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BridesmaidAid.com
visits the city of angels!
Next
stop . . . Washington, D.C.
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BridesmaidAid.com
heads out west to find the best bridesmaid information
on the other coast. Grab your sunglasses and get ready
for BridesmaidAid.com's LOS ANGELES recommendations.
Note: In
L.A., things come and go faster than you can say "boob
job," so be sure to call ahead to confirm business
hours and locations.
Where
to Buy Your Bridesmaid Dress
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past Cities:
New York
Boston
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From couture
to discount, you can find it in this town. For high-end
dresses and accessories in the 90210 zip code check out Barney's, conveniently located next to Saks
Fifth Avenue and Neiman
Marcus. Also try ABS
by Allen Schwartz (locations in Pasadena, Santa Monica, Costa Mesa)
or Nicole
Miller. You'll find surprisingly nice service and dresses
that you might actually wear again at The
Montclair Collection in Santa Monica and our favorite, Renee
Strauss for the Bride in Beverly Hills, which also has a
large selection of shoes and upscale accessories. The alterations
department is wonderful as well. You can also check out Bloomingdales,
Macy's, Nordstrom
or Robinsons
May which all have locations throughout the L.A. area. For
savvy shoppers there's always Loehmann's
-- the one near the Beverly Center has a huge backroom.
For specialty underwear
try the amazing Miss Stevens (9230 W. Olympic Blvd, Beverly
Hills, 310-278-7987). A specialist will help you figure out
exactly what you need, but be prepared for some hands-on customer
service.
It's also worth
taking a drive down the 405 to Orange County. Both South
Coast Plaza and Fashion
Island are huge shopping malls with upscale specialty
shops and department stores. If you've got the energy, you
can also check out the world's largest bridal store, Mon
Amie, or stop in at The Bride (230 Newport Center Dr.,
Newport Beach, 714-760-1800) or visit a huge, very reasonably
priced David's
Bridal.
 Where
to Throw a Bridal Shower
or Bachelorette Party
SPA DAY
Angelenos know how to relax in style. Among the many great day
spas in the area, many consider Burke
Williams (locations in Hollywood, Santa Monica, Orange
County and Pasadena) the best. They offer a slew of decadent
treatments, including the highly recommended Hand Fantasy -- perfect
for a bride-to-be who's showing off a new rock. You can also
check out moxly.com, an online version of the popular book that provides comprehensive listings and reviews of beauty services in L.A. You can even
call their consultants at 310-829-4029 for help figuring out
exactly where to take your group.
If you want to try something unusual, make the 45-mile trip
to Corona and visit the reasonably priced Glen
Ivy Hot Springs Spa & Club Mud (25000 Glen Ivy Road,
Corona, 909-277-3529, call for hours). The entrance fee ($24
- $30, depending on the day of the week) provides access to
seven pools filled by warm natural hot springs, including
the therapeutic red clay mud pool. Lazily drift about the
pool on a raft or let the sun bake the magic mud into your
skin. There are also 30 treatment rooms for other spa services
(they cost extra).
A POTTERY PARTY
Color
Me Mine (locations throughout the L.A. area) is a great
place to express your creativity. $18 per person gets you
two hours in a private party room with staff to help even
the least artistic gal glaze the ceramic of her choice.
TEA TIME
The Hotel
Bel Air, one of the most beautiful hotels in town, also
has a wonderful afternoon tea. Be sure to take a walk around
the grounds while you're there and you might see someone else
getting engaged. For a truly spectacular setting, try the
Rose Garden
Tea Room at the Huntington
Gardens in San Marino, where you can also tour more than
150 acres of gardens, three art galleries and a library filled
with sculpture and rare books.
BRUNCH SPOTS
The
restaurants at either Shutters
on the Beach, a low-key luxury hotel right on the ocean,
or Casa Del Mar,
a suave hotel with a huge lobby bar and Mediterranean feel,
are beautiful and the food is just as good as the views. You
can sit right on the sand at Malibu's casual Bob Morris' Paradise
Cove Beach Cafe (29128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, 310-457-2503).
Laid-back Rose Cafe & Market (220 Rose Ave., Venice, 310-399-0711)
has a large outdoor patio and well-priced menu.
Check out the artwork and the funky crafts for sale inside.
Il Fornaio is a surprisingly
pretty, small chain with tasty Italian food (locations
throughout the area). A more lively option is the Sunday Gospel
Brunch at the House of Blues (locations in West
Hollywood and Anaheim).
You can have an enormous Cajun buffet and catch the
spirit. Can I get an Amen?
BACHELORETTE DINNER
Depending on cuisine and budget, you can have a sophisticated
culinary event or more relaxed meal. For a taste of the L.A.
scene, try Asia de Cuba at the Mondrian
Hotel and frolic under the stars at the Skybar afterwards.
The Sunset Room (1430 N. Cahuenga Blvd. at Sunset Blvd., Hollywood,
323-463-0004) Moomba (665 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood,
310-652-6364) or El Dorado (11777 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood,
310-207-0150) are other hip picks, where you can eat, drink
and dance. Sushi Roku
(locations in Hollywood, Pasadena and Santa Monica) has great
sushi in a suave setting and one of the best chocolate desserts
we've ever had.
