As many fashionistas already know, New York’s fashion week just wrapped up on Friday, leaving fashion writers and style bloggers in a tizzy over the latest trends for Fall 2009. Wish you could have been there for all the glitz and glamour? Here’s a clip from the Claire Pettibone bridal couture show to make you feel like a part of the action. What do you think of the playful rock ‘n’ roll theme?
We are excited to announce that Wedding Paper Divas has partnered with Beau-coup to give you access to hundreds of beautiful wedding favors, favor boxes, bridesmaid gifts, bridal shower gifts and more.
Beau-coup is a leading retailer of unique wedding favors, gifts and accessories and, like Wedding Paper Divas, they are committed to providing exceptional customer service and a variety of unique designs. To learn more, visit our partner page.
Images Courtesy of Beau-coup
We’re in the last week of our Engagement Story Contest! With only 2 days left to enter, we’re compiling a list of our favorite stories. Until we unveil the winner, enjoy these amazing stories that are some of our favorites from week 6!
An Unbreakable Bond
Last September, my boyfriend took me on a 17 day trip through Europe—he told me to pack my things, and he would take care of the rest. We spent the first two days in Switzerland visiting the town he grew up in, and then spent a few days sightseeing in Florence. On our third day there, he woke me up early and told me to wear something nice. A short time later, a man picked us up for an amazing eight hour private tour of Tuscany.
At the end of our incredible journey, we headed back to Florence to have dinner at a spectacular restaurant, and then to a semi-private opera with only 30 guests in attendance in a small, 600 year old church. Then, at the end of the night as we were walking back to the hotel, he asked if we could have one last look over the Ponte Vecchio. As we sat on the bridge listening to music and people watching, he started to tell me the history of this amazing bridge.
He said that Hitler had decided the bridge was too beautiful to destroy, so it was not allowed to be bombed during World War II. As a result, soldiers would bring their lovers to the bridge before heading to war, attach a lock on the bridge and throw the key in the water to represent their unbreakable bond. Then he pulled a padlock from his pocket with our names and the date engraved on it. We attached our lock to the bridge (which is illegal now!) and threw our key into the water below. Before I knew it, he was down on one knee with a beautiful engagement ring, asking me to be his wife. ~Veronica G.
Love on the Mountaintop
My boyfriend Chris and I are avid skiers, so when he told me that the lifts at our favorite resort were opening early for season pass holders one Saturday morning, I couldn’t resist. We got up early and managed to be the very first to get to the lift. Unbeknownst to me, Chris had been in communication with the mountain staff for months and had convinced them to open the lifts a half hour early just for the two of us.
There were a lot of people getting their skis together behind us, so I didn’t think anything of it at the time. The lift attendants played along and said it was going to be a beautiful day, but really busy since it was a special weekend for pass holders.
About half way up the lift, Chris brought my attention to the returning chairs on the opposite side. There was a sign on the back of the chair that said, “Hi hunny!” I didn’t catch on right away, but there was a total of 16 signs on the chairs that passed, each with a special memory or inside joke from our time together. When we got off the lift, the last sign at the top of the mountain said, “Will You Marry Me?”
We clicked our skis off, Chris got down on one knee, said some of the nicest words anyone has ever said to me and asked me to marry him. I said yes, and then two of our best friends came out of the background holding cameras and champagne glasses with our names engraved on them. We toasted on the top of Bear Mountain! ~Courtney P.
A Valentine’s Day Scene
Just last weekend, my boyfriend, Bob, took me to a nice restaurant for Valentine’s Day. While we were eating, he said to me, “I can’t believe they don’t have flowers on the tables for Valentine’s.” I told him that not all restaurants do things like that for holidays, and he insisted that he was going to ask the waiter to bring a flower for our table. I thought he was just being silly, but when the waiter walked by he stopped him and asked, “Can we please get some flowers for her here on the table?”
Although I was amazed that Bob would actually ask, the waiter simply said, “Sure no problem.” Bob turned to me and said that I needed a flower to take home. Suddenly, the waiter returned to our table and laid down a bouquet of long-stemmed, exotic flowers. He kept returning with bunch after bunch of beautiful exotic flowers, and soon more waiters came over with even more flowers. Each bouquet was tied with a pretty purple satin ribbon.
I was amazed by all of the beautiful bouquets, and before I knew it Bob standing up beside me. He said, “I wanted them to be special, because I want you to be my wife.” He dropped to his knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” I said, “Yes!” and the entire crowded restaurant shouted and applauded. ~Vicki G.
My True Love Gave to Me…
On Christmas Eve, my boyfriend brought over an advent calendar. He told me I couldn’t open the boxes until the next morning, so on Christmas Day I made him wake up early to read my first clue.
