facebook.

Aaaaannddd, just a reminder that this weekend, we will be closed on Sunday, April 5, for Easter. But we'll be back on Monday morning with bells on! Enjoy your weekend!

Find the Perfect New Year's Eve Party Dress at A Bridal Closet

Yes, we know that tomorrow is Christmas, and we are all looking so forward to celebrating with our nearest and dearest (see our holiday hours here). But we're also thinking ahead to next week when many of us will ring in 2015 with a fabulous big party. Do you have your cocktail dress yet? No?! Then you must head over to A Bridal Closet this weekend!

A Bridal Closet (ABC) is StarDust Celebrations’ outlet, where you can find spectacular special occasion dresses for 40-75% off of the original retail price! The gowns are samples of our stunning Mother of the Occasion and bridesmaid dresses, most of them perfect for a holiday cocktail party! Not only do we have a great selection of designer gowns, but we also offer a variety of accessories at ABC. 

 

A Bridal Closet is located in West Plano's upscale Shops of Willow Bend. ABC is only open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so get on over there this weekend to find your party-tastic dress for New Year's Eve (that is one week from today!).

**gowns and accessories shown are representative of types of styles that can be found at ABC, but these exact dresses and jewelry pieces may not be available.**

Trends We Love: Seasonal Cocktails, Part 2

Last week, we poured on some inspiration for your wedding reception cocktails in the first of our two-part series on seasonal cocktails. Seasonal cocktails are a fun way to bring in the holidays' best flavors and provide your guests with a unique signature cocktail. Last Friday, we focused on apples and pears, sparking wine and champagne and cranberries. Today, we're all about ginger, pomegranate and eggnog!

Ginger is delicious and gives a cocktail a nice bite, perfect to warm your guests up during this chilly season! And the spice mixes very well with other seasonal flavors to create a unique taste. Here are a few tasty ideas we think sound fantastic!

This crisp Ginger Sparkler features the unadulterated flavor of ginger with a fizzy accompaniment.

This beautiful and luscious beverage is a Ginger, Mint, and Pomegranate Vodka Cocktail - what a great mix for the holidays! Enjoy a video of the drink being made here.

The classic Ginger Sidecar - this World War 1-era cocktail gets a modern twist. 

Pomegranate often makes an appearance during the holidays, not only for its gorgeous red appearance but also for its festive seasonal flavor. The tart and tangy fruit is great in a punch but also lends itself to mixed drinks.

This Pomegranate Champagne Punch is a gorgeous hue of red and packs a sparkling tang.

The classic martini gets a seasonal facelift in this Pomegranate Martini.

This pretty Sparkling Pomegranate Punch is tart-sweet and bubbly.

We could not have a post about holiday cocktails without ubiquitous eggnog! Love it or hate it, this rich, creamy beverage is always made better with a splash of a little somethin' somethin'! We like these scrumptious concoctions as potential cocktail hour signature beverages:

It can't get much more traditional than an Eggnog Martini featuring the quintessential flavors of the season.

We die! Bacon is still all the rage, especially in unexpected ways. Why not wow your guests with this bacon-accented Maple Bourbon Eggnog?

The Texas Farm Nog is a unique twist on eggnog featuring layers of rich flavors - created right here in Big D a few years back!

We hope we've whet your appetite with these lovely libations and now you're thinking about a unique holiday-inspired cocktail for your winter wedding celebration! There are so many more options on all of the linked sites where we've found these recipes, but you can always talk with your wedding planner, catering manager or bartender/mixologist about creating something special for your big day! Cheers!

Make Note of StarDust's Special Holiday Hours

Happy holidays, happy holidays
While the merry bells keep ringing
May your every wish come true...

 

We love this time of year and hope you are enjoying your holidays, as much as we are! This is just a quick note to let you know of our holiday hours over the next few weeks. All of our salons will be open per their usual hours (found here), with these exceptions:

 

December 24 - closing at 2:00 p.m.

December 25 - closed all day

December 31 - closing at 4:00 p.m.

January 1 - closed all day

 

Our StarDust Family wishes you the happiest of holidays and joyful time with your friends and family!

 



Trends We Love: Seasonal Cocktails, Part 1

Ahhh, the holidays! The time of year when we can enjoy delectable food and drinks during many wonderful celebrations guilt-free. Well, at least a little bit guilt-free. Lucky for those of you planning your winter wedding, you can incorporate some of the season's most adored flavors in your wedding day menu and your guests will be oh-so-grateful! Today, we are focusing on cocktails!

