Friday is Fun Wedding Fact Day!

Did you know....

Wedding rings are often placed on the third finger of the left hand because ancient Egyptians believed the vein in that hand (which Romans called the "vein of love") ran directly to the heart.

Wedding Design Day is now every Thursday!

Have a limited budget and not into big flowers but still want that wow factor at your reception?  Splurge on a fabulous linen!  It will look like you spent a ton of money.  This bride used inexpensive flowers...and yes even carnations. With this black and white striped linen, it became chic and affordable.  Definitely a WOW factor here!!  Image is from Brides Magazine. 

 

Wednesday is Wedding Tip Day!

Not sure you need a wedding planner?  Take this quick test to find out.  If you answer YES to more than 3 questions, you definiately need a wedding planner!

1.  You and your fiance work full time.

2.  Your Mother works full time.

3.  You don't know where to start your search for vendors and the internet overwhelms you...and you're getting hives just thinking about it.

4.  You have set a budget and want to make sure you stay within it. 

5.  You have already spent 40 hours on the internet, are no closer to selecting a venue and you are in dear of losing your job.

6.  You need help getting the creative side of your brain going.

7.  You are planning a destination wedding.

8.  You do not want to have a bridesmaid, friend or family member help you.

9.  Wedding planning is making you and your fiance start to fight about the wedding.

10.  You want to have fond memories of your planning process and you want a stress-free wedding day.

It's Tuesday... That Means It's Shoe Day!

 For most of us out there we don’t need an excuse to purchase another pair of shoes. I found this hysterical flow chart by www.mizztissa.com on how to decide if you should buy more shoes.

Next Tuesday...on to the good stuff!!! Linda

The Man Registry

Groom's you can no longer hide!  We have come across a gem of a website totally devoted to you - the groom!  It's awesome!  They feature vendors, sell "guys" products and have a blog full of hilarious stories. 

With TheManRegistry.com, you'll be connecting not only with goodies for brides, but also with information and guidance for that increasingly influential 'other half' of the wedding equation: The Groom.

Check it out today: The Man Registry

The Wedding Shoebox

We were really excited when Valerie Metrejean of Southern Fete Wedding Planning and Butterscotch Press Invitation Designs asked Amanda Rose Weddings to be a featured guest on her new blog, The Wedding Shoebox.  Her blog features inspiration boards from wedding planners nationwide on visions they have for their own wedding.  Linda's Crescent City Chic is the featured inspiration board today on The Wedding Shoebox.  Check it out!

She has arrived!

Brought to you by Amanda Rose Weddings, novelty mints Zilla Pills bring lighthearted humor to nervous brides and bridal parties.

PR Newswire

Back to Basics

Brides are still focusing on the attention to details but more on the basic foundation of a wedding and splurging on capturing the memories. They are spending more on the lasting memories than the showmanship of the event.  More money is being spent on photography and videography rather than over the top floral, linens and special effect lighting.  Many brides feel you can’t put a price on the memories.

To get a better prospective on what’s happening in wedding photography and videography, I interviewed a few photographers and videographers. Here is what they are seeing as trends in their world:

·      Brides are prioritizing photography and videography higher up on the list

·      Brides are looking for more romantic, meaningful photographs

·      Many are looking for certain photographs and to get them are willing to shoot at different locations to get what they want

·      All say they want 2 photographers shooting their wedding day

·      There was a trend the past few years to get a CD and do the DIY thing with an album, the trend is back to having a professional do the work

·      The look and feel of the final product (album) is extremely important to brides

·      From a destination wedding prospective, brides want someone local who knows the area and can make suggestions for different photo opportunities

·      Color photography is still popular but black/white and sepia is becoming more popular and Hollywood trendy

·      Brides are having private boudoir sessions done for their grooms

·      Couples are asking for HD or Blue Ray options from their videographer

Tips from the professionals on how to make your photographs better:

·        Bringing color into the overall décor and design will make the photographs and video more vibrant, whether it’s a pop of color in your bridesmaid’s bouquet or the perfect apple green napkin to go with that all white wedding

·        Stay away from color nail polish. It’s to flashy and your eyes go right to it in pictures, have a French manicure instead

·        No glitter in your eye make-up and lipstick, both photographs and video will pick it up

·        Many photographers and videographers like to meet with the couple at least for a ½ hour before the wedding. Getting to know you especially if you are camera shy, helps them and gets you more comfortable with them.

·        If you do not have a wedding planner that can help you with the right kind of make-up to wear talk to your photographer. They would be happy to recommend what to wear

Thank you Tracy Turpen, Shot by Roxy, Lifestyle Photography, Hilton Head Video, and Coastal Wedding Films

Here are three photographs using different lighting techniques and coloring. Each one makes its own statement. 

Black and white can really show the emotion associated to the picture.

 

 The use of color really made this picture pop!

Special effect lighting cast the shadows of the guests on the wall while they were dancing.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

For those short on creative Christmas party planning ideas for next year, why not start early and have an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. The concept was created by three good friends Brian, Adam and Kevin. Check their website out Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. They tell you how to get your party started, how to have a great time and connect you with some of the ugliest Christmas sweaters ever. It’s pretty hilarious stuff, we love how they named the sweaters. We're sure that at one time or another you have purchased an ugly sweater, got an ugly sweater as a gift or still have an ugly sweater. Here are our favorites…we don't own these, we just really got a kick out of them. Pinkalicious Christmas and Apartment Hunter Holiday....can you tell we've had some fun naming these?

Most of the time we are pretty serious when it comes to our blog posts. However, we just could not pass up sharing the fun with you! Enjoy!

US Destination Weddings

Destination weddings are still on the rise. A new survey by Destination Weddings magazine forecasts the market for such weddings will grow to $16 billion this year from $13 billion in 2008, extending a winning streak that has seen the market boom from just $3 billion in 2001.

 But instead of taking a flight to an exotic island, brides are giving guests the option to drive. Couples are enjoying US destinations, creating a great weekend of events.   Guests get to escape but the cost is not over the top for them.  The best part is you are contributing to the local economies, creating a greener environment, exploring new locations in the US and your wedding more cost effective.

Weddings at home tend to be larger while destination weddings tend to be smaller and less expensive. Destination Weddings Magazine editor Susan Moynihan said the average number of guests for a destination wedding has dipped to 48 from 51 in 2006, the last time it carried out the same survey, around a third of the size of the average traditional wedding.

Hilton Head Island, SC and Savannah, GA and are among 2 of the top wedding destination sites in the US.