Category: Featured

kelly clarkson wedding details

After backing away from previous, more elaborate wedding plans, Kelly Clarkson surprise-married her fiance Brandon Blackstock on a farm in eastern Tennessee.

Attended by only a handlful of guests, (including Blackstock’s children Savannah, 12, and Seth, 6, and his ex wife Melissa), the couple got the sacred and intimate setting they truly desired.

Combining families is hard for some, but Kelly is luckier than most. The mother of her stepchildren is totally supportive of the relationship.

“I love Kelly,” Melissa, 39, told People Magazine. “I’ve known her for years, and I couldn’t ask for a better stepmother for my children. My kids love her.”

The bride wore a dress that her stylist Steph Ashmore said showed off her “Jane Austen-meets-country-relaxed feel.”

A dear friend and fellow American Idol contestant Jim Verraros helped design the bridal crystal headpiece, says, “She couldn’t have looked more like the epitome of grace and style.”

Family, friends and a farm wedding. It sounds like a dream come true for Kelly.

Our warmest wishes go out to the happy couple!

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Bat Print, Clay Crafts & Isabel Marant for H&M

In honor of Halloween, we’re loving links that are arty, edgy, spooky, magical and just plain fall-festive. Grab a cup of mulled wine and an iPad and let’s go!

Amazing bat prints for the season.

We’re not super “crafty,” but we so want to do these chic clay crafts. The ring holders, especially. What a great engagement gift!

Apartment Therapy, stop making us want to DIY! This 10 foot candelabra is pretty great, too. We’d love it even more with more sophisticated candle colors.

Another thing to make? We can’t help loving this fall bouquet recipe.

Isabel Marant for H&M is the perfect way to give a chic designer edge to your fall wardrobe basics. And it’s going to be available online, which is swell if you ask us.

We love these creative, fantastical dreamscapes, starring an adorable baby!

And proving that words of love can be a little edgy too, is our featured image, by one of our favorite Young British Artists, Tracey Emin.

Finally, we’ll leave you with this, a true Halloween Classic. Have a spooky scary weekend!

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Kanye & Kim engaged

Kanye & Kim got engaged, this weekend, in a stadium he rented for the purpose. It was more romantic than it sounds, we think. There was a 50 piece orchestra and everything!

So congratulations, to Kimye. We wrote about their incredible push present here. With their flair for dramam and luxury, we bet the wedding will be epic.

And today, everyone’s talking about the ring, of course, including us!

Our own David Cooper spoke to Forbes.com about the smaller but better quality diamond, saying that the most important element in selecting a diamond is the emotional significance.

“To me, what’s most importance when viewing any stone is what the stone says to you,” David told Forbes. “A diamond like a person is unique and it should have a presence, personality and beauty all its own—regardless of color and clarity.”

We love that sentiment! Like a marriage, your rings are really about what you find in them: love, partnership and eternity. We hope Kanye and Kim find all that and more!

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ask jeff cooper: wedding day rain & cool umbrellas

Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition!

In Italian they say, Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata, or Wet bride, happy bride. So why are we so worried about it? The hair, the makeup, the dress, the pictures.

Outdoor weddings are so beautiful and trendy, but there’s a great deal left to chance!

We were inspired to write this by the incredible wedding photographer Heather Jagger, who shot a friend’s wedding recently and she wrote, ” It rained all day but it only seemed to make it better somehow.”

So before we get any further, look at this. Beautiful, right? Your wedding will be, too!

Just prepare a little, then don’t worry. Like the Beatles said, Love is all you need. That is what makes or breaks a wedding, not a little (or a lot of) rain!

First tip: Wedding day makeup is a special genre and has to be danceproof, cryproof, hugproof and cakeproof, anyway. Everyday makeup doesn’t always cut it, so be prepared, and be a good sport, and all they’ll notice is you.

Second tip: Do your research.

Third tip: Rain (or potential rain) is a great excuse to express your style. There are cheeky umbrellas. Umbrellas that create an amazing pop of color in your pictures. And statement umbrellas like this or this.

Fourth tip: You may as well splurge on some chic boots, too! The blue gloss would make an amazing “something blue.”

Tip five is really the only tip you need: If it rains on your wedding day, own it!

