Wedding Sites We Love

You want your wedding day to be the happiest day of your life, not the most stressful. Why put the burden all on you and your fiancée to plan the wedding of your dreams? Why not get help from an experienced wedding planner who takes the guesswork out of planning your big day; this way you can focus on finding the perfect Sottero and Midgley Suzette gown!

Meet Erin from Wonderfully Wed! Erin is a sweet and genuine person who truly cares about making your day special. She relates to Jane from ’27 Dresses,’ which is one of our favorite movies of all time. She met her Prince Charming at church (which we find adorable), had her dream wedding, and wants other brides to have theirs. Just like Jane always made sure every wedding she attended ran smoothly, Erin also has done it all in favor of a flawless day. Erin has fixed a cake where the icing melted, hung chandeliers from rafters, and once even broke up a fight between the photographer and videographer.

She has seen it all and her best advice is to hire a wedding planner (we agree)! She believes the bride, her mother, aunt, etc. should be able to relax and enjoy the wedding day knowing a competent professional is taking care of even the last minute details.

The wedding planner also has a network of people he or she can call on to save you money, time, and resources coming up with tips and ideas you may not even think about! We love that Erin from Wonderfully Wed has a supportive husband and that she takes the time to only plan one wedding a month. This gives the wedding she is working on the attention it deserves and still allows her to enjoy time with her children as they grow up. Weekend-of wedding packages have become popular among brides recently since they want to plan the wedding themselves and have a professional come in that weekend to make it stress-free.

One of Erin’s favorite wedding themes is a garden wedding. She has coordinated several with perfect weather and the right location and finds them breathtaking! Erin recently planned a vintage wedding in October which was beautiful adorned in unique décor. (FYI a gorgeous dress style for the vintage brides is lace cap sleeve wedding dresses!) No matter what your dream wedding entails, you want to be able to truly enjoy your big day. Hiring a wedding planner takes the stress off you and allows your big day to be truly unforgettable!

All wedding planners are not created equal! It’s extremely hard to find a wedding planner that won’t treat you like “just another bride” or force his or her ideas onto you. This is not what you want on your wedding day! You want someone who takes the time to get to know all about you. Not just about your budget or your color scheme, but about your dream San Patrick wedding dress, your vision, personality, passions, and the formality of your event. You can find all of these fabulous traits in our featured wedding planner Tara, also known as the “Diva Gone Domestic.”

When Tara meets with a bride, she knows what they’re going through. She had a romantic engagement and married her high school sweetheart, yet had a hard time trying to find a wedding planner who would take the time to make her wedding special. Tara decided to work with other brides to create her dream wedding, and now she wants her customers to have theirs! She will work together with you until it is just as you envisioned it – and in most cases it blossoms into more than you could have imagined!

Tara is a designer and crater at heart. Her blog contains awesome samples from her designs that range from invites, to fabulously unique table cards. We love her twist on the library/book wedding theme! She enjoys spending her free time discovering unique ideas to try, DIY projects and meeting other handmade artists. She also loves blogging about other small businesses and believes in helping smaller businesses grow. Tara truly believes that this is where you get the best quality and service since small businesses, such as hers, thrive on making customers happy!

Take a look at her gorgeous wedding inspirations on the Diva Gone Domestic Shoppe and pass her name along to your fellow brides!

We all know wedding planning can be super stressful and hard to juggle with everyday life. A Monique Affair is one of our favorite full service wedding planning agencies since they help you articulate the vision you have for your wedding design as well as organize and plan for your big day!

This month A Monique Affair is teaming up with Adeline & Grace Photography to give you a chance to share your wedding vision, show off your creativity, and win a little spending money all at the same time! The “Inspire Me Bride” contest giveaway focuses on creating and submitting your personalized wedding inspiration board. In case you didn’t know, inspiration boards are growing to be a popular way for a bride to collage the details of her wedding. The inspiration board showcases color palettes, theme ideas, dresses, venues, and anything else wedding related such as cake, flowers, etc.

