Hanging with your girls

What can be more fun than hanging with your best girls on your big day?! Sipping on champagne, chatting it up, giggling about how the day will go and of course the time-honored tradition of being helped into your dress and shoes. So while the photographer may be snapping away during these moments, don’t forget to get a few stylized shots of your troupe before getting dressed.

Some great examples are you and your crew posing in your robs or a shot with you all on the bed or with your hands or feet together. I love a group that’s dressed alike in clothing that designates who they are in the wedding; bridesmaids and flower girl t-shirts, track suits and tank tops.

Happy Planning!!

Picture source – Pinterest

Sports (I mean Love) and Marriage – Part 1

Now that as of a few weeks ago, my football season has officially ended (my team lost in their Wild Card game) – Go Skins!!  I started to think about all the wonderful women who are football fans just as much and if not more than their significant others and how football can play a role in their wedding. Football is life for many and a lot of women are just as die-hard so getting married can also be a time to rep your squad.

There are several subtle and not to subtle ways to incorporate football into your big day. There are several so I will break up my posts into three (3) parts to attempt to cover some great ideas. Let’s start with the most obvious, your engagement session. This is a great opportunity for you and your fiancé to throw on your jerseys and have some fun. You can utilize the shots on the programs, as part of the guest book, go bold and put a shot on your save the dates or on the entry portrait to your reception. Here are some great engagement shots that utilized the football field/stadium.

Garters can also be made to match any football team imaginable. Can’t find a team garter, no biggie, when your groom takes your garter off to toss to the fellas, simply place it around a football for a little playbook action (warning – please be very careful) I don’t want the ball to end up in your wedding cake and have it demolished because somebody thought to “go long”, laughing at the thought. How cute would it be to have your ring bearer coming down the aisle with your team on the ring pillow?

Planning an elegant affair with some great football touches is easy and shows your couple personality. Of course this post is about football but touches can be added from your favorite basketball, soccer, baseball and hockey teams. Hey, I say mix them up!! I’m sure you cheer for other teams during the remainder of the year.

And for the Best Advice Ever…try not to plan your wedding around the Super Bowl.

Happy Planning & #HTTR!!

Engagement photos (clockwise from left) -

• 1st (source)
• 2nd (found via Google images)
• 3rd (source)

Ring pillow & garters (clockwise from top left) -

• 1st (source)
• 2nd (source)
• 3rd (source)
• 4th (source)

Happy New Year from Something Blue Weddings

Something Blue Weddings would like wish everyone (clients, friends & followers) a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Make 2013 a good one!!

Happy planning!!

Planning your wedding with Pinterest

Pinterest is now the most popular online tool used to plan weddings and is currently more popular than Twitter, Facebook and Wedding Forums. Which of course it would be because how do you top pictures?? You can’t!! You can’t outdo a visual and that is what Pinterest is. Shoot, I spend most of my time on Pinterest pinning wedding and event inspiration for current and perspective clients. It’s a wonderful tool and if you ever check out my boards, you’ll see that I have boards for weddings attire, wedding photography, wedding ideas and inspiration, even a board for weddings in Washington DC. If a bride or groom needs motivation to plan or a little eye candy, they will definitely find it on my board.

Check out our boards!! – Something Blue on Pinterest

Happy Planning!!

Source: Splendid Insights Global Wedding Market Study  Design: Kelly Ashworth

Picture Perfect #yourwedding

Imagine it’s your wedding day and you are having the time of your life. You see and have even posed for the several hundred, maybe even thousands of flashes going off around you and your new spouse. You know, those special moments in time that you pay your photographer hundreds maybe even thousands of dollars to capture and can’t wait to sit down and go through them all.  Now, what about those remaining flashes that were from family and friends and all of their pictures? You know, those who were snapping away with their cameras & smartphones.

A great idea is to assign a unique hashtag to your event. When friends and family post pictures to the awesomeness that are searchable social media sites and apps like Instagram and Twitter you and your guest can run a search on your hashtag and view all of the pictures that were tagged and are now associated with that hashtag. You can view them right away, that night even without having to wait the weeks it takes to view your photographer’s collection.

A great way to advertise your hashtag are to create cute little cards or small signs that sit at each table ensuring that guests will have the information handy when snapping and uploading. Another great idea is to create a large banner or sign utilizing poster board or a chalkboard to remind guests of your hashtag. Grab a friend that can draw or graphically design your event logo or monogram and don’t forget to add your event date and unique hashtag (don’t forget the “#” sign). You’ll be happy you did it!

I’m sure you won’t be taking inventory beforehand of those who will be bringing their cameras so who knows who will be taking pictures. This way you will see all of the great candid shots and you never know, some might even come out just as fabulous if not even more so than your professional photographer’s. Now besides enjoying all the photos of your special day via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter you can take it one step further and create a fabulous photo book using an online photo services such as Shutterfly, Kodak or Blurb. I’m excited for you!!

Happy Planning!!

LaToya

Hashtag board – source
Instagram cards – source