Special offer from BARWA Photography

During a recent chat with one of our favorite videographers, Marcin from Digital Ink Studio, I learned that he and his wife Joanna have recently expanded their service offerings to include contemporary wedding photography. Since this is a new venture for them, they are offering a limited number of photography packages to Connecticut couples at the special introductory rate of $1,000. This special offer includes up to 10 hours of coverage with two photographers.

We’ve had the pleasure of working with Marcin and Joanna a number of times and we always have a blast with them. Visit the BARWA website for more information about their photography services or check out the BARWA blog to see some of their recent work.

How Not to Become a Two-Dress Bride

If you’re not familiar with the term “two-dress bride," it’s pretty self-explanatory: a bride with not one, but two wedding dresses. And I don’t mean a traditional ball gown to wear at the ceremony and a slinkier number to change into at the reception. This is a bride who purchases a dress, and then decides that said dress just isn’t what she sees herself walking down the aisle in, so she purchases a second (or a third, or a fourth). Not only is this cost-prohibitive, it’s just plain unnecessary. Here are a few simple strategies to avoid falling victim to this unfortunate circumstance.

Don’t jump the gun on dress shopping.
Dress shopping is by far one of the most thrilling parts of the wedding planning process. As a result, most brides are eager to get this crossed off the to-do list in a hurry. Try to hold off, however, until you have some of your essential wedding plans in place. Your venue, for instance, can have a major influence on the design of your event and, consequently, your attire. An ornate ball gown with a cathedral train has no place at a casual afternoon beach wedding.

Don’t bring too many people shopping with you.
One thing all brides learn very quickly as they start to plan their weddings is that everyone has an opinion, and most people don’t hesitate to share it in the form of unsolicited advice. While in theory it may seem like a good idea to bring your eight bridesmaids, mother, future mother-in-law, grandmother, aunt, cousin, second cousin, etc., this is one case where “the more the merrier” most definitely does not apply. Getting that many people to agree on anything is nearly impossible and conflicting opinions will only complicate your decision. Plus, you run the risk of being talked out of something you really like. Instead, bring just two or three of your closest friends or family members whose opinions you value.

Trust your gut.
You knew your fiancé was “the one” when you met him. Chances are, you’ll experience a similar epiphany while dress shopping. Many brides start out with a pre-conceived notion of the kind dress they want and end up purchasing something completely different. If the gown you fall in love with doesn’t match the vision you originally had in your mind, be open to that.

Once you’ve made the purchase, stop looking!
You will always, always find something you like even better for the simple reason that new and stunning dress designs are hitting the runways all the time. Don’t let temptation rear its ugly head. Once you’ve purchased your dress, close that chapter of the planning process and move on.

[Photo source: The Wedding Planning Institute]

Handmade by Someone Else

I love to create (which comes in quite handy as a wedding planner)! For my own wedding, it was apparent from the beginning that a lot of my details would be do-it-yourself.

If you're not so "crafty" and still want some beautiful, handmade details for your own event, check out Etsy's wedding page. They have everything from invitations to cake toppers to ring pillows. You will spend hours browsing this site... I know I can!

Here are some beautiful finds from this wonderful site!

Daphne Bridal Tiara by SarJil Design Studio

Unity Candle Set (color customizable) by Paula's Petal Pastries

Wedding Invitation by Blossom Accents

Does the roof of your mouth stand still on an island?

That has to be the strangest blog post title ever written, but I wanted to take a moment to address a few commonly misused words in the wedding industry, as this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. The misuse is occurring everywhere from The Knot message boards to vendor websites and blogs. Below I offer definitions for the offending terms as well as their grammatically correct counterparts (source: Dictionary.com).

Palate vs. Palette
You don’t select a color palate for your wedding; you select a color palette.

pal-ate (noun) The roof of the mouth, consisting of an anterior bony portion (hard palate) and a posterior muscular portion (soft palate) that separate the oral cavity from the nasal cavity.

pal-ette (noun) The range of colors used by a particular artist.

Stationary vs. Stationery
Your invitations are not part of your wedding stationary; they’re part of your wedding stationery.

sta-tion-ar-y (adjective) Standing still; not moving.

sta-tion-er-y (noun) Writing materials, as pens, pencils, paper, and envelopes.

Isle vs. Aisle
On your wedding day, you don’t walk down the isle; you walk down the aisle.

isle (noun) A small island.

aisle (noun) A longitudinal division of an interior area, as in a church.

Are you using these terms correctly?

Love Is (Still) In The Air

Although Valentine’s Day just passed, I still feel like love is in the air.

One of the best things about attending a wedding as a guest is to enjoy the romantic atmosphere with your significant other. As we go through our days, sometimes it becomes tougher and tougher to take the time to really cherish each other and do things to spark the passion and love in our relationships.

A great gift from the couple to their guests can be a renewal of romance. Your favor can act as the catalyst for this. Instead of traditional guest gifts, why not give other couples something that transport them back to the early days of their marriage.

Movie Night

There is nothing I love more than to enjoy a movie with my husband. We love to spend time together, snuggled up on the couch- watching our favorite films! A favor consisting of a Blockbuster gift card and a bag of popcorn will encourage your married guests to schedule a cozy night in, getting reacquainted with each other!

Romance Personified
Champagne and chocolate strawberries are seen as as the ultimate romantic snack. Provide each couple with a split of champagne and a box with two chocolate-covered strawberries. They can light a few candles at home and watch the sparks fly!

Extravagant Gesture
For the no-limits budget, nothing says classic romance like champagne and caviar! Your guests can pack this in a picnic basket and enjoy a beautiful day, recreating the romance that inspired them to get married in the first place!

Given how busy people are nowadays, romance tends to take a backseat to every day chores. Your wedding favor will be greatly appreciated by guests, as they find inspiration to rekindle the spark in their own relationship.

(photo credits: movie night basket via On-A-Whim, chocolate-covered strawberries via Ranch Foods Direct, champagne & caviar via AllPosters.com)

A Refreshing Favor Idea

I recently stumbled across the website of MyJones Soda, a company that creates personalized bottles of soda with your photo and a quote. What a fun favor idea! These aren’t your average, run-of-the-mill colas either. MyJones offers a variety of delicious-sounding flavors like Crushed Melon, Blue Bubble Gum, and Fufu Berry. At $29.99 for a 12-pack, these sodas would also be a great addition to your pre-ceremony beverage bar. Discounts are available for ordering 10 or more packs. Visit www.myjones.com to place your order.

Website survey - we just need a minute!

A fellow wedding planner has developed a brief survey to collect information about what brides and grooms value in terms of vendor websites. We’d love it if our blog readers would take a moment to fill it out. Below are the instructions:

I promise this will only take a minute of your time! If you wouldn't mind, please click on the link below and answer 9 quick, easy questions about different design aspects of wedding vendor's websites.

Wedding Vendor Website Survey

We won't record anything about you other than what state or country you are from - we don't even ask for your email address so no spam or anything like that.

You will likely see this link on lots of other blogs and sites - this survey is being shared all over the blog-o-sphere so please take the survey only once. If you have additional comments on the subject, please feel free to email me with those and I will share them with the other wedding vendors who are participating! e can't wait to hear what you have to say!

(If you are a wedding vendor and would like to participate, just copy this post to your blog and email me the link at emilie {@} emilieduncan {.} com - I will send you the results once we have closed the survey in March)