Real Wedding Inspiration

This is a totally selfish post on my part but when Maria from Ritzy Bee found a photo from my wedding online and told me the whole wedding, which was featured in the Fall 2004 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings, was online I had to check it out.

Looking through photos of real weddings—either online or in magazines—is a great source of inspiration. Some bloggers pull images from a variety of sources to pull together a great inspiration board on one specific topic (see Snippet & Ink) or they’ll grab some of their favorite details to inspire their readers (see Ritzy Bee Blog).

Here are a few images from my wedding (c/o Martha Stewart Weddings) or you can see the entire spread with captions, here.

Our guest book—white cards placed in an etched glass jar—allowed guests to write well wishes to us.

The seating cards were placed on a glass tabletop etched with moons and stars (our wedding icon) and in the center of the table were the words: ...and they dance by the lgiht of the moon.


Each table had one of three colored floral centerpieces: lavender, pink or white. Small glass bowls with coordinating candies and short supper club style lamps also decorated the table.

Our wedding cake, by Ron Ben-Israel mimicked the design of the wedding motif (moons and stars) as well as the wedding color, lavender.

A Gift for Your Guests

One of the items that the B-List bloggers received was a NYC City Pass. I had received information on City Pass a few months ago at Brides.com and thought it would be a great product for couples expecting a large number of guests to travel to their wedding.

City Pass is a collection of discounted tickets to local tourist attractions (museums, theme parks, zoos) and is available in a number of metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Canada, including: New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Hollywood, Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto.

The price for each cities’ City Pass varies so visit CityPass.com to learn more about what each pass has to offer and pricing details. 

Guest Room Gift and Favor ideas from the B-List Meetup

While guest room gift bags and favors are not a must-have at any wedding, they do allow the bride to show off her creativity and guests are often pleasantly surprised with the treats their hosts have put together for them.

At the B-List event this weekend, bloggers were treated to a gift bag of wedding-related products including edible treats (my favorite kind of favors) to stationery samples and fashion accessories. Here’s a complete list of items that were donated and I highly recommend clicking through the links because you may want to use one of these products for your own wedding—for yourself or as your wedding favor:

Abigal Kirsch, Bella Bridesmaid, Blue Ribbon Design, Blue Orchid Designs, Blurb, Chronicle Books, City Pass, Delphine Press, Fresh, Fritts Rosenow, Gumdrop Cookie Shop, Hallak Cleaners, Hello Super8, INK + WIT, iomoi, Jennifer Behr, Jessica Rust Designs, JimmyJane, Jones Soda, Karen Wise, Linda+Harriet, Minted, Mohawk Paper, Nantaka Joy, NELLE Handbags, Nunu Chocolates, OneWed, One Love Photo, Papabubble, Paper+Cup, Paperwink, Poseprints, Ritzy Bee Events, Saipua, Sarah Drake Design, Smock, Sonya Renée, Stuck Labels, Style Made Simple, Thoughtful Day, Two Bees Press, Union Photography, Viv&Ingrid and Wedding Paper Divas.


*Photo by Maria of The Ritzy Bee Blog

Intorducing the B-List

This weekend was the first B-List Conference for bridal bloggers. The event brought together bloggers from across the country to talk about being a wedding blogger and to get to know one another. (Most of us have emailed and of course read each other’s blogs but never actually met before.)

We had a chance to chat at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO and then invited local New York, tri-state area wedding vendors to join us for drinks, a catered lunch (provided by Sterling Affair and wedding cake (care of Mark Joseph Cakes in Brooklyn). In the age of emails, twitter and texting it was nice to put faces with the names of all the businesses we’ve featured on our blogs over the years. We also attended a wine tasting sponsored by Brides.com and produced by Swirl Events.

The B-List members have started a blog, The B-List, where brides, vendors and fellow wedding bloggers can learn more about the vendors that were involved in making this event possible as well as future events coming up across the country.

