Friday, April 25, 2008

I’m completely obsessed with a new book on weddings, Style Your Dream Wedding. I am going to try my best to express what makes it amazing……but really, there are no words.

I am literally taking the book everywhere and showing it to everyone - from Stephanie and Rebecca of Relish Invitations to Mindy of Ever After Weddings. Yesterday, I hung out with Latr

ice of Bridal Opulence and couldn’t wait to show her. Verdict - everyone loves it too!

While this book has simply stunning photography (see above), what makes this book amazing is that it 1) it is comprehensive - it covers ideas for every category - wedding dresses, stationery, reception, etc. and 2) it is organized by bride style.

Bride style is really what makes this book spectacular. According to the author, Susie Coehl , there are 6 bride styles: Fanciful, Contemporary, Beach, Exotic, Classic and Countryside. Going forward, I’ll use her categories as I describe weddings, because it’s so accurate. (Thanks Susie!)

I think that everyone involved in weddings should have this book - from planners and brides to florists and photographers - everyone! It is a great book to have at every consultation with brides because it helps the bride determine her bride style, which can be referenced throughout the planning process. Every bride should buy (or at least borrow:) the book because you can take it to your consultations to help direct every vendor. Once they know your style, it’s easier to design your day.

To start, you should take a few minutes to determine your bride style by taking the quiz here. Once you know your style, you can flip through the book and find great ideas based on your style.

From the quiz, I learned that I was a fanciful bride with a small touch of contemporary. Once you learn your style, take the book to your appointments and use it as a guide and inspiration for every aspect of your big day. I promise, the book will help you organize your thoughts.

Oh - and when you buy the book, click here to do so - that way, I can make like 50 cents off your purchase. Hey - I’m promoting it, my time is worth something. No seriously, it is by far the best book i have ever seen in helping you think through your style and then getting visuals for each component of your day. I could probably blog about it everyday until July and still have plenty to cover. But, I won’t. Get yours and Enjoy!

I will be giving a copy of this amazing book to one lucky person at the Relish Launch Party. Plus, I will have one copy on hand for those who like to see/touch before they buy. If you are a bride interested in attending, contact me. Invited planners - be sure to rsvp.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Here are my 3 points of advice when it comes to wedding colors - 1) make sure they reflect you 2) make sure you love them and 3) make them fun and fabulous!

1) Make them you

Wedding colors set the tone for your wedding. They should reflect your personality - so “do you”. Your colors should make you feel elegant, fun, luxurious, princess-like, funky, modern…or any emotion you want to evoke. Look at the colors in your home, your closet…and those of your fiance. Do you guys gravitate to a certain color family - blues, reds, bolds, pastels (hopefully he doesn’t gravitate to pastels but if he does that’s ok too:) Build a color palette based on your personalities and the emotions you want to conjure. Want an elegant and timeless feel? Consider silver or gold (elegant) combined with a traditional color (black, ivory, red, etc). There are endless options but you should always do what you love. Remember, the only opinions that matter when selecting your wedding colors (and anything else for that matter) are yours and your fiance’s.

2) Make sure you love them

Your wedding colors will drive many of your wedding decisions - from flowers to bridesmaids dresses to cakes and reception decor. One thing that you do not usually realize until you are deep into planning is how sick you can get of seeing the same colors everywhere. So you better love them because you’ll start seeing the colors in your sleep!

3) Make them fun and fabulous

Weaving color into your wedding day should be fun. There are so many ways to add fun details and glam using your color palette - from your aisle runner to signature cocktails - the options are endless. Be creative, think outside the box and make your wedding pop. When colors are selected and used smartly, your personal touch and creativity will shine through every wedding detail.

Need help? Check out my favorite color selection TOOLS

Here are some of the most helpful resources for selecting wedding colors. Many of these were not even around when I got married last year so I am glad they are available as you plan. They should prove very helpful as you select your primary colors or choose accent colors to enhance your palette. These and new resources will always be available in my favorite links.

Color Studio by Brides - This is my personal favorite color tool. Period. I used the tool to create the color combo you see above.

The Knot’s Color Quiz - They have color selection down to a science. I tried it yesterday and it recommended the same colors that I considered when I was planning. In fact, one of the color combos it recommended was very similar to the one I used (see #1 below.) Very helpful tool for choosing color.

Wedding Color Palette Tool by Bliss

Exclusively Weddings - organizes wedding favors and accessories by color themes

Weddings By Color is another fav site of mine that offers articles on how to incorporate color into every detail

When you create your unique and personal palette, send me the screen shot so I can post and share it with other Nashville brides!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

A Nashville bride recently told me that she was having a tough time finding wedding songs for her ceremony. I thought about it and started researching. I found a great resource on on Wedding Wire that does an awesome job of listing out songs for your entire wedding day! The tool even allows you to preview the songs via iTunes or Media Player.

This is a great way to find the perfect song for your wedding day. For my wedding, I listened to a cd that I picked up at the Wedding Musicians Company booth (at Weddings, The Bridal Show in Nashville). The cd had tons of songs. Now, their play-list is available online. I liked the music so much that I ended up hiring Wedding Music Chamber to perform at my ceremony! FYI - they top my vendor list! Russ Davis was the easiest person w/whom to do business. He even helped me finalize my music selection, didn’t stress me out, showed up early and played wonderfully. In fact, I am one of their biggest fans.

So, I found a wedding song CD (and a great vendor in Russ); Wedding Wire has a song tool…bottom line…you got options girl!

Hope this helps! If you know of other song resources, let me know.

Also, be sure to check out this list of wedding music service providers.