Engagement Session with Megan and Jeremy

This past weekend I headed out with my friends Megan and Jeremy to shoot some engagement photos. We had a blast, especially taking a little walk with Miss Stella (she was such a good model.) Then after our time among the nature, we headed to Main Street in Manayunk for some photos of beer -- and maybe a little whisky too. Check out more photos of this awesome couple below. Congrats Jeremy and Meg! 

Apples & Salted Caramel Bridal Shower Favors

One of my co-workers is getting married this weekend so we wanted to put together a little bridal shower before her big day. We gathered for a nice luncheon and I was in charge of putting together favors for the occasion. I immediately turned to the interwebs for some inspiration. Since it's fall and all I thought an autumn-themed gift would be appropriate and I personally like favors that are edible. That landed me on this cute idea, and apple with a little jar of homemade caramel. You would think that caramel would be too tricky to make at home, but believe me, it's really easy (no candy thermometer needed) and probably tastes better than anything you can buy in a store! Get the full recipe for the homemade salted caramel plus links to make the favors below. 

The Best Way to Preserve Your Wedding Gown

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UPDATE: Blushing Bride is offering a $10 discount for all Marissa says... readers that place an order in October! Be sure to mention this blog when you place your order! 
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Have you ever wondered what people do with their wedding dresses after the wedding day? Let me tell you. They pay an insane amount of money for it to be cleaned, like hundreds of dollars... and then it gets bagged up and hung in a closet somewhere only to be pulled out someday when their daughter asks about it. Where's mine, you ask? Sitting in said closet, in said bag.

I know, I know some ladies pay an arm and a leg to have their dresses preserved, and where do those sit? In a closet or attic in their preservation boxes. If you're really crazy, you might do something like this. But honestly, that's a bit much. 

Well, I have a treat for you. Whether you're a bride who wants to remember her beautiful wedding day, or a special friend of a bride-to-be looking for a unique gift, these beautiful artistic creations from Brushing Bride are the perfect solution to capture your wedding dress in a timeless (and space-saving) way. I had the opportunity to talk to Krystina, owner and artist behind Brushing Bride and learn about how she started her business and what she loves most about creating these beautiful works of art. 

Happy anniversary my love!

This guy. Will you just look at him? How handsome is he?

Where did the past two years go? Scratch that... where did the past eight years go? It's been a wild ride and I'm so happy that we're on it together. And something is telling me that this next year is going to be our most exciting year yet :) 

Thank you for always strengthening my faith and reminding me to stay humble. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’m so blessed that we get to spend the rest of our lives together. Happy anniversary my love. 

Wedding related posts:

• Happy Anniversary BryGuy - One Year Anniversary
• Tips for future brides - Part I
• Tips for future brides - Part II
• Our "Style Me Pretty" wedding debut
• Our wedding photos have arrived!
• Post-wedding depression is legit

2014 wedding guest style guide

Wedding season is upon us, my friends. It seems to get longer and longer each year. From May through October you can count on attending at least a few weddings each year, especially if you're in your mid-20s or 30s. I pulled together 11 options to serve as inspiration for your next soiree. My number one requirement when choosing a dress to wear to a wedding is comfort. Basically, I plan to be doing a lot of eating and dancing and therefore I need a dress that's going to hide my food baby, and not look risque on the dance floor. Keep reading to see my picks for 2014 wedding season. 

Maria and Anthony tie the knot

Last weekend we headed up to Boston to spend the week with friends and celebrate the union of two wonderful people. We had a blast! Somehow, I managed to stay in my shoes all night long, which is a miracle. BryGuy and I celebrated our anniversary at midnight by dancing to our wedding song.

Happy Anniversary BryGuy!

I try not to get too sappy here, but ya know what?! This is my blog. So I'm going to do what I want.

Happy One Year Anniversary Bry! One year isn't that long, but we outlasted Kimmy K and Kris, so that's something right?! To the man who can always make me smile and laugh and who frequently turns my bad days into good ones -- I love you. Here's to one year down and 60+ to go.

Our "Style Me Pretty" Wedding Debut

We're so excited and honored to be featured on the Style Me Pretty: New York wedding blog! SMP was a blog I always browsed when I wanted to swoon over gorgeous, detailed, and highly personalized weddings during my planning days.  

I was one of those crazy bride that actually enjoyed the planning process and I didn't want the wedding to actually come, because that would mean it was all over! BryGuy and I were so lucky to work with wonderful vendors that made the day extra special. 

