Best of {Trends}

I'm not sure how or when trends start but in the wedding industry, like fashion, there's definitely trends that come and go. There are some trends that are really "in" right now that I absolutely love (and some that just miss the boat). But the ones I especially love appear effortless but with class and sophistication oozing out of them. I've included some of my very favorite "trends" below from low maintenance succulents and herb boutonnieres and bouquets to dirty iced cakes that scream "dig in." Then there's tablescapes with lace for a dreamy romantic feel or chevron table runners with the perfect twist of spunk. And last but certainly not least, the neutral mis-matched bridesmaid dresses, perhaps my favorite trend of all. If I could, I might try squeezing each of these trends in somewhere in the day but I'll refrain. In the meantime, I'll narrow down which ones are the most appropriate for us and match the romantic and fun wedding we've been planning.

What are some of your favorite trends? Are you including any of these in your plans?

Officiants {asking someone you know}

You may remember my post about finding an officiant, here. Well I am so relieved and happy to say that we now have ours! And better yet, he is my uncle (well, he's my dad's cousin to be exact, but same diff). If you are interested in having a family member or friend be your officiant, below, you will find what worked for me!

1. Talk to your fiance about who you both would want.

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From the beginning of thinking about finding our officiant, my fiance and I really liked the idea of having someone we know. We wanted someone whose marriage, family, and values we admired. It was important to us that the person was outgoing, comfortable speaking in front of a group, and had a great sense of humor. It was also a good chance to start imagining the ceremony we envision having. Things like readings, music, incorporating a special ceremony, etc.

2. Look into the legalities.

Sources: top, above left, above right

I found this site with rules by state. Once you select the state, there is some helpful info and a list of clerk's offices in that state. We found it to be a great quick reference. We also called the office in the county where our wedding will take place and asked them some questions. For example, can our officiant be someone who was ordained online (Universal Life Church, anyone?)? And, can we waive the 3-day waiting period between getting the license and using it since we are coming from out of town? I highly recommend giving your clerks office a call.

 3. Pop the question.

Sources: top, above left, above right

The hardest part for me was asking, because I didn't want my uncle to feel pressured into saying yes. When I approached it, I made it clear that while we would love for him to be our officiant, we completely understood if he didn't want to do it for any reason. Thankfully he said yes!

Are you thinking of asking a friend or family member to officiate your wedding?

Newlywed Holiday Cards

I absolutely love receiving all of the holiday cards in the mail this time of year.  There's something special about the bright & cheery smiles of my friends & their families, something I only feel when I receive snailmail.  I have to admit however, I am a bit sad that my fiance & I decided to hold off on sending out holiday cards until once we're married.  I guess that gives me plenty of time to look at all the designs & start planning next year's well in advance, right?!  {ha!} We'll likely use a picture taken at our August wedding for our card next year, but that doesn't mean I can't dream about the fantastic winter designs.  Some of my favorites include snow, which of course doesn't frequent the city of San Francisco.  Who knows, maybe come late November/early December 2013 we'll decide to forgo the obvious wedding picture & head up to Tahoe to take some snow-covered pictures of me & my Mr.

 

Sources (from top left) 1, 2, 3, 4

 

 

Picturing Our Future

So happy to say that we can now check wedding photographer off of our to-do list! This week, we booked the amazing  Hugh Forte to photograph our wedding. Hugh first captured our tummies with the mouthwatering photos he shoots for his wife's Sprouted Kitchen blog. After learning that he was an equally talented wedding photographer, we knew that we had found our match.

Source of All Photos: Hugh Forte Photography

With so many talented photographers, narrowing it down to one was a surprisingly long and critical process for us. What I hear the most from recently married friends is that your wedding day is one of the quickest most surreal days of your life. You entrust your wedding photographer with documenting all the special moments that fly by so quickly. If your photographer can't capture the moment, it will be gone forever. Yes, I am being a tad dramatic, but really it is an amazing amount of pressure.

Source of All Photos: Hugh Forte Photography

How did you pick your photographer?

Two is Better than One {Second dress or not?}

I am a ridiculous bride. Before we knew our wedding date, venue, caterer...basically anything...I had purchased a wedding dress. I absolutely love my dress. It's everything I've ever wanted---completely over-the-top, and me. Despite that, I have a lingering desire for a second dress for the reception---something short and sparkly, that will allow me to dance the night away in July. According to Say Yes to the Dress, nearly 20% of brides wear a second dress. Personally, I find it a little hard to justify needing not one, but two dresses. But, that's never stopped me from dreaming (aka pinning up a storm). Here are a few of my favorites.

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Are you wearing a second dress?

Choosing Your Wedding Hair Style

We are under 30 days for the countdown! Ahhhh!! If you've been following my Pinterest Wedding Board then you know right now I am obsessed with finding my wedding hair style!  I know I want a soft and romantic look but am not sure if I want it all up or part up. I have my hair and makeup trial on Tuesday and can't wait!

Here are some options I love:

Updo with Veil

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Romantic Updo

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Romantic Down Hair

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romantic wedding hair

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I love her hair and make-up! So soft and romantic!

Hair and Makeup

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Until Next Week!

-Jess

Follow me on twitter @jessdawnd and my Pinterest Wedding Board

Deciding on Family Style

One of the first vendors we booked after securing our wedding venue, was our caterer. We knew that food would be a huge chunk out of the budget so we wanted to accomplish this early and have the chance to talk to and price multiple vendors. After speaking and receiving quotes from nine different caterers in the area we finally decided on our caterer. As you can imagine, lots of different suggestions were made and a large variety of menus were presented. My fiance and I have only been to weddings that had either a buffet or a plated dinner so we figured those would be our two options. Well much to our surprise, caterers started suggesting family style as a great balance between a buffet and plated dinner. Since many of them have been hired for weddings at our venue, they said it was one of their preferred ways to serve at our venue for logistical purposes. We were intrigued. After much consideration and speaking with people who have attended family style weddings, we decided to take a chance. We still haven't been to a wedding with service this way but we are excited to see it unfold on our big day.

Source: Pacific Harvest Catering

I found very few resources online on the benefits of family style versus plated or buffet so I thought I'd share a few pro and cons that were shared with me from the nine caterers we spoke to.

Pros:

Family style dinners typically fall cost wise between plated and buffet

People eat at relatively the same time

It creates an atmosphere of sharing and friendliness

People can still choose what they'd like and how much of each

Cons:

Pricier than the buffet option

Not always the chef's favorite way to plate

For guests with unique food restrictions, they still may need their own plate

Source: Pacific Harvest Catering

Source: Pacific Harvest Catering