Engagement shoots are one of the most exciting parts of a wedding, in my opinion. I love photography and I’ve always loved having my photo taken. I’m smitten with my wedding photographer but it doesn’t stop me from admiring and falling in love with these photo sessions as well. There are dozens of ways to incorporate your personality into wedding photos. You’re unique and one of a kind; your photos should be too!
Seeing that I browse dozens of bridal blogs daily I have a top 5 of engagement session ideas.
1. Flowers. Stunning natural surroundings:
Beautiful floral surroundings Engagement Shoot by Limelife Photography.
2. Reclaiming Vintage:
Vintage rustic shoot by Studio EMP.
3. Balloons:
Balloons are so simple and playful. Engagement shoot by Sloan Photographers.
4. Spontaneous:
Proving you don’t need props to showcase the couple, by Kurt Boomer Photo
5. Intimacy:
I love when the camera glimpses a bit of intimacy between the couple. Logan Cole Photography.
Traditionally, the cake topper used to be a simple version of a bride and groom. Cake toppers appeared in the late 19th century but gained popularity in the 1920s. They have evolved from a simple figurine to a comical or cultural version more personalized for each wedding couple. More variety means couples can customize their wedding cake design and add a special touch.
I can’t tell between a classic cake topper or a comical humorous cake topper. The latter seems is very popular and there are a lot of options for different personalities and styles. There are fishing cake toppers for the outdoorsy couple and the sporting related cake toppers for an active couple!
The Read My Sign cake topper is my favorite so far because it comes with interchangeable signs that we’re thinking we’ll let our guests change out during the reception. I think it would create a great photo opportunity!
I’m dying to know what your favorites are! Go to our website and shop around the cake topper section. Let me know on our Facebook cake topper album!
The centerpiece blog last week got me thinking about more ways to save money by not using cut flowers. There are plenty of ways to create a fun playful centerpiece for less. It took me a while to see how Manzanita trees could be used for a chic look but I’ve stumbled upon one great idea. This look could be used with a lot of different wedding themes and party centerpieces.
This is relatively easy if you’re a crafty person. You can purchase Manzanita branches in a variety of colors. This design works great for themed parties (such as Halloween), bridal showers and wedding reception decor. To create a bridal look use white Manzanita branches.
Once you’ve settled on what your colors and theme are, secure your branch in a matching pot or vase. A low sitting pot works best so your branch is not top heavy. My favorite option is a decorative wood box because it can be painted or decoupaged to be whatever color you would like.
Fill your box with instant foam that you can find in a spray can and directions are easily to follow. This will secure your branch and allow it to hold items without toppling over. You should be able to find it at your local home improvement store or craft store. Another alternative, if you can’t find the spray foam, is Plaster of Paris, another craft store find.
Next, use decorative pieces to cover the hardened foam. This image uses large decorative rocks but you can use decorative moss if you’d like a natural look.
Once you’ve created your stand and display then you can decide which attachments you’d like to add. I like the use of small drawstring bags filled with treats. If you’re using this for a centerpiece match the number of seats at the table with the number of bags on the tree. This look takes up less space than placing a dozen wedding favors on the table. These Manzanita trees work great for Halloween decor if you mix and match orange and black drawstring bags.
Here is another way to incorporate Manzanita Trees for modern decor or bridal showers. Stick with white branches and use bright colored accent diamond decor. Then you can use hanging diamond garland for extra flair. This look works great for centerpieces and other event reception table decorations.
Another simple idea? Use ribbon or yarn to wrap the branches in a coordinating color. Wrapping your tree branches with yarn makes your look more chic and rustic; perfect for an outdoor wedding reception.
If you’ve used Manzanita Branches in your wedding or event decor, send me your photo and I’d love to feature it in our image gallery to share with our fans! Email me: claire[at]koyal.com or send it to our Facebook Page.
I’m in love. I’m absolutely hundred and twenty percent in love with this idea. I’ve already gotten approval from my man to go ahead and add it to our decorations. It wasn’t very hard to get his vote as he loves dried fruit trail mix. I’ll admit, I wandered onto the Found Vintage Rentals website because I love antique reclaimed furniture but I quickly tripped, stumbled and fell in love. I want to pack up my things, run to the store and start picking out trail mix items now!
