good morning

anyone for brunch? gorgeous china, a simple boiled egg, toast soldiers with homemade blackberry jelly with a good book is what i call a good morning. and don't for get some sweet macaroons to finish off the moment...


{images: The Selby, NY Mag via Patricia Grey}

News!

good morning!! i am so excited to share with you all that Weddings Fresh has been featured in this season's Get Married Magazine! whoot!!! i am so pumped about this, i could barely stand it when i received my copy in the mail yesterday!!! so proud :) and i also want to give a big shout out to Get Married by letting you in on their most recent giveaway for brides and vendors alike! so check them out--they are full of inspirational eye candy, insider tips and this month an interview with project runway's designer Anthony L. Williams on how to be fabulously retro--love it!

thank you, wendy and Get Married!!

GET SHOPPING + START SNAPPING TO WIN BIG!

SHOP: Pick up your fall issue of Get Married (available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Target, CVS, Kroger, A&P, Waldenbooks, Book World, Hasting, Books-A-Million and more). Your first issue is FREE by registering at www.getmarried.com

SNAP: The most creative, fun, outlandish shot of our cover that you can dream up!

SHARE: Tweet your favorite picture to @GetMarried (you MUST include #getmarriedcontest AND @GetMarried in your tweet), or post your pic on our Facebook wall (become a fan of Get Married @ http://www.facebook.com/GetMarriedMedia)

WIN:
Vendors: A FREE listing in the fall issue of the hottest new bridal magazine
Brides: A one-year subscription to Get Married magazine

GET INSPIRED + GET PLANNING: Our fall issue features more of what you want!

* Bridal trends and this season’s hottest colors to fit every bridal style

* Real wedding stories

* Sultry Beach Getaways: (with a chance to win a honeymoon!)

* Celebrity spotlight: Television personality, Bethenny Frankel and former Miss America Katie Stam

Pick up your fall issue of Get Married and Get Creative! Contest ends Monday, August 30th.

Pretty Pink Party

good morning! i know i'm not big on posting pink, 1 year old birthday parties here on Weddings Fresh but that doesn't mean i don't gush over them! i couldn't resist my good friend's beautifully sweet design from her little Anya's first birthday! she's one of those women, and especially moms, that you look at and wonder how she has time to be good at everything she does--cooking, photography, sewing, baby hair accessories design and now to the list, pretty party design!!

love you, min! check her out, Mindy Strauss, for more!




{images: mindy strauss photography}

Gown Friday

i can't express to you enough how wonderful my day was yesterday! my kiddos were with my in-laws, the sun was out, time was infinite and opportunities arose out of each and every step. i am so thankful for the time away and moments to collect thoughts and dreams. with that in mind, i stopped by Aspiring Couture to check out their bridal collection by Blushless. this online site was created as a platform for up and coming independent fashion designers to flourish and find their own niche in the couture world. i love the idea of coming alongside young, fresh minds and giving them a place to grow and be seen!!!

i was introduced to Blushless about a year ago, and they have truly taken their own high fashion bridal to a new level. perhaps not for the traditionalist out there, but i think you brides might be surprised at just how fabulous you would feel in these couture designs. some of these dresses are a perfect fit for any bridal shower or rehearsal dinner you may be attending--of course, that is if you are making the party a true party! you don't want to show up over dressed to your own shower... :)

hope you have a fabulous weekend!! see you on monday...

...a little more.

...i'm continuing today. here's another stunner from Olivia Graham for Town & Country Weddings.

{images via dustjacket attic}

a little break...

i'm taking a little break today to do some personal inventory. it's important to do that every once and a while. for faith, for family, for friends, for business, for life...

{image: jose villa via joy thigpen}

Real Wedding: Rachel Grace Photography

good morning! i received this wedding a couple of weeks ago from Rachel Grace Photography and have been so excited to share it with you! the couple, Adrienne and Evan, wanted to spend the an entire celebrating their union together at Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO, by holding their ceremony in the morning light and a romantic reception in the warm evening. gorgeous! i adore the bride's dress--so perfect for an outdoor wedding in the sun!!

thank you, Rachel and we wish you the best, Adrienne and Evan!!












