Just Engaged!

Find out what the first tasks to complete on your wedding checklist should be in this week's episode of From "I Will" to "I Do" with our special guests: Jess Levin of Carats & Cake, Hope Weis of Hope Weis Consulting, Terry Hall from Kleinfeld (because we know shopping for your dress is at the top of the list!) and Emily Reifel from CPS Events at The Plaza. Watch the show below or over at Google+:

Do You Have Any Suggestions for New Places to Find Wedding Ideas?

I recently created an account with pinterest.com and I have a small obsession with it. I have been able to find great ideas and products through various searches, wedding related as well as non-wedding related. I highly recommend creating an account and doing some searches, both vague and specific terms, and you’ll find some creative results that are sure to inspire.

Another site to sign-up with (it’s free) is lover.ly. This site is basically Google Images for weddings. The editors of the site have curated wedding images from a myriad of resources and, while I haven’t used the site, I’m looking forward to testing it as I’m sure the search results will be very detailed.

Colin Cowie Weddings (colincowieweddings.com) recently launched with both new editorial content as well as a gallery of images from Colin Cowie’s library of event work.  And is a great resource too.

Remember that you can find inspiration from anywhere so another option is to use Google Images.  Just search for something and scroll through the results.  Maybe an image you find could come from another good inspiration resource that's filled with exactly what you're looking for.

I Fell in Love with a Shoe and Want to Use it as Inspiration for Our Wedding but Everyone Thinks I’m Nuts. Am I?

Not at all! Wedding inspiration can come from anywhere -- art, a movie, a piece of fabric, a building and even a shoe.

Don’t let people turn you away from the place you are drawing inspiration from. When you show the shoe to vendors, mom, your fiance and bridesmaids make sure to explain what it is about the shoe that attracts you to it.

Is it the color(s)? Specific detailing or embellishment? Is it the overall style? And what do you see that inspiration developing into? The wedding's color palette? A trimming on some wedding details? Are you planning on wearing the shoe on your wedding day?

It’s important that you articulate what you’re getting from your inspiration, whatever that inspiration may be, so that your vendors can see your vision and bring it to life on your big day.

The Royal Wedding: Where to Find Inspiration for Your Wedding

I can't believe Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married tomorrow!  That was a whirlwind engagement compared to their eight-year courtship.  So now that we're all setting our alarm clocks to get up bright and early here are a list of things you may want to look out for to find ideas for your own big day:

• The Wedding Dress -- whoever the designer is and no matter what the gown looks like it is sure to be copied and inspire wedding dress designs for years.
• The Ceremony Music  -- The classical songs listed in the program may be just the type of songs you and your groom will want for your processional, ceremony and recessional.
• The Bridal Party -- Besides the head bridesmaid (MOH) and best man the rest of the bridal party will be made up of children.  Do you have lots of nieces and nephews?  Maybe an all-kids bridal party is an idea that more American brides will pick up on.
• The Bridal Party Attire -- Don't forget to check out Pippa Middleton's dress style and color, and the clothes the kids are wearing too.  It's assumed that Prince Harry will wear his dress uniform.
• The Decor -- The color palette for the ceremony is green, white and brown (very earthy).  The couple have also selected locally and seasonally grown flowers.  Very eco-chic.
• Guest Attire -- Moms, grandmothers and guests of the wedding should look for color and style ideas.  Remember to look for cool hats too!

Video: The Ultimate Wedding Mashup

I love movies about weddings because they give me a lot of ideas for blog posts. But in addition to the random tips I come across, brides can easily find inspiration for both their wedding-day look and their wedding style.

There are so many films either about weddings or that feature a wedding that you can watch, and new ones come out every year.  There are several being released in May alone.

The folks at nextmovie.com put together a wedding movie mashup.  Some of them you may have seen but if there's a scene that catches your eye you can find which film it is at nextmovie.com and rent it.  You may find a great idea for your own wedding.

And re: watching it.  Make it a girl's night or a date night and spend a cozy night on the couch with your groom.

So which is your favorite wedding movie?

The Royal Wedding Effect

Last night I spent the evening at a cocktail party hosted by Colin Cowie at The Pierre hotel in Manhattan. The get together was to toast Prince William and Kate Middleton and included a number of wedding editors.

Colin shared with us his thoughts on the direction of weddings and inspiration brides can take away from it. We enjoyed Dom Perignon champagne and appetizers, no they didn't serve PIBs, and we chatted about the royal wedding.

I believe that the royal wedding will take wedding style in a new direction from the casual, DIY days of the past few years.  Formal affairs are on their way back and Colin shared a similar point of view.  There's something about a royal wedding that gets Americans giddy.  I think we're more interested in the details and the big day than the British.