Featured Image via Jagger Photography.

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Refined Simplicity & Marcella Hazan

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo DaVinci.

In honor of the late, great food writer Marcella Hazan, the maven of simplicity, it’s all about simple, relaxing pleasures this week.

Here’s Marcella’s famous 3 ingredient tomato sauce. Nothing could be simpler, or better.

The colorful office supplies company Poppin is having an anniversary sale with 20% off everything. Their tagline is “Work Happy, ” and their design aesthetic is sleek and contemporary with every candy color you can imagine. So much fun.

And here’s a simple way to do good and look good. Pick something gorgeous to wear (or to share) from the Live in Pink Collection, and 60% of the purchase goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Here’s a cool find. Flower paintings with a simple gesture that cuts through the prettiness.

A simple way to give his wedding outfit a little personality: a statement shoe for the groom would look great for a vintage-themed wedding.

Pumpkin bread, made with Amish simplicity.

Sometimes, it’s simpler to say “I’ll have what she’s having.” Especially when it’s all this chic.

Have a simply gorgeous weekend!

Our featured image is our Gwen & Tess set.

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Breast Cancer Charities & Awareness

If, like us, you’ve been directly affected by Breast Cancer, our heart goes out to you. Fighting cancer is a cause that’s very important to us, and we’re please to have been recognized as one of Britt’s picks over at JCK online. We adorned our Leah ring with a pink sapphire and are featuring it all month as a symbol of courage, strength and solidarity.

We also noticed some other businesses bringing attention and donations to the cause, and we want to give them a shout out. We’re only including company’s that donate 100%.

Rao’s, (the exclusive NYC restaurant with the high-end pasta sauce) is selling a pink gift basket full of incredible products, and all the proceeds go to The Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Philosophy also donates 100% of net proceeds from sales of Shower for the Cure.

And if you like to give directly, here’s a breakdown that compares Breast Cancer Charities and how they rate.

 

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Lauren Conrad Engaged

This weekend, Lauren Conrad became engaged to her law student beau, William Tell. They’ve been together for almost 2 years, and he popped the question with a classic solitaire engagement ring. Well done, Mr. Tell.

Lauren wrote, “I am very excited to share with you guys that William and I got engaged over the weekend. I am beyond thrilled! Get ready for lots more wedding content here on LaurenConrad.com as we begin the planning process.” We can’t wait!

Congratulations to both of you!

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Mar y Sol & the little gold dress

Here’s the week’s lovely list of links to help you give back, live well, pick a wine, and travel in style. Have a full and wonderful weekend!

Mar y Sol designs are so amazing, and so is the story, and the mission. Check out their vibrant fair trade bags, hats and pillows. We love beautiful things that make the world better!

We love a good party outfit, and this gold dress and hairstyle are so amazing! We might save this one for the “official” holidays, though.

A fun little flow chart for choosing a wine.

You gotta love fancy sweatshirts.

“Drinks I want to try,” from Bleubird blog.

Nine pumpkin recipes.

Heirloom-quality travel gear that’s meant to last forever and age beautifully. (Great wedding gift!)

And on the other end of the spectrum, 30 bags that look expensive, but aren’t.

Happy reading!

Image via, by Brian Hatton, a New York City wedding photographer.

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Naya Rivera engaged to big sean

“Glee” actress Naya Rivera is engaged to rapper Big Sean. Sources say Sean proposed with a cushion-cut engagement ring on a pave diamond band.

And of course, we have our own version. How much do you love this one?

Well cushion cut and pave is always classic, we can’t wait to see it.

The couple, who met on Twitter, went public this April when they attended the premiere of the film “42” together. Glamorous!

We wish them all the best!

Featured image via.

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we love: jewelry blog Adornmentality

Jeff Cooper Sales VP, resident Twitter and Instagram-er, and jewelry industry insider Barbara Palumbo has launched a new jewelry blog, and we love it.

She told JCKOnline she loves “knowing that someone may walk away from reading it with any type of emotion. Emotions are what affect life.” We couldn’t agree more!

If you like glamorous jewelry, dishy pop culture talk and a killer sense of humor, give Adornmentality a read!

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Featured image via Mervis Diamond Importers, an authorized Jeff Cooper retailer.