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Bethany Hamilton married Adam Dirks

“Soul Surfer” Bethany Hamilton married Adam Dirks on Sunday in Kauai, Hawaii.

To unwind on the morning of the wedding, the bride “went surfing on the beach where I first surfed with one arm. I caught a few waves and messed around on a longboard.”

Attended by 300 guests, devout Christians Bethany and Adam exchanged vows at a private estate among gorgeous plumeria and orchid blossoms. “When I looked in Adam’s eyes, I almost started crying,” said Bethany.

Staying true to their spirituality, they shared their first dance to Ben Harper’s “The Three of Us,” and served local coffee in lieu of alcohol.

The couple met last year on a blind date where they jumped off a 40 foot cliff! We wrote about Bethany’s incredible story and her engagement here. She’s been an amazing inspiration to us and so many others, with her incredible strength and optimism.

We wish the adorable young couple a happy and exciting life together!

Photo via.

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We Love: Perfect Black Jeans & Shopping for Charity

We can’t hide from fall forever, so here’s a lovely list of links to get acclimated to cool weather and crisp new styles.

Summer’s almost over. so if you’re all wedding-ed out, check out these chic City Hall weddings. How beautiful are these couples?

And how romantic is this surprise proposal?

And the kiddos are headed back to school. Let’s reminisce with “Yuck,” the documentary about yucky school food directed by a kid.

The perfect inky black skinny jeans.

And how about these stud earrings for a cool-girl, wear everyday signature accessory? You know we love the rose gold so so much.

A-Thread has some affordable basics and cute accessories, and we love that your purchase benefits great nonprofits like LA Animal Services, Kiva, Thirst Relief and Children of the Night.

Now having shopped, want to eat dessert and feel good too? Try “This Dessert Saves Lives.”

And gentlemen, these Don Draper-ish sportcoats are so cozy and handsome. Please wear them.

Here’s a helpful guide from their blog on how to match necklaces with necklines.

It wouldn’t be fall without changing your lipstick. Here’s how to wear bold, dark color.

And a must for fall: the basics of pie.

Till we meet again, cheers!

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Featured photo via.

ask jeff cooper: buy me a ring

The question we hear most often from our clients is, “How do I pick a ring?”

The next most frequently asked question is, “How to do I get him to pick a ring I love?”

There’s some sound advice with a sense of humor over at East Side Bride, but we thought we’d offer some sensible advice from our experience.

If you want your love to propose, just nurture your relationship. Be thoughtful, be affectionate, be a great listener, but also have a life of your own so there’s some intrigue and mystery there.

Most people can’t gracefully come out and say “here’s what ring to get me.” But there are some ways to subtly influence your partner’s choice. If someone is thinking of proposing, they will take notice when your taste in rings comes up.

1. Tell your mom, sisters and all your girlfriends what you like. “I really love princess solitaires. No yellow gold. I love anything by Jeff Cooper.” Keep it simple and they’re sure to remember when he comes to them for advice.

2. Compliment rings you love in his presence, and be specific. “Your solitaire engagement ring is fabulous! What brand is it?”

3. Use language that helps your partner describe your personal style. You could say, “I love old fashioned jewelry. Or, “My style is really sleek and simple.”

4. And finally, if you don’t mind being a little more obvious, Like’ and ‘Share’ rings you love on Facebook, and repin them on Pinterest.

If you get a ring that’s not what you have in mind, you have two choices. Make the best of it, or ask to exchange it. As with any gift, graciousness is key. Be positive and grateful. We’ve known many brides who’ve said something like, “This ring is so beautiful I want to cry. You are the best fiance a girl could ever want. It is a little fancy for me though, how would you feel about us picking our something simpler?”

Your partner proposed to make you happy, so compromising on a ring is only as big a deal as you make it.

Love our featured image? It’s the Heidi Cushion Eternity Set from our vintage inspired Heirloom Collection.

