Hey Y’all,
Back in June, I posted about my friend Susan Moynihan and her incredible site for all things honeymoon, fittingly entitled, The Honeymoonist!
Image via http://thehoneymoonist.com/lodge-koele/
Today, I’m giving you a heads up to head to her site to check out my advice on the beautiful honeymoon destination of Lanai, Hawaii and the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele.
Click HERE to read the feature now.
Where will/did you go on your honeymoon? Let me know in the comment section.
-Brian
My Friend Amanda Allen, NewlyWish Founder and CEO, and I at #Engage14
Hey Y’all,
Since I’m always making such great friends at the Engage! events, I thought I’d start featuring some of them here to shine a light on their amazing companies and talents. To kick things off, I’d like to introduce y’all to my friend Amanda Allen (pictured with me above at Engage! 14), Founder and CEO of NewlyWish, a New York City-based online wedding registry service designed to help couples create gift registries that truly reflect their life and personal style.
NewlyWish sets itself apart from traditional registry providers through a curated collection of gifts from over 50 boutiques, brands and artisans, providing everything from chic home goods to eco-friendly products, and unique experiences, all wrapped up in their state-of-the-art registry technology.
Beyond their over 12,000+ products, the NewlyWish site features:
One-click registering – Couples can register for the basics with one click using Kitchen, Bed, and Bath Starter Collections.
Group gifting options – Allows guests to contribute toward big-ticket items like commissioned art, furniture, and luxury linens.
Personalized registry homepage – Couples can customize their registry homepages with photos, messages to guests, and a unique registry URL.
Registry Gift Tracker – Keeps track of all items purchased, what’s been shipped, what’s in process and who to send ‘thank you’ notes.
Gift holding options – Moving? Spring cleaning? NewlyWish will hold all goodies until a specific date.
Cash & Honeymoon Funds – Gives guests the opportunity to contribute cash to the couple’s new life.
Exclusive Mix and Match Tabletop Collections – NewlyWish has taken the guess-work out of figuring out which dinnerware, glassware, and flatware patterns look perfect together, with exclusive collections put together by some of the wedding industry’s biggest names.
If you’re engaged (or looking for a fantastic gift for anyone!), you need to check out NewlyWish for all of your wedding registry needs! You won’t regret it. Happy shopping/gifting!
-Brian
Hey Y’all,
I hope you had a fantastic holiday weekend! As you can see, I made and ate more than my fair share of desserts this 4th of July! And since I recently posted some advice about how to select your wedding color palette, I figured I’d share a truly inspired post I found on MyWedding.com that offers up 7 different ways to match your wedding dessert to your signature drink using your palette as inspiration… yum!
Image via MyWedding.com
Image via MyWedding.com
Click HERE to read the article now. Your mouth will be watering by the end of the post, I assure you! Enjoy.
-Brian
Hey Y’all,
I recently had the privilege to spend a few incredible days in Aspen at The Little Nell, which I might add is an incredible resort that pays attention to detail in every sense of the word.
Image via http://www.thelittlenell.com/
Settled at the base of the mountain, you really could not ask for a better location to stay in Aspen. Not only is it easy to walk around Aspen because it is so quaint and charming of a town, but from The Little Nell you can hop right on the ski slopes if it is in fact ski season or take the gondola up to the top of the mountain for lunch and take in the stunning views.
We were fortunate enough on our first night there to have dinner at the top of the mountain while enjoying a few different bands from Elan Artists and a delicious meal from the The Nell‘s chef who created culinary magic.
On our second night, we ventured down the mountain to the Ajax Tavern for amazing food, an impromptu bocce ball tournament and lots of wine. Beyond the fine dining, for anyone planning to get married in Aspen, or thinking of a mountain wedding, I highly suggest checking out the breathtaking views (click here for Little Nell wedding testimonials).
The view alone is worth millions and the Nell has a few special places for the ceremony, as well as the reception, all right there for the perfect wedding.
Image of Little Nell Suite via http://www.thelittlenell.com/Aspen-Hotel-Rooms-and-Suites/The-Little-Nell-Suite
Also, the rooms at the Nell are incredibly comfortable and spacious, I slept like a log. I don’t think that there is much more you can ask for in a room when traveling.
In addition to awesome accommodations, our days were packed full of fun, and there are plenty of things to do while in Aspen. I have to admit that the highlight of the trip would have to be the white water rafting trip we took with Blazing Paddles.
The two hours floating down the rapids were a complete blast and I would be open to doing that everyday if possible. Unfortunately, we barely get rain in Los Angeles, so I am not sure a daily rafting trip would even be possible.
Our last day in Aspen we went fly fishing, something I had never done before, but I caught seven fish, so I must have some sort of beginners luck. As you can see from the pictures we were prepared for the elements, but at the stocked ponds where we went fishing, the waders were not necessary other than for an awesome photo op. The only time we got in the water was for the picture. Also, all seven of the fish I caught were released back into the ponds.