I for one had a great time meeting so many fabulous bloggers whose work I’ve admired over the years and who I can’t wait to see again! And since I won’t leave any post without a helpful Wedding Planning Tip, here’s one on bridal blogs:

Reading bridal blogs can really help you plan your wedding. There are blogs that are filled with inspiration, blogs that are filled with planning advice and blogs that allow a bride to join a community where she can interact with other brides. There are over 100 bridal blogs that you can follow but the truth is, you really don’t have time to read every blog every day. So here’s an idea: You can use Google Reader to help you organize and skim the list of posts at your favorite blogs or you can categorize your favorite blogs in your bookmarks toolbar: Inspiration, Real Weddings, Planning Tips, Community, Local Resources, etc… and skim each folder a few times a week.

Remember to print out ideas and information that you think will come in handy and save everything in your wedding orgaznizer so you can bring them with you to appointments.


*The B-List logo was designed by Erica from Thoughtful Day, and group photo by Jenny Ebert

Brides.com Registry Event at Bloomingdale’s

To celebrate the launch of the Set Your Table Tool—a really unbelievably helpful registry tool—Brides.com and Bloomingdale’s will be hosting three events over the next few weeks in New York City, San Francisco and Chicago.

Each event will feature Brides.com Editor-in-Chief, Michelle Preli, and two bridal bloggers who will give you their expert tips on how to create your wedding registry.

The tool, which you can try here, allows you to mix and match tabletop patterns—china, flatware, crystal—that are available at Bloomingdale’s stores so you can find the perfect setting for your dining room table. You can test drive the tool at the event as well as enjoy some sweet treats and go home with a fabulous goodybag.

Here are the details for the NYC event:

Thursday, April 30th, 6–8pm
Bloomingdale’s 59th Street at Lexington Avenue
Featured bloggers: Anne-Marie Scali of Perfect Bound and Maria Cooke of Ritzy Bee
RSVP: 212-705-3340

When I get the details for the San Francisco event (May 7th) and the Chicago event (May 14th) I’ll post them so you can RSVP, but for now make sure you save the date!

Wedding Registry Tip: Even though you may think that you don’t need a formal set of china, silver and flatware right now, you will be entertaining family and friends in the years to come—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Passover, Easter—so it’s a good idea to register for these pieces now. If you don’t think you’ll really use these items right away you may want to consider registering for a more traditional pattern instead of a trendy piece that you may not love in 5, 10 or even 20 years.

San Francisco Wedding Event

Attention San Francisco area brides, there’s an amazing event coming next month that you’re not gonna want to miss! One of my favorite companies is producing it and trust me, they know the best of the best vendors in the area.

The Ruby Press Bridal Soiree will take place May 7th, from 6 to 8 pm at Sarlo (295 Kansas Street) and it’s free! There’s limited space so you have to RSVP ASAP.

Five (5) spots for From “I Will” to “I Do” readers (plus a guest for each of them) have been reserved. Email me at fromiwilltoido@gmail.com if you live in the San Francisco Bay area and want to attend the event. Brides only, please.

The event will be held at Gabriella Sarlo’s design studio and will feature a variety of talented wedding vendors, including:

• Nouvelle Vogue—a high-end bridal boutique specializing in European designer gowns—informal modeling will take place throughout the night
• Rosenow Floral—Erin is one of the most talented florists in the country
• Indulge Caterers will be passing delicious hors d'oeuvres (I wonder if PIBs will be on the menu)
• Baytenders will be serving up their signature Yellow Rose cocktail
• Iomoi—you know how I love anything from iomoi—you’ll get to browse their latest save-the-date cards, announcements, thank you cards and personalized stationery
• Both Vicente Agor and Viv&Ingrid jewelry—great for brides and bridal party gifts
• Crown & Crumpet is creating a candy display that you can get inspired by and enjoy
• Browse the beautiful portfolios of Joel Flory Photography
• Enjoy the music of Synchronicity Strings
• You'll receive an amazing goody-bag at the end of the night—one of the items included is a fabulous Diptyque product!

