Celebrities don stunning jewelry, fancy hairstyles and drop dead gorgeous gowns on the red carpet as if they were getting married. Why not steal their hairdos to look fabulous on your big day?

Up-dos: Eva Mendes’ messy up-do adds effortless, carefree style and romance to your wedding day (About.com). Kelly Ripa’s do is flawlessly styled and perfect for a formal evening (InStyle). Anne Hathaway’s braided updo is a style trend that will transform your locks into hair heaven (InStyle).

Lovely Locks: Let your hair down with these beautiful hair trends! Selma Blair’s sleek style is great for gals with short hair (People). Blake Lively’s long, wavy hair with intertwining braids looks beautiful and is perfect for a beach wedding (InStyle). Romance is alive in Fergie’s loose and gorgeous curls (People).

I love checking out other wedding blogs, so was intrigued when I read Simply Stated: Nearly Wed recently. The blogger’s entry was a debate about save the date cards and whether they were necessary or overdone in weddings today.

According to the Wedding Report, a 2008 industry trend calls for couples to personalize their complete wedding suite, which includes Save the Date Announcements. And, while most are used specifically for destination weddings or weekend weddings, I personally think that they are a beautiful and fun way to introduce your wedding to guests early.

I’ve received several types of save the date cards in the past, from magnets to photo cards, and have always enjoyed getting them. In addition, if you have a lot of out of town guests like I did, or your wedding date is near a major holiday, and you may want to ensure that the majority of your guests will come by sending out one of these cards as a nice courtesy. Here are a few fresh save the date designs from Wedding Paper Divas that I love.

Blooming Branches

Berry Buds Ecru Save the Date Cards: Chocolate

Fern Save the Date Cards

I have yet to meet a bride with a colored diamond engagement ring. So it got me thinking, are colored diamonds just for the rich and famous, and will they one day be a dying trend? Or will they, like round cut diamonds, last and become a tradition? What do you think? (Photos: Timeless Designs rings on left from The Knot, Pink and yellow diamonds on right from InStyle Weddings.)

Short wedding dresses are in right now, and I can see why. Though my girlfriend commented that they showed a bit too much leg, I felt that they would have been a blessing at my wedding. Short dresses allow for more freedom to dance and aren’t as confining as long ball gowns, and I bet they keep brides cool in the summer. What do you think? Do these dresses come up short for being too casual, or are they just right?

Photos from left: Vera Wang from About.com, Amsale Tulle, Melissa Sweet and Oscar de la Renta from TheKnot.

Orange is fiery and bold. A burst of citrus creates a lively mood for a larger-than-life couple who really wants to stand out at their wedding. Choose a subdued orange hue and mix it with brown in autumn or brighten up a summer wedding with bright juicy tones. Here’s another inspirational board for you brides-to-be who are head over heels in love with orange. How about mixing two popular and unlikely tones, orange and green for something unique. Inspired by the bold complementary colors of a fresh green and bright orange centerpiece I adored in Napa’s famous Copia restaurant, I pulled various similar tones to complete this distinctly modern look.

While there are ample wedding magazines and books out there providing spectacular pictures and ideas for your wedding, I think there is another important resource being overlooked. Go to the bookstore, or visit your local library for articles on current and contemporary fashion and interior designs. Browsing through the latest style trends or home designs may spark fresh ideas and inspiration for your wedding. While their focus may be on clothes, accessories and furniture, they also predict changes in styles that may forecast changes in wedding trends.

Brandi posted on the sweet and scrumptious cupcake trend sweeping weddings across the nation. I :heart: cupcakes and think that they are super sweet, but understand that this may not always work for couples looking for more formal options. It probably would also be a problem for couples whose parents are just like mine and say things like, “What would people think if you didn’t have a cake?”

Considering this, I thought I would share my most recent find from the current issue of Brides magazine - America’s most beautiful wedding cakes. This issue features some of the most beautiful and ornate wedding cakes I have ever seen. Most of these cakes look like a million bucks (and probably cost a few thousand)!