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Summer Bride & Backyard Wedding Style

As summertime fades into fall, we have this bittersweet desire to hold on a little while longer. We’ll miss gorgeous vegetables and flowers from the garden, swingy summer dresses, and the sound of kids playing in the sun.

So here are some inspiration links to make the most of that Indian Summer feeling. Enjoy!

This backyard engagement party looks so fun and casual. We love the bowls of summer fruits and the playfully mismatched roses and carnations. Why be serious? It’s summer!

Speaking of nothing serious, we love this inspiration shoot, too. It’s based on reminiscing about summer: swimming pools, bikes and picnics.

An easy 70s outfit that screams summer.

We also love Mod for summer. The bateau necklines and short hems are so carefree and amazing,

A mojito taste test.

And light, beautiful Italian recipes for summer.

The featured image is our eternally blooming garden of our Laurel Collection. See them all here.

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African Wedding Inspiration and How to make the best chocolate chip cookies

Bargain shoppers, this is our weekend. H&M just launched their online store and it’s cool. This lace dress is adorable, and 100% cotton dresses are hard to come by in fast fashion.

Want some wardrobe inspiration? We were skeptical, but styled like this, Birkenstocks actually look sleek and sophisticated. Navy and white is so crisp  and classic, we love it.

Want to check out some celebrity hairstyles for weddings? Sure you do. Stephanie de Lannoy’s chic twist when she married Luxembourg’s Prince Guillaume incorporated her silver floral silk and tulle veil and a delicate platinum and diamond family tiara. And it was amazing.

We love anything “rings,” and this breakdown of engagement ring trends by city is actually really fun.

We need this cake in our life.

We love Joanna Goddard so darn much. Here’s her guide on “How to do anything.” 

We especially love “How to plan a fun vacation.”

And “How to talk to strangers at parties.”

And, of course, “How to make the best chocolate chip cookies. (And guacamole.)”

African wedding inspiration! Gorgeous, and really unique.S

And finally, a great looking vineyard wedding in New Zealand. Which is where our featured photo comes from, by Andrea Seymour Photography.

Have a delicious, fashionable, romantic weekend!

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Zach Gilford’s Wedding Photos

Way back on December 29th, “Friday Night Lights” actor Zach Gilford married Kiele Sanchez. Now amazing wedding photographer Jonas Peterson has shared their beautiful wedding photos on his website.

The mood in the pictures is pitch-perfect.

We love the way the bride’s mermaid gown complements the drama of the Campovida farm and vineyard, and the emotion on everyone’s faces.

Cheers to the happy couple!

we love: the round solitaire engagement ring

If your personal style is classic, you might love a round solitaire engagement ring. They never go out of style, and they look good with any style of clothes or accessories. They’re kind of the little black dress of diamonds.

Queen Elizabeth II received one from Prince Phillip, with a 3 carat diamond from his mother’s tiara. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wears a simple round brilliant diamond solitaire engagement ring set in white gold, very similar to our solitaire styles here.

Over and over, we’re seeing stylish celebrities and our own clients return to the classic simplicity of a round solitaire, and we do love designing them.

Lovely Kerry Washington wears a round diamond, and so does heavy metal heiress Kelly Osbourne. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alexis Bledel and Carey Mulligan are a few more of the recently engaged stars making round solitaires hot again.

Have you seen any amazing round solitaires lately? If you have one of your own, share it!

Our featured image is the Tess Round Set.

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How to Kiss a girl & signature jewelry

wanderlust [ˈwɒndəˌlʌst] n. a great desire to travel and rove about.

This week, we’re feeling eclectic and adventurous. We want a break from routine. It’s the height of summer, yet we’re getting that unmistakable little flutter of activity and excitement that comes with fall. Here are a few things to start your weekend off with the spirit of adventure. Let’s travel and rove about!

Have you read this super romantic Missed Connection that’s making the rounds?

Madonna’s diet. She does not mess around.

Need a hug, after reading that? Puppy rooms are a thing.

