We are excited that Jan and Feb 2011 will bring us some fascinating in store events. On Jan 8th, Something Blue Too will host the kick off to Prom season, Prom Party. Jan 13,14,15 will be the 2BE Weddings for Kathy Ireland Trunk Show, at The Something Blue Shoppe. Terri Hilferty, designer for 2BE will be with us again this year. She is fun and has lots of ideas for brides. She will also do a drawing of your 2BE gown for you when you purchase. February 4 & 5 will be our Jasmine Trunk Show, and Feb 28 will be the big Runway show with Wedding pages in Birmingham. If you’re getting married soon, mark your calendar and don’t miss these big days.
Kathy Ireland dishes on what Kate Middleton might wear
December 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Kathy Ireland with a model wearing a dress from the kathy ireland Weddings by 2be collection
So…2be comfortable on your wedding day or not to 2be comfortable on your wedding day? That is certainly NOT the question for Kathy Ireland.
“Choose something that fits you [and] that’s comfortable. That is critical, ” says the model turned designer, who just launched her bridal line, kathy ireland Weddings by 2be, in partnership with Mon Cheri Bridals at the Chicago Bridal Market in October. (Note: The Website is still in progress—we have the early scoop from Kathy herself!) The collection boasts more than 30,000 designs of comfortable yet couture gowns for the bride, mother of the bride and bridesmaids. And all are at reasonable prices ranging from $800 to $3,200.Ireland says looking back, she would change some things about the gown of her own 1988 nuptials. “I’d go with something much more elegant today—clean lines. I think I was inspired by Princess Diana’s wedding. My sleeves were bigger than my head!”
What inspires her these days is the confidence of a well-dressed bridal party. “We spend more time on our inner construction than on the outside,” Ireland says of the structure of her dresses. “We’ve got 22 ‘bones’ that support our gorgeous plus-size models. I can’t think of anything more beautiful than a woman who is comfortable in her own skin. So much of that comes from having a good fit.”
Can you just imagine falling out of a strapless wedding gown or ripping your one-size-too-tight bridesmaid dress? Ireland has been witness to both, actually, and so she spreads cautionary tales about getting an ill-fitting dress or going with strapless even though it feels uncomfortable.
As for the wedding of this century (no, not mine), Ireland envisions Prince William’s lady, Kate Middleton, in “something elegant and flowing, with a long train and silk and drape and florals.” Regardless of the pick, she hopes comfort prevails. That’s necessary, even for a princess.
Truth is, we are all our own definition of a princess on our special day, aren’t we? “When you think about it, the wedding is truly the ultimate red carpet event.”
from the 2Be website
New Arrivals!! The Something Blue Shoppe Gowns
September 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment
We’ve waited and waited and now they are starting to arrive!! What? The new bridal gowns made especially for us, The Something Blue Shoppe. Gowns that we picked and help create just for our brides. Their labels say The Something Blue Shoppe, their quality says The Something Blue Shoppe, the styles say The Something Blue Shoppe and the price says WOW!! The Something Blue Shoppe. If you’re getting married soon, you have to see this new collection!
Really Fun Trip
August 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
8/11/2010 
I often tell you about my travel to markets to find beautiful and exciting new bridal gowns and accessories for our brides. This past week I took a different kind of trip and as a proud Grand mom (Nanah); I also wanted to share that. 
My husband Donald and I traveled to Demopolis, AL to see our grandson, Hagan Michael, and his fellow teammates play in the SE regional 14 year olds Babe Ruth League baseball tournament. Hagan is from Tallahassee, FL and his team won the Florida state championship. That made them eligible for the regional tourney.
THEY WON!!! We were so excited and so happy that we had the opportunity to see them play.
They will advance
now to the World Series in Purcellville, VA. It is August 21 through August 28. I am sorry that we won’t get to go and see that big event. I’ll be at the National Cool Book Meeting and Prom Market in Atlanta. 
Now I do love buying prom gowns and seeing all my COOL friends…….but the Nanah in me would love to be in Virginia.
The pictures are of my other grandson Andrew, a family friend Lisa, my cousin Connie, and of course Hagan and the team.
BRIDAL GOWN SAMPLE SALE COMES TO AN END
June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
If your Shopping for a baargain on your bridal gown, you’d better act quickly. Our big spring bridal gown sale event is coming to a close. Saturday, June 19 will be the final day of this big blow out sample SALE.
Gowns origianally valued up to $1900.00 were marked half price. Now through the 19th of June, all sale gowns will be priced at $399.00.
WHAT A DEAL!!!!!!
HURRY, TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO GET A GREAT DRESS AT AN EVEN GREATER PRICE.