And do let us know how the event was if you get to go. I’m only sorry I can’t fly over to attend it!

Practice Makes Perfect

I’ve been to dozens of weddings over the years and it always amazes me when a groom or bride doesn't know what to do during the ceremony.

I’ve seen grooms come down the aisle and not know where to stand. I’ve seen brides not sure what to do when they get to the end of the aisle—await the groom to get her or walk alone to the altar. And in Jewish ceremonies where the bride is going to walk around the groom seven times I’ve seen grooms actually try to follow her in a circle because he didn’t know what to do. (He just stands still.)

This is why it’s important to have a rehearsal either the day before the wedding day (and before the rehearsal dinner) or before the guests arrive on the big day. Your officiant should go over with both of you what will happen during the ceremony including, what he or she will say, the order of the ceremony—blessings, drinking wine, readings—where everyone stands, etc…

Your wedding is not a dress rehearsal. It’s the live show and you don’t get a do over once the music is cued. A rehearsal should not cost you any money and it will truly help you understand what to expect so you’re not caught off guard or embarrassed in front of your guests.

And don't be embarrassed to ask for a rehearsal with your officiant either. He or she shouldn't have any problems going over the service with you. If they do, that's a problem.

Stationery Idea: Return Labels

Dave’s birthday is coming up in a few weeks and he told me that for his birthday gift he wants me to order a custom stamp with our last name and address. Why? Because he doesn’t want to have to keep writing our return address on envelopes he mails. So Dave, in case you’re reading this: I’m working on it.

If you’re ordering thank you notes for your wedding, you may want to think about having the printer print your return address on the envelope flap so you don’t have to write out your address over and over again. Another option is to order sticker labels in a fun print or pattern that you can use long after the wedding is over.

The designs featured above are all from iomoi.com. There are over 100 designs to choose from so you are sure to find one that either fits your wedding theme or palette or your personalities. Mailing labels are priced at 120 for $42.00, 240 for $70.00 and 360 for $98.00. You can also buy coordinating stationery and desk accessories in the same pattern to make a complete set for your home.

To Twitter or Not to Twitter Your Wedding Details

As a 21st century bride I’m sure you’ve been using the Internet to help you plan your wedding. In addition to researching companies online, you have probably joined a wedding community to talk to other brides, click through online galleries and blogs for ideas and may have even started your own wedding Web site (a Wed site) or blog to share your plans with your bridal party and guests. But have you thought about twittering your plans?

I have twittered—or tweeted depending on who you ask—for work. Brides.com twittered from the front row at bridal market earlier this month and while on my book tour in March I twittered about the vendors I was meeting with and Dave even twittered about my wedding dress trends and shopping tips during my speech at Charleston Fashion Week.

I’ll admit I’m not one to twitter about my personal life—I rarely update my facebook status—but you may want to consider twittering about your wedding plans if you have a large group of friends and relatives who want/need to know all of your plans: parents, siblings, bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Signing up for a Twitter account is free and it’s really easy to do. I’ve twittered from my computer and blackberry. The hardest part is writing a post that is less than 140 characters.

But remember there is no reason to give away all of your wedding details. Keep some details private so that when those guests that have been following you on Twitter show up for the big day they will still be surprised at some of the plans you’ve made.

The Myth of Inexpensive Weddings At Home

I was just chatting with a colleague who is getting married next spring at her parent’s home. She couldn’t believe all the costs that were involved. It’s a misconception that saying “I do” at home will be less expensive than a wedding held at a traditional reception venue.

If your wedding at home consists of a handful of guests, Uncle Joe playing “Here Comes the Bride” on the piano and serving punch and cake made by mom—similar to what your grandparents may have done in the ‘30s and ‘40s, then yes it can be on the less expensive side. But most couples getting married at home—or a relative’s home—will have to add a lot of expenses to their wedding budget. Some of these include:

• Flooring for the grounds
• Tents
• Portable toilets
• Generators
• A heating/cooling system
• A kitchen for the caterer
• Valet parking
• Rentals: tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, flatware

It was my dream to have our wedding in my grandparent’s backyard—the same place my parents got married—but after the tent company showed up and gave us an estimate and told my grandmother that the tree in the middle of the yard would have to be cut down and then the gardener gave us an estimate for landscaping, and of course grandma insisted that the house be painted before the big day, the final costs were astronomical.

