Eye Candy for the Weekend...

I'm going to be busy moving all weekend, but in the meantime, check out THIS extremely inspirational and diy/crafty wedding on Green Wedding Shoes! It's definitely one of my personal favorites.

Sasha Souza Comes to Oregon!

I wouldn't be a good blogger if I didn't fill you in on a great event going on here in Portland. On Tuesday, February 23rd, celebrity wedding planner Sasha Souza will be holding an event at the LeftBank Annex in conjunction with ISES (the International Special Events Society). The event will run 5:30-8:30pm and not only will she be spreading lots of great ideas and notes of experience, but she'll also be autographing her book, "Signature Sasha: Magnificent Weddings By Design". You can pick up her book on Amazon.com right now for $31.95 (with free shipping) or through her website you can get a pre-signed copy for $50.

If you would like to attend, simply visit Tickets Oregon and select the February Event: ISES Portland Welcomes Sasha Souza. I guarantee the ticket purchase program is super easy! At the same time, if you'd like to grab a ticket for the Bravo! Wedding Affair on February 21st you can pick that ticket up at the same time. Cost to attend is $45 for non-members, although there is a break in cost for ISES or other organization members (like MPI for instance).

Also, if you are not familiar with Sasha Souza (FYI she used to be on Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? as a wedding planner in the first few years), check out her website here and see the amazing work she has done! If nothing else, you will definitely be inspired. She also has a blog called Sparkliatti.

Just Cuff Links

I get a lot of requests from different sites or vendors to feature their products, but rest assured I don't do that unless I really think they're worth it. The latest company to contact me, Just Cuff Links, is definitely one you might want to consider for that man in your life (whether for your wedding or just as a gift).

I am not extremely knowledgeable about cuff links, but I sent my friend Derrek to the site to give me his opinion, after I sent him a link to a pair of Phoenix Suns cuff links, because he's the one person I know who loves to wear them. He stated to me that he could spend lots of money on the site, so I knew it had to be good!

I'd recommend this site, not only because it features such a variety of cuff links (they boast close to 100,000 new and vintage pairs), but because of how you can use cuff links as another way to personalize your wedding. If you follow this blog often, you know how I say that you should make your wedding a total reflection of who you are as individuals and as a couple. Getting your soon-to-be-husband a set of Dallas Cowboys cuff links to wear on his wedding day because the man never misses a game, is something he'll always appreciate and will continue to remind him of his wedding as he wears them with business suits and other outfits.

I guarantee that pretty much whatever style you're looking for they likely have it on their site, and for even more help check out their new blog!

PS: I happened to be on the pro-football section of the cuff link site and picked the giants as the display pic because I went to school (and had class with) NY Giants player Kevin Boss.

Name Change Express

Every bride dreads the day after the honeymoon, when she comes back from her fantastic vacation to the reality of a name change. Many brides aren't aware how many forms you have to fill out, how many companies you have to notify, and how things even as small as a library card will require your action. Unless you're looking at a wedding planning book which lists all of the government organizations and companies you'll need to notify, many brides won't even have a clue as to who should be on that list.

Well Name Change Express has simplified the entire process for you. I had already seen a similar company streamline this process in Canada and I am happy to hear that Name Change Express has taken on that duty here in the US. All you have to do is visit their website: http://www.namechangeexpress.com/ and you are able to select the federal and state agencies as well as companies you wish to notify, the program gives you all of the forms you'd need to file, and you simply print them, fill them in, and sign. No calling around asking questions, having to go to a million websites to find the form, it's just here for you.

Now I wish I could say that all of this is completely free, but it's not. For FREE you are able to get a personalized guidebook and all of the federal forms printed for free. Regardless, this is a huge chunk of work off your plate. But, for $29.95 you also get state forms and notification letters, and for $79.95 you get all of the forms and matching windowed, stamped envelopes mailed to you. Personally, I wouldn't recommend the platinum package unless you really don't have the time to do any of this, as it's a lot of money for something you could do yourself for free. But for the alleviation of time, I think $29.95 is well worth it. I would truly consider it!

For more information, visit the website, or for more advice about who to contact for a name change, try The Knot's Book of Wedding Lists...it's my personal fave. Just remember anything your name is on needs changed (from bank accounts, to car titles, to licenses, to social security cards, to your own HR department, etc.)!

Upcoming Trunk Show

Just sharing for any local Oregon brides...

All About Succulents

Succulents are water-retaining plants that store water in their leaves, stem, or roots. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, but other than the quality of their beautiful looks, they are also eco-friendly and are one of the few plants used in arrangements which can actually be replanted after the wedding day.


