As usual, I am always on the lookout for new wedding ideas and I found one that I’m bursting to share with all you busy planners out there! These amazing ladies call themselves the Donut Divas and I love what they do! The divas travel to your event with everything needed to make fresh, hot, mini donuts on the spot. And if you have been searching for unique ways to make your wedding memorable, I think this post will provide inspiration.
Picture this, your guests have been dancing all evening working up their appetites and all of sudden they begin to sense this amazing aroma of fresh sizzling buttermilk dough wafting through the air. They follow their noses over to a beautifully decorated table to find a mini donut machine creating freshly cooked donuts (1200 an hour to be exact) right before their eyes. The donut divas will then drizzle the topping of their choice on the donuts and package them up in some adorable pink box or bag and off they go thinking, “WOW! That was unexpected surprise, I’m impressed.”
Here’s their appearance on the South Florida Today Show to give you a good idea of how they operate.
Oh, I must mention Donut Divas don’t just do donuts, below is the “Fudge Puppy,” a Belgian Waffle on a stick covered in chocolate and whipped cream!
If you are lucky enough to live in south Florida check these ladies out.
And to the Divas, BRAVO for coming up with a “fresh” new spin on the donut
Well, it is official the birdcage veil which was all the rage in the 1950’s is definitely one of the hottest wedding trends in 2010. I wasn’t a fan at first but, after attending a bridal fashion show this weekend I’ve changed my mind. One of the models wore a birdcage veil and she looked chic and elegant in every gown she walked down the runway in. Her veil came to the edge of her chin and was attached with rhinestone hair clips on each side, and let me just say, it delicately framed her face beautifully.
As with many fashion trends Hollywood happens to be our inspiration and this certainly holds true with the birdcage veil too! The top photos are of Katherine Heigl and Jamie Presley at their recent weddings and the bottom photos are movie weddings with Jessica Alba in the Fantastic Four and Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama.
Now there are many versions of the birdcage veil, for instance it can be adorned with silk flowers or feathers or it can come to the chin or just cover the eyes. But just keep in mind with any style I suggest you sample them all. You never know what will look best on YOU until you give it a try.
If you do decide on a birdcage veil I personally recommend you keep the gown on the simple and elegant side and definitely wear the veil with confidence.
Here’s a couple I like in our very own Wedding Shop! To find out more just click on them.
Looking for some unique wedding favors? Something that is definitely personal and can’t be found anywhere else? How about some M&M’s with pictures of the bride and groom on them? You can even add your own message and pick the colors!
I’ve told you about these personalized M&M’s before in other posts, but since we are affiliates with My M&M’s, they just sent me word that from January 15th 2010 through February 15th 2010, they are running a Valentine’s Day Sale where you get 14% off your order.
So, if you want to take advantage of this sale just click on this banner!
If you are just starting your wedding planning process, you probably have lots of questions and concerns about what’s ahead for you. There is lots to think about. So, here’s a resource you might want to look into.
Wedding University is being hosted by some of the San Francisco areas top wedding professionals. The focus of the day is to help you understand the wedding planning process. You will be taught what to look out for by wedding professional in the area of general planning, catering, photography, entertainment, beauty, attire and etiquette, and videography.
This is will be held 11AM to 5PM on January 31st, 2010 at the Four Seasons in Silicon Valley. Registration ends on January 29th or when they reach their 150 person limit.
LOVE the idea of a Save-the-Date MAGNET! The whole concept is to create something which will serve as a constant reminder to your guest to keep that very important date available. And no civilized person will shove that adorable magnet in a draw or let it get lost in a sea of mail, right? Every guest who receives one will most likely place it on the refrigerator door, which we all know serves as the most logical platform for all important information that we DO NOT want to forget!
Now if you are currently in the market for save-the-dates I beg you to check out our affiliate MagnetStreet Weddings I guarantee you will not be disappointed. They have the most INCREDIBLE selection I have ever seen, they say 2,071 original designs. There is literally something for everyone. I think they offer every theme and design imaginable, from purely elegant to romantic to lighthearted. They even have an equestrian theme shown top left above, I LOVE IT!
The feature I think you will find most appealing is the freedom to personalize the colors, fonts, and text on most of the designs. If you are looking for inspiration just take a peek at what these incredibly creative couples have done with their save the dates over at Magnet Street’s blog, Truly Engaging.
I love how Nalie and Nate utilized the backside of the Carrier Card by printing their wedding website and other important information for their guests.
Congratulations!! Many of you got engaged during the holidays and now the planning process begins.
Now the next step is to Save the Date! If you will be requiring your guest to travel or if you are planning your wedding around a major holiday or popular vacation time you will want to send save-the-dates to make sure they block off your wedding on their calendar. I think of them as a pre-invitation which will give your guests the advantage of knowing about the event in plenty of time to prepare. Invitations are normally sent 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding but save-the-dates may be sent 8 months or more in advance. There are many options in save-the-dates depending on your budget. If you are into DIY but aren’t that crafty, DIY Save the Date Magnets may be an option for you, one cute example is shown above. These DIY Save the Date Magnet Kits are by Eliza Fig. All you have to do is print your name and information and connect the magnet backing. It comes with a backer card and envelope. You can check them out in our Save the Date Shop!
If DIY is not for you, stay tuned because I’ll be passing on some info about a company that has the most amazing supply of Save the Date Magnets tomorrow.
Ok, everything they say about the Brazilian Blowout is true, I finally took the plunge (all for the benefit of my readers, of course) and had it done. And I LOVE it!!!! This IS the secret to beautiful hair and believe it or not it actually improves the health of your hair and does not damage it in any way.
Fortunately, I did not have to travel all the way to West Hollywood to have it done, I was lucky enough to find a local salon with a fabulous hair stylist who knew exactly what to do. The process is identical to what they show in the video but thankfully a little less expensive. It made my long course, straight, hair shiny and smooth but not pin straight, and it still has body.
The best part about it is it returns to this exact state after you wash it, even if you let it air dry. Now I am all about LOW MAINTAINENCE hair and that is why I am highly recommending it to all of you soon to be brides out there. Now obviously you all want to look beautiful on the wedding day but what about all the pre-wedding events, and not to mention the honeymoon. I really think this would make your life so much simpler in an upcoming time of chaos.
There are a few downsides, for instance the initial cost, and the cost of the hair products which are necessary to maintain it. I paid a $150.00 for the treatment which is quite steep but they say it last three months and the products I bought are supposed to last through three or four treatments. But I will be honest with you the worst downside is the fact that it is very likely you will become addicted to your hair looking this amazing all the time.
Okay, I know I’ve been known to write about various wedding invitation vendors on occasion but this one is special. We use an application called Popshops for our Wedding Stationary “storefront” at Our Wedding Plus. While loading some of the latest wedding invitation designs into our various Wedding Invitation sections I kept seeing options from a company called Minted so I decided to take a deeper look. And, I’m glad I did!
I found that Minted carries some of the best designs and highest quality invitations from some famous and some not so famous independent designers. Our company, Our Wedding Plus, carries invitations designs from close to 20 vendors and designers so I have a pretty good idea what’s out there. Here’s what I like about Minted.
They carry over 280 wedding invitation designs from 15 different designers that I counted. They offer various printing types including letterpress, engraved, offset, and flat. Their designs are pretty evenly spread across price ranges from fairly inexpensive to expensive. They also make it easy to change colors to fit your wedding theme. Yes, all this is great but what good is it if you can’t easily find what you want? A great thing about Minted is their website is so easy to navigate! You can easily narrow down your selection based on price, style, designer, and print type.
After going through Minted’s invitation selection, I found them to be consistently modern. They say they have “the freshest designs on paper.” I think the secret to their “fresh” and modern selection is their “Design Challenge” program. They periodically request submissions for independent invitation designers to submit their designs to be voted on by people like you! Winning designers get to sell their product on the website!
So, the bottom line is, Our Wedding Plus signed up to be an affiliate of Minted! We loaded our Wedding Invitation Shop with invitations, save the dates and more offered by Minted. So check it out!
These guys know how to put together a wedding video! Check out the camera angles, the use of the steadicam, amazing editing, music and effects. Not only that, this looks like it was a really fun wedding! I understand they had 20 people in their wedding party and practiced for over a month.
This wedding video was done by Stillmotion from Toronto, Canada. Check out their other amazing work on their blog.
That’s me on the right as the maid of honor; the beautiful bride on the left is my best friend Tina.
Most of you have probably been or will be asked to take on the role of maid of honor or bridesmaid so I thought I would share a little advice on how to be the best bridesmaid.
I have been a maid of honor three times and a bridesmaid once and I truly enjoyed the experience. Now, you might be thinking, of course you enjoy it you, are in the wedding business. But the reason I enjoyed it so much is because I view it as being included in one of the most memorable times in the life of someone I love. That doesn’t mean I’m not aware of what a major responsibility it is to take on and how expensive it can be.
But hopefully my tips can help make you a great bridesmaid:
Expect to Spend Money – There are expenses that come along with the honor of being a bridesmaid; there’s no getting around it. So, plan ahead. Start saving as soon as possible so you are well prepared when the time comes to buy the dress, the shoes, etc.
Be a Good Bridesmaid – Try to truly see the bride’s vision of her wedding and support it. Don’t force your opinions on the bride. Be agreeable about style choices, wedding design, etc. This is her day not yours.
Do your Best to be Available - Understand the bride in all probability is stressed out and task saturated during the wedding planning process. The best thing you can do for her doesn’t cost any money. Perhaps be there to help pick out her dress, choose flowers, and most importantly provide moral support. But ladies, make sure you keep tip #2 in mind.
Finally, for the Bride – Remember the movie “27 Dresses” when picking out your bridesmaid dresses. Try to choose something that not only compliments your wedding theme but also something that can be used again. Your bridesmaids will appreciate it.
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