Savvy Deets Bridal

{Advice} 5 Bridal Shower Faux Pas to Avoid

Ever scratch your head over the idea of a bridal shower, especially when it comes to etiquette? I know I sure did, and I may have done a few faux pas things, although I tried really hard to not go against the grain, and for all involved to be happy. Well, today we are happy to share some tips that were sent over to us, to share with all of you! Read on to see if you agree, don't agree, and if you have a few other suggestions yourself. Feel free to leave a comment after the article.

Your big day is coming up soon, and you're knee-deep in wedding magazines, photographer business cards, websites filled with restaurant reviews for your rehearsal dinner and brochures for wedding venues. While you're distracted with the minutiae of details that surround your wedding day, your bridesmaids and friends are working on your bridal shower. In all of the excitement, you may miss out on a few important etiquette details concerning the bridal shower. You don't want to upset the people who have spent a considerable amount of time, money and energy setting up something special for you. After all, a recent American Express survey indicates the average wedding guest forks out $539 for a wedding. Avoid turning their experience into one worthy of Bridezilla by keeping major etiquette faux pas in mind.

{Real Weddings} Lani & Alain's Lavender & Old Lace Wedding

Happy (almost) Valentine's Day, sweethearts! Have any plans on this weekend for lovers? Possibly getting married? Maybe a surprise engagement by your one and only? Whatever you have planned, or are surprised with, we hope your cups runneth over with sweet love!!

Today we are delighted to share a darling wedding that my friend Valerie at Blue Hills Photography sent over to us. If you are in the Phoenix, Arizona area, you should take down her info and contact her for your wedding photography immediately! We've featured her work on here before as well with another wedding, seen here, and an adorable engagement session, seen here. She's great to work with, and her work speaks for itself!

{Real Weddings} Renata & Santino's Sydney Harbor Wedding

We have a gorgeous wedding to share with you lovelies today, submitted to us by Mario Colli Photography. The lighting and the imagery captured is stunning! There are also some glimpses of the Sydney Opera House, which was shot within distance of the boat reception!

What's interesting to point out is that this couple put their beautiful wedding together in 2 weeks! Mario, the photographer, explains a bit about that, and the blissful couple:

Renata and Santino are the sweetest and funniest couple ever and taking pictures of Santino was such a hard job, because of is jokes I couldn’t stop laughing the entire time. The wedding was more like an improvisation, they just decided to get married two weeks before the actual day and I knew from the start that I was going to have so much fun creating at the same time something really magical and romantic.

{Advice} Wedding Gadgets and Apps for the Tech-Savvy Bride

Any tech savvy brides in the house? There are quite a few of you, and grooms, too! Whether or not you're in the tech-savvy world, or would like to enhance your wedding in a fun technical way, we have a list of wedding gadgets and apps for you, that was compiled for us, and we are happy to share this with you all!

Read on for some ideas, and let us know if you will be incorporating any of these at your wedding!

Modern brides have wedding planning in the palm of their hands. Smartphones and tablets make sharing ideas, booking vendors and capturing moments as easy as 'swipe and deploy.' These digital life savers will transform your special day from traditional to cutting edge.

Wedding Party App

A wedding as unique as yours demands an equally distinct means of communication. Keep guests up-to-date with event happenings no matter where they are. Using Wedding Party, you can fully customize your personal app to include upcoming news, wedding events and schedules complete with pictures and venue information. Guests can share notes, messages and upload pictures through every step of your wedding journey, creating a lifetime of memories to treasure.

{Real Couples} Melissa & Tom's Apple Orchard Engagement Session

We have such a charming engagement shoot to share with you today, that was set at an apple orchard in Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia! The submission comes to us from one of our fave Australian photographers, Hilary Cam Photography. The shoot features a truly darling couple all smiles and kisses in the rustic orchard setting. It leaves us wanting go skip off to the cozy spot for a romantic getaway!

{DIY} Glam Gold Invitation

We have a fun DIY invitation project to share with you lovelies out there, submitted to us by Anne Skye at Download & Print. It's a little bit glitzy and a lot of glam, and we hope you enjoy the inspiration and tutorial!

Hello savvy brides…My name is Anna Skye and I am the designer and founder at Download & Print. I started Download & Print after a grueling search during my own wedding planning for the perfect stationery that didn’t cost the Earth. After coming up empty handed I decided that no bride should have to go through what I did! Download & Print was started four years ago, and throughout this time my mission has remained the same: To help brides create DIY invitations that look anything but DIY. I still about burst with excitement when a bride tells me how I helped in some small way to create her dream day.

{Styled Shoot} Vintage Elegance at Black Water Lounge

We have a gorgeous styled shoot to share with you today, featuring the beautiful imagery of Stacey with LaCoursiere Photography. The establishment is at the swanky Black Water Lounge in Deluth, Minnesota. We are loving the vintage fashions, with modern twists. It's a little bit Great Gatsby, meets Mad Men, done with much elegance.

Create Your Dream Registry With Williams-Sonoma

Hello Brides & Grooms-to-be! By now the date is set, the venue is booked, the invitation suite has been selected, and you are getting ready to send those invites out, right? Have you ventured out to where you will be registering for gifts, yet? What are your must have items? Do they include kitchenware?

As the title of this post might suggest, we are highlighting one of our favorite stores that offers a fantastic wedding registry, especially for the kitchen: Williams-Sonoma! Are you registered there? If so, yay for you, you are on your way to some fantastic adventures in your soon-to-be newlywed kitchen!!

If you aren't registered yet, you might want to check out what's happening at Williams-Sonoma, more specifically their Open Kitchen line of tools, which offer wedding registry essentials. You also might be interested in knowing you could enter to win their Wedding Registry Sweepstakes!! Read on for further details...

{Advice} Destination Wedding Locations for Every Personality

Are you and your spouse-to-be considering a destination wedding? If so, what kind of destination are you seeking- a forest meadow, the beach, a vineyard? If you are seeking travel for the big day, this helpful article, which has been submitted to us, might provide you with inspiration on where to tie the knot! Read through the topics and see where you might land.

As we grow older, our family and friends often relocate to various cities across the country or we ourselves move away to far or near locations. During the early wedding planning stages, this distance often plays an important role in where your wedding will take place. If travel is inevitable for a large percentage of your guests, take the opportunity to plan a destination wedding to perfectly complement your style.

For the Nature Lover

If you're an outdoorsy couple, nothing is more romantic than a beautiful mountain backdrop when you say your vows. While you want to appeal to your love of untouched nature, you also want to choose a location that is accessible and versatile for all members of the family.

{Designs} Two Love Birds Printable Stationary Suite

Many of you may have learned that I started designing wedding stationary and signage, sold on Etsy, the last quarter of 2013. I wasn't sure the endeavor would take off, but it really has, which I am so delighted about! So not only am I able to blog about various couples' weddings and provide wedding planning advice, I am now able to provide brides & grooms with custom designs for their weddings!

I recently finished designing a cute Two Love Birds themed stationary suite at a bride's request, and I am excited to share what I designed for her! She was amazing to work with, was really flexible, and was open with her expectations, ideas and visions, yet let me be creative.

Having been a bride myself I understand what it means to deal with vendors, and I truly presented myself in a welcoming manner, able to make changes and provide examples as seemed fit. I advised this bride, as well as all, that they will not receive a final file unless they are happy with what they see in my drafts and proofs. This alleviates any concerns for the bride. I work hard for each customer, wedding related or not. I actually felt a little sad when I sent the final designs her way, as that was the end of that road!

Here are the some of the things I designed for her: