Tabloid Save the Date

I've been interning at a celebrity PR firm and I've definitely looked through a lot of magazines. So this idea struck special interest for me. The couple put together a magazine to announce their engagement. It looks like a copy of Us Magazine but they're the featured celebrities. They sent it out as a save the date. I really adore the idea. It might take a lot of effort though. I love graphic design so I'd be pretty ok with that part but I have to wonder about where I'd be able to print it. And how much printing would cost. Nevertheless, it's definitely note worthy. This idea came to me from Be Inspired PR. (Side note: if you like Be Inspired PR on facebook they'll donate a can of food to a food bank.)

Barbie's Dream Wedding

I've been pretty busy lately with school starting so blogging has been taking a backseat. But I absolutely needed to write something about this new story. Barbie and Ken got married!! It's official. I definitely love the melodrama that is their relationship. From when they broke up a few years ago and Barbie went out with Blake the surfer to Ken's European travels that made him more of the man that Barbie deserved it's absolutely adorable. Now the wedding has finally come and I once again have to applaud Mattell for their whole campaign. Barbie and Ken have a whole set of photos that mimic the most popular set ups for wedding photos today. To look at them all go to this website: http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2011/08/real-wedding-album-barbie-ken.html

I chose a few of my favorites to share with you.

Things for grooms

I'm the worst blogger ever! Haha or I'm just really busy lately. But I did take some time on pinterest today and another amazing idea struck! I love including groom in weddings because let's be honest, they don't get much of the spotlight. But this idea is just for them and it's sentimental as well. Just sew (or have someone who can sew) a little heart with the date of the wedding and a personalized message on the back of the tie. The tie is usually just for that special occasion (just as long as you aren't renting it) and it will be a great memory of that specific tie on your wedding day.

Speaking of things for groom. I absolutely adore grooms' cakes. They get to be the fun cake that is so specific to whatever he likes. Here are a few examples:

Wedding Christmas Ornament

Apparently my favorite ideas just keep coming from pinterest. This one isn't exactly for the wedding but it's a gift that can be given to the bride and groom on their first Christmas together. Or a bride can make one herself to cherish the memory.

Basically what you do is cut the invite into strips, then curl it around something (if it's hard enough paper it should stick like that) then put it inside a clear ornament. Clear ornaments should be easy to find around Christmas time (maybe stock up after Christmas if you know a wedding is coming up). This picture even adds on a little charm and you can always customize it by writing the date on it or their names. I love this idea. Too bad I missed my best friend's first Christmas with her hubby.

The act of unity

So pinterest has stuck again! Most weddings these days have what I would call an act of unity. It's usually pouring sand into the same bottle or lighting candles. Which are ok but getting to be a little overdone. My new favorite is making a memory box. The couple writes letters to each other and puts something special (in this case a bottle of wine) inside a box. They nail it shut at the wedding and promise not to open it until their 25th anniversary. I love this! It emphasizes that marriage is a lifetime commitment. Plus I can just imagine the 25th anniversary opening that up and rekindling all the feelings from your wedding and how in love you were and still are. Plus it gives the wine some good time to age. The idea of hammering on my wedding day is a little strange for me but maybe I could do it.

Tying the Knot

I have become obsessed with pinterest.com. It's a site with tons of cute, crafty ideas that you can save and organize right on the site. I don't exactly get why I had to request an invite to be part of the site but I can still look at the ideas while I wait. Today's wedding idea is for the save the date cards. This unique idea would be a great DIY project. Plus it's so unique! When you open the card a string inside ties tighter as you open it. It's the "literal tying the knot". I love it and it's so easy.

Peacocks

I was watching Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids, possibly one of the most frustrating shows. Those bridesmaids are so selfish and demanding. Note to all bridesmaids: shut up! No one cares if you don't like the dress, you're wearing whatever the bride tells you. You're lucky when the bride is nice enough to let you put in an opinion at all! It's not your day. No one will be looking at you.

Now that, that rants over...I also have to comment on one girl's inability to grasp the idea of peacocks. Peacocks are definitely a big wedding trend and many brides have used their feathers. This one girl in particular seemed to think a peacock was a turkey. So wrong. So to educate women like her, here are some ways in which peacock feathers are incorporated. The first wedding used a surprising combination of orange and peacock while the other used the standard purple and peacock for her bouquet with a rainbow of colors for the bridesmaids.

