Hershey Kiss Stickers

Last weekend, I had the honor of throwing a baby shower for a dear friend.  We just had a small girlie get together with desserts and cheeses, the mommy-to-be's favorite foods.  Utilizing my entertaining space as best I could, I used a side kitchen counter/bar area for the cheeses and a buffet area for the dessert bar.  Since the shower was quite small, for favors I decided to do a very small candy bar.  My favorite part of the candy bar were these little hershey kiss stickers I created for the bottoms of the candies.  They are all the rage on blogs these day, and I wanted to give it a try.  With the right materials, it was easy!  In fact, I redesigned my circles and am providing some with my logo on them for the bridal shows this week.  Check out some of the pictures from the shower...

Here are the kiss stickers.  I used two different designs one "baby" and one "g" for the mom's last initial.

  

Here is the dessert bar with small frames denoting the different desserts and circles dangling from the mirror as a backdrop. 

The small candy bar with goodie bags for guests to take the favors home.

I have to admit:  I was eager to have macarons on the dessert table.  However, even though I used a cooking scale and was extremely detailed about every step of the process, I didn't feel they turned out as best as possible.  Next time I will definitely hit up the local bakery for those instead.  

Alternative Registry -- Starlight Registry

Recently I spoke with Sarah Rigos, founder of Starlight Registry, about her company and modern registry options offered to brides and grooms.  With more and more couples getting married either at an older age than in the past or after living together, they tend to not want to register for the traditional household items.  As a result, more couples find themselves interested in "registering" for a honeymoon, a car, or even a down payment for their house.  Read more to see how Starlight Registry can provide you with an alternative registry like those that modern couples are interested in....

Starlight Registry online wedding registry

The Online Wedding Registry Website Allowing Couples to Receive Gift Contributions Towards Their Ideal Wedding Registry Wish List
www.StarlightRegistry.com is a wedding registry service where couples can create their own online wedding registry wish list. Couples may also enjoy an optional Photo Album, Guest Book, RSVP List feature and Webpage.

StarlightRegistry.com addresses an important requirement for many couples, allowing them to create an online wedding registry. Couples can list all their items and even concepts, such as their honeymoon. By using StarlightRegistry.com, couples are not restricted to a particular department store. Wedding guests, family and friends are able to contribute quickly and easily to items listed on the couple’s registry.

Couples can invite family, friends and guests to securely contribute money towards their wedding registry through the ground-breaking email, social-network and physical card invitation systems. StarlightRegistry.com makes asking for cash for a wedding registry tasteful, fun, and interactive for both the couple and their guests. Couples can also enjoy an optional wedding website that integrates into their registry, complete with a Photo Album, Guest Book, RSVP List feature and Webpage. This service has many benefits over other wedding registries such as those offered by department stores. For example, couples possessing most home items typically listed on wedding registries can request different wedding gifts not found in one store, or even a store at all! StarlightRegistry.com increases the choice of gifts. If desired, couples can ask guests to contribute towards a large value item like a house deposit, car, or honeymoon, instead of many smaller items from a single store.

“Starlight Registry was born out of frustration with traditional wedding registries not meeting the demands of the modern couple” notes Sarah Rigos, Starlight Registry’s founder. “Most of my friends about to wed already had the home items traditionally listed on gift registries. What they really wanted was money to put towards their honeymoon, a house deposit, or spend on items in different stores that did not offer registry lists. ”

About Starlight Registry’s Founder, Sarah Rigos

Sarah Rigos was born in Seattle, USA, and attended Cornell University to study Government before completing a Masters in Comparative Government at the University of Oxford, UK. Sarah founded Starlight Registry on the principle that every couple is unique, and so every wedding registry should be distinctive. Today Sarah leads a team of dedicated people who share her vision of modernizing the wedding registry industry.

Contact Information

Sarah Rigos, Founder
Sarah@StarlightRegistry.com
http://www.starlightregistry.com   

Starlight Registry online wedding registry

Free wedding?

