Bridal Portraits

This is quite a moment! I LOVE sharing bridal portraits from sweet brides and grooms. Today I am sharing MY OWN!!! We had the most fabulous day and our photographers, Benfield Photography, made it even more wonderful. We were beyond blessed to have them as a part of our special day. I'm sharing my favorite portrait, so head on over to their blog to see the rest of them!

Bridal Clutch

Do you need a clutch for your big day? Its a great place to stash your lipstick, gloss, consealor and tissues. It's also easier for your maid of honor to keep up with all those things in a cute little clutch.

This sweet floral clutch from The Limited is 40% off right now! What a great deal!

Flower Hard Case Clutch - On sale for $54.94

Happy Planning!

Romantic E-Session: Globe Lights

Hi! I'm back. I'm sorry I have totally neglected y'all. I'm getting married. It's a poor excuse for not blogging about weddings, but there it is. I'm here now....that counts for something, right?

I've totally been obsessing about the globe lights from Pottery Barn and here they are used in an engagement session! A string of these from PB is only $15. A styled engagement shoot adds loads of charm and character. This would be a really cheap way to add to a sweet and romantic setting!

Globe String Lights $15.00

[Romantic Light Engagement Session]

Photo Credit: Landon Jacob via Southern Weddings

Happy Planning!

Don't Break the Bank

I think I subscribe to every reputable wedding newsletter. I rarely have time to read them, but the Wedding Channel recently put out an article that I think is fantastic. There are more hidden costs in the planning process than you would think. As a bride in the throes of planning, I think this is a great check list to capture unforeseen costs.

20 Hidden Wedding Costs

Check out the article for lots of detail, but I've added some of my own personal notes below:

1. Wedding Dress Alterations (they are not always included with the dress)

2. Rain-Plan Tent

3. Non-Approved Vendors (ask your venue for an approved vendor list or what their policy is)

4. Breakdown and Cleanup Costs (don't ask your family to do this, budget for it)

5. Reception Band or DJ Equipment

6. Postage Stamps

7. Parking (I thought of everything, right? ...the jury is still out on how this will pan out for our wedding)

8. Officiant Fees (this should be a given and is listed in every planning book I've seen)

9. Photo and Video Overtime

10. Welcome Bag Delivery (I find that most hotels at least give them out at check-in free of charge)

11. Holiday Weekend Fees (this eliminated some venues for our Thanksgiving wedding)

12. Corkage Fees

13. Bartender Fees

14. Rental Transportation

15. Taxes (It's a killer....this alone upped my food budget by $500)

16. Cake Cutting Fee

17. Coat Check

18. Gratuities

19. Overtime Costs (request that your caterer and venue give you a maximum charge so you know what your range is)

20. Building Fees

Happy Planning!

Guestbook Alternatives

There are so many creative options for keeping a record of your wedding guests. This fun tradition has lingered long after guests are no longer legally required to sign the marriage document, but there's no reason we can't mix it up a little.

Here are my favorite guestbook alternatives:

1. Jenga Guestbook -Each person signs a Jenga block and the bride and groom play every year on their anniversary. I LOVE it!

Via Oh Lovely Day

2. Thumbprint Guestbook -There are different variations on this idea, but everyone inks their thumb and adds it to a canvas. I would still want a traditional guestbook alongside to capture individuals' names.

Available in Bleu de Toi's shop on Etsy

Available in Dana Bellis' shop on Etsy

3. Vintage Typewriter Guestbook -Each guest types a message to the bride and groom with a vintage typewriter. This goes very well with vintage and Anthropologie style weddings.

4. Canvas Guestbooks -There are many options for guests to sign a canvas to hang in your home. I recently ran across this canvas and love it's unique design!

Available in Cottage Creek Arts' shop on Etsy

5. Coffee Table Book Guestbook -There are a plethora of great coffee table books full of beautiful photography. Choose one of your favorites and have your guests sign the white space around the photos. Then you can leave it on your coffee table and when you glance through it you will be reminded of the wonderful celebration. (Barnes & Noble's bargain section always has a lot of great photography books on the cheap!)

Via White Thread

Happy Planning!

Engagement Web Site

I think I have the greatest photographers for our wedding, but they also have a super awesome staff that helps them. Lauren is one of those people. She's a fab photog and also put together our engagement site. We're doing our best to stay in touch with our guests (as many of them are traveling from NY and all over the US) and this little site is helping. Mr. NY and I had fun writing the content and Lauren put it all together using our save the date as her inspiration (our save the date will make an appearance shortly --I'm giving our friends and family a chance to see it before I post it on here).

It's just another great perk to using Benfield Photography!

Happy Planning!

Proper Placemat

While I'm not a newlywed yet, that hasn't kept me from dreaming of lovely little dinner parties for fun couple friends! I can remember my mother's Betty Crocker cookbook from the 60's having a page dedicated to setting the proper place setting. As a soon-to-be new wife, I have high aspirations for throwing lots and lots dinners. I ran across this printable place setting guide from Mrs. Lilien.

 Click here to read the full post and download the placemat.

Here's some dining eye candy just for fun!

SMP

100 Layer Cake via Simple Lovely

Centsational Girl

Birds of a Feather via House of Turquoise

Happy Planning!