This week’s tip comes from the class schedules of LLU – Leisure Learning Unlimited. If your in Houston and never heard of it… next time your inside the loop, pick up one of the schedules at any coffee shop or ice cream shop (this particular day I was having Amy’s Ice Cream!) LLU is a great resource of non-credit classes for continuing education. They have everything under the sun. Cooking, Dancing, Arts, Business – even horseback riding or boating! Ahh, I wish I had more time.

One class that I thought was a supurb idea was one put on by Weddings in Bloom.  The class is in late October, and there arn’t that many on the schedule so be sure to sign up! Bring the date of your wedding and your selected colors. At the class you  will learn all of the flowers in season the month of your wedding. Isn’t that great? Of course, since Weddings in Bloom is a local florist, they will also showcase all the newest floral designs on bouquets and tablescapes.  I think its a fabulous idea, and for the smells alone I would go!

Photos by fiftyflowers

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To contact Michaelle Janet for her wedding availability or her boudoir portraits-

call her at 281-723-3757 or email: mail@tresorphotography.com

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Ok, back to the wedding tip. Ladies, the day of dying an ugly shoe to match your dress, are – let’s say it together “ovaaaah”. The best thing to do is find shoes that you love, that showcase some of your personality, that match your weddings colors, or not (there isn’t any “rules” anymore). Having cute shoes creates other opportunities for your photographer to be playful with the pop of color. She(or he)  will love you for it! While it will be hard to wear your dress again, you most certainly can wear your heels again. Personally I envision wearing them again on a date night, or an anniversary dinner. How romantic would that be, huh?

Let your imagination go wild. But here are some of my favorites I would totally go for. {All courtesy of Zappos.com}

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To contact Michaelle Janet for her wedding availability or her boudoir portraits-

call her at 281-723-3757 or email: mail@tresorphotography.com

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I think at each wedding I’ve been to – I’ve seen the pocket square stuffed and folded in every which way imaginable. It’s pretty funny seeing a group of grown men coaching themselves on how to fold the pocket square. It’s a competition to see who does it better. It always amazes me that in the run up to the wedding, people forget about the guys and leave them in the wilderness that is pinning the boutonniere and folding pocket squares. Between the nervous laughs, the “are you readys” and the ahem, obligatory shot – these guys are trying to carefully do an oragami crane with the pocket square. But as always Martha Stewart comes the the rescue. Here’s a picture diagram of just how to go about it. She even boldly suggests forgoing flowers on the lapel all together if you opt for a fancy print or silk fabric pocketsquare that coordinates with your wedding. As always, read more on her fabulous tips on marthastewartweddings.com.

Photography by Martha Stewart Weddings

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To contact Michaelle Janet for her wedding availability or her boudoir portraits-

call her at 281-723-3757 or email: mail@tresorphotography.com

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I want to say those things that have the most meaning to us on our wedding day as well. So I have this idea that I want to write my own vows. Notice I said “I” – because I’m not sure I could get any more than “I will love you forever, evah, evah” from him. Maybe I’d need a ghostwriter. haha. One of the reasons is that I want to make the ceremony longer and make it the centerpiece of the day rather than a sideshow to the reception. We probably won’t have a religious ceremony, so writing our our vows will show our faith to each other in front of those most important to us. On the photography side, a 15 minute ceremony may leave a lot to be desired. No it dosen’t have to be an hour long, but yes – sometimes it’s just too quick. I want to be up there feeling the weight of my actions (in a good way), I want to feel the smiles radiating from family and friends, okay, okay… I want to see Emmanuel sweat. lol.

Here’s and excerpt from lifetips.com to help everyone along.

Writing your own wedding vows may suit your personal wedding style, but it can be a bit of a daunting task to begin with. If you are trying to write your own vows, don’t let the task overwhelm you or intimidate you. Writing your own vows should begin and end with how you feel, not what others are expecting. If you are creating your own wedding ceremony and style and you want to write your own vows, here are a few questions to consider in creating the vows you want to make. 

