Friday Favorites: Love Wins!

My favorite thing this Friday, you ask? Well, that's an easy answer: SCOTUS RULED IN FAVOR OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY! With this ruling, all state bans on same-sex marriage are struck down, and marriage equality is the law of the land. Words cannot describe how proud I am of my country today. Please enjoy/sob uncontrollable to the video below, which was actually released from the Hillary Clinton Campaign just days before this ruling. It's pretty beautiful so get your tissues ready. And the White House in Pride colors! Can we just change the White House to the Rainbow House from now on? It's gorgeous! Now, bring on the wedding cake an let's party!

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Back to Business!

Well, sometimes you blink and seven months go by. Grad school took over, and this little blog took the back seat. Not only did school take up nearly all of my time, whenever I did have a small break from writing papers, I just couldn't bring myself to sit down to write for fun. But the good news is I've graduated and now have my Master's! And so, I'm back to bridal blogging!

Even though I took a step back from posting, following bridal was a really great way to pause, take a break, and recharge. Of course, Pinterest is an easy way to keep up with trends, but I thought I'd also share the other tools I've found to be easily accessible and enjoyable, even when super busy.

Instagram is a perfect way to get a quick fix of just about anything having to do with weddings -whether it's fashion, flowers, table settings, stationary, etc. Here are just a few of my faves to follow:

 Calvet Couture Bridal: @calvetcouturebridal

www.instagram.com/calvetcouturebridal/

Super Event Weddings: @super_event_weddings

www.instagram.com/super_event_weddings/

Maggie Louise Bridal: @maggielouisebridal

www.instagram.com/maggielouisebridal/

Another way I get a quick fix of wedding pretties is The Knot's Look Book app, which is free in the iTunes App store. You can browse wedding dresses, rings, accessories, and more, with new featured designs posted regularly. You can use the app without logging in, but if you submit your email address and a wedding date, you can save your favorite picks. If you're comfortable sharing your location with the app, it can even show you where certain products are available in a store near you. It's good for browsing, and includes many of the same product details available on the www.theknot.com.


Update: Just started playing with the "Discover" feature. It's kind of like Tinder but instead of strangers, it's wedding dresses. YES. PLEASE. 

Finally, I just found a wedding podcast I'm really enjoying, which is great for long commutes. It's called Wedding Podcast Network. The episodes I've found are actually a couple years old, so it might not be the best source of current trends, but it is entertaining and educational. I recently learned a lot about stationery. They talk to a variety professionals in the wedding industry, and it's fun!

I Do...nuts. Doughnuts.

Let's get one thing straight. I love doughnuts. Who doesn't? I also love creative weddings, which is why I think it is super rad when couples incorporate doughnuts into their big days. There are a few different ways this can be done. Doughnut wedding cakes can be a absolutely stunning, and make life easier as they don't need to be sliced. Doughnuts as favors are also a great option - again, who doesn't like donuts? Your guests will be happy and it can be a nice way to incorporate a rustic or fall theme into your favors.

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One of the coolest way to incorporate doughnuts into a wedding? As the cocktail hour! I was at a friend's wedding last month that had a "cider and doughnut hour" and boy, did I feel the love! It was perfect for this October wedding with an early afternoon reception. And it was perfect for the couple. They love visiting local cider mills every fall, and their wedding cider and doughnuts came from their very favorite mill. Not only was it adorable, season-, and time-appropriate, but it also conveyed a part of the couple's special story.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the cider and doughnut hour at my friends' wedding. Let that be a sign of how good of a wedding it was; I was far too busy crying, laughing, eating, dancing, and crying some more to take pictures! But, here are some ideas I found around the web that could inspire a beautiful alternative cocktail hour...

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Friday Favorites: Bridal Fashion Week *Saturday Morning Edition

Happy Fri... uh, Saturday! Life happens, and before you know it, 20 days pass without a blog post! To get back into the swing of things, here's a Friday Favorites, one day late. Bridal Fashion Week was a great time, surely for folks attending runway shows and galas, but also for the common Instagram follower. Here are some of my favorite Instagram pics from #BridalFashionWeek!

@wedberry_com

@badgleymischka

@bridalmusings

@amsalebridal

@calvetcouturebridal

@misshayleypaige

@wedberry_com

Refined Wedding Showcase!

It's hard to believe that the Refined Wedding Showcase was already a week ago! A friend and I drove 5 hours last Sunday to Events at Refinery where we had the chance to meet Randy Fenoli! Before his hour-long presentation, there was a bunch of cool stuff to look at. Fun DJs, prop rentals, a pole dance instructor doing demos, etc. AND there was cake! 

There were dresses galore! 

Then there was Randy! His presentation was hilarious, informative, and inspiring. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone talk for an hour straight with that much energy. As if that wasn't enough, he followed his presentation with a lip synced rendition of Pharrell's 'Happy'. And then he met with every person who came to the showcase. Not only for a quick "Hi" and photo op; he spent time really talking, listening, and laughing with people. I spoke with him for about five minutes and presented him with the cross stitched "Hello Beautiful" I made for him. He was so sweet! He even asked if it was OK for him to change the frame it was in so it would match his apartment. 

He mentioned during his presentation that he was staying at the same hotel as us, but we didn't actually think we'd see him. As we were checking out the next morning, though, we saw him in the lobby. He was such a good sport. It was an AWESOME ending to a very fun weekend!

Friday Favorites: Fall Bouquets

Autumn definitely seems to be the hot, or rather cool, season for weddings these days, so here are a few beautiful fall bouquets for your viewing pleasure. Happy Friday!

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