Do you watch The Newsroom? Have you ever noticed Mackenzie’s signature gold necklace? We love the idea of personal, signature jewelry that you wear everywhere, and that’s just what this NY Magazine article and slideshow are about.

And yes, there’s a Jeff Cooper version!

Birkenstocks are trendy now? We’re not falling for it. Would you wear them?

Want to be more productive or more creative? (We know, who doesn’t?) Here’s an interesting article on the effect of order and disorder on creative work.

How to kiss a girl.

Summer white, uber-chic french women and a kohl-rimmed eye are so timeless.

What else is timeless? Kindness.

The perfect, effortless dinner? Don’t mind if we do.

Let’s socialize on Facebook.

 

ask jeff cooper: the halo engagement ring trend

We predicted that halo rings would be big this year, and how right we were!

When we wrote about the adorable and lovely Alexis Bledel’s engagement to Vincent Kartheiser here, she wasn’t yet wearing a ring.

Now she’s stepped out in a vintage-inspired octogonal halo style, similar to our Tate Octet Ring.

Halo rings got some attention on TV when Catherine Giudici accepted ‘Bachelor’ Sean Lowe’s proposal with a square halo ring similar to Tallulah. ‘Bachelorette’ Emily Maynard wears a halo engagement ring, too.

The singer Brandy, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Aniston, Olivia Wilde and Kate Middleton are but a few of the stunning celebrity brides who light up the room in halo rings.

Name a few more? Natalie Portman, Jennifer Hudson, Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Clarkson, Gwyneth Paltrow… it’s easier to name who’s not wearing a sparkly halo!

What say you? Are you on board with the halo trend?

The featured image is our Heather Engagement Ring.

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New Sean Parker Wedding Pictures

We like to think we’ve seen it all when it comes to romantic gestures, but social media mogul Sean Parker took it to an entirely new level with his over-the-top Big Sur wedding.

Parker, who was played by Justin Timberlake in The Social Network, personally oversaw the most lavish wedding we think we’ve ever seen. We reported the event here, but we just had to share the pictures and details of this elaborate fantasy wedding.

Vanity Fair has just released new pictures, and although we do tend to favor refined simplicity in our own style, the effect was pretty much magical. To create a Tolkien themed wedding in the woods, the couple spent $4.5 million for the wooded alone. Here are some quick details about the festivities:

Lord of the Rings costume designer Ngila Dickson designed costumes for each of the 364 guests.

Guests entered through a 20 foot gate.

Lounging beds and dining chairs were covered with miles of white fur.

The cake was nine feet tall.

Guest included Emma Watson, Olivia Munn, Sting, LArs Ulrich from Metallica and founders of MTV, Wikipedia, Zynga, Twitter, Facebook and the like.

Wedding inspirations included old growth forests, Disney, Lord of the Rings, and the invitation to the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Bunnies were provided for guests to cuddle.

Set designers made bridges, a ruined stone castle, a 10-foot Celtic cross, and two broken Roman columns for the altar.

Traditional Irish singer Loreena McKennitt performed with a seven-piece band on a 50-foot stage.

And that’s not all. Here’s an except from Vanity Fair:

“The newlyweds dined on salmon with beets and Napa cabbage (entrée choices: porchetta, chicken, or venison) while perched upon a 10-foot sofa-throne, their feet nestled in a bearskin rug. After dark, lights illuminated the hillsides. Sting erupted a cappella in an impromptu version of his song “I Was Brought to My Senses.” Celtic musicians played on. Then the P.A. boomed disco and rock until dawn. At five A.M. guests guzzled leftover bottles of $500-plus wine from Napa Valley’s Harlan Estate. (The following night, stragglers gathered around an inflatable outdoor screen to watch the bloody “Red Wedding” episode of Game of Thrones.)”

Wow.

Cheers to the happy and imaginative couple. We hope their lives together are as exciting as their wedding!

See all the pictures here.