Image of Sundeck Wedding at The Little Nell via http://www.thelittlenell.com/Information/Photo-Gallery
Winter or summer, Aspen is stunning and has something for everyone to do. I can’t understand why anyone would not want to go there all the time. I am addicted and will be back!
-Brian
A teaser of what’s to come from our ‘Destination I Do’ photo shoot in Costa Rica.
Hey Y’all,
I’ve been so busy with work I haven’t had a chance to post any snapshots from my trip to Costa Rica here, although you may have already seen some on my social channels.
As I said in my initial post about this trip, the people that I had the opportunity to travel and work with on this job were a real ‘dream team’. Our photographer, Laura Grier from Beautiful Day Photography, posted a collection of her snapshots (mostly us having a great time, a few of the design process and photo shoot) and you can check them out, here: http://beautifuldayphotography.com/2014/05/four-seasons-in-guanacaste-costa-rica-fam-trip/
As you can see from the photo gallery, we had a blast together. The photo shoot turned out even better than we expected, but it will have to remain under wraps until the the special issue of Destination I Do magazine comes out. I’ll be sure to keep you posted! Have a fantastic weekend, everybody!
-Brian
Hey Y’all,
My friend Maradee Wahl is a professional bridal stylist who specializes in assisting the Bride. . . Dressing, Styling, & Ensuring Against Emergencies! She was recently interviewed on iHeart Radio’s ‘Bridal Bar Radio’ and I thought I’d share the link here for anyone looking for advice or a fantastic bridal stylist for hire.
Click the image above or HERE to listen to her interview now.
If you love her tips and you’d like to connect with her, you can find her on Twitter via the handle @dearmaradee, as well as here: http://maradeewahl.com/ or herehttp://dearmaradee.com.
-Brian
Hey Y’all,
I’ve got another quick tip for you inspired by your questions!
Q: What’s the biggest No-No in terms of selecting my wedding flower arrangements?
A: Make sure your arrangements are not too tall for your guests to see over while seated so that they can easily converse. Nothing is worse than looking into a centerpiece and not being able to see the rest of the table.
Original Image via http://crazy-frankenstein.com
Hey Ya’ll,
If you don’t have time to load up your home’s exterior with twinkling lights or can’t be bothered with a shedding tree adorned with beautiful bulbs, there’s one easy way to instantly add holiday cheer to your abode: a winter wreath!
What do you think of these lovely blue themed wreaths? How about these wreaths with beautiful bursts of red?
A classic green wreath is always a good choice, too…
If you’re crafty, try stringing leftover bulbs together using some wire or hot-gluing bulbs to a bare wreath (click HERE for a tutorial for the wreath below from http://sharyncarlson.typepad.com):
Image and tutorial via http://sharyncarlson.typepad.com
Another fun idea is spray painting some holly to create a metallic, sparkly wreath:
Wreaths are a great way give a seasonal nod to a holiday and the best part is that they can be hung over a mantle, on a wall or on a door. Do you have a winter wreath you use every year or do you prefer to switch it up? Let me know in the comment section below.
-Brian
Image via ruffledblog.com
Hey Ya’ll,
In a sea of summer brides, ladies who dare to say ‘I Do’ in the winter months are a truly unique bunch!
To see this winter wedding shoot, visit greenweddingshoes.com
After blogging about how cold-weather-brides get to have a little more fun when it comes to accessorizing on their wedding day, I thought about all of the seasonal design elements winter weddings often have that make them so magical. Below, you’ll find a collection of my favorite ideas for everything from flowers to lighting to cake and more.
Overall, I love the idea of using what’s in-season to decorate and bring the outside in but without all of the cold!
If you keep it simple you can easily use pine cones, candles, red holly, or even a simple green garland to add a chic nod to the holidays at your winter wedding.
What’s your favorite thing about winter weddings? Let me know in the comment section below.
-Brian
Hey Ya’ll,
I saw the cutest story this morning on the TODAY show! It was a segment all about a 70-year-old woman who’s life-long dream of wearing a beautiful wedding gown is finally coming true, thanks to an organization called “Second Wind Dreams.”
The woman’s name is Ruth Sullivan and she was married following WWII in 1946. There was no dream dress, no big reception, and no fancy honeymoon. Just a simple ceremony in a minister’s study and a night at a local hotel. All these years later, even though her husband has passed away, Ruth is still in love with the idea of going to a bridal store to try on the beautiful gowns she sees on reality television show’s like TLC’s “Say Yes the the Dress.” And that’s just what she got to do!
Click HERE to watch her shop at David’s Bridal and try on dresses for her entire family.
I was touched to see how beautiful she felt and how neat something so simple like trying on wedding dresses, even at 70, can make someone’s day all that much brighter. Just another reminder that it truly is the little things in life that make all the difference!
-Brian
Extraordinary Experiences 