INSPIRATION: Pink, Black and Platinum...oh my!

It's been a while since I've found images of our colors that wowed me.  Our colors are pink, black and platinum and while pink and black seems to be hot now, it's often paired with white.  I came across this picture and immediately fell in love! Check out how they use the platinum for a little (not not too much) bling effect...

Photo credit: http://www.weddingplanningadvice.net

Favors, Trinkets & Other Such Things...

My recent excitement over the 50% off sale over at The Knot Wedding Shop got me thinking about purchasing things for a wedding (or any other occasion) that will have little or no value to the recipient or any use after the event.  For example, we all attend weddings, parties, etc... and receive a small gift or goodie bag and while it's nice; most of the time it simply winds up in the trash or forgotten about in some dusty corner of the house.  The sad part is, that someone spent a good chunk of change on your forgotten prize.

I don't want to do that.

I want almost everything for my wedding to have a use that surpasses that one day.  So I am very hesitant to invest in cute little trinkets that wind up being "throw-aways" or "forgotten abouts".   Don't get me wrong I am a fan of cutesy favors and trinkets but when it comes to spending my money, I want to ensure that I get the most bang for my buck.

So what did I find that I thought was a great buy? Here are my top 5!

Unity Sand



So my gf wants a Unity Candle for our wedding. Cool. But the fact that it once the wedding is over the candle gets tossed or forgotten about...not so cool.  So when I found this Unity Sand Set I thought we just have to have it.  Here's why I like it:

1. We can incorporate our wedding colors
2. We can keep it forever as a symbol of our commitment and our wedding day
3. It's a great conversation piece
4. It's soooo pretty!!

Bubbles!


I do love bubbles!  And I really love these because they are 50% off at The Knot, they come in a variety of colors and styles as well.  Did I say they are 50% off?  I get 48 of these for just $6!!  This is great since we will have kids at our wedding PLUS the bubbles dissolve when they hit the ground so no mess!  And the tubes are recyclable! 

Blume Box


These are cute little pop-up vases that can be used as centerpieces which guests can take home.  What a treat!  These vases are affordable (2.99 on sale) and make great gifts for your guests.  They do double duty as decoration and as gifts.  Love it!

Matchbooks


Not an uncommon favor, but I think its certainly useful.  Even as a non-smoker I do have a need for matches.  And what a great way to remember a special occasion than with personalized matchbooks?  The Knot has a great deal on them, just $18 for 100. This isn't mandatory, but certainly not a budget buster and will most likely be put to good use.

Personalized Chocolates!!


Both my gf and I are chocolate lovers! I just can't image not having a few of Hershey chocolate with our personalized wrappers on them at each guests place setting on our wedding day.  I just think its a wonderful touch and sooo cute! I can't imagine these lasting for very long. Plus you can get 100 for $30!

Visit The Knot Wedding Shop for all these products and others.  Also check out etsy.com for some cute finds too!

9.5.2010 Diary: No Thank You...We Will Pass On Your Advice...

That's what my gf said when I presented her with the idea of having a bowl asking for people to give advice to the newly married couple (us, of course) at our wedding.  This was so funny to me simply because whenever I ask my gf a question, I rarely get a definitive yes or no.  It's usually, "whatever you want to do, babe", but when I asked her about this I got a loud and clear "NO!"  LOL!

I was inspired by the picture on the right, which I thought was a good idea. But my gf clearly pointed out that most people in her family aren't in happy relationships and/or are on marriage #3.  And I can honestly say that most people in my family aren't in relationships, period.  As the saying goes, never take advice from anyone you wouldn't want to trade places with.  Asking someone who never had a strong, happy and fruitful relationship about how to have a great marriage is like asking a poor man how to be rich.  I still think this is a great idea, especially if you have people whom you know can provide good insight and tips.  But for our wedding, it's a no-go.

But here are some ideas that we plan on using:

What an awesome idea!  A coloring book for the kiddies to give them something to do...if even for just a few minutes.
Of course, the cover would be different!  But this is genius and simple!

These are memory candles. What an awesome way to honor the memory of loved ones who have departed.  I want to do this in honor of my mom.  I figure we can do a few and my sisters and brothers can each take one.

All photos courtesy of: http://blog.splendidweddingco.com

INSPIRATION: PINK & BLACK = MARVELOUS!

Photo courtesy of: http://blog.splendidweddingco.com

INSPIRATION: How Can You NOT Love This?

I love information.  I mean magazines, books, websites, you name it...I'm absorbing the information like a sponge!  I like to gather a lot of information, concepts, ideas analyze it and then make a decision.  Which is why I will post a lot of pictures and things that inspire me.  So when I saw this, I couldn't help but to post!

Ladies and gentlemen. This is truly art.  Art invokes emotion and even though some styles don't suit me I can still appreciate the beauty and work that went into creating them.  All of the pictures above are from kio creations, an event planning company in Naperville, IL.  Kio Kreations is a creative services company specializing in floral design, graphic design and out-of-the-box thinking.  They do so much more you just have to check out their website and learn more about them!

I wonder what the market is for same-sex weddings in IL?  It would be great to chat with the brain behind kio creations and learn more about what they do and their experience with same-sex weddings.  An interview coming soon?