Vera Wang Bridesmaid

You could know nothing about weddings and still some how know how important Vera Wang is to their fashion. David's Bridal is no revealing a new line of Vera Wang dresses, including some bridesmaid dresses. They are saying that these dresses are so much more affordable but they're really about the same price as a standard David's Bridal dress. They probably mean that for something with Vera Wang's name on it, they're affordable (about $170).

However, I have an issue with the dresses. I look at them and say "fabulous" but it's more in the Christian Siriano "fierce" kind of way. They push the envelope and are very fashion forward. But that's all wrong for a wedding. The fashion forward dresses are the ones that tend to be mocked in 10 years. The bridesmaid dresses should be simple and classic. I also know that most of my friends would not be comfortable rocking those dresses. I would wear it for a fabulous night out in LA but not really for a family event like a wedding in Spokane.

This one is ok. I think that fringe may be too much but in this color it kind of fades out.

Fierce! I would definitely wear it. But not really for a wedding.

This is definitely my favorite one. I think it's simple and understated. The waste line would be very flattering. Some might worry about the neckline being too low cut but I think that combined with the length of the dress would make a bridesmaid look longer and leaner.

Another dress that I find fabulous but I just know that big bow would be like the 80's puffy sleeves. It just doesn't translate long term.

I could see Nicole Kidman wearing this on a red carpet but once again the structure is just too different. Not to mention it's way too tight at the hips for most figures.

Vera Wang is fabulous but I worry that young fashionistas will put their bridesmaids in uncomfortable and eventually dated looks. Be careful to be fashionable but still timeless.

Desert Inspiration

When I think of beautiful landscapes I picture Ireland's green hills or Manito's beautiful flowers. Deserts just make me think of road trips, Ke$ha, and cartoons. But there's beauty even in a place so dead. There's really beauty in anything that's unique. I was particularly surprised when I found this desert wedding with a new twist on the aesthetically pleasing.

Fourth of July

Although it wouldn't really be my cup of tea to share my wedding with the birth of America (America's always the center of attention), some brides do embrace the red, white, and blue on their wedding day. Probably the best part is that no one will think you went overboard if a few fireworks are included and it's pretty easy to incorporate your something blue. Here are a few ideas inspired by the holiday.

Baby's Breath

We constantly hear about how the economy is affecting this and that. Brides are no exception. A near trend towards the simple classic in an attempt to save money means that baby's breath is no longer just an accent. Some brides are choosing to use this as the whole bouquet. It definitely saves money, it's unique, and trendy now.

Inspired by Landmarks

I have recently fallen in love with the idea of doing a photo shoot in the dress and tux after the wedding. There are so many unique pictures that you can take that aren't limited by the venue. You can go to the place you met or a landmark of the city. I found this picture awhile back of a couple in front of a Milk Bottle. It's definitely a landmark and maybe even significant to this couple. I do still dislike the idea of trashing the dress completely but why not go around town in it at least? And I bet you'll get plenty of people offering to buy you drinks, maybe even a famous milkshake from the Milk Bottle.

Vintage, Vintage, Vintage

According to my friend and wedding planner in LA the trend this summer is vintage! That can be incorporated in so many different ways. It could be as simple as vintage wallpaper patterns on the programs, invites, or place cards (just google vintage wallpaper, there are plenty of options). I also love vintage china. Sometimes that's hard to get a hold of and depending on the guests it could be easily damaged. However if you're willing to risk it, the results are beautiful.

My mother also recommended a few of her own vintage ideas. She loved collecting vintage handkerchiefs for all the guests to take. Vintage typewriters are also a good decoration for weddings. A fun idea is to have a working typewriter with some paper for guests to type out notes to the bride and groom. It would be so much fun to scrapbook those. And typewriters aren't as hard to find as you might think. I drove past a yard sale with three just the other day.

Other touches like gloves, lace dresses, or short veils also give that vintage feeling.

Getaway cars

So it's not always an important part of the wedding but getaway cars are super fun! I love some of the quirky ideas that people create but I'm also a fan of the classic cars that I've seen. My favorite was a beautiful white car I saw in Italy with a mafioso standing next to it.