Something Blue

Just a little Saturday happiness.

Something Blue.

Why You Should Get Engagement Photos

If you are engaged and planning your wedding I highly encourage you to have engagement photos. Not only are these photos a great keepsake and so fun to do, but they have come such a long way since the traditional staged portraits from the '90s. They are now so much more fun and creative.Check out Aly & Michael...
 

Photos by Concept Photography Save the Dates created by Minted.

Reason #1: Getting engagement pictures done will give you and the photographer the opportunity to get acquainted before your wedding day. This means one less stranger that will be in your face wedding day. Plus after working together once you will feel much more comfortable being yourself.

Reason #2: While you will love your wedding day photos, there will come a time that you wish you had another great picture of you and your groom outside of your wedding dress.

Reason #3: Engagement Pictures provide a great picture for your Save the Dates and for wedding websites. They are fun, corky and totally natural.

 Here are a few more Engagement Pictures from our clients that we are dying over!

Christy & Keith our 2011 Grand Wedding Couple. Photo Credit Maria Glassford

Kate & Ryan. Photo Credit Ashley Brockinton

Aly & Michael. Photo Credit Concept Photography

Liza & Todd. Photo Credit Maggie Stolzberg Photography

Nick & Sara our 2010 Grand Wedding Couple. Photo Credit Riversedge Lifestyle Photography 

More photos from Ashley Brockinton PhotographyWriter Bride's Wedding at South Seas Resort

And yes, this wedding really was this fun!




Ashley Brockinton Photography

Party for the Brides!

It's been a long summer and we're finally ready to party with the brides! Our new planning studio & brides library officially opens this Wednesday at 10am. But before we open for business, let's have one last party...just for the brides.

We hope you'll stop by to have a glass of champagne or wine and see what the excitement is all about. While you're there, you might as well put your name in to win one of our grand opening prizes. We going truly grand with this one- so we figure the drawings should be GRAND as well. What does that mean? It means that at least 1 of our prizes will be worth several thousand dollars. Hint: Photography, Wedding Planning & design, invitations, and more! The list of prizes is growing, so who knows what else is in store.
Okay, you talked me into it. One last little hint at just one of the prizes: Julie Goodacre Photography

Are you a Bride Blogger?

So I was on a blogathon this morning and came across some really fun blogs by real brides. As usual, when I'm on blogathons I get inspired. These blogs really inspired me more than I expected though. So I decided that I would add another blogroll- blogs by brides!
If you are a bride, and would like to be on this Blog roll, comment below or send an email to WeddingTidbits@Gmail
I'm excited!

2008 Showcase extended!

Okay, so we have a whole buncha odds and ends for the showcase, so I think it would be best to extend the deadline for participation until the 25th. Up there on the left sidebar I have a list of cities that we have participants for, but need some match-ups: planners, photographers, and brides.
***We got a request from a videographer to participate- ABSOLUTELY! You guys know I'm all about the video!
To participate just email me at WeddingTidbits @gmail.com
The showcase is easy and fun to do, so don't wait- sign up now!
Confused? Read here: Click

Um, the picture. It has nothing to do with this showcase. I just like it. Julie Goodacre took it at Smiley Bride's wedding.

Planner + Bride + Photographer= The Ultimate Showcase

After realizing that half the readers of this blog are brides and the other half are planners & industry pros, I thought it would be fun to do another showcase. It's been a while anyway. So this time we're calling on everyone to jump in. Wouldn't it be fun to bring an inspiration board to life? Here's how its going to work:

Last time we just did tabletops. This time I say we do anything wedding.

Planners: You get to pick what wedding element you want to showcase. Tabletop, Cake, Decor & Display, Floral, Paper Details, even a picture spot...anything that can be visual. You can use one of your favorite wedding professionals to help you with this (i.e. Florist, baker, linen company). You must give credit though if you go this route. And really, I prefer that you don't just "go out and buy it". Showcases must be new...no using a centerpiece from last Saturdays wedding (but do borrow the flowers from it!). Stroll through the land of creativity!

Brides: You get to guide your planner. It's all about what you want and it does not have to be at all related to your actual wedding. Your showcase planner will tell you what wedding element you'll be showcasing. You then give your planner everything she/he needs to create what you think is great. This might mean some inspiring pictures, colors, textures, words & thoughts...you catch my drift. Keep in mind that your planner will probably restricted- so don't expect Sylvia Weinstock to bake a cake or Preston Bailey to create a centerpiece for this showcase. But Sylvia & Preston, if you are reading, we'd love to have you.

