I received an email from Jill, a reader with such awesome photos from her wedding and the personalized cake topper that her brother and sister made for them to reflect the couple's love for Zombie movies. They are super cool and added some humor to Jill's otherwise elegant reception. These were actually figures from Michael's that they bloodied up, but it got me thinking about what other cool ways there are to top a cake. I LOVE these romantic, humorous Ann Wood weddings bird cake toppers. She makes each one with vintage fabric, and they are a wonderful, fun keepsake for the bride and groom. For that really personal touch, there are a growing number of companies that will make personalized figurines designed after you. I can't tell if this is mildly scary or not - they are SOOO lifelike! Thumbprint Kids takes your photos and concept and voila! Here...
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This past weekend I worked on a wedding with a wonderful band and an excellent DJ: the couple's iPod. The groom's family loved Salsa and during the band breaks, they got to hit the dance floor via playlists the bride and groom prepared ahead of time. Don't get me wrong, nothing takes the place of a live DJ at a wedding, BUT, in certain circumstances, I think an iPod can be a great cost-saving wedding solution. If you have cocktail hour in a separate location from your reception or ceremony, creating a playlist on your iPod can be a great way to hear some of the music that just might not be typically wedding appropriate. Maybe you both love The Smiths or Coldplay or Bossa Nova music. A playlist that you create is a great way to inject your personalities into the wedding without worrying about the DJ throwing the...
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Figuring out seating assignments is a project all unto itself. Wedding details can be kept neatly in binders for months, but try and organize friends and family into groups of 8 to 10 and, well, it's enough to frazzle even the most organized of brides. Not to mention the forgotten guests, the girlfriend who "falls in love" just before your wedding, or the cousin who can't make it at the last minute. Life happens and it doesn't care that you already sent your seating chart to the calligrapher. While everyone has their own method for tackling the project -- spread sheets, handwritten diagrams -- I have my own "secret" system that I thought I'd share. (It's a system I thought I made up until I saw Mindy Weiss use it on some show on MTV and then found out that they use it for events like the Tony Awards and...
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This past weekend I had a client's wedding, which meant it was time to haul out the big box: our MASTER wedding day readiness kit. (I don't really like using the term "Emergency Kit," it sounds so alarmist.) Since my job is to be prepared for many things, my kit is pretty serious, but it got me thinking about Readiness kits in general. You can buy an "Emergency Kit" online with a lot of the basics and some snazzy bridal packaging, or you can create your own kit with a trip to your local drug store. For some inspiration, here are some of the things in my kit: Pain relievers, antacid tablets, breath mints, sewing kit, blotting tissues, baby powder, chalk, clorox bleach pens, safety pins, bobby pins, hair ties, feminine hygiene products, toupee tape (it's amazing), double sided tape, ivory ribbon, white ribbon, floral pins, floral tape (for emergency...
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Lately, I find myself on the fence about Save-the-Dates. Once reserved exclusively for destination weddings or holiday weekend affairs, they've become so ubiquitous now that I wonder if the paper Save- the-Date hasn't become a bit overdone. And with all the amazing, customizable websites out there, I'm not convinced that an electronic, well-designed e-mail blast isn't a suitable and simpler, alternative for some couples. On the other hand, Save-the-Dates can be so cool. (See why I'm on the fence!) They are typically more informal, so they can reveal your personality a bit. And sometimes I see some things that are truly extraordinary. Like these AMAZING maps from Laura Hooper that are perfect for destination weddings or big weekend extravaganzas and come in a postcard or tri-fold format. For the quirkier couple with less details to share, I LOVE LOVE LOVE these custom (and affordable) post cards from See You Be...
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With wedding details being all the rage, it's easy to go online and find cool, cute items like drink stirrers, coasters and table number signs to jazz up your wedding look. But sometimes the best things in life are free (and involve a glue stick). Here are some of my favorite DIY wedding details. For this wedding, the bride and groom created a graphic of their silhouette and made tags, labels and more to decorate their cupcake display, to alert guests to the after-party location, and to encourage them to take a fan. Thanks to Karen Mordechai for sending these photos of Marlene and Todd's grand fete. Sometimes paper and patterns can make all the difference. For this wedding, the bride and groom created stencil cut outs for their table numbers and then used a patterned paper in the background. For their guestbook, they utilized a rainbow palette of note...
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Ceremony music is one of the most overlooked ways to add some personal flavor to your wedding day. I'm a classic girl, but sometimes "Cannon in D" can feel a little vanilla. One of my favorite wedding moments ever was when my client turned the corner and the DJ started to play an Aretha Franklin song. It was such a surprising change from the standard classics and so HER, I just fell in love with the idea of using unconventional songs for the ceremony. And not just with a DJ. I've seen a jazz combo play "La Vie en Rose" for a bride's entrance and a string quartet absolutely master Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" for a couple's grand recessional. From David Grey to U2, with some advance notice and some sheet music, your ceremony musicians can probably offer you more than just the "wedding standards". Inspiration can come from places...
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While I appreciate a good, old-fashioned wedding cake, there is no denying that the cupcake display is here to stay. Still, it could use an upgrade, so I was excited to see these gorgeous and romantic laser cut "trims" designed to decorate the base of your cake stand on Fancy Flours. They have various motifs from rose patterns and filigree designs, but my favorite was the oh-so-sweet white picket fence shown here (and yes, that is an oversized cupcake cake). For a real upgrade consider "doing up" each individual cake with these laser cut, romantic cupcake wrappers on Estilo Weddings. In a variety of colors and motifs, they are like a wedding outfit for each little dessert. For DIY brides out there, why not create a grand tower of cupcakes. Dress up one of these CupCake trees with ribbons, leaves, flowers and some imagination. What are you serving at your...
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Hi Everyone! My name is Xochitl (So-Cheel) Gonzalez and I'm delighted to be a new voice here on Nearly Wed. While I'm not a bride-to-be, I am a wedding planner at Always a Bridesmaid and I've happily helped scores of brides get down the aisle for the past five years. I'm also a blogger, and I answer reader questions and offer notes from the wedding field on my blog, Always a Blogsmaid. Even when planning something elaborate, I like to keep things simple, so I'm excited to share with you some of my tips of the trade, cool ideas, and solutions to simplify some of the more challenging aspects of getting down the aisle. Have a specific wedding problem? Share it here and I'll try to help you solve it. Cheers!
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