Live from Women 2.0 Pitch Conference in Mountain View, I’m happy to be at the Computer History Museum surrounded by some of the hottest female founded tech start-ups in modern history.

We are experiencing a Femme Tech Boom and today is ground zero for innovation, creation and atta girl can do attitude. If you think it’s all about the cult of the Zuck, think again, these ladies who launch got moxie, money and energy to burn.

The idea is to get the mic in your hand and show ‘em what you’re made of. VC’s are in the audience ready to fund the next Eve.com, Minted.com or Task Rabbit.

Tara Hunt

Think you’ve got what it takes to wow a potential investor? Check out founder Tara Hunt @Miss Rogue and Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur of Buyosphere.com.

She’s changing the world of shopping, one very considered and curated opinion at a time.

What is Buyosphere? Tara Hunt describes it as a ‘Quora for Shopping’ – a shopping Q&A platform that helps you find that particular item by popping the question about what you want. Buyosphere crowdsources the shopping query, connecting you with people and shops that know where to find it. What does this have to do withweddings? Easy as pie: a week ago, I received a request to help find a vintage-themed tea length wedding dress. Licked-y split, I popped up three picks from J.Crew and Beholdn.

Other women around the blogosphere also weighed in, curating and assisting the bride in helping her research her trousseau.

It’s like having a universe of best friends helping you find your needle in a haystack. Gorgeous, affordable and ready to wear, the dresses all fit the bill, saved the bride time, and served as a worldwide stylist team for the bride.

Check out Buyosphere.com for brides, maids, attendants, gear and more (sublime taste offered at no additional charge!).

Leah Busque

Task  Rabbit—“a site that helps you get just about anything done by safe, reliable, awesome people”—is the new model of joining strivers with the eager to work unemployed, creating monetized solutions through social networks. According to founder Leah Busque “there are hordes of underemployed potential Rabbits looking for income and legions of frantically overworked beavers yearning for relief.“ [1]

Imagine, if you will, how Task Rabbit could help you plan your wedding: fetch those invitations at the printer, fabric swatches from your dressmaker, or pick Grandma up from the airport in time for the rehearsal dinner. The list is endless, and costs vary: All theRabbits name their price to meet your request, and the rest is up to you.

To assuage any concerns, all Rabbits are extensively checked through the Task Rabbit vetting process so you are assured of a trustworthy person to handle your needs.

These are just two of the spectacular and amazing women and start ups that are being showcased today.  It’s amazing to see so many amped and astonishing rock stars in one place with so such talent and heart, making their dreams a reality.

Big shout out and huge chocolate heart to Co-Founder, Angie Chang who co-founder of Women 2.0. She’s a visionary in the tech space, promoting women intechnology and showing Silicon Valley and beyond that it’s not a boys club anymore, there’s plenty of room at the start up table.

Happy Valentines Day!

ABOUT

 

Jessica

Okay, there isn’t a hint of leather, lace, safety pins or plaid, but we’re still in love with Punk Rock Brides 2012 collection with comfortable silky fabrics, natural fibers, no itchy lace, and clean lines, resulting in easy and wearable dresses you can practically sleep in (says some of their clients). With all the boning, tulle, bows, bustles, and extraneous surface noise on more Vera-type gowns, it’s refreshing to see designers that actually consider the girl: it’s going to be a long damned day, and you’d better be comfortable (in equal measure with being beautiful…).

Being from Washington, DC, widely considered to be a fashion void (until Michelle Obama moved in anyway), I am heartened to see a design firm that rejected the predictable New York/LA fashion industry trajectory and pitched their tent here. I love them even more because some of the best punk rock bands ever came out of DC, so to have Punk Rock Brides new offices next to the ghosts of some of my favorite punk clubs brings a tear to my eye. I salute them for having the courage to stay the course in a fashion challenged city (which they will soon rule). So to quote Nancy Reagan, Just Say NO! to the wedding industrial complex with Punk Rock Bride. Their rockin’ 2012 collection follows. Congrats ladies!