Photographers: We'll need you to photograph the bride, the planner, and the showcase element. We'll take and post a total of 6 photos for each showcase. You'll receive plenty of Blog Love (credits and link) of course.

Everyone: If you want to participate, email weddingtidbits @gmail.com. We'll take care of matching up a bride with a planner and a planner with a photographer. Obviously, we need all 3 to be local to each other for the photographing. So you might want to spread the word to folks in your area, letting them know about this blog showcase so that they can email in as well. Special request to my fellow bloggers- please pass on the news via your blogs!

Please use the subject line: "2008 Showcase".

Deadline to email in to participate is July 20th. We'll reply back with a basic form for you to fill out so that we can get everyone matched up. The sooner you email us, the quicker we can get you matched up.
I will do everything I can to have everyone matched up, but depending on the number of requests and location restrictions I might have to slim it down a bit. But again, I'll try my darndest!
Once we have everyone matched up, we'll get you all your contact info and you can have at it! We'll plan on the 1st of the Ultimate Showcase features around August 1st.
Same as last time- this isn't a contest; just blog fun & wedding inspiration!

Real Wedding: A Scottish-English-Nashville Affair on Captiva Island

Meet Melissa, Cool-Calm-Cheerful bride. Truly, Melissa had to be the most giddy bride ever. She made it her goal to enjoy her wedding day from beginning to end, and I think she pulled it off. I don't think I ever saw her without a smile or moving without a little bit of a dance!Hilary Hopkins joined us at South Seas once again to photograph this amazing affair. Here's one of my favorite beach shots:
The Ceremony program:
A Scottish tradition, during the the ceremony, each member of the wedding party walked over to the Gulf and tossed in a pebble, making a wish as it was mid-air:
Some shots of the ceremony site (LOVE the colors!):
Melissa's brother carries down the littlest wedding party member, Charlie:
Just Married! Right after the ceremony, all the wedding party members hopped on baord the same boat that Melissa arrived to the ceremony on and went on a short cruise to nowhere:
In addition to a 4 piece steel pan band, we had a string trio, 2 bag pipers, a soloist, and a top 40 duo-DJ!:
Unity candles don't really work outside, so we do sand ceremonies instead:
Melissa & her dad on board the trolley to the dinner tent for just over 200 guests:

It was a warm day, so before the ceremony, guests helped themselves to an ice cold beverage at the lemaonade station: Towards the end of the ceremony, Melissa's father had a very special toast. Each guest was butlered champagne at their seats just before Iain made the sentimental toast:

This was a BIG wedding party. Big enough to have 2 dress colors! All the men in the wedding party wore traditional Tartan kilts:



Cool Calm cheerful bride Melissa had one of the funnest, most sentimental, colorful weddings ever. It exuded hapiness. How could it not with her never ending smiles, cute little dances, and the happy colors of blue & coral? Throw in some amazing toasts, dozens Scottish men in kilts, English ladies in hats, and an awesome array of music and wine; and you've got a bonified wedding of the year. Oh, almost forgot about Nashville...home to Melissa & Chad.

Melissa & Chad: Another great directors cut

I have a good 4 weddings to catch up & post about- its been a great spring season! But we've got 3 more still to come before we wrap it up and have a few hours to get all the great photos posted. In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at Cool Calm Cheerful Brides GORGEOUS Scottish wedding at South Seas. It was one of the largest destination weddings we've done this season(just under 200). I'll be posting more about this incredible wedding really soon.
I can't say enough about Rob and the crew over at AMC Video. These directors cuts are just amazing. How they manage to get 8 hours of fantastic wedding into this 3 minutes is beyond me.
Here's the link to the video

Wedding Showcase #1

I am so thrilled about these! And honestly, I didn't realize so many people read this blog. I guess I'll keep it up; thanks everyone.

Enjoy just looking, post a comment, and/or send me an email if you want more info from the creators. I've gotten mucho grande feedback on this project, so there are many more great photos to come. I hope the showcase brings you some inspiration.

From Misty at Forever Weddings in California:

This is a tabletop Misty did for a recent bridal show. She's re-doing her office at the moment and is planning on sending another photo later this month.

From Vane at Brooklyn Bride:

"I did lavender sachets as favors...I've actually been meaning to try these out for a while as gifts for my bridesmaids, but your showcase gave me the push I needed to get my sewing machine out and start crackin. The fabric was from a napkin I bought on sale at Anthropologie, originally $4.00, I got it for $1.95! (note: 1 napkin made 8 sachets for me) The lavender I've had sitting in my closet for MONTHS since my cousin came back from Provence with 2 bags for me, but I'm sure you could find online as well. I would use them in sets of 3 tied with a pretty ribbon and place at each placesetting...your whole venue will smell like the south of France!"