Winner receives:

• $100 Visa Gift Card to use however you need for your wedding planning.
• Inspiration ideas will be turned into a photo shoot sponsored by A Monique Affair and  Adeline & Grace Photography.
• Photo shoot will then be featured in a special blog post dedicated to the winner.

Pretty cool, right? We think so too. This unique giveaway not only gives you a personally designed photo shoot, but also $100 to spend toward whatever wedding item you choose! You could use your gift cars toward a breathtaking, couture midgley and sottero adorae wedding gown or a richards designs bridal veil, for example.

The contest will run until noon on February 23, 2012, and the winner will be announced on February 25, 2012. For complete contest details, rules, and a step-by-step of how to enter the contest, visit A Monique Affair’s Inspire Me Bride Contest Giveaway.

Future brides and grooms are in full planning mode, thinking about flowers, centerpieces, dresses, favors, colors, and cakes. However, let’s not forget one important detail, photography. Finding a photographer that fits your style and needs is an important task. Once you have made your selection, keep in mind there is an excellent way to get to know this person before the wedding day shoot. And I’m not just talking about a meet and greet over coffee, that’s why we love White Ivory Photography! White Ivory Photography takes the time to get to know the bride and groom and cater to their wants and needs.

Bridal and engagment photography is super important when planning your wedding day photography. Having this type of session prior to the big day will provide you both with, what Sandra at White Ivory Photography calls, the three “C’s”; confidence, creativity and composure. Characteristics you wish for and want to possess on your wedding day so that you feel comfortable in front of the camera. Have you considered this type of session prior to your big day? Surprisingly, there are many couples out there that have not even thought about doing this. Sandra was completely unaware that you could do this when she got married and its popularity was not quite at its peak yet.

Here are some really great reasons why an engagement and bridal session will help create “knock your socks off” wedding pictures.

1. You are creating a comfort zone and air of familiarity with your photographer. It’s not easy for everyone to be the subject of a photo shoot. This time will allow you to learn how to relax, leaving your nerves at the door on your wedding day. You are getting to know your photographer while he or she is getting to know you and your fiancé. There’s no better way to create that confidence you might be lacking.

2. Learning to pose and take direction from your photographer. Each photographer is unique and guides their subjects in a different manner. This is a great time to get comfortable with your photographers method(s), which will make the wedding day seem all that much easier. Working with your photographer on posing will help settle the nerves and allow you to develop the composure you need for the wedding.

3. Practice your hair and makeup. Now is the time to get creative. Waiting until right before your wedding to choose the look that’s right for you isn’t the best idea! Doing a bridal photography session is a great opportunity to test the “look” you want and see how it comes out. This will give you a chance to look at the pictures and decide if your hair and make-up works for you. The same goes for your wedding dress. You will see if it needs any adjustments.

4. Discuss the pictures from your bridal and/or engagement shoot. Don’t be embarrassed to speak up. This is your day and it is your photographer’s job to do his or her utmost to make you and your fiancée shine! Let them know if there are some unflattering angles or body parts that you want to avoid being photographed, or any skin imperfection(s) that you would like removed in post production.

5. Use the images from your engagement session for save the date cards. There are so many uses for your bridal and engagement photography. You could also enlarge a picture to use at your reception, welcome table and/or simply to have people sign the mat surrounding the picture that you will have framed. These are some ideas that add great finishing touches to your wedding day! People always love to look at beautiful pictures and receive them as gifts.

We hope this information will help you in your journey towards your wedding. Like Sandra always says, practice makes perfect, so why not take advantage of the trial run beforehand? Most of all have fun with it, and let your personalities shine through! Call your photographer and schedule that engagement or bridal session today. You won’t regret it!

Invitations, table cards, programs, these are all things that every bride is already concerned with. Lettering Art Studio’s Debi Sementelli creates beautiful professional lettering for not just these necessary parts of every wedding, but also any other part of your wedding you need lettering for, be it your aisle runners, food signs, drinking glasses etc. We’re just so impressed with not only her calligraphy skills but also her beautiful designs that we had to share them with you!