Okay, anyways, here’s what I’m thinking… This idea works great with the right kind of atmosphere. Outdoors, garden wedding but not too hot (M&M’s melt!). Using mixed selection of jars and vases you can create your own clustered look. I am toying with the idea of using apothecary jars simply for the fact sweets can attract ants and flies. Centerpiece vases with stands attached to them work great for achieving the vintage look. Or try going with small metal silver favor buckets to make it more rustic and unique.
Complete the look with aluminum candy buffet scoops for your guests to pick out which items they like best. This trail mix buffet is very much reminiscent of a frozen yogurt bar only without the cold melting mess to clean up. But hey, you could throw in some tubs of vanilla fro-yo and you’d have a the perfect outdoor dessert bar.
All you need to complete your trail mix bags are cute sweet candy paper bags. If you’re planning on offering your guests larger pieces then give them bigger cartons to put their goodies in. These novelty popcorn cartons do the trick and add to the chic-reclaimed vibe. Lastly, plop some buffet signs so your guests know which type of chocolate, nuts and fruit are which.
All of this is just absolutely amazing put together on reclaimed furniture. A few of my favorite selections are the Eastlake Blue Dressor and Justice Teal Metal Shelves. Both of these options would be awesome combined with jars and vases to create a candy, cupcake or dessert buffet of any kind. If you have any questions, I’m sure you could just ask Jeni at Found as she is a sweetheart!
Every writer, even the best of the best, suffers writer’s block. Murphy’s Law of writing is whenever you’re on a deadline or in a bind, the words will escape you. Lucky for you the key to a good speech is to follow these simple directions, here ya go:
1. Be Gracious. Open your speech with a nod to the people who made it possible. Be it parents, a really talented planner or the bride herself, be gracious to them so people can relate to your sensitive side.
2. Flatter. A typical wedding speech flatters the bride and teases the groom. Don’t get those reversed or you could look insensitive. Take a quick minute to point out how beautiful the bride looks because everyone will focus on her and she’ll thank you for the extra glance in her direction.
3. Make It Personal. Share with your guests how you know the couple and what makes you qualified to be standing in front of them. Make them giggle with an embarrassing joke or gasp with surprise at an unbelievable story. Go for a joke or story that is either funny or heartfelt. Don’t try to do too much. Mixing humor with tears will make people confused and unable to tell if you’re joking or not. Stick with humor for the best man speech and heartfelt for the MOH speech or the other way around. It doesn’t hurt to coordinate with the best man to cover both bases.
4. Close with Advice. Be it a quote or a blessing, advice is the best way to close a speech. Then raise your glass to the couple and take a sip!
Just in case you’re still nervous, I’ve been slowly generating a list of some awesome openers. These options work great for wedding speeches, moving thank you notes or endearing messages to tuck into your wedding card for the new bride and groom.
“Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.” “Love is a condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” ~Robert Heinlein “Love is always bestowed as a gift – freely, willingly and without expectation. We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.” ~Leo Buscaglia “If you ever want three words that will get you out of any situation, try ‘You’re right, dear’ “ “Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.” ~Roy Goodman “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” ~Aristotle “There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.” ~Martin Luther “Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight.” ~Phyllis Diller “We love because it’s the only true adventure. “ ~Nikki Giovanni “Love is all you need.” ~John Lennon/Paul McCartney “It’s not the men in my life that count, its the life in my men.” ~Mae West “Marrying a man is like buying something you’ve been admiring for a long time in a shop window. You may love it when you get home, but it doesn’t always go with everything else in the house.” ~Jean Kerr “By all means marry. If you get a good wife you will become happy – If you get a bad one you will become a philosopher.” ~Socrates “Whoso findeth a wife, findeth a good thing.” ~The Bible “The man who says his wife can’t take a joke, forgets that she took him.” ~Oscar Wilde
Don’t forget you can always incorporate quotes from songs, poems or biblical text!