For Immediate Release: This fall, Punk Rock Bride introduced its fifth collection of wedding dresses for 2012 at New York International Bridal Market, October 15-17 at Pier 94. The 2012 collection consists of five designs and continues in its mission of offering brides a fashion-forward alternative to the traditional wedding dress. Several themes tie these dresses together, including the use of geometric patterns, layering of multiple fabrics and unique textures, and playful variations of hemlines.

“Each year, I like to experiment with new details and textures to keep things interesting and fresh. This year, some of the more unique fabrics used included a silk faille, cotton chiffon jacquard, silk douppionni, and a silk wool blend, to name a few,” stated designer Stephanie Ward. “More and more, brides are coming to us for a more modern option on their wedding day. We are all about details, and that is what is translating into quality and value for our brides.”

The price range for the new group of dresses will be consistent with past collections, ranging from $2,900 to $3,800. The new collection will be reflected on a new website.

About

Punk Rock Bride was founded in 2006 by RISD-grad and designer Stephanie Ward. Their wedding dresses have appeared in Brides, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Get Married, and The Washington Post. In 2011, the company received Best of 2011 recognition by The Knot. Punk Rock Bride is based on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Molly

 

Jusstine Kenzer - give the gift of clarity....

Every retailer from Sephora to Saks have stockpiles of bridal booty to help you glitter and glow.  Exercise, diet, gallons of water, and relaxation will also ensure that you are looking your happiest and healthiest on W-day. But here’s the question: how are you looking and feeling on the inside? Are you balanced, clear, and feeling confident about moving forward in your new life with your betrothed? Or are you feeling held back by some indescribable reservation or blockage: a past conflict or old boyfriend/girlfriend/family (or even past life!) issues? If you were given the chance to get some vexing question answered, or try and find a better path, would you do so? Would your life be more rewarding if only [fill in the blank] was resolved? If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, I have someone very interesting to introduce you to…

Enter Jusstine Kenzer, a striking brunette, and ‘it girl clairvoyant’ with 20 years of experience with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, movers and shakers (and everyone in between). A psychic healer, located in Los Angeles, California, she’s got ‘the gift,’ but she’s also blessedly down to earth and easy to talk to for the uninitiated, or clairvoyant-curious. We both agreed that the wedding industry is so heavily focused on the external: makeup, hair, the dress, the jewels, the shoes, but not much attention is paid to the internal. This mindset seems counter-intuitive – because clarity on the inside can only translate into clarity on the outside – which is the soul of true beauty. But it’s hard to market intangibles when everything from the silk buttons on your dress, or your chandelier earrings has a price tag. We hit on a theme: that brides (or anyone) might want to enter into their new life as a wife, partner and soul mate with a clean slate – unencumbered by doubts or fears: all questions answered with the future laid before them like a shiny new penny.

How then, to write about this grand experiment? Well, of course, to experience a reading of my own. Not knowing quite what to expect, I prepared for the session with an open mind, a list of questions and a sense of adventure (it’s not every day that you get to experience a reading by a world famous clairvoyant!).

It was, perhaps one of the most illuminating, interesting, and downright entertaining experiences I’ve ever had. She’s got the gift, and got the answers, (there was more than one instance of ‘how did she know that?’ moments!). It was important to be very specific in my queries, not at all vague, and try to remain in the here and now. It’s also a good idea to leave your skepticism at the door. If you don’t think that something is going to work, the odds are that your attitude will almost always change the outcome (resulting in the “glass half empty” syndrome). Asking questions such as “Am I going to win the lottery?” or “Am I going to live a long life?” aren’t really going to get you useful information. She’s reading your energy, not your fortune! But asking questions about specific people in your life, business deals you are working on now, past conflicts, lost loves, or an unresolved situation that needs closure will bring you specific and tangible rewards.

Like a targeted psychic Google search, you get real answers to your questions, and useful information to make better decisions about what’s happening right now, (in this case, your wedding!).  In my own case, one month later, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for opportunities that we highlighted in the reading, and feel pretty great about the people I’m blessed to have in my tribe.