On gosucculent.com (an online store where you can actually buy any variety of succulent) each succulent costs about $6 each depending on the species. While you may think it's a bit expensive, remember that events and weddings which often use succulents are typically very minimal in decor and require little in additional florals, maybe only including other early elements like moss and twigs, etc.

I've made up an inspiration board with a variety of uses for succulents in your next wedding or event. They can be used as table decor, in bouquets or boutonnieres, as favors, in other decor, and more.


The pictures above come from the following sources: JL Designs, Succulent Love, Kelly Oshiro Events, Ruffled Blog, and Design Sponge.

For additional ideas on how to use succulents in your next event, feel free to contact me at triedandtrueweddings@gmail.com.

Fun Cupcake Holder

I hadn't seen anything quite like this before (thank you Aunt Penny for bringing it to my attention) so I figured I'd share it with all of you in case you hadn't either. There has been a trend in corporate events to use the dessert as a centerpiece and who says you can't do that for a wedding either? Especially when it's a unique and gorgeous centerpiece like this one?


To find it, just go to QVC's website and search item: H164333.

Inspiration Board: Rustic Country

OMG can you believe it?!?! I'm finally posting an inspiration board again. This one was inspired by the photo of the bride and her bridesmaids in cowboy boots...how Silverton of them! So I gathered some other photos and thought I'd show you how I'd get inspired to create a similar wedding.


The cowboy-themed RSVP, wreath, and candelight photos are from Design Sponge, the ceremony site photo is from Ruffled, the cakes are from Tara Guerard's Soiree, and somehow I'm missing where I actually got my inspirational cowboy bride photo from (so please fill me in if you know).

I hope this leaves a few of you inspired...

Alphabet Themed Bridal Shower

So I got this idea from a Martha Stewart Weddings' daily email, but when I actually reviewed it, it wasn't as cool as I thought it might be, so here's my take on how to make this a great bash...

To hold an alphabet bridal shower, you should consider doing the following (and let's use me as the bride for instance, A-M-B-E-R):

• First off, make sure to invite at least as many women as there are letters in the bride's name (or her last name or whichever name you choose). If her name is something long, say Jenna Marie for instance, try just Jenna if you're not going to have enough guests to make it work. In the event of my name and say inviting 15-20 people, assign more than one person per letter. In this case 3-4 people would have each letter.
• Then send out a detailed invitation (which of course should have an alphabet-inspired theme) with instructions. For instance, it would instruct them to RSVP to obtain their letter. Once they had their letter they must do the following: 1) buy/bring a gift that starts with their letter. For example, if you had M, perhaps you'd select a microwave, for a B, perhaps a barstool. In the event of names with crazy letters like X..maybe allow them to pick something with an X in it, like a Netflix subscription. 2) Then they should make a personal card that has their letter on the front, and inside has an adjective describing the bride on it, with a detailed description of why they picked it. For instance, with A, one might write artsy. Then a friend of mine might describe how I am an artsy person, perhaps even including a story. These cards are very easily made into a cute scrapbook after the party. 3) Finally, using whatever crafty motives they can, each gift should have a gift tag with their appropriate letter on the front. It's a little bit of work, but believe me, anyone should be able to handle it with a little effort. The goal is not to look perfect, but to have the gift look heartfelt.
  
• At the party, try to also incorporate letters in various ways. Making sugar cookies in the letters are always fun. Perhaps the guests could even decorate them themselves and take them home as a favor at the end of the day. You could also serve foods that are either favorites of the bride or start with the bride's letters. Almonds, Milk chocolate, Berries, Eclaires, and Rum, get the hint?
• Of course decor can also be alphabetically inspired. Taking wood letters and hanging them with ribbon on a wall for display would look lovely. Or you can make a beaded monogram using a 16 gauge wire too to hang if you feel like getting creative.
  
• Or even games. What about a wordsearch you create, where you see who can find the most "(insert bride's name here)" in it? Or a where's waldo like drawing where you must find the bride's letters? What about trivia with answers that start with the letters? You can also include the groom's name or her soon-to-be last name if you'd like.
• Finally parting favors can be handed out in monogram stamped, punched, or printed boxes/bags. Of course if you can make these boxes into a display for decor during the party you're even more ahead of the game.

These are just some suggestions and the beginning really, for ideas on how to plan an alphabet-inspired bridal shower. The key is simply to rack your brain for any way you can incorporate your bridal shower theme into the event itself. Whether it's this theme, or a theme centered around their honeymoon or times of the day, etc. you should always try to think about the main party elements (food, drink, decor, invites, gifts, games, etc.) and how each can tie in to the theme in one way or another.