There are many traditions associated with the Big Day. Here are my top five:
White Wedding Dress: The tradition of the white wedding dress is relatively new. Queen Victoria popularized the color white during the turn of the 20th century. She chose to wear white as a symbol of her wealth and stature. The impracticality of a white wedding dress meant that only prominent brides could afford such a fashion statement. Most brides chose to purchase standard gowns that could be worn again. Which is how the tradition started, well-to-do families would purchase a white dress to showcase their wealth. It rose to popularity mid-century once the war was over and brides could afford to purchase or make their own.
According to theknot.com, the average cost of a wedding gown in 2010 was around $1,099. Not bad for a tradition that started as imitation to a queen. I’d love to know what her dress cost!
Giving Away the Bride: This tradition stems back from the days of a dowry and arranged marriages. The general idea was that women, particularly daughters, belonged to the men. So the idea of giving away a daughter literally meant the father would walk the daughter down the aisle and she was given to the groom in return for his payment. Kind of makes you wonder why we still continue with this tradition long after the women’s rights movement right? Well, today it has come to symbolize the bestowing of a blessing, offering the daughter to the groom as a sign of approval and blessing of the marriage.
The Attendants: These traditions extend from folklore and ancient traditions. The “best man” is called upon to protect the couple from harm. The term “best” refers to his swordsmanship as the mightiest was called upon to serve as protection in the event someone would try to kidnap the bride. Instead of weaponry, how about a cool personalized pair of cufflinks that distinguish the best man from the rest.
The women were used to distract the evil spirits that may enter in attempt to harm the bride. Originally the bridesmaids were supposed to wear like dresses that matched the brides so that evil spirits who wandered in unwanted would become distracted and any harm would not make it to the bride herself. Potential for life-threatening omens and bad spirits is a great reason to get your bridesmaids something pretty wouldn’t you say?
Throwing the Bouquet: The bouquet toss, and garter toss but that’s not my favorite, were originally much dirtier in nature. They were used to draw attention to their leaving the room to consummate the marriage. The bouquet toss was the bride’s way of saying she was leaving the room and the garter toss was the groom’s way of saying he was going to take off her clothes. Neither seem particularly fun to me since the bouquet is too expensive to be throwing and the garter toss lacks modesty. However, both traditions are still alive and well and garters come in a variety of styles and colors now.
Money Dance: This tradition originated in Poland in the early 1900s. This is probably my favorite tradition because of it’s playfulness. The idea was that the wedding guests pay to dance with the bride or groom. The best man starts by paying the bride to dance and then the bridesmaids do the same for the groom. Each guest only dances for a short amount of time and the cost is usually something small, such as a dollar. The tradition was meant as a way to give the bride and groom a little extra for their honeymoon or home-making.
While some may gawk at the thought of openly asking for money during the reception, personally I think this tradition is a lot classier than a garter toss as the idea of my groom getting up my dress in front of his family makes me blush. Traditionally, the bride would pin the money to her dress but how about using a small drawstring bag instead?
What traditions are you a fan of? Did you use any in your wedding celebration? Join us on Facebook and tell me all about it!
Weddings are about more than just partying and celebrating. They represent a vow that joins two people together. The sacred vow of marriage has many different cultural meanings to different people all around the world.
I came across this week’s Friday Video earlier this week. It’s not a happy go lucky video- it’s an emotional (yes, I cried a little) video that mixes up a little tears and love cocktail in the pit of your stomach. I hope you enjoy it and I hope it makes you remember why you’re getting married and why you want to spent the rest of your life with that special someone.
You spend a lot of money on them and you carry them around all day, so why not make them sparkle? I love the idea of customizing your bouquet with a rhinestone or ribbon wrap. There’s no reason to stick with boring twine or wire when you can create a feminine look in just three easy steps.
1. Prep your wedding flowers. Remove any thorns or unwanted leaves. Cut your stems at an angle roughly 2 inches from the bottom. Keep in mind you can make your bouquet stems any length you desire but keep the stems long while you work and clip them short afterwards.
Once you’ve trimmed your flowers, arrange them to your liking. Work from the inside out to create a round dome shape using taller stems in the middle. There are many different bouquet styles so research which you prefer ahead of time or you’ll be working off the cuff.