From me:

I thought I would pull together a pre-wedding breakfast or brunch table. Perhaps something for you and the girls as you wait to get your hair & make-up done. A couple things I want to point out- it doesn't have to be dark to use candles. They always look pretty. Don't be afraid to use a few colors, but don't go overboard. Three is usually a good visual. If something looks flat, layer it for dimension. The napkins looked dreadful just laying there, so I added a tiny bloom set on top of each and it was a 100% improvement. Everything came out of my house except the scones & flowers. The table turned out so pretty that I emailed a couple nearby gals over for coffee tomorrow morning. I'll probably have to replace the scones though. I couldn't help myself.

Wedding showcase: By you.

I had the best idea this afternoon as I was catching up on all my favorite blogs. Half the reason I love to read blogs is for the pictures. I find them very inspiring. Inspiration boards I DO love. But how much fun would it be to show a bunch of tabletops, welcome bags, or favors that you come up with yourself? Let's do it! But you'll have to give me until Friday to post mine, because it'll take me that long to do one and my current to do list is ridiculous.

Here's the info:
1. You don't have to go out and buy everything. Feel free to get creative with stuff you have and save a few bucks.
2. No copycats. Going to West Elm and taking a photo and then just changing the colors won't fly. The whole point is to be creative. Be inspired by- but don't copy. Don't be scared to try. Go way over the top- or don't. I'm always pleasantly surprised by how awesome simple can be on occassion.
3. It doesn't have to be "wedding". Yes, this is a wedding blog, BUT, there is more to getting married than the wedding. There are lots of dinners, showers, parties, etc. So a tabletop or favor for something like that would be fine!
4. No winners. This is a showcase- I'll post every one that comes in. If you can send a few shots of your designs, I might make a board out of it. But 1 or 2 photos (jpeg please) would be fine too.
5. You can do one in each category (tabletop, welcome bag, or favor) or you can do two, or just one- whatever you like. Just be prepared for a rash of questions if everyone loves what you came up with- I might email you for a resource list.
6. In your email, tell me a bit about whats in it and why (if applicable) and if you are a bride, wedding pro, or...

I'll post pictures thru the month of September. Oh I am very excited! My email address is over on the left sidebar. Email me if you have any questions.

Thank you notes ROCK!

Isn't it so true? Think about it. The last time you received a handwritten thank you note in your mailbox- didn't it just make your day? Every time I get one my day is instantly better.
Me, I love to send notes as much as I love to get them. Actually, I take that back, I might actually enjoy sending them more. I smile when I think about how happy it might make the person that is going to receive it. After each wedding or event, I send thank you notes to all the vendors who worked so hard to make that wedding better than my client expected. Usually, if I can get a good photo of the bride and groom myself, I'll include a snapshot with the thank you note.
So as you can imagine, I go through a gazillion thank you notes a year. And I have issues with sending the same card out time and time again. For that reason, I buy new cards every month. I do try and keep with my business colors, but every now and again I get wild when I find cards I just can't pass up. Here's the card I am using this week. It's a Crane & Co. card (Roses is the design).
I sent one to Clint Wiley yesterday to thank him for making my summer bash the party of the year (ok, I was the only one who voted. But I had a great time, and so yeah, it was. I'm totally cracking up right now by the way.)

Here is the number 1 question I get asked by my clients when it comes to thank you notes, "What do I have to send one for and how long do I have to get it out?"
Answer: Send a card to ANYONE and EVERYONE who sends you a gift or helps you with your wedding. Mail it within 5 days of receiving the gift or help, if you really want to make an impression. Now, when it comes to actual wedding gifts, that you receive at your wedding, obviously you have a little more time. But try not to go past 6 weeks. However, it is never ever too late. If you realize that you never sent a note for something you should have months ago- send it anyway, it will still make the recipient smile.

If you have a thank you note that you think I would love to get my fingers on, let me know!

Hello Pacific Weddings!