We found a schul on Long Island for the wedding and used grandma’s yard for the rehearsal (barbeque) dinner the night before the wedding. And let me just add that the heavens opened up that night and it poured. Thank g-d we rented a small-ish size tent for us to sit under outside. You can't predict the weather so you'll need to reserve flooring and tents in case it rains.

So if you’re thinking of getting married at home (or a private house that doesn’t usually have weddings/receptions) make sure you think of all of these added costs before you start signing contracts.

How to Find Vendors in Your Area

Planning a wedding is a very local affair. While some details can be found across the country – invitations, favors – most of the vendors you hire will be based near your wedding location. Even if you’re getting married abroad, you’re more likely to hire local vendors – photographer, baker, florist – then fly someone halfway around the world.

The best way to find vendors for your wedding is to ask friends and relatives who have recently said “I do” what they thought of their wedding vendors. You can also get recommendations from the location you are holding your reception at and other vendors you are hiring.

Another great resource is local wedding magazines and businesses that feature a variety of vendors in one place – like The Bridal Bar in Los Angeles and San Diego or The Newport Wedding Gallery in Newport, RI. If your hometown doesn’t have a similar establishment, you can also attend wedding shows – like the Great Bridal Expo which is held in dozens of cities, or look through wedding magazines and Web sites for other shows in your area. Hiring a local wedding planner is also a great idea especially if you're not familiar with the area you are getting married at - destination wedding planners are a huge help.

Bridal salons, stationery stores, florists, caterers and other vendors may all know of upcoming events in your area so don’t be shy about asking them for recommendations or sign up for their mailing list so they will email you about upcoming events that they are participating in.

New Wed-site: Daily Candy Weddings

If you’re an avid fan of Daily Candy like me then you probably got yesterday's newsletter on the launch of the Daily Candy Wedding site!

Filled with local resources as well as national ones, this new dedicated site will be one of the go-to sites for brides planning their weddings anywhere in the US. Daily Candy, until today, limited their weddings newsletters to two times a year (April & October) but now you won’t have to wait six months for your next dose of the hippest and hottest vendors in your area. Just visit DailyCandy.com/weddings and you’ll find everything from who to hire in your area, what to wear and everything in between!

A Reminder for Your Guests

Do you remember the post I wrote last summer about not spending your money on disposable cameras because your guests will take pictures with their own digital cameras and cell phones?

If you’re concerned that your guests won’t remember to email you the pictures they took at your wedding you can have them place a friendly reminder on their cameras so they won’t forget.

SayAnythingDesign.com sells customized stickers—that won’t damage or leave a sticky residue on cameras—and will remind guests to send you an email with pics from your wedding—your email address is on the sticker.


You can place "StikPics" with the seating cards guests take when they enter your wedding site or have them handed out with your wedding program.


PS - In no way can your guests' pictures replace those taken by a professional photgrapher. Pictures taken by guests are just extra for your scrapbook.

Using Fresh Flowers on Your Wedding Cake

I was chatting with a friend last week and she mentioned that she was making a birthday cake for her mom and wanted to run by the corner deli to pick up some flowers to put on it. I immediately told her that she can’t just put any flowers on a cake. She has to make sure that they’re pesticide-free and that I’m sure the guy at the deli couldn’t guarantee if they were.

When planning the décor for their wedding cake many couples will ask their baker for a clean buttercream or fondant icing and then have real flowers put on each tier as decoration.

This design is very simple and classic and can also be very affordable, but whether your baker of florist will be supplying you with the flowers—or you’re doing it yourself—it’s very important that the flowers you select are pesticide-free to avoid poisoning your guests.

