Black and white are a classic pair that can easily transform any wedding into a modern affair. Add them to your wedding decor for a simple and easy way to bring glamor back to your special day!

Camilla canisters from Pottery Barn are showing up in Halloween fashion but they also make your candy bar modern and sweet.  Pottery Barn Black Candelabra and stylish Flip Video Camera meld fun and function to make this black and white event complete.

This Two-Tone dress from White House Black Market and this handsome MW tux from Brides will keep your wedding in style.  And I love this black tie bouquet from Martha Stewart!

Invite them to this contemporary gathering with Dotted Floral Wedding Invitations. This Black and white round cake (photo from Brides) is a work of art, almost too pretty to eat!

Groom’s cakes date all the way back to the Victorian Era in England and then found its way to the United States where it gained popularity in the South.  It was believed that if a young woman slept with a slice of this cake under her pillow, she would dream about the man she would one day marry.

Today, they are a part of weddings everywhere.  In contrast to the typical wedding white variety, groom’s cakes “take the cake” with its often creative and unique styles and flavors. Here are a few I found that may be right for the man in your life.

1) For the guys who love video games, this Game Cube from Brides.com would be a sweet dream come true.

2) These Cheeseburger and Pepsi designs from Pink Cake Box bring wedding cakes to a whole ‘nother level!

3) For those grooms with a sweet tooth, how about trying this Pez dispenser Wedding Cake? (Photo from the Knot)

4) This one’s for the fisherman. This cake from Sugar, a Northern Oklahoma bakery, depicts a fisherman’s fresh catch in a very creative cake.

(Information about Groom’s cakes from: Martha Stewart Weddings and Wikipedia.com.)

Today’s brides have a lot more options to look gorgeous on their wedding day. Take your hair for example.  Do you want long voluptuous locks like Jessica Simpson or Beyonce, but don’t have the length to do it? Well, some brides are wearing hair extensions to achieve the look they want.  One bride on Weddingbee recently used extensions and her hair looked gorgeous.Would you do these faux hairdos for your big day?

Check out a couple of examples that impressed us:

1. Looking cute on Jessica Simpson, these hair clips from HairUwear go from day to night. Perfect for that wedding day switcheroo I recently blogged about, they are created by Jessica Simpson and her famous hairstylist Ken Paves.

2. It’s hard to believe, but these bridal up-dos are actually extensions. Extensions.com has a variety of bridal hairstyles with info on ways to do it for your big day!

When it comes to wedding favors, you have a million different options, from chocolates to candles, picture frames to mint tins.  Even though you can usually buy any of these items in bulk for a discounted price, it can still be a pricey commitment.  Because of that, we’ve come up with a few clever and creative ideas for DIY favors that guests are sure to love.

-Give your guests a gift that might really pay off!  For my wedding (260 guests!), I bought 260 $1 scratch-off lottery tickets.  I also purchased small envelopes in bulk that fit the tickets perfectly.  Using my home printer, I printed each person’s name on an envelope, and then stuck one lottery ticket and a shiny new penny in each.  When complete, these favors doubled as place cards, and they gave everyone something to talk about.  Hoots and hollers could be heard around the room as people won anywhere from $2 to $200!

-Share a piece of your personality with your guests.  Blank CDs are easy to come by these days.  Make a list of you and your honey’s favorite songs and burn them on to blank CDs.  Give each guest (or couple) a CD with a custom-made sleeve describing the meaning behind each song.

-Go to a bulk candy store and get a large quantity of your favorite sweet.  Next, head to the fabric store and buy some tulle and ribbon in your wedding colors.  Simply wrap the candy up in the little tulle “bags” and tie them with a ribbon.  You can even make small tags on your home printer with your wedding date, initials, or wedding location on it.

Whatever you choose to do, remember that any small token of appreciation will impress and please your guests.  What do you think? Do you have any other creative DIY ideas for wedding favors?

Finding the perfect venue for your ceremony and/or reception can be one of the hardest parts of wedding planning.  If you are looking for something unique, check out some of our favorite venue ideas below:

The Beach - If you are looking for a casual, but elegant affair consider holding your event by the seaside.  One of our favorite beach-side hotels is the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego (below).

A loft - If you are a city girl planning an event that is both elegant and chic consider renting an empty metropolitan loft that offers you a blank canvas to personalize with your own style.

