Welcome Kevin!!! Stellina's new fitness expert and personal trainer

I am thrilled to announce that Kevin Steinmuller has joined the Stellina Events blog team of experts. Based in Park Slope, New York City, Kevin is an amazing personal trainer whose expertise is in strength training and classical pilates.

I use the word amazing because he is actually my personal trainer as well as my husband's. As you probably don't know, I have been exercising for ages - literally ages - from about the age of 15. When the gym and I have a good relationship, I go 4-5 days a week and do 45 minutes of cardio followed every other session with 45 minutes of weight training.

When I met Kevin he congratulated me on all of this hard work. However, I quickly realized that he was, as the English say "Taking the piss" or as we here in the US say - He was joking. Kevin's method is more about seeing results than about how much time I put into the gym. So now I go about 4 days a week to the gym and spend one hour or less but rather than watching tv on my favorite elliptical or bike, I spend it working out crazy hard but the results speak for themselves.

How are the results, you ask? Well, within just two weeks, I was able to feel tons more confident putting on one of my bikinis and suiting up for partying poolside. In other words - I was shocked and incredibly pleased. My husband, in addition to a better diet, lost 18 pounds working out with Kevin in just 7 weeks.

How can Kevin help you ladies? He knows how to give you wedding arms!!! In his entries here on the Stellina blog, Kevin will give you pointers on exercise techniques, nutrition and everything regarding wedding fitness and health.

Kevin is also a big fan of staying healthy - in other words, no starvation diets here and please do stay away from the scales. He is smart and really knows his stuff. I am amazed and I hope that you will be too! Can you just imagine being able to get to your ideal wedding figure while being healthy and happy? I know - it sounds pretty shocking but he knows how to make it happen.

Originally from New York City, Kevin was one of the top trainers in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is now back in NY and we are thrilled to have him.

I think that it is Kevin’s holistic approach to physical conditioning that sets him apart from other trainers out there. Incorporating the Classical Pilates repertoire with world-class strength & conditioning programming makes his programs not only unique, but also phenomenally efficient, which is exactly what I have experienced.

Kevin is a Classically Trained Pilates Instructor who holds the NSCA-CSCS, along with CrossFit and kettlebell coaching certifications.

Let's all give a warm welcome to Kevin for joining the Stellina team!!!

Stay tuned for Kevin's first post...

An elegant Vegas wedding - yes, I did say "elegant"!

I have just returned from a fabulous surprise birthday trip that I planned for my husband, Michal, to Nevada and Arizona. It was a blissful, adventurous and super fun four-day adventure.

I spent months crafting the perfect trip to the desert as I had never been to Nevada or Arizona previously. It turns out that the hotel was an enormous success!

We stayed at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas, which is directly above the Mandalay Bay Hotel. The Four Seasons was a peaceful escape from the craze that is Vegas. It gave us the perfect combination of relaxation and harmony to juxtapose the party-filled landscape of the city.

The hotel hosts beautiful weddings outside in their gardens on the Fountain Terrace and by the pool area that is full of luscious tropical trees, plants and waterfalls.

In addition, if you are looking to beat the summer heat, there is the Acacia Ballroom, the Four Seasons Ballroom and the Palm Lounge for indoor ceremonies and receptions.

The service at the hotel was top notch and the food was delicious, especially their chocolate cake. Overall, the hotel was definitely worth all five stars!

So if you are thinking of a Vegas wedding but want it to be more chic and pretty rather than an Elvis-ordained event, you must check out the Four Seasons...

In addition, I would recommend organizing a Sunday brunch at the Bellagio in their Jasmine restaurant. It was to die for!

Spotlight on MONIQUE LHUILLIER

When I look at Monique Lhuillier's Spring 2010 and Fall 2010 lines I see texture, texture, texture.

For spring it is soft while there is more structure and depth to the fall designs.

In any case, all of the designs are beautiful, inspiring and definitely worth trying on during your hunt for the perfect gown!

Spotlight on the VINEYARD COLLECTION

As many of you know, I adore empire waist wedding gowns. Maybe it is their softness or the delicate look to them or that they bring us back to a different, more seemingly romantic time... I just can't help but love them.

On that note, the Vineyard Collection by Priscilla of Boston has two gorgeous empire waist gowns from their Spring 2010 collection that I would like to share with you.

Happy dress hunting!

Spotlight on CHRISTOS

I am currently in love with the soft, whimsical designs and pretty, southern belle inspired tiered creations from Christos.

The gowns below are from a combination of Christos' most recent lines - Fall 2010 and Spring 2010.

If you like one of the gowns from a previous season, don't worry! Just contact your local Christos store for more information and they can find out if they can get it for you. Or just give them a call to schedule an appointment.

For more designs from Christos straight from the runway, click here.

Some of my favorite gowns of the season...

For all of you brides out there trying to find the perfect gown, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite gowns of the season.

Starting today I will share with you different designers that I just love and the gowns that take my breath away (Cue: Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis video montage from Top Gun...).

Stay tuned...

A new song to love for your wedding: Daisy Chapman's Umbrella

The wonderful and amazingly talented Pilley Bianchi - the founder of Bianchi Musica - a specialist in string wedding music, introduced me to this beautiful version of "Umbrella.

Originally sung by Rihanna, Daisy Chapman, in the words of all the American Idol judges, "made the song her own."

It is enchanting and heartfelt and definitely something to consider for your wedding. Just listen and enjoy!

To listen to a sample of Umbrella, please click here.

I just love it and can't stop playing it...it is crazy pretty...