Wedding Picture Inspirations

The day is almost here love! So far, you have planned, cried, planned, and cried again about all of this planning, and still, you must be super excited! :) I am too!

Well, something that you will absolutely want to have done that day is to capture all of the moments that you have been thinking of for months… Remember how long it took for you to choose the center pieces, make the favors, arrange the flowers… yes, make sure that you have all of those registered with beautiful pictures.

Here is a super helpful list of pictures that you may want to have on your wedding day.

P.S. Make sure to put someone else in charge of this list… just check the ones you want and let someone else make that happen ;)

Getting Ready

For the bride: ask your photographer to take pictures of you getting your make-up and hair done, as well as the classic friend or mom helping you with the zipper.

Courtesy of Nathalia Liborio Popovski

For the groom: Adjusting the tie, putting on the shoes, the suit coat, and the boutonniere.

Photo by Gleason Photography

The Relaxed Bridal Party

For the bride: The girls drinking champagne, helping the bride, and seeing the bride ready for the first time.

Courtesy of Christina Bean

For the groom: Hanging out before the ceremony, having a drink, having a cigar, whatever is that boys do.

Courtesy of Patricia S. Formigon

Details

Bride's earrings, necklace, hair accessories, shoes, and the classic items such as something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue.

Courtesy of Adrienne Burmann Schwabauer

For the groom: Cool shots of the boutonniere, colorful socks, shoes, watch and tie.

Photograph by Alfonso Longobardi

Invitations

I missed this one, but look what a wonderful job my friend Nathalia did.

Courtesy of Nathalia Liborio Popovski

Flowers and Ring

Placing the rings with the flowers is also an excellent shot.

Courtesy of Adrienne Burmann Schwabauer

The Shoes

I truly believe that is an important part of any occasion...

Photography by Danette Pascarella Photography

The Dress

Also another important part of every occasion...

Courtesy of Patricia S. Formigon

Portraits

Amazing portrait of the bride

Courtesy of Patricia S. Formigon

... and the groom

My husband Jon

Wedding Party Kids

Their entrance and they being kids.

Cutest kids

Ceremony Decoration

Rather outside or in a church, make sure to capture the isle and the alter, where the magic will take place.

Image via Best Wedding Decor

Ceremony Entrance

Of course!

Papa walking me down the isle

The Kiss

YEP!

Courtesy of Nathalia Liborio Popovski

Mother, Groom, Father, Brother’s reaction

Courtesy of Adrienne Burmann Schwabauer

Special Traditions

Traditions make your wedding ceremony unique, make sure to include those in your album.

Courtesy of Muenfun Ninnoy Hill

Reception Decor

Centerpieces, lights, candles, and even photo booth.

Courtesy of Adrienne Burmann Schwabauer

The Favors

Wedding favors are a great opportunity to say "thank you for coming!" 

The Bridal Party

You can have fun with this one ;)

Courtesy of Christina Bean

The Guys

Courtesy of Nathalia Liborio Popovski

The Girls

Courtesy of Christina Bean

The Speech

The Cake

Yum! 

Courtesy of Patricia S. Formigon

The Musician

Band, DJ, or a great violinist... Thanks Erin Wilkins Eppley

The First Dance

The guests

P.S. Make a list of the people that you absolutely want a picture with ;)

Courtesy of Patricia S. Formigon

You did it!

Bubbles, rice, treasures, chocolates, sparkles are all valid ways to exit the ceremony in great style.

Courtesy of Christina Bean

... And all the other special moments of Mr. and Mrs.

Courtesy of Muenfun Ninnoy Hil

Courtesy of Nathalia Liborio Popovski

Courtesy of Christina Bean

Courtesy of Patricia S. Formigon

Courtesy of Adrienne Burmann Schwabauer

*Special thanks to all the beautiful brides that shared their pictures for this blog. Love you ladies!

Winter Wedding Ideas

Why does summer have to get all the wedding fun?! 

I know when you think about getting married, you may not think about being bundled up in sweaters… However, believe me when I say that winter also offers great advantages when planning a wedding. First, the venue rental becomes much cheaper; Second, photographers, catering, and DJs may offer great specials, as winter is a slower time for them. Third, it is the most romantic season, filled with great inspiration and joy.

Here are a few ideas that may change your mind about winter weddings, and perhaps make you want to have one.

1. Winter Signage

Photo by Jamie Lauren Photography via Minoka Vibbs

Have fun with your winter wedding placing festive sayings as part of the decoration. “Baby it’s cold outside,” “let it snow,” and “be merry and bright,” fit the occasion just right.

