Entries Tagged 'Wedding' ↓

You will be glad you tuned in today! I’m going to let you in on the latest thing in wedding videos! There’s this new technology that’s out, you will find it used in only the most exclusive wedding videos. Kevin Costner made sure they used it when they made his video! Well, what’s the secret? Instead of using the old fashion videotape, they are using something called “film,” motion picture film to be exact. This film is special; it’s 8mm wide and has perforations on the side so it can feed through the camera. The cameras to use this film are very rare. Wow, I’m glad I live in the 21st century!

What? What do you mean? This has been around since the ‘60s! That’s right, like most of you over the age of 35 know (including me). The film I’m talking about is Super 8. The shaky, fuzzy, film we remember as kids. The same film we were glad to see go in the ‘80s when VHS and Beta-vision videotapes came out. But they are making a comeback! Nostalgia is in! You’ve probably seen some people shoot wedding photography in black & white to get that romantic feel. Now, that’s been taken one step further, many of the top wedding video companies are incorporating Super 8 into their production.

For some amazing examples of the use of Super 8 in wedding videos and to see a clip from Kevin Costner’s wedding, check out Docuvitae’s website, Docuvitae is a photographer and video company located in Los Angeles. They use a combination of vintage and modern cameras to get the amazing affect.

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Thanks to zyphichore for the picture.

Hope everyone is enjoying Penny Olson’s examples of how to include the groom’s personality in the wedding. Here’s the second and final one…

The second was for two very dear friends of mine, he is a drummer and she is an artist. They had a very small, simple and relaxed wedding in St. Lucia, a beautiful little island in the West Indies. Sixteen of us joined them in their celebration on an incredibly beautiful, breezy day on a cozy resort called Villa Beach Cottages. All of the guests stayed together in a small cluster of cottages on the beach, on the afternoon of the wedding, we met by the pool near a pretty white gazebo. Steel drums rang out lots of fun tunes as we waited for the Bride and Groom to arrive. About fifteen minutes before the ceremony, the Groom came out, he dawned a very casual, white linen shirt and khaki slacks, no shoes! He joined us for a fruity cocktail, Sea Breezes to be exact, and a few laughs before tying the knot.

When the ceremony started, we all gathered around a pretty ribbon that laid on the ground in a circle in front of the gazebo. The Bride came out with her father in a very simple and airy, strapless white dress that was accented with Swarovski Crystals, and of course, no shoes! She was carrying the most incredible Swarovski Crystal Bouquet. She looked absolutely stunning because in the sun, the crystals made hundreds of rainbows that shined off of her and everything around her. She also wore a Swarovski Crystal Tiara that seemed to twinkle on top of her head. As she reached her place next to the Groom, we were instructed by the officiant to pick up the ribbon so that we made a ring that started with the Maid of Honor and ended with the Best Man. As the ceremony was proceeding, we passed their rings along the ribbon and blessed them with good tidings for the soon-to-be newlyweds. It was so nice because we all felt that we really got to be a part of their special day.

After the ceremony, there were more steel drums with a couple of hours of cocktails and a beach barbeque. We chatted, danced, hung out in the sand, and ate incredible food as the sun set over the ocean. It was great because there were no annoying photographers trying to capture cheesy “moments to cherish”, he left after the ceremony and we were the photographers for the reception. We were free to have fun in whatever way we pleased! After the sun went down, they had lit candles in white paper bags that were scattered all over the beach. And since they had rented the whole resort, we weren’t on any time constraints; some guests were on the beach until dawn. It was truly a blast!!

For the next two days we all stayed on the island and the owner of the resort, a friendly Jamaican man, gave us suggestions of what to do on the island, “It’s all about the experience” he continually told us. Some of us explored caves, some went sea turtle watching or shopping at the small markets, while others decided to relax by the pool or on the beach at the resort. At the end of the long weekend, the Newlyweds saw us off and headed to the south of the island for their honeymoon. It was an incredible trip and one that I’m sure that I will never forget.
The point of my article is to show how incredible a wedding can be if you consider the tastes and interests of the couple, not just the bride. In so many weddings, the Groom is left in the shadows while the Bride takes most of the glory. And let’s face it, there wouldn’t be a wedding without him.

Best Wishes, and Happy Planning, and most important, Have Fun!

Penny Olson is the owner and designer for Brilliant Wedding Jewelry brilliant-wedding-jewelry.com.

Make your day sparkle with Swarovski Crystal Bouquets! Add crystal accents yourself with Swarovski Crystal Stems.See you next Monday with the second great example of how to incorporate the groom’s personality into your wedding!

