Inspiration Board: Pink, Yellow & Blue
As the last days of summer come to an end, I still felt inspired to create a palette filled with some of summer’s favorite colors! Isn’t that bridal bouquet fantastic? It’s arranged with vintage brooches!
Image Credits: Cupcakes, Shoes, Wedding Cake, Bouquet, Necklace, Table Setting, Bridesmaids, Men’s Boutineer.
New Arrival: Candy Bar Favors
Personalized Chocolate bar favors are always a favorite with guests and are perfect for weddings, bridals showers, anniversary parties and more. Customize these gourmet chocolate bars with a label that matches your wedding theme or color scheme, plus add your names and date to the label. These gourmet chocolate bars are produced in a nut free U.S. facility and are guaranteed safe for anyone with a nut or peanut allergy.
Browse through our large selection of delicious and stylish candy bar favors!
Budget Friendly Engagement Rings
It’s proposal season and many couples were wondering how to get married without blowing their bank account (especially since the average engagement rings and wedding band costs $6,000). Debi Wexler, CEO of Whiteflash.com, is here to show you some recession-friendly wedding ring trends-after all, you’ll want to save that money for the Big Day.
Alternative Metals
• Platinum and gold are the go-to metals for wedding rings-but they come with a hefty price tag
• There are plenty of metals on the market that are still beautiful, elegant and less expensive
• Palladium is a growing trend that happens to have a similar look and feel to platinum, but can cost about 75% less
• If you’re more of a traditionalist, choose white gold over platinum. White gold costs 45% less than platinum
Simple Settings
• For the past couple of years there’s been a trend towards micro-pave diamond bands, diamond halos, etc., which can all add to the overall cost of a ring
• These days, some brides-to-be are opting for a more simple, subtle and chic setting
• Diamond Solitaires are less expensive than embellished options, like three-stone rings
• A simple, traditional prong setting or channel set band is also more cost-efficient than an elaborate tension or bezel setting
Double Duty
• Who says you have to have an engagement ring and a wedding band?
• One hot new trend is choosing a beautiful wide band with multiple rows of diamonds and making that your engagement ring and wedding band. Although the ring may cost more than a regular engagement ring, this double-duty ring can help you save more in the long run since you won’t need to buy a wedding band too
Colored Gemstones
• Call it hue-love, but brides are branching out of diamonds! Colored stones like topazes, sapphires, emeralds and rubies are becoming increasingly popular
• Luckily for grooms, they can get a more impressive-sized rock for their money by choosing a gemstone instead of a diamond
• If your bride-to-be loves colored diamonds à la Heidi Klum’s canary diamondthen pop the question with a yellow sapphire. Or try a tourmaline if you’re looking to replicate a pink diamond look.
Buy Shy and Save
• Shop for diamonds that weigh just under certain weight thresholds. You won’t even notice the difference in size
• Buy a .90-carat diamond instead of a 1-carat diamond and save more than $1,000. Plus, the diameter of a 1-carat diamond is 6.5 millimeters, versus a .90-carat diamond’s 6.3 millimeters.
• A 2-carat diamond will cost approx. $19,000 to $20,000+, whereas a “shy” 1.90 diamond of the same quality will cost you $15,000 to $16,000. That’s at least $4,000 in savings!
Additional Money-Saving Tips
• Match Away: You’ll spend half as much if you buy a matching or coordinating ring/band set, as opposed to choosing individual rings. You’ll save even more if you buy a “trio” (engagement ring, and his/her band set)
• Negotiate: Many retailers dramatically inflate prices to make a higher margin-but there’s always room for negotiation, so don’t be afraid to go after a deal. Never settle on the sticker price unless you’ve shopped around and you know it’s already a fair price.
Browse wedding rings and bands at Whiteflash >
Inspiration Board: Love Birds
I absolutely love this guest book alternative. The tree canvas is such a fun way to have guests sign their best wishes and a perfect wall display for your home after the wedding.
Image Credits: Thumb print Guest Book, Bird Cage and Bird Bath, Table Setting, Wedding Cake, Bird Cages, Moss Ring Pillow, Bird Cage Veil.
Hot Trend: Personalized Cuff Links
Cufflinks are a great addition to any man’s assemble, especially a wedding! Thats why they make great gifts for the men in your wedding party. Personalize them for a special touch!
Our most popular are these Black Border Designer Cufflinks. They are both masculine and stylish and will certainly add the finishing touch to the men in your wedding. Give them to your groomsmen, fathers, brothers or grandfathers so they will look dashing as they wear these sophisticated cufflinks. These black trimmed cufflinks will sure to be a wardrobe favorite. Cufflinks can be presented in the included silver tin.
