Ahhh – there’s so much to look forward to in the new year! To provide some inspiration for this year’s weddings, we wanted to share this list that’s been circulating the Internet of the Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2010! (View the full article here on North Carolina wedding planner Erin McLean’s blog.) We’ll be blogging about some of these trends–and a few others!–in the coming weeks. Let us know what trends you’re seeing as you plan your wedding!
1. Focusing on Basics
2. Home / Backyard Weddings
3. Buttercream for Icing (yum!)
4. Personalized Wedding Favors
5. Local Wedding Destinations
6. Color!
7. Eco-Friendly Weddings
8. Video & Digital New-Age Ideas
9. HD Video
10. “Fusion” of Still and Video Photography
We were intrigued when our Real Wedding bride, Stacie Reidling, told us about the photo booth she rented for their wedding reception. One of our favorite local DJs, Joe Bunn, has pioneered the photo booth concept in the North Carolina region and tells us that his customers have rave reviews. You can personalize the foto strips with the names of the bride and groom or a graphic design. And guests can either keep the full strip or, to create a special keepsake for the newlyweds, the strips can be split in half with one half being pasted into a scrapbook.
We’ve also seen brides adapt the photo booth concept for a more do-it-yourself feel (check out this Wedding Bee blogger’s super informative post on her photo booth). Keep in mind you have to provide your own photographer and equipment (separate from your event photographer) to effectively pull off the concept on your own, which can get expensive quickly. Most brides tend to opt for renting the booths through their deejays or photographers.
Whichever route you choose, providing props, such as wigs, hats, and funny glasses is a definite must to encourage your guests to let loose with these strictly candid pictures. Another great element is a small chalkboard for guests to use to incorporate messages to the bride and groom into the photos.
Every bride I know looks back at her own wedding album wishing there had been more candid pictures and more photos capturing the guests having a good time. Face it, a photographer simply can’t catch everything and everyone! The photo booth idea gives couples a unique glimpse into the moments of the wedding that they might not have been a part of.
(By the way, if you live in the North Carolina area, definitely give Bunn DJ Company a call! We have seen our share of deejays and Joe consistently delivers high energy, fun events … he rocks!)
Photo courtesy of www.bunndjcompany.com. Thanks, Joe!
Among the wonderful things that come with the summer and fall season – sunshine, bbqs, and vacations – there comes the popularity of weddings at wineries. And I couldn’t be happier!
There is something very romantic about getting married at a winery – not to mention the wonderful abundance of wine that accompanies the event. I was fortunate enough to attend a good friend’s wedding last weekend at Castoro Cellers, a winery in Paso Robles, California and it was everything a wedding in wine country should be. Beautiful vineyard at sunset, delicious pairings with cheese-filled appetizers and a relaxed, rustic atmosphere.
Of course, in the midst of all the wine tasting, I was on the look out for the wedding stationery – programs, menus, place cards, etc. Her invitation was so beautiful (designed by a friend of ours Ilana Dashe who currently works privately on custom invitation designs) that I knew the rest of her paper would be equally spectacular. Her invitation and custom wine monogram was contemporary, yet still held vintage qualities that are perfect for vineyard weddings – such as a cork paper band with a richly-textured deep red pocket. Since they are a very fun and casual couple, they opted for some personality in their invitation by using a mad-libs style reply postcard – which they featured at the wedding as part of their guest book!
The couple also loves music, so it was no surprise that they gave away personalized CD’s as their wedding favors. Instead of using the typical plastic CD cases or printed paper CD jackets, they got creative and incorporated their favor with their program – one side held the CD and the other held their program booklet – complete with the vineyard motif and held together by the cork paper band.
They also carried their monogram and vineyard theme through to the placecards, which were held in wine corks and arranged on a wine barrel.
This wedding was a blast – and I now have a couple bottles of wine to remember it…
