WEDDINGISTAS | A Wedding Blog from Two Connecticut Wedding Planners

A "To Have and To Host" Giveaway!

Hopefully you got a chance to read our recent post featuring To Have and To Host and their amazing registry. If not, be sure to check it out here. Well, thanks to our friends at To Have and To Host, we are able to bring a fun contest to you! We are giving away this adorable Love is Sweet cake serving set, perfect for an upcoming wedding!

Image: To Have and To Host

The Love is Sweet wedding cake serving set comes complete in a gift box. It includes one knife and one server, made of stainless steel, pewter alloy and beautiful Austrian Crystals. This set retails for $150 but we are going to give it away for FREE!

All you have to do is visit To Have and To Host and let us know what item of theirs is your favorite and why. Just leave us a comment below with your answer. We will pick a winner at random in one week from today, which is March 25th.

Thank you to our friends at To Have and To Host for this amazing giveaway!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

Image: Martha Stewart Weddings

I can remember on those perfect Spring days (or unseasonably warm winter days) spending my entire recess time in Elementary school searching the playground for four-leaf clovers. They're not easy to find, but I was always able to come across one.  Which is why I got so excited when I came saw this fun bouquet filled with four-leaf clovers! I think this is a great little detail for all Spring weddings.  

Four-leaf clovers resemble hope, faith, love and luck. So, why wouldn't you have a few scattered in your bouquet? Ya know, just for good measure.

To Have and To Host Registries

Surprisingly, we’ve had lots of couples ask for advice when it comes to their wedding registry. In this day and age, it is more and more common that a couple would live together before they get married and because of that, they tend to have pooled all of their items together. They no longer need a toaster, a coffeemaker and wine openers. So, what do you register for? Or, for those of you who have to buy the gifts, what do you essential get the couple who has everything?

Well, I would like to introduce you to To Have and To Host, a website that specializes in unique tableware and gifts!

They are happy to share their newest feature, which is the ability to create a registry. This is great for a couple who is looking for something new and different, but also perfect for engagement parties, anniversaries and even housewarmings!

To create a registry, just follow the directions and you will be on your way to picking out your favorites. There are even some perks to opening a registry. There is a special discount offer for the first 10 registries only.  The special includes 20% off all items for your guests. Additional specials are available for the bride & groom as well.

I am absolutely in love with this Christopher Jagmin Number Package.

Image: To Have and To Host

Another one of my favorites are these great Cin-Cin wine glasses and tumblers.

Image: To Have and To Host

This squared hammered tray is great for entertaining, either casually or formally.

Image: To Have and To Host

For more information, you can check out To Have and To Host’s registry information. Also, you can call 305-970-8800 or email info@tohaveandtohost.com for more details.

What pieces from To Have and To Host would you register for? Let us know in the comments section below!

Pin the Mr. on the Man

 

 Image: Wishingfish

I came across this last night and could not stop laughing. If you’re looking for a different kind of game to play at your bachelorette party – here’s one that sounds like fun AND can be played in the comfort of your home with your ladies.  ‘Pin the Mr. on the Man’ game. Similar to ‘Pin the Tail on the Donkey’ we played at kid’s birthday parties. I’m sure if you use your imagination, you can see how this game would be played for adults. Add in some margaritas and this game sounds like endless amounts of laughs and totally worth the ten bucks.

 

Sunday Sweepstakes: Yolo’s Bridal Makeover Contest

We’re thrilled to bring this contest to the attention of all our Connecticut Brides! Enter to win over $6,000 worth of prizes from YOLO’s (You Only Live Once) Bridal Makeover contest.

The winner will be pampered like a queen and treated to the best products and services. YOLO Aesthetic boutique and Med Spa and its partners will manage an update of the Bride's wardrobe, skin, teeth, and body to enhance her true inner beauty.

Here’s how to enter:

Submit a photo and /or video (under 2 mins) describing in 300 words or less why you embody the YOLO Bride Principles. In your entry, address what makes you unique and why you are in need of a makeover.

A panel of judges will pick the best entry, and treat the bride to a complete head-to-toe makeover that will dazzle her friends, family and groom as she walks down the aisle. 

The top 50 contestants will be invited to a private Boutique Bridal Runway Show.  At the end of the event, the winner will be announced.

Entry deadline: April 16, 2010 

Approximate retail value: $6,000

Please note: This contest is open to Connecticut Brides over the age of 21 and their wedding date must be between June 2010 – April 2011. Please review the rules & policies before entering.

 

D.I.Y. Flower Wrapped Favors

Paper flower decorations seem to be all the rage at weddings lately.  It's a great way to bring inexpensive, yet fun decor to your event.  You might recognize these from the yellow-pink-navy-grey themed inspiration board I posted earlier in the week.  These DIY paper flower wrapped favors from Martha Stewart Weddings are so cute, and would certainly bring some colorful character to your wedding.