• When and where did you first meet?
• What was the state of your life before the two of you met?
• At what point did you realize you were in love? Describe the feeling.
• What inspires you about your loved one?
• What life goals and dreams do you share?
• What have you learned from each other?
• What qualities make your love unique? What qualities will keep it strong?
• How has your view of the world changed since you fell in love?
• What do you most look forward to about life with this person?
• What are some special moments in your relationship? Use them all, even the sad times as well as the happy, moving, or profound.
• What happened the day you asked her to marry you? How did you feel?

Reading the vows you have written yourself during your wedding ceremony can be one of the most romantic things you’ve ever done. It’s the kind of thing that really helps you create your own personal wedding style. Writing your own vows is a kind of personal touch that cannot be replicated by any other style of vow.

Well I say – whatever you do…have some sparklers! With July 4th around the corner I wanted to give brides a heads up that if you are planning on have a sparkler send-off this will be the perfect time to stock up on them. So why do I give the sparklers a stamp of approval? They’re hardly a new thing – but they sure do bring on smiles and wonderment to all your guests young and old. The standing outside – in soul train formation – and passing the light, while they anxiously wait the run through of the bride and groom… ahh, well it’s a great way to end the night.

Be careful though! They can burn clothes, and be sure to have various people have lighters candles if not, the ones in the back will be burned out by the time you reach the front. Also, it’s important to ask the venue for permission since depending on the building and where you are planning the send off – there could be a fire code restriction. The venue could also impose an small clean-up fee becasuse it does get messy afterwards. I was perusing Style me Pretty the other day, and saw this cute DIY way to hand these out.

Put them in a basket on the way out of the reception and have a few designated people with candles – and it’ll go off without a hitch.

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To contact Michaelle Janet for her wedding availability or her boudoir portraits-

call her at 281-723-3757 or email: mail@tresorphotography.com

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From weddings I’ve witnessed – the DJ can make or break a wedding. And more often than not, if you’ve done your research well then an actual real life DJ will make the event the most memorable for your guests. So I say don’t skimp here. Good DJ’s cost about as much as a nice big cake. But what your guests will remember is how much fun they had dancing to Soulja Boy. (A common occurance in today’s weddings, lol).

Another alternative I would strongly consider is to reach out to the artist community in your city. Check all your local colleges and universities music departments to find violinists, harpists and soloists. For the reception I’m sure there are plenty of young bands eager to showcase their cover song skills to a crowd. After a wedding two weeks ago where all the music was live bands or soloists put on by friends of the bride and groom – I can tell you that it’s the best element to have at a wedding. It’s one thing to dance your first dance to Eric Clapton’s – You look Wonderful Tonight, it’s quite another when someone is singing and strumming live.

When it comes to seating – there are two camps of beliefs now a days. One believes to do away with them all together, and let an organic flow of guests evolve. And the second is to keep the tradition of seating charts alive all the while adding a quirky theme, beauty and showing off your craftyness. Another pro to seating cards is that you will not run the risk of having empty seating or uneven guests at tables. Traditionally, my family events shy away from assigned seating. Yet, I plan on having them just so it lends an air of formality, and so my guests can see just how much thought was put into my event.

This first example is a little extravagant, just for the price alone. But I think this would double as a favor as well. So, then taking that into consideration – I think these are great. I ran across them on Etsy of course. They are personalized glass gems/rocks with your guests name. Arn’t they beautiful? You can find them here. 

If your wedding happens to be in a vineyard, or wine themed in any way – how could you pass up the opportunity to have your place cards made from corks from wine bottles. You could do it one of two ways – drink a couple of bottles a week up until your wedding, or buy some of these. 

Many brides are opting for destination beach weddings… (Hello Photographer with Passport here!), so I came across these beauties on the Knot. I think they would be great – but be sure to orders extras. Shells are sensitive and can brake in transit.