See our post on Style Me Pretty: New York - Upstate Wedding from Bailly Photography 

You might be interested in reading:

• Post-Wedding Depression is Legit
• Tips for Future Brides - Part I
• Tips for Future Brides - Part II

Our Wedding Photos Have Arrived!

Yes, we are in the pouring rain with no umbrella.

After a much-anticipated few months, we finally have our wedding photos in hand. I could not be happier with the results! The images truly capture what a great day it was. 

After a restless night of sleep on the night before my wedding I awoke to a muggy September day with an afternoon tornado warning (yeah, you read that right). Maybe some brides would go into freak-out mode about the weather, but not this one! I was determined to be calm, cool, and collected and roll with whatever the day decided to bring on. 

Truthfully, the rain was a blessing in disguise. Even though we weren't able to go to the three locations we had scoped out for photos, our photographer knew about an area that was covered, but would still give us the look of being outside. (This is really important: hire a photographer that knows the area well, so he/she can think on the fly about creative alternatives to your requested spots). 

Tips for Future Brides - Part II

This is part II of the "Tips for future brides" series. See Tips for Future Brides - Part I here. 

Limit your DIYs. 

Stick with your area of expertise and know what will just be an added stress. As much as I seriously considered the idea of making my own centerpieces, I came to my senses. I am however, pretty handy with some graphic design software and figured I could put that to use by making my save the dates, ceremony programs and menus. I also rigged up a weird light-box thing in my living room to do my own calligraphy on my invitations. The key is to pick things that won’t take more money (remember time = money) than they end up appearing to your guests. If you have some Photoshop skills NextDayFlyers has a great product line at really affordable prices. If you're a novice designer looking for something pretty basic, Vistaprint has some decent offerings as well. 

DIY  save the dates, ceremony programs, and menus

Stay organized. 

I was a big proponent of spreadsheets as an organizational tool. I had a spreadsheet for my to-do checklist, one for the budget, and other for the guest list (which turned into the RSVP tracking sheet as well). Whatever your organization method may be, make sure you’re staying on top of it. I also had a binder to keep all receipts and contracts in one place. See my month-by-month to do list for wedding planning. There were many websites and books with various checklists but I found that none of them were comprehensive enough for me, so I made my own. The bottom line is, you should use whatever organization method that works for you.

Be ready for stressful moments. 

You will likely have tricky RSVP situations, disagreements about the guest list, and last minute additions and cancellations. Realize that these are natural and unavoidable things, and try to make those “situations” last for the least amount of time possible. Work with your fiancé and family to come up with a solution and determine who’s responsible for taking action on it. 

Choose your vendors wisely.

I cannot stress how important this is. Your hair and makeup team are some of the first folks you see on your wedding day, are they going to keep you relaxed, make you laugh, and help you feel beautiful? Mine did, they were absolutely fabulous and I couldn't have picked a better team to work with! Your photographer is going to be by your side all day. Are you comfortable with him/her? Does he/she mesh with you and your groom's personalities. While there are lots of choices and reviews out there, one of the best sources of info about prospective vendors is your friends and family. Find out who they used, whether or not they liked working with them, and whether or not they'd hire them again if they had to do it all over again. 

I can honestly say that all of my vendors were amazing and I would hire them again in a heartbeat. I'm going to write reviews about each of them, when I do I'll come back here and provide the links directly to my reviews. 

• Venue: The State Room (Tom and Lisa)
• Photographer: Bailly Photography (Matt and Ben)
• Cinematographer: NuVue Cinema (John)
• Hair and Makeup: True Grace Makeup (Jen and Chris)
• Florist: Anthology Studios (Kara and Evan)
• Cake: Coccadotts Cake Shop
• Entertainment: DJ TGIF
• Transportation: Premier Transportation Group
• Dress: Ferri Formals
• Alterations: Elegant Fashions
• Tuxedos: Tuxego
• Jeweler: AR Morris Jewelers (in Delaware)

Let your fiancé have his things. 

Once your guy does all the hard work of picking out the perfect engagement ring for you, the spotlight moves away from him and onto you. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the things that you want, that you fail to ask him what he wants. Do the occasional check-in, “Hey, do you want to help me pick out the invitations/centerpieces/bridesmaid dresses? No? Okay, I got it covered.” There were some things that BryGuy really cared about, the music and his attire. So I let him take the lead in both of those areas. Ultimately, it took some things off of my plate and gave him an important role in the wedding planning.

That's James Bond, not my husband...my husband's tux was way better.