Well I hope this has given you an idea for the future. And look, I've actually posted twice in one day (I'm trying to make up for some lacking lately...so please do be patient with me). Happy planning!

~A

Martha's Kitchen

I think I've known the name Martha Stewart since I was little. I grew up watching her shows because my mom was a huge fan. I can say that we always made Martha's sugar cookie recipe at Christmas and I have often used her books and magazines as inspiration for decor around the holidays and other events. But more recently Martha created her own line of home goods for both Macy's and Kmart, and I have fallen in love! I happened to stumble on a huge display of her new kitchen line at Macy's the other night, and since it also incorporated many of my wedding colors I couldn't help but look at each and every item. I've gone ahead and made a kitchen inspiration board for you, out of her items, so that you can also see what I fell in love with.


Every kitchen should be this colorful and fun. It makes someone like me actually want to cook (I'm not the cooking type)! The pictures above are taken from the Macys.com website, but in the store there are even more items. I found some great cupcake boxes that my mom would've adored and some great cookie cutters too, not to mention a million more utensils. These would all be perfect gifts to add to your registry.

So what are you waiting for? Go check it out for yourself! You can never have too much of Martha...

Fabulous Stationery Find

Well I'm slowly trying to catch up on posts and re-enter the blogger world. And in the process I stumbled upon a magnificent find...one I had hoped for for awhile. Thanks to Grey Likes Weddings I found a new stationery store called MaeMae Paperie by Megan Knight Gonzalez. She is an extremely talented stationer with unique and fun ideas, and the best part is that in addition to "much cheaper than normal pricing" she also offers a "print at home option". For a small price, you receive a hi-resolution print ready file which you can print yourself on any paper you choose at home on your own printer or in a copy place like Fedex/Kinkos. This effectively will save you hundreds of dollars and yet you'll still get a very similar result. You can also mix and match printing options. Have her print the invites for instance, and you print the save-the-dates and belly band, etc.

Right now she currently has only a preview for a quarter of the designs in her 2010 catalog available, but it says the rest is due out this month. So keep your eyes peeled.

Unique Ideas

Ok so I must apologize about the lack of posting. Yes I do this often, but I pretty much took an entire month off. There has been a lot going on (believe me you have no idea) and this is the first time I've had a second to even think about a post. I also was running out of ideas for inspiration, but I have been lucky enough to stumble on a few good ideas which I think may enhance your wedding/reception.

First off, the wedding cake. My two first ideas are about the wedding cake, or rather, the setup of the wedding cake. I myself, wondered what to do with my bridal bouquets, and was going to place them along our head table in vases (pretty common) but then I saw a photo and was inspired. One bride took her bridesmaid bouquets and her own bouquet and laid them around the base of the cake and underneath it. This created the exact same illusion as when brides with larger budgets have flowers constructed to cover the entire table, which makes it look very lush.

Also, not sure where you get the sorts of cake stands which allow for room underneath them, but I saw a photo somewhere (and I am so annoyed I can't find it now) where the bride placed an old pair of pointe shoes beneath the cake. If you were planning a color scheme of pale pink and black, this would be a perfect addition. You could also think about doing something totally different with other items you place beneath or around the cake as well, to fit your own theme.

For your reception, I have seen two weddings which did something really cool with their beverages: they put them on ice, in a bathtub. Search around antique stores or estate sales or online to find a vintage/old clawfoot bathtub. Then simply fill the bathtub with ice and stick all of your beer, vintage soda, wine, etc. in it to chill. Certainly this only works with more informal weddings but I think it makes a great visual statement and is certainly effective in keeping your drinks cool.


Again going along with a vintage idea, I love it when brides incorporate antique furniture into key pieces at their wedding. I've seen old window shutters turned into escort card holders, dressers turned into gift tables, some pieces even incorporated into altars or dining tables. Of course using smaller vintage pieces, like books or glasses or frames are also key in adding a little bit of flavor and visual stimulation to your event.

But finally, the most important unique idea is to make your wedding your own. Certainly you can stick to tradition or a basic color scheme, but try to include at least one (or a million if you're like me) little things in your wedding that say something about you. Do you love board games? Have scrabble letters used on your table signs. Are you an avid sports fan? Include sports trivia in your program while guests wait for the ceremony to start. Does your husband-to-be have a love of Transformers? Buy him a set of Transformer cufflinks or include his love in your engagement pictures as seen below. But in the end, this is the one day that will be all about you. Make sure it really is!

If you have your basic wedding plan, but want some ideas for personalization, feel free to email me (triedandtrueweddings@gmail.com) your theme and some information about the two of you, and maybe I can help you come up with some additional ideas.

Happy Planning!
~A