As wedding planners we get a lot of questions.  Where do I find this?  Where do I find that?  So we are starting a new blogging segment called “Fab Finds”.  Today’s Fab Find comes from the awesome gals of The Wedding Chicks.  They are miniature canvas bags that are adorned by the most adorable, customizable graphics.  Two huge trends in design and weddings right now are soft, natural color palettes and bold graphics.  These little bags hit both of those items in such a stylish way that I couldn’t help but share them.

Amy and Jacey subtitled their magnificent blog with the tag line “All Things Pretty” and it is so true!!  So enjoy these adorable favor bags and the many pretty things on the wedding chicks blog.

Welcome to my new obsession…

As all of you know I am an avid crafter/DIY/repurposer.  So I have been obsessed with sites like Etsy and Pinterest for the longest time.  They are my source of inspiration and more often than not, I buy things based on my findings.  Well, welcome to my new obsession, 100 Layer Cake.  Too many pretty things, not enough hours in the day…  Here is what the 100 Layer Cake gals have to say about their site:

Our new site has all sorts of great features to help you craft your wedding in a most deliciously detailed way.

Our marketplace is a great place to buy and sell pieces of your wedding, browse vendor portfolios, and even post a service request for a vendor for your own wedding. You can also shop our Pop-Up Shop, where you can purchase decor, apparel, accessories, and invites; plus photographers, event designers, and more unique services for amazing discounts!

Our DIY section gives you all sorts of ideas for pretty projects you can do for your wedding, including templates and supply lists. Plus you can browse our list of online resources to buy things like feathers and paper lanterns and pretty fabrics and lots of other essentials for you handmade wedding.

Our A-List section is a tip top list of our very favorite vendors. It’s our personal picks for exceptional members of the industry.

And finally, don’t forget our blog, where you can see daily inspiration, real weddings, color palettes and the like.

Thanks so much for stopping by. We hope you get lost in all the good things we have to offer.

As for stopping by, here is what their marketplace looks like.  A generous collection of slightly used, and new wedding items.  What a great way to be “green” and fashionable.

For instance, I will be buying this later today…

So have some fun with 100 Layer Cake.  Happy Styling!!!

Serendipity Videography has just launched a fun new trend in video, the electronic Save the Date.  Basically a videographer follows you around for your engagement shoot and comes up with a fun video for you to send to your wedding guests in DVD form.  It is a new, fresh idea, so I love it.  Plus, the ideas Kimberly Jarman Photography came up with for the engagement shoot just worked sooooooooooooo well for this video!  We can’t wait to work with everyone this coming March, Sam, Leor, Kim and Serendipity!! Check them out below.

Leor + Sam – Save the Date from Serendipity Videography on Vimeo.

I have been in love with Mod Cloth for the longest time.  I just love their funky, vintage inspired style.  So when I went to buy a new dress this summer I stopped off at their site and was overwhelmed.  Sooooooooooooooooo many choices.  I was in heaven, then hell…  I cannot buy them all, so which one do I choose.  Anyway, personal problems aside, you should check them out.  These dresses can even be used for a cool bridesmaid dress.  So much better than the standard one color silk options.  But here are some of my favs:

Can you see where I might have an issue here??  Happy shopping!

From Megan’s Desk…

Your wedding is a direct reflection of your personality, from the flowers to the cake topper everything should scream your name. Why should your garter be any different? The possibilities are endless. Garters can be customized to match your wedding colors, have custom embroidering, reflect your fiance’s favorite hobby, or maybe a hobby that you and your future hubby share together.   I found these garters on a site called garterglitz.com. These are beautifully embellished with lace, fringe, bead work, and even the ever popular rhinestone accents. Check it out.

 For the classic bride.

All girls love to be pretty in pink.

And of course the adorable bow.

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So anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with letterpress.  I love that is is simple.  I love that it is old (that’s the history major in me).  I love that it is timeless.  I love everything about it.  So you can imagine how happy I was to here about this new az-based company.  Little Owl Letterpress is housed in Gina’s adorable studio.  Gina is a friend of mine from college (go UA!) and she is one of the most stylish people I know.  We used to kid her that she owned more cardigans than than the owner of Talbots, but now I can safely say, the girls got style.  She started this company with her sister in law and I just think that is awesome.  I love when families love each like that.  So I was happy to send my brides her way.  And they have not been disappointed.  Little Owl Letterpress is divine.  Check them out!

If you have received any emails from me within the last month you know that I am currently obsessed with pinterest.com.  I love pictures.  I love looking at pretty things.  I love organizing ideas.  So naturally, I am head over heels for this site.  Pinterest allows me to make “boards” with different images found on the web.  It is particularly useful in wedding planning because you can create looks for your wedding day without having some fancy design program.  it is easy to use and fun to share.  So I am getting everyone on board with this fun tool.

Here’s how it works.  You go to pinterest.com and request an invite.  Already that sounds fancy and fun, right?  Then once you are in, you make boards by simply hitting “pin it” when you see a picture you like online.  Here is what it looks like once you have started pinning.

I am sorry, but doesn’t this just look like so much fun?  Well, it is!

You will see toward the bottom that I have started boards for my design clients.  Each bride has a particular look and feel that they want to accomplish on their wedding day.  So it is nice to browse through some inspired pictures and get the creative juices flowing.  Rarely do we copy looks we find on line. But to organize some of those ideas into an easily accessed file makes being creative so much easier!

I have also created a general file with images that I love that don’t particularly correspond to any one person’s wedding.  Just overall wedding fun!  Here’s are some of my favorite images:

From Melissa Jill’s blog post on pinterest.  Thanks for introducing me to this amazing phenomenon!

And here are some great bouquets, tablescapes, and story boards.

Courtesy of Portobello Jewelry.

Courtesy of Kiss the Groom.

Tablescapes courtesy of Elizabeth Anne Designs.

This cool blue display was cutesy of Style Me Pretty.  An A-Mazing site for all things wedding.

And another cool collection by my friend, Mellisa Jill.

So, as you can see.  There is so much to look at.  And to get it all organized in one site is almost too much to handle.  I just started “pinning” and you should too!!  Thank you to the geniuses at Pinterest.  Mu-ah!

People are always asking me what the new color trends are for their wedding.  I almost feel bad that they hired me when they ask that question.  I am so not about the trends.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love trends!  I love fashion, home and garden decor, watching  things go in and out of style.  They make life fun and exciting.  Trends spark my interest and creativity.  But when it comes to planning and designing weddings, I feel like trends need to take a back seat to what you want for your wedding.  First and foremost the wedding is about you and your significant other.  If your favorite color is pink and you have always dreamed of having a pink whatever, then use pink.  And if someone tells you pink was so last season, who cares!  Colors are so personal and essential in designing a wedding.  Don’t settle.  Be a trendsetter and get creative.  We can make any color work and make it current.  Trust me!  I also want people to remember that, hopefully,  they will not have a second chance at this.  Unlike my guest bathroom that tends to take on different looks depending on the coolest new thing I found, plan something that will stand the test of time.  I thought about this when I was watching the Royal Wedding this past month.  All the fashion gurus were so disappointed that Kate wore a dress that mimicked another famous princess when she had a very talented designer at her disposal.  I completely disagreed.  I thought the dress was beautiful, classic, tasteful and will still be stunning when her grand kids watch her wedding video.   So, to address the question at hand, I am not committed to color trends.  I am committed to making sure your colors, which ever you choose, are beautifully executed in a unique and very well designed manner.  And for fun, see which colors describe you and your fiance’s personalities.  That is a much better start than what someone else is telling you to pick.