If you’re a do-it-yourself bride it can be difficult to coordinate all of the aspects of your wedding so that they go together and it doesn’t

NearlyWeds

necessarily look like a DIY wedding.  Wedding colors used to be an easy way of coordinating a look and feel for a wedding but now there are wedding “color palettes”, themes, fonts, and styles that can make it harder to pull off coordinating on your own.  One cool business that I recently discovered is called Nearlyweds.  They create custom and template wedding websites for engaged couples.  Although I haven’t tried their services they seem like they would be able to fit any budget and style.  The part that intrigued me most about their wedding websites was the ability to get matching invitations.  They work with a couple of invitation companies like mmm Paper and Izzy girl in the Seattle area.  It’s a great tool for a do-it-yourself bride.  Normally to get a custom website and matching invitations would be extremely expensive!  Other features that sound helpful are the online rsvp function and the ability to blog.

If you use them please let me know what you think!  (Although this is my opinion and not advertising if you mention AvantBride at checkout you will be charged $39 instead off $49.  Thanks Nearlyweds!)

Here are some pictures of invitations that would match a Nearlyweds’ wedding website from invitation companies mmm Paper and Izzy girl. 

Matching Invitations with Izzy Girl

Matching Invitations with mmm Paper

One of my friends recently started a business working with artists to make oil paintings based on photos.  He sent me a link and I thought I would share it on AvantBride’s blog as I noticed a painting of a bride as one of the examples on their site.  I thought it might make a nice gift for a bride to give to the groom or even a friend to give to the happy couple.  The name of the company is Linden Alley, and prices start at $159 for a 12″x16 ” portrait.

Check it out!

This is the photo sent in to Linden Alley.

This is the oil portrait created by Linden Alley.

I met Adrian Busse recently at a dinner and was intrigued by her job description as a fashion and wedding photographer.  I wondered how her fashion training would come out in her wedding portfolio.  She told me about one of the first weddings she had shot in Seattle.  It was scheduled as an outdoor wedding and on the morning of the big day the rain was falling with no signs of letting up.  They quickly moved the venue to a Sheraton hotel and all of Adrian’s planning for perfect outdoor backgrounds was thrown out the window.  Instead of gorgeous views, colors and great lighting, she got exit signs, poor lighting, doors and ugly carpeting: a photographer’s worst nightmare!  Not to be deterred she began hunting through the hotel for a suitable place, keeping in mind the bride’s vintage look.  After 20 minutes of going through the halls and opening up doors she found a room with a cream colored wall, giant windows and a grand piano.  Despite the hotel security guard’s protests she soon had her bride on top of the piano vogueing. 

She says, “Fashion photography is always spontaneous and can always be a little risky. Getting the shot can sometimes mean curving the situation and making things happen even if it were not supposed to … Being a fashion wedding photographer you must always be creatively open to the unplanned.”

Looking at the pictures of the bride, you would never have guessed that the original photo locations were unavailable due to a torrential downpour.  The piano looks like it was made for that gown!  I think every bride has a unique picture or image of what kind of wedding she wants to have, including the type of photographer and the series of photos.  A fashion wedding photographer might not be for everyone, but it could just be that special part of the wedding day and those signature photos that certain brides treasure.   

Photo By: Sonja Clanton

 Seeing this pumpkin makes me want to have a fall wedding to pursue the endless creative possibilities!  It’s a great example of twisting something formal like a monogram and making it your own.  More and more I see couples using things like monograms, wedding colors, fonts and graphic designs to create a really cohesive feel to their event - essentially to create a wedding brand.  Hiring an event company or a wedding coordinator is probably the easiest way to create this feeling of a produced and polished event, however I’m seeing savvy couples figure out how to do it on a budget. 

Marry Monograms, based in Seattle, is the type of tool that can give a wedding a polished look.  You have the option of choosing a design from their portfolio or having a design custom made especially for you.  The personalized logo costs $49.95 and the custom design prices are available by quote.  Once you have the logo or monogram the sky’s the limit: invitations, towels, gifts, gobo spotlights, favors, wine labels, thank-you cards or honeymoon clothing — whatever you can think of to put your monogram on! I think half of the fun is figuring out where and on what to stamp your new family crest.  

A final thought: it might make a nice engagement gift for some recently betrothed friends.

Marry Monograms

A friend of mine sent me a link to Valerie Heggenes’ Wedding Cake Toppers website last week.  I immediately knew I had to write about these incredible sculptures!  As with many businesses in the wedding industry, Valerie started by using her talents as a sculptor to create a wedding cake topper for her sister’s wedding, and it has grown from there.