Although I have a prior engagement and won't be able to attend, I wanted to let all of the Baltimore brides know about a great opportunity.  On February 24 from 6 - 8PM, the Pier 5 Hotel is giving away a free wedding for 100 people at the Harbor Magic Hotel venue of their choice (the Admiral Fell Inn, Pier 5 Hotel, Brookshire Suites, or Pintail Yachts).  This is definitely worth checking out!  If you are available, you'll have to run over there for food and drinks and the possibility to win! 

Enter to win at www.harbormagic.com/freewedding

Good luck!

Colored Gems Instead of Diamonds?

Let me just say that I love Princess Diana's engagement ring that was most recently given to Kate Middleton.  Georgous.  And, who wouldn't want Di's ring - just for the sole fact that it was hers?!?  I read an article today that talked about how, similar to Kate's new bling, the trend is to have an engagement ring that doesn't focus on the diamond but another colored gem instead.  

Check out Kristin Bell's engagement ring:

www.stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com

And, Penelope Cruz's:

www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com

So, what's the verdict?  Are you going to follow the trend?

Wedding Logo

In order to brand you wedding, you want to streamline the details. One great way of doing so is to use a wedding logo or monogram. With this, you can incorporate it into your stationary, napkins, and even special event lighting. Of course you can create your own logo, but if you aren't into that, you have to check out Event Logo House. For a reasonable price, you can pay to have your initials or names or even the wedding date in a logo with the colors of your choice. You have to check it out! Additionally, you can also have a custom designed logo, too.

For job design blog readers and customers, you can receive 10% off your purchase by using a coupon code at checkout.

Coupon code: JPB

Here are a few samples --

Happy shopping! Let me know what you find....

Another great marketplace

From reading the blog, you know my love of Etsy and Wedzu. Such great sites! I've found another really cool website that brides can use to buy or sell items.

Go to 100 Layer Cake's Marketplace: http://www.100layercake.com/market
to find different posts from brides who are looking to sell some of their items. Check out these great finds:

http://www.100layercake.com/market


http://www.100layercake.com/market



http://www.100layercake.com/market

In my experience, so many brides (and their parents, for that matter) forget about all of the decor they are left with at the end of the night. You have to remember all the vases, special frames, votives, signs, etc. I'm really hoping this site catches on because I think it can be a really great place for brides! (And, I have my eye on a few decor items for our new house, too.) Were you able to find anything on there you might be interested in?

Newly Engaged?

Isn't it funny how everyone will want to know the story of how he proposed and if you knew it was going to happen, but the very next question is where and when the wedding will be? After hearing this about 20 times over again, most couples begin to get really nervous that they do not have enough time to plan! I'm here to tell you to relax -- especially around the holiday season. If they do not have a wedding booked, most vendors will be taking the next few weeks off, or at least, they will be taking it easy. So, if you are newly engaged this holiday season, take the time to enjoy your engagement, talk with your fiance about what it is that you both want out of a wedding, and figure out what time of year you want your wedding to take place. It is much better to make quality decisions for this big day than to rush into anything. Once January rolls around, be ready to move forward!

Happy Engagement!

Looking Good...

Brides pay top dollar for their wedding photographer. That is no surprise -- who doesn't want a great album of memories? I'm always surprised, however, when a bride is completely camera shy on her wedding day or isn't sure how to interact with the camera. Here are a few of my tips to help you take great pictures...

1. Ever notice how celebrities stand on the red carpet?

www.popsugar.com

See how all these women find a way to bend their arms a bit? This provides the illusion of having a skinnier waist. Now, you don't have to be quite so dramatic about bending your elbow, but do be aware of where your arms are during your wedding day photos.

2. Where is my head?

www.handbag.com

Beyonce shows us a perfect example of how celebrities often tilt their heads. Did you ever notice how they frequently will move so their pictures are not shot from straight on? And, look at how her chin is slightly tilted downward. You may want to practice this in front of a mirror so you don't look quite as "pop star-ish" but definitely try it out!

