Tips / Tricks : Beat the Heat!

It's June, it's Texas, it's hot! Yes it's a fact of life in Texas that can't be ignored or avoided. The best way to beat the heat for your wedding day is to stay inside, but we know that for some brides an outdoor wedding is the only way to go. So here are some tips and tricks to make sure that you, your wedding party, your family and friends, (and your photographers!) don't melt on your special day.

- For your outdoor reception, provide some cooling shade by renting a tent. Even better, rent some fans or portable air conditioners to cool your guests off. Water misters can also provide welcome relief.

- Hydration is key! Make sure there's plenty of bottled water to go around. And if your ceremony is outside, don't make your guests wait for the reception to get a drink. Have water ready for guests to pick up as they are seated. Water bottles are also the perfect place to add a little personal touch like these bottles Heather & Jarred had at their wedding.

- Try to find a location for your ceremony that's in the shade so your guests won't melt in their seats. If that's not an option, provide umbrellas for your guests so they can carry their shade with them. These custom monogrammed parasols from etsy.com would be perfect!

- For the bride, make sure your wedding dress fits the occasion. That means lightweight fabrics without too many layers. Also make sure that you wear a foundation or moisturizer with sun block in it to make sure your face isn't too rosy for photos. And carry along blotting papers in case you get a little shiny instead of powder which will just start to look piled on. For the guys, give them a break and don't make them wear the full tuxedo! Lightweight khakis and white button up shirts look just as snazzy.

- Instead of traditional programs have your program printed on a fan like these, also available from etsy.com. (Love etsy!) Or get a personal message printed on fans like the ones Brittany & Kyle had for their outdoor ceremony.

- Make sure your flowers can withstand the heat too! Native flowers might be a good option for this, after all they're used to the Texas sun! Otherwise tropical flowers like lilies and orchids will work well cause they're used to the heat too.

- Serve food that's light and refreshing. A steamy bowl of soup is probably not what your guests will want to eat while wilting in 90+ degree heat. How about a gazpacho instead?

- Summer in Texas also means mosquitos so be prepared! Citronella candles are a must. Also have repellant on hands for those of us that attract the mosquitos more than others (my blood is like candy to mosquitos!)

So hopefully these tips will help you put together the perfect outdoor summer wedding. Even in Texas!

Tips / Tricks : Go Green! Part II

If you enjoyed my going green tips from last week then you're in luck because here are some more!

• Look for vintage items to add to your wedding decor. After all, things that are already made save raw materials and energy. Ask friends and family members for unique or treasured items, or peruse antique stores for some bargain finds.

From left to right: Aerin used a small table her mom had in her home as a stand for her programs at her outdoor wedding. Heather covered up with an heirloom fur wrap from her grandmother. Cris used vintage family cake toppers as table centerpieces at her reception.

Rachel found this chandelier at an antique shop and it made a cute addition to her wedding ceremony. Sarah's vintage purse was the perfect accessory. Miranda found little old-timey glass bottles to use as table decorations and favors.

• Give out eco-friendly favors like birdseed, organic fair-trade chocolate, packets of flower and herb seeds, soy candles, or natural soaps.

Bamboo coasters from www.beau-coup.com, birdseed favors from etsy.com, handmade soaps from etsy.com, mini potted herbs from www.favorcreative.com

• Incorporate recycled items into your wedding day. Use programs made from recycled paper, candle holders made from recycled glass, even your wedding rings can be recycled! Ask close family members and friends for gold or silver jewelry that they no longer wear and have them melted down and made into new rings!

More fabulous finds from etsy.com! Wine bottles transformed into glasses, custom ring made from recycled gold, and origami flowers folded from pages of romance novels

• Have an eco honeymoon! Ask your travel agent to help you find hotels and resorts that employ environmentally friendly practices like using clean energy and working with and supporting the local community. You can even devote a part of your honeymoon to a good cause by doing volunteer work. Check out organizations like WWOOF to spend your honeymoon learning about organic farming and a sustainable way of life.

So we hope we've inspired you take a little time to think of how you can make your wedding a little more environmentally friendly. You don't have to put being eco-friendly first on your list, just go with what you love and if it's the eco option then that's a bonus! Whether you do a little or a lot just keep those three little words in mind: reduce, reuse and recycle. And don't forget to continue your green ways after the wedding!

Tips / Tricks : Go Green!

Being environmentally friendly might not be your biggest concern for your wedding day, but with a little extra thought it's not only easy to green up your wedding, it might also save you some money! This is because the best ways to make your wedding more eco-friendly are to scale down as much waste as possible and to follow the main principles of environmentalism: reduce, reuse and recycle.

There are many resources on the internet to help you green up your wedding, and I found so many great ideas that I'm turning this into a 2 part post. So here is part 1 of some great ideas for your eco-friendly wedding:  

•  Consider using an evite or setting up a wedding website where guests can RSVP online instead of sending out traditional invitations.  Or if you do send out invitations, try to find ones made from recycled paper.  Invitations from Twisted Limb Paper can also include wildflower seeds embedded in the paper.  Your guests can plant your invite in their garden and have beautiful flowers!  

• Have your ceremony and reception at the same location so your guests can save gas.  (It also helps keep out of towners from getting lost!)

• Support locals!  The further away a product has to travel the bigger its carbon footprint will be so try to find as many elements for your wedding locally that you can.  Ask your caterer to use ingredients grown at local farms, fill your bouquet and centerpieces with seasonal local flowers, serve locally made wine and beer at your reception, and give out locally made specialties for your favors.  All things local can be found at farmers markets or check out my links at the end of the post for great online shopping.