A Vineyard - If you are thinking of planning a country-side or garden wedding, don’t rule out the idea of a vineyard.  Vineyards offer a special charm that will make your event feel extra romantic.

A Castle - Do you feel like you are marrying Prince Charming? Then fulfill your fairy tale fantasies and get married in a castle.  When I was planning my wedding, I dreamed of getting married on the grounds of Oheka Castle in New York state (below).

Getting married on or near Halloween? Then you’ll love this week’s inspiration board chock full of spooky, eerie and surprisingly elegant designs for a unique wedding or bridal shower. Check them out for a chic and creepy holiday treat.

Pumpkin lanterns, tin can pumpkin lanterns and chandelier Shades, all from Martha Stewart, will light the way to a ghastly good time on your wedding day! Guests will be spooked and surprised by these creative lights.

Who says you can’t wear black on your wedding day? This gorgeous satin gown by BCBG Maxazria (from Nordstrom) would make any bride feel like a queen and this orange number by J. Crew (photo from Brides.com) is a perfect fall shade of orange. Bridal bouquet filled with calla lilies from The Knot.

This beautiful Fancy Flour cupcake wrappers from Brides.com is festive and fun! And lastly, choose our Oval Monogram Wedding Invitations to make your Halloween themed wedding day complete!

Finding the perfect hairstyle for your wedding day can be just as daunting as finding your dream dress.  Up-dos, waves, braids, curls–it’s hard to keep track of all the possibilities.  That’s why we’ve gathered together some great resources to help you find your ideal do:

-Find hair to fit any style, from bohemian to romantic, beach casual to glamorous with Brides.com.

-Follow these guidelines from Wedding Bells to make sure your hair is ready for the big day.  Among the many tips, the site advises that you make sure your hair compliments your dress and that you make any drastic changes to cut or color well before the wedding so you have time to repair any mistakes!

-See a hairstyle you love but can’t quite envision it on yourself?  No problem!  Visit The Hairstyler, upload an image of yourself, select your hair color, and try on any of 8,000+ available hair styles!

-If you’re feeling star struck, take the advice of celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves.  Oprah.com has his tips for gorgeous wedding hair and celebrity bridal secrets.

-If you’re looking to add some sparkle to your already glowing hair, look no further than Hair Comes the Bride.  With everything from hair pins to hair extensions, you’re bound to find what you’re looking for.

What’s your favorite snack of all time? For me it’s the twinkie. I love twinkies so much that I treat myself to one on special days like my birthday.  However, while I love twinkies a lot, I didn’t love them enough to have them at my wedding.  Some couples, however, get really creative and turn their favorite all-time snack (or meal) into a very unique wedding cake.

Check out some of our recent finds:

Hostess Cakes

Ice Cream Cone Cake

Donut Cakes

M&M Cake

Sushi Cake ?

Birds are all the rage this year for everything from holiday cards to clothing, jewelry and more. In particular, people seem to find wedding inspiration in these winged little friends of ours. Maybe it’s because of the old tradition of releasing doves or throwing birdseed at the end of a ceremony, or maybe it’s just because the idea of flying away with the person you love is so utterly romantic. Whatever the reason, we love all things feathered for weddings this winter and beyond.

If you need a little inspiration for your own bird-themed celebration, check out these charming ideas for a wedding that will truly take flight!

This charming little bird’s nest place card came from our friends at Beau-coup, and the sterling silver bird necklace is sold at Kaboodle. The Love Bird Embrace cake topper is from That’s My Topper, the bird wedding cake inspiration ideas can be found on Flickr, the handmade bird topper is sold on Etsy and the delightful bird mobile is from Social Design. Last but certainly not least, all of the gorgeous cards pictured here are sold at Wedding Paper Divas.

Beautiful and relatively inexpensive this Kissing Hearts necklace from Fossil make a charming gift for you or your bridesmaids.

Show off pictures from your honeymoon and wedding in these designer frames by Umbra.

Bobbi flats from Kate Spade are stylish and comfortable and will take you from your wedding day to the honeymoon and beyond.

This salad server set from Designer Things is modern and chic. It’ll make even the most mundane activity, serving salad, an act of style.

Invite guests with Letterpress for a look of luxury! Vintage Swirls Wedding Invitation.