While still being a traditional calligraphy and lettering artist, Debi has also branched into the world of fonts with the creation of Belluccia, named one of MyFonts.com Most Popular Fonts of 2011. MyFontsLettering Art Studio teams up with Brain Bonislawsky to create this lovely calligraphy inspired font that any bride would love to use for her invitations, place cards, etc. A recent Charlottesville, Virginia bride actually used the Belluccia font more than traditional uses like the wedding program, menu, etc. but also as a DIY font. She and her mother made chalkboard signs, table numbers, and a must see “Something Borrowed, Something Blue” sign, an idea definitely worth stealing!

With Lettering Art Studio’s help, you can create your own custom invitations and beautiful touches to your wedding as well. Find out more about Lettering Art Studio at her calligraphy and brush lettering site, LetteringArtStudio.com, as well as keep up on her latest projects on her blog, LetteringArtStudio.Wordpress.com.

While we occasionally touch on the various sizes and shapes of brides, we don’t mention our plus size wedding dresses nearly as often as we could. While we’re all caught up in the fashions and pre-wedding fun, there are fantastic blogs out there the The Pretty Pear Bride, a plus size brides inspirational site. Here you’ll find fashions, celebrity inspirations, weddings finds and ideas all for real, plus size bride.

Owner and editor of Pretty Pear Bride, Shafonne Myers, is a certified wedding and event planner. Taking notice of the lack of plus size brides wedding inspirations out in the web, she took on the mission of creating her own site with inspirations and resources for the plus size bride. She’s since been highlighted by both plus size and wedding blogs, including Plus-Size-Tall.com, TheWedding Pickle.com and TheWeddingPlanningInsitute.com, of which she’s a graduate and instructor!

Not only does she provide inspiration, but you’ll also find details about other plus size brides’ real weddings. From gorgeous photos to brilliant ideas, you’ll find it all at to make your even special at PrettyPearBride.com. You can also find out more about her at her plus size brides inspiration site, Facebook and Twitter.

Whether you’re just the girlfriend dreaming of wedding dresses, the bride to have her girls fitted in bridesmaid dresses or the newlywed fresh from her wedding day, you’ll still believe in the magic of love, which means you’ll find something at Romance in a Glance. While looking across the many wedding blogs, Romance In a Glance stood out to us in so many ways, including a great taste in wedding themes, passion and love for all things romantic. Too often we focus just on the wedding, but every marriage has it’s start and it’s happily ever after.  This wedding and love blog is full of inspiration for the woman at any point in her romantic journey.

If you’re looking for gorgeous color and idea boards or just a kindred spirit to identify with on your bride to be travels, you’ll find it here at Romance in a Glance. From southern wedding boards to interviews with other brides and brides to be, it’s all on this blog.

Check out more of her romantic, gushy posts for yourself at RomanceinaGlance.blogspot.com, and be sure to congratulate her on a beautiful new redesign. You can also follow Romance in a Glance on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

We always pride ourselves on an absolute commitment to giving our brides the best day through our wedding dresses, so finding a wedding dress service such as A Monique Affair is really quite a privilege. Guiding bride and grooms through their dream day out of the San Francisco Easy Bay area, A Monique Affair is a full service special event and wedding planning company who’s worked with venues such as The Elegant Claremont Hotel, The Oakhurst Country Club, and The Beautiful Went’ Vineyards.  Chanda Eddens, executive designer and owner, is constantly looking to improve the services, with the intent to receive a Master Bridal Consultant of the Association of Bridal Consultants as well as a BA in Hospitality Management. A Monique Affair graced us with a full interview on their services, which you can read below. You can find out more about their unparalleled wedding planning services at their website, as well as her wedding planing blog. Find A Monique Designs on Facebook and Twitter as well!

1. What’s your favorite part about a wedding?

My absolute favorite part of the wedding is when I make that final connection with the bride before she walks down the aisle; that exact moment is so tender, especially because you can see how nervous she really is. No matter how strong a bride is during the planning process, the moment before she heads down the aisle, my words are calming and I love the feeling of assisting her in that moment. My next favorite part is definitely when the couple enters the reception room for the very first time, it’s simply amazing!

