After proposing to his longtime girlfriend earlier this month, a friend of a friend found himself in a dilemma. The newly engaged couple wants a summer wedding, but they don’t want to wait an entire year for their ceremony. Their solution? Plan a classic, chic and stylish ceremony in only eight weeks.

If you find yourself swept up by similar whirlwind wedding planning, here are a few tips for pulling off your dream wedding when you are short on time, low on funds or both!

1. Find a venue. Casual settings are your best bet for an available space, so ask friends if they know of any great houses you could rent or lovely little gardens that could serve as your ceremony site.

2. Register for gifts. Limit yourself to two stores, and then have a blast. Registering for gifts is a fun part of the wedding planning process that you don’t want to miss!

3. Order your invitations. Wedding Paper Divas offers some beautiful invitations, and our quick order processing will prove invaluable considering that you should send out invites six weeks before your nuptials.

4. Rally the troops. Wedding planning is more fun when shared, and if you are trying to pull off a wedding in just a few weeks you will need all the help you can get. Make sure your maid of honor and best man are up to the challenge, then don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to your friends and family. Being a part of the planning will make your wedding more memorable for everyone!

5. Think DIY. Make your own bouquet, like this gorgeous one from Creature Comforts, and shop in local stores like J.Crew, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. They often have great bridal collections that you can browse through online during your lunch break or in between other wedding planning duties. These chic wedding ideas all come from stores you are likely to find nearby, and they all fit with the bride-to-be’s plan for a classic ceremony:

These wedding tips will help speed you along toward your wedding day. But, no matter what happens during your journey down the aisle, remember to have fun and cherish each moment of your wedding planning together!

Today’s Real Wedding features the marriage of Suzy Price to Matt Marinkovich.  Suzy and Matt were married on May 10 at the Catamaran Resort & Spa in San Diego, California.  The couple have known each other since the 7th grade, and were high school sweethearts.

While their event did not center around a specific theme, the couple made sure to make one thing a priority–to make their wedding fun.

Suzy & Matt’s advice to engaged couples is to use a support system.  Suzy tells Diva Dialogue that she “wouldn’t have survived the whole thing without the support of my wedding planner, family (both sides!), and bridesmaids.”  She adds, “delegate your duties…and enjoy every moment.”

The following images were provided by photographer Sara France.

Suzy & Matt

May 2008

To submit a wedding for the Real Weddings feature, send photos and an event description to blog@weddingpaperdivas.com.

Though we’re half way through 2008, the wedding trends of 2007 are still relevant today. From eco-friendly weddings to couples spending a little more on rings, here is a list of all the great trends that made 2007 weddings unique.

1. RINGS-Couples were spending more dough on engagement and wedding rings in 2007. In fact, women asked for larger diamonds, which were seen as status symbols. The most popular diamonds were round or princess cut, and white diamonds were favored over colored ones. Antique styles and ‘branded diamonds,’ or diamonds from a particular retailer such as Tiffany and Co., were also popular. (photo from The Knot.)

2. WEIGHT LOSS-There was an increase in wedding purchases related to weight, such as joining gyms or weight loss programs, or buying slimming products such as SPANX.

3. DIY-Couples transformed into Martha Stewart in 2007, making their own centerpieces and planning their own weddings to save money.

4. INTERNET-The Internet was being used for everything from finding invitations to finding vendors and sharing experiences with other brides on online message boards.

5. MEDIA-TV shows such as Bridezilla and Martha Stewart, and the visibility of celebrity weddings significantly influenced couples’ styles, trends and ideas.

6. UNIQUE-Last year, couples tried to make their weddings unique by focusing on ways to make their weddings special for guests. This was seen in unconventional gowns or white gowns with colored sashes. Leaving in an antique car and serving diverse food and cake with unconventional flavors such as pistachio and mango were other ways they tried to make their wedding stand out.

7. PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY-To cut down on costs, a lot of couples bought their own alcohol in bulk at stores like Costco, and then forwent hiring a videographer to have their relatives do the honors. Technology is so accessible these days that it was easy for them to create their own slideshows and edit their wedding videos. MP3s allowed couples to control their music and decrease the need to hire a DJ.  (This is all sounding eerily familiar to me!)

8. GREEN WEDDINGS-Rising trends that are still in full effect this year include couples renting their wedding attire, choosing eco-friendly sites and requesting that guests contribute to charities instead of buying them gifts.

Source: The Wedding Report

As a part of a wedding stationery suite, most couples send out directions cards to help their friends and family find their way to the ceremony site and the reception. But, if you have guests visiting from out of town, you might consider something a little more high tech, like Wedding Mapper.

This interactive site asks you to enter the city, state and date of your wedding, then generates a Google map of the area that you can use to mark where the ceremony and reception will be. But the fun doesn’t stop there–you can add icons for you and your local relatives’ homes, your favorite restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels, airports and local attractions.

You can also add personalized messages and images that will pop up when guests first access the site and when they place their cursor over any location you highlight. Plus, you can use the site to look up local vendors and connect with the wedding community in the city you select.

This online tool is easy to use, really fun to do and totally free! I think it’s a great way to help your guests become acquainted with your city and to get everyone excited about your upcoming nutpials!