Rhonda
http://www.ourweddingplus.com/

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I’d like to thank Lynninsingapore for the photo.

Hi everyone! Today Penny Olson is going to tell about how to incorporate the groom’s personality into the wedding plans. She has two examples, this is part one, check back for part two on Monday! I’ll tell you more about Penny at the end of today’s post, now here’s Penny…

I have been to many incredible weddings in my time. But the celebrations that I remember the most are the ones that include the character and interests of the groom, not just the bride. After all, we are invited to take part in these special days to celebrate the union of two people. Why wouldn’t it be a good idea to include things that show the groom’s interests and passions, just as much as the brides?
You may ask how you can include rugged pastimes, guitars, or sports into your wedding day and still retain class. There are many ways to do this and have a lot of fun in the process. I am going to share stories of two weddings that I have attended and absolutely loved. With both of these weddings, could clearly see and feel that you were there for the couple, not just a day for the bride to feel like a princess.
The first was September 28th, 2002. I remember the date well because it was for a friend of mine that I’ve known since kindergarten. It was an incredible Fall afternoon in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. The trees were bursting with deep shades of red, gold, purple and orange. The directions were specific until they stated, “Once you reach the foothills of Horse Valley, make a right onto the wooden bridge and continue for three miles down the dirt road.” We ended up at the Groom’s Grandfather’s cabin in the woods, the wedding was held in a pavilion that was next to the house. It sat on the edge of a huge lake that had mountains rising on the opposite side that looked as though they were painted in Autumn hues. It was breathtaking!
At 6:10pm, the groom’s mother came and made an announcement to the 70 guests that they were about to start. We all took our seats on wooden benches that were lined up along two very wide and deep steps that lead you from the pavilion to a large landing overlooking the lake.
To our surprise, the Bride was the first to appear with her Maid of Honor. They walked down from the cabin and onto the landing and waited in front of the incredible backdrop of the mountains. For a few minutes I was a little confused. Where was the groom? Then all of a sudden, way on the other side of the lake, you could see two people in a canoe. It took them a few minutes before they were close enough to see who they were, but sure enough, it was the Groom and his Best Man!! They docked the boat in the sand next to us and walked up, he kissed her on the cheek, and the ceremony began. It was the most romantic thing I had ever witnessed.

Penny Olson is the owner and designer for Brilliant Wedding Jewelry brilliant-wedding-jewelry.com.
Make your day sparkle with Swarovski Crystal Bouquets! Add crystal accents yourself with Swarovski Crystal Stems.

See you next Monday with the second great example of how to incorporate the groom’s personality into your wedding!

Rhonda
http://www.ourweddingplus.com/

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I’d like to thank Jakub Friedl for the mountain lake photo.

So where do you plan on setting up your bridal registry? Most of the time the answers you’ll hear are Macy’s, Bloomingdales, or Target. Today I’m going to give you a few different ideas, something other than your standard china, appliances, and bedding, from the ultimate in luxury to the ultimate in excitement!

Don’t want to get too far from tradition but still want unique gifts? Register at Barney’s, they have pretty much everything for the home, tableware. They also have clothing for men and women and you can also ask for gift cards on your registry. But what makes Barney’s different than other department stores? The products are all premium quality and are hard to find. But, in order to register you’ll have to go to New York, Beverly Hills, or Chicago. Guests can shop online from anywhere.

For the ultimate in luxury and service, register at Gearys Beverly Hills. Gearys, shown to the right, has been a tradition in Beverly Hills for more than 75 years. They offer the finest in tabletop items, china, silver, and linens. They also carry fine watches and jewelry. But the thing Geary’s is most famous for is the service. During the registry process, the bride is pampered with attention for as long as required to put together the perfect registry. According to Helene Hale, Gearys Senior Sales Associate, they actually “play house” and set the table as if it was in the brides dining room to show her what her choices will look like. You will also have to visit one of the two Gearys Beverly Hills locations to register but your guests can buy online anywhere.

For the more “extreme” bride and groom, a bridal registry is available at REI. From biking to mountain climbing equipment, REI has it. They also offer eco-friendly travel from REI Adventures, to spice up your honeymoon.
Speaking of eco-friendly…checkout the gift registry at Gaiam.com. They have a large collection of eco-friendly products without compromising on quality or appearance! They carry a wide variety of household products, clothing, etc.

But if you still want to go with the standard registry I highly recommend you checkout the “I do” Foundation gift registry. If you register with most of your standard registries including Macy’s, Linens and Things, etc a portion of the price of the purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice! And, the best part is it’s totally free!
Be unique go out and find a different gift registry but please check out the “I do” Foundation gift registry so the rest of the world also benefits with you!