Seasonal cocktails are festive and tasty, and they give you an opportunity to do something fun and different for your signature drink at your reception. There are so many delicious flavors of the holiday season, it's not hard to find something special for your big day. And we discovered that there are so many fabulous options that we're going to break this into a two-part series. Let's take a look at some of your numerous options!

Apples and pears are what's know as pome fruits, but all we really care about is that they're crisp, juicy and sweet - a perfect jumping-off point for a luscious cocktail while these lovely fruits are in season.

An Amberjack is a beer-based cocktail mixed with apple vodka.

Isn't the garnish on this Apple Cidercar just so pretty?

Would you believe this Pear of Desire cocktail features a slash of cream soda?!

The Pear Essence Cosmopolitan features two flavors of the season: pear and cranberry!

Which brings us to our next featured flavor - cranberry! This tart little berry can help balance out sweetness that can overtake a cocktail. Here are some tasty-looking beverages.

The cranberry stirrers are super-cute in these Cranberry Cocktails, but for your wedding, you might want to ditch the Santas.

This Cranberry-Mint Martini features vermouth that's been infused with the tart berries.

Spice things up with this Cranberry-Spice Cocktail.

Keep things festive with a signature drink made up of wine, champagne or sparkling wine. A little more special than just a glass of wine or champagne, a mixed drink starting with one of these is perfect for your wedding reception cocktail hour.

A Bubbly Poinsettia calls for either a Rose Brut Champagne or sparkling wine, so it's flexible.

As if mojitos could get any better, but they did, when someone decided to add a splash of champagne to these Champagne Mojitos!

Mmmmm...Hot Spiced Wine, guaranteed to warm your wedding guests from the inside out!

This Marasca Fizz is light and bubbly and so pretty!

A Mulled Manhattan is a lovely seasonal take on the classic cocktail.

Crispy and woodsy - a surprisingly good combination in this unexpected Sparkling Bourbon Cocktail.

What lineup of seasonal drinks would be complete without mint- or candy cane-inspired beverages? There are a surprising number of options when it comes to these mint-centric drinks, but it seems the mixologists all agree - they should be served in a martini glass!

Super-minty and a pretty shade of red, this Candy Cane Cocktail includes both peppermint schnapps and candy cane-infused vodka.

A richer, creamier version of a Candy Cane Cocktail features peppermint, vanilla and white chocolate.

This pretty little Candy Cane Cocktail is a berry-mint combination, sure to make your guests' spirits bright!

The White Chocolate Candy Cane Martini - we think this sounds divine!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this feature, when we'll focus on ginger, pomegranate and (of course!) eggnog cocktails! And if you're looking for ways to bring special details or unexpected surprises into your wedding day, give our phenomenal team of wedding planners a call!

Happy Halloween and a Treat for Brides

Happy Halloween, lovely brides!

We hope you take a little break and have some scary good fun this weekend! With this gorgeous cooler weather finally here and the spooky holiday falling on a Friday, we think this weekend will be fantastically full of tricks and treats!

The biggest treat of all this weekend is our Watters Trunk Show at StarDust! Book one of our few remaining appointments now to shop the hot new collection! Wishing you all a fun and safe Halloween!

Special Holiday and Summer Hours

We cannot believe it's already July! In honor of Independence Day, both StarDust Celebrations and LuLu's Bridal Boutique will be closed this Friday, July 4. And please make note that starting on July 20, both salons will be closed on Sundays through August 31. We wish everyone a safe and celebratory Fourth of July!

image credits: Allison Zercher, Emilie Inc., Faithfully Focused, Latisha Lyn Carlson, Lovely Leaf Studio, To Live, To Love

Color Splash: Patriotic Red, White and Blue Inspiration

As we cruise into the holiday weekend, we wanted to remind you that StarDust Celebrations and LuLu's Bridal Boutique will be closed in honor of Memorial Day on Monday, May 26. But we couldn't wish you a happy Memorial Day weekend without also sharing some fun patriotic inspiration with this beautiful board featuring red, white and blue!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend and take some time to celebrate our stars and stripes!

image credits: Etsy, Fab You Bliss, The Garter Girl, Marilyn's Keepsakes, Storyboard Wedding and Style Me Pretty

Finding Your Party Perfect Dress is as Easy as ABC!

‘Tis the season to…party! Ladies, we know that your calendars are quickly filling up with loads of fabulous shin-digs! What’s a gal to do when she needs new cocktail dresses for several soirees? Head to StarDust’s best-kept secret, A Bridal Closet!

A Bridal Closet (ABC) is StarDust Celebrations’ outlet, where you can find spectacular special occasion dresses for 40-75% off of the original retail price! The gowns are samples of our stunning Mother of the Occasion and bridesmaid dresses, most of them perfect for a holiday cocktail party! Not only do we have a great selection of designer gowns, but we also offer a variety of accessories at ABC.