This morning I opened my email and found a nice email from one of the editors at Pacific Weddings Magazine. First, I have to say that I was thrilled that she liked my blog. But more importantly, I was ecstatic that she introduced me to the digital version of the magazine! It ROCKS! Really, you just have to actually go and try it out. Its really like a big bold version of the printed magazine that is interactive. For instance, on the cover page- I saw the subtitle mentioning cakes. I kind of love cakes and so I clicked on it. Voila, I'm there...the cake page. Oh, and the icing on the cake (ha ha), that click lead me right to a Kate Spade inspired cake. Just so happens that one of my clients just registered for the Kate Spade china that was the inspiration for this cake. So what did I do? I clicked on the "share" link at the top of the page and emailed it to her. Unbelievable. I am so excited.
I also loved that I could zoom in on certain parts of the pages, that I could look at the entire magazine laid out in large thumbnail formats, and that I was able to click on any of the advertisers to be instantly connected to their website or send them an email.
Here are the links everyone- I really hope you'll check it out. I think you'll be impressed.
Pacific Weddings and the digital version

Real Weddings Online

I do my best to get a few photos at each of my weddings so that I can share some real weddings with everyone. I think showcasing these weddings is fantastic because you can see what's going on in the real world. Well, the wedding world anyway. Anyhoo, during my fit of insomnia last night I realized that there are so many wedding magazines that now have real wedding sections online! Here's a short list for you...for when you get insomnia or need a wedding fix.

Grace Ormonde
Together In Style
WedLuxe
Inside Weddings
The Bride & Bloom

WPJA. What a great site; with or without insomnia.

I can't get enough of weddings pictures. Which of course somewhat explains my addiction to wedding books, magazines, and blogs. I have a bit of insomnia tonight and so I spent the last hour on WPJA just looking at pictures.
ALRIGHT! I CONFESS! I am also currently making a huge dent into a quart of Espresso Chip ice cream. Oh it is so good.
Back to cool wedding photos. Here are a few of my favorites.
You can see these and many many more phenomenal photos on the WPJA website. Check out the latest contest winners section. That's where I spent the last hour. Oh, and there is of course a tab up top just for brides & grooms.

Double Duty

Sometimes you have to find a reason to splurge on that one thing that will make you smile big at your wedding. Double duty is my favorite "excuse". For instance, in the case of the Boca Grande wedding last month, our stunning bride really wanted some great arrangements for the church. And well, you're only at the church for 30-45 minutes. So, it was a bit hard to justify; until I mentioned that we could use all the ceremony arrangements at the reception venue too.

Being that we had an hour between the ceremony end and when guests would enter the reception venue, my staff had enough time to swindle all the arrangements from the church and get them staged for ACT II (a.k.a reception) at Boca Grande Club. The entry arrangement became the centerpiece of the candy table, the altar arrangement flooded the ladies room with the sweet smell of lilies, and the church door welcome hearts later adorned the doors into the sweet surprise room. Check out The Wedding of Marguerite & Tripp to see what the Sweet Surprise was!

Lookie here...Woohoo...WIN some Telliegrams!

These have got to be one of the coolest new things I've seen lately. Totally unique, and downright cool. I also happen to like the fact that the designers name is Kelly. Turns out Kelly is as cool as her little boxes are and she's giving me a $100 Telliegram Gift Certificate to give to one of you! If you're a wedding pro, you can give the gift certificate to one of your clients as a gift or use it for your own business. Or if you're a bride, you can use the gift certificate yourself! My favorite is the lime green takeout box with the hot pink palm tree. Go figure.
To enter the contest, go to the Telliegrams website and find your favorite product. Then come back here, leave a comment with your name and your favorite product, and you'll be entered. You have until August 1st to enter. Want to increase your chances? Invite a friend to do the same and make a deal to split the gift certificate if she wins!

It's a win-win deal here- the coupon code above is good just in case you don't win the gift certificate. Be sure to enter though- someone has to win!

Momzilla

Yep. It has happened. More times than I can count on one hand. Moms and future Mother-n-laws who give more than 2 cents. More like $1.99. I kind of get why, and it almost...almost makes sense. As long as you've been dreaming of your wedding day- it goes double for them. So yeah, they want it perfect too. The problems usually arise when what you think is perfect, is most certainly not what she thinks is perfect. What's the best way to handle it? Play it it fair and be upfront from the get go. Invite the help where you do want it, and request where you don't want it. Really, you'll be so happy you did.

Oh, and when you ask your mom for help, make it special. Take her to lunch, talk it all out, and give her a nice gift. Emily Post just put out this new book, Emily Post's Wedding Planner for Moms. I think your mom and/or future mother-n-law will be tickled pink. Oh, and if you really want to impress her, show her that you got yourself the brides version. Even I use it- it does have answers to some tricky questions.