Creative Guest Book Ideas

In all honesty, the guest book is one of the first things about your wedding that your guests will encounter - it is usually located in the entryway of the ceremony venue.  There are so many different options - from traditional to quirky!

1. Traditional, with a twist!
If you like the idea of the traditional guest book, try spicing it up a little by adding special touches, or coordinating it to your color scheme or there.  This one was found on http://www.myweddingfavorsetc.com/
 

2. Trendy - I saw this one at a wedding last year, and fell in love. It's basically a painting of a large tree, and your guests put their fingerprints on the branches and sign.  How beautiful would this look framed? This one is perfect for a small, intimate wedding.


3. The most popular now is the photo booth guest book.  Your guests take their picture, paste it into the book, and sign there. This would make great coffee table material!


There are so many creative options for your guest book, whether you want something traditional and sentimental, or you want to step out of the box a little. 

Chain Store Bridal Collections - Yay or Nay?

While writing my previous post, I started thinking about the other "new" bridal collections unveiled recently.  Both White House Black Market and Anthropologie had highly anticipated bridal collections in the past few months.

Both seem like natural fits in the wedding world - WHBM already makes beautiful elegant dresses, and Anthropologie has sort of a cult following from eclectic, vintage style brides.

So, let's take a look at what they have to offer.

You can access White House Black Market's bridal collection - which includes wedding gowns, bridesmaids dresses, jewelry, shoes, and accessories directly on their site or in store.  Anthropologie has an entirely different website - the line is called Beholden, which apparently you are supposed to spell like BHLDN (confusing, right?!)

Here are some of my favorite WHBM choices:

 

I was very excited to hear about Anthropologie's venture into the wedding world.  They were already an inspiration for brides to be, with their vintage, romantic clothes and accessories.  Many brides I've worked with have described their style as "Vintage, earthy, and Anthropologie like."  Anthropologie inspiration always made me picture an outdoor wedding with wooden tables, pale pink and ivory peonies and hydrangeas, and vintage teacups.  Their collection, BHLDN, currently includes wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, accessories and lingerie - and in May, will include cake stands and other decor essentials.

Here are some of my favorites.

    

Their prices are a little more steep - shoes start at about $300, and dresses can go upward of $3,000.  But, if you are shopping at Anthropologie, chances are you are probably expecting that.  Anthropologie is the only store that I would buy a $12 coffee mug from.  But, hey, it was cute!

So which collection do you like better?  White House Black Market screams city chic to me, while I picture an upscale garden party for the Anthropologie bride.  Which one are you?  Which dress is your favorite?

White by Vera Wang - David's Bridal

I have to admit, I almost died a little inside last year when Vera Wang announced she was teaming with David's Bridal. Naturally, I had already bought my dress. The goal was to provide high end dresses to lower budget brides.  Not a bad idea, considering her dresses retail for upwards of $10,000 (or, you know, some entire wedding budgets...) Celebrities who have worn Vera Wang for their weddings include Jennifer Lopez, Chelsea Clinton, Jessica Simpson, and Mariah Carey.  Her dresses were also the object of lust in the movie Bride Wars - both Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson wore her gowns for their movie weddings. 



The White by Vera Wang collection debuted at David's Bridal this week, and let me tell you, they are fantastic.  They retail for $600-$1,400.  These dresses seriously make me want to get married again.  

Not only do they have gorgeous dresses, she also has a line of accessories - tiaras, veils, and fabulous sashes.  The accessories range from $58-$248. 

Here are some of my favorites.  Seriously, who wouldn't want a PINK wedding dress?!  Sigh. You can view the entire collection at www.davidsbridal.com.



Which one is your favorite?  Would you wear a pink wedding dress? Do you wish you would have had the opportunity to wear a Vera Wang gown? Or even better, did you!?