Check out some of my favorite wedding cake inspirations:

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is an important day for cupid as I suspect that many nervous guys and gals are planning to “pop the question” today. In fact, this time of year is the busy season for Wedding Paper Divas as over 30% of all engagements happen between Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

With so many couples taking the leap and starting to plan for their upcoming nuptials, Wedding Paper Divas released the top trends expected this wedding season. Last month, Lynn posted some wedding trends expected in 2008. A few more recent trends that we are seeing include the following:

Non-traditional shapes

Many couples are opting for wedding invitations in non-traditional shapes. Gone are the days choosing between 5″ x 7″ rectangles - now couples can select square and tea length cards.

Bright Colors & Unique Color Combinations

Couples are incorporating vibrant colors and unique color combinations into their weddings like yellow. Brides are also creating unique color combinations such as pink and orange. These colors are not only seen on invitations, but also on wedding place cards and programs, and incorporated throughout the reception.

Something old, something new

Brides love options and many combine modern designs with traditional stationery elements like ecru paper and letterpress printing.

Get Cultured

More couples are adding a little ethnic flavor to their stationery, whether through cultural motifs, meaningful quotes or relevant color combinations.

Wedding Websites

Wedding websites are continuing to grow in popularity and are becoming more elaborate than ever. These pages include details about the couple, their courtship, and their wedding. Couples are encouraging their guests to read more about their event or even RSVP online by adding the URL to their wedding website directly onto bridal shower invitations and wedding invites.

So, what trends are inspiring you as you plan your event?

So I finally decided it was time, time to choose the all-important save the dates! Since the majority of my friends and family are coming from overseas, deciding to include these cards was a necessity. Not only is it fun to send out early announcements of your wedding but it is also out of common courtesy. Your guests will need the extra time to make flight and hotel arrangements and take off from work. I know because as soon as I got engaged my family was eager to know all the details of my wedding. The sooner you can get those out, the better! This will increase the chances that the people you love will be able to join you on your wedding day.

Wedding Paper Divas has a lot of chic choices to pick from. After perusing the site for several days, I finally decided to choose a photo card. This is a great way to make use of any engagement photos you have and add personality to your save the date cards. There were so many out there to choose from, some with juicy colors great for summer like the Canna photo cards and others with perfect nature scenes great for spring such as the new Little Bird Save the Dates.

But I finally selected a simple card that perfectly suits my fiancé and I am completely happy with my choice. I was a little indecisive at first. But who could blame me with all the great new designs? After a lot of flip flopping though, I finally made my decision. Can you keep a secret? Guess which one I chose? I couldn’t resist the new Wild Grass photo save the date cards in Sage.

Wild Grass

Valentine’s Day cards have been shared in Europe for centuries, but the American tradition of sending Valentine’s Day cards was pioneered by one innovative and creative young woman. Esther Howland, “The Mother of the American Valentine,” was inspired by an ornate English valentine she received shortly after graduating from college in 1847. Determined to make beautiful valentines of her own, she ordered paper lace and floral embellishments from England, created a few samples and was overwhelmed by the volume of orders placed at her family’s Massachusetts stationery shop.

Operating during the height of the golden age of valentines from 1840-1860, Esther grew her business from a small valentine production line in her family’s home to full-blown flourishing and in 1879, The New England Valentine Company was created. Her business thrived until she retired in 1881, when she sold it to the George C. Whitney Company. Esther’s highly intricate and romantic paper lace designs, as well as many others, set Valentine’s Day cards trends in America for over thirty years.

Image courtesy of Donna Albino, http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~dalbino/

At Wedding Paper Divas we’re inspired by Esther’s dedication to creativity, romance and above all, innovation. As a modern tip of the hat to our pioneering, visionary sister, our state-of-the-art personalization options allow you to make our Valentine’s Day designs your unique cards. Newlyweds and couples can easily customize a quick, heartfelt thank you note to loved ones or transform a valentine design into a moving or marriage announcement.

With the Sweet Paisley Valentine Red Photo Card, choose to keep “Happy Valentine’s Day” at the top but incorporate “Your wedding date” where the family member names are. Like Esther Howland’s exclusive paper lace creations, our personalization options and designs combined with your sentiments and style offer the perfect opportunity to create your own exclusive and indelible Valentine’s Day card trends.

Source:
http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Valentines/howland.htm
http://www.jsbeads.com/esther-howland/