Swanson Vineyards Wedding Wines

When I saw these wedding wines from Swanson Vineyards, I fell in LOVE! I mean, how adorable?! The labeling is great!

They also have these great "Newlywed Kits" to give as a gift! 

Loving Swanson Vineyards! Aren't you?

-a.e.h.

Bridesmaid Boot Camp: Lingerie Shower

Rituel by Carine Gilson navy soft-cup silk bra & shorts/ VPL stripe B stretch-cotton bra & brief/ Eberjey annie bralette & briefs / Honeydew polka-dot bralette & briefs/ Jenny Packham feather-trimmed silk-chiffon slip/ Calvin klein envy lace triangle bra & shorts/ La Perla Iconic Surpique satin hipster & bra/ Eberjey cleo bralete & bottom/ Deborah Marquit french lace balconette bra & bottoms

-a.e.h. 

Bridesmaid Boot Camp: Bachelorette Party for the Domestic Darling

Throw a 50's housewife themed bachelorette party for the friend who aspires to be the next Martha Stewart.  Send out retro inspired invites and schedule a cooking class in your area for the bride and friends to attend during the day.  If you are in the Knoxville area, The Glass Bazaar offers some great classes.  Make sure everyone wears an apron- have everyone find a retro inspired one or have everyone decorate their own earlier in the day.  To decorate the canvas aprons bring lots of glue guns, fabric paint, rhinestones, ribbons, and fabric scraps.  You can even  get attach tulle to the back of a chef's hat for the bride to wear as a veil!  Before you go for dinner and out on the town, have everyone change into their best 50's housewife garb...don't forget the pearls!

1. Retro inspired aprons 2. Rhinestone chevron necklace 3. Kate Spade bow clasp pearl necklace 4. Let's help the bride become the "perfect" housewife invites 5. Black suede peep toe heels 6. Pave pearl studs 7. Pretty rubber gloves 8. Black cocktail dress 9. Green cocktail dress with bow detail 10. Pearl bangles 11. Floral cocktail dress 12. Kitchen Aid stand mixer 13. Glitter tart servers

Below is a hilarious article you could incorporate.  It is hard to imagine, but this was an actual article published in the 1950s!

-a.e.h. 

"A Good Wife's Guide
Housekeeping Monthly May 1955

1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a
delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of
letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are
concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home
and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is
part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed
when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair
and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary
people.

3. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring
day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part
of the house just before your husband arrives.

5. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc, and then run a dust cloth
over the tables.

6. Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a
fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a
haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all,
catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal
satisfaction.

7. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's
hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if
necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he
would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the
time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or
vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

8. Be happy to see him.

9. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to
please him.

10. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him,
but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first -
remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

11. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or
goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you.
Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his
very real need to be at home and relax.

12. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order
and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and
spirit.

13. Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

14. Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stayed out
all night. Count this as minored compared to what he might have gone
through that day.

15. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair
or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready
for him.

16. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a
lot, soothing and pleasant voice.

17. Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment
or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such
will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You
have no right to question him.

18. A good wife always knows her place."

      

Bridesmaid Boot Camp: Bachelorette Party for the Laid Back Lady

Throw a vintage camp themed bachelorette party.  Rent a lakehouse for the weekend and send out rustic invites to all the bride's best girlfriends.  Have each guest sign up for activites like canoeing, hiking, arts & crafts, or even shopping!  For cocktail hour serve drinks in mason jars and make yummy s'mores inspired desserts!   Have all the guests write sweet words of encouragement and funny stories from the weekend in the Field Note journals.  At the end of the weekend the bride can take them home!

1. Makes s'mores inspired dessert like this s'more brownie recipe 2. Field note journals 

3. River Island aztec knit sweater 4. Timex Traveler Watch 5. Minnetonka pull-on fringe booties

6. Distressed denim shorts 7. Serve drinks in mason jars & use colorful striped straws

8. Madewell long tee dress 9. Hunter watling lace up gloss boots 10. Newstand tote 

11. Vintage inspired pajama set 12. Michael Kors tortoise bracelet 13. These rustic tubs make great ice buckets. Use them for the weekend & send them home with the bride!     

Hope you are enjoying Bridesmaid Boot Camp! Don't forget to check keeping back for more inspiration & advice!

-a.e.h.

Bridesmaid Boot Camp: Bachelorette Party For the Glam Girl

I am constantly being asked questions about the duties of the Maid of Honor/Bridesmaids, which is why it is Bridesmaid Boot Camp week here at alexandrahansen.com.  Being one of the bride's go-to girls is no small task so I want to make sure you are ready! Keep checking back this week for answers to all your etiquette questions and for lots of fun ideas!  I will also be sharing some inspiration boards to help you throw a bachelorette party that perfectly suites your bride's taste!  

1. Learn how to make these adorable tinsel drink stirrers! 2. Bachelorette Tiara 

3. Vince sequined crepe top 4. Amazing feathered Zarb champagne bottle 

5. Absolut Vodka Glimmer Bottle 6. Robert Rodriguez sequin & bead silk skirt 7.Melissa Odabash Martinique twisted bandeau bikini 8. Vince sequin mini dress 

9. Anna Sui tulle mini dress  10. Steve Madden gold glitter booties 

11. Deborah Lippman glitter nail polish in boom boom pow 12. Jcrew sequin loafers 

Don't forget to keep checking back this week for more posts!  You can also follow me on twitter for more updates! 