Turn that Horrid Bridesmaid Dress into CASH

Do you think you’ve worn the ugliest bridesmaid dress ever? Well, if so than you can enter WE TV’s Ugliest Bridesmaid Contest for a chance to win $5000!

Here’s how to enter:

Go to wetv.com/ugliestdress and click the register button.

Fill out the registration form and upload a picture of you wearing your dress. (Your photo's size must be between .005 MB (50 KB) and 1 MB (1,000 KB), and must be formatted as a JPEG.)

The contest ends, Monday, April 13th so make sure to enter over the weekend.

And if you've been lucky enough to have friends with good taste and haven’t had to wear an ugly bridesmaid dress you can still browse the gallery of those less fortunate than you and rate their bridesmaid dresses.

Here’s a link to the contest’s official rules

Good luck!

Wedding Planning Tip: If you're a bride who is still deciding on bridesmaid dresses for your 'maids, you'll never find one dress that will please everyone so you may want to consider choosing a designer you like and have each girl choose a silhouette in the same fabric and color. This way they'll all match and they'll feel comfortable in the dress.

Save On Your Wedding Favors at Beaucoup.com's 5-Day Sale

One of my favorite wedding favor sites, Beaucoup.com, just sent out an email that they are holding a huge sale in honor of the company’s 7th birthday.

For the next 5 days—the sale ends on April 12th—you can save:

• $10 when you spend $75 or more when you use the coupon code: BCSALE10
• $20 when you spend $125 or more when you use the coupon code: BCSALE20
• $30 when you spend $175 or more when you use the coupon code: BCSALE30

When shopping for wedding favors, remember that edible favors are always a favorite among guests—you know they’re mine—and you want to choose something that fits in your wedding theme and palette. Your favor can also reflect your wedding location or time of year. Beaucoup.com lists their favors in a variety of categories, including: season, setting and personalized.

And don’t forget about packaging. You can easily personalize your favor simply by adding a stamp, sticker or ribbon with your monogram, names and/or wedding date.

Happy Shopping! And Happy Birthday Beaucoup!

Getting Ready Tip

Dave and I went to one of the most fabulous weddings we’ve ever been to this past weekend. The bride wore a stunning Angel Sanchez gown—really, the loveliest gown I’ve ever seen—and I’m so happy that one of the groomsmen snapped this photo.

If your dress is a little complicated to get into or if the bustle is difficult to put together you may want to think about hiring someone from the salon where you bought your wedding dress to help you get dressed. They would stay to get you dressed and leave after the ceremony, once your train is bustled.

If you don’t want to spend money on a dresser but you have a complicated dress/bustle make sure that you have a bridesmaid or two with you at your final fitting to learn how to get you in your dress. Do not have your mother be the one to have to get on the floor—in her dress—to get you in or to bustle your dress before the reception.

Pigs-in-a-Blanket Revisited

If you’ve been reading From “I Will” to “I Do” for a while now you’re familiar with my strong feeling that serving pigs-in-a-blanket (PIBs) during your cocktail hour is a definite wedding do.

A couple weeks back I attended a press luncheon at BLT Market and in addition to bread and butter, the restaurant also put these fancy PIBs on the table as an appetizer. The “blanket” was made of phyllo dough and there was a dollop of sauerkraut and mustard (the right kind) on top of each one. They were delicious.

At a wedding we went to last weekend, in addition to the seafood buffet, carving station, Italian buffet, sushi and dim sum stations at the cocktail table, one of the passed hors d’oeurves was pigs-in-a-blanket. And the waiter who was passing PIBs around was the most popular guy in the room.

I’m telling you that you can’t go wrong with serving PIBs at your wedding so ask your caterer if they can add it to the cocktail hour menu. And remember that you need to have deli not “fancy” mustard for dipping.

Valet Parking Tip

Dave and I recently went to a wedding at a hotel in New York. When we pulled up at the entrance we told the doorman we were there for the Jones wedding and asked if there was valet. He said yes. So we left the car, got a ticket and went in and had a great time.