Man, this post needs color dosen’t it? What I have also seen, is that you can use the same stationary in your invitations to create the seating cards. The way to make them appear so fancy is to design a tablescape around them. You can lay beds of mossy grass, sand, mosaic tiles, glass beads, coffee beans - anything you can imagine that will fit your theme. Here are some examples from A Stunning Affair.

I am bookmarking this site as a possible vendor for me, because the more things I can outsource and the less I need to DIY the day of – the better. Of course, cost is always a consideration – but for 40 cents a piece, that’s a great deal! The little bling is not included though, I’m sure they can quote you for that too. All they ask is for a excel spreadsheet of your guest list. Which I’m sure – you’ll probably already have. Style on a Budget.

I picked up a cake today, from the truly talented Pastry Chef Anabel Trudeau at Take the Cake here in Houston. It’s a “Hummingbird” to be exact.  I’ve never tasted it, (have had their chocolate… can you say, past the milk! yum!) but only heard good things. Banana, pineapple, pecans, cream cheese… oh man, I feel sorry for my thighs. Anyway, it’s not like I can scarf it all down myself. It’s for my fiance’s mom. It’s Rita’s birthday!!! Whoop Whoop. Hopefully she’ll save me a piece. Anyway Anabel caters to many fine restaurants in our city, and if you are planning a smaller wedding she does custom wedding cakes as well. Check her out.

I’m sure this won’t be the last post I make about Wedding Cakes. But here are some truly great design inspirations. Taste is one thing – albeit important, but look at the designs and colors! Oh my word! Look at this yellow dream inspired by Vera Wang gown. I bet you could do that with your dress as well.

(photo by StyleMePretty.com)

Personally, I like cakes that are a little more contemporary and polished. I don’t like natural flowers on them either. Can we say, eww pollen! Look at those birds… if you’ve read my earlier posts – you’ll know just how much I love ‘em. That white on white little number is devine too. Modern sugar flowers… yes!

Hope this was some great inspiration for your cake design ideas. You can find alot more back at my favorite place, Style Me Pretty, a blog dedicated to good wedding design.

Au Reviour,

Michaelle Janet

I think with invitations like these – I would feel like royalty, so hmm maybe it’s worth the splurge. The process is uniquely custom and handmade from start to finish. This method of stamping paper apparently dates back to the 1400′s. You may wonder what is letter pres, but you will recognize it once you touch and feel it. Embossing is raised ink- whereas Lettterpress is indenting the paper with letters, and sometimes filling it in with inks. Below are examples of designs by a Central NY Studio Bella Figura. I was pleasantly surprised at the color range available with letterpress. And letterpress is modern too. Don’t think it’s your grandmothers’s letterpress invites.

Designs by Bella Figura

Bella Figura Designs

Hello Lucky studios in San Francisco are a great modern take on letterpress as well.

Hello Lucky Designs

Hello Lucky Designs

Last is Delphine. Another New York – studio they pride themselves on creating beautiful pieces that are eco-friendly. From the recycled fibers to the soy-based ink, and the mills running on wind power. This aqua design with all the corresponding reply cards is pretty devine. So maybe I’m a little far away from ordering invites – but this sure has prompted me to make custom thank you cards for my clients in letterpress. Now if my handwriting hadn’t gone down the tubes…. (you can thank the keyboard for that).

Delphine Letterpress Designs

Happy Invitation Shopping!

Michaelle Janet

Colin Cowie is the grandfather of celebrity weddings. And eventhough we may never run with the Malibu crowd, it dosen’t mean our weddings can’t be full of style. And I’m more than willing to bet we don’t have to plunk hundreds of thousands either. There’s always a way my dears, always!

Left:  Colin Cowie Wedding Chic: 1,001 Ideas for Every Moment of Your Celebration

Top Right: The Best Wedding Reception Ever!

Bottom Right: Beautiful Weddings: Hundreds of Stylish Ideas from the World’s Most Stunning Real Weddings

All three of these have high marks on review sites. I can’t wait to hit the bookstore … these will be equally useful as a photographer and future bride. 

Cést le vie!

Michaelle Janet