A new documentary

Love, Etc. is a new documentary that follows five couples for one year in New York City: old, young, gay, straight, falling in love, getting married, having babies, breaking up. The film showed the complexities of romantic love--not just the happy stuff of Disney movies. I watched it this week and adored it. It was funny, heartbreaking and beautiful. Here's the trailer...

What do you think, my darlings? Would you want to see it? (Here are show times.)

P.S. 10 best documentaries.

(Via Glamour)

DIY wedding hair: Gibson roll

My dears, I'm excited to share our second wedding hair tutorial! My friend (and hair genius) Caroline adores this elegant twisted roll--and swears it's easy enough for brides to do themselves. So, we met at my favorite West Village wedding shop, and the wonderful Jamie Beck took photographs. Doesn't her hair look straight from the 1940's? So romantic.

Here are Caroline's steps, if you'd like to try it out...
This hairstyle is perfect for a black-tie wedding or to show off a pretty neckline--and it's great for girls with curly hair. It's super easy; I promise with the teensiest bit of practice, you'll be able to do it in less than five minutes!

1. Gather your hair into a low ponytail and secure with a rubber band. You want the ponytail to be pretty tight.

2. Next, slide the rubber band down the ponytail a little, so there's space between the rubber band and your scalp.

3. Create a little "hole" in the area above the rubber band. Make sure not to poke all the way through; you just want to make a little "nest" in your hair (which you'll use in step 5).

4. Twist the length of your ponytail, like you would if you were making a bun.

5. Begin tucking your ponytail down into the little nest you made for it. (To make mine a little different, I tucked the hair off center, so it was slightly asymmetric.)

6 and 7. Keep tucking and rolling your ponytail into the nest...

8. Once you have all your hair hidden and tucked away, pin it in place with bobby pins. Don't forget to pin the sides of the hairstyle as well. Then spray your hair with some hairspray, and take along extra bobby pins for touch-ups!

Voila! Isn't it beautiful? Would you consider this wedding look? If you're already married, how did you wear your hair at your wedding? xo

P.S. The lovely Caroline is offering Cup of Jo readers 20% off her jewelry line, Brvtvs. Enter the code CUPOFJO, good until July 7th.

P.P.S. More pretty hair tutorials...

(Photos by Jamie Beck for Cup of Jo. In the step-by-step photos, Caroline is wearing an Eberjey robe. In the wedding photos, Caroline's wedding dress is by Ivy & Aster from Lovely, a bridal boutique in the West Village. The hair piece is by Untamed Petals, available at Lovely, as well.Her jewelry is from her own line, Brvtvs, and her lip color is NARS lipstick in Manhunt--appropriately!:)

Tubing party

I haven't posted about real weddings for a while, but how fun is this pre-wedding tubing party? What a great way to have all your guests relax and get to know each other before the ceremony and reception.

(Via Snippet & Ink)

DIY wedding hair: Chestnut bun

When I got married, I never would have thought of doing my own wedding hair, but my friend (and hair genius) Caroline swore this beautiful chestnut bun was simple enough for brides to do themselves. So, I invited her to a West Village wedding shop to explain the steps (and play dress up), and the wonderful Jamie Beck took photographs. Doesn't the elegant bun look like something Grace Kelly would wear? Would you wear it?

Here are Caroline's steps, if you'd like to try it out...
1. Gather your hair into a high ponytail and secure it with a rubber band. You want the band to be pretty tight (otherwise the sides of the ponytail will droop after you do step three).

2. Next, slide your rubber band down a little so it's no longer tight against your scalp.

3. Create a little "hole" in the loosened part of your hair (between your scalp and the rubber band).

4. Pull your ponytail through the hole you just created.

5. Note: Be sure to pull the ponytail UP through the hole (instead of DOWN through the hole, like the topsy-tail we used to do in the 80s:)

6. Pull the ponytail all the way through so it hangs over the top of the rubber band. You may have to fan out the ponytail a little to create an even shape.

