A Green Wedding? Part 2

By Claire

Here, I have expanded on some ways you can have an Earth-friendly wedding that is beautiful and affordable:

Go small and remember that less is moreThe trend towards smaller, more intimate ceremonies is very popular this year. By inviting only your closest family and friends, your stress level is reduced and you have time to visit with everyone. Have the ceremony and reception in the same locationHold your ceremony and reception in one place, there will be less traveling for your guests and you'll cut back on fuel emissions. Or, choose a venue that gets plenty of sunlight and have a daytime wedding so you can leave the lights off. Buy or make consumable favorsA creative way to use minimal and eco-friendly packaging is to use seed flower boxes for your favors http://www.wholesalesupplies.biz/oftheearth/Wholesale/wholesale_seed_flower_boxes.html.

If you are having a small wedding, why not make cookies, truffles or homemade jam? You could also buy or make your own handmade soap, lotion or candles. Your wedding guests will enjoy and appreciate the personal touch.

Donate to your favorite charity in lieu of favorsYou can ditch the favors altogether and donate to a charity instead. Let all of your guests know about your contribution via word of mouth or a posted sign as they walk into the reception. Use potted plants instead of cut flowersAn eco-friendly choice is to choose potted plants as centerpieces. Each guest can take one home at the end of the reception and this can also serve as your wedding favor.For more ideas on how to have a green wedding, visit: http://wedding.theknot.com/real-weddings/green-weddings.aspx

A Green Wedding? Part 1

By Claire

Green weddings are the hot new thing for eco-conscious couples all over the world, and there are many different ways to do your part as you make your plans.

The term “green wedding” refers to weddings that are more eco-friendly. These weddings make less of an impact on the environment and are not in excess of things not necessary. The wedding industry is working hard to make sure people are able to have very stylish, affordable and beautiful weddings while leaving a smaller footprint on the Earth. Having a green wedding does not mean you have to compromise on your big day.

And not to worry, you can have an eco-friendly wedding during these tough economic times. Eco-friendly weddings are often more affordable than the less Earth friendly wedding. Why? Green weddings are conscious weddings. Couples who go the “green” route are usually very aware of what they consume and they realize that less is more.

Here are some ways you can have an Earth-friendly wedding that is beautiful and affordable:

• Go small and remember that less is moreBuy or make consumable favorsDonate to your favorite charity in lieu of favors
• Have the ceremony and reception in the same location
• Use potted plants instead of cut flowers

Stunning is this year’s spring line of bridesmaid dresses…

By Claire

Remembering back to my blog entitled “The Perfect Gift for Your Bridesmaid’s!” Well, here you go! The trends for bridesmaid dresses this spring are great for re-purposing, not just to be worn once. Modern, sophisticated and sexy silhouettes are seen in the Jim Hjelm Spring collection.

You can find figure-flattering dresses for your bridesmaids, such as baby dolls or A-line styles made of tissue taffeta, jersey or a mix of satin and chiffon and some dresses are even sporting pockets! High hemlines and monotone colors are all the rage for bridesmaid dresses this spring, and these hemlines and colors are very versatile. The color palette is absolutely beautiful, with hues of gold, copper, turquoise, lilac, champagne, navy, pink, cream, yellow, platinum, ice blue, teal green, deep burgundies, plums and the silvery hues are the most popular ones; all paired next to the more sophisticated blacks.

Even if you aren’t in the market for a bridesmaid dress and are just looking for a dress to wear to a cocktail party or a night out to the theatre, these styles are a must to see! One of my Jim Hjelm favorites for this season is the Plum satin-faced taffeta A-line tea-length dress, V-neckline, pleated high waist skirt, side pockets. STYLE: JH5918. Stunning!

What’s New With Engagement Photos?

By Claire



New trends and twists on engagement photos are changing with the times and more and more couples are including their pets and/or are choosing more non-traditional backgrounds such as the restaurant where they had their first date, a theme park, the beach, urban areas or anyplace that holds significance to the couple. Often, couples are also choosing the non-traditional poses or actions that capture their personalities and the energy they share as a couple. My husband and I chose the beach for our setting since it is a favorite place for the two of us. Our Photographer, Jeanne DePolo http://depolophotography.com/ drove us out to the beach and just had us be ourselves. We walked, we ran, we laughed and chased after seagulls. In-love and happy and it was all captured in the photos.