I told my husband that it is tradition for the bride and groom to exchange gifts on the day of their wedding. At that time, I had visions of those heart-melting photos. The ones where the bride gets a surprise gift from her soon-to-be husband and everyone is in tears. But then I forgot about all of that when he bought me the most awesome present–a laptop I’ve always wanted. And so I started off my early wife days feeling guilty.

So what’s the 411 on bride and grooms giving gifts to each other? Well traditionally, women get jewelry and the groom gets a watch to wear on their wedding day. But gifts can range anywhere from extremely pricey earrings to inexpensive but thoughtful gifts such as a photo album. And etiquette says it’s best to discuss this with your loved one to make sure you’re on the same page, or else you’ll end up empty handed like me.

I had a lot of place cards left that I didn’t use. One thing you could do is to leave your loved one little notes on the place cards to let them know you’re thinking about them. And, whether it’s an expensive bracelet or golf clubs, the gift doesn’t really matter so much as if you’re doing it from the heart. You’ll be getting enough gifts anyway from your guests, so the best thing to do is to do something personal that’s sure to make them feel special.

Photo from WeddingChannel.com.

I love my dog a lot.  However, I must admit that I was very upset with him last  night when he greeted me at the door looking cute and innocent, hoping that I would ignore the mess he made all over my living room floor!

At first I was mad at the mess, but then I realized the mess was created by hundreds of torn pieces from what was once my wedding bouquet–the very bouquet that I had taken the time to carefully dry and preserve, which was on display for over three years.

In retrospect, I know that I should never have left it in a place where the dog could have easy access.  So, this got me thinking of some better ways to preserve your wedding flowers.  For all of you who are wondering what to do with your flowers after you big day, here are some fun ideas:

Press It - Some companies, such as Pressed In Time Flowers,  will take your wedding bouquet and turn it into a work of art by pressing it beautifully into a flat frame that can be set alone or paired with a photo or wedding invitation.

Freeze Dry It - Other companies, such as Timeless Flowers, will freeze dry your bouquet.  I find this method especially appealing because your flowers will retain the shape and color they had on your wedding day.

Dry It - This is the method that I used, and I still think its a good option. But please learn from me and be careful! When you dry your bouquet, the petals often loose their color and they can easily be damaged.  However, if you store your bouquet in the secure place this could be be the cheapest option.  Click here for a handy how to guide for drying flowers.

I love “Scrubs” for all its zany antics and charming characters, but whether or not you watch the show, this is one episode you don’t want to miss! Make sure you have the sound on–and maybe a box of tissues nearby!

If I had to do it all over again, I might have chosen a beach wedding. There’s something so sweet about the smell of sea breezes and the cool tones that accompany a beach scene. Imagine your hair down, a flowing white dress, casual attire and the beauty of white sands and gorgeous blues and sea greens. Here’s my idea of an idyllic beach wedding.

Photos of casual wedding gowns from Brides.com. Jewelry and bridesmaid dress from Ann Taylor. Sweetheart table beneath a huppah from Alexis and Eric’s wedding in Coronado, California from The Knot. Starfish cake from La Patisserie: A French Bakery by the Sea in Cape May, New Jersey. Seaside Elegance wedding invitations from Wedding Paper Divas.

By guest blogger Geeta Sachdeva

A popular Men’s Wearhouse commercial suggests that the groom rent a fine suit because “…when everyone is looking at the bride, she will be looking at him.” While it is true that the bride and groom are the center of attention at any wedding, the decorations form another important part of the ceremony and can be a great way to express your style and taste.

When it comes to the altar, most brides have some idea of the effect they want to achieve. However, paying attention to the other details, like the entrance to the cathedral or the aisle, can fully complete the look of your decorations. Here are some tips for decorating the aisle, entrance and pews of your wedding ceremony:

Aisle: Custom painted aisle runners with your monogram or a meaningful quote make a deeply personal statement. They instantly dress up the space, and stylishly demarcate the path for the bridal party to walk up to the altar.

Pews: Flower-filled baskets, buckets or small wooden umbrellas can be suspended above the pews with ribbon. You can even shape a large tropical leaf to form a pocket that you can fill with a few delicate flowers, or attach a single large bloom (my absolute favorite right now is a lime green hydrangea) with a satin or organza bow.

Entrance: Line the steps leading up to the church or other venue with tall plants or ferns in terracotta pots. Then, adorn the doorway with a wreath made of the same flowers that are in the bride’s bouquet.

Another nice finishing touch is to hand out sprigs of fragrant herbs or flowers along with the wedding program, and explain its significance on a small card like these Garden Place Cards from Wedding Paper Divas.

Right now, Brides.com has an amazing collection of wedding dresses featured in a way that makes it easy to decide what type of bride you are. Simply choose from among “Modern,” “Romantic” or “Glamorous” to see a stunning selection of dresses to match your style. You can even research hairstyles, jewelry and flowers to match your style as well.

If you are looking for elegant wedding stationery to match your signature look, try pairing these designs from Wedding Paper Divas with the style you choose:

Modern:

Romantic:

Glamorous: