Photo Booths Rock!

I am seeing more and more couples renting photo booths, and I have to admit that I love this trend. Every couple that I've run into who had one at their reception just raves about it!

Photo booths remind me of when I was a kid -- there's such a feeling of nostalgia around them for me.

But what's great for couples is the fun and whimsy they can bring to their reception!

At the recent Delta King show, I got to see my friend John (owner of Profinish Design Photo Booths), and you should have seen all the brides and guests flocking to his space because they wanted to try on the array of fun and funky hats that John brings for guests to play with in the photo booth!

Frankly, I want to have a party just so that I can bring in a photo booth!

If you're interested in getting a photo booth, check out:

Profinish Designs Photo Booths: www.profinishdesign.com

Picture Perfect Photo Booth Rental: www.pictureperfectbooth.com

Diamond Bridal Sample Sale starting June 22!

Alright girls...we love sample sales!

And, there's one coming up at Diamond Bridal Gallery!

My friend Seniya from Diamond Bridal Gallery recently sent me this information on their End of Season Sample Sale:

Fabulous gowns
At 50%-60% off retail

June 22-July 22, 2009
Gown starting at $299.00 and up

Pronovias
La Sposa
Blue by Enzoani
Oksana Couture
Hanna Hartnell
Jasmine
and more!!

Seniya suggests coming early for best selection!

Call them today to set up an appointment:

Diamond Bridal Gallery
6963 Douglas Blvd.
Granite Bay
916-521-9856
http://www.diamondbridalgallery.com/

Oh, and be sure to check out their upcoming trunk shows and events on their Web site:
http://diamondbridalgallery.com/events.html

Delta King's First Annual Bridal D'Elegance

This past weekend I was honored to be invited to be a part of Delta King's First Annual Bridal D'Elegance and what a wonderful affair it was!

With wonderful wedding professionals such as The Memory Journalists (www.memoryjournalists.com/), Sound Image Entertainment (www.soundimagedjs.com/), Profinish Design (www.profinishdesign.com/), Diamond Bridal Gallery (www.diamondbridalgallery.com/), Visual Impact Design (www.visualimpact-design.com/), A Day to Remember (www.adaytorememberca.com/), A&A Music Events (www.aamusicevents.com/), Mimi & Co. Couture Linens (www.mimiandcompany.com/), About Time Limousine, Tower of Chocolate, Forever Inspired, Eye Connoiseur, Relles Florist, Bella Bloom, J&J Treasures, Bella Donna Bridal, Cupcake Craving, River City Cakes and Encore Entertainment among others, all showcased in the beautiful Delta King (www.deltaking.com/), the event was a great way for brides (and we saw some grooms too!) to see this inviting and unique wedding venue and chat with wedding professionals in an intimate and relaxed (and gorgeous -- have you seen the views from Delta King lately? If you haven't, you should take a trip down and have dinner in their Pilothouse restaurant -- the food is fantastic!)setting.

Tami and Jenny and their entire team kept the champagne flowing -- and the food samplings were quite yummy (I couldn't stop nibbling on the bruschetta!).

Photo courtesy of Encore Photo Booths.

Congratulations on a great event Tami, Jenny and everyone at Delta King! We look forward to being a part of next year's event!

Want to see more photos? Check out my friend Jen's (from The Memory Journalists, (www.memoryjournalists.com/) blog: www.memoryjournalists.blogspot.com/2009/06/delta-kings-bridal-d-elegance-open.html

Photo above of Wendy and Real Weddings Magazine by The Memory Journalists (www.memoryjournalists.com) -- thanks Jen and Nicole!!!

Summer Sale at Dreamnette Bridal

We love sales! And, when it's one of our friends having a sale, all the more fun!

I just heard from Jeanette Miller -- she's the owner of Dreamnette Bridal in Roseville -- and she's clearing out some of her inventory to make room for the new arrivals!

If you haven't checked out Dreamnette's new boutique yet, now is your chance. Jeanette's collection of dresses includes cocktail, bridesmaids, mother of the bride and of course gorgeous and unique (not to mention affordable!) wedding gowns. In fact, we've featured many of her gowns in the pages of our Real Weddings Magazine!

Don't take it from me -- go see Jeanette's collection for yourself.

Dreamnette Bridal is located at:
1850 Douglas Blvd., Suite 988
Roseville

You can either stop in during her regular hours, or make an appointment by calling 916-780-4747.

Dreamnette can be found online at www.dreamnettebridal.com.

Photos by Image Smith.

Honeymoon Books!

So while all of your time has been spent planning your wedding, there is something to look forward to beyond the wedding...of course your wonderful life to come with your new spouse, but more urgently, a little R&R on your honeymoon!

Since your head has been caught up in wedding magazines (like Real Weddings Magazine!) and on blogs and Web sites, we thought we'd come to the rescue with some reading suggestions for when you're sipping a yummy frothy cocktail with your enamored by your side.

For those historical fiction lovers:
Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors (catherinedelors.com/mistress.htm/)

The Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir (http://www.alisonweir.org.uk/)

For those mystery/psychological thriller lovers:
The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly (http://www.michaelconnelly.com/)
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child (http://www.leechild.com/)

For those needing something a little more "deep":
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colm_T%C3%B3ib%C3%ADn)

The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Bernstein).

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (www.sarahskey.com/article-22049887.html)

For those needing a big-laugh-out-loud-in-the-middle-of the airport read:
Anything from Laurie Notaro -- I've read every one of her books and everytime, she makes me guffaw. Love her! (http://www.laurienotaro.com/).

And for those that just want a wonderfully delicious saucy bit of chick-lit:
Since You're Leaving Anyway, Take Out the Trash by Dixie Cash (http://www.dixiecashauthor.com/)
Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot (www.megcabot.com/size12/size12isnotfat.php)
Scott on the Rocks by Brenda Janowitz (http://www.brendajanowitz.com/)

And this one might fall under historical novel and chick lit -- it's delightful:

Confessions of a Jane Austin Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler (http://janeaustenaddict.com/)

Do you have reading suggestions for our brides? If so, drop me a quick email and I'll put them all together for our next Honeymoon books blog!

And, remember, we won't judge you by the books that you're reading! We honestly don't care what you're reading (truly, we're not book snobs – we appreciate the written word in all forms! And come on – do you really think we'd be reading Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment after college? Not a chance!), we just love that you're reading! Enjoy!

Makeup that lasts all day!

While I firmly believe in having a professional do your hair and make-up for your wedding day, I do understand that some of you, my beautiful brides, may want to do it yourself or simply don't have the money.

I recently came across a product that you might want to try. It's Illuminare Cosmetics' Ultimate All Day Foundation. Providing a matte, but not drying finish, the foundation will not rub off on your beautiful wedding dress or when you're hugging and kissing all of your guests on your wedding day!

Illuminare is actually a local company — headquartered in El Dorado Hills — and they're making quite a name for themselves in the beauty industry with their wonderful line of cosmetics.

If you're hesitant to buy a full size product, they do offer trial size versions through their Web site: www.illuminarecosmetics.com.

If you'd like to try their products in person, they're carried locally throughout the Sacramento Area -- check out their Retailer Outlet section of their Web site:

Retailer Locations.

We've Been Blogged...Again!

I had the pleasure of meeting Peter Merry last night at an AFWPi event -- what a nice guy!

We featured Peter's book The Best Wedding Reception...Ever! in our Winter/Spring 2009 issue in our For Your Review section.

Well, when I saw Peter last night he showed me his blog and voila, there we were! Check it out!

Click here to see Peter's Blog!

Thanks for the nice coverage Peter!

Style Files — Inspirational Photos

Ok, so I'm sitting here trying to load a bunch of photos to our online Style Files — our online wedding planning resource guide from Sacramento to the Sierra. And I gotta tell you, there are some pretty talented people out there.

In fact, in our current issue, we worked with three amazingly creative local floral designers: Ambience Floral Design (www.ambiencefloraldesign.com), Camino Flower Shop (www.caminoflowershop.net) and Flourish (www.flourishdesigns.com).

We challenged them to come up with designs to complement the gowns and the looks we were striving for and boy did these wonderful ladies rise to that challenge.

Check out our current issue to see more of their handiwork but to pique your interest, here are a few favorites from these dynamos!

Above: From Flourish (www.flourishdesigns.com)
Photo by Sarah Maren Photography (www.sarahmaren.com)

Above: From Ambience Floral Design (www.ambiencefloraldesign.com)
Photo by Sarah Maren Photography (www.sarahmaren.com)

Above: Camino Flower Shop (www.caminoflowershop.net)
Photo by Sarah Maren Photography (www.sarahmaren.com)

And, be sure to check out these vendors' Web sites; and for more inspirational photos, check out our Style Files (being updated now!) at Real Weddings Magazine/Style Files.

More blogging soon, I promise!

We've Been Blogged

How cool is this?!

Kate & Kenneth Miller's Wedding post on Weddingbee

We love it!

Thanks Kate! And we're excited to see your business grow!