I opened the box and it read, “What is the last number of the year we met?” I eagerly moved on to box number six. Within six, there was another clue about our lives together, which lead to another and another. Finally, I got a note that said “Will you marry me? If yes, go to 24. If no, go to 23.”
I opened box number 24 to find a beautiful engagement ring! After I said yes, I looked in 23 just for fun—it had coal in it. It was such a sweet and wonderful way to start our lives together. ~Nina F.
If you’ve seen He’s Just Not That Into You, you probably remember the scene where Jennifer Aniston’s character escorts a dog down the aisle at her sister’s wedding. I couldn’t find a photo, but if you haven’t seen the movie, you can imagine how unexcited she was to (a) attend her little sister’s wedding without a date and (b) have a canine escort on top of it.
It was a cute part in the movie, but the fact that filmmakers used a dog in the wedding party as a way to show her character’s humiliation brings up an interesting point about including animals in your ceremony.
Is it appropriate to have pets in your wedding? How can you fit them in without embarrassing a bridesmaid or ruining the elegance of your ceremony? Have you ever been to a wedding that included pets? Rant or rave about it!
Spring took a deep breath in Northern California today, blowing away the rain that has been taunting us and welcoming sunny skies and warm temperatures. The cheerful flowers that greeted me outside of my house this morning only stood to enhance the spring fever that I’m sure everyone is feeling. Vibrant fuchsia blooms highlighted by light green stems stuck in my mind all day, and I just had to share it with the world!
From left to right, top to bottom: Pink and Lime Green table setting from Tickeled Pink Brides; Pink balloons from Flickr; Limes from Wikipedia; Green Martini from Flickr; Simple Orchid Wedding Invitation from Wedding Paper Divas; Flower chair decor from iVillage.
As I channel surfed last Friday night (Yes, I was at home, channel surfing on a Friday night. Something happens when you get married…or is it old? Either way. You suddenly find great joy in staying in. But I digress… ) I stumbled across the movie “Monster-in-law” with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda. After Charlotte (JLo) gets engaged to Viola’s (Jane Fonda) son Kevin (Michael Vartan), insanity ensues. Viola can’t imagine that the lowly Charlotte, a simple dog-walker and temp, could ever be good enough for Kevin. From invading their privacy to hiding peanuts in Charlotte’s food to trigger her allergy the night before the wedding, she’ll stop at nothing to ensure she remains number one in her darling son’s life. But Charlotte isn’t spineless, and does her best to fight back.
Although this is an extreme (albeit hilarious!) example of the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, it actually is not as far-fetched as it may seem. This unique relationship has been chronicled for years, with self-help books and TV shows galore aimed at solving the age-long mystery of exactly why this female-to-female relationship can be so rocky. I never believed the hype until I myself got married. Somewhere between the new daughter-in-law taking first place in her husband’s life and the mother-in-law feeling like she’s losing a son, a lot of resentment and dare I say, even jealousy, develops.
The question is, how do you stop this from happening when you enter a new relationship? How do you keep it from getting worse over the years? I know there are plenty of people out there who are lucky enough to be as close to their in-laws as they are to their own parents. I’d love to hear from anyone out there–what is your relationship with your mother-in-law like? Is she a monster-in-law or a second mother to you?
Are you planning the perfect party to announce your engagement? Check out some of our favorite engagement party invitations below:
Are you a fan of our weekly Real Weddings feature? Then take a moment to share with us photos from your big day! Beyond enjoying these BEAUTIFUL photos, this is a chance to provide other couples with real life ideas and inspiration.
If you are interested in submitting your wedding photos, please email 5-10 images and a brief description of the event to blog@weddingpaperdivas.com for consideration. Photographers are also welcome to submit photos.
We look forward to sharing in your special day.
Dear Divas,
I am getting ready to buy my invitations. I’ve been doing a ton of research online and I’ve pieced together a loose outline of what I want my invitations to say. Before I get them printed, though, I wanted to make sure that my wording followed standard invitation etiquette. Are there any phrases or words I should avoid? What should I do to make sure my invitations are worded correctly?
Wordy Wedding Planner
Dear Wordy Wedding Planner,
This is a great question, and you’ve come to the right place–after all, we are the Wedding Paper Divas! Before I go in to details, be sure to check out the new Etiquette Tool available when you are ordering wedding invitations from Wedding Paper Divas. This tool will make it easy for any bride or groom to word their invitations. Simply input specific details like names, places, and times and we will generate the perfect wording for your invitation!
Aside from the etiquette tool, there are certain things you should definitely avoid when writing your own wording. You mentioned that you searched online to piece together an outline of your wording–be careful! Gathering wording from different sources often does not flow well when pieced together. Levels of formality can change from sample to sample and you can end up with an invitation that changes tone throughout.