So what do you do with your engagement photos besides putting them away in an album or on a disk?

These days, couples are incorporating their engagement photos into their wedding or reception elements by putting a picture on the save-the-date cards, favors or wedding programs. You could even have them printed on your thank you cards. My husband and I chose to use our favorite engagement photo to have our guests sign at our wedding.

There are so many fun new trends to consider when preparing for your engagement photo session and deciding how you want to use those photos. Have fun!

Using a make-up artist is worth it!

By Claire

I got my makeup professionally done for my wedding and it was so worth it! I wasn’t planning on getting it done because of the cost and I thought I would be able to pull it off myself. But when I told this to my photographer, she made me change my mind very quickly. She said that a professional would apply the makeup properly with the right colors and right amount to ensure that I didn’t look washed out. So, my photographer recommended I get my makeup done at LaBelle Day Spa since she had other clients experience great results http://www.labelledayspas.com/. Wow! She was so right! I let the makeup artist do whatever she thought would bring out my features and make me glow on my special day. She even put fake eyelashes on me (I must admit I was leery at first but ended up loving them!). Paying to have a make-up artist do my makeup was worth every penny! I compare my wedding pictures to other pictures where I have done my own makeup and it is like night and day. I am so glad I took my photographer’s advice and spent the money… well worth it!

The Perfect Gift For Your Bridesmaids!

By Claire

Trying to think of the perfect gift for your bridesmaid’s is such a dilemma and the last thing you need is more stress while planning your wedding! When I got married and was trying to come up with the perfect gift, I thought… why not make their bridesmaid dress their gift. I got all of my girls together for a shopping trip, gave them the guidelines and off we went. The guidelines were that all of the dresses had to be the same color so that they went with the color scheme of my wedding and I wanted them to make sure to choose a dress that they felt comfortable in and would wear again. The color I chose was navy blue which is a timeless color and great for most any occasion. My bridesmaids were very happy that they didn’t have to buy their dresses and that they were gaining a new dress in their closet that they would actually be able to wear again instead of want to toss out like the usual bridesmaids dress! Wouldn’t that make you happy if you were the bridesmaid? I hated the thought of my girlfriends buying their own dresses, wearing them once for my wedding and then wanting to get rid of them. In the end, everyone was happy and I didn’t have to stress out about an extra thing needing to be checked off on my wedding planning to-do list.

Selecting a Photographer

By Andrea

After choosing our reception venue, the next most important thing that my fiance’ and I selected was our photographer. Selecting a good photographer was important to us because photos are the only physical memorabilia from our wedding that we can look back and reminisce upon of our big day. Many times the biggest regret I hear friends say was that they wish they had more pictures or selected a better photographer. In many cases, the photographer is the next biggest wedding expense after the reception – so it is a big decision! There are so many photographers out there and it is a hard process deciding which one to go with. Here are some tips that I thought were particularly helpful during our selection process:

• Consider photographic style – do you prefer a photojournalistic approach or a posed style or a combination of the two? This is the first step in deciding who to interview.
• Make sure you meet and interview the photographer in person before making your final choice - You may like the pictures you see online or in brochures, but meeting the photographer will reveal a lot about him/her. Is he/she pushy? Do you get along with his/her personality? Is the person fun to work with? The photographer will be following you around the whole day, so these are all things that need to be considered. For example, do you prefer a photographer that will direct you where to go/what to do on the big day for pictures, or do you prefer a more laid back approach?
• During the meeting, make sure you ask to view the photographer’s albums – There are a huge variety of albums that are available today! For example there are flush mount albums and there are albums where the photos are matted inside the pages. Make sure that the photographer offers the type of album that you like.
• Getting the photographer to fit within your budget – many times photographers already have pre-selected packages available. However, if your budget does not allow for these pre-selected packages, you can ask the photographer to work with you and develop a customized package for you. Many times they are more than happy to have your business (especially in today’s economy) and will help you get what you what at the price you need.
• Lastly, make sure that you are getting all you want before signing the contract. Are you going to be getting the negatives of the proofs or is that going to be an extra charge? Will you be able to reproduce the images at another store, or will it all have to be done through the photographer? Will the hours you sign for cover your wedding day from start to finish? These may be all be obvious, but it is important not to overlook any of these little details because these extra costs can add up at the end.

You will have one big weight off your shoulders once you select the photographer of your dreams and know that your memories will be captured forever!