  

Images: Martha Stewart Weddings 

Directions for assembly:

1. Fill a 3 5/8-inch-high acetate cylinder with candy. 
2. To make flower, cut a 9 x 30” piece of tissue paper. Fold, accordion style, in 5” wide layers. Cut petals in smaller end; unfold and lay on flat surface.
3. Place cylinder on paper with bottom about 1” from uncut end, and roll; tape sides and bottom with double-sided tape. Tie ribbon above top of cylinder.
4. Gently peel petals down to open flower. If you use a shorter cylinder, reduce height of paper; for a multicolored blossom, wrap a second layer of paper around cylinder after first is secure; secure with ribbon.

 

Thoughts from a Same Sex Wedding Planner

We are always thrilled when other wedding professionals are willing to be a guest blogger for a day. I would like to introduce you to Bernadette Coveney Smith, who is a wedding planner that specializes in same sex weddings, which are legal in the state of Connecticut. You might remember when we featured a wedding from Heidi and Anna not too long ago. We just love when people are in love!

I have the coolest job – I’m a gay wedding planner.  I’ve been doing this in Massachusetts for six years, since it’s been legal here, and have worked with over 130 couples.  Same sex weddings are different – they have this built in sense of jubilation and triumph.  They have new traditions.  They’re rare, they’re historic and they’re very powerful.

Image: Derek Goodwin

Every year, I work with couples who come to New England from all over the country, just to get legally married.  We create tiny weddings and big weddings, elopements and over the top productions.  Throughout the course of six years, I even had my own gay wedding.

Since November 2008, same-sex marriage has been legal in Connecticut.  It’s great news and means that Connecticut is only one of six places in the entire U.S. where gay couples can legally marry.  It’s very cool – and lots of couples from neighboring New York are actually traveling to Connecticut to marry.  That works out very well because New York state recognizes gay marriages performed in other states.

It worked out well for the first gay couple to be featured in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.  These New Yorkers, Jeremy and Andrew, had a beautiful wedding in Litchfield Hills, Connecticut.   You can see the magazine feature here, but below is one of their beautiful pictures from Jag Studios.

Image: Martha Stewart Weddings

Have you been to a same sex wedding?  What was it like?

-Bernadette Coveney Smith

Inspire Me! (Yellow, Pink, Navy & Grey)

We experienced unseasonably warm weather for March this weekend and I could not be happier! All the sunshine inspired me to make a board bursting with yellows and pinks.  There's a way to incorporate these bright colors into your design and decor without it looking like a baby's birthday party. If you want to stay sophisticated with your Spring decor, add in small touches here and there.  Use base colors such as navy and grey and add pops of yellow and pink.  I love the watercolor effect in these Wedding Paper Divas invitations.  And the bold bouquet - flowers are an excellent way to bring in fun colors.  Also, I think having colorful paper-flower wrapped favors will bring in a festive Spring touch to your reception tables.

  

Bridesmaid: Evoke Photography via Love & Splendor; Boutonniere: Meghan Labarbera via Style Me Pretty; Invitation: Wedding Paper Divas; Paper Flower Wrapped Favors: Martha Stewart Weddings; Earrings: J. Crew; Rings and Sorbet: Cameron Ingalls and Cunningham Photography via Style Me Pretty; Couple: Love Life Images via The Brides Café.

 

Beautiful Dresses: Bridal Bliss Designs

  

The super talented Jane from Bridal Bliss Designs has a beautiful wedding gown collection on Etsy. She specializes in custom design reproduction. And after you get past the flirty vintage designs, your mouth will drop wiiide open from the cost. The gowns pictured are all under $600! They’re made of high quality materials and custom made... and still under $600.  It doesn’t get any better than that! 

  

 
 
Images: Tea Length Vintage-inspired Tulle gown ; Flowing Chiffon One-Shoulder Gown; Lace/Tulle Tea Length Vintage 1950's inspired gown: Bridal Bliss Designs

If I had to pick a favorite, I think it’s the lace/tulle tea length vintage 1950's inspired tulle gown (pictured last), which is priced around $587; however, Jane has a handful of other designs – so check out her collection! But the best part is, if you show her a photograph - she will recreate the dress for you. I love that kind of customer service!

 

Sunday Sweepstakes: Monique Lhuillier Wedding Gown

Image: All Movie Photo  

I’m not sure if you’ve caught previews for the upcoming wedding flick, Our Family Wedding, but it looks darn cute! The Wedding Channel paired up with them to offer a fabulous sweepstake! You could win an ivory lace Monique Lhuillier wedding that America Ferrera wore in the film AND two tickets to see the movie.

Approximate Retail Value: $6,823

Promotional period ends: March 22, 2010

In case you don’t happen to win the Grand Prize, they are offering a 2nd place prize that’s pretty great too. It includes two tickets to see Our Family Wedding and a $3,000 Bed Bath & Beyond gift card.

Please note: The winner is responsible for all costs related to alternations and cleaning that may be needed for the wedding gown and will be notified on or before March 26, 2010. You should always read the official rules prior to entering any contest of sweepstake. Then, make sure you enter this contest because it's a gorgeous gown.