-a.e.h.

Etiquette for a Wedding Guest

Guests from the Royal Wedding

I saw an interesting article on MSN today about the 15 Wedding Guest Dos and Don’ts.  I took some of their “rules” and added some of my own to share with you. Most of you will only have one wedding, but you will be attending a countless number… so pay attention!   

DO RSVP

I understand the importance of this because I plan weddings, but I will admit that even I have forgotten to RSVP before the deadline.  The best way to avoid this is to reply as soon as you open the invitation. 

DON’T Assume You Can Bring a Date

You should not bring a date unless your invitation says “and guest”.  There is most likely a reason you did not get a plus one- it may be because the size of the venue or maybe their budget.  No matter what the reason is- do not call the bride or groom to ask if you can bring someone with you. 

DO Buy a Wedding Gift Early

Couples spend tons of time registering for gifts, which means they obviously intend to use those items.  Buy gifts early to make sure you aren’t stuck with the most random items.  Sometimes you can run into a problem however if the couple did not register for that many items.  In this case, use what you know about the couple to pick out something really special for them.  Do they love to camp and you know their tent is worn down?  Buy them one!  As long as you know it is something the couple will really enjoy and use I say go for it!

DON’T Bring a Large Gift to the Wedding

I see this all the time!  There is so much going on at the end of a wedding reception (taking down decorations, handing out vendor payment and tips, say goodbye, etc.) the last thing the bride, groom, and their family need to worry about is loading a ton of presents into their car.  Do them a favor and have the gift shipped directly to their new home.  Luckily, with more and more people having online registries it is super easy to ship directly to the couple.  Don’t want to ship the gift and they live near by? Drop the present off sometime before or after the wedding.

DO be on Time

Plan to arrive at the ceremony 20 or 30 minutes before the time that is indicated on the invitation.  Remember, you don’t want to be walking down the aisle with the bride. 

DON’T Crowd the Cake Table

When I first started doing weddings I was shocked at how adults act when the cake starts to be cut.  It becomes a feeding frenzy!  The cake cutter is working as fast as they can to get the cake to the guests so just be patient and let them get the pieces on the table.  Don’t be the person who stands next to them requesting the corner piece with icing.

DO Pay Attention to the Dress Code

You do not want to be underdressed.  If the invitation says black tie, women should be in a long formal gown or a very nice cocktail dress and the men should be in a tux.  Going to an outdoor wedding?  Women should still wear a nice dress or skirt and men in a casual suit. 

DON’T Wear White

This one should go without saying, but I still see it all the time.  This is the bride’s day so let her be the only one wearing white.  Also avoid light ivories, blues, and pinks just to be safe. 

DO Congratulate the Family

Since receiving lines are becoming a thing of the past take time to seek out the couple’s parents and introduce yourself, thank them, and tell them how much you are enjoying the wedding.

DO Party!

Brides and grooms have spent tons of time and money planning this wedding and they want people to have a good time.  Trust me, the last thing they want to see if an empty dance floor while their $8,000 band is playing.  Let loose and show the bride and groom you are there to celebrate!

DON’T Get Wasted

Yes, I know I just said Do Party but do it responsibly.  Enjoy the bar; don’t abuse it.  You do not want to be the guest who threw up all over the dance floor. 

DO Sign the Guestbook

Yes, it may seem cheesy, but the wedding is oftentimes a big blur for the couple, and they'll want to remember everyone who attended.

DON’T Talk Forever

Make a point of saying hello to the bride and groom, but keep your conversation short, so they can make their rounds and maybe even have time to get a bite or two of all that food they picked out! Oh, and speaking of chatting, refrain from complaining about how long it took you to get to the wedding or how awful the weather was during the ceremony; they don't need to hear it.

DO Stay Until the Formal Exit

If you are unsure if the couple is having a formal exit check with the wedding planner or one of the bridesmaids.  If you can, stick it out until the end.  No bride and groom want to have a sparkler exit with only 30 guests remaining. 

-a.e.h.

Luggage Lust

I know what you are thinking, luggage lust? reallyyy?  But, let me explain! My boyfriend and I are going to Playa del Carmen, Mexico next month, and I am in desperate need of new luggage! The suitcase I have been working with is pretty unfortunate. Imagine a pattern very similar to the one on Mary Poppin's carpet bag and then imagine it missing a wheel.  I am dying for these from SteamLine Luggage! They are beautiful AND much more affordable than similar styles.



Editor Series




Producer Series


I am also loving these double sided leather luggage tags.  They feature hand stitching and an adjustable strap. The tags can also be personalized with your own contact information or phrases like, "Hands Off", "Not Your Bag" and my personal favorite, "My Clothes Won't Fit You". 

They are so pretty!

These luggage tags also make great wedding or shower gifts for a jet-setting couple. They start at $35.00 from Hong Kong based HarLex shop on Etsy.com.


-a.e.h.