Shop Men’s Cufflinks >
Bachelorette Cooking Parties are Hot
The New York Times recently had a great article about a new trend in bachelorette parties taking place across the country that I wanted to share with you, cooking parties. Being a big cooking fan myself, I think this is a great alternative to a night at the bar or day at the spa bachelorette party.
I have gone to girl’s night out cooking parties on several occasions and even invited a dozen or so friends to a cooking party for my birthday one year. There are usually several different themes to choose from with menus to match. For example, I attended a Night in Vegas theme where we cooked recipes from celebrity restaurants in Vegas. A chef demonstrates some techniques, attendees work in groups to prepare the foods, and then everyone sits down to enjoy the meal when complete. Every time I’ve gone, the food turns out great and everyone has great fun.
Check out the full article in New York Times where you will find the names of a couple places that hold cooking parties. Maybe there’s a location near you.
Image Courtesy of New York Times
Little Things…Just Because
Make your wedding day memorable without breaking the bank. We’ve listed a few ideas that are easy to include in your wedding day that cost very little. Incorporate a few ideas to give you a wedding to remember.
Please share with us some of your ideas on special little things you could add to your wedding day!
Photographer: BerryPhotos
Inspiration Board: Vintage
The more I browse through wedding photos I am always inspired by the ones with a vintage look and feel. They are warm and cozy and oh so intimate. I adore the apothecary vases and tins, don’t you?
Image Credits: Headband, Shoes, Dress Brooch, Apothecary Glass Vase, Apothecary Jars & Tins, Suitcases, Ribbons in Suitecase, Typewriter, Cheers Flags, Lanterns, Candles.
Body Art on Brides – Cover or Not?
Tattooing and body piercing have been practiced around the world for centuries. In the past, in some parts of the world, these body adornments carried a negative connotation but within the past 10-20 years, tattooing and body piercing have become more mainstream and generally accepted by modern society. Results of a 2008 national Harris Interactive poll of 2,302 adults show one-third (32%) of those ages 25-29 and one-quarter (25%) of those 30-39 have tattoos, as do 12% of those 40-49 and men are just slightly more likely to have a tattoo than women (15% versus 13%). Many women now sport body piercings and larger tattoo types previously found on men and when they get engaged sometimes the question comes up as to whether it is appropriate for a bride to show her tats or piercings on her wedding day. To cover or not cover, that is the question.
Many brides are choosing not to cover and are cool with their bridesmaids having visible tattoos or piercings too. For many women, their tats and piercings represent something special and are an expression of who they are. Many brides look at their tattoos as accessories, choosing wedding dresses with necklines that will highlight their bib style tat or strapless dresses to highlight their sleeve or back ink. Some brides are even getting tattooed wedding rings in place of traditional rings or promise piercings as a sign of commitment, choosing to use body art in a new way.
Although many brides choose not to cover their body art, there are others who may want to cover it up so here are a few different ways to do it:
Cover and conceal with make up – Tattoos can be covered over with make up or a tattoo cover kit that contains a combination of lotions and powders but you’ll need to be careful with this method as make up can get on your dress and you wouldn’t want that!
Here is a video clip showing how to cover a tattoo with make up.
Cover with clothing – A long sleeve dress or shawl can be worn to cover up arm or shoulder tattoos while almost any style dress should cover a belly button ring or lower back tattoo but try not to choose your dress style just to cover your tattoos. If you love a sleeveless dress and you’re most comfortable in it, then go for it and proudly let your ink show!
Fabric cover up – Skin colored pieces of stretchable fabric you can slip over your arms or legs like a body stocking are available online in various sizes to cover and conceal tattoos.
Photo retouching – If you don’t mind showing your body art at the wedding but don’t think it’ll look good in your wedding pictures years from now, you can have your photographer retouch the wedding photos to remove tats and piercings.
Removal – There’s always the option to permanently remove your tattoos by laser removal or by closing up any visible body piercings before the wedding.
To cover or not cover, that is the question, and there is no right or wrong answer.
It’s up to each individual bride to determine if her body art goes with the look she wants for her wedding day.
Allebach Photography is a Philly photographer that has great tat bride photos!
This is Jonna, a castmate on “The Real World Cancun”, who had a stud pierced into her ring finger as a symbol of her commitment to boyfriend Matt. Read more. And Pam Anderson with a tatoo ring from her marriage with rock star Tommy Lee. Read more.
New Arrival: Bridesmaid Clutch with Survival Kit
This is one wedding detail your bridesmaids won’t want to go without. Inside this trendy Bridesmaid Clutch with Survival Kit you will find wedding day must haves such as two band aids, four bobby pins, towelette, matchbox style sewing kit, breath mint and travel size Kleenex pack. This clutch is fashioned in black matte satin and features zip and snap closures. It may be personalized with a single initial or monogram in your choice of embroidery color at no additional charge. {Dimensions: 10″ x 5″ x 1/2″}