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See you tomorrow with more unique wedding planning ideas!

Rhonda
http://www.ourweddingplus.com/

The many months of planning and stress are behind you and it’s time for your first adventure as man and wife! The honeymoon is typically one of the most anticipated vacations, and for many, one of the most extravagant and expensive trips of their lives.

So, why not make your honeymoon unique? Why should you follow the rest of the lemmings going to standard resorts in Hawaii, the Caribbean or on a cruise. As you know, I try to squeeze in a way to make your wedding a little more eco-friendly. Well, you can do this and also have the most memorable and unique honeymoon on the block. Here are some ideas…

See the pyramids of Egypt, go on an African safari, or have an overnight camel trek in Morocco. These are just a few examples things you can do on an eco-friendly honeymoon. You may be wondering what makes these trips eco-friendly? According to the International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism is the responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people. When you plan these trips through organizations that specialize in ecotourism you can be guaranteed that your trip will minimize impact on the environment and local people. A few good options to help plan your trip are Green Weddings and Events, Organic Weddings, and Responsible Travel (for people in the UK).

Sound too far from home? REI Adventures has numerous eco-friendly options that allow you to experience the natural beauty of North America and the Caribbean including hiking in the Canadian Rockies, cycling the Blue Ridge Parkway, or hike, bike and snorkel in Trinidad and Tobago. REI even goes the extra mile by offsetting 100% of the climate-altering carbon emissions generated by all aspects of your trip by donating to support solar, wind and other renewable energy projects.

So dare to be different and have the experience of a lifetime, while knowing you are helping keep the environment safe for your future children!

Check back tomorrow for more unique wedding ideas!

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We will not share your information with anyone! We will provide you with monthly updates on wedding ideas and information about our specials.

I’d like to thank Webby37 for the African Safari picture at the top of this post and Tallmonkee for the picture of Tobago at the bottom of this post.

Found a couple neat ideas for bridal party gifts. Now these aren’t your everyday bridal party gifts! These gifts should only be given if you really want your bridal party to be impressed and if you want them to think you are the most amazing thoughtful person on earth!

I will start off with a gift for the ladies…your brides maids will be floored when you hand them the ultimate in luxury, packaged in beautiful Bengaline Fabric wrapped hat boxes. Lomanve, located in Sherman Oaks, California sells the most luxurious collection of robes made of 100% fine chenille with a reversible sateen finish. You can even have them embroidered. These robes are worn by celebrities including…Reba McEntire, Tia Carera, and Daisy Fuentes. The hat boxes can be chosen in colors that match your wedding theme as shown above and make a great gift as well! Ask them for special bridal party pricing!

Here’s a gift idea that both the groomsmen or the bridesmaids will appreciate. Main Source Corporate Gifts may sound like they cater only to corporations but they also provide unique and personal gift boxes for the wedding party. They have partnered with over 12 providers of upscale spa products including L’Occitane, Crabtree and Evelyn, and Borghese for both men and women. They come package in a beautiful box with ribbon. Checkout their website for the full line of products they can provide.

See you tomorrow with unique honeymoon ideas!

Rhonda
www.ourweddingplus.com

Thanks for the great response for our wedding idea newsletter! Click on the hotlink on the right side of the page to sign up. Don’t worry we will not share your email address with anyone.

To end the week of wedding planning ideas from A Soolip Wedding, I’d like to mention its host, Wanda Wen, the co-founder of Soolip Paperie and Press and the host of the A Soolip Wedding event. It is an understatement to say that Wanda is a gifted woman both creatively and in business. But, I also must say she is a down to earth, very approachable person.

Wanda has appeared on the Today Show and has appeared in numerous magazines. She also has a variety of celebrity clientele including Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, and Charlize Theron. So what makes Wanda so special? It is the unique beauty that she creates with “paper, inks, foliage, ribbons and twine.” I believe it would be a rare person that wouldn’t be awed by her wedding invitations. Soolip Paperie and Press custom makes the most unique and elegant wedding invitations you will find, but they also have some products you can buy online.

Wanda made a presentation during the “Conversation with Experts” at A Soolip Wedding at which she gave gift-wrapping tips and also ideas to include in your wedding. One green wedding tip Wanda presented was to “celebrate nature” by using live plants as floral décor. She had this tree clipping on display as a unique idea for displaying seating cards at your reception. It gives your guests something fun to interact with while they look for their seating card. I thought this was a neat idea to integrate nature into your wedding and to also impress you guests with your creativity!

Tomorrow, I’m going take a day off to be with the other man in my life, my horse :-). I’ll see you Monday with some pictures of beautiful wedding dresses from Monique Lhuillier from A Soolip Wedding’s fashion show.