Towards the end of the reading (the healing/clearing part), Jusstine takes you through a visualization process where you go through the steps of releasing ‘negative energy.’ One of the takeaways is that you can replicate this process later as part of your own meditation practice. I’ve always been a huge fan of meditation to handle stress, as it brings dopamine into the blood stream (the neurotransmitter that brings feelings of joy). Meditation also reduces cortisal: the ‘fight or flight’ steroid hormone that’s produced when you fend off a grizzly bear or have a grueling deadline at work. An overabundance of cortisal can cause a myriad of skin issues as well. I felt relaxed, positive and yes, a little lighter, (and got several nights of deep sleep).

In her own words, here’s what you can expect in a reading:

I am a clairvoyant, which means I can see and read energy clearly, just by using my psychic ability. I can help you find specific answers to your questions, as well as assist you to make positive lasting changes in your life. I’ve developed a unique method of releasing and shifting the energy around any situation you are experiencing, moving you toward the outcome you desire. Anyone can give you answers, however in my twenty years of doing this work, I have found that even with specific answers, you are still left experiencing the issue that lead you to ask “why” in the first place. I help you find the unconscious energies causing you to attracting the experiences you are in your life, and assist you in releasing them, causing you to create a different outcome, instantly. Think of it like having a closet that is so full, you can’t possibly fit in one other thing. You go along in life collecting up all kinds of energy, experiences and conditioning, yet no one teaches us how to clear them out. I help you clean out the closet of “you” so you can start to fill it full of new things and not just wake up tomorrow doing the same thing you did yesterday.

Balanced Bride Special Offer

Having a reading with Jusstine (if you can’t see her in person she reads individuals around the world by phone) was educational, enlightening and fun. For attendants, your partner and yourself – consider a non material, green, and gorgeous gift and enjoy the next, best, part of your life: cleared out, spruced up, relaxed and ready.  In a reading Jusstine customize the healing to help you clean up and clear up the specific things you are working on in all areas of your life.  However if you are specifically working on relationship issues, Jusstine has put the healing on an mp3 download which you can listen to as often as you like. the more you listen to it the more it will heal you. The Heal Your Relationship Space Meditation is normally $19.99 but Anti-Brides can get it for $9.99.

 

Korbel mixed packs

Wedding favors can be ridiculous (monogrammed bride and groom swag slated directly for the dustbin), redundant (a bottle of olive oil or jam with the date of the wedding – cute – but overdone), or rapturous: a personal-sized bottle of bubbly just for you. What’s better is that Korbel’s guest-sized bottles of joy are 25% off! We heart Korbel, and love the fact that they are adding a little more sparkle to wedding favors (and helping couples save on the big day with big bubbles). Salut!

Korbel Mixed Case Sale

Take an additional 10% off selected mixed cases and pay only $1.00 for ground shipping*.
For more information and to make a purchase please click here:  Special Promotions & Gift Packs

Wedding Favor Shipping Discount

For a limited time ground shipping is 25% off on wedding favors.
Use coupon code KORBELFAVORS or click: Coupon KORBELFAVORS
Please click the link for more information: Wedding Favors
*$1.00 Shipping promotion is not available in Alaska and Hawaii.
Promotions end on October 16, 2011.

Celebrate Responsibly.

Korbel Champagne Cellars
13250 River Rd.
Guerneville, CA 95446

http://www.korbel.com

For webstore support call Emily at (707) 824-7217
Email: webstore.info@korbel.com

They currently ship champagne and wine to the following states: AK, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IA, KS, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NY, NC, ND, OR, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.  BRANDY can only be shipped within CA.

 

Music for Quintuplets

My friends at Faultline Studios are creating a super new venue – Faultline Fridays, today at 5 pm – where Bay Area Musicians, producers and music aficianados can hob nob with some of the greats. I’ve always been a fan of getting good bands to play at your wedding when they get off tour – you never know who you’ll meet at the Faultline. And the fact that they work closely with the fab RootMusic.com (founder of Facebook Band Pages) is all the better. So if you are looking to enjoy a complimentary libation with some local luminaries on this rare and sunny day in Fog Town, look no further than Faultline Studios, and find your tribe.