Also, try to avoid the use of confusing or vague pronouns, or changing the voice throughout your invitation. (i.e. “We invite you to our wedding” or “Their wedding will be on…”). Make sure that the people getting married are mentioned by name. Only use “We” or “Us” if you are the hosts and you are having a more casual wedding.
Finally, use wording that makes it clear who is hosting the wedding. Never say something like “Come join us for the marriage of celebration of John & Jill”. Who is us? The bride and groom? The parents of the bride?
As you can see from these tips, it’s important to maintain the voice and level of formailty throughout your wording and to make the hosts clear. For more tips, check out our Wedding Invitation Etiquette Page, and happy planning!
With just over a week left in the Wedding Paper Divas Engagement Story Contest, all of the divas here at the office are busily reading through the hundreds of stories we’ve received. We have yet to chose a winner, so make sure you enter by February 22nd! In the meantime, here are a few of our favorites from Week 5 to tide you over…
First Comes Love…
On our one-year anniversary, my thoughtful boyfriend, Derek, told me that he had found something at his old apartment that he wanted me to help him get because it reminded him of us. He told me that there was a pair of old women from the apartment complex that begged him to bring me back so we all could talk over tea. I reluctantly came with him, and when we arrived he walked me to the nearby stream where we had hooked up an old hammock the year before. “Here it is!” he proclaimed.
I glanced at the tree he was looking at, and discovered that he had carved a huge heart into the tree. Inside, he carved his initials and mine with FOREVER etched underneath. I stared at it and laughed, because it was such a delightful gesture on our one year celebration of being together. Then, before I knew it, he dropped to his knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” I was in shock! He said that he had asked my parents a few months prior when we went to visit them, and that he had spent the past week looking for a ring and the entire morning carving our initials into the tree. It was perfect! ~Jennifer S.
Drive-In Delight
My boyfriend, Brad, spent the entire afternoon building an outdoor birthday surprise for me in the backyard. Finally, after dinner, he asked me to follow him outside. He had set up a hammock, lined it with blankets and pillows, and then erected a projector and sound system to create a homemade drive-in movie theater! He even had popcorn and a cooler filled with beverages. I was stunned, thinking that it was already one of the sweetest things anyone had every done for me.
He helped me settle in to the hammock and started fidgeting with the speakers and surround sound. He said that he had made a “Preview DVD” so that he could adjust the focus and the sound without missing any of the movie. He popped in the DVD, and we laughed together as old-fashioned commercials for popcorn and corndogs that he had found played on the screen. Then he sat down next to me on the hammock while “What a Wonderful World” began to play and a beautiful slideshow of our years together played on the screen. I enjoyed watching the memories flash by, and I even got a little teary.
The DVD then transitioned to a series of “Bonus Features.” First, “One is the Loneliest Number” started playing. As the song changed to a Beta Band remix, the screen flashed with the text, “Wanna Get Hitched?” I couldn’t believe it! When I realized what was happening, he had placed a beautiful diamond ring in my lap. I started to cry as he said, “Well, will you marry me?” After a few more moments of shock I finally said yes! ~Katie G.
Aquarium L’amour!
On a trip to Newport, Oregon, my boyfriend and I spent the day at the local aquarium. We were some of the first people in the door, and shortly after we arrived one of the staff members asked us if we wanted to watch them feed some of the fish. She led us into the underwater viewing area of the tank, and we saw several scuba divers swimming around the tank and getting ready for the feeding.
After a few minutes, one of them reached down and started to slowly lift a sign that said “Brooke, will you marry me?” I turned around and saw my boyfriend on one knee with the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. He then asked me to marry him, and I happily said yes. Everyone in the aquarium started cheering and taking photos of us. It was the best day of my life! ~Brooke M.
A Sensational Surprise
I was so excited that my boyfriend, Adam, had planned a date night for us. After dinner, he told me that I had to tie my scarf around my eyes so that I couldn’t see where we were going. A few minutes later, we stopped and Adam helped me get out of the car. Holding on to each other tightly, we began to walk outside in the cold with me still blindfolded.
When we finally reached our destination, I took off my blindfold to find myself in a park that we used to go to all the time at the beginning of our relationship. Adam explained that he had a bunch of little gifts for me—one for each of the five senses. I had to close my eyes, hold out my hands and guess what each gift was after he gave it to me. The first few were silly inside jokes, including cologne he used to wear, a few Andes mints and a Coldplay song. Finally, Adam told me to close my eyes and hold my hands out in front of me for the final gift.
I felt him slip a ring on my finger before he leaned in close and asked me to marry him. In total shock, I opened my eyes and said yes about eight times! I started crying, and Adam pulled out a bottle of champagne. We spent the rest of the night sitting in the park hugging, kissing and sipping champagne for a long time. ~Ashley Z.
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