A Bridal Closet is located in the upscale Shops of Willow Bend in West Plano. ABC keeps abbreviated hours, only open during shopping center hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so please plan accordingly!

**gowns and accessories shown are representative of types of styles that can be found at ABC, but these exact dresses and jewelry pieces may not be available.**

Labor Day Weekend Hours

Keeping up with all the details of planning a wedding can be work - you deserve a break! We hope you all take some time to relax over this Labor Day weekend.

Both Stardust and LuLu's will be closed on Sunday and Monday, September 1-2, so we can rest up and be ready to hit the ground running again on Tuesday in our efforts to help make your wedding day dreams a reality! Have a great weekend and we'll see you soon!

Stardust and LuLu's Closed for Independence Day

In honor of the Fourth of July, both Stardust and LuLu's will be closed this Thursday. We will reopen again on Friday for our usual hours of 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. We hope you all have a safe and Happy Fourth!

Stardust and LuLu's Present Two Great Shopping Events This Weekend

This weekend is a great time to shop for bridal gowns! We are excited to offer brides two fabulous shopping opportunities to find THE. DRESS.

Stardust will host a trunk show for the fabulous Jim Hjelm bridal gown collection. Call to schedule your appointment to shop this gorgeous wedding gown line: 972.781.1619.

The fun ladies at LuLu's Bridal Boutique will dress up for the holiday and their exciting Halloween Sale. Bridal gown orders will be up to 10% off - spooky savings, right?! Some exclusions will apply. Stop by Saturday for a scary good time and frightfully fab deals!

Stardust and LuLu's Closed for Labor Day

All work and no play = stressed bride.
Enjoy the holiday on Monday!

Happy Friday! Before the super-busy fall wedding season kicks into high gear, we have a little reprieve coming up: Labor Day! Both Stardust Celebrations and LuLu's Bridal Boutique will be closed on Monday so we can rest up to hit the ground running on Tuesday (hello, September!). Be sure to check out our amazing line-up of trunk shows this season. Sigh...so many gorgeous gowns, so little time!

Speaking of gorgeous gowns, don't forget our incredible special event showcasing the complete collection of stunning bridal gowns from celebrity favorite Amanda Wakeley. This is a limited engagement so be sure to make your appointment now to see the full line before the showcase ends.

Lovely brides, be sure you also take a break on Monday, our last hurrah of summer. See you soon and happy planning!

Stardust and LuLu’s Closed in Honor of Memorial Day

Both Stardust Celebrations and LuLu’s Bridal Boutique will be closed this Monday, May 28, for Memorial Day. In honor of this patriotic holiday, we thought it would be fun to share some basics on a few of the wedding traditions that make a military wedding special.

One of the most obvious things that sets a military wedding apart from a civilian event is the attire. Military grooms and other members of the wedding party wear their uniforms according to the formality of the wedding and seasonal requirements. If the bride is a military officer, she can choose to wear her uniform as well, but she is also free to wear a traditional bridal gown. Also, a boutonniere is never worn with a uniform, and white gloves are necessary for all saber/sword bearers. Military guests have the option of wearing their uniform to the wedding or they may wear civilian attire.

The Arch of Sabers or Swords is a beloved custom of military weddings and definitely one of the most recognizable. Each branch of the military has very specific regulations as to who is allowed to participate and how and where the arch takes place. We most often see the majestic arch just outside of the ceremony site, where the couple will pass through this symbolic pledge of loyalty to them. Sometimes, the final pair of saber bearers will lower their sabers to detain the couple until they kiss. Then, often the last man on the right will give the bride a gentle swat on the backside with his sword while telling her, “Welcome to the (branch of service)!”

You thought working out your seating arrangements was a challenge…imagine trying to work in military guests according to rank! At the ceremony, the bride’s or groom’s commanding officer and spouse may sit near or with the family, or even in the front pew if the parents are not present! It is also customary that flag and general officers be seated just behind the two families. And at the reception, military guests are traditionally shown to their seats according to rank.

Bella Pictures

At a military wedding, you are likely to hear regimental music, including the branch of service’s theme song, and see more patriotic decorations incorporating flags and standards of the bride and/or groom’s unit(s). But the most memorable reception tradition is the cake cutting, truly the highlight of the celebration! The bride and groom will cut the wedding cake with a saber or sword belonging to the groom if he owns one. The bride takes the lead cutting while her groom rests his right hand over hers on the sword’s hilt and wrapping his left arm around her. Picture perfect!

Happy Memorial Day! With grateful hearts, we humbly thank the men and women who have served our country in the military!