7. Next, loop the end of the ponytail under, towards the rubber band. If your hair is super long, you may have to wrap the ends of the ponytail around your hand a few times before you tuck it under. (I did!)

8. Pin the ends that you just tucked using a few bobby pins. Make sure it's pinned very securely. Then keep pinning the sides and bottom of the bun until it feels secure. You can spray with hairspray for extra hold, and feel free to bring some extra bobby pins for touch-ups throughout the night.
Voila, that's it! What do you think, my dears? Would you do your own wedding hair? Isn't this surprisingly simple? xo Thank you, Jamie and Caroline! And most of all, congratulations to all you brides-to-be out there!
P.S. More hair tutorials...

(Photos by Jamie Beck for Cup of Jo. In the step-by-step photos, Caroline is wearing an Eberjey robe. In the wedding photos, Caroline's adorable wedding dress is by Ivy & Aster from Lovely, a bridal boutique in the West Village. Her jewelry is from her own line, Brvtvs, and her red lipstick is Rouge Dior Lipcolor in Red Muse.)

Wedding cake toppers

The new shop Lil' Cake Toppers launched today. Aren't the custom cake toppers adorable? I love that she represents different ethnicities and backgrounds. xo

P.S. My sister wore a sari at her wedding!

Bicycle wedding

Pam and Joe are teachers in Brooklyn and didn't have a huge budget, but they put together the most gorgeous, heartfelt wedding. First they tied the knot at a neighborhood park, then rode bikes to a Brooklyn bar, where they'd had their first date. (Pam's biking secret? She wore denim cutoffs under her dress! Can you spot them, above?:)
Everyone drank beers and smashed a pinata...
...and they had whoopie pies instead of wedding cake.
Doesn't it look great? Sometimes the simplest weddings look the most relaxed and fun, don't you think? Congratulations, Pam and Joe! (See many more photos here.)

(Photos by Inbal Sivan, via Perfect Bound)

Wine bottle labels

Pinhole Press just launched a new wedding section, and I'm crazy about these photo wine labels. Just think of all the funny possibilities for parties and gifts! As Alex would say, "The mind boggles."

Congratulations, Will and Kate!

What a romantic moment...
...although maybe a little too loud. :)

(Via Elle)

Aw, sad.

Don't google yourself tonight, Prince William!

The Royal Wedding

So excited for The Royal Wedding tomorrow!!! Are you going to wake up early and watch it? Kate must have serious butterflies.

Fun fact: Did you know that Royals tend not to use last names? I suddenly realized this morning that I had *no* idea what Prince William's last name was. (Apparently it's Mountbatten-Windsor.)

P.S. I can't wait to see all the wedding hats and fascinators.

Breezy wedding dress

Brides-to-be! Do you remember this breezy Swedish island wedding? Well, I just saw the dress over on OnceWed's boutique. Ahhh, I want to get married again and wear it.

(Photos by Mikael Olsson)

Sneak peek: Wedding line from Anthropologie!

My darlings, remember how the people behind Anthropologie announced they were going to start a bridal line? Well, the time has come! BHLDN (pronounced "Beholden") launches their online shop on Valentine's Day (this Monday!) with wedding gowns, party dresses, shoes and accessories. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to go to Philadelphia, along with a small group of lovely bloggers, to see a little sneak peek, and everything was stunning. The dresses in the debut collection range from $1000 to $4000; they have the same feminine and whimsical feel of Anthropologie, with lots of beautiful details. I'd love to share my three favorites, above and below...
Aren't they exquisite? The little number above is my favorite; it would be perfect for an outdoor wedding.
They have adorable shoes, too!
And then we were able to try on some of the dresses. Here I am with the lovely Joy and Emily. It was such a fun, girly day, and I can't wait to see everything at Bhldn on February 14th.

What do you think, my darlings? Do you like these dresses? If you're engaged, would you consider one of them for your big day? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

(Last photo from Emily)