Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's day, we worked up a little green inspiration board for you.  Oh boy, did we find some goodies!  There was much to choose from, and we'd love to see your green ideas.....either literally or ecologically.

Kick back, enjoy a little corned beef, cabbage, and green beer, and enjoy!

Photo credits and linkys (clockwise from left): trulyweddingblog.com, weddingideasforkerry.wordpress.com, manolobrides.com, Barnaby Draper Studio, yourwedding.theaspenshops.com,  1weddingsource.com, manolobrides.com,
lmprophoto.com, yourwedding.theaspenshops.com

One last note.  We're working up a little Q&A blog with questions you've emailed or that clients have asked.  Have any you want to get in before we post?  Send them our way!

   

Getting Hitched in 2011?

We came across this other blog entry and wanted to give you a linky.
It talks about trends for 2011: DIY, Simple, Rustic.

Are you thinking rustic for your wedding this year?

To tell you the truth, the wedding we're working on this weekend is a winter-ish wedding....it's shaping up to pair the bare beauty of the season with some rich colors and fabrics.  Not so rustic, but more luxurious and jewel-toned.  There will be a few DIY elements - by request of the couple.  (How hip are they?)

A few photos for inspiration:

Or, how about this pine cone bouquet?  Even if the entire bouquet weren't pine cones - it adds a lovely element!

Photo credits: 

http://community.thebump.com/, http://3.bp.blogspot.com/, http://brides.com

Your Questions, Answered! (Bridesmaid Dresses)

This week's question was about bridesmaid trends.  For fall, one thing we're noticing is the mismatched dress trend for your bridesmaids.

Check out this example from StyleMePretty:

Do you like the different colors of green?  It wouldn't look quite coordinated enough if there were only one or two different greens.  Since each dress is a slightly different shade and the bouquets are identical, the look is tied together!

We're seeing the mismatched look from brides a lot this fall.


Here's another gorgeous example - from Australia!

  

Notice the similar fabrics for each dress.  These maids happen to look very similar as well, so the different dresses almost help each one stand out a little more.

One thing we liked about each bridal party were the dress lengths.  Because the first party all have similar hemlines, the dresses look uniform.

In the second photo, the hemlines were all different, but the bride is the only one wearing a floor-length dress.  Beautiful!

One simple way to do this with your bridal party is to put together a color palette for them.  Online tools or a dress store should be able to help you with this.  That way, the bridesmaid can find a dress that fits their figure and personality and fits your color scheme.  Buying mismatched dresses does ease the financial burden for your wedding party, since they can avoid the markup at bridal stores.

Thanks to those of you who sent a question!  Keep them coming!!

Discount for Fall!

Listen up, brides!  Your Wedding with the Aspen Shops has new fall favors!  As a bonus to the Wedding Blurb readers, they are offering a 10% discount on ALL favor orders (read: favors for you wedding, Spring, Summer, Fall, OR Winter) with this code: 4611TEN

Your Wedding Fall Favors

Stop by and fall in love with the favors they've designed for fall!


Another favorite of the Wedding Blurb (good for any season) are their new personalized ribbons for your wedding favors.

Personalized Satin Ribbon

After a busy, busy, busy summer of weddings, from coordinating to planning for next summer to last minute design projects, we're settling in for a few festive fall events.  Are you planning a fall wedding?  We'd love to hear your tips, ideas, and especially your questions.  Whatever stage of wedding planning you are in, we are happy to help.  We'll be posting fall ideas and answers to the questions you send, so send away!

Happy fall!

Summer Trends We Love!

Your Wedding Blurb may have fallen off the blog radar for a while, but it's only because we've been busy scoping out beautiful summer wedding trends.  May and June are quite the busy time for wedding planners, brides, and grooms!  So, if you have a wedding coming up this summer for which you are looking for that last finishing touch, look no further!  Here are some of our recent favorites:

Fruit as centerpiece or decor.  Using cut or whole lemons, limes, and oranges, and fresh pears in addition to  or instead of flowers really says summer.  Check it out!