Homemade pecan brittle, handmade soaps, and local wines will make wonderful additions to your wedding

• Think outside the traditional box.  There are lots of options for centerpieces instead of flowers, which typically get flown in from far away and really only serve to look pretty then don't get much use once the night is over.  Try something edible like a cupcake tower or bowls of fruit that look great and provide a snack for your guests.  Or maybe use favors that your guests can take home with them like candles, tins of organic tea, vintage glass bottles, or frames with photos of you and your new hubby.  If flowers are the way you want to go, maybe use potted flowers and plants, which you can then plant in your garden as a continuing reminder of your wedding day!

Jenn & Gary had yummy cakes and boxes of fortune cookies for centerpieces at their reception.

• You can even go green with your dress!  Can't find the perfect dress at a bridal boutique?  Consider buying a dress at a resale or vintage shop and having it altered to fit your personal style.  Not into having something previously owned?  Look for dresses made out of organic materials like cotton, silk and hemp instead of synthetic fabrics which can be petroleum based.  There are even some green options for what to do with your dress after the big day.  Donate your dress to the Making Memories organization to fight breast cancer and so a less fortunate bride can have a beautiful dress.  Have your dress redone, shortened and even dyed to become a cute cocktail dress you can wear again.  Or make it into something completely different by using the fabric to make a quilt that will become an heirloom treasure.  And don't forget about your bridesmaids.  Don't have them buy matching dresses that they will never wear again.  Give them a color and let them buy a dress that goes with their own style to ensure they will wear it often.

Like these tips?  Stay tuned next week for more and check out these links in the meantime:

- www.greatgreenwedding.com : more tips and links for green wedding ideas

- www.ewedding.com : free wedding websites you can custom design and upload photos to

- www.crosbycafe.com : vegetarian and organic catering and cakes from Crosby Catering & Cafe in Dallas

- www.texastreats.com : give your guests a little taste of Texas to take home with them

- www.wisemanhousechocolates.com - handmade chocolates from the Texas Hill Country  

- www.makingmemories.org - donate your dress for a good cause

From left to right: Recyled invitations from Twisted Limb, A cupcake tower from Cupcake Cottage, & a chocolate topiary from Chocolate Secrets.  

Tips / Tricks : To See or Not to See

I hope everyone enjoyed our first Tips / Tricks!  For our second outing, I thought we'd go over the decision of whether or not the bride and groom should see each other before the ceremony.  For the more traditional bride out there this is a no brainer.  Not seeing each other before the ceremony is a time honored tradition, and one that most brides stick to, especially down here in the south.  And traditions are popular for a reason.  The emotion expressed when the groom sees the bride for the first time in her wedding dress is usually one of our favorite shots of the day!  But there is a case for the other side too, and brides who are not as concerned about tradition may have a tough choice to make.  Here are some examples from weddings we've done that hopefully will help you make that decision:

Aerin and Alex went the traditional route and waited for the ceremony to see each other for the first time that day.  And when they did they were both overcome with emotion!  Luckily those were tears of joy and Aerin did eventually make it down the aisle.  It was a sweet beginning to a beautiful ceremony!

Colbie and Jake opted to see each other before the ceremony so we did a First Glance for them.  This is what we call a little time set aside for them to have a moment together, so Jake could tell Colbie how beautiful she looked.  We got some amazing photos and I hope that they will help them remember this moment forever.  Having this time together gives the bride and groom a chance to get in a final I love you before they  become husband and wife, and we've also heard seeing each other before gets rid of some of the nerves of walking down the aisle.  

There are also some practical reasons for seeing each other before the ceremony.  Darcy and Tom met in the hotel lobby before sharing a limo ride to the church with their bridal party.  When we got there we shot all of their formal pics with enough time to spare for Darcy and Tom to relax a little bit before the ceremony started.  After the I do's were said they were able to head straight off to the reception and get the party going!

Buck traditional altogether and have a pre-wedding photo session in your wedding outfits like Mary & Kenneth did.  We think this is a great idea for those brides who don't mind the groom seeing the dress before the big day because it makes sure you have plenty of wonderful photos of yourselves in your wedding day finery.  A lot of times on the day itself schedules get rushed and we have to hurry through formals, maybe only getting 5-10 minutes with the bride and groom at the most.  And while we understand that you're in a hurry to get to the reception and we do our best to get you there, we would love to have more time to get that perfect shot. So this is an option that might help take some of the pressure out of the wedding day.  

So there are some pros and cons to think about when deciding whether or not to see each other before the ceremony.  In the end it's a personal choice, and one we're happy to photograph either way!  Have an opinion?  Let us know in the comments section, especially if you picked one way or the other and thought it was the right choice!  

Tips / Tricks : Buying Handmade

Hello hello! We're starting a new segment on our blog for tips and tricks we've learned that can maybe help you out on your engagement and bridal shoots and your wedding day. (Or maybe even in life in general. Well, we can try anyways.) So we hope you enjoy, and if you have any tips you'd like to share let us know!

For our first tips and tricks, do you want to add a really unique touch to your wedding? Try something handmade from Etsy.com, one of our absolutely favorite websites. It's an online showcase of all things handmade. Seriously, anything you could possibly ever imagine that's made by hand is on there. For your wedding you can find unique favors, invitations, cake toppers, jewelry, hair accessories, even the dress! Plus, since it's the people making it that are actually selling it they're usually more than happy to custom make something for you. Only one warning, it's addictive! You can spend hours browsing through all the unique stuff! So if you're pressed for time (or maybe you should be working) we found some of our favorite things for you:

For more fabulous items handpicked by Etsy editors, check out their wedding gift guide.  And try not to spend too much money!