Vendors:
Wedding Planner: Talia Events
Florist: Cori Cook Floral Design
Music: A Music Plus
Ceremony: Chautauqua Park
Reception: Hotel Boulderado
Dress: Anna Be

Trendspotting: Untamed Petals

it's nice to be home! we had such a wonderful time at the beach! it was the first time for both of the boys visited the ocean and they had a blast! i wanted to give a big shout out and thank you to the blogs who have recently featured the Romantic Garden Party shoot: Project Wedding's: Lovely Day, Lucky Me! and Grey Likes Weddings! if there are more of you out there who have shared this labor of love with your readers, to you i sincerely say, thank you. it was so fun to create and i am so excited to do it again in the near future!

i know i just posted about flowers in your hair last week, but i thought we could look at the more modern, creative side of the trend. i found these fabulous hair accessories this morning from Untamed Petals. i absolutely love 'em! there are great benefits to having a custom, fabric hair piece. 1) they won't brown, wilt or fall apart (hopefully!) during your wedding day 2) you can create almost anything to give you the exact look you are hoping for and 3) it is a beautiful keepsake you can cherish in the years to come. do you ladies have a preference??

Gown Friday....or Thursday?

i'm in the midst of packing up, what seems to be our entire house to getaway for 3 nights at the beach! oh dear, there's a lot to be done! here is the latest designs from my good friend Amy-Jo Tatum. she is an incredible designer with clients who voted her in the top 10% in WeddingWire's 2010 Bride's Choice Awards! what an honor and congrats to the beloved, Amy-Jo! she has plenty more designs available on etsy and her website. check her out, ladies!

i hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!







{images: #1-2 as noted, the remainder Stuart Lirette}

Trendspotting: Flowers in Your Hair

good morning! i'm sorry i miss you guys yesterday, my family and i are getting ready to move in the next couple of weeks and we have been trying to tie up the loose ends with our new house. so excited but there is a lot to do!!! and we just so happen to be leaving town on thursday--everything seems to happen at once, doesn't it?! so i will be absent on Friday but i have a special Gown Friday for tomorrow!!

i love these creative hair accessories from Poppies & Posies. especially the succulent--so organic and so fresh! i used real flowers in my hair for my own wedding. i loved the fact it was not only less expensive (ya!) but it really added a romantic touch to my look. i chose the Gardenia because it was a beautiful, full white flower. and i bought two to keep them looking fresh for my pictures & ceremony as well as the reception. i was a little nervous because it was 100 degrees that day, but they both held up perfectly! are you wearing flowers in your hair??




{Floral Designs by Poppies & Posies}
{Photography by Jen Huang Photography}
{Models: Erica Lubitz, Ellen Totten, & Jasmine Johnson}
{images via Wedding Chicks}

Broach Bouquets

good morning and happy monday! yay for cooler weather today in Portland--i feel like i can breathe again!! today, i'm sharing some of the latest from Studio del Fiore . Lisa was the talent behind the floral design with me for the Romantic Garden Party concept shoot we did a couple weeks ago! (check it out if you haven't yet!!)

in her constant quest to find new, relevant and creative mediums of design, she found her inspiration in an old box of old broken broaches and mismatched earrings she received from her aunt. there is a lovely random nature to these broach bouquets that makes for a beautiful, eclectic mix or old and new. i love her use of the traditional to create something very non-traditional!

if any of you out there have your own broaches you would love to use, ones that have been in your family for years or some you have just found, Lisa would love to create a one of a kind bouquet for you! if you don't have any, she can help you find what you are looking for as well!

thanks, Lisa!

Trendspotting: The Little White Dress

seriously, ladies, it's too hot to blog today...my house is like a little hot box in this 99 degree weather. these retro inspired wedding dresses photographed by Olivia Graham for Instyle Weddings are fabulously hot in their own right. gorgeous! these have to make you reconsider wearing a little white dress for your wedding, right?! love it!



{images: dustjacket attic}