Five hours later we left and gave the doorman our ticket and were directed to the front desk of the hotel where the night manager informed us that there was a $65 fee for valet and a 25-minute wait to get the car.

First let’s discuss the wait time. We left two hours before the wedding ended so there wasn’t a line of people waiting for their cars. It turns out that it’s a standard 25-minute wait time. When we arrived no one told us about the wait time so instead of running and giving the ticket and then staying at the party for an extra 20 minutes, we ended up waiting in the lobby for 20 minutes.

Now on to the $65 charge. Let’s just say we were shocked. It’s not that we expected the bride and groom to cover our valet charge, but when we arrived and told the doorman we were there for the Jones wedding and asked if there was valet parking, he should have said, “There is valet parking but guests of the wedding have to pay the $65 charge.” If we knew this we would have looked for parking on the street or a less expensive garage.

If you’re not planning on offering valet parking to your guests that’s fine, but if your wedding location does offer valet that your guests would have to pay for themselves, it’s very important that the valet guy informs guests what the charge is when they arrive.  

As the bride and groom you are not obligated to offer complimentary valet parking to your guests, but they will appreciate finding out ahead of time that there's a fee for parking.  You don't want your guests to end a great evening arguing with the valet.

Bridal Market Coverage April 2009

Sorry for the late post but bridal fashion week has started and has taken over my life!

You can get information on all the latest designer gowns and accessories on the Brides.com blog, Wedded Bites. Or get up to the minute updates by following me and the other Brides.com editors on Twitter!

These gowns will not be in stores until the fall - September/October 2009, so if you're getting married in the next 6-9 months you should not wait till then.  These gowns will not be able to be made in time for your wedding.  Remember wedding dresses take about four months or more to create so you want to give yourself (and the designer) enough time.  And you also don't want to incur any rush charges!

Sweet Treats

Bridal Market has started today, and we had two appointments: Alfred Angelo and David's Bridal. (Click here to see the Brides.com reviews of each show as they happen over the next week!)

As we left the David's Bridal appointment we were treated to this pair of mini-brownie pops decked out in formal attire. Of course I had to ask where they came from and they're from one of my favorite favor companies, beau-coup.com.

Edible favors are always a favorite with guests and these happen to be delicious!

Here are your options: chocolate coating over a chocolate brownie or blondie center. You can also choose from five designs: bride, groom, filigree, scrolls and vintage. The ones pictured here are the bride and groom design. They can be packaged individually or as a pair and they are wrapped in cello bags with an organza ribbon.

If you want to make your favor a little more personal, you can order personalized favor tags or have your brownie pop monogrammed.

They’re priced at $3.50 each (minimum order of 12 pieces) and $7 per pair (minimum order of 6 pieces).

Recap: New York Weddings Event

This evening I got a chance to meet with some of my favorite wedding vendors as well as meet someone new talent at the New York Weddings magazine event.

I love going to these types of events because not only do I get to eat delicious hors d’oeurves and wedding cake, but I get to run into some of my friends in the industry. I chatted with some of your favorite bloggers from Brooklyn Bride, Perfect Bound and Wedding Bee as well as chat with Michelle Rago, Marcy Blum, Mark Ingram and Ron Ben-Israel.

Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me so I can only link to the vendors I want to share with you, but I couldn’t wait till tomorrow to tell you about a fabulous caterer I met. Mary Giuliani Catering had mini milk shakes with mini brownies and a mini DIY mac ‘n cheese station.

I also saw some beautiful wedding stationery by Cheree Berry Paper and Mr. Boddington’s Studio.

There were so many interesting vendors that I’ve never met before including a custom men’s suit company, My.Suit.

If you went to the event I’d love to know which vendors you enjoyed meeting with, and don’t forget to pick up a copy of the latest issue of New York Weddings magazine if you’re getting hitched in the tri-state area. It really is the best source for New York area weddings and this issue is filled with budget-friendly ideas!