Elegant and formal stationery (Ellen Weldon had some of her lovely invitations on display), regal wedding cakes (Cake Alchemy showcased a white with gold trimmed cake) and Colin designed the tablescape above with rich linens, gold-colored tableware and lush centerpieces.

If you're planning on watching the royal wedding -- live or later in the day -- look for the details of the day:  her dress, headpiece, bouquet, ceremony decor, etc... and let them inspire your wedding plans.

It's Time to Plan a Royal Wedding!

And while I'm not actually involved in the royal wedding plans I am covering ever detail of it on aisledash.com.

Here's what real brides can take away from the royal engagement and wedding:

1. If you're still shopping for the perfect engagement ring maybe you want to get one that looks like Kate Middleton, or another princess bride.
2. There will be a lot of decor and wedding details that you can get inspired by -- it's just a matter of time until we learn what those details are.
3. A royal wedding will follow a different format from American weddings, maybe you want a similar format for your big day:  Formal ceremony in a house of worship followed by a luncheon with a limited number of family members and close friends.
4. If getting engaged in Kenya is not in the cards, why not book a safari honeymoon?  I'll have details on where Prince William and Kate Middleton stayed (and got engaged) in Kenya tomorrow on aisledash.com.

Weddings Styled for Photo Shoots

Many sites and magazines feature beautiful reception settings with an "Anthroplogie" feel.  You know what I mean - a long wooden table set in a field with mix matched china and chairs.

To rent these items for one arrangement is probably not too pricey but if you need 5, 10 or even 20 of these tables and other details your budget just got bumped up a lot.

While these images are beautiful, unless you can really afford it, they are for inspirational purposes only.  You can take elements of the image like the antique china or rustic feel and incorporate those elements into your wedding.

Just because you may not be able to afford everything you see on a page doesn't mean you shouldn't tear it out or bookmark it and show it to your vendors. They'll be able to help you bring your vision to life at a price you can afford.

Remember, you should not go into debt to pay for your wedding.

Don't Be Surprised If What inspires You Costs a Pretty Penny

If you had a chance to read the article in The New York Times on wedding blogs this past weekend then you probably caught what Maria Cooke, owner of Ritzy Bee Events and Ritzy Bee Blog editor, said about brides finding inspiration on wedding blogs.

“Blogs are nice in that when brides are ready to place an order with a vendor, they have all their ideas already. But I have a lot of florist friends I work with daily, and they’ll say couples automatically look at the picture of a flower setting without asking, ‘Is it within my budget?’ or even, ‘Are the flowers even available at that time of year?’ ”


Maria makes an excellent point.


Blogs are filled with beautiful wedding inspiration but the captions are usually limited to a photo credit.


It's not uncommon for a bride to take an image she found on a blog - or in a wedding magazine or website - to a vendor and find out that that arrangement or detail is out of her budget.  When you can't get exactly what is in the photo let the vendor help you find something similar, inspired by the photo, in your price range.


Unfortunately costs will vary per region as well as per season, so if a November bride in Manhattan with 250 guests and a June bride in Des Moines with 150 guests both take a photo of a centerpiece to their local florist they are both going to get very different prices on what the arrangement costs.  This, I'm assuming, is one of the reasons there are no prices on a lot of wedding inspiration shots.


Don't be upset if a vendor says you won't be able to get what you want at your budget.  


After finding inspiration meet with several vendors in each category to see who can give you what you want, or as close to it, at your price.  Let the work you find on a wedding blog, magazine or website inspire you and your vendors.  You don't have to duplicate the image exactly.  No one is going to compare your detail to the source of inspiration.

Keep an Open Mind

When you hire a vendor, sign a contract and leave a deposit you are tied to a vendor but that doesn't mean the ideas you discussed are the final ideas for your wedding.  You have the option to change your mind on your theme and colors and wedding details up until about a month or so before.

Your wedding cake will not be made until the week of your wedding.  The flowers won't be ordered until 2 to 4 weeks before.  So it's okay to keep looking at wedding blogs and magazines to find new and interesting ideas.

When you schedule appointments with your wedding vendors bring all of your ideas with you - especially photos - and let your vendor help you pinpoint what your wedding will look and feel like.  You don't have to use every idea - some may be good for other wedding-related parties or future occasions.  But keep looking for inspiration until about a month before your wedding.  Remember that when you send your wedding invitations out they will show guests your theme and colors and give them an idea of the look and feel over your wedding, so at that point it's just a few details you can tweak you can't really go back to the drawing board with a whole new concept.