Faultline Fridays

It’s that time again! Faultline Friday is happening today, September 30th from 5-8 PM.

The last one was amazing with musicians/producers from platinum selling acts to the best local independent artists all networking and having a good time.
Faultline Fridays is a casual monthly gathering of the musical minds of The Bay Area. The goal is to create a greater sense of community in our beloved music scene. Whether you are a musician, engineer, producer or just a music fan…all are welcome!
Come by and have a beer on us!

For more information, visit our Facebook page.

 

The Phoenix Hotel

Happy Hour + Pool Party
San Francisco’s Summer is Here!
To celebrate, Chambers eat + Drink & The Phoenix Hotel are hosting the “Play Hookie Happy Hour + PopUp Pool Party” this Wednesday – 1:00pm ’til Sunset.

• All day happy hour, music and cocktails poolside
• Limited “Cabana Rooms” available – complete with pool passes
So take the day off, drop by, get a room, grab a drink and a dip!
The Phoenix Hotel – Chambers eat + drink
601 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA

GET A ROOM

MAKE A RESERVATION

 

The Bold Italic

Pick Us Up in Print!

We’re really proud of our first print publication, Volume One: 25 Ways to Be a Local. The magazine celebrates a colorful checklist of activities that every San Franciscan should accomplish at least once. We packed it full of intel on the best underground dining clubs, surf hangouts, art crawls, places to space out, and other SF-centric explorations. Like our website, 25 Ways to Be a Local features an emphasis on design and photography with original content and stories by our Bold Locals, who write about their urban discoveries.
Want to know how to get your hands on one? You can buy the magazine directly from us for $3 plus shipping and handling and we’ll send it to your mailbox. We are also offering a four-issue subscription for only $12 plus shipping and handling. Over the next six weeks, we will also be at various locations around the city passing out complimentary copies of 25 Ways to Be a Local, and will offer free copies of this first issue at select cafes and retail shops. This is a one-time deal, though — supplies are limited and future issues won’t be free. This week, you can find copies of Volume One: 25 Ways to Be a Local in The Castro and Hayes Valley. Like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for weekly updates on where you can pick up your free copy.

Getting a Taste of October

October is a busy month for Bold Italic soirees. First up, on Monday the 3rd, you can beat the lines and lick a few different seasonal flavors of Smitten’s famous liquid nitrogren-made ice cream. For $10, you can be part of an evening tasting with owner Robyn Sue Goldman at her shop’s special Hayes Valley shipping container. Join the fun here.
The following week, on Saturday, Oct. 8, we’re hosting Meditations on San Francisco, a music, art, and meditation party with the historic San Francisco Zen Center. Check out the blissful drones and estatic melodies of Barn Owl, Date Palms, and Danny Paul Grody; interact with David Wilson’s “stained glass” installation; learn the basics of meditation from SFZC’s knowledgeable staff; and watch vintage film footage on meditation from SFZC’s archives. We’ve sold most of our tickets to this special event, but if you act fast there are still a few spots up for grabs. And then stay tuned for a special Bold Italic Halloween extravaganza announcement in the next couple weeks.

Surfing Turf

Mollusk’s Travis Becker spends most of his time thinking about the waves, but you can still ask the guy for a recommendation on what to eat in his Outer Sunset hood. Craving kale potato soup? Try Judahlicious. In more of a grilled cheese sandwich and cauliflower soup mood? It’s all about Outerlands. Get more of this surfer’s top spots in his Found Local interview.

We’re Buried in Love For You

Having you like us on Facebook feels almost as good as being buried in warm sand. And we promise not to get dirt in your ears.

Treasure Island Night Shows: Jens Leckman, The Drums & More

Kicking off later this month, the Treasure Island Night Shows are the perfect complement to this year’s installment of the weekend-long festival in the Bay, The Treasure Island Music Festival. Swedish musician Jens Lekman starts off the Night Show series with a performance at the California Academy of Sciences on September 29, followed by The Drums on October 14  at the Independent, JFK of MSTRKRFT on October 15 at Mezzanine, The Head and the Heart on October 15 at the Independent, and finally, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down on October 16 at the Independent. Visit the Treasure Island Music Festival Events Page for more info and to purchase tickets.

