Win Free Wedding Photography

 

Three Nails Photography is having a contest to win free wedding photography! Think how much this would help your wedding budget, not to mention how beautiful the pictures would be! Follow the link to their web site to see other work they've done and in case you can't read the 'how to enter' directions above.  Good luck all! Any bride who hires Three Nails is sure to have gorgeous and creative pictures! A win-win situation even if you don't get your photography for free.

Cake Pops--Beautiful and Tasty

The Cake Pop Boutique has pretty pops perfect for your wedding or shower favors.  Whether you're using these for inspiration or ordering them from the Boutique these cake pops would be a beautiful addition to your wedding day.

Raspberry Cake Pops

Lace Accents For Your Wedding (Or Wedding Night)

Lace and weddings, two things that go together.  This Etsy store, Breathe Couture, has a selection of Victorian design lace accents for your wedding day or night to make it unique. 

Many items can be worn later as accents for your everyday wardrobe.  The thing I love about Etsy is it lets you take the wonderful designs of the artists and make them your own. 

Take these accents and add them to your wedding or better yet, your wedding night. 

Happy Memorial Day!

Just wanted to wish all my readers a Happy Memorial Day! Enjoy your cookouts or beach trips or the day at the pool.  See you tomorrow!  Nancy&Bill

Oriental Flair for Your Chair Covers

Wildflower Linens offers brides looking for an oriental theme the perfect chair covers.  The covers are emerald green dupioni silk because in Asian cultures green represents wealth.  So for a wealth of happiness in your future, consider using some green silk chair colors as an accent at your wedding.  Wildflower has added frog braiding and gold rope to give these chairs an Asian flair.

Wedding Dresses Go Gold

Love Making It is a UK web site that has some great ideas, but these gold wedding dresses just blew me away! What a great idea for a unique wedding look, no more ho hum white or ivory, or even blush, but wild and glittering gold!

While these designer duds by Eli Saab may not be in your price range (they sure wouldn't be in mine) think about shopping post New Year's or post Prom season and you just might find the golden dress of your dreams! And for a black tie wedding a golden gown may be just what you need.  Happy dress hunting!

Accessories For Your Accessories

The Cocktail Hour collection comes in a variety of colors from Hot Magnets.  These glittery magnets are thin magnets that are custom made to take the place of pins, brooches or clips to be used for everything from shoe decorations to hair clips and are the new "accessory for your accessories.'  These great looking pieces look great as your something blue or as a way to differentiate between your bridesmaids.  Add them to your fascinator or headband and get some sparkle in your hair.  Hot Magnets come in flowers too, so check out their web page.  I love this "Cocktail Hour Collection" that almost looks like the huge engagement ring that Princess Diana wore.  If you are looking for accessories fit for a queen order some Hot Magnets today.  You can order all one color or in a variety of colors.  For DIY'ers these magnets will add a whole new way to add color to your projects. 

From Utility to Unbelievable! Macel and Company's Tabletoppers To Love

I found the link to these great table toppers at Frugal With A Flourish where they're having a GIVEAWAY! YES A GIVEAWAY of these table toppers! So perfect for a wedding or shower, imagine using one for your cake table or for your head table at your wedding? There are a variety of colors and styles to fit most table tops.  So head over to Frugal With A Flourish (one of my favorite sites!), enter their giveaway and don't forget to visit Macel and Company to see all the different styles, colors and designs this great product comes is available in.  I just love it when I find a product I fall in love with! It's pretty, it's useful AND you can use it over and over again.  OK, I admit, I'm in love with this product, hope you enjoy it too! I just have to STOP gushing!