2. Cocoa Bar

Image via Mountain Modern Life

Keep your guests warm by offering a fun cocoa bar option or other hot cocktails, like warm wine. 

3. Cold Pic

Photo by Rebekah Westover via Bridal Guide

Use your surroundings to take stunning and unique pictures. I bet you will hope that snows in your wedding day for pictures like this.

4. Embrace the cold weather in style

Photo by Elisa Briker via The Knot

Fur wraps adds elegance to your and your bridesmaids' looks while keeping you warm for picture time.

5. Bouquet

Image via Weddingomania

Image via Pinterest

Seasonal elements such as cranberries and pine cones sets your flowers with a nice touch.

6. Candles and lights are so romantic

Image via Junkerman Jones

Image via Elegant Wedding Invite

Consider incorporate candles and lights into your wedding decoration, providing your reception with a warm and cozy environment

The Perfect Wedding Dress

If you are like me, you absolute LOVE dresses… and when it comes to a wedding dress, some of us only have one opportunity to wear it right! So price should not matter, right?!

Well, I guess it depends on who is paying for it  ;)

It is easy to get excited about all the beautiful dresses available in the store, after all it is often said that your wedding day is the most important day of your life. Then ignoring or bumping up the original budget for a wedding gown becomes a common practice among brides.

The truth is that wanting a perfect dress and being able to afford one can be two different things. When planning a wedding, budgets come into play especially as the planning unfolds. So here are some “secrets” that I’ve learned shopping for my perfect wedding gown:

1. Perfectly good wedding dresses can be found on websites such as oncewed.com, bridepower.com, preownedweddingdresses.com, and even eBay.

Yes, they are used. But like I said, there is a good chance that someone wore these gowns only once, which means the dress should be in great condition. And unless you pay a pretty penny for a unique designer dress, someone else will also have your dream gown in a size 10. 

So take advantage of these websites and be sure to read about the gown conditions and the return policy in case the dress does not fit you perfectly.

2. Order bridesmaids dresses in ivory or white.

It may take a couple weeks for the dress to be in the store, and another few weeks to make all the necessary alterations. So make sure to give yourself enough time to have your wedding dress perfectly sized for you. 

3. Cocktail dresses are also an option.

This was the winner on my big day! nordstrom.com has great cocktail dresses that can be found in white, ivory, and other great colors. Make sure to read customer reviews on the bottom of the page, especially comments about sizes that run small or large.

Five Things Every Bride-to-Be Should Know

Congratulations on your engagement sweetheart! 

I hope you are excited because we have a lot of planning to do! ; )

When I was planning my wedding, I had no idea what I wanted. I just knew that Jon was the guy that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and that I wanted that day to represent this HUGE decision in my life accordingly.

Luckily my awesome-sister-in-law stepped up to the job and gave me some great advice in what needed to get done. One of them was to focus on two things, so I was not overwhelmed. And yet, as a really responsible, fun, and original 22 year-old BIG girl, I picked the DJ and the Open-Bar! (Hint: Please focus on something more mature… these two require no focus! lol).

Here is five things that any bride-to-be should know when planning a wedding:

1. It is essential to create a priority list

Image via One Fab Day

In fact, your next few months will be filled with lists - songs list, guest list, picture list, etc. Make sure to keep these lists organized and accessible. Creating a folder allows you to gather all your wedding planning items such as vendor cards.

Here is an extremely helpful checklist that I wish I had it when planning my wedding

2. Choose your wedding party wisely

Image via Wedding Day Pin

Please do not make this decision based on a big number, as my matron of honor loves to say, LESS is more. The truth is that the bigger the group, the harder it is to make decisions. When choosing your bridesmaids focus on who you would like to stand by your side and help you with the planning.

3. Facial and body treatments

Image via Hyancinth's Boutique and Spa

Treat yourself to a relaxing spa treatment ONE WEEK before your wedding day. My friend saved my butt on this one. I first booked my favorite spa treatment on the day before my wedding, a detoxifying body wrap. What I did not expect was to have so much toxins flushed out of my body at once. I had a crazy reaction, which thankfully went away that week, saving me from being a sick bride.

4. DIY is the easiest way to lose your marbles

Trust me girls, I tried. There I was, 22 years old with barely any money in the bank, trying to make my wedding something straight out of Hobby Lobby. My girls and I were able to make great things such as wedding favors and invitations, but I also had awe full ideas such as do my own makeup and have my friends be in charge of the pictures (which leads to tip #5).








5. Choose your priorities wisely

Image via Interflora

Unless you are an awesome makeup artist or your friends are professional photographers, do yourself a favor and hire someone that can take care of those things for you. You will not want to make more decisions that day.