TRAVELING THE WORLD FOR OUR BRIDES
June 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was the Kukenhof, Holland tulip festival. It was my good fortune to be in Amsterdam as the guest of Larry and Justin Warshaw, owners of Sincerity Bridal, Sarah Danielle Social, and Justin Alexander Bridals. There were several bridal buyers and store owners from the U.S. as well as European buyers all there to see the new 2011 Spring Collections. We all enjoyed seeing the sights of Amsterdam taking a cruise on the canals and a late night stroll through “Old Town”.
The purpose of this trip was the new 2011 wedding dresses and Social Occasion dresses from Justin Alexander, Sincerity Bridal, Sweetheart Bridal, and Sarah Danielle Social dresses, which were outstanding!
My favorite line of the collections presented is the Justin Alexander. I like it because it is a grouping of Wedding gown that are fresh, sophisticated, sweet, sleek and feminine, with a variety of fabrications. This is a moderately priced group of bridal gowns. That’s another reason I really like them. They are affordable. The laces in this beautiful array of gowns are elegant and timeless. Jose Dias, the designer, really knows how to combine fabrics, styles and trends to create the most stunning gowns imaginable.
I really can hardly wait to show our brides the wonderful new things in store for them for spring 2011. These beautiful gowns should begin arriving by September.
After seeing those wonderful lines and attending a party celebrating the company’s 15th anniversary, I traveled with 4 others to Antwerp and Brussels to see those beautiful cities too. There I search for the beautiful, but very pricey Brussels lace.
I then made my way on to Barcelona for Barcelona Bridal week. I was fortunate to have a VIP pass to the fashion shows of the leading European designers.
It was spectacular to say the least. I saw the trends of Europe and the newest creations of unique combinations of fabrics, laces, beading and style. 
The Barcelona leg of the trip was to preview the new 2011 styles from Pronovias. What can I say? Just the name “Pronovias” says it all to brides in the know. The new gowns are soft and feminine, beautifully crafted with the finest of lace, satin, and silk. I am happy to announce that we have now become a Pronovias Platinum store. The bride who loves the Pronovias label will be thrilled to see the new styles. These gowns reflect the “look” that we’ve come to expect from Pronovias Barcelona. These new styles should start arriving in our store in September.
Meanwhile, don’t forget that we have current Pronovias and other designer gowns on sale.
My next trip is not nearly as far away as Europe, but to Louisville, KY to the annual 2BE BRIDE meeting. 2-BE is the best of the best. This is our private line, (only selected stores across the world are invited to carry 2-BE) that offers the best styling and fabrications for the money. I look forward to seeing the new 2-BE gowns and to a visit with the designer, Terri Hilferty, who is my good friend.
As Alabama’s oldest bridal store, we have come a long way. The store is in its 40th year and this is my 21st year here. When I came to Something Blue, there were 23 bridal gowns. Now we boast an inventory of almost 400 gowns, all unique and different.
What an honor to be able to have these prestigious bridal gowns in our store for a second and third generation of Blue Shop Brides.
Bridal News
May 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, I saw last week in Amsterdam, Holland. It was the tulip festival.
I went there as the guest of Larry and Justin Warshaw, owners of Sincerity Bridal, Sarah Danielle Social, and Justin Alexander Bridals. There were several bridal buyers and store owners from the U.S. as well as European buyers to see the new 2011 Spring Collections. We all enjoyed seeing the sights of Amsterdam. 
We took a cruise on the canals and had a late night stroll through “Old Town”. I traveled with 4 others to Antwerp and Brussels to see those beautiful cities too, but our reason for going was the wedding dresses and the Social Occasion dresses.
My favorite line of the collections presented is the Justin Alexander. I like it because it is a collection of fresh, sophisticated yet sweet, sleek yet feminine, variety of bridal gowns. This is a moderately priced group of bridal gowns. That’s another reason I really like them. They are affordable. The laces in this beautiful array of gowns are elegant and timeless. Jose Dias, the designer, really knows how to combine fabrics, styles and trends to create the most stunning gowns imaginable.
I really can hardly wait to show our brides the wonderful new things in store for them for spring 2011. These beautiful gowns should began arriving by September.
After Amsterdam I traveled on to Barcelona for Barcelona Bridal week. I was fortunate to have a VIP pass to the fashion shows of leading European designers. 
It was spectacular to say the least.
The primary reason for the Barcelona trip was to preview the new styles from Pronovias. What can I say? Just the name “Pronovias” says it all to brides in the know. The new gowns are soft and feminine, beautifully crafted with the finest of lace, satin, and silk. I am happy to announce that we have now become a Pronovias Platinum store. What an honor to be able to have these prestigious bridal gown labels in our store!