Divine Curves Bridal Salon--Plus Size With A Difference

I was in a bridal salon last week and happened to notice a salesperson waiting on a plus size bride.  Actually she was bullying the bride to be.  Insisting that the tiny dress she had stuffed her into would look wonderful once they got it for her in her size.  The poor bride!  She was exposed to the ridicule of some not too nice shoppers and I felt so bad for her! Not to mention expected to order a wedding gown having no idea what it would actually look like on her.  So when I came home I decided to look for a bridal salon that I could recommend to plus size readers.  I was happy to find Divine Curves Bridal. While I haven't had a chance to visit this store in person, just reading their mission statement on their web site made me a believer!  If I lived in the OKC area I'd go and visit them for myself.  They offer a variety of gowns JUST for plus size brides.  And they are planning on offering a line of lingerie in the near future, so stay tuned!  The owner of the salon started it after having a bad experience shopping with her daughter for her gown, so she knew just what she thought would be the perfect plus size gown shopping experience. Kudos to Divine Curves for recognizing the need for gowns and service that make the plus sized bride feel like a queen on her wedding day.   Take some time to read the comments posted by brides who were customers of Divine Curves and I think you'll see just why I was so impressed. 

Royal Wedding Gown Copy at Lord and Taylor

The A.B.S.Schwartz copy of Kate Middleton's wedding gown and her sister Pippa's bridesmaid gown will be in stores in July.  They are available for pre-order now.  Limited supplies will be available.  So if you want to wear a gown like a royal stop in Lord and Taylor and pre-order your gown today. 

Music To Wed By

This video offers some great ideas for brides both conventional and more creative. Which kind of bride are you? Only you can answer that question!

Bite Size is Best

Love sweet tables or desserts served in bite size portions.  Pizzazzerie featured these great mini banana splits from Bakers Royale.  They are hollowed out bite size portions of banana dipped in chocolate and nonparells and then filled with your choice of ice cream, finally topped off with whipped cream and a cherry!  Serve on a plate of three for a large dessert or on a dessert tray.  I wouldn't recommend these for a dessert table, if they sat there too long the ice cream would melt and, well , you get the picture! Recipes/directions are available on either site. 

Pizzazzerie also has a recipe for chocolate peanut butter bon bons from Kraft Foods.  I have to admit Kraft's web site is a treasure trove for desserts made with their products that I've served at any number of parties over the years.  They always look as though I'm way more creative than I really am! Before the computer age I was reduced to copying recipes from their advertisements in magazines--thank goodness for the advent of the web.  More mini desserts to come!

Wedding Stress Reliever--Let Off Steam With Great Ticket Giveaway for Advance Auto Parts Monster Truck Jam in Philadelphia!

Photo of Maximum Destruction

Are you and your fiance stressed out? Need a break from all that wedding planning? But don't want to break the bank?  Enter my Advance Auto Parts Monster Truck Ticket Giveaway (giveaway tickets good ONLY IN PHILADELPHIA) to win a family four pack of tickets to the Philadelphia June 4, 2011 show at The Linc! Take your best man and maid of honor along or your best buddies.  Get that desire to smash, crush and destroy whoever is causing you wedding stress (I'm naming no names!) by living vicariously as the drivers and their trucks crash, smash and destroy MONSTER TRUCKS!  How to enter: Leave a comment this link (NOT BELOW) your email address and why you LOVE Monster Trucks.  If you aren't the lucky winner pick up tickets at Ticketmaster and enjoy a night of wild Monster Truck fun!

This link also has a Promo discount code that can be used on $15 and $25 tickets.  Certain exclusions apply! Read exclusions.  Contest over 5/30/11.  The Winner can be seen on http://independencedaytransitionplanning.blogspot.com/. 

Mirror, Mirror on The Wall--Or Rather In Your Purse--Handpressed Pocket Mirrors at Wedding Bliss Lane by Belle Grey Studio

Bridal e-commerce site, Wedding Bliss Lane offers sellers and buyers and chance to meet and find objects designed JUST for your wedding day.  One of my favorite vendors is Belle Grey Studios.  Belle Grey makes these handpressed pocket mirrors.  These tiny mirrors that are perfect for favors for a wedding shower or just for a wedding day gift to add to a clutch for your bridesmaids.  Belle Grey packages each mirror in white organza bags so no gift wrapping is needed.  Visit Wedding Bliss Lane to see all the different wedding vendors and their creative objects for your wedding day.  They truly have something for every bride.

Mini Veils From Etsy.com

Looking for a veil for a destination wedding that's easy to transport? Or the perfect veil for an outdoor wedding? This mini-veil by an Etsy artist is easy to pack and easy to wear.  It won't blow in your face or be a drag at your reception.  More mini veils below. 