See Tips for Future Brides - Part I here. Also, you might be interested in finding out how I'm getting over post-wedding depression. 

Did I miss any good advice that we think future brides out there should be aware of?!

Tips for Future Brides - Part I

One of my family friends recommended that I write a blog during the wedding planning process to help future brides. I liked the idea, but was not sure how I would be able to transition the blog post-wedding. The truth is, my wedding planning went as smooth as such things can go, and I may not have been much help. There were a few tidbits I learned along the way that I’m happy to share.

As I started to write my "tips" I realized I had more to share than I expected and therefore have split this up into a two-part post.

Read Tips for Future Brides - Part II

Start early. 
Whether you are planning with a few months lead time or years in advance. Do as much as you can, as early as you can. For certain things like choosing your venue, or picking vendors (dj/band, florist, caterer) do some initial research, narrow it down to a few options, get quotes, make your decision, and book it. The longer you think about the possibilities, the more stressed you will become. Also, you will need to buy a lot of things for the wedding: veil, shoes, accessories, undergarments, etc. If you buy these things early, it won’t feel like you’re running around like a shopping maniac in the last few weeks. Here is my month-by-month to do list for wedding planning. Hopefully it helps someone somewhere - obviously you can modify the timeline to meet your own needs. 

Be realistic. 

Yes, Pinterest has amazing wedding pictures and tips,. Yes, there are hundreds of blogs you can read that will inspire you. But, do you have an unlimited budget for your big day? NO. (Well, if you do then we probably can’t relate and this blog may not be of interest to you anymore). My point being - there is only so much you’re going to be able to cram in between day one of engagement and the wedding day. Be realistic about what you can do, what you can afford, and what your expectations are.

My Pinterest Wedding Board

Have a rain plan. 

Believe it or not, it does rain from time to time. (See my photo in the banner? Yes, that’s rain pouring down on us.) As much as we all want the gorgeous sunny, not-too-hot, and humidity-free wedding day, sometimes that’s just not in the cards. If you’re okay with the fact that it may be rainy, cold, or otherwise not ideal for an outdoor wedding, then feel free to plan wedding activities outside. But always, I repeat ALWAYS have a contingency plan. If you do happen to have rain on your wedding day, you will hear your fair share of people saying it’s “good luck”, which may or may not be true, but it does have its advantages! Because of the rain, the groom and I were able to spend more time at our cocktail hour and EAT because we weren’t driving around for photos in three locations. Also, because we had an amazing photographer (Bailly Photography), we got one of the most unique and beautiful rain photos ever! If it rains, embrace it, get out there and get wet!

Another rain photo courtesy of @baillyphoto on Instagram 

Believe in your decisions. 

You’re going to be making what feels like one million decisions for your wedding. For those indecisive individuals out there, not believing in your decisions will make you question everything and will become a burden. Try to make an informed and gut decision -- then stick with it. There was a reason you decided that color/vendor/invitation/insert noun here, now accept it and move on. 

*Bonus tip: A great piece of advice my husband’s cousin gave me was to number the back of the rsvp card - the number corresponds to the guest’s row on your spreadsheet. You will not believe how many people either don’t write legibly or just leave their names off the rsvp card altogether.

Read Tips for Future Brides - Part II

Also you may be interested in learning how I'm fighting post-wedding depression. 

Post-Wedding Depression is Legit

Image from Save the Date Events blog

I knew it would happen to me. I saw it coming a mile away, and yet, I still wasn't prepared. Post-wedding depression smacked me in the face the moment I stepped foot on U.S. soil after my honeymoon.

Let me back up, I LOVED planning my wedding and I genuinely enjoyed every single part of it. Don't get me wrong, there were some stressful moments, but I never hit that point where I thought, "I'm tired of planning and just want to have the wedding already!" My absolute favorite part of the process was the browsing and dreaming. With thousands of wedding blogs and an entire wedding section on Pinterest (see my Wedding Board), you can get lost for hours just looking at beautiful, unique, and really personal weddings. Needless to say, I spent far too much of my free time after work and between gym sessions browsing, getting ideas, and envisioning our special day.

Once the wedding was over BryGuy and I would reflect on how awesome the day was, recapping our favorite moments. Pictures started coming in from friends and family that allowed us to relive the day while on our honeymoon. Once we returned from vacation I started to face the grim reality that awaited me, I was going to have to go back to "life as usual." I had no big event to look forward to anymore, no blissful vacation to talk about, and I started to get really sad. That’s when I knew that post-wedding depression was a real thing. But I’m determined to snap out of this in a timely fashion.