Part of my job is advising my brides on what dresses look good on their body type. I also search for and track down accessory ideas I might come across. I’m also open to fulfilling special requests. I once had a bride who really wanted a red dress and we actually found one within 48 hours. There’s usually no mission that’s too impossible. It was amazing and she loved it. 

3. What is your favorite wedding dress trend that you see many brides wearing?

I usually try to steer the brides I work with away from selecting styles that are too “trendy” or dated. I personally like the touch a classic gown brings not only to the wedding, but also to the photographs. Classic gowns make any woman feel sexy, classy, and feminine, in which ever way each bride defines that for herself.

4. How do you help brides accomplish affordable weddings?

When planning a wedding the biggest concern is always the budget. I usually meet with my clients to discuss a solid monetary plan and we look at the realistic cost of everything up front. After we’ve established a limit, I have my brides rank the elements that are most important to them and we focus on those things. This is a great way for me to know what I should account for the most when working with the budget.

 

5. Are there any important things you think brides need to know about your services?

My main piece of advice to a bride would be not skimp on her event planning services. Having the proper coordination on the day of is important. We are living in a time when budgets are a main concern and brides are cutting corners, but they shouldn’t cut corners on the important things like a coordinator. Especially because a coordinator is there to relieve the bride of stress overload that usually occurs on the day of the wedding. I encourage the bride to share the load and/or pass it off to A Monique Affair. It’s good for the bride to stay relaxed and to allow us at that point to work our magic and ensure everything runs flawlessly.

6. How do you stand out from other wedding planners?
A Monique Affair stands out from other planners because our services are unique and specialized. You get top of the line coordination services, but you also get so much more. Our blog offers great bridal tips and décor ideas. We support the LGBT community and dedicate a feature in our blog just to LGBT weddings & engagement. We have also added a small catalog of vintage rental items that brides can rent on their own or decide to use with our service. Mostly, I think it’s our extra special care of clients that sets us apart. We pay close attention to all the small details, leaving no room for the bride to stress. We take special care to deliver a good experience on all levels, from treating the vendors well, caring for the client and taking into account all their guests. We help deliver that dream wedding.

For everyday inspiration and fabulous finds, The Posh Event is the place to be. When we stumbled onto The Posh Event blog, we were thrilled to find dainty ideas for your wedding like Martha Stewart DIY conversation starter books for the reception, headpiece inspired table pieces and statement necklaces to match even our Casablanca wedding dresses! Such cute ideas like that are so smart, it’s hard to not fall in love! From party planning to inspiration, to tips and advice, The Posh Event has it all. So it should come as no surprise that fabulous wedding advice like this comes from experienced wedding planning genius from Tim Duncan Events.

Tim Duncan Events is a full service event planning boutique who guide you through developing design and rehearsal and to final set up and handling the final payments. With 16 years of experience as a creative producer and event planner Timeesha Duncan heads this glamorous wedding planning service out of Atlanta, Georgia.

Follow Tim Duncan Events on Facebook and Twitter for the latest on wedding inspirations and styles. While we’ll be ready to dress you in your dream wedding dress, Tim Duncan Events will step in with the rest to prepare you for the day of your dreams.

Wedding planning always seems to be about the order and timeliness – never so much about the style. Sure you’ll have the perfect wedding, perfect dress, but will you have a real fashionable wedding? The Couture wedding planning from EventCouture.net offer a variety of couture wedding packages that excite and fulfill all your greatest dreams and fantasies.

EventCouture.net is run by celebrity wedding planner Jordan Victoria, who uses real ‘white glove’ service to provide the top standards of class and hospitality on your special day. It’s all about what you want, from the event to the shoes, to the dream location. Her special care makes any wedding special – but can truly make it a classy Hollywood even to always remember!

Event Couture offers a unique place for brides to find inspiration and wedding ideas in their blog CoutureCocktailLounge.com. One such inspiration comes in the form of their own stunning design skills featured in a recent spread in Event Solutions Magazine.

Find out more about these stunning wedding planners at their site EventCouture.net. We wish them the best of luck with all their wedding planning in the future!