See you next week!

Rhonda
Our Wedding Plus

Hope everyone is enjoying this series of wedding ideas from A Soolip Wedding! Today I’m going to confess a serious mistake I made. One that I will live to regret! While at A Soolip Wedding, I made it a point to attend the presentations being made by the wedding experts. The same series of presentations that I got all the great tips from Kathy Nenneker, the editor of Los Angeles Weddings magazine, that I passed on yesterday. I had a great seat in the second row, center! But one of the presentations finished about 15 minutes early. So, I thought it would be a good chance to run down to “The Green Wedding” room and get a bunch of good information to pass on to you. So I got back to the final presentation, and as you might guess, the room was jammed! I got stuck in the doorway, surrounded by a bunch of other people trying to catch some ideas from the final speaker of the day!

So you might be wondering who could be so interesting to have filled the seats, have people standing three deep around the walls and have a bunch of people sitting on the floor like it was story time at the library?

This person was listed by Vogue as “the best wedding coordinator” and has had Courtney Cox Arquette, Brook Shields, Molly Shannon, Tori Spelling, and Tim Allen as clients! It was none other than Jo Gartin, the author of “Jo Gartin’s Weddings An Inspiring Guide for the Stylish Bride.” Unfortunately I couldn’t take five pages of notes like I did for Kathy Nenneker because I could barely hear through the crowd. But I was able to pick-up a few of her great ideas on how to personalize your wedding. Here they are…

Personalize your bouquet by wrapping it in a photocopied love letter written during your courtship or a picture of a special person who couldn’t make the wedding so they can accompany you down the aisle

Include your style in the wedding by asking your florist if you can buy your own vases rather than using the standard ones they use

Offer your guests midnight snacks of donut holes and chocolate milk as they leave at the end of the night.

Jo had a bunch more wedding ideas that unfortunately I couldn’t hear! But the good news is her book is loaded with great information. How often can you get wedding planning tips from the person who plans celebrity weddings? I’m definitely going to add it to my collection! If you’d like to purchase her book, here’s the link.

Check out Jo Gartin’s website: http://www.loveluckandangels.com/

Check back tomorrow for a great idea I learned from none other than Wanda Wen, co-founder of Soolip!

See you tomorrow!

Rhonda
http://www.ourweddingplus.com/

I’d like to thank Keshan Gunasighe for the beautiful picture in this post.

Hope you are enjoying this series of wedding ideas from A Soolip Wedding! At this elegant event, Kathy Nenneker, the editor of the prestigious Los Angeles Weddings Magazine, made a presentation entitled Weddings Do’s and Don’ts. This turned out to be the most practical list of wedding tips I’ve heard anywhere. Kathy obtained this information through years of experience and interacting with the best wedding professionals in the business. Today I’m going to pass them on to you!

This was a 20-minute presentation and I took five pages of notes, so here they are…

- First step in the planning process – choose your venue and book early
- Then choose your style or theme
- Make an inspiration board with clippings from magazines of things you like, then narrow it down to make a selection
- Bring both families together in the planning process - invite both families into planning events
- Reflect your personal style - have a photo booth, cigar bar, signature drinks etc.
- Practice your first dance
- Practice your vows, especially if you wrote your own
- Get things done early if you can – such as gifts for the wedding party
- Don’t buy the first dress you see
- Don’t buy a smaller dress anticipating a weight loss
- Take your veil and headpieces to your hairdresser ahead of time, take pictures, then bring the pictures to your hairdresser on your wedding day so he/she gets it right!
- Make sure the aisle is wide enough for your dress and train
- Take a family member or brides maid to your last fitting so they know how to help bustle your dress on your wedding day
- Take all your brides maids into consideration when picking dresses, account for all sizes and shapes
- Pick your photographer based on their work as well as their personality, spend time with them to get to know them either by getting engagement photos or while looking through their sample albums.
- Send Save the Date cards
- Make sure you send an invitation to people in your wedding party and your officiate
- Order 15 more invitations than you need
- Get extra thank you notes
- Number the back of your response cards incase your guests forget to put their name on them
- Take time to relax the week before your wedding, go to a spa, etc
- Don’t leave big things for the last day
- Assign and delegate things to your friends and family so you can savor the moment
- Wear a button down shirt when you have your make-up done
- Don’t force little kids down the aisle if they pitch a fit!
- Take off your watch…this should be a timeless moment
- Hold your bouquet low, arms straight
- Cherish every moment, as Kathy said, “it’s your very own love story”Now you can see why I was feverishly writing during her 20-minute presentation. These are short, practical gems that can make your special day an enjoyable one. These ideas are just examples of the many you will find in Los Angeles Wedding Magazine. If your not from Southern California, you can find out the latest wedding trends from they start, go to their website to see how to get a copy.