She creates one of a kind wedding cake toppers out of polymer clay such as Sculpey or Fimo.  They are between 5 and 8 inches in height and 4 inches in diameter.  She can make them as fun or formal as the client wishes, but stresses that they’re not exact replicas but meant to be more “whimsical” as caricatures of the bride and groom.  One of my favorites is the sculpture below with the bride and groom in REI garb.  Looking at the photographs of the couples on her website side by side with the sculptures that she made of them, you can tell that she has a knack for understanding her clients.  Her sculptures seem to bring out the best features that make the bride and groom who they are.  I think it would be fun to see one at a friend’s wedding!

It also occurred to me that a benefit to having a personalized mini bride and groom commissioned is that you have a wonderful keepsake.  Once the big day is over there are few things that last and I think this would be such a fun reminder of the day.  It would make a great wedding gift as well, for a friend or family member. 

Christi Masi of The Healthy Bride is one of my favorite people in the wedding industry in Seattle.  Her business is about the bride taking the opportunity to create a more healthy lifestyle and become fit for life, not just to lose ten pounds in two months before the big day.  I love the concept of taking a period of change and energy in your life and using it in such a positive way. 

The Healthy Bride has come up with a great challenge for engaged couples in the Seattle area called Battle of the Betrothed.  They are currently accepting applications from couples until January 4, 2009.  Participants will then compete in a number of challenges where they can win various prizes for their wedding.  The final challenge will be for the grand prize of a free honeymoon.  So send in your applications, win prizes and get fit!!!!

A group of local Seattle vendors banded together to throw this great benefit - Get Hitched, Give Hope.  They are hoping to raise over $50,000 to fulfill wishes for 12 stage IV breast cancer patients and their families.  It’s happening on October 23rd at the Arctic Club Hotel in downtown Seattle. 

Here’s their description: Brides, grooms, and guests are invited to sip cocktails, sample great food, take a look at the fabulous venue, bid on gorgeous goods through the silent auction, and meet our favorite vendors. Don’t miss the Pamper Suite and the Photobooth!

Tickets start at $15.  As everything has been donated to create the event, all money is going towards the benefit.  www.gethitchedgivehope.com It’s a great opportunity to check out the newly renovated Arctic Club Hotel downtown.

Green weddings or even just adding a little green to your wedding has been a major trend for brides growing increasingly stronger over the recent years.  There’s no denying that there are limitless options to having a “green” wedding – you can go as far are you’d like.  The hole in the ozone’s the limit!  Seattle in particular has great resources for green weddings.  Here are just a couple of suggestions that I have come across.  Although I do have to mention a caveat, which is that just because a vendor doesn’t say they have sustainable or local produce, recycled materials or conflict-free diamonds, doesn’t mean they won’t be willing to work with you.  Although our choice for a caterer was limited due to our location, I was able to change the fish on our menu (among other things) to one that was recommended from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list.   

In regard to food, making your wedding more environmentally friendly can be as simple as swapping Chilean seabass for wild-caught salmon.  The former is not only overfished but is also known to have high levels of mercury.  When you’re reviewing your menu choices months ahead of time think of the produce that will be in season for your special day.  Fresh baby greens, asparagus and peas in the spring, cherries, berries, corn, beans and anything else you can think of in the Pacific Northwest in the summer, and squashes, apples, and nuts in the fall.  A couple local caterers known for sustainable, organic ingredients are Herban Feast and Ravishing Radish.

More Green Blogs to come…

Bouncing Wall

Last week I stopped by the Bouncing Wall in Queen Anne for their two year anniversary celebration. While sipping on some of their complimentary champagne I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful line of jewelry by K D’Angelo.  Owner Kim Flanery-Rye told me that a lot of brides come into the Bouncing Wall to purchase jewelry for their big day, especially for jewelry made by K D’Angelo.  After trying on a couple of necklaces I could see why, her handcrafted pieces are classic (so when you look at your pictures in 20 years you won’t say “what was I thinking?”) but also have a fresh, contemporary twist.  The combination of semi-precious stones, gorgeous metals and wood radiate a positive energy.  Bouncing Wall associate Drea mentioned that K D’Angelo also does custom work for brides and other customers.  However, if you already have your own jewelry picked out, you might consider helping to design or purchase coordinating jewelry for your bridal party.  Either way check out Bouncing Wall, it’s a really cool boutique that supports over 100 local Seattle artists and designers!

 

I was recently at Paper Source in Bellevue and paused to look at their selection of guest books.  The covers are all made out of different papers, colors and patterns.  They’re unique, but also very simple and elegant.  If you can’t get to a store, they show the collection on their website.  They cost $42 each. 

If you have more time to order a book, and don’t want to spend quite as much money, I suggest you check out www.Etsy.com.  There are a lot of crafty people out there making neat things.  I ordered a guest book from a “shop” called BazaarLatino.  The book was custom made according to what I was looking for, but based on one she had already posted for sale on Etsy.  It cost $26 plus shipping.  Below is the guest book from Etsy.  Either way you’ll have a memorable keepsake!