3. I have to pose with flowers, too?

The key to a good bridal party shot is to make sure you and your bridesmaids aren't holding the flowers up too high. Instead, hold the bouquet at arms length -- but, remember, with a little bend. Keep this in mind not only when posing for pictures but also when walking down the aisle.

Definitely ask your photographer for any other tips s/he may have.

Let me know if you can think of any other good tips!

Balance Photography at Retropolitan

Last night I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to stop by Retropolitan in Ellicott City for Old Fashion(ed), a photography show by balance photographers Nathaniel Corn & Rissa Miller. Last night was the show opening, and it remains open until January 5, 2011. You have to go check it out. As they describe it, the show is "a collection of 18 new photographic works by Nathaniel Corn and Rissa Miller. The photographs were shot in vintage style on film cameras and printed on aluminum, canvas, cotton and encaustic wax on wood. Each piece is a numbered limited edition." The pictures were absolutely beautiful!

Retropolitan, as I learned last night, is a shop in downtown Ellicott City that features antiques and vintage pieces. Wishing I didn't have a six month pregnant belly, I browsed through the beautiful vintage dresses wanting to buy so many of them.

Not only is the show worth the trip down there in itself, but as a bride, you can definitely find some great vintage pieces. Let me know when you make it down there and what you think!

Balance Photography: www.balanceweddings.com
Retropolitan: www.retropolitan.net/index.html

Wedzu

Have you heard of Wedzu? Compared to Etsy, this website is strictly for weddings - indie and handmade weddings, specifically. It is absolutely adorable. You'll have to check it out. Here is a peek at what I found when I was browsing the site:

Bunting
www.wedzu.com

Guest Box
www.wedzu.com


Photo Props
www.wedzu.com

And, of course, Pom Love is also on the site, too. I heart Pom Love! Check out Wedzu and tell us about your great finds.

Great wedding video shot by Love Life Images

Check out this amazing video by Alicia Kunz and David Morley of Love Life Images. It is amazing and shows you just how beautiful and truly neat Erica & Tommy's wedding was!

Erica & Tommy's Wedding

Remember I told you about how cool of a couple Erica & Tommy are? Stephen Bobb from Love Life Images took some amazing pictures of the couple on their wedding day. You have to check out the pictures, which are posted on his blog. Don't only look at their coolness but also at all of the detail that went into their big day. Enjoy! Great job, Stephen!

http://stephen.lovelifeimages.com/erica-tommy-an-american-visionary-art-museum-wedding/

Dessert Tables

I cannot help but to be completely obsessed with the dessert table craze! In fact, as I'm sorting through my pre-planning thought for an upcoming baby shower I plan to throw, I can't help but insist that a dessert table be a part of it. Although I've seen a ton of them for family cook-outs and kids' parties, I would love to see this incorporated more into the bridal realm. Check out the dessert tables I found on www.hostessblog.com:

Very feminine

An ice cream station

A candy buffet

A more formal damask decor

An Amy Atlas design

What do you think? Have you seen others that you've fallen in love with?

Trash the Dress

Over the weekend, I saw the coolest trash the dress shoot. We took our son out to Larriland Farms to walk through the pumpkin patch and to pick apples. While we were sifting though the pumpkins, sitting in the distance was a bride in a big poofy dress. It was such a cool site for a trash the dress shoot. She looked great, and I'm sure her pictures will turn out really cool, too. Here are some other trash the dress photos that caught my attention:

www.rawphotodesign.com

www.seanazul.net

www.stacyable.com

Orange Outdoor Inspiration Board

I've finally got all of my ideas put together in an inspiration board for one of my clients who is getting married at outside with a tented reception. Since her colors are orange and green, I figured she'd want to do some shopping after Halloween for a bunch of good deals. I hope she decides to go with a sign at the entrance that is similar to the picture of the couple married in '09. It would be really sweet hanging from a tree by where the guests enter.

I'm so excited to see how it all comes together!