Bridal markets mean travel for me, new styles for you!
April 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I know I’ve previously mentioned my upcoming trip to Amsterdam and Barcelona to review new 2011 bridal lines. It’s now only 2 weeks away and I’m getting really excited.
Our host in Amsterdam, Larry and Justin Warshaw, are as gracious as ever. They invited me to invite a family member or friend to travel with me and enjoy their hospitality and the sights of the Netherlands. I am thrilled that one of my daughters will be going with me. She doesn’t work in the business with me, but she has a very good eye for fashion and will be an asset as we review the upcoming lines from Justin Alexander, Sarah Danielle and Sweetheart Bridals.
I know we have one outing planned. We will go to Keukenhof, to the tulip festival. We also hope to visit the Van Gogh museum and take a canal tour. From there, we’ll play on a day to day schedule. Oh, I know we must work one day, but that will be fun too.
After Amsterdam, my daughter will come home, (she has a 5 year old). I will travel on to Barcelona to preview the Pronovias 2011 Collection. Our group has been invited to a cocktail reception on the 1st night where we’ll meet the designers and the mayor of Barcelona. We will see the beautiful new Pronovias gowns the next day and attend the Pronovias Gala that evening. Of course, we know there will be some time for sightseeing and taking in the local culture.
I love, love my store, my employees and most of all my brides. We feel that we see these ladies at the happiest time of their life. It is the most fun job I can imagine!! But these perks that come with the job are not bad either!
Summer is always a busy time, not just with the summer weddings, but with my travels to various markets to review and buy new merchandise for The Something Blue Shoppe and Something Blue Too. May is the European trip, June is for one of our exclusive lines, 2-BE Bridals, Nathan Taylor, and Tony B for 2BE. This year our group meeting is in Louisville. I’m looking forward to a sneak peak at the horse tracks in Louisville.
July brings the product selection committee for The Cool Book. That is always held at the headquarters for The Cool Book in Malvern, Ohio. That is where our founder, Meg Walters, has her mega prom store.
August is the official Cool Book meeting and prom market. Melanie, the prom store manager, and I will be in Atlanta at National Prom market for at least a week, sometimes, we’re there for 10 days. It is fun, but very exhausting!
September brings us to Chicago to the bridal market. I like to go there to see new bridal and prom accessories. I also look for new Mother’s gowns there.
Then, if I so choose, I can head on to New York in October for the New York Bridal Market.
All this makes for a very busy summer and fall. Busy is good.
I do this traveling and go to markets all over the world so that we’ll have the very latest and best bridal gowns, prom gowns, and accessories to offer our customers.
Many years ago I pledged to always carry only the vest best at the very best prices for my customers. I used to go only to the Atlanta market. With store growth, and the changes we’ve experienced in our industry, it is now necessary for me to go to many different markets. Yes, it’s busy and tiring, but hey! Someone has to do it.
Amsterdam/Barcelona
March 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
How lucky can one girl be? I love my job. I get to see brides to be when they find “the gown”. I get to see the sparkle in their eyes and the big smiles. It makes my heart swell every time. Makes me happy.
Now I have another opportunity to travel to a wonderful place and see more wonderful gowns. Laast year I had the good fortune to be invited to the European Bridal Market by Larry Warshaw and his son Justin, owners of Justin Alexander Bridals. He provided a lovely trip for me to Harragate, England and then on to London. It was just wonderful! Now, he has invited me to travel in May to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. There I will get to see all the wonderful new styles, of not only the Justin Alexander gowns, but the Sweetheart division and the Sarah Danielles Social division. I’ll get to see Jose Dias again. Jose is the designer for the Justin and Sarah gowns. He is amazing and fun and so talented.
After a few days in Amsterdam, (we’ll be there right at the end of the tulip festival), then on down to Barcelona,
Spain for the Pronovias Spring Expo. I’ve never been to this huge gala event, but I’m told it is spectacular.
It will be so much fun to see the gowns and know that we are bringing innovative, beautiful new bridal gowns into Alabama’s oldest bridal salon, The Something Blue Shoppe. We have a long history is being “the best” and our staff and I strive every day to maintain that wonderful image. Being able to travel the world to bring the vest best and the newest to our store is a pleasure, in every way.
After a few days in Amsterdan, I’ll move on to Barcelona, Spain where I’ll attend the fashion expo showing the Pronovias gowns. The 2011 bridal buying season is getting off to a really good start and I’m really looking forward to it.
It’s fun to bring new and exciting and innovative styles back to
Being the oldest bridal shop in the state puts a lot of pressure on to step it up. We’ve been the BEST for over 40 years and we can’t let that reputation slip a notch.