On your left: lemons in the base of a centerpiece with Gerbera Daisies.  The pic is from planningelegance.com.  Gorgeous!


Or, skip the flowers all together: the pic on the right is from younghouselove.com - they are full of crafty DIY ideas.

Long story short - fewer flowers = a FRESH look and fewer dollars!


The all white wedding party.  Of course, some of you brides-to-be may want to be the only one dressed in white on your day, and that is your right!  If not, just take a gander at some of these all white wedding party photos - so stunning!  This first one is from our friends at weddingbellsblog.com

Maybe you prefer this white and ivory look from thelastdetail.com:  

The all-white look is crisp, and the bride could wear the only floor length dress, or carry the only white bouquet, have an accent color belt, or be the only one wearing a veil - of course!

Do-it-yourself trends are always popular, but it seems that this summer there are more and more ways to save money and personalize your wedding and reception.  One favorite that caught our eye is this funky invite from Martha Stewart Weddings.   Click here for the link to the template.

Finally, don't give up on a destination wedding if you can't afford that trip to Paris.  You've heard of the stay-cation?  Your wedding can be inspired by that theme.  In your area, there may be a winery, a museum, a local lake or beach that can feel like a destination wedding if you operate on that theme.  Many brides and grooms incorporate the tropical theme of their honeymoon into their wedding.  Paper lanterns, special menu items, music and favors all add to your summer theme. 

We like these little suitcase tins from yourwedding.theaspenshops.com  for your guests.  Fill them with candy, or even a mini summer survival kit!

Share your summer wedding ideas and favorites - we'd love to hear them!

  

Fall In Love

We've been loving inspiration boards lately.  As we create (and edit....and edit again) boards for client weddings, we keep finding and keeping pictures we love for inspiration.  Fall is one of the best times for a wedding, because the colors in nature are so layered, so your wedding can include many shades of brown, red, yellow, orange, and metallic colors.  This creates a lush, rich look that your guests will love.  Also, autumn isn't high season for weddings, so your dream wedding may be within your reach!  Take a look at our autumn wedding inspiration below, and let us know your thoughts!

Credits (from top left): Cake image from christinesflowers.com, bouquet from Best Blooms Wedding Florists, leaf place card holders from yourwedding.theaspenshops.com, Tuxedo image from bridalconference.com, bridesmaids dresses from ellaparkbridal.com, table setting image from getmarried.com, fall wedding image from cauchi.com, leaf wine stopper from yourwedding.theaspenshops.com, favor boxes from yourwedding.theaspenshops.com, cake and cupcakes from pinkcakebox.com in New Jersey, and invitations by Kate Spade on crane.com.   

Wedding Planner?

To hire or not to hire?  That is the question.  Want help?  Want control?  Want creativity?  Want organization?  You can have all of that with a wedding planner, of course.  The key is to find a planner that works with your personality.  There are many wedding planners (I've met them) who are full of great ideas and will plan you one of their visions.  If you don't have any strong feelings about your wedding plans, you'd be fine with this type of planner.  

However, there are lots of planners out there who are more interested in hearing your ideas, no matter how few or how many, and creating several options from which you pick and choose your perfect wedding.

Also, planners can be there only on your wedding day.  If you think this is more what you will need because you have the planning and budgeting all taken care of, ask the planners you are considering what they charge for that service.  It can be helpful (and even necessary) to have someone who isn't a relative or a guest telling Aunt Sally when you have to be excused to cut the cake.  This can help the events of the day flow smoothly, and you have someone else to do the legwork and communication for you.

It is never a faux pas to tell a planner what your budget is for a planner (and, of course, for your whole wedding), and ask what they can offer.  There isn't really a going rate for planning, and high end or celebrity planners and coordinators charge more, but may not have experience creating a budget wedding.  Seek and ye shall find, my fair bride-to-be.

Be honest with yourself and your  wedding planner, and you'll get off to the right start.

And, if you absolutely don't want or can't afford to hire a planner, check out this blog, our Facebook page (become a Fan!), our Twitter, and our favorite favor website for tips and products!