2. Secure the stems. Using floral tape, wrap the stems tightly stopping about two inches before the end of your desired length. If you’re using loose flowers you might consider using green floral wire to secure sections towards the top of the stems, this will help create more support for the neck of the flowers.
3. Wrapping your wedding bouquet. At this point you have the option to cut your stems to your desired length. If you’re wrapping the bottom of the bouquet then you’ll have to cut off your ends. If you’re unsure your desired length you can start wrapping before cutting.
For diamond wrap measure your bouquet without any overlap to create a secure wrap. If you’re using rhinestone adhesive sheets you can cut your strips accordingly and they will adhere to the floral tape securely. If you prefer the diamond rhinestone wrap I recommend using a heavy duty adhesive to adhere the wrap to the floral tape. Cut strips to wrap one time only, as wrapping at an angle will create a raised overlap.
If you prefer ribbon cut your ribbon strips three times the length of your desired stems. Starting at the top tuck the ribbon inside your stems and wrap downwards. When you’ve completed your look you can either tuck the ribbon inside the bottom wrap and secure with a pin or run the ribbon lengthwise up the stems. Secure using pearl & rhinestone bouquet pins or with a small dab of glue.
To use an family heirloom accent piece simple wrap the chain or necklace around the top of the bouquet. Secure using a bouquet pin. If you’re using a broach, use fabric or a handkerchief as an underlay. Fold the handkerchief or fabric into a strip width wise and secure using fabric glue. If the item has meaning and you want to avoid ruining it, use ribbon or a lace strip.
Personally, I love the idea of wrapping bouquet stems with ribbon and attaching a family heirloom. This is a great way to tie together something old and something new. If you’re using a family heirloom consider having your photographer take some accent shots of it so that you can frame them and gift them to your grandmother or mother as a thank you for her contribution to your beautiful wedding bouquet.
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I recently made a steal at a neighborhood garage sale. A rustic white birdcage that stands about six feet tall for 20 bucks. I kid you not. I almost felt bad for this lady selling me such a great find for so cheap. Anyways, I’ve noticed that this birdcage trend is finally catching on. Brides have been using the wedding birdcage for cards for a while now but I’m really liking the use of a birdcage as decor.
I think this look really works with white bird cage wedding decor and antique wooden bird cages. Hanging them works to create an outdoor garden look reminiscent of The Secret Garden or Alice In Wonderland pre-rabbit hole mishap. Koyal Wholesale has numerous birdcages to complete the look. Personally, I think the idea of hanging different size classic round decorative birdcages with a light bulb in the middle is pretty creative. Or, how about adding miniature bird cages and hanging them as accents for the larger ones?
Another great alternative to light bulbs, avoid the messy electrical cords by using Floralytes decorative lighting. These small wireless lights can be placed in cages, on tables or as underwater lighting. They even come in a variety of colors if you wanted to light up your white birdcages in different shades!
If you’re trying to glam up your style and add a little bit of couture so your reception isn’t too rustic try adding hanging crystal garland. How pretty would this be with swooped crystal garland and a few strands of colored paper tissue garland? Oh I’m already redesigning my reception decor in my head! Oh, this look works so well with a cute love birds wedding theme.
Saima Jamil Ashraf is one of the newest bloggers to join the Koyal team. Writer, journalist and editor, part-time blogger, full-time mom, and year-round enthusiast for all things wedding, Saima loves creating fabulous new themes and inspirations for the Koyal blog. With a degree in English and another in Media & Culture, and several years' experience as Editor for a leading women's magazine, Saima finds that writing online combines her need for expression with her joy in everything glamorous and romantic. "It's impossible not to get swept up in the world of color, vibrancy and sheer beauty of weddings... am I the only one who feels like doing it all over again - and again!?" she says.
Claire Martine is the newest member of the Koyal team. As a recent college graduate, she brings a degree in business management to our team. A current bride-to-be herself, Claire brings a fresh perspective you can relate to. Whether it’s picking out flowers or reception decorations, you’ll be along for her adventure! “There are so many options out there; creative possibilities are endless for today’s bride.” Claire loves everything vintage, DIY and garden fresh. “I look forward to blogging and sharing my ideas with our brides.” Stay tuned for her unique wedding ideas and ways to help you create your own dream wedding.