I’d like to thank Jasmine Star Photography for letting me use the beautiful picture at the topof this post. To see the rest of her photos from A Soolip Wedding visit her blog http://www.jasminestarphotography.blogspot.com

I’d be happy to share your ideas with the rest of our readers. Please post a comment.

See you tomorrow with more great ideas!

Rhonda

www.ourweddingplus.com

At this point you may be thinking, is the staff (me) at Our Wedding Plus Blog crazy? One day she’s talking about cupcakes, then next she’s talking about natural disasters! Well, I’m not done yet! Stay tuned, you’ll never know what you’ll find here! So is everyone ready for more green wedding ideas? Here we go…

Do you want to have the perfect wedding? One that everyone will remember as their favorite wedding for years to come? You can do this and still make a big contribution to saving our environment. To find out how, read on. This is part two (to see part one, click here) in my series on how you can have a “green” wedding or eco-friendly wedding while also keeping it an elegant affair everyone will remember! No one is saying you must go 100% green. But, with a little effort you can incorporate some of these ideas in your planning and no one will be the wiser.

Today, I’m going to give you some specific examples of how to find wedding vendors that will help you add classy eco-friendly aspects to your wedding. I found most of these ideas and examples while at A Soolip Wedding, an exclusive bridal show held at Social Hollywood.

Choosing a photographer: You can choose a photographer that utilizes only digital photography. This not only saves paper by allowing you to view wedding images via an online photo lab as opposed to a traditional proof book or proof prints, but also eliminates the use of excess chemicals used during the development process. If you are getting married in the LA area check out Jasmine Star Photography. She is an eco-friendly photographer, digital only, but of course you will get your final photos on paper or in a beautiful album. If you’re not in the LA area, at least check out her website. Her photos are amazing and her website is beautiful!

Choosing a gift registry: Try to choose items that are eco-friendly such as high efficiency appliances, items made of organic fabrics, etc. Checkout ZahZoom Wedding & Parties’ for an article on how to “Create a Sustainable Gift Registry”

Now the really fun part…the last week before your wedding is going to be stressful so take time some time to unwind with your friends at a spa. Yes, even this can be done eco-friendly. There are spas out there that use only organically grown or certified products. I had the pleasure of getting a hand massage from GreenBliss Eco Spa at A Soolip Wedding. GreenBliss Eco Spa is a mobile service traveling all over LA County, and is dedicated to providing eco-friendly complete spa services. GreenBliss Eco Spa has provided spa services for 2006 Emmy Week and 2007 Oscar Week. Checkout their site for information on their spa parties and wedding packages and enjoy the ultimate in luxury! Here is a sample of one of their pampering packages that was created just for the bride, or a weary blog author…The Monsoon Wedding Preparation Ritual…This is a two-hour treatment for $250, based upon the phases of rising and diminishing energy of Yin and Yang. It begins with an exfoliating scrub of the Bamboo and Lemongrass Hawaiian Body Polish, and is followed by a luxurious Green Tea Milk Bath soak for the hands and feet, and an Anti-oxidant hydrating face mask of Seaweed and Honey. The journey is concluded with a full body massage with Hot Herbal Poultices (steam heated cotton pouches of traditional Thai herbs and flowers). The 6 phases of Yin and Yang incorporate acupressure, moist heat, and the healing properties of the plants, which nurture balance and harmony in the individual. This is an excellent way for the bride to obtain peace and calm before her big day, especially because GB Eco Spa comes directly to your doorstep, completely eliminating stressful driving and parking issues.

Finally, for overall great green wedding planning information checkout Green Weddings & Events. Another good resource is Portovert, an online magazine for eco-friendly brides and gooms.

See! Having an eco-friendly wedding can be elegant and fun! Please try to include some of these ideas in your wedding. If everyone does just a little, it will add up to a whole lot and hopefully save our environment for future generations.

See you tomorrow with some Wedding Do’s and Don’ts that I picked up from the Editor of Los Angeles Weddings Magazine, Kathy Nenneker. I took five pages of notes during her 20-minute talk! It was some really great, practical tips that can save you some stress on your big day!

See you tomorrow!

Rhonda
http://www.ourweddingplus.com/

I’d like to thank Grant Matthews for the beautiful photo of the waterfall.
Portovert and ZahZoom Wedding and Parties were not at A Soolip Wedding they are just a couple of my favorite sites.