Another Etsy product above is perfect for the bride who is sleek and pared down.  Great veil for the bride heading to the courthouse or simple wedding.  These mini veils are also perfect for the bride who wants to  be comfortable at her reception but doesn't want to do away with her veil entirely. 

This mini veil is perfect for the bride with short or long hair. Velvet Owl, another Etsy vendor, has a large selection of mini veils to choose from for your wedding.  Visit Etsy.com and search for mini veils for a bigger selection of mini veils. There is sure to be one to suit you.

Wedding Dessert

White chocolate, gelatin, heavy cream, milk, confectioners sugar, eggs and lavender combine to make Lavender Panna Cotta and White Chocolate Mousse decorated with candied violets.  Perfect for a dessert buffet! The accent of candied violets is perfect for a wedding and as an accent to all the white in the dessert.  The hint of lavender will have your guests guessing about "What is in this?" for a long time! This panna cotta and mousse dessert creative and delicious ending to your wedding buffet.

Pie Pops--Bet You Can't Eat Just One!

Pie Pops! I found some in an Etsy store, went back to order them later and they were gone! This gives you an idea how popular they must be.  (BTW, these photos are from that Etsy store but since they don't have them anymore...just search Etsy, I'm sure they'll be back soon!) These are so easy it's almost a sin NOT to make them yourself.  For once a DIY project that is EASY!  OK, you all know if you read my blogs that EASY is my middle name (at least when it has to do with DIY projects!) 

Some pie pops are plain, others have decorations on them, some are covered with 10x sugar and some painted pie dough, your creativity sets the limits if you're making them yourself.  For a tutorial on how to make these great pops yourself go to Luxirare.  BTW, Luxirare is an incredible blog just to sit and read for pure enjoyment and to revel in the pure creativity of the author.  Another recipe is available at Bakerella.  For anyone not into making their fillings for scratch head down to your local grocery store a buy a jar or can of your favorite pie filling.  Remember, these are lollipop size so a little filling will go a VERY long way.  I also suggest using premade pie crust, it will simplify your life and make clean up so much faster.

If you want something more creative than simple rounds, you can choose other cookie cutters and change the shapes or do what Cake Pop Bake Shop, another Etsy shop did and decorate it.  Easier yet, order them straight from them.  OK, so I AM Lazy!

No matter how you get your pie pops your guests are sure to enjoy having the option of tasting different flavors and textures of delicious pies at your sweet table.   The pie pops shown below are apple pies with confectioner's sugar and some painted shapes on top..so creative.  Be sure to order some to taste yourself so you'll have enough left for the wedding.  Enjoy!

Floral Fascinators and French Veils at E-Commerce Site Wedding Bliss Lane

 Wedding Bliss Lane is an e-commerce site that offers anything and everything bridal.  Visit them and find the perfect accent for your wedding day.  Today we're featuring floral and feather fascinators and veils. These are only a few of the fascinators and veils available for the bride or her wedding party.  And just a few of the interesting offerings at Wedding Bliss Lane.

 

The feather fascinator and French veil above are the perfect accent for your wedding day.  Simple yet elegant.  If you love feathers this is the piece for you. 

If you prefer floral fascinators Wedding Bliss Lane offers plenty of those too.  Visit them and see all the fascinators and veils available and see all their other artistic vendors who can help make your wedding day unique.

This vendor located in Twin Valley, Minnesota has been in the bridal business for over 25 years. She offers multiple discounts if you are purchasing fascinators for your wedding party as well.  Gorgeous and affordable.  I'd say this is one stop shopping!

DIY Mocha Bar

Tired of the same old sweet table? Want to serve something other than the usual?  Let your guests have fun at a DIY Mocha Bar.  Offer shots of espresso, bowls of different kinds of chocolate shavings and steamed milk.  White chocolate is a popular choice and offer dark and light chocolates.  Provide spoons so each guest can make their mocha to their own taste.  Offer whipped cream for your guests who choose to top off their mocha with a few more calories.  Maybe some chopped candy to add to the whipped cream for the truly decadent.  Yum!  If you're having a Christmas wedding use chopped candy canes to add some red adn white accents choices.  You can make you own chocolate shavings by using a vegetable peeler, so easy!