For a more casual dinner you can fuel up on affordable Mexican
food and killer margaritas at El
Cholo (locations throughout the L.A. area) innovative
southwestern fare at Border
Grill (locations in Santa Monica and Pasadena), outdoor
seafood and beers at the Reel Inn (18661 Pacific Coast Highway,
Malibu, 310-456-8221, reservations for 10 or more) or sushi
with attitude at Miyagi's (8225 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood,
323-650-3524)
HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD
Give in to your inner celebrity-hound. You can buy a map
to the stars' homes all along Hollywood Blvd., or, take a
guided bus tour and see where celebs used to live. You can
also visit Universal
Studios or stroll down the Walk of Fame and stop by the
famous Grauman's
Chinese Theater.
BAYWATCH COMES TO LIFE
While you might not see David Hasselhoff, no trip to L.A.'s
complete without visiting the beach. Manhattan
Beach offers a wide stretch of sand and volleyball courts
with plenty of bars and cafes a few blocks from the water.
There's also a bike and running path. Further north, you can
relax with the locals at Zuma
Beach or take a stroll along Venice
Beach, which is sure to entertain anyone. If you're feeling
inspired you can rent bikes or rollerblades and join in the
parade of freaks. Or grab a blanket and some yummy prepared
food from Gelson's or
Noah's Bagels
and have an oceanside picnic.
MICKEY AND FRIENDS
Why not indulge your inner child with a trip to Disneyland
or the new addition, next door's California
Adventure -- we hear it even has a bar (Mai Tais in the
Magic Kingdom, anyone?). Or, you can visit Six
Flags Magic Mountain for big-time rollercoasters.
LOOKING FOR A MORE RAUCOUS EVENING?
So, you're no Snow White, huh? Try these suggestions for
a night of debauchery. For the mega-club experience, visit
the Century Club (10131 Constellation Blvd, Century City,
310-553-6000), It has six bars, two enormous dance floors
and an outdoor patio. There's also Garden
of Eden (7080 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, 323-465-3336) or
the Key Club (9039 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-274-5800),
which has a good Sunset Strip location, so that you can start
or end a wild night there. And who knows? Single ladies might
find true love -- this is where Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra
first met. Urban cowgirls can also ride a mechanical bull
at nearby Saddle Ranch (8371 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood,
323-656-2007). Giddy-up!
You may also want
to surprise the
bride with some naughty items from the Hustler Store (8920
Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-860-9009), Love Boutique
(2924 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, 310-453-3459) or Victoria's
Secret (locations throughout the L.A. area).
There's no shortage
of pumped up eye-candy in this town! For some private male
entertainment try All
American Strippers or L.A.
Hunks.
 Where
to Buy Gifts
You'll have no trouble finding great gifts in Los Angeles.
All of the usual suspects are here in town. You can order
online (our suggestion) or take a trip to the mall to fulfill
your gift-giving needs.
At Century
City Shopping Center you'll find Crate
& Barrel, Bloomingdales, Pottery Barn and Restoration
Hardware. At the Third Street Promenade (Third Street between
Wilshire and Broadway, Santa Monica) and Santa
Monica Place you can shop at Robinsons May, Macy's, Williams-Sonoma,
Restoration
Hardware and an enormous Pottery
Barn. A short walk though Beverly Hills' shopping
district will take you to the second-largest Tiffany
(210 N. Rodeo Drive, 310-273-8880) store in the country, a
mega-Williams-Sonoma (339 N. Beverly Drive, 310-274-9127),
Neiman Marcus (9700 Wilshire Blvd., 310-550-5900) and various
high-end stores, such as Geary's
of Beverly Hills. Don't worry if you're not into playing
Pretty Woman -- Target,
Bed,
Bath & Beyond and
Linens-N-Things are not far.
The two Shopping Meccas in Orange County -- South
Coast Plaza and Fashion
Island -- have almost every store in the entire world.
Going off the
registry? We love stores on Santa Monica's Montana
Avenue, including Brenda Himmel Stationery (1126 Montana
Ave., Santa Monica, 310-395-2437) for a wide selection of
cards, stationery, handmade photo albums and more; Room With
a View (1600 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, 310-998-5858) for
beautiful linens and tableware and SOHO (1504 Montana Ave.,
310- 451-7474)
for funky bowls, vases, and sushi sets. For very cool handmade
pampering products try Splash
Bath & Body. The most beautiful dried flowers come
from Mélonie
de France (354 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-248-2333).
Where Else to Look
Want more Los Angeles information? Visit LA
Weekly, Los Angeles magazine,
City Search Los
Angeles, Time
Out: Los Angeles or zagat.com.
BridesmaidAid.com's
next "City of the Month" stops include Washington,
D.C. and San Francisco. Help us bring you more cities! Send
information about these cities, or hot spots in any
town to penelope@bridesmaidaid.com.
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