More…

Abby Wilcox captures SF’s coolest historical office spaces here.

Caleb Garling gets a personalized tour of Speakeasy brewery here.

Jon Korn falls in love with zha jiang mian here.

Are You Following Us?

Twitter - Facebook – Blog

 

2011 Fall/Winter Issue

Words by Courtney Cox
Cover photo courtesy of Stephanie Williams with This Modern Romance

Believe it or not, it’s that time again! Yet another glossy-paged, inspiration-filled issue of Destination I Do has hit stands! Our Fall/Winter 2011 issue launched today and we’re as excited as ever to share with you what you’ll find between covers. Real-life bride Megan sets the tone on our cover as she’s ready to get honeymooning post-wedding. This is one of our favorite covers ever and was captured by the amazingly talented Stephanie Williams of This Modern Romance.
For our Fashion Forward department we stuck close to home, capturing the urban city of Phoenix and the sandy sunsets of the Sonoran Desert. Our models brought elegance to a 100-year old ice house in downtown and sophistication to the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.
As always, the writers and editors at Destination I Do traveled far and wide to bring you the inside scoop on honeymoon hot spots, but also those romantic destinations you might not have thought of on your own. Contrast town and country in London & Paris or set sea from Seattle to the San Juan Islands.
Destination I Do Magazine’s Editor in Chief, Jennifer Stein, took a dream trip to Hawaii to bring readers the utmost in luxurious accommodations. For non-land lovers we’ve got some down-under trips which will take you diving off the coast of Honduras in Utila and snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
The Real Weddings section is always a crowd-pleaser, so we’ve gone above and beyond this issue to bring you the inside scoop on five couples destination weddings. Find out what they got for the money with budgets ranging from 10K to 150K.
This is all just a tiny taste of what you can find in our Fall/Winter 2011 issue. Want to pick one up? You can find Destination I Do at Barnes & Noble, select Borders and other fine book retailers worldwide. Don’t have one of these nearby – no problem! It’s easy to subscribe on our web site and the issue will be delivered to your door in about a week. If you love this issue as much as we do, then share the love and spread the word! As always, thanks for your continued support and love of all things Destination I Do.

 

Taylor Kenney Jewelry

Taylor Kenney Jewelry – Poppy Earrings at http://taylorkenney.com
$86 with 30% of sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Elva Fields

Elva Fields – Pink Paisley Pendant Necklace at http://elvafields.com
$35 with $10 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Emma Stine

Emma Stine – Fuchsia Dina Chandelier Earrings & Blush Rosette Earrings at http://emmastine.com
$48 & $56 respectively, with 30% of sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Hammocks & High Tea

Hammocks & High Tea – Namad Dopp Kit at http://hammocksandhightea.com
$49.50 with 25% of sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Ellington Handbags

Ellington Handbags – Amelia In-Flight Tote at http://ellingtonhandbags.com
$84 with 30% of sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure

EarthLust

EarthLust – 20 oz Cameo Bottle at http://earthlust.com
$18 with 100% of sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure

 

Salt & Pepper shaker set

Boogie Woogie Salt & Pepper Shaker Set, Menu $49.95

Stay-Cool carafe

Terra Cotta Stay-Cool Carafe, Royal VKB $32

Cocktail shaker

Trombone Cocktail Shaker, Nick Munro $70

A stylish apron

City Wall Apron, Suki Cheema $40

Oil & Vinegar cruets

Flo Oil & Vinegar Cruets, Joseph Joseph $40

Cylinda Ice Buckets, Stelton $269

Folding chair

French Bistro Folding Chair, Fermob $198

Lantern

DWL Lantern, Rosendahl $90

Elegant sound system

Geneva Sound System Small, Model S Geneva Lab, $299

Linen tablecloth

Linen Tablecloth Grey + Stripe, Fog Linen Work $85

Firebowl/